Thanks for taking the time to read this. I was really touched by your comments and do know that I've kept them in mind while working on this new chapter.

Jihyo presses the snooze button as she lays her head heavily back down on her pillow. She stares at the neatly ironed dress hanging on her door, courtesy of Eomma, and lets out a soft sigh. This fluttering sensation in her tummy - is this purely anxiety about starting work?

Or is this about something more? 

Unwilling to leave her warm nest of pillows and stuffed tigers, she snuggles deeper under her covers and raises her arm to cover her eyes. Five more minutes.

She remembers Kwangsoo's downcast face as he spoke about Jongkook. "Noona after you broke up with him, Hyung was a mess. He quit his job and started to spend a lot of time at bars. You know how we thought that he would never touch alcohol? Well, we were wrong. And he even-"  

Kwangsoo had scanned her face for any reaction, checking if she was affected by what he said. 

She had carefully widened her eyes, just enough to display friendly curiosity. He had continued. 

"Hyung even started getting into fights after he got drunk. We tried to stop him, tried to be with him whenever he went out partying. It was difficult though, he didn't really want us to be there. He was-" he swallowed hard as he leaned back into his chair, like he was reliving the memory. "Hyung was injured and at the hospital a lot. Don't get me wrong Noona, I'm not blaming you. But Hyung was really hurt and didn't cope at all. And you know him. He never was one to talk about feelings."

She had expected Jongkook to wallow for a little bit. What she did not expect was that he would push all their friends away. 

Or punish himself. Owf. It hurts to think of Jongkook that way. 

She tried to swipe away the image of a bruised and broken Jongkook that appeared behind her eyes. She also ignored the insistent tugging in her chest as she masked her face, keeping it blank. She simply nodded her head, encouraging him to continue. 

Kwangsoo may be her most sensitive dongsaeng, but she had three years of practice.  

"Then he was informed that his grandfather had passed away in an accident. Eomonim was disowned years back because she married Abeonim. I had no idea. I think Hyung had no clue either." Kwangsoo had become more animated. "So apparently, the hospital was willed to hyung's family - it was all very makjang." 

That was a huge surprise. The Jongkook that she remembers had lived humbly together with his family in a cosy, three-bedroom flat in the outskirts of Seoul. She never heard about his grandfather. Jongkook probably didn't know anything too. 

"I'm not really sure why, but Hyung's hyung didn't want to be part of it. His parents didn't really want to do much with the hospital too. So Hyung, then the only unemployed one in the family, was left with learning how to run it."

Jongkook was close to his parents but he didn't really get along with his older brother. Her mind went back to when he told her about his feelings towards his brother. 

"I know that you're close to your siblings, Jihyo-ya. But I'm not really the same." 

They were at the park, seated under a sturdy tree that sheltered them from the afternoon sun. With her back against the tree, she had her legs stretched out in front of her and his boyish face on her lap.  A flash of hurt swept across his eyes when she combed his wavy hair away from his forehead with her fingers.

She allowed him to vent, rubbing slow calming circles on his chest with the heel of her palm.

"He rarely stays home to be with us and even when he did, keeps to himself in his room. He only comes out for food." At that point, he raised his voice, his agitation clear. "Does he think that Eomma is