"Yeah, fine, whatever," Choi Jiyeon drawled over the phone while talking to her high school chingu. Tears continued to fall from her eyes while she doubled time wiping them away. "It's just... how could I ever move on when Woohyun keeps on sending me text messages even though I have been avoiding him for, like, weeks already?"

She hit her forehead. She should stop mentioning Woohyun, not when her friend also likes a certain Woohyun, from the boy group Infinite. Why do they have to have the same names? Good to know her ex is Jung Woohyun, not a Nam. Or else...

"Aigoo, what advice do I have to ever give you?" the friend asked.

"I don't need advice, Hyuna," Jiyeon said half-spitefully. She just wanted her friend to listen to her. "I just want to... to run away."

"Mwo?" Hyuna gasped over the phone.

"Well, eottae?" Jiyeon weakly asked. She wanted to know if doing so is a good idea.

"Chill, Jiyeon-ah," her friend said over the phone. "If you really think running away to some far, far away place is great, then go! I'm not berating you for running away from your problems, but if that is what will make you feel better, then go."

"Aigoo, I have to start a new life," Jiyeon said. "Hyuna, do you think I should go to my aunt's house in (name of place)?"

"Omaigat! Jiyeon! That is... so, like a province or something?" Hyuna gasped over the phone.

"Well, do I have any other choice?" Jiyeon asked nonchalantly. Yeah, like if she could have a good set of experience, she could move overseas and work there.

The thing is, she just worked in a pharmacy in Seoul for almost a year, and it had been a year since she graduated. Her resume is not that good enough though. The only saving grace, perhaps, that could keep her afloat is being a graduate of Yonsei University. She knew she's living in a generation who had given up on 3, 5, or 7 things in life, but she refused to give up on those things. Not yet. Marriage is not yet in questions though. She's young and still has a full life ahead. It's not like she's given up on a relationship. She loves being in love. It's just that it was love that betrayed her, not once, but twice.

She and Woohyun had been high school sweethearts, and Hyuna knew all about their history together. Uni life was hard, but she and Woohyun still went on dates on weekends. The two of them barely even knew their university classmates due to the fact that they study hard, and eating alone was seen as normal. But then, a few months before the start of this story, Woohyun was seen flirting around with a hoobae in Engineering course. Jiyeon caught them red-handed, but because she was naive and kind, she forgave Woohyun.

But most of the time, a cheater will still cheat. Hence, for the second time, she caught the two of them. There's no more room for forgiveness, she told him. Rot in hell with her, for all I care, she screamed at him before the breakup.

And now, Woohyun was crawling on his belly, begging for forgiveness, calling her, hoping she'd give him the time of day. But she was no longer having any of it.

"Just in case Woohyun will ask you about me, tell him you don't know," Jiyeon said.

"Arasseo," Hyuna replied. "I'd tell him you never mentioned anything about your recent life."

"Gomawo."

~~~~

"That is so sudden," Aunt Mirae said over the phone. "Are you sure?"

"Auntie, I am serious," Jiyeon said. "Please give me a month to prepare. I have to resign here cleanly too."

"Arasseo. Just tell me when you'll be coming," Auntie said. "I'd have to request the boys here to behave and be polite to you."

Boys?

"You adopted some kids?" Jiyeon asked her rich aunt. She had no idea that her aunt was into adoption after all her kids left to settle down.

"Ah, yes, I have not told you about them," Auntie Mirae said. "I didn't adopt them in a legal sense. I was looking around neighborhood, talking with some neighbors, when my friend mentioned some of the boys here cannot study straight because they were helping their parents looking for a living. And what does an old aunt like yours do in her spare time? Since the house is big for a lot of kids, why not let them live here and send them to school?"

"That's so noble of you, Auntie," Jiyeon crooned over the phone. "I hope I can be as admirable as you."

"Well, you work hard, earn lots, increase your efforts, and get married," Aunt Mirae said. "As easy as that!"

Jiyeon sighed. Her brokenhearted life is not easy enough. Just thinking about it gave her the impression of a dim life ahead. However, thinking about the great chasm between the storks and the crow- made her think that being a person in her generation is not that great after all, especially if one is not born with a diamond spoon. The older generations keep on telling them that they should work hard. But that was in the good old days, the days of the storks. The crow- have it hard. No wonder many want to go train and be a K-pop idol. Because there's lots of money and prestige.

Her aunt had a great life because she belonged to the older generation. Her convenience store business is doing well in the province. She can afford to be generous. It was easy for Auntie to say those things about work and effort.

"You don't have to be very rich to help people, Jiyeon-ah," Aunt Mirae said over the phone. "If you only think of helping people, your little won can be stretched far, and by miracle, you'll even wonder how you manage to do it!"

"Algesseoyo," Jiyeon replied before bidding goodbye.

~~~~

Aunt Mirae closed her flip-phone. Though a bit well-off, she could not buy the latest Samsung model because she cannot keep up with technology. Only the flip-phone was handy for her.

"Auntie, good afternoon," a chirpy happy voice greeted her.

Aunte Mirae turned around to see a young man with noticeable biceps behind his school uniform, but the man was sporting a very boyish grin. Bagel guy. His hands was oustretched to hug the old aunt.

"Oh, Jimin-ah, how's school?" Aunt Mirae said as she hugged the high school student.

"School's great," Jimin said. "Tae-tae and I played basketball with Yoongi-hyung."

"Your stamina for sports is admirable, but I want all of you to study hard," she reminded the youngster.

"Ne," Jimin replied happily.

"Taehyungi eodi?" Aunt asked, looking for any signs of Taehyung.

"Ah, he's coming. He just washed his knee outside because he scraped his knee on the ground."

Aunt Mirae smiled. She didn't have to baby the kids. The kids were looking out for themselves and for each other, and they were behaving too. She never got called to the school for any signs of the boys being rowdy or misbehaving. The only times she got called was because of Yoongi sleeping in class.

"Yoongi?"

"Hyung's up the tree, studying," Jimin replied.

Aunt Mirae looked at Jimin suspiciously. Yoongi was never one to study seriously. Her hunch was, Yoongi was nestled up the tree, sleeping. How right she was! When she stepped out of the door, Yoongi was up a sturdy branch, his lean body resting comfortably. His arms were behind his head, and he was snoring a bit.

"Aigoo, when does he ever study?" Mirae asked in exasperation.

"Hyung pulls an all-nighter, that's why he is sleepy in class," Jimin explained. "And he aces all his tests."

"But that's not a good reason to not pay attention," Mirae said. "I promised your parents I will make sure you all study hard and behave."

"Well, Hyung had that problem ever since," Jimin replied lackadaisically. He and Yoongi had been friends way back, and this second-year high school hyung had the bad reputation of being a notorious sleepyhead.

"Okay, Jimin-ah, wash up so you and Tae-tae can eat snacks. And call Yoongi up the tree for some midafternoon treats," Aunt Mirae said.

"Ne~" was Jimin's polite reply.

"Gather around the table because I have something to tell you," Aunt Mirae said before proceeding to the kitchen.

Jimin cocked his head, wondering. The great aunt has something to tell? Is it about something serious? He became curious.

~~~~

"A noona?" the rest of the guys asked in chorus.

"Yeah, I wonder how she looks like," Jimin told them. "I hope she's hot."

"Your hormones are raging wild again, Jimin-ah, and you're not even legal yet," Jin, the eldest of the bunch, and in third grade of high school, chided him.

"But that's only normal," said Taehyung, same age as Jimin, and in third grade in middle school. "That's how boys are made. Right Jiminie?"

"True!" Jimin squeaked.

"I hope the new noona and I can get along well," Namjoon said. "She's a pharmacist, you say, Jimin?"

"Ne, hyung."

"Ah, my dream job," Namjoon said. "And Yonsei to boot! I want to get into Yonsei too."

The other guys cringed at Namjoon's stellar dream. Yoongi and Namjoon both aced in classes, but Namjoon was considered the top student in their area. They thought that had he been born in Seoul and had much better opportunities, he'd be the top student in all of Korea too. Namjoon was only in first grade in high school but his scores are really promising.

"I hope she knows how to dance, whohooo! Weehee!" excited Hoseok screamed like crazy. He's agemates as Namjoon and also attends the same grade and same school as Namjoon.

"What do you think, Jungkookie?" Taehyung asked the youngest of the bunch, who's a second grade middle schooler.

"I'm gonna make her my girlfriend," Jungkook replied proudly.

"Nah, you're only gonna get scared once you get to know her," Jin teased the youngest.

All the other guys errupted in laughter.

"Aniya~" Jungkook replied, pouting cutely.

"Jungkook-ah, you're only 15," Jin said with laughter. "How can you make a noona almost 10 years your senior look at you?"

(In real life, Jin is 5 years older than Jungkook. I just made Jin 4 years older here so that they all have 1-year gap in school so I won't be have to bother counting ages, eungkyakyakyakya!)

"Hyung!" Jungkook protested.

"Whatever! That noona is mine," Jimin said with a big grin on his face.

"No! That noona is mine!" Hoseok protested.

"That noona and I probably will have a closer age range than you all, so that noona is mine," Jin said.

"Aish, does she have a label or something?" the sleeping Yoongi finally woke up from the disruption.

All the others turned to him and watched the sleepy hyung rubbed his eyes in contempt.

"If that noona turns out ugly, I bet y'all scram and hide," Yoongi threatened them.

"A, aniya, Hyung," Jungkook said confidently. "I am very, extremely, ultimately sure that the noona is pretty."

"Okay, whatever," Yoongi replied before reclining back to get back to his beauty sleep.

It was still a Wednesday night, but instead of studying, Yoongi was sleeping, and the rest of the guys were excitedly talking about the noona who'd live with them in a month.

****