05

     "Did you just ask me to find your father for you?"

Baekhyun asked, blinking twice.

Jieun nodded, staring back at the boy.

"You said so yourself that your father went to a business trip in Singapore," he rolled his eyes. 

Jieun sighed and bit her lips. She didn't think that far because she was a very forgetful person and often forgot about the lies that she told. She didn't want to tell Baekhyun - she didn't want to tell anyone about their family situation but this time, she wanted to find her father. 

Her father was getting old and ill.

The thought of him being dead terrified her, and she wanted to find him and confirm that he was there with her own hands. 

"H..e returned," she stuttered. "He's just somewhere I can't find."

Baekhyun stared at Jieun and sat there, trying to find the logic in this deal. In exchange for a family secret that he deserved to know under his own roof, he had to search around the entire South Korea for someone's father that he had never seen before in his life.

"I've never even met your father before," he blurted. "How am I supposed to find someone I've never seen before?"

Jieun sighed and took out her wallet, slipping out a small family photo. 

"I'm not even asking for much," she said quietly. "I'm just saying.. if you see him somewhere, just.. hold on to him and call me." 

Baekhyun stared at the photo and threw it back at Jieun, annoyed.

"If you're going to find a person, go see a detective not me, geez." he grunted as he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Jieun sighed, trying to hold her tears in. 

There was no reason to be sad; she should have know better than to just ask a stranger to find her father for her. 

No one cared about what she was going through.

"What was I thinking," she forced a smiled, trying to force back her tears. "I must have been out of my mind."

---

      Baekhyun sat on the edge of his bed, shuffling the rubik's cube, blankly staring at the wall. Jieun's favor never left his head; it wasn't that he wasn't willing to help her. He desperately wanted to know what Taehyung's secret was since the brothers hardly conversed with each other except when they were in front of their parents. 

Baekhyun didn't even know about his real parents; how could he help someone else find theirs?

He stared at Taehyung who was sitting at his desk; quietly studying. 

     Baekhyun had never felt any sort of ill feelings against him; but recently, he started to think different. He was always used to being treated like he was an invisible person, but he didn't want to show Jieun and Jiwoo that that's how he is usually treated at home. He hated people second guessing his life just based on what they saw between him and his parents. 

He hated being treated like a shadow; and he started to think it was because of Taehyung.

He threw the rubiks cube at Taehyung's head and glared as Taehyung sighed and spun, throwing the rubiks cube back at him. 

"I'm trying to study here," Taehyung seethed. 

"I'm trying to study here," Baekhyun mimicked sarcastically.

Taehyung sighed and put his mechanical pencil down, turning his gesture toward Baekhyun who glared back at him. 

"What's your problem?"

Baekhyun spun the rubiks cube, scoffing as he listened to Taehyung's nonchalant tone. 

"You're all grown up now," he snorted. "keeping secrets and all."

Taehyung blinked twice as he stared at Baekhyun who stared right back at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

He gulped and tried to keep a calm face which clearly didn't work as Taehyung's habit of fidgeting with his hands came out. 

"You're fidgeting," Baekhyun said. 

"So?"

"You're lying."

Taehyung sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, biting his lips. He was pushed to the edge every time like this, and there was never a single time when he outwon Baekhyun.

"No I'm not,"

"Then I guess I can tell Mom and Dad that you have a girlfriend who lives downstairs-"

"Okay," he hissed. 

Baekhyun crossed his legs, waiting for Taehyung to spill.

"Suzy's..." he hesitated. "pregnant." his voice died down.

Baekhyun's jaw dropped as he stared at Taehyung's crotch, unable to say another word.

"Bae Suzy, pregnant?"

"ing get out you scum," Taehyung grabbed Baekhyun by the arm and kicked him out of the room, leaning against the door.

Baekhyun stuck his jaw together as he blinked twice, trying to absorb everything that just happened.

His parents were strictly against him dating during high school; yet he got a girl pregnant.  

"Oi," he called as Jieun walked past him with a sunken face. 

Jieun ignored and walked toward the foyer, randomly putting on a pair of shoes that were not hers. 

"Those are my shoes,"

Baekhyun groaned as he hurridly fit his slippers on to his feet and chased after Jieun who walked through the emergency stairs door. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and followed her as she walked down the stairs with a sullen face, her shoulders hunched down. She seemed completely spaced out as she walked down the stairs, feeling the bars as she walked down. 

He trailed behind her as she walked out of the lobby, walking along the pathway until she reached the main road. 

It was almost abnormal to see her that drained of energy because her first impression was so sassy. 

He stood a few steps away as Jieun stood infront of the crosswalk, staring at the other side blankly. 

He stared at her face and noticed that her face was swollen, especially her eyes.

"Don't tell me she cried because I rejected her," he raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He was on the edge of his step as she stood right infront of the crosswalk, cars whooshing right past her. Everyone seemed indifferent to her as she wobbled at the speed of the car but continued to stand there. 

"Is she an idiot or what," Baekhyun murmured under his breath as he walked toward her.

People around him began to gasp and murmur as Jieun began screaming and walked into the traffic, cars beeping and stopping as she ran toward the other side like a crazy person, half wailing. 

Baekhyun froze in his spot, watching the crazy girl topple to the floor as the car stopped right infront of her. She stood up and limped toward the other side, wailing as she seemed to be desperately chasing someone.

"DAD!"

Baekhyun heard. 

"DAD! STOP!" 

     Without thinking, Baekhyun rushed into the traffic and sprinted towards Jieun who stood in the middle of the road jumping in her spot as she cried powerlessly at something on the other side. 

     Baekhyun tripped as a car bumped his hip lightly, but stood back up slightly limping. All the cars beeped and the drivers screamed as Jieun fell to the floor and stared at the floor silently.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

     Baekhyun screamed as he carried Jieun on his back and ran to the other side, toppling over on the floor as the cars continued to speed past them, beeping as they drove past. Baekhyun caught his breath and stared at Jieun whose leg was severly scraped and bleeding all over. There were tears oozing out of her eyes as her eyes were fixed on the pedestrian road that led to apartment complexes. 

Baekhyun sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I saw my Dad," she gasped, trying to get up but falling downa gain. "I have to go see him."

"You're not going anywhere," he pulled her down and stared at her legs. "You're hurt."

"But I saw my Dad," she shrilled. "He was right there."

"LEE JIEUN," he said firmly. "None of that matters. Look at yourself."

"But I have to find him Baekhyun," she looked at Baekhyun with tear filled eyes. 

She broke out crying out loud, wiping her tears with her sleeves. 

Baekhyun shrugged and awkwardly placed a hand on her back, slowly patting her. He had never encountered a crying person like this, nor had to comfort one before in his life. He wasn't sure if he was doing this right, because she continued to cry louder. 

"Jieun please," he grit his teeth. "People are watching."

She raised her head and stared at Baekhyun, crying even louder. 

"For god's sake," he hissed and sighed. "I'll help you find your Dad."

Jieun went silent as she stared at Baekhyun who scratched his head awkwardly and averted eyes with her. 

"But you-"

Baekhyun went silent as Jieun wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He shuddered at the queer sense of warmth he felt on his body; it felt so unfamiliar to him.

"Thank you," she whispered. 

Baekhyun sat there, his heart pounding.. a little faster than usual.

Sorry I didn't update for a long time

I was busy with finals and studying and now I started summer break so I can update more often