It has been five days since Gyeong has told Jin and I his story and he has barely been out of his room. It has been a week since I have gotten stuck in the year 2000 and a week since baby Jin has ‘gone missing.’ I know he has been trying to be strong, but he is only eight years old and he misses parents. In the midst of all the sad people, I have been trying find out more about the machine, with some of the blueprints that Gyeong had brought back with him. I have also been trying to figure out who this unknown cloak guy is and what I can do to find him and stop him. Right now, it all seems a little farfetched and going nowhere, but you gotta start somewhere. That, and I have three people to get back home. Honestly I could use a break and a miracle.

The house attached to Gyeong’s shop (which literally no one showed up to because it was basically on an abandoned street) was actually a full sized house (somehow) and was pretty big. It started at the door of the shop that is connected to the house. Looking down that hallway,  the first door on the right is where the kitchen and dining area are. The next door, which is on the left side of the hallway, is the room I first stayed in after following the unknown through the time machine, portal thing. The next door on the right is where baby Jin sleeps. It is a little blue room with orange polka dots (I really don't know who painted these rooms) and was a little better in size than my first room, at about 16 by 10 ft. The next room, on the left is my huge (in my opinion) 20 by 16 ft room, with it's half painted blue and pink walls. The next door on the right is small, but leads to a small walk in closet. Next to it, is a door that leads to a 12 by 15 bathroom (must've made bank from his inventions). The bathroom has his and hers sinks (or is it called Hansel and Gretel sinks?) And a mini spa tub. The last room on the left is Gyeong’s 16 by 16 room. All I will say are his walls are a soft orange and his room gets messier every time I walk in there, which isn’t often considering how messy it is.

There is one last door at the end of the hall that leads downstairs to three rooms. The room on the right is where all the shop stuff is kept. The room that is straight ahead from the stairs is a finished basement area with leather couches and a huge box TV. The last room on the left I have never been into. It is locked,  the door handle chained and the window blotted out. When I asked what was in there, all I was told to do was stay out. Cranky old man.

I had done nothing but research, cook and care for the boys, and more research. I was sure to fall sick if I didn't get out and do something else. I threw my pencil down on the desk I had been working on, stood up, pushing the chair out and over, and I stormed out of my room. I burst into Jin's room to find him half asleep with a book in hand. He started awake at the sound of the door opening and looked at me tiredly and sadly. With an angry facial expression and grabbed Jin’s arm. “Wait! Where are we going,” he asked, stumbling behind me as I dragged him. “Out.” “But we haven't even eaten dinner, yet!” I similar at his childness, remembering times of when we were young and I softened. I released the grip on his arm and out my arm around his small frame. “Dinner can wait. We have a party to plan for.” I smiled happily at him and I saw his expression change too, obviously falling under the contagious spell of a smile. He smiled too, as we made our way to a more populated part of town.

We made our way through the crowds until I spotted a local food store I had always went to as a kid.  We rushed in clearly eager to be out of the house. We skipped around the store getting things like eggs, cake mix, milk, things like that. We got food for the next week, as well, and right before we went into the checkout isle, Jin spotted something and stopped. He spotted this cute little pink teddy and a whole bunch of chocolate and blushed when I saw what he was staring at. “What? There is nothing wrong with pink and chocolate.” He smiled a huge smile and sprinted for the items when I gestured for him to go and get them. I got in the line, chuckling whole heartedly as I had my items checked out. I glanced over at Jin to see him contemplating between two types of chocolate and I smiled, but all of that was quickly wiped away. I turned my head to the checkout lady, only to wish I hadn't.  My smile was quickly wiped away when I saw a medium-sized poster with Jin's face on it, right behind the checkout lady's head. I had completely forgotten that he was being searched for and almost smacked into the lady behind me when I rushed out of the line to stop Jin from entering the line. “I'll be right back. Uh, I forgot the butter,” I quickly told the checkout lady and jumped to Jin's side. He looked at me with a concerned look when I ushered him away, but he did not resist.

I took him back to the clothes section and quickly picked out a pair of concealing clothes, after checking his sizes. I put his bear and chocolates on the clothes counter and hurried him into the biggest changing room there was.  Only when I finally shut and locked the door did he start asking questions. “What's wrong? Did you see the cloaked guy,” he asked in a quick whisper. I smirked at his cute, big eyes, which were wide open and shook my head. “No, kid. Your face is just on a lot of posters and I didn't want to risk anything.” “Oh, so I am putting on this,” he read the hoodie, “‘Pink Princess’ sweater on to disguise myself,” he asked with a cocky grin. I swear for eight…. “I'll get you a different one.” He grabbed my wrist. “No, it's ok. I like pink, it is my favorite color actually,” he said matter-of-factly. “Oh, is that so,” I asked as if I hadn't already caught on. “It is,” he said proudly, “and with all this saving stuff, I might as well be a princess. Just for today though.” He pointed a menacing finger at me, but continued to smile. “Well, go on then.” “But you're still in here.” I almost argued with things like ‘it's nothing I haven't seen before, but shut my mouth before I could utter such words to an eight year old.

I closed the door behind me, shuddering at the the thought of such things as I heard him lock the door. I rolled my eyes. A few moments later later came out fully dressed and well concealed.  We paid for the clothes and even got to ring up the bear and chocolates, before rushing back to the line. My cart of stuff was put neatly to the side and the line short. We hopped back in, Jin munching away quietly on his candy as I apologized to the lady plenty of times as she checked out our stuff.

We made our way out of the store and a few blocks down. Right before we turned the corner to our street I sprinted straight instead, amused as Jin tried to keep up. He was fast though, I'll give him that. We ran to the end of the street until I stopped in front of a Party City store. Jin had almost run  past me and I laughed at him, causing him to laugh and both of us to look like idiots entering the store. We walked through the store, getting things like balloons and streamers. “Have you ever been to this part of town,” I asked Jin. “I don't think so, since my house is a few miles away, I believe.” “Yeah, it is.” We continued to talk about little things like that until Jin saw pink and blue candles and frosting. I sent him to get them as I walked down the next aisle for a lighter, only to realize we live in corner store. I turned back,  almost running down a little girl. I stopped myself from trampling her and checked to see if she was ok. When I saw her face, I realized she was the same girl who gave me the scarf. She was crying, but she seemed a little relieved to see me, for some reason. Maybe it was because I looked familiar.

“What’s wrong, hun?” I ruffled her hair a bit, hoping it might have calmed her down. “I can't find my Momma,” she sniffled to me. It was a pretty big store, so I assumed she may have wandered off and that her family can't be too far. “Stay right here.” I ran to the end of the isle and peaked my head around. “Jin, stay here. I'll be right back.” “Mhm, ok. Where are yo…” I had left mid sentence in order to help her quickly.  She was scared, it was late and she had helped me in a time of need. I picked up the little girl and  walked through the isles. After a few minutes of searching through the big store I saw her sister, the one she was with the first day I saw her, her red hair very evident in my memory, even if her face was not. “Ya, little child.  Why are you letting your sister walk around all alone?” The little girl squirmed out of my arms at the sight of her sister. She ran into her embrace and I felt happy, it was refreshing to see such sweetness. “Ma, I found her! Thank you miss.” I nodded at her, waving to the little girl now that she was with her family, and I made my way back to Jin.

I made it to baby Jin's isle and I started to speak before I rounded the corner. “Hey youngin’, how ‘bout some ice cream before we….” It was an empty aisle with some toys strewn on the floor, but no Jin. I mentally panicked, blaming myself for leaving him alone in these circumstances, until I heard someone speak. “Did you say ice cream?” I whipped around to see Jin with the frosting and candles and I ran to him immediately, throwing my arms around his small body and slightly lifting him from the ground.

“Jin.” I put him down so I could look at him.  “Don't ever do that again, especially with what's going on, do you hear me,” I asked him angrily, hands on my hips, stern face and all. He looked scared but he managed to stutter out a “yes.” I took him in my embrace again, relieved that he was safe and I felt my heartbeat slow down. “Now,” I said with a breath of relief, “how about that ice cream?”

After paying for the party supplies, Jin. I went to an ice cream shop a few blocks away from the store. I got vanilla and cheesecake ice cream and Jin got chocolate swirl, with pink sprinkles, naturally. We sat down at the tables in the shop, neither of us saying a word. “I'm sorry, Mina-ah.” Jin looked at me in sorrow and ate his ice cream in shame. “Jin, I'm the one who is sorry. I shouldn't have yelled like that. It was an innocent prank and you're just a kid, so therefore it is only natural for you to play around. Just with all this stuff going on we gotta be careful, ok? I can't lose you or let anything happen to you.” He came around the table and did the unexpected. He enveloped me in a hug, ice cream still in hand. I hugged him back and took a big bite out of his ice cream cone, so when he pulled back, I tried to look innocent. He looked at me happily, looked at the bite in his ice cream,  then looked back at me angrily.  “Hey,” he replied, but not even he could keep a straight face. We both burst out laughing and then finished our treat, Jin getting back back me by taking a spoonful of my ice cream.

So this was definitely one of my longer chapters. I think the chapters surronding this one are long and complicated, so bear with (haha). It is Thursday, and I am posting this on time! Yay accomplishments :P I hope this chapter was good and as always, thanks for reading!

P.S. Leave me some comments about my writing and any ideas you have! It would be nice to hear what other people think :D <3

-Kristil