Jungkook walked the length of the boulevard linking the heart of the campus to its gate. It was silent, still, that Thursday night—a fortunate early end of a long week for him. He trudged along lazily, on his way home.

The sudden appearance of rushed movements several paces in front of him chased away the wasp of whispering peace he had around him. Kim Dahyun. It was hard to pay attention to the quiet, so he watched her instead; saw her pull her phone from the depth of her bag and saw a key dropped to the ground because of it. Jungkook did not quicken his pace, nor did he call out for her.

His gaze settled on the gleaming metal near his feet later. It was a car key. He ignored it, left it exactly where it was and walked on.

He saw her again when he neared the parking lot; watched her rummage her bag and pockets for the key he knew she had dropped, her already hasty demeanour became more hurried when she could not find the thing she was searching for. Jungkook had thought that she would retrace her steps; tried harder. If she had, she would have easily found the key lying on the ground a little away.

Her phone rang then. He heard her muffled replies; saw her muscle tensed with indecision before she threw her bags down to the ground together with caution and shoved them under the car. Then, she ran off, towards the gate and away from everything that should have been important.

Jungkook rarely understood people like her and he was not going to waste his time trying to, now.

He slipped both his hands deep in his pockets and trudged on. He breathed in the cold air deep; closed his eyes and tried to recall back the peace he felt moments ago.

'Damn it.'

His insides had warred, and his stupid conscience was winning and Jungkook was not happy.

'Damn it.'

He pivoted and walked the length back to the place he last saw the car key. It was as difficult as it had been walking away. 'Was it that difficult for her to leave him alone?'

Jungkook stared dispassionately at the metal gleaming near his feet. He had wished it away so that he would not be saddled with the decision of what he had to do next. But no such luck, of course. It was like the more he wished for something, the less likely it would happen. He should have stopped wishing ages ago, but it was hard letting go of habits.

'Make a wish,' His father had said.

Jungkook remembered having many but was allowed only one a year. At first, when his eyes could not yet see further than what was in front for him, he would wish for small nothings like for his parents to snuggle him to bed every night when he was four, and when he was five, for them to always be there to sing him lullabies whenever he would be overcome with sadness. When he was a little older, to have meat every time they would celebrate his achievements, or for the trendy bag everyone seemed to have that would stay with him until now. Whatever he wished for aloud before he blew the candles always come true. He had outgrown the small world his parents had tried to shelter him in, but he had not quite outgrown the belief that wishes come true.

Jungkook sighed. What was he doing; bothering with someone he hated?

Jungkook kicked the car key half-heartedly into the bushes. At least it was out of everyone's direct sight. If she searched for it enough, she would find it. It was the least she could do if it really meant that much to her. And that was as much as he would allow himself to help.

He had wasted enough time for this, so he left, walking briskly away.

Jungkook watched the light blur from the window of the bus. It stopped again, for traffic this time, and the life outside slowed and focus for him once more. When the bus started to move again, his eyes caught Kim Dahyun. She raced along the streets. The bus must have slowed for her because he could see her clearly, even the delicate wisps of erred hair escaping her ponytail on her neck. But it shouldn't have bothered, because there were no nearby stops for boarding, nor was Kim Dahyun chasing after it.

Jungkook saw her quick fingers dial a number on her phone, her breath just as quick when she halted to scan the area, eyes searching, phone near her ears. Then, he did not see her.

He buzzed the bell and alighted at the next stop. He was far from home, but he had seen the big supermarket behind her, and it seemed like it had everything he might need. He was due for some grocery shopping for himself.

Jungkook walked against the traffic, pace slow, as he took in the sparse crowd around him. Finally, the brilliant lights of the supermarket at the corner end of the streets crept into sight. Just like Kim Dahyun, tense and impatient waiting at the crosswalk in front of him, did. Jungkook saw her intention; saw the fast-oncoming traffic and saw her dash across the streets. Then, heard the angry blare of horns of offended cars that barely missed, heard the shocked gasps of pedestrians.

'Crazy girl,' An old lady shook her head disapprovingly at Dahyun's disappearing back, hands clutched close to her chest, trying to slow her racing heartbeat.

Jungkook had unknowingly leapt in her direction, though he was too far to have been able to do anything even if he had a good plan for it. His quickened pulse rate made him race after her as soon as the man turned green. He hesitated only for a little before he closed the distance between them until they were within earshot. Funny. She did not see him even then.

"Don't worry," she spoke calmly, comforting the person on the phone. Dahyun gripped the phone away, hard, determined to keep her breathing normal, her voice level, "He's going to be fine; I promise. I need you to calm down. He knows where we are. Give him space. Maybe that's what he needs."

"How are you so calm?! You don't care that your brother is missing?!" Jungkook heard the hysterics of a woman not quite on loudspeaker he knew must be her mother, "We moved. He won't know how to get home. I have been trying to call you since the afternoon. You never answer your phone. You know I might need you anytime. Why aren't you more aware? If you care; you would. Are you even looking for him? You never help me with anything. You don't know how I feel. You both are breaking my heart. If anything happens to him, it's because you didn't try harder."

"I said I'll find him," she said firmly and then she hung up.

Kim Dahyun walked a couple of slow steps and halted. Frustration seeped her skin. Jungkook looked around and saw the quiet high school building. When he next saw her, she was crouched next to a tree. Hidden, underneath the kind shadows. There was something enthralling about tears for him. All his senses seemed to be in a grip. He should have known from his tendencies to be brainless whenever Yein shed those siren-like tears. Jungkook did not want to see Kim Dahyun cry, but he should not have worried because she had not.

So, Jungkook did not know what possessed him to quietly follow her like some guardian angel for the next two hours after her not-quite breakdown. She searched with new vigour, and he found out that she was looking for her grown younger brother. He must be in high school from the uniform. He saw relief in the sagging of her shoulders, then anger. But he heard her speak quietly instead, gentle, "There you are. Let's go home; mom cooked your favourite food."

"Okay," Jungkook heard him say.

"Answer your phone next time. Mum is worried."

When he did not answer, "Seungmin?" She nudged, "Your phone. Answer it."

"Okay," he said again. Distracted.

"How was school?" She asked. Incessant.

It was met with silence. Honestly, he found the exchange slightly perplexing. The boy did not seem like the rebellious kind to have left home, nor someone to cause trouble. He looked kind.

She walked backwards then, jumps in her steps as if something happy happened to her that day, "Guess what happened to me today."

"I sat behind these two girls that cheated during the test. I swear that the lecturer is blind. He passed by them being weird so many times. Worse is, they do it all the time, but they get away with it every time. It's annoying that they were not even trying to hide this time," she prattled about her day, frivolous and animated that it rubbed off a little on Jungkook. His steps felt lighter as he walked behind them, towards the bus stop.

"Then you won't believe what happened before I come here. Wait...maybe it's not that surprising since we are talking about me," she said as she tripped over uneven steps on the gravel and unceremoniously fell on her . Jungkook winced, while her brother stared down at her, barely reacting, hands limp by his sides.

Her hearty laugh pierced the empty streets. She reached for them and pulled herself up, "See? I can't even walk properly."

She dusted her skirts, and her brother seemingly swam back to the surface from the drownings of his thoughts, "Your hand."

"It's fine. Just a scratch. Let's take the bus home tonight."

She nudged him again, "Seungmin? This way. Let's go."

He did not grace her with an answer, but he had followed her.

Jungkook did not know many a thing about Kim Dahyun but he knew there was something very wrong with Kim Seungmin, her brother. 

Jungkook read the message from his mother while he waited for the bus home, 'Do you have an umbrella with you? It's going to rain tonight. Tell me when you're reaching, I'll fetch you at the bus stop.'

Jungkook pursed his lips before replying, 'Sorry. There's something I need to do tonight. I'll see you at home tomorrow.'