I woke up the next day to sunlight shining on me. I’ve been sleeping on the floor for a week now. It hurt my back so bad, but I couldn’t really complain. It’s not like they would do anything about it. I guess I should be grateful that they give me shampoo for showers because, they never gave me a blanket or pillow to sleep with. I wasn’t too cold since it was close to summer, but if they kept me here till winter…

       “I wonder if anyone misses me?” I mumbled. If I’ve been gone for a week, shouldn’t they be looking for me now? Does Ji-ae miss me? Are any of them concerned? I wonder if I’m on the news or something.

       ‘The sun looks so bright out today.’ I thought to myself. ‘It must be a nice day.’ Just then the door opened to reveal Jin.

       “Good morning, Lucy.” He smiled warmly at me.

       “Good morning Jin.” I smiled weakly. Jin was the nicest out of the bunch. It was a bit startling to think about how he killed that man with no regrets. “I guess you’re here to feed me?”

He shook his head, “Not quite. We have a surprise for you after you finish your meal.”

       “A s-surprise?” I stuttered. The only thought that crossed my mind was death. I think Jin noticed my fear.

He replied, “Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this surprise. To be honest it’s a nice surprise for us as well.” I nodded finishing my breakfast a bit faster than I expected. Perhaps I was excited for this surprise. Maybe I would be set free?

       “Oh? Finished already?” He chuckled, “Then come with me.” Jin grabbed my hand and led me out of the room. I still remember the layout of the place. The living room was so clean. I saw five of the boys sitting on the couches. Jungkook was at the kitchen counter drinking something again.

       “Look who it is.” Jungkook snickered. All eyes were on me now, and I was petrified.

Jin spoke first, “Alright, I brought her. Now we can begin.” Namjoon stood up with a bright smile on his face.

       “Excellent. Lucy, come with me.” I was frozen in my spot as Namjoon extended his hand towards me. I felt small once more in front of all these men.

       “W-where are we going?” I stuttered. Namjoon grabbed my hand gently and pulled me to the front door.

       “Not far at all.” As he opened the door, he pushed me gently outside. The sun was blinding. I could feel it’s warmth consuming me. I found myself desiring to bask in it. My eyes adjusted slowly to the light, and that’s when I gasped at the sight in front of me. I was outside. I could see in front of me a dirt road that led into the forest. There was a car parked some ways to the right. There were so many trees around us; all of them greener than I’ve ever seen on a tree. We really were in the forest. It reminded me of home in a way…home. I felt myself crumble to the ground…then the tears started to fall.

       “What’s wrong, Lucy?” It was Taehyung who had asked. I looked up at his curious eyes. His question seemed so harmless.

       “I…It looks like home.” I felt the sobs burst from my throat and I covered my face as I let all my emotions pour out. The seven men behind me stood awkwardly; they had no idea what to do. Taehyung patted my back clumsily.

       “I know you won’t believe me when I say this,” Jin started, “But we don’t mean you harm. No one here wants to kill you Lucy. Try to understand why we can’t let you leave. If anyone knew about us we would be in trouble.”

       “I wouldn’t tell anyone.” I managed to blurt as the tears kept coming.

       “That’s stupid. Of course you would.” Suga retorted. “Why wouldn’t you tell people about your kidnapping? At any rate, it’s not a risk any of us are willing to take. Like I said in the beginning, we should have killed you a long time ago.”

       “In a way I agree with Suga.” Namjoon said. “Especially after you to tried to escape, but it’s not our place. Jimin is the one who caught you, so Jimin decided your fate. It’s just our code of conduct.”

Jhope cleared his throat, “We decided that it might be best to give you a day outside. Get some fresh air, soak in the sun. We haven’t done that in a while either. We’re always so busy.” I looked up to see the pout on his face. I would have giggled at the sweet sight if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. Jimin crouched in front of me. He slowly wiped my tears away as he spoke.

       “We’re giving you this one day to enjoy yourself alongside us, so please don’t cry.”

Namjoon clapped his hands, “Then it is settled. We will have a break. Suga will take the first watch of you. Unfortunately, we can’t let you out of our sight.” I nodded meekly, my tears dried up. The other boys scattered about playing tag, kickball, and other things. Suga just sat by me in the grass.

       “If you want to go play you can.” He mumbled.

I shook my head, “No thank you. I’d rather watch. I haven’t sat in grass for a long time so I’d like to enjoy it.” He just nodded. Silence enveloped us calmly.

       “Suga…if you were the one who had caught me—”

       “I would have killed you on the spot.” He interrupted. His answer didn’t surprise me.

       “But…why though?”

       “I have to protect my family.” He shrugged.

       “Family? You mean the other guys?” I looked back at them laughing.

       “Yep. Just because they’re not blood, doesn’t mean they aren’t family. They’re the closest people I have in my life and I’d rather not lose them.”

       “I see…if you don’t mind me asking, how did you meet them? How did you join?” He wasn’t even looking at me; he had a bored look on his face.

       “There’s not much to tell. I was orphaned when I was about nine. I don’t remember much about my parents. All I can remember is my father dropping me off at a park and driving off. I couldn’t find my way home. Sooner or later I wound up in alley. I met Jin there. He had a similar situation. One of his parents had abandoned him; he was ten at the time. Jin is actually the oldest out our group, by the way. I’m the second oldest.”

       “I’m so sorry.” I mumbled. I was at a loss for words.

       “I don’t need your sorry. I don’t want your pity.” He grunted. “Jin and I did just fine. We quickly learned how to pick-pocket. We turned to live of thievery. We avoided roads were bigger criminals stayed and we lived off the street. We usually would steal cash then go to the supermarket and buy sandwiches. They were the best.” There was a small smile on Suga’s face.

       “Was it a good memory for you?”

His gaze fell on me, “In a way, yes. I shared a lot of time and money with Jin. Whenever we got caught we would run for miles and laugh. We didn’t get caught very often, though. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was our life. I’m glad we were on the streets. Being in an orphanage sounds like hell.”

       “What about your parents or Jin’s parents?” I insisted.

       “Never met them. They didn’t want us, so we didn’t want them. I have no idea what they’re doing now. Sometimes I wonder if they ever think of me but…” His words trailed off. “What about you?”

       “Me?” I jumped a little at the question.

       “Yeah, what was it like to have loving parents?” Something in his eyes churned my stomach.

       “I wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a father. He died when I was four. I was left with my older brother and mother. My grandma would help take care of us whenever she could. It was a struggle. I became very close with my brother. He always took care of me because, mom was always busy working two jobs. I think I took their love for granted honestly.” I chuckled bitterly. “You see, when my grandma died, my mom went into a depression. I was angry at her. I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was. I needed her. My brother dropped out of college to help her. I was so angry that she allowed him to do that. It set his future back after all…something he worked so hard for. He and I got into a fight about it, too. That’s when we stopped being so close.” My gaze stayed firm on the boys playing, my hand tight around the blades of grass beneath me. “The true is, I needed him. I needed them both. I missed grandma, too, but no one was there for me. I was angry at both of them for leaving me behind. I was such a horrible person. I was always put first as a kid, but when mom needed the most help, I was angry that my pain didn’t come first. Maybe that’s why my brother was so angry with me? He was so willing to put everything aside to take care of those he cared for…I wasn’t. I was selfish.” I choked on a sob.

       “It sounds like you realized how wrong your feelings were.” Suga pointed out. His head was resting in his hand as he looked at me. It was so easy to talk to him. His aura was so collected and even though the situation at hand was not good, he kept me so calm.

       “Well, I didn’t back then. I was too blind. I feel so bad now. In a way, you remind me of my brother, Suga. You both are willing to put everything on the line to protect your family. It’s a trait I admire.” I smiled through the few tears that traveled down my face.

       “If that’s how you feel, you should work on bettering yourself. Live a life without regrets.”

I nodded in agreement, “Suga—”

       “It’s Yoongi. That’s my real name.” He interrupted once more.

       “Yoongi, do you regret anything?”

       “I don’t regret any of my decisions.” Yoongi was focused on Jin now. “I don’t regret stealing, I don’t regret joining BTS, and I don’t regret killing.”

       “None of it?”

       “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for all the crap I did back then.” He laid back down in the grass. “Someone is calling you over.” I tore my gaze from him and saw Jimin. He was smiling, waving me over.

       “You should go to him.” Yoongi didn’t open his eyes.

       “I will, but Yoongi…I hope you get to meet your parents one day. Maybe you could talk to them and tell them about yourself. I want you to know where you come from, but even more so, I want them to know who you are. I want you to have one more thing to not regret.” Yoongi didn’t reply to me, so I got up and walked to Jimin.

       I didn’t notice the smile on Yoongi’s face.