Seokjin can not sleep. He had shut his eyes, covered his eyes with his arm, counted sheeps, but nothing worked out. He gave up to sleep, eventually, and brought himself to sat down on his bed with his back leaning against the headboard. 

There were so many causes behind his insomnia that night. One of them was his anger after hearing Jungkook's story. Just like Jungkook he just wanted to punch that Hanbin guy, he didn't have any idea how that guy looked like.

Another cause, he wanted to just stay beside Areum the whole night to make sure she wouldn't get any nightmare.

Another cause, he knew what Jungkook said was right. Seokjin didn't even want to fool himself about liking Areum, he knew himself. He didn't need Jungkook to point that out for him, because he liked her since way before.

That was maybe one of some reasons Areum stoped playing in the tree house. Seokjin clearly remembered the last night they were in the tree house. He never told her about his feelings, but Areum might have known about that which led her to draw a line between them and building her wall more higher than before.

Seokjin knew something was wrong when he saw Areum that day in his tree house. Her eyes were swollen and she greeted him non chalantly. She was trying to avoid his gaze by looking out at the window. She stayed silent for quiet a long time and Seokjin, sitting down beside her, was staring at her.

"You don't look good," said Seokjin. 

"I know," she replied.

"You know you can tell me your problem, if you need someone to listen."

Areum always knew that. That was one thing she liked about Kim Seokjin. His ears were always ready to listen, his presence alone was comforting. She knew she just needed someone to listen to her story and not judged, she knew Seokjin is not judgemental person. She knew Kim Seokjin was always a noble, wise man. She knew, but she didn't want him to listen to this one sad and pathetic story she was gone through, because she just wanted to forget.

Telling him the story might made her remember that.

So Areum shook her head no. Instead, a single tear just rolled on her cheek that had just dried seconds ago.

"I can listen to your cry, so just cry all you want until you have no tears left," said Seokjin as he gently pulled her head to his chest.

Hearing that made Areum realised that Seokjin indeed is a very good man and she didn't deserve this angel. The way Seokjin caressed her cheek to wiped out her tears was very soft as if he didn't want to scratch her. The way Seokjin caressed her back was comforting her.

Seokjin was wondering if that was the day when the Hanbin thing happened to her. Had he known that, he'd be hunt down that guy and punch his face until the guy could not laugh anymore. 

Without him realising, the sun started to rise and sunrays sneaked into his room through his thin curtain. 

The first thing Jungkook hear when he opened his eyes was sonething being grilled in a pan and a clanking sound of kitchen utensils followed suits. He smelled bacon and it automatically made his tummy growled. 

Jungkook, half asleep, forcing his feet walked him out from his bed room to the kitchen, where he found his sister made breakfast. 

The boy quietly watched his sister and wonder if last night was only his dream. 

Areum looked behind her shoulder and find her brother standing there scratching his head, making his bed hair even more messy. His eyes were half opened and eyebrows furrowed. 

She gave him a small smile, as if nothing happened, as if they didn't fight yesterday.

"You wake up early today," she said as she focused back on cooking. 

Jungkook pulled out a chair and sat down as he hummed a yes to agree with his sister's statement.

Areum carefully put the grilled bacon on a plate and put it on the table in front of her brother. She grabbed a glass and poured him a fresh milk. She walked to Jungkook and put down the glass as she watched her brother who was blankly stared his food.

"Eat a lot, okay," she said as she patted his head. "Did you have a good sleep?" Her hands were still on his hair, as she combed them softly.

Jungkook looked up at his sister as he wondered wheter Areum forgot she had a nightmare or just acting as if nothing happened. His little movement made her hands lose contact with his hair and his eyes looked straightly to hers. 

The sleepiness were gone. His eyes were round and filled with curiousity.

"Noona," he called her.

"Yeah?"

There was a pause before Jungkook asked her. "Why do you always act as if nothing happened?"

Jungkook could see her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You always pretend to be strong," he said. "Could you, for once, tell me your problem?"

"What is there to tell? There are nothing important, though. You don't need to worry." Areum replied as she walked to grab a glass of water.

"I just... I just don't understand why you always act strong, pretend nothing happened. Why don't you just tell me? Even if it's not a big deal or not important like you said, just don't keep it yourself."

Areum let out a small laugh, trying to make her brother not worrying herself. "Nothing to worry, Jungkook. There is no big problem so far," she said. 

"Even if some guy played with you and just broke your heart?" Jungkook watched his sister's shoulders tensed up. "Don't you think I need to know that?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Areum was playing dumb, tried to avoid the conversation. Her back was facing Jungkook and she didn't plan to face him either.

"This is what I was talking about. You act as if nothing happened. In fact, there was a guy made fun of you out there and deserve a punch on his face." Jungkook didn't want to raise his voice, but it just naturally went out of his control.

"How do you know about that?" Areum clenched her jaws.

"That's not important. What I want to say is, you can talk to me about this kind of matter too!" he snapped.

"Why would I want to talk to you about some kind of humiliating incident?!" Areum snapped back at her brother. 

"Aren't I your brother?"

"You said it yourself I'm not your real sister," she replied back with sarcasm.

Jungkook stood up from his seat. His eyes never left his sister. "Listen, not even once I hated to have a sister. Since day one you walked into this house, I always looked up to you. Since day one, I like to be your brother, I like you're my sister, not anyone else. Even if someone asked if I wished to have a brother, I'd say no!" He walked to where Areum was and stayed beside her. "You feel like my real sister, mostly."

"Mostly," said Areum quietly.

"Yeah, mostly. That's because sometimes when you act all strong, even if I knew you weren't, you wouldn't tell me your problem. Never once you shared it to me. Aren't brother and sister supposed to share their problem to each other?" Jungkook watched her side profile.

"I'm not asking you to tell me every problems. It's just... as long as I remember, you never share even one problem to me."

"Because I can handled them so far," she said quietly.

"Yeah?" Jungkook challanged. "What about those problems that led to your nightmare? You got nightmare again last night and you act like you didn't this morning."

Areum looked up at the younger one who was taller than her. "What do you expect me to do, Jungkook? It was just a nightmare, okay."

"I was scared. You were almost hyperventilating," he said softly. "If only it wasn't because of Seokjin Hyung, I really didn't know what to do."

Areum's mindr fled back to last night. She did remember him holding her as she probably met his shoulder wet with tears. Areum sighed as she brought her hand up to her brother's head. "Thanks for worrying, Jungkook."

She patted his head. Jungkook purposely bent down his head so she could reach his head and Areum noticed that small gesture, thinking how did her little brother grow up that fast. "Eat your breakfast and get ready for school. I'm going to supermarket."

Areum grabbed her cardigan that was lying on the couch and wore it as she walked to the door. When she opened the door, Areum found Seokjin with his arm awkwardly reached up, probably was about to knock the door.

"Oh, hi!" Seokjin greeted her as his smile grew on his lips.

Seokjin looked very neat even in the morning. His oversized white t-shirt was topped with a black bomber and ripped black jeans. Even though he was well dressed, Areum could notice he didn't have enough sleep last night and that was probably because of helping her to calm down. She felt a little bit guilty.

"Hi," she greeted back. "Why are you doing here? It's very early."

"Do you have class today?" asked Seokjin, ignoring her question.

"No, as long as I remember." Areum replied jokingly.

"Great, let's have fun today," he said.

"Wait, let me do some groceries shopping first. I'll cal you when I'm back."

"That's alright. I can go with you."

His smile was so wide, it was impossible not to smile back at him. Kim Seokjin was a very good man. Areum felt like she didn't deserve this human being.

"Okay then," she agreed and walked passed him, leading the way.

"You can buy me ice cream, chocolate, and cheetos if you're feeling grateful," said Seokjin as he nudged her arm with his elbow.

They were walking in the snack section, Areum was reaching for Homerun Ball and Seokjin beat her to that. He put down the snack on her cart. "Oh, now you're asking something for return," said Ahreum jokingly.

"Well, I'm not forcing you, though. It's just if you're feeling generous..." Seokjin didn't finished his sentence purposely and shrugged his shoulder. 

Areum chuckled and Seokjin quietly sneaked his hands on her cart and pushing it for her.

"You're definitely do all things just for cheetos, huh."

She grabbed three packs of cheetos, each with different flavor and put them inside her cart. When she looked up at Seokjin, he was smilling widely like a child getting his snacks. He must be a kid trapped inside a man body, Areum thought. 

"Whoah, indeed, Jung Areum." Seokjin shook his head as he clapped before he gave her two thumbs up.

Areum laughed at him, and her laughter were getting louder when Seokjin wiggled his crooked thumbs in front of her sight. Seokjin knew Areum always finds his crooked thumb fascinating, so he purposely did that.

He quietly looked at her laughing. The dimple on her right cheek was her charm. How her eyes turned into cresent moon when she laught was an adorable sight. Seokjin couldn't help but smile at her. Geez, you're so pretty.

"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Areum, her eyebrows crooked up, her smile still there.

Seokjin didn't realise he said what he was thinking.

"My chocolate," he quiuckly said. "Don't forget my chocolate."

Areum rolled her eyes jokingly. 

"Oh, Jung Areum!" 

Areum had to turn her head to her front when she heard someone called her name. 

"That's right, you're Areum."

When Areum found out the one who called her, her body became tensed and her jaw clenched. 

"And isn't he Kim Seokjin?" The guy smirked as he averted his gaze back to Areum after eyeing Seokjin beside her. "Woah, girls in my class are talking about him actually. That's why I know he's popular. But, why is he walking with you?"

"That's not your problem," she said, annoyed. 

Seokjin was getting annoyed by the guy presence, too. "Why is this guy very rude, huh." Seokjin was talking to himself, but purposely making it louder so the guy would knew his presence was unwanted.

"Didn't you learn something from me, Areum? Maybe he did the same as me?"

"Funny how you said that. You don't even know him, Hanbin. His personality is not even close with yours."

Seokjin quickly registered the name in his head. If he was Hanbin, then he was the jerk Jungkook was talking about.

"You're doing it for a bet too, right?" Hanbin smirked as he directed the question to Seokjin. 

By then, Seokjin's chest was filled with anger. The next second, he found himself punching the guy's face hard until the guy fell on the floor. Seokjin grabbed Hanbin's collar and one hand was in the air, ready to punch him once again, but Areum was stopping him by holding his wrist.

"Let's go, just leave him," she said quietly.

Seokjin was throwing dagger to the guy with his eyes. He pushed Hanbin back to the floor and stood up. He turned away and walked to Areum who was already ahead.

No one talked when they were walking back to Areum's home. Seokjin was filled with anger. Areum was distracted with her thoughts. 

When they arrived, it was Seokjin who talked first.

"You shouldn't stop me."

"Here's your cheetos," she said as she hand him his cheetos, purposely ignoring him.

Seokjin sighed before he took his cheetos from her hand. He quietly watching her from her side as she took out her groceries and put them on refrigerator. She put snacks she bought for her brother on the cupboard and she was done storing her groceries. Seokjin was still watching her and Areum, even though she was done, she stood still with her back facing him.

"I had nightmare about my childhood last night," she started. "It was always the same dream."

Areum clenched her jaws, she was hesitating to tell her story. But maybe Jungkook what Jungkook right that morning was right. Maybe she shouldn't keep her problem to herself.

She turned her body to face Seokjin, he was still standing beside the kitchen table, hands on his jeans pockets. 

"You know, my parents divorced before I was sent here."

Of course, Seokjin knew that.

"Before that day, everyday were terrifying. I was thirteen and I had to hear them shouting at each other. Door banging, glass breaking, the heavy rain and thunder were make it worse. Every morning I'd walk to the kitchen and it was always a mess. Morning was no exception, though. My parents kept arguing and one day I had to witnessed my mom raised her hand, she was about to hit him." Areum bit her lip, she was trying hard to not spill any tears. Her breath hitched.

She didn't even realise Seokjin was walking towards her until she felt his presence near her. 

"But he stopped her wrist and pushed her until she fell on the floor."

When she looked up at Seokjin, her eyes were filled with tears that was about to fall down. 

"I really appreciate you defending me, Jin," she said softly. "But it was frightening and it was trigering bad memories."

Seokjin felt his heart ached when he saw her eyes.

When she felt her tears almost fall, Areum wanted to turn her body around but Seokjin held her arm and softly pulled her close to his chest.

Areum was taken aback with his action.

Seokjin caressed her hair softly. "I'm sorry," he said. "From now on, just let me know, Areum. So I can help you, little by little."

Kim Seokjin is trully a decent human being and she felt she didn't deserve him.