▲▼▲ JIYOON - BETWEEN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Jaesun looked at his fellow schoolmates, brave enough to finally tell the truth. "Minyoung and Hyunchan are my siblings." Jaesun looked down at the ground, his hands in his pockets, and he smirked. "I don't care if you hate them or not. What matters, is that my siblings are safe." He turned to Hyerin and her friends. "You tortured my sister enough, and I'm tired of it." Sehun and Ilsung pushed through the crowd. Sehun looked at Jaesun, his lips pressed into a firm straight line, and he instantly slipped past the crowd and towards Minyoung. "I'm tired of standing by your side, watching my own sister get hurt. She's already hurt enough, and she doesn't need you torturing her every minute in school. Yeah, she's in Eastern now. Only because she had to go, she never liked this school anyway. In fact..." Jaesun looked at his two younger siblings. "I'm planning to transfer there, too. So hate me, but not my sister." He gave shot a stern glare at his schoolmates before walking away, pushing Minyoung and Hyunchan away with him. The students silently, including Sehun, watched the three walk away.

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Minyoung and Hyunchan both stared at the ground as Jaesun ordered three bowls of ramen for them. When he turned his attention back to his younger siblings, he lets out a chuckle. He felt the awkward atmosphere around them. He turned his gaze to his sister. "How are you?" he asked in a soft voice. Minyoung shrugged, but didn't answer. He then looked at Hyunchan, and smiled. "And you?" Hyunchan didn't reply, and glared at the ground. Jaesun turned his gaze out the window and sighed.
"Why are you suddenly being nice to us?" Hyunchan asked, but didn't look up.

Jaesun looked at his younger siblings with a smile. "I thought about what Minyoung told me months ago while I was still hospitalized..." He looked at his sister who still looked at the ground, but listened. "She told me that I should just set the past aside, and focus on the future, and I realized that I wanted to focus on my future with my two siblings. I don't want to spend my whole life without my whole family around me. I suddenly remembered the times when we all weren't like this. Our relationship was perfect, until school became serious to us... I want it to be the way it was before."
Hyunchun scoffed and raised a brow, "How's that going to happen when your parents keep comparing us to you? All they care about is you, Minyoung noona and I just outsiders."
"They're also your parents you know," Jaesun said.
"They don't treat us like a child of their own," Hyunchan snapped back. Minyoung shot him a glare, nudging his elbow, instantly making Hyunchan shut his mouth.

Jaesun sighed, "If you could just notice what our parents are trying to do, you will understand," he mumbled. "To be honest to both of you, I wanted to leave the house, too. But as the oldest, I didn't want to disappoint our parents. If you'd just listen to mom and dad, you'd understand that they want you to continue school with good grades." His gaze dropped at Minyoung. "But it seems like they've gone too far when high school started for us, huh?" Minyoung looked up at her brother, but then looked away. "Honestly, I'm utterly sorry, sunshines." Minyoung bit her lower lip, trying to not smile as Jaesun said sunshine, a nickname that he used to always called the two young siblings, rather than saying 'you guys' or 'two.' "Can you two forgive me?"

Hyunchan and Minyoung exchanged glances, smiles spread across their faces, and giggles were sounded. Jaesun looked at the two with a confused face. Hyunchan looked at Jaesun with a huge grin that was finally reformed after years, "You're almost forgiven. But, you have to do something before we officially forgive you."
Jaesun looked at the two. "What is it?"
"Ice-cream."

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After a meal as happy siblings, the three were off to the city. "Aish, you're not ten years old anymore, Hyunchan. I can't carry you like this the whole time!" Jaesun complained as he piggybacked the youngest to the store as Minyoung walked beside the two.
"If you don't want to do this, then we won't forgive you!" Hyunchan exclaimed.
"Yah, you said that you would forgive me if I only buy you two ice-cream. This wasn't part of the deal!"
"It is now!" Hyunchan shouted in Jaesun's ear. Jaesun flinched at the boy's loud screaming, but then chuckled.

The three finally arrived at an old ice-cream parlor that they had always visited as children. The owner looked up as the bell rung when the three entered. "Hi ahjumma!" Hyunchan hollered with a smile.
The owner smiled at her most frequent customer. "Hello, Hyunchan. Back for more ice-cream?" she asked with a soft chuckle.
Hyunchan nodded, his smile widen. "Ahjumma, do you remember them? I always came here with them," he asked, pointing at his older siblings.
She looked at the two now grown up teens that stood in front of her, and a smile lit on her face. "Jaesun and Minyoung?" Hyunchan nodded. "You both certainly aren't the little munchkins anymore. You both look like mature adults already," she said, grabbing three ice-cream cones. "The usual?" Hyunchan got off of Jaesun's back and ran for the ice-cream.

Jaesun smiled as he watched his young brother run away. He turned to Minyoung who stood timidly beside him. "So... You and Sehun..." Minyoung looked at Jaesun when he mentioned Sehun. "Are you two together?" he asked. Minyoung's face instantly redden, and she shook her head. "Hmm. Really? You both seem really close. His friends always discuss about the two of you behind Sehun's back." Minyoung pressed her lips into a straight line. "Speaking of Sehun..." Jaesun said, looking out the window. Minyoung followed Jaesun's gaze, finding Sehun running into the ice-cream parlor, panting.
"Minyoung, I've been calling you so many times. Why didn't you answer?" he asked between breaths. Minyoung glanced elsewhere, not answering him. Sehun straighten up and looked at Jaesun. "Are you..." Minyoung nodded, making Sehun frown. "Yah, why aren't you talking?" he asked. He grabbed her hand, making her face him. "Are you mad at me? You know, I can finally visit you more often now. No more festivals..."

Jaesun watched the two and chuckled. "She's not mad at you. She's just... Shy," he said.
Sehun looked at Jaesun, then Minyoung. "Shy? That's unusual," he commented.
"Everything about her now is unusual. What did you do to my emotionless Minyoung?" Jaesun asked, joking, but serious at the same time.
Sehun sensed the nice aura that came from Jaesun, and slightly smiled in respect. "I changed her into the person she really should be," he said, not taking his eyes off of Minyoung.
"She smiles a lot now," Jaesun commented. "Pretty like always."
Sehun smiled, still looking at Minyoung. *Yeah, she is...* "Minyoung, can you come over tonight?" he asked. Jaesun looked at the two, a brow raised. Looking away and shaking his head, he lets out a low chuckle. "Hyunchan will be there, and Daehun, and I'm sure Jaesun can sneak over?" he questioned the last part as he looked at Jaesun. Jaesun slightly nodded. "Please?" Sehun asked, smiling at Minyoung. Sighing, she nodded. "Great. I'll see you later then," he said and ran off.

Jaesun chuckled as Sehun left. *That boy is madly in love with her.* "He's weird," he commented.
"He's not," Minyoung said. "He's... Imperfect."
Jaesun raised a brow. "Imperfect? If he is, then, why are you always with him?"
Minyoung shook her head and said, "He's imperfect. Imperfect is perfect enough."

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Jaesun sighed as he sat at his desk, waiting for his parents to leave the house for their date. For once in his life, he felt happy again. His smiles were real, and his life lighten up after reuniting with his siblings. He missed them. He missed taking care of them like how a big brother would; missed their smiles that brighten his life; missed their happiness. But he knew he couldn't tell his parents. He honestly didn't know how his parents would react, and he didn't really understand what their parents were trying to do. His mind suddenly turned towards Minyoung and Sehun. He didn't know why, but he had the urge to protect Minyoung from Sehun. "Jaesun~ Dinner is in the microwave! Stay safe, alright? We'll be back before midnight," he heard his mother say, and slammed the door as they left.

Jaesun sighed and stood up, putting on his sweatshirt. He slipped out of his bedroom, finding the house quiet. He walked down the stairs and slipped out of the house. Jogging towards Sehun's house, he found Minyoung walking towards Sehun's house as well. "Minyoung," he called out, making her pause. She slowly looked at him, and Jaesun suddenly stopped walking as he stood in front of his sister. "What happened?" he asked in a serious tone.

Happy, happy, happy, now dun dun dun. e u e
okay okay. time to focus on exams this week. and it'll be oburrr.
i have a project to present tomorrow. /heartattack.
sorry guys, no more hints for the ending.