Chapter Nine

Jin tapped his fingers on his steering wheel impatiently as he waited for his little sister to leave her apartment and get in the car. They were already running late; he knew that he'd get the blame, even if it wasn't his fault. Humming along to the song currently on the radio, he watched the door to her building, hoping it would open soon.

To his luck it did but it wasn't his little sister that left. It was her friend, Jang Mi. Jin could recognise her anywhere and he hoped that since she was leaving, Minyoung would soon follow. Spotting Jin in the car, Jang Mi walked over to the driver's side of the car. He smiled at her as he lowered it, actually happy to see her.

"Long time no see," she smiled at him, "How's life?"

He shrugged, "Same old, same old. What about you? Any closer to selecting a major?"

She snorted, "I wish but apart from that it's all going good. Your sister's a handful though."

"I wouldn't expect any less from her," he chuckled, "I have no idea how you can deal with her."

"It's easier than you'd think," she grinned, then glanced back at the building, "She should be coming down soon, I left her while she was looking for her shoes."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

"No problem," she replied, saluting dramatically at him, "Good luck with the family dinner." Jang Mi grimaced at him as if she knew his pain; she probably did, having spent so much time with his family.

"Yeah, I'll probably need it. See you around," he smiled, "And tell your brother I said hi."

She nodded, "Sure thing. See you around." She waved before readjusting her bag and heading in the direction of wherever she was going. Jin watched her go with a smile – she was like a little sister to him as her and Min basically spent all their time together as children. It was those two and Taehyung. He wasn't sure where they'd found him but after they did, they were inseparable.

They went to the same primary school, the same high school and now the same university. He wasn't surprised that they'd moved in with one another and the only reason Taehyung hadn't moved in with them was because of something happening with his family.

Before Jin could think anymore about all that was going on, Min came running out of the door with her shoes half on and a hairbrush in her hand. Raising an eyebrow at her, he opened the door for her as she threw herself in, huffing a breath. "Hey," she spluttered, breathing heavily.

Jin smirked, "Is there a bomb about to go off or something? Why are you so out of breath and why do you look like such a mess?"

"Gee, thanks bro. It's so nice to see you too," she frowned, putting her shoes on properly and beginning to brush her hair. When Jin didn't start driving, she glared at him, "If you must know, I was working late on something last night."

Deciding that he didn't want to know anymore, he started the car, pulling out of the spot he had parked at. His parents house wasn't too far but neither of them went back to visit often as they were either both really busy or just couldn't bring themselves to. That's why their grandmother announced that they had to come back for dinner once every three weeks.

They'd been driving for five minutes until Min had finally sorted herself out. Putting all her stuff in her bag, she turned to look at him, a frown on her lips. Jin could see her from the corner of his eye, but chose to ignore her anyway.

"You're not going to ask me what I was working on?" she pouted.

"Must I?" he sighed.

"Yeah! That's what a good brother would do," her pout grew deeper.

Sighing even more, Jin asked in a monotonous voice, "What were you working on, Min?"

She grinned," Guess."

Jin rolled his eyes in disbelief, "I'm not playing this game with you, Min." His sister always did things like this and he just didn't have the patience for it. The chances he was going to be able to guess were zero so he didn't see the point in trying.

Looking out of the window, she muttered, "You and Jang Mi could easily start a party pooping club. You could name it the Party Pooper Association and you could spend your days running around and pooping in other people's parties."

"Wow," he laughed, "That's a genius idea. I wonder why I never thought of that."

She scoffed, "Anyway, I'm doing the showcase."

He raised his eyebrows, "Why?"

"Cause Suga asked me to," she shrugged.

Jin had heard of Suga before and even met the guy. He really found it hard to believe that he would ever ask anyone for help – especially Min. It's not that he didn't believe Min, he was just surprised. He wanted to ask more but he knew that she would end up rambling on and on about some huge story that might turn out to be her over exaggerating.

"Well since you're clearly dying to know why, I'll tell you everything," she said. Frowning, Jin didn't argue, settling back in his seat as she did the same. Min enjoyed telling her stories that were usually grossly exaggerated but Jin had to admit that they were weirdly entertaining. It would also speed up the car ride, so he didn't complain and just instead chose to listen.

Yunji watched Choi Junhong as he met with an older boy; she didn't recognise him. Sipping her coffee, her eyebrows furrowed as they hugged. She'd been following him for three days and she was beginning to feel like a complete stalker. The notebook that Director GD had given her was weirdly accurate in all its details. It even had his favourite foods on here – Yunji kept wondering what he went through to get these details. Images of GD in a bush with leaves in his hair sprouted into her mind but she quickly shook them away.

She still had no idea how to approach him or what to say to get him to agree to auditioning; she was feeling out of her depth. Frowning, she looked around the coffee shop. It was pretty busy, since it was a Saturday morning but she felt better about it because that meant he was less likely to notice her. In fact, she was surprised that he hadn't noticed her following him yet.

"Why the frown?" a voice asked.

She jolted in surprise, looking up to see Namjoon smiling down at her. He held a cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits in his hand. Yunji had never actually had a conversation with him before so she was nervous. Opening , her cheeks flushed as nothing came out. Instead, she just chose to shake her head.

He smiled at her, "Mind if I sit with you?"

She nodded, and then realising that meant she did mind, shook her head. He raised his eyebrows at her in confusion, a small smirk of amusement decorating his face. "S-sit," she replied, flustered, "Um, if-if you want."

Namjoon nodded, placing the stuff in his hand down before taking a seat himself. Yunji shifted uncomfortably – she wanted to thank him for flowers but she had no idea how. Grimacing, she was about to force it out when Namjoon said something, saving her the trouble.

"So, do you have a thing for Junhong or something?" he said, looking at the boy.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously, "N-no. Wh-why?"

He shrugged, "Well, you have been staring at him for the past half an hour."

If she had felt more comfortable with him, she would have mentioned that for him to know that, he probably had been staring at her for half an hour but she didn't. Instead, she pushed the black notebook in his direction, hoping he would get the point. He didn't.

"You know," he said, as he looked at the first page, "This isn't convincing me you don't like him."

"K-keep going," she frowned.

He nodded, looking through the book, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "I don't get it, what is all this?"

"Director GD, h-he," her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she did her best to force the words out without stuttering, "Wanted me to get them to au-audition." She smiled in triumph as only the last word was stuttered – even though the rest sounded like she was struggling to breathe.

Namjoon watched her with an expression that she found difficult to decipher, before suddenly smiling reassuringly at her, "And you don't know how to approach him?"

She nodded, "I ca-can't sp-sp-speak to him." She had tried again to force the words out but that had just prolonged the stutter. She looked down at the table in shame.

"I can help," Namjoon offered. She looked up at him in surprise, not expecting him to offer that. "I'm actually friends with Junhong and a couple of those people on the list. I can help you if you want."

Yunji stared at him, with her eyes wide. She wasn't sure how she felt about his suggestion, but she knew that it had already been days and she needed to at least get one person ticked off the list. Pursing her lips, she nodded slowly, "Ye-yes please."

"Taetae!" she squealed. Taehyung ignored her calls as he chased after her, out of breath and laughing. He closed in on his target, finally able to circle her and lift her up with his arms. She kicked wildly, her legs wiggling off the ground. She giggled along with him as he made it seem like she flying. Her arms were spread out as if they were wings and he was spinning her around. He had to be careful to avoid the dining table and chairs.

After a little while, Taehyung set her down, watching as she giggled. His little sister was only a small girl. She was six but could easily have passed for four with her tiny frame; she was petite and rather skinny. Even with that factor in mind, Taehyung still absolutely adored her.

Taeyeon grinned at her brother, raising her hands up, "Again. Let's do it again."

He chuckled at how bossy she was being – something he was use to after all those years. Just as he was about to comply, his mother walked in the room, hands filled with plates for the table. There was the smell of fresh food coming from it and Taehyung grinned in excitement. His mother was quickly followed by Jang Mi who was holding her own collection of plates.

"Yah, Kim Taehyung, you're doing the dishes tonight," Jang Mi announced.

"What?" he frowned.

"Yup, you are," his father chimed in as he entered the room, his hands empty. "You didn't help with cooking at all."

Taehyung scowled in annoyance as Jang Mi stuck her tongue out at him – his parents always took her side. Everyone ignored his sulking as they took their seats, Taehyung's father at the head of the table, his mother next to Jang Mi and him opposite them, next to Taeyeon. If Min had been there, his father would have sat next to Taeyeon and Min next to Jang Mi. They went over to his house more often than they went to their own. His parents didn't mind though; they really liked Min and Jang Mi. It was to the point that his mother shipped him with Jang Mi and his father shipped him with Min.

As he sat down, he glanced at his little sister. She could barely reach the table and had a cushion making her taller. He smiled as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"So, Tae, what's all this about you auditioning for the showcase?" his mother asked her.

Shocked, he started choking on the rice that had been in his mouth. Everyone looked at him, Jang Mi in low key amusement, his parents in confusion and Taeyeon with concern. She gently tapped his back asking him if he was okay. He smiled at her in reassurance as he sipped his drink. "Who told you that?" he asked after regaining his composure.

"A little birdie," his mother replied.

Taehyung raised his eyebrows, unimpressed. "So Jang Mi then?"

"Yeah, basically," she nodded.

"You promised not to tell," Jang Mi exclaimed.

His mother chuckled, "Sorry, I lied."

"What's a showcase?" Taeyeon asked.

Everyone redirected their attention to her, his father grabbing some food with his chopsticks to feed her. He fed her as he answered, "It's a night where people show their talents."

Taeyeon chewed, her eyebrows scrunched up in seeming confusion. "But Tae doesn't have any talents," she frowned.

Everyone on the table laughed, excluding Taehyung who looked perturbed. Taeyeon looked around; unsure what was funny but happy that people found her funny. Her face was lit up in delight, even though she didn't get the joke. Jang Mi laughed as she winked at Taeyeon.

"Good job, little Tae," she smiled, "You put big Tae in his place."

"Are you going to do the showcase, Jang Mi?" Taeyeon asked her.

Jang Mi raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Me?"

Taeyeon nodded enthusiastically, "I love your singing."

Taehyung watched Jang Mi for her reaction. She looked surprised as she clearly hadn't expected his little sister to come out with such a statement. She managed to quickly recover from her surprise, chuckling shyly, "You know my performances are saved for you."

Her answer pleased Taeyeon as her grin increased and she looked happy. "Can you sing to me after dinner?" Taeyeon exclaimed.

"Sure," Jang Mi replied, she looked at his parents for their agreement and they gave her a look she understood. "Of course you have to finish all your food and take all your medicine before I can sing though," she added. His parents seemed satisfied with her response, going back to their food.

Taeyeon pouted, "You're such a party pooper."

At this comment, Jang Mi looked up in shock. She looked between Taehyung and his sister, a look of confusion and accusation on her face. Taehyung was busy cracking up – his parents having no idea why anything was funny. She shook her head, "Nope, nope. I refuse to believe that this is all a coincidence. When and where are these meetings taking place and how can I stop them?"

Taehyung was laughing so hard he felt tears building in his eyes as shrugged. He cleared his throat, attempting to be serious – he managed until he got to the end of his joke, "Maybe you could try using the toilet – you know, instead of people's parties cause yo-"

"-I get the joke," she held her hand up to stop him. This just made him laugh harder as his family looked on in puzzlement. Taeyeon looked happy with herself – probably because she'd managed to convince herself that he was laughing so hard because of her – which was partly true but that wasn't the full story.  Jang Mi just shook her head, a pout on her face.

His parents looked between them, his father shaking his head. "Do we even want to know?"

"Probably not," Jang Mi and Taehyung told him at the exact same time. They grinned at each other, Jang Mi finally joining in the laughing with a little chuckle.

Taehyung's mother watched them with excitement in her eyes. Side eying them, she scoffed, "Why do you refuse to get married again?"

Jang Mi's laughter increased while Taehyung rolled his eyes, "Mom, please."

He was going to scold her but his father got there before him. Taehyung thought for a second he might tell her to stop being weird and be normal but then he remembered that it was his family he was thinking about. His father looked betrayed, hand on his heart as he exclaimed in disbelief, "Honey! We discussed this before. Taehyung belongs with Min!"

As his parents argued about which one of his best friends he should have children with, he looked around, taking everyone in. His parents were getting heated, listing off reasons why the other was wrong. Jang Mi and Taeyeon watched in amusement, laughing occasionally at the best comments made. Smiling, he thought, please, when are we ever normal?

Yura picked at her food, a frown on her face. It fit all the food requirements she'd set for her personal chef but it still seemed to be calorie filled. Looking up, she noticed her father watching her with a disapproving stare. She cleared , deciding she would eat for now and exercise it all off later.

"How are your preparations for the showcase going, dear?" her mother asked her. Her voice broke the silence that had been filling the large dining room. Having such a big house sometimes made Yura feel uncomfortable – especially since it was just her and her parents who were never really home.

"They're fine," she replied.

"Have you picked a song yet? I'd like to see the choreography," her mother insisted.

Yura frowned, looking down, "It's not finished yet."

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Should I be worried? Will it be done in time for the showcase? You need to get the lead part."

Her father snorted at the side, shaking his head. "If she doesn't get a part I could always pull some strings, I do run the school after all."

"That's true," her mother grinned, "Your father used to work in the MAP department before he took over, didn't you dear?"

He nodded, "They called me JYP."

Yura resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she listened to her parents talk about how amazing they both were and how much they expected her to be amazing too. While she wanted to audition for the showcase because she enjoyed performing and the attention, she was also doing it because her mother demanded that she do it. Her mother was always pressuring to her to be perfect – wear the right clothes, be the right weight, look the right way. It and was one of the reasons her and Jin had become such good friends. He understood what it was like because he had a mother just like hers.

"Yura? Yura, are you listening?" her mother frowned.

"Sorry, mother," she responded. Looking up, she pushed her chair out, "Can I be excused?"

"You've barely eaten," her father replied.

She smiled reassuringly, "I had a big lunch." She was lying but they didn't need to know that. Her lie seemed to convince them however as they nodded, allowing her to leave the huge dining room with no further complaints. Once out of there, she released a breath of relief. When in the presence of her parents, she always felt like she couldn't breathe – she didn't know why. To be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to. 

Author's Note: Here is Chapter Nine and I'm actually really surprised I was able to get it done in time x_x I am officially out of prewritten chapters so don't judge me on how regularly the updates come now. Anyways, it was a big family chapter and also a bit of Yunji and Namjoon! The auditions for the showcase are slowly approaching... I wonder what will happen ;) I hope you enjoyed the chapter (I'm kinda worried it was boring) and if you did, you should totally subscribe and comment. Thanks to those of you who already have! See you on Monday! (Hopefully.)