When you live in a small town, you start to notice people begin to share similar traits, hobbies and behaviours. You can definitely pinpoint those who are content with a peaceful life and those who are dying to leave for something greater. Yoongi was one of the latter.

The naughty child, that’s what he was famous for, a title he took during childhood. He would play pranks, rebel against the adults, do whatever just to get his way. There’s a significant huge playground near the school and it was a hotspot for the kids- a territory to claim. One era where he ruled the kingdom at the age of 9, a tiny foreign-looking little girl strayed along the playground while her mother stopped to chat with a friend as parents do. Submerged into the role of the playground ruler, he couldn’t have a stranger into his kingdom for she might be a spy of the other clan from the neighbouring district. Yoongi approached her and stomping his little feet to seem more intimidating.

“Who are you?! Are you Hoseok’s spy?! You’re not allowed here!” he interrogated the stranger and just like that, she began to cry. It brought panic to Yoongi but he would never let it show.

“OOOOH, Yoongi made a girl cry!” announced a subordinate in a loud teasing voice.

“I didn’t!” he fired back at him, waving the tree branch that served as a sword to threaten him off.

The ruckus made by elementary school boys hanging about the school playground on a weekend caught the attention of the surrounding adults, including Jihyo’s mom. The mother approached her child, caressing her head to stop her from crying.

“It’s not my fault!” oh, a child’s pride and arrogance. “She trespassed our territory!”

She would probably tell me off. Yoongi knew his mother would. However, the crying girl’s mother just gently smiled at him. Her mother has always been the type of person you’d hate to disappoint, which says a lot about Jihyo’s upbringing, spoiled and pampered which allowed her to grow into that timid and shy child.

“Sorry, my girl is really shy. Can you give her a free pass?”

“N-No!”

“Yoongi-hyung! I found a big beetle!” the seven-year-old Namjoon came running with a beetle in both his tiny hands. He halts when he sees the girl and so does she.

“Look, Jihyo, Namjoon-oppa is here.” her mother told her and she stopped crying at his presence.

Jihyo and Namjoon met first. When Yoongi asked how, he found them to be next door neighbours and frequently hung out with their siblings when both their parents are busy with work. In contrast to her frightened and uneasy attitude towards him and other strangers, Jihyo seemed more relax around Namjoon. Right around that time Namjoon started bringing Jihyo along in that playground, in request of her mother so she would meet new people. Yoongi didn’t like the idea but it wasn’t like he hated her presence, he liked teasing her and that’s what he decided to always do with her around— that is until Yerin came into the picture a year later and began defending her from him.

The pampered child, that was what Jihyo grew up as.

Intoxication isn’t something familiar to such person.

Jihyo finds herself inside a dim-lit bar, a night after her classes were over, a friend of Nayeon introduced herself as Jeongyeon who attends the same school and invited her to a get together. She thinks of Nayeon as a good person, surely her friends are the same. Jeongyeon was kind enough to give her an option to turn down, it would be extremely lame to go home now after accepting such an offer. Her outfits alone already makes her feel lame, it’s best not to make herself look worse in front of these city people.

“Do you drink?” Jeongyeon asked, sitting next to the stool beside her.

“Yeah,” her voice only manages to stand out from the loud crowd. Yerin would laugh at her being so quiet in a bar, she with the loudest voice in the world? Everyone in the town would. “Though, never in this kind of place. I’ve only drank in my house.”

Jeongyeon smiles. “You’re adorable.”

Jihyo takes offence in the comment in silence.

“Nayeon texted, she’s almost here. I think you’d be less anxious with someone you know here.” Jeongyeon took a sip of her drink, some vodka mixture Jihyo doesn’t know. Compared to her who is only drinking a light cocktail. This girl is hella cool, wearing black leather jacket and all, is it even alright to talk to her? The little nice gestures she does erases the intimidation she exudes but only a little. She still looks like the bad influence characters you see in movies.

“Sorry, was I too awkward?” Jihyo tried to be less fidgety than the usual. It must’ve not worked.

“Nah, I’m used to shy people. Did you know Nayeon was very shy back in high school? Yeah, unbelievable, right?” she laughed, Jihyo thinks she’s joking.

If she were to tell her parents about this bar visit, they’d give her an earful. Jihyo drinks to that thought.

“You coming?” Seokjin, his boss, caught Yoongi leaving his desk.

“Where?”

“Company drinking.”

“Again?” he swung his jacket on. “We had that last month.”

“Then, it’s for this month. Employee bonding is important for a company to succeed, you know! Now, come on!” the boss patted his back, urging him to come.

He’s got no choice but to heed. Oh well, he does like alcohol.

“Jihyo!” a familiar voice calls out. It’s Nayeon, looking her best in her own clothes instead of the work uniforms. Behind her is more of her friends, she recognise Taehyung with the really pretty girl beside him. Somehow Jihyo feels bad now, for herself, being among this kind of group of stylish people.

Nayeon waved to her with a smile, it relieved her coworker.

“They didn’t do anything weird, did they?” she asked Jihyo, getting a strong nudge from Jeongyeon.

“I took care of her knowing you’d kill me if I don’t.”

Nayeon bummed her shoulder with her fist, good job.

“Jihyo!” Taehyung greeted with a waving hand and a smile. She returned the gesture.

New faces start to arise, the timid kid from her childhood begins to return as well. Jihyo suppresses her shyness, she’s an adult now, meeting new people is necessary. Now’s not the time to give attention to the pit in her stomach. Her life can’t just revolve around that small town, around that one m