“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!?!?!?!?!” shouted a young teenage girl as she ran towards the three men standing before her brother’s grave. “Do you know who’s grave this is, huh? This is my oppa’s grave and by law it cannot be dug up without consent from the family. We never received such notice!” She crossed her arms over her chest, stray strands of ginger hair swayed in the early morning breeze as she glared at the men before her.

It had been routine for her after she and her mother moved back to Seoul last year. Every morning at 5:30 she would walk to the nearest bus stop in her neighborhood to the subway station and then take the hour-long trip to the opposite side of town to visit her brother’s grave. She didn’t care if it rained or shined, if snow and ice covered the road preventing her from doing the trip – she would find a way. And this morning was no different.

“I’m sorry Miss, but this a vacant lot,” answered the cemetery worker as he took another glance at the layout on his plans. “Yes, plot A-4 in ‘Baby Land’ is vacant.” He walked towards her and showed her his paperwork. “I could get in trouble for this but as you can see it’s vacant."

Roseanne took a good look at the layout and sure enough the space where her brother’s grave should be at was vacant of any name or date. That couldn’t be because she remembers growing up and visiting every 13^th of October and laying a bouquet of flowers and a plush toy every time.

“No,” she turned around and stomped towards the office located to the entrance of the cemetery – her phone in hand – ready to argue with the irresponsible employees. For 19 (Jimin is 18) years he laid to rest in the very spot they say he never was.

“What is  it Rose,” greeted her mother in a loving hum as always.

“Eomma, I came to visit oppa and they are digging up his grave. They don’t have a Park Jimin registered in that plot,” she cried softly in frustration as she reached the entrance.

“What do you mean, ‘no Park Jimin’? Your grandfather gave me all the paperwork after I was released from the hospital?”  She heard shuffling in the background and she knew her mother was going to head her way.

“Exactly what I mean, mother!” she hissed. “Hold on,” with her phone still at her ear, she continued, “Hi, my name is Park Chae-young and there are men digging up my brother’s grave.” She smiled as politely as she could.

The lady at the front desk smiled at her, “Okay, I could help you with that, but we aren’t allowed to do any of that without consent form the family or a warrant from the attorney’s office. She clicked away on her keyboard, manicured nails annoying the teen girl every second. “Okay, your brother’s name?”

“Park Jimin,” answered Rose, “and could you speak louder so my mother could hear,” she pointed at her phone.

“Okay, I have several ‘Park Jimin’s, do you know where he is located?”

“Baby Land,”

“I’m sorry ma'am, but we don’t have an infant with that name. The youngest ‘Park Jimin’ I have in my system is,” her nails clicked against the keys once more. “Got it, ‘Park Jimin, born March 30, 1980.”

“No, we have documents stating he in here in Baby Land, plot A-4. He is next to Baby Kim Haneul,” she argued.

“I’m sorry, miss, but we don’t have a Park Jimin. If you have the paper work as you said, you can bring them and we try to figure out what is going on.

“Rose, tell her the papers are signed by a ‘Lee HyeJin,” came her mother’s voice through the phone.

“Papers are signed by a ‘Lee HeyJin,’” spoke rose again.

“I’m sorry, miss, but Mr. Lee was incarcerated a few years back for forging death records,” the receptionist motioned for Rose to lean closer. The glanced around the office with her dark chocolate eyes before whispering, “The case against Mr. Lee is still ongoing. I’m going to give you the card to the detective in charge of the case so you or your parents could contact him. His name is Jung Dae-hyun. He can probably help you more than we can,” she smiled and slid the card over. “I hope he is helpful.”

“Okay, wow, thank you,” mumbled Rose as she turned to walk away from the desk. “Did you hear that? That guy falsified death records, eomma.”

Silence.

“Eomma?” she looked at her phone and sure enough, her mother was still on the line.

***

Jung Dae-hyun

That name was so familiar to her. But it couldn’t be, he said he was leaving abroad to after graduation. No, it must be someone else. No.

***

“Min Jimin, if you are not down here by the time I finish cooking breakfast, I am leaving your to walk to school on an empty stomach,” Seokjin shouted a threat – not that he would do it anyway. He smiled to himself when the teen entered the kitchen a ‘hot mess’ – Taehyung’s words not his – toothpaste foam still lining his lips.

“Sorry, hyung. Rose and I were up most night trying to finish that English project we have due next week,” he apologized.

“Oohh, Rose, huh?” Jin winked playfully at his younger brother. “You and she are getting pretty close, aren’t ya? Is she your girlfriend now?” he asked. “And wipe your mouth. You still have toothpaste,” he threw a moist napkin to the younger teen.

“Ewe, no,” Jimin made a face. “She’s just a friend. I’m serious,” he pouted at his brother’s ‘right’. “I promise, I don’t see her that way. You know I like guys anyways. We’re just friends. She and the girls are the only ones who don’t sneer at me at school,” he shrugged.

Seokjin was always teasing him over Rose. Their friendship started right off the bat when she took the vacant seat next to him in homeroom. At first, he thought she would be like the rest of the kids at school – looking down on him for being a scholarship student. She didn’t, she would follow him like a lost puppy. She genuinely wanted to be his friend to where now people said their name as if they were one person ‘Jimin and Rose’. Where you found one, you found the other.

“I’m just teasing,” smiled Jin as he placed the breakfast in front of his brother. “Is she coming over tonight, so I could tell Yoongi to stay and work over at Namjoon’s or Hoseok’s?”

“Probably not. She called me while I was in the restroom, she has a family thing to do after school. I might just head on over to boys’ school with Lisa before heading over to the dance studio to practice.”

Jin smiled as the teen talked. When he was sure he wasn’t looking, he slipped the envelope with Jimin’s name on it in his pocket. Every year, since his parents began to foster Jimin and Yoongi, a check would arrive in the mail with Jimin’s name on it – aside from the monthly pension they receive from the government and insurance company. They didn’t know who or where it came from but the amount was enough for Jimin to live comfortably on his own, month per month if he wished. But when his mother asked their social worker about it, she drew a blank. So, what Mrs. Kim decided to do was to deposit the checks in an account she opened for the boy after they received the first check as a collage fund.

“I’m off, hyung. Thanks for breakfast, it was yummy!!!! Bye, love you to the moon and back!!!” shouted Jimin as he ran out the house towards the bus stop.

‘I love you to the moon and back’ was something that stuck with Jimin after hanging go with Rose every moment of the day.