That night, Namjoon did not come back. It was the same for the next several days. No one knew where he had gone – not even his best friend Jin. As a week passed, Jiyeong stayed on the couch the whole time, looking out the window as if expecting her brother to appear anytime. Not even Jungkook could persuade her to move. She would just stare outside with dull eyes.

She missed school. Jungkook and Taehyung took turns missing school so Jiyeong wouldn’t starve in the afternoons. Jin would be in charge of making sure she ate in the morning and evenings. Before Hoseok would leave for work, he would stand there staring at her for a while as if observing the state of her health. Sometimes Jimin would come to her between his busy schedules and crack a joke or two, but they would elicit no response.

At night, she would fall asleep on the couch. In the morning, the residents of the House would be greeted by her exhausted eyes staring outside once more. After a couple of nights, Jungkook had formed the habit of sleeping on a blanket at the foot of the couch. He wanted to make sure that Jiyeong was sleeping properly.

“Jungkook.”

Jungkook gave a start in the middle of one night. It was past midnight and it was completely dark inside the living room save a sliver of moonlight coming through between the curtains of the window.

“Jiyeong?” Jungkook bolted up. He turned his head and squinted until he could make out the dim figure of the girl, who seemed to be sitting up with her knees drawn to her chest.

“Jungkook, you should go to your bed and sleep there.”

Jungkook stood up and sat down next to Jiyeong on the couch. “Jiyeong,” he whispered. “You should go to the bed and sleep there.”

“Don’t mind me.” The girl didn’t move the slightest. “Don’t worry about me and just go.”

Reaching over with his arms, Jungkook pulled her into a hug. “How can I not? You mean everything to me. If your sad, I can’t not be sad.” He paused. “Jiyeong, he’s going to come back. It’ll take time, but I know he will.”

“I’ve lost him again.” Jiyeong’s tears were discernable even in her voice. Jungkook slowly turned her around and pulled her into an embrace. He felt his shirt getting wet from her tears, but he didn’t care.

“Jiyeong, he’ll want you to live as you normally do. You’re a bright person. He’ll want you to stay smiling. And he’ll come back after he has some time alone. You know he loves you. Nothing will change that.”

“Jungkook.” Jiyeong’s voice was muffled. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Jungkook walked down the hallway. His mouth was set in a firm line. Today was the day he would do his utmost to persuade Jiyeong to get off the couch. Last night, he was so close. This time, he would succeed.

The bathroom door a few steps away from him opened. Jiyeong exited with slightly wet hair and fresh clothes. Jungkook froze and his face turned milk-white as though he had seen a ghost.

“Jiyeong!”

Jiyeong glanced at the boy. “I’m going to the orphanage for a little while,” she stated abruptly.

Jungkook blinked several times. “Why?” he asked stupidly.

“I just want to visit. It’s been awhile,” Jiyeong said softly.

“I’ll go with you.” He grabbed Jiyeong’s hand, but she retrieved it from his grasp.

“No. I’ve always appreciated your support whenever I was having a hard time, but this time, I feel like I need to go alone. Please understand.”

Jungkook looked torn, but he didn’t move when Jiyeong left.

Jiyeong got off the bus. The orphanage just a block away. Its white walls and numerous windows – five by four – gave Jiyeong a sense of nostalgia. Although she was sometimes lonely inside this familiar building, it was still her home for so many years. She felt like her life had changed so much after she left this place, but the place itself was exactly the same.

She walked down the old stone path and opened one of the huge double doors. She entered the clean, spacious lobby.

A tall boy was standing in front of a huge framed photograph. Jiyeong knew what it was by heart. It was taken several years ago on the orphanage’s 10^th anniversary, when she was three. Her brother was standing next to her in the photo, smiling at the camera while she was on the verge of crying. The figure reached out a hand to touch the photo.

Jiyeong now felt like she could recognize that figure anywhere.

“Oppa.” The word escaped before she could think. The figure stiffened, and then he stood and turned. Namjoon’s weary face stared back at her.

With big, abrupt steps, he walked forward a little to her left, as if to avoid her. However, Jiyeong knew she couldn’t lose her brother again this time. Her hand shot out and grabbed the boy’s arm. “Oppa! Please!”

Namjoon stopped in his tracks. At his silence, Jiyeong kept talking. “Why, Oppa? Why are you avoiding me? Why did you not want me to find out that you were my brother? Why? It’s been so many years…” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Jiyeong hastily tried to blink them away. However, one escaped and made a path down her cheek. And then several followed.

“Oppa, do you know how much I missed you? Do you know how much I suffered when we parted? If it hadn’t been for Jungkook…” Hiccups replaced her sentences as Jiyeong broke into a sob. Namjoon found himself putting his arms around her.

“I missed you too. I missed you so much,” he said softly.

For a moment, the siblings stayed like that, one comforting the other.

“Jiyeong.” His voice was as hollow and fragile as a glass vase. “I’m dying.”

Jiyeong’s head shot up. “W-what?” she stuttered between hiccups. Her red-tinted eyes widened.

“I’ve contracted a terminal disease.” Namjoon took in a shaky breath as if to steady himself. “The doctor said that it can’t be cured. I don’t have many years left.”

Wow... it's turning into a melodrama. :P I hope you guys don't get too sad over this chapter. Some things are inevitable. The truth we can't avoid or change, but the response to it is in our hands.

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