02

      Jieun and Ji-woo entered the house nervously. 

They stood at the foyer, hesitant to walk further. The entire place looked like a magical mansion built for a millionnaire, so precious that they were afraid they would break something the moment they walked in. 

"Mum," Taehyung called across the large living room. "The guests are here."

He threw his backpack on the couch and walked toward the kitchen, searching through the fridge. 

"They're here!" a woman rushed out and squealed in happiness as she watched the two teenagers standing awkwardly at the foyer. She looked like a rich madam who had been pampered her entire life and never even heard of the W in the word work in her entire life. 

"Come in!" 

She grabbed Ji-woo's hand and pulled him toward the living room, seating him in the plushiest sofa. Jieun trailed behind and took a seat beside Ji-woo, both staring at the woman who took a seat opposite them. 

"You were so small the last time I saw you Ji-woo," the woman chuckled. "oh my have you grown!"

Ji-woo laughed awkwardly and glanced at his sister who also had no idea what was going on. 

"They don't seem to know who you are mum," Taehyung popped up and placed a banana milk infront of Ji-woo. 

"I was your mother's friend," she said simply. "a good one at that too."

An awkward silence wrapped over them like an itchy wool blanket.

"Uh, well.." Jieun broke the ice. "Thanks for taking us in Mrs..?"

"Just call me mum,"

"Mum," Taehyung snorted. "They've seen you for the first time. They're not just going to call you their mum."

"I guess so," she mumbled. "Mrs.Kim." she smiled. 

The siblings smiled awkwardly and glanced at the house.

"I heard your father has gone on a very long business trip," Mrs.Kim sipped her tea as she glanced at the two kids. 

"Our dad is running aw-" "Yes, he's been appointed to uh.. Singapore."

Jieun pinched Ji-woo behind his back and faked a smile. 

"What does your father currently do?"

"He works as a secretaryin a law firm," she laughed half-heartedly, forcing Ji-woo to laugh along with her.

"MUM I'M SO HUNGRY WHAT'S FOR DINNER-"

The door slammed open as another boy rushed through the door and plunged on the couch. He threw his shades on the table and stretched, sitting up. He screamed as he saw the siblings sitting opposite him, both glaring at him.

It was the same boy they had ran into in the pool earlier.

'We have a guest," Mrs.Kim slapped him on the arm. "When will you grow up?"

"T..THEY WERE THE ONE WHO TRESPASSED INTO THE POOL! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!"

"Shut up," Taehyung shoved the boy with his feet and frowned. "I'm going to go deaf, geez."

"I.. didn't meant to trespass, I just didn't know how to get around the place and I don't know how we ended up cutting through the side but it just happened and I'm genuinly sorry-"

"It's fine," Mrs.Kim laughed. "It was Baekhyun who put the sign there anyway."

Mrs.Kim grabbed the boy's shoulder.

"Oh..?"

"Our father owns this entire apartment." 

Jieun and Ji-woo's jaws dropped at Taehyung's such nonchalant comment. 

"What are they doing here anyway?" Baekhyun shrugged.

"Their father has specially pleaded for us to take care of them until their father returns from his business trip." 

"What? Why our house?!"

"Shut up Byun Baekhyun," Taehyung shot. "You don't even own any of the stocks."

Baekhyun glared back at Taehyung who shrugged in satisfaction

"Let me you to your room," Mrs.Kim stood up as the siblings trailed behind her.

She walked them through the end of the corridor, into the door at the end. She opened the door and revealed a room with a bunk bed and the other necessities. The room seemed a large for the two of them to use; a little too big. The size of the room was the size of their house back when they were young.

"Sorry this is the smallest room in our house," Mrs.Kim chuckled apologetically.

"Smallest?" Jieun stuttered. 

"This is the biggest room I've ever seen in my life.." Ji-woo gasped as he looked around the room. 

"Thank you Mrs.Kim," Jieun grinned. "I don't know how to repay you-"

"Just enjoy your stay here," she smiled. "That's more than enough."

Jiwoo and Jieun were left alone in their room as the two walked around, touring the large room. She'd never had her personal bathroom before, let alone a full dressing room. 

She could see the swimming pool from the window, and the beautiul sight of the city by the water in the background. Jieun looked out the window, lost in thoughts. A million thoughts were running through her head, but not a single one that she could tell someone comfortably.

Although it was easy for her naive and innocent brother to think that living in this luxurious place was a dream come true, but for Jieun it would be a wit fight.  Who in this world could possibly truly welcome a runaway sibling, even if they were the closest relative of your parents?

Every friend had their limit. 

"Don't get too comfortable here," Jieun said as she unlocked her suitcase. "We're not staying here forever."

"I know," he replied in a deflated voice. 

Jieun looked at her brother whose eyes were fixed on the swimming pool outside the window, his eyes glistening with excitement. She felt a ting of sadness in her heart as he only looked at it, barricaded by the glass. 

"Jieun," he asked. "Now that we're here.. can I continue swimming..?"

Jiwoo looked back at her with a face of intensity and passion, so strong that Jieun couldn't tell him the truth.

She knew how much her brother wanted this.

To the young ambitious heart, how could she tell him that he couldn't? Their constant escape made no room swimming, something that required constant effort every day. She had no idea when they would have to run away to another place and didn't want to give him false hope. 

"We've already talked about this," Jieun sighed. "You know how much effort and time it takes. Time.. isn't on our side Jiwoo."

"But the opportunity is here," he pointed to the pool. "I can do this."

"They already know our faces, if they track us down again it's the end of dad and us."

Jiwoo sighed and buried his head into his hands. 

"Dong-woo got accepted to Daegu Sports High school," Jiwoo said bitterly. "Full scholarship." 

Jieun stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She felt terrible inside, but she knew sugar coating her words weren't going to help Jiwoo at all. 

"If only I had the time and the opportunity to swim I could have gotten in and I could have tried for Junior Olympics-"

"That's enough," Jieun blurted. "Do you think this is our home? Do you think we can just use the facilities here like they're our own? "

"Why not?!" Jiwoo shouted back. "We live here now."

"Didn't you hear what they said? Their father owns this apartment. What do you think is going to happen if you do something wrong?"

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

Jieun went silent.

"I can barely keep up with the study at school, I'm not rich like the other kids, and I'm not good looking either.But there was one thing I liked, one thing that I could do better than everyone. Now you're telling me not to do it?"

"Stop acting so dramatic," Jieun snapped. "Do you know what's worse than not being able to swim? Spending your entire life in jail. So if you don't want to end up that way, think of our priorities. You know it's not because I don't want you to swim."

"Whatever," Jiwoo sighed and continued unpacking his things.

Jieun walked out the room, looking for a clothing iron somewhere in the storage closet. Despite it being an apartment, this place was so large that Jieun wasn't sure if she was going to find her way back to her own room. All of the doors looked so identical she was scared she would never find her way back. 

"What are you doing?"

She looked back to the voice of Baekhyun leaning against the wall with a large candy bulging in his right cheek. 

Jieun glared at him and continued searching for the iron in the closet, struggling with the iron placed at the very top of the shelf. 

She felt Baekhyun's presence behind him and shuddered at the slight warmth that she felt against her body as he grabbed the clothing iron and brought it down, staring at it and then back at Jieun. She tried to grab it from his hand but missed as he stepped back and stared at it amusingly. 

"You're missing the magic word."

Jieun sighed and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, now give it to me."

"You don't seem very thankful."

"I am! Now give it to me!"

"I guess they don't include things like manners in ordinary people's dictionaries."

Baekhyun smiled as he stared into her eyes, through her glasses with a look of skepticism. 

Jieun bit her lips in embarrassment, her cheeks burning up. 

~Flashback~

"I guess they don't include things like manners in rich people's dictionaries, huh." Jieun said.

Baekhyun glanced at the old bags and suitcases on the sun beds and chuckled.

"Why don't you follow the dictionary?"

He pointed to the sigh on the side that read don't enter through the side.

"You know you're really annoying?"

She shoved him by the chest and snatched the iron off his hand. She walked through the door, accidently opening all the other doors, mistaking it as her own. 

Baekhyun watched as the short girl walked in to every single door with the long iron cord dragging behind her on the floor. 

He snorted as he stepped on the long chord, watching her trip over.