“You will pay five hundred dollars as a fine and serve the community for the next year.”

I stared down at my handcuffs, thinking about how I never expected these to be around my hands. I had always managed to sneak away from the police officers. But this time, I lost. The officers brought me to the police station and sat me down on a chair while taking out a bunch of files; not that I had a record, anyway.

“Do you understand that, Oh Sehun?” The officer asked again.

I looked up and nodded my head.

“Good, we will wait for your Mother and then you may leave.” He stood up and leaned over the table to un-cuff my hands. It felt nice to be able to move my arms freely again.

○●○●○

“So where will he serve?” My Mother asked as she rested her hand on mine. I kept my head down the entire time, too ashamed to look my mother in the eye. She was upset and I knew it.

But the thing with my Mother was that she wouldn’t yell at me. No, if that were the case, I would have been yelled at in the police station right then and there. But instead, my Mother wouldn’t talk to me. She stayed silent but the hurt was so evident on her face.

She was good at making me feel guilty.

“The hospital,” The youth worker said. My head shot up in surprise and my Mother nodded her head slowly.

“That’s fine right, Oh Sehun?”

I nodded my head and that ended the conversation. My Mother spoke with the youth worker in private for a bit before we walked to our car.

 “Get in,” She said as she opened the door to the backseat of the car. I sat myself in the back and she closed the door; not hard but lightly.

This was the first time I sat in the back.

○●○●○

“Oppa!” My sister said as she jumped off the couch before running up to me with full force.

I smiled lightly, “Hi Sun Hi.”

The 5 year old girl clung onto me tightly as I took her to the kitchen to get some breakfast. My Mother left a note on the table stating she went to my Grandma’s house and would be back by 3. I didn’t miss the small p.s. in the corner asking me to behave.

I looked at the clock and it was currently 10 in the morning, “Did you have breakfast yet, Sun Hi?”

She shook her head on my shoulder, “I was waiting for you, Oppa.”

I smiled before putting her down to take out some toast. My Mother and I got home at 5:00 in the morning and we immediately went to bed. I woke up quite early considering the late sleep.

“I don’t want toast,” Sun Hi whined. “I want ice-cream!”

I laughed a bit but shook my finger at her, “No can do, Sun Hi.”

I quickly made the toast and put jam on it. I took out two glasses of milk for us and neatly placed them on the breakfast island.

“Let’s eat,” I said as I helped Sun Hi up on the stool. I sat next to her and began eating my food.

This was a regular happening on Saturday mornings. Sun Hi and I would eat breakfast together and afterwards, she’d drag me to watch cartoons with her. It was what people considered a tradition.

“Oppa, where were you last night? Why did mommy leave in the middle of the night?” She asked while looking up at me with her big brown eyes full of curiosity.

“I was with my friends and I needed Mom to pick me up, nothing big.”

“But Mommy looked really worried,” She said as she drank some of her milk.

I sighed, “It’s nothing Sun Hi. Let’s go watch cartoons.”

“Okay!”

I picked her up in a rocket-like motion and brought her giggling self to the couch. After putting on a random show I walked back into the kitchen to put the dishes away.

P.s. Please behave, Sehun.

I leaned against the sink while in thought of how my Mother’s face could have possibly looked when she got a call from the police station. I guess I felt guilty. I wasn’t too sure, it was a normal day and nothing different had really happened. There was no chance for the guilt to sink in.

I was set to go to the hospital tomorrow meaning my Sunday would go wasted.

“Oppa! Your phone is ringing again!” Sun Hi yelled from the living room. I walked over to the phone wondering who could have called me.

“Sehun, you’re alive!” I heard an excited Kai yell through the phone. I laughed a bit and nodded my head, well aware that he couldn’t see me.

“Yes, I am.”

“What happened, man?” I heard Chanyeol shout.

“I got caught, guys. I really wanted the tablet,” I chuckled.

“What did I tell you, Sehun? I knew you would get yourself in trouble one day!” I knew Suho took over the phone. “So what’s your punishment?”

“I have a fine to pay and I have to do community service hours.”

“Ew, that’s lame,” Baekhyun said.

“I guess. Anyway, I gotta go now. See you guys later.”

○●○●○

“What time should I wake up tomorrow?” I asked my Mother who was sitting on her desk. She worked as a lawyer and a good one too. I guess you could find it ironic how a lawyer’s son ended up getting in trouble with the government.

She took off her glasses but kept her eyes on the papers in front of her, “8:00, I’ll take you at 9.”

I nodded my head and left the room to proceed to my bedroom. It was 11:00, so I decided it was fit for me to head to bed. After brushing my teeth, I check Sun Hi’s room to see if she was tucked in bed. After seeing she was, I walked into my bedroom.

Something vibrated, obviously being my phone. I turned around and headed towards the white cellphone sitting on my desk.

From: Dad

How are you, son?

I scoffed at the text. My father had many poor attempts at trying to befriend me. I guess he found new means of texting me. I had a tendency not to pick up his phone calls and I’m assuming he caught on.

From: Dad

Please do reply back, son.

“Again with the son,” I murmured.

My Mother and Father were a perfect pair of lawyers. They were the ultimate couple that nobody could beat in cases. It wasn’t surprising when they announced their marriage. After I was born though, things took a turn for the worse.

My Father lost a client one day to my Mother. It was an important case and it was something he was ready to take part in. My Mother eventually won the case and was given a lot of fame for that, leaving my Father in the dust. He had always been a competitive person.

Even with his own wife.

Things just got worse from there and they ultimately had a divorce. I wonder if he realized what an idiot he was. Humans are really the worst; they can’t admit defeat to their own spouse.

I tossed my phone in my bag and closed it before settling myself in my bed. My last thoughts before I slept were about what awaited me the next day.

○●○●○

“So you can start off by mopping the floors. Many new patients will be moved to this room today.”

In a blink of an eye, I was in the hospital with the scent of sanitation filling my nose. I hated the smell of hospitals. I liked the smell of smoke more; much more.

“Alright, Sehun?” She asked as she handed me the broom. I nodded my head and lazily took it from her. She took her clipboard and left the room, leaving me to the boring duty. I sighed before starting off at the side closest to the windows.

The room was a big one. There were about nine beds with a suitable size between each. There were curtains that could be pulled around the beds and tables at the side.

I wondered what type of people would occupy this room as I ran the mop under a bed. Would they be seniors? I doubted that, wouldn’t seniors get better treatment?

Then again, I assumed it depended on how much money you were willing to spend.

Maybe adults? The adults could talk to each other in this room and watch stuff together on the television provided. It seemed fit, I thought as I nodded my head.

The nurse told me this was the room I was going to take care of. I scoffed when I thought back to what she said. She expected me to run a mop and a broom across the floor twice every day, twice!

“This isn’t happening,” I said as I guided the mop on the floor lazily before putting it at the side. I looked around the room and thought it seemed acceptable. Nobody would really notice, though, would they?

○●○●○

I sat on one of the beds as I scrolled through my phone, curious as to what everybody else was up to. I texted Chanyeol for a bit and found out he was out with a girl; an amazing girl as he described. Kai was at dance class as I was already aware so I didn’t bother texting him. I decided to ask Baekhyun what he was doing since I know Suho would just nag me. I always wondered why he took part in our “bad” deeds when he knew he was going to nag us anyway.

“Oh, you’re done,” The nurse said as she entered the room. “Looks good, Sehun. Well, there are a couple of spots that have been missed, but you can get those in the evening.”

I put my phone away and stood up before fixing the sheets awkwardly. They still looked messy after I was done, though.

“Next time you’re done your work, please inform me so I can give you your next task, alright? Anyhow, the patients will be coming in soon so stay here for a bit so you can meet them.”

I took note of the nametag which said Lee Younhee. I’m sure she introduced herself earlier, but I didn’t pay attention. I watched her walk across the room and pull the curtains back to allow the sunshine fill the room.

I looked around the room in dismay at the fact that the beds were soon to be covered with adults. Adults talked nonsense and bored me to death. But then again, nobody really interested me that much.

“Oh, they’re here!” the nurse exclaimed as the door opened.

Great, time to meet the adults. I took a deep breath and turned around ready to bow at the elders—something my Mother always made me do. I’m sure she’d ask if I did or not. But what surprised me was that they weren’t adults.

They were teenagers.