“Do you need help getting dressed?” I yell from the kitchen.

“No! I'm old enough to dress myself,” he yells from his room.

I chuckle to myself.

I had gotten up about 30 minutes earlier so I could get myself ready. I brought both of our bags out by the door, along with both of our lunches. I made sure to put put Mace’s emergency meds in his bag, too.

 

I walk up to his door and knock on it.

“Is cereal alright for breakfast?” I ask him.

“Yes!” he cheers.

I couldn't help but chuckle. “Okay. I promise to make breakfast tomorrow,” I say before walking back to the kitchen.

I get my own bowl of cereal ready while I wait for Mason. I get out my phone and start scrolling through social media. I got a notification that I was tagged in a picture. I open it up to see an old picture of the soccer team I was on back in Seattle. I outwardly sigh. I wish we could just go back to Seattle, before any of this happened.

“What's that?” I hear Mason ask.

“Oh, nothing. Ready for breakfast?” I ask as I turn my phone over and get a bowl, spoon, and his cereal.

“It was a picture of your soccer team,” he says as he climbs up on a stool.

“It was,” I say as I pour his cereal and milk in his bowl.

“Do you miss playing soccer?” he asks.

I look at him before smiling. “Nah. You're more important.”

“Maybe you can play at your new school,” he says before taking a spoonful of his cereal.

“It's alright, Mace. Don't worry about it. By the way, you look nice today,” I say as I scan his outfit choice over.

 

“I know! Have to look good for the first day!” he says.

“You're just like dad, you know? So full of yourself. Try not to make any girls cry with your good looks,” I say before chuckling.

“I'll try my best,” he says. “Why aren't you dressed up? You look like you're going to practice.”

I look down at myself before shrugging. “I don't have anyone to impress,” I say as I make my way to the fridge to get a water.

“You won't get a boyfriend if you dress like that all the time.”

I freeze at his words but quickly make myself get over it. He doesn't know. No one knows and that's how it needs to be.

“Why get a boyfriend when I have you?” I ask with a smirk.

“But I won't be able to spend a lot of time with you when I get a girlfriend,” he says.

I just look at him. What in the world? Does he know he is only four?

“Geez Mason. I see how it is. Dumping your old sister off for a girl. It's cool,” I say as I head to the door.

“You'll still be number one to me,” he says as he jumps off the stool and walks up to his shoes.

“Well when you put it that way, how can I be mad.”

“Okay, bookbag?”

“Check.”

“Lunch?”

“Check.”

“School supplies?”

“Check.”

“Okay. I put your meds in your bag just in case. I have my phone, wallet, and key. Okay. Let's go.”

 

“Hi, I'm here to drop off Park Mason,” I say the lady at the desk. It's still weird getting used to saying the last name first again.

“Oh yes, you can just walk him in to the classroom over there. You just have to sign your name whenever you drop him off and pick him up,” she says.

“Okay, no problem,” I say as I sign my name.

“It says here that you're his older sister and that you're the only one to be picking him up. Now, you can change that anytime but you'll just have to tell us that,” she says.

“Yes, that's correct. And okay.”

“Great. Whenever you're ready, you can go on in the classroom, Mason,” the lady says before moving on to the next set of people.

 

I move Mason to the side and bend down to his level.

“Well, Mace, you behave, okay?” I tell him.

He looks at me and shakes his head. Uh-oh. This isn't good.

“What's wrong, Mason?” I ask him.

He jumps into my arms and wraps his around my neck. That's when I start feeling wetness on my neck.

I inwardly sigh before picking him up and walking to a more quiet area.

 

“Mason” I say softly, “you gotta tell me what's wrong.”

“I don't want to go. I-I don't want you to go.”

“But you gotta stay here. Plus I have to go to school.”

“I will go with you.”

“I thought you were excited to start a new school?” I ask him as I rub his back, trying to calm his crying down.

I feel him shake his head into my neck. I look at the clock on the wall, noticing how I don't have much time to get to school, myself.

 

I bend back down and place Mason on the ground again. He looks at me with his watery eyes.

I wipe his tears with my thumbs.

“Alright. I know you're scared but everything will be okay. I'll see you when school finishes.”

“P-promise?”

“I promise,” I say as I hold out my pinky. He links his around mine and I smile.

“Now lemme see that lady killer smile.”

He laughs and smiles.

“Good. Now what do we do if we feel a scary attack coming on?” Scary attack is what we call his panicky attack. I guess it's easier for him to understand.

“Take three huge deep breaths,” he says.

I nod. “And if that doesn't work?”

“I go and tell my teacher.”

“Good. I put your ipod in your bag in case you need it to help calm you down. If you need something, tell the teacher, okay?”

He nods.

“Ready to go in and learn?”

He stands there but hesitantly nods.

“Okay. When I come pick you up, I want to hear all about your day, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright. Give me one more hug and then I have to go to school,” I say as I hold my arms open.

He giggles before hugging me back.

“Alright, see you later,” I say before he walks inside the classroom.

 

When he's in, I look at the clock again, only realizing that I have 10 minutes to get to school. I guess it's time for a morning run.

 

I make it to the front of the building, slightly panting. I smile to myself. Not bad for being out of training for a few months.

I start walking to the door when someone starts yelling.

“Heads up!”

I look towards the voice, only to see a ball coming my way. Out of instinct, I automatically catch it. I look at the person who waves her hand at me. I throw the ball in the air before punting it back to her. I smirk when it lands right at her feet. Looks like I still got it. The sound of the warning bell brings me back and I hurriedly walk in the building to find the office.

 

I enter and walk up to the front desk with an older looking woman behind it. She looks up once she notices my presence.

“How may I help you?”

“I'm Park Charlotte. I'm a transfer,” I say.

“Oh, that's right! Our transfer from the States,” she says as she begins rummaging through things on her desk.

“Ahha! Here's your schedule. I'll bring you to your homeroom class since it already started,” she says as she walks from behind her desk.

“Thank you,” I simply say.

 

We get to my classroom and she knocks on the door. An older looking man opens it and they begin talking for a bit. He looks at me and then nods. The lady comes back to me.

“Okay dear. You can go on in now. Have a nice first day,” she says before walking away.

I follow the teacher into the classroom. He clears his throat and everyone looks to the front. Great.

“We have a new student here from the states,” he says to the class before looking at me. “Good ahead and introduce yourself.”

Introduce myself? I can't just go and find a seat? Is this how they really do it over here?

I internally sigh before opening my mouth.

“Hi, I'm Park Charlotte,” I say before bowing.

“Great. Why don't you have a seat,” he says before walking back to his desk.

I scan the room to see a seat in the back, to which I take. Once seated, I take the time to look at my schedule. All advanced classes. Before the accident, I had a whole plan set up. I'd get scouted and get a sports scholarship and get accepted at Stanford. However, none of that is possible now.

Now that we're here in Korea, we probably won't be moving anytime soon. I decided to focus more on my grades and hopefully get a scholarship to a local community college. Somewhere that's close so I can still watch and take care of Mason. He's my main focus now. All of my decisions are made upon him.

 

I survived my first three classes pretty easily. I kept to myself throughout all of them. It was now my lunch period. I was able to find a small table to myself. I took out my lunch while scrolling through my phone. I happened to see a photo of my parents. I look to see who posted it, only to see it was my aunt. I read her caption.

Two wonderful people gone too soon. Oh how I miss them more each and every day.

 

Miss them my . How dare she post this. I look at all the comments to see how they are all giving her condolences and words of encouragement.

I scroll past the picture and continue with my lunch, not wanting to get angry over our so called aunt.

 

I get up to throw my trash away. As I'm heading back to my table to get my stuff, I hear someone shout.

“Catch!” I look up, only to again see a ball coming at me. With my quick reflexes, I, of course, catch it.

“I knew it!” someone says.

I look up to see a girl coming towards me.

“I'm guessing this is yours,” I say as I hand the ball to her.

“Thanks. So, how long have you been playing?”

“Excuse me?”

“Soccer. How long have you been playing soccer? Your punt from earlier was pretty perfect and you have some quick reflexes. Plus, you're dressed like you're ready for practice or something. So how long have you been playing?” she asks again.

“Sorry, I don't play,” I say before continuing to head back to my table.

“No way! You look pretty fit, too. Not be weird or anything, but you have a soccer .”

I turn and face her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I don't play.”

“Damn. We could've seriously used someone like you on our team. Anyways, I'm Sooyoung but a lot of people call me Joy. You're new, aren't you?”

“Nice to meet you. I'm Charlotte. And yeah, first day,” I say.

“Oh, are you a foreigner?”

“Uh, not really. I was born here but soon moved to Seattle. Just came back here a few months ago,” I say.

She nods, taking everything I said in.

“What's your next class? I'm assuming you're a senior,” she says.

“AP English,” I say.

Her eyes soon light up. “That's great! I've been struggling lately in that class. Here, we can walk together,” she says and she soon begins leading the way.

 

The rest of classes went pretty okay. Found out Joy is in the rest of them, too. Actually, I found out a lot about her. She's a senior and is on the girls soccer team. She plays midfielder. She has two brothers, a younger one who's the same age as Mason and also goes to the same preschool. She has an older brother who's a year older than her. She seems like a pretty cool girl to hang around.

She seemed to be liked by mostly everyone as people wave or say hi to her as we walk down the halls.

 

As we head outside the building, she suddenly stops.

“Oh! Why don't we just ride together and pick our brothers up?” she excitedly asks.

“Oh no, that's fine.”

“Come on! I'm sure my brother won't mind,” she says.

“Really, it's ok-” I begin to say as a car rolls up.

“Perfect timing! Let's go,” she says as she tugs me with her towards the car.

“Really, it’s okay, Joy,” I say.

“Nonsense! We're going to the same place, why not just ride together?” she says to me before opening the passenger door, showing a guy in the driver's seat. I wasn't able to get too good of a look at him, though.

“Yoongi, I met someone who has a younger brother who goes to the same preschool. I thought we could give her a lift,” she says.

The said man says nothing.

“Joy, really, it-”

“Charlotte this is Yoongi, my annoying older brother. Yoongi, this is my new friend Charlotte,” Joy says.

“I'm not in the mood to deal with this today. Just get in the damn car,” her brother shouts.

Joy just rolls her eyes before looking at me with a smile.

“I'll just go-”

“No, come on,” she persists.

“Sooyoung, let's go. If your damn friend wants to walk let her,” he says.

I gulp at his tone but smile at Joy.

“Really, it's okay,” I say to her.

Joy sighs at this but nods. “See you later I guess,” she says before getting in the car.

I nod and wave at her before starting my walk.

 

I get to Mace’s school just as kids were beginning to leave. I go inside the building, greet the lady at the desk, and sign Mason out.

“I'll go get him for you,” she says and I nod with a smile.

 

Few minutes later and Mason comes running out.

“Charlie! You came!” he yells as he runs into me as I bend down.

“Of course I came back. I told you I would, wouldn't I?” I tell him as I hug him back.

“Did you have a good day?” I ask him as I stood back up and grabbed his hand.

“Yeah! I even made a new friend. Oh, he's right there!” he says as he pulls me towards a boy his age.

“Hey, Kyung!” my brother calls. The said boy looks over before smiling and waving.

“This is my sister,” Mason says.

“Hi, you must be Kyung,” I softly say.

He nods and smiles.

“Is your brother here yet?” Mason asks.

“No. I'm waiting for him now,” Kyung says.

Mason then looks at me. “Can we wait with Kyung until his brother gets here?”

“Sure,” I say with a smile. Before I knew it, they were off playing in the classroom again.

I lean against the wall, watching the two play with each other. It brought a smile to my face. It makes me happy that Mason can still have a normal childhood.

Feeling someone's presence by me knocked me out of my thinking. I look over to a guy standing next to me. I guess he's waiting to pick someone up. But why does he look so fa-

“Hyung!” Kyung excitedly says as he runs over to his brother.

“Hey buddy,” the guy says as he squats down to Kyung’s level, “have a good day?”

Kyung nods while smiling. “I made a new friend.” Just as he said that, Mason comes strolling up.

He stands behind my leg. Oh, now he wants to get shy.

“Mason, this is my hyung!” Kyung says.

I  bring Mason around from behind me and give him a gentle push. “Hi, I'm Mason,” he shyly says.

“Alright little man. Nice to meet you,” Kyung’s brother says while holding out his fist. Mason looks back at me and I nod. He then fist bumps the guy’s fist.

“Hyung! Can me and Mason hang out? He said I could sleep over his house!” Kyung excitedly said.

“You what?” I ask Mason.

“Yeah! You said I could have my new friends sleep over!” Mason says.

“You have to ask first, Mason,” I say.

“Can Kyung sleep over?” Mason asks.

I look at Mason and Kyung who are both looking at me. I glance at Kyung’s brother who's looking at me as well, but with a smirk. Guess this guy isn't going to help me out here.

“Maybe. We'll see. Besides, Kyung has to ask his parents first,” I tell Mason.

“Yeah. We gotta ask dad buddy. How about we let them know tomorrow?” his brother tells Kyung.

“Okay.”

“Alright, let's go. Your annoying sister is waiting in the car,” he says before chuckling.

“Okay. Bye Mason!” Kyung says.

“Bye Kyung.”

The older guy finally stands up. He smiles at Mason and nods at me before walking away with Kyung.

 

“And then we got to play some instruments and sing songs!” Mason exclaims to me.

“Is that so?” I ask him with a smile.

Mason has been telling me all about his day while I've been making dinner.

“Yeah! It was fun,” he says.

“Well I'm glad you had a good day today. Did you have one of your scary attacks today?” I ask him.

He shakes his head with a smile.

I turn the stove down before turning towards him and leaning over the counter.

“I'm proud of you, Mace. You really are becoming a big guy,” I tell him.

He smiles and nods. “How was your first day of school?”

“Okay. I have lots of homework, though,” I say.

“I can help!” he exclaims.

“I'm sure you can. How about you practice your piano or guitar while I do my homework? Your music will help me concentrate better,” I say.

He happily nods.

“Dinner is about ready. Can you put these plates on the table?” I ask as I hand him two plates.

“Okay.”

Just then, the doorbell rings.

“Wonder who that is,” I say aloud.

I walk to the door and look through the peephole. Miss Yuri?

I open the door to see her smiling.

“Hi, I'm-Oh! You're the new neighbor?” she asks.

“Yeah, do you live here, as well?”

“I live down the hall. I just came to officially welcome you to the building. I brought some cookies,” she says as she holds out a plate. “Oh, and I'm Yuri by the way.”

I take the plate of cookies from her. “Oh, thank you,” I nicely say. “I'm Charlotte and-” I turn around and yell for Mason to come to the door, “this is Mason, my younger brother. You remember Miss Yuri, Mace?”

“Oh, please. Call me auntie,” she says.

“Hi Auntie Yuri,” Mace shyly says.

“Hi sweetie. Well, I see you two are about to eat. Just thought I'd come say hi. If you two ever need anything, I'm right down the hall.”

“Oh, would you like to join us? It's nothing special, just some baked chicken. I haven't quite learned how to make edible Korean food, yet,” I say with a chuckle.

“Oh honey. We will just have to fix that won't we? I'll have to teach you a few easy dishes sometime. And that's alright. I actually have to head to work. Maybe another time.  I'll invite you two over for dinner one night. Well, I'll see you two around,” she says.

“Okay. Thanks for the cookies,” I say before shutting the door.

“Well, I would've never thought auntie Yuri lived here,” I say as I put the plate on the counter.

“She seems nice. I like her better than other auntie,” he says.

“That's good. I like her, too. Plus, she made cookies.”

“Cookies, cookies!” he chants.

“After dinner, Mace.”

 

“Can you stay with me tonight?” Mason asks as he lays in his bed with his teddy bear.

I smile and nod. I get under the covers and slide next to him. He then cuddles next to me.

“Charlie?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I really like it here. Everyone is really nice.”

“Glad you like it, Mace.”

As silence comes among us, I remember that I start work tomorrow. Shoot.

“Hey, Mace. You know how I said I have to start working now?”

“Yes. You said it'll help us,” he sleepily says.

“Yeah. Well, I start tomorrow. So after I pick you up from school, we'll go there, okay? I'll make sure to bring some stuff there so you won't get bored,” I tell him.

I wait for a response but all I get in return is a soft snore.

“Goodnight, Mace.”

 

“So why did you lie?”

I look up from my lunch to see Joy sitting next to me.

“What did I lie about?”

“You said you didn't play soccer but you lied.”

“I don't play, though,” I say.

“That's not what my brother said last night. He told me all about his new friend Mason and you were one of the topics.”

It takes me a few seconds to put everything together.

“So Kyung is your younger brother?” I ask.

“Yup! He even said something about a sleepover, which I think is a great idea. We can have a double one!” she happily says.

I can now see it. Kyung and Joy are way too similar to each other. They both are very happy and cheerful people.

“So that guy who picked him up is your older brother?” I ask.

“Unfortunately. He wasn't rude to you was he?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don't even think he knew who I was. He didn't say anything to me.”

“Yeah, that's him alright. He tries to act all tough and cool, but deep down he's like this pale teddy bear, especially when it comes to Kyung and me.”

I slowly nod before taking a bite out of my sandwich.

“Anyways, why did you lie?”

“I didn't lie. You asked if I play and I currently don't play,” I say.

She just glares at me. “You're a smart just like my brother,” she says before shaking her head.

I ignore her comment since I don't know if that's a good or bad thing at this point.

“What position did you play?”

“Goalkeeper.”

“Ah, no wonder your punting was so good. You have precise aim,” she says.

“Thanks,” I say with a smile.

“I don't get it,” she says while looking at me.

“Don't get what?”

“It's obvious you love playing by the smile I just saw. So why did you quit?”

“Personal reasons.”

“Well, do you think you'll play again? We're having tryouts this week and we can seriously use a goalie like you,” she says before leaning in closer to me. “Don't tell anyone I said this but our current goalie .”

I laugh at this.

“I'm so serious! If it wasn't for our awesome defenders, we wouldn't be first place right now.”

My ears perk up at this. “You guys are really first place?”

“Yup, which is why you should reconsider quitting soccer.”

“I don't really have time for it. I have Mason plus I have to work,” I say.

“Mason can come to the tryouts. Sometimes Kyung even comes to watch practices. Plus, if needed, we have a friend that sometimes watches Kyung for us. I'm sure she'd love to watch Mason, too.”

“I have work,” I say.

“I'm sure we can work around that.”

I stare at the table, contemplating her offer. I can't really do it. Plus, I have to take Mason to his weekly therapy sessions.

“I don’t think so,” I say after some thought.

“How about this. You go home and think about it. Like I said, tryouts are tomorrow after school. You'll have time to pick Mason up and bring him back. We can even carpool. I promise it'll happen this time. You just gotta ignore my brother.”

“I'll think about it but I can't guarantee you'll get a happy answer,” I say.

“Yay!” she says as she hugs me.

I couldn't help but smile at her.

 

“So Kyung said it was okay to sleepover!” Mason excitedly says as we walk down the sidewalk. I picked him up so now we're headed to my job. It's just a café so it won't be much but everything will help at this point.

“Is that so?” I reply back to him.

“Yeah! So can he come over?” he asks.

We continue to walk with his hand in mine.

“I don't know, Mace.”

“Pleaaaassseee! I'll be extra good!” he says.

I couldn't help but chuckle. “Alright. I guess he can sleepover this weekend. I'll talk to his sister tomorrow,” I say.

“Yay! You're the best Charlie!” Mason cheers.

I smile at his excitement.

“Oh, looks like we're here,” I say as we stop in front of a café. I guess it's a pretty popular spot since it's pretty close to the high school and the local college.

I look down at Mason. “Remember what I said about today?”

“I have to be good while you're working,” he says and I nod in approval at his answer.

Here goes nothing.

 

Me and Mason walk in the café to see that it's pretty crowded. I feel Mason squeeze my hand. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring him here. What was I even thinking?

“Are you alright, Mace?” he nods.

We walk up to the counter, only to see a middle aged man.

“Hi, how may I help you?”

“Hello, I'm Charlotte and I'm supposed to be starting my-”

“You're the new employee! Thank heavens! Our last one just walked out and quit. I'll go get you an apron,” he says before walking to the back.

I scan the place. It's crowded but not too crowded. Mason should be okay for now. I notice that the counter seats are pretty much empty, thinking this will be a good place for Mason to sit and for me to keep an eye on him.

“Alright, Mace,” I say as I pick him up and place him on the stool.

“Now, I packed some coloring books, your ipod, and some snacks. I also brought your music book. If you want, I'll give you my phone to play with, too.”

“Okay.”

“Are you sure you're alright?” I ask him, earning another nod.

“Do you want to go home?”

“No. I'll sit here while you work.”

“Okay. Let me know if you start feeling weird or uncomfortable, okay?”

“I will.”

That's when the guy comes back out.

“Here's your apron. You can put your stuff behind the counter. Oh, I'm Mr. Joon, by the way. I don't have time to train you on making drinks but it'd be a huge help if you could just go around and take peoples’ orders and ask if they need anything.”

I nod as I take my jacket off and place it with my bag.

“Thanks again, Charlotte. I can already tell you'll be a great worker,” he says before going back to making drinks.

I tie the apron around my waist.

“Okay. You sure you'll be alright?” I ask again.

“Yes. Go work, I have coloring to do,” he says as he gets his crayons and coloring book out. I roll my eyes. Better him being sassy than having an anxiety attack.

“Okay. Lemme know if you need anything,” I say again before going to my first table.

 

Some hours pass. I look at the clock to see that it's past 8pm already. I look at Mason who's asleep with his head on the counter. I go to put in his earphones and play his ipod on a low volume so he won't get woken up. I was able to make him a sandwich for dinner.

The place not that crowded anymore. I go up to Mr. Joon who's by the cash register.

“Mr. Joon.”

“Oh, what can I do for you, Charlotte? You did great today by the way.”

“Thank you. Umm, when I applied to this job, I was informed that I'd be working four hour shifts,” I say.

“Yeah. That's what I needed at the time but since we lost our other waiter, I'm going to need you to work a couple more hours. It'll just be until we find another employee,” he says.

“Not to be rude sir, but I didn't sign up for this. I don't think I'll be able to work those hours. I have school and I have my brother to watch and he can't be out this late,” I say.

“You can't quit now! You just started. We need you. Just by today, I can see that you're a quick learner and a very efficient worker.”

“But sir, I-”

“Just give me two weeks. If I don't find someone within two weeks, then you can go of free. Please, I just need some time, Charlotte. Plus, you can continue bringing your brother here.”

I think about his offer. I do need the money because what I have now won't last forever. Two weeks? I can wait two weeks, right? I'll just have to find someone to watch, Mace. Plus, it's not like I work everyday, either. Maybe it won't be too bad.

“Alright,” I say.

“Thanks, Charlotte! I'll even give you a bonus at the end of the two weeks, whether you stay or not,” Mr Joon says.

“Thanks.”

The bell from the door rings, signaling customers. Geez, isn't it too late to be drinking caffeine at this time of night?

I walk to the table with my little notepad and pen in hand.

"What can I get you?” I ask, not even looking up at the person.

I wait for the person to speak, only to hear nothing. I finally look up, only to see him staring at me. A smirk then forms on his face.

“Mason's sister, right?” He asks and I just nod.

“I'll just get a cup of coffee,” he says earning another nod from me.

I go back to the counter and tell Mr. Joon his order.

“Hey, Yoongi,” Mr. Joon yells over to him. “Keeping out of trouble?”

At this point, Yoongi is walking towards the counter. I take this chance to make my way over to Mason and check up on him.

I begin packing away his stuff as the two guys continue talking.

“I'm trying, sir,” Yoongi says.

“Kyung and Sooyoung doing good?”

“They are. Annoying but good,” Yoongi says with a chuckle.

“I’m sure you're just as annoying to them, too. How's everything else?” Mr. Joon asks.

It goes silent as I don't hear any reply.

“Just know, I'm always here if you need me, Yoongi.”

“I know.”

A few moments of silence pass as I just about finished packing up Mason's bag.

“Well, here's your coffee. I'll be in the back as you're the last customer, as always,” Mr. Joon says.

“Charlotte, you're free to go. And thanks again. You don't know how much I appreciate it,” he says.

“Oh, thank you Mr. Yoon,” I say.

“Have a nice night you two,” he says before walking to the back.

 

I take my apron off and put it under the counter. I get my jacket and bag and head back to Mason. I hate to wake him up but I don't know if I can carry him all the way home.

“Why did you bring him here?”

I turn around to see Yoongi staring.

“What?”

“Why did you bring Mason here?”

“I don't have anyone to watch him. I didn't think I'd be working this late,” I say.

He drinks his coffee before setting it back down.

“I'll give you a ride back,” he says.

“No, that's fine. Thank you, though.”

“Seriously, you're going to walk home at this time of night with a four year old? Are you stupid? Did your parents not teach you anything?”

I clench my fists close. I close my eyes and take a few breaths. Just ignore, just ignore.

I open my eyes to find him still staring at me.

“No, I don't need a ride,” I say before turning back to Mason.

I put my bag on before grabbing Mason's but it suddenly gets taken away from me.

“Look, I'm not letting you walk alone in the dark, so I'm not taking no for an answer,” he says.

I notice how close he's standing next to me so I slide closer to Mason. I would feel bad waking him up.

I gently pick Mason up, making sure not to make any crazy movements.

I walk towards the door that's already open as Yoongi is holding it open.

“My car is over there,” he quietly says. I just nod and follow him.

He opens the back door and I see there's a car seat already there. Oh yeah, he has Kyung.

I gently place Mason in and buckle him up. I make sure his earphones are still in. I don't want him to wake up while we're in the car. That would just be awful.

I close the door then get in the front passenger seat.

“Now was that so hard?” I hear him say. I chose to ignore him.

 

The ride was quiet except for me giving him directions.

 

He finally pulls up to the front of my building.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say once I have Mason in my arms.

“I'll walk you up since I have your guys’ bags,” he says.

Instead of telling him no I just lead the way. The elevator ride was quiet as well as the walk to my door.

“Okay, thanks for walking me up,” I say as I reach for our bags.

He leans in closer to me and I automatically take a step back. He smirks before handing me the bags.

“Later. . .Charlotte,” he says before turning around and walking away.

 

I quickly turn, unlocking my door and walking inside. I throw our bags on the ground and take my shoes off as well as Mason’s. I take his earphones out and set it on the counter. I gently take his jacket off before walking to his room and laying him in his bed.

I change him into his pajamas and tuck him in. I walk out of his room and head to mine. Maybe I'll actually get to sleep in my own bed tonight. 

 

 

Characters

Min Sooyoung aka Joy

18 years old

Senior in high school

On the girls soccer team

Popular in school

Sister to Kyung and Yoongi

Cheerful, friendly and easygoing

 

 

Min Kyung

4 years old

Goes to the same preschool as Mason

Acts just like his sister

Younger brother of Joy and Yoongi 

 

 

 

Min Yoongi

19 years old

Older brother of Kyung and Joy 

Protective of his siblings

Has a cold personality 

 

 

 

 Choi "Auntie" Yuri

Works at a local restaurant 

Neighbor of Charlotte and Mason

Loves kids

Acts like a mother figureally towards the Park family 

 

 

 Mr. Joon

Owner of the local café 

May seem weird and unorganized at times but has a good heart

He keeps an eye on the Min kids

 

 

 

Chapter 2! Sorry if it's a lil boring. 

Thanks to shiryokeii for being my first subscriber! Hope you enjoy it!