The last box was unsealed and Sora took out the antique lamp, putting it exactly at where it was three years ago.

“Sohee-ah, do you have to use the exact things that you have used before? I mean, your current wardrobe is much bigger. You can put a lot more things in it.” Mrs Kim asked as she pitifully look at how her daughter tried to compress the many clothes into that limited space.

“It’s okay, it’s not that I’m living here forever anyway. Just in case if Taehyung oppa can remember a few things if he sees this arrangement of our home.” She showed her mother a pleasing smile and Mrs Kim couldn’t argue with her any longer. It might work, she trusted her daughter.

Mrs Kim gave her a few advices before she left as she was concerned for their safety. Sora turned impatient to nod at whatever basic orders her mother had to preach as she led her to the lobby. Just as she was about to send her off, Taehyung appeared.

He saw the beaming smile that Mrs Kim was concealing. He thought he had seen her somewhere but he couldn’t relate a thing. Taehyung bowed at her politely as Sora introduced him to her mother as this would be the first time they were meeting if Taehyung couldn’t reckon her.

“Sorry I couldn’t help out earlier on. Thank you for your precious time, Mrs Kim.” He bowed again.

His gesture made her surprised as she remembered the first time they met, Taehyung was in denial that Sora was his sister. He yelled at her, educating her about the daughter that she never knew, very unlike to this V guy that she was seeing.

“It’s my pleasure, V. Everything has been set up… I hope you’ll look after my daughter like the caring brother you were,” She his cheek with the back of her hand with wistful eyes.

“I shall take my leave now. Rest well, you two.” She waved at them but Taehyung was caught up at the image of her back. That back that once appeared so dark and solemn, wailing over her born children… He could see that familiar figure at the back of his mind, crouching as she wept.

“Mrs Kim…” He uttered.

Sora looked up at him to wonder what he was thinking about.

“Mrs Kim…” He clenched his eyes to find peace in that hectic mind of his. Right then, Sora tapped his shoulder. “Kim Hyejung!” His eyes opened in a sudden with a shock that travelled through his nerves. Sora looked at him with widened eyes, ultimately shocked when he said out her mother’s name. They both eyed on the car that left them but Taehyung turned to Sora with excitement.

“I remember her! Kim Hyejung!” He shook Sora and he laughed. Sora was still in a frozen state as he regained his memory from nowhere. She then laughed with him as well, truly satisfied that he was beginning to pick up some things. But a desperate question submerged in her train of thoughts.

What about me?

-

Daehyun took an early leave from work. He had been coping well with his job and even Mrs Jung thought that he needed a time off from the stressful workload.

He swerved around the corner of the street and waited for the automated garage to permit him in. It had been a really long time since he last met them and he couldn’t deny that he was feeling a little exuberant at the time.

“Daehni!” Himchan cheered with open arms the moment he walked down the stairs to the underground floor. Daehyun scoffed but a smile cracked on its own later.

The boys could look alluring and simply cool sitting in those beanbags but they were elated upon seeing this long lost member of theirs.

“Why are you so awkward? Come on, have a seat. Don’t act like you haven’t been here before.” Jongup made an attempt to make him feel comfortable.

But Daehyun looked at the walls and noticed that nothing much had changed. Everyone probably was as busy as him too ever since he left for The States. “Where’s Youngjae?” He flapped his coat and took a seat in one of the chairs.

“He-“

Right then, the doors opened and quick steps down the stairs could be heard. Youngjae jogged up to them and Daehyun turned his head to his left to see who was coming.

“Oh, Daehni.” Youngjae panted and patted him on the back.

“You’re late for our first meeting with Daehyun? You’re always the early bird, Youngjae.” Himchan sounded.

“No… It’s not that…” He continued to gasp for air and BAP was slightly worried as of what he was going to say. It wasn’t normal for Youngjae to be rushing to meet them and he seemed to be in a midst of some urgent matter.

Daehyun pulled him down to have a seat next to him. Youngjae gulped down on a drink that Jongup had previously and cleared his throat.

“Daehyun-ah, I’m so sorry for you to hear this on our first meeting. I don’t know if you want to get yourself involved in this but I find this pretty urgent. It’s something that involves Sohee.”

Himchan was the first to pull himself up from the chair when he heard Sohee’s name being mentioned and he urged Youngjae to spill the beans. On the other hand, Daehyun didn’t know what he had to do. He didn’t want to get involved in her matters any longer but seeing how Youngjae appeared frantic for the first time in many years, he felt like he had to know what all of this was about.

“Lee Junki. He’s back with a motive. I don’t know what it is but that day I met up with Jimin at their hangout place and that’s when it happened. I don’t think his men knew I was in there as well since those gas shells that they used on us were the same one that we bought from them before, I could recognise them.”

“How does this concern Sohee?” Himchan questioned.

“Junki probably is coming back at them because of two things. First off, because his sister Hyeri is facing some permanent damage due to the abuse that BTS once inflicted on her. Secondly, he knows that Taehyung is back. And it’s a disaster right now because Sohee is living with him.”

“Sohee is living with who?” Daehyun had been trying to keep his cool through the worse he would be hearing but he lost it all with just an unsophisticated news. His brows were pinched, face expressing dissatisfaction.

Himchan knew it would be a shock to him especially when Youngjae just blurt it out normally as though they knew it a long time ago. “I’ll explain that to you later.”  He placed his hand over Daehyun’s wrist.

“But don’t worry much about Sohee. I’m guessing that it’s probably the first reason. It’s logical for Junki to come back at BTS since they had hurt Hyeri before. I heard from Jaesuk that she was preparing for this year’s skating international competition but she couldn’t qualify for it due to her injury.”

BAP soon nodded, agreeing to it. As expected, Youngjae is the brain of the group. At times they gave up pondering and just relied on Youngjae’s logic.

“So… Sohee will be okay, right?” Yongguk asked. For once, Youngjae was hesitant to give a nod. He wasn’t the confident guy like he was all the time.

-

The group of boys called it a day after Zelo, Jongup and Youngjae had to rush off to somewhere. Himchan and Daehyun made their way to the garage and Daehyun wasn’t ready to part as he was expecting Himchan to know that he owed him an explanation.

He was about to get to his car when Himchan slammed the door close.

“I was expecting you to be much cooler about this. On that letter, you said it as though you weren’t going to come back for my sister anymore. I wasn’t expecting you to be pulling off a sulky face just because she’s living with some other man,”

Daehyun’s eyes were flaring at the way Himchan was addressing this matter. It could imply many things - he’s indecisive, childish or plain selfish. Daehyun thought that nobody could understand the kind of reality he’s living. Yes, he had to marry Eunkyung. But that’ll never end his longing for Sohee. Like said, marriage is business and he never wanted to invest some feelings in their relationship.

“Their previous home, they just moved back in today. Sohee wants to help him remember the things he had forgotten so, this is the plan.” Himchan informed. The guy went into his car after bidding Daehyun a mellow goodbye.

Daehyun took his turn to drive as well and he thought of the place that Himchan just mentioned. Maybe just a short visit won’t hurt.

-

Sora laid the foods on the dining table. Taehyung was aware that she had quite a big appetite and so he bought feast-sized foods to ensure that she wouldn’t get hungry overnight.

“You don’t have to buy this much… I can’t even eat prawns…” She was salivating at the barbequed beef that looked so tender and fresh. The aroma was inviting her senses and she almost lost herself in those foods. Taehyung could smile at the sight of her, preparing the table.

As Sora slapped his hands, insisting that she’d lay everything out, he walked around the house to see the few things that he recognised. The lonely couch and the coffee table that were placed in the living room, the photo frames and mirrors that were hanged on the wall… he was trying hard to remember something.

He walked on and stood right in front of the mirror which stood at the same level as Sora. He was a little bit too tall for his reflection to be seen. Only his chest level could be seen in the mirror and he wasn’t sure if that was because of he had grown so much over the last three years or maybe because that’s just a mirror meant for Sora.

Taehyung gave it a long stare and of all sudden, he saw himself in that mirror, braiding his sister’s hair. Sora had an elastic band between her lips as she urged him to tie her hair faster. Taehyung was about to take another step closer to the mirror when Sora appeared next to him, pulling him in for dinner.

“Wait.” He stopped his steps and Sora was pulled back towards him.

Taehyung brought her swiftly back to where he was a moment ago and made her stood right in front of him at the mirror. It was another moment that Sora anticipated. He was starting to remember things and Sora was completely pleased with her plan.

With much hesitation, Taehyung ran his fingers through her hair and Sora observed him through their reflection. Taehyung seemed to forget the way he used to style her hair as he acted more gently on her now, not willing to pull the roots of those strands. He kept on messing up, bringing the bundle of hair he was holding over to the left and then he’d undo them just because he thought that it wasn’t a right move.

Sora watched him with amusement and chortled when she could see the fine line of his forehead being creased just because he couldn’t braid her hair right. She pulled away from him and continued to show off that cheeky smile of hers as she turned to face him.

“Let’s eat.” She skipped over to the dining table.

Taehyung followed behind her and sat in the other chair.

“Did you remember something? About me?” Sora asked as she scooped some rice into his bowl.

Taehyung nodded, “I don’t know what it was but I saw you in front of the mirror and we were in some uniform… I was braiding your hair… Did I seriously braid your hair last time?” He asked in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that side of him. In all honesty, he thought that he’s a damned child who only knew how to pick up fights and he thought it was ridiculous to be seeing himself braiding her hair.

Sora chuckled as he thought it was a joke.

“During elementary school, the kids went to school with fancy hairstyles and I was disappointed that nobody could do the same for me as they all had their mother’s skilful hands. Then you secretly went to watch some videos on how to braid and on the first try, you made me stand in front of the mirror like what you did earlier on. You messed up big time but hey, practice makes perfect. So after it became a routine every morning, the girls in my class were starting to envy the perfect hairstyle they had ever seen.”

The two were laughing at their own past and Taehyung could imagine the young him nagging at young Sora to hurry up or else they’d be late as braiding her hair could take up a lot of time too.

“We must have been really close then…” He uttered, poking the meat in his bowl with the pair of chopsticks.

“Very. Come on, we were siblings.” The girl chuckled.

Sora carried on to eat and she kept on peeling off the prawns’ shells for him since she couldn’t eat them. “I heard from Hoseok that we never went back home together? I doubt that. Because people say that I’d be totally overprotective over you but it’s kind of contradicting that I’d let you to head home alone.”

Sora was smirking all along. “You think you’d let your eyes off me? Trust me, you never did.” She laughed. Well, literally. He never did lift her eyes off her except when she’s in the ladies or when she’s at a curriculum, of course. Sora stood up as she wanted to show him the space at the balcony.

“Here is where you’d-“

The moment they got out to look at the silent car park that laid beneath them, her eyes landed on a car that she reckoned.

Taehyung noticed her drop of tone and looked down at the moving car that eventually fled off.

“What is it?”

Sora shook her head and stimulated the smile she wore previously. “Ah… This is where you’d stand and wait for me…” Her focus went haywire, trying to figure out why he was here.

She couldn’t move on if he’d keep on coming for her. She wanted to forget their love but it’d be difficult if he was going to remind her.

Jung Daehyun, you said Taehyung will here in place of you… why are you still here?