It was 7:00 p.m. My house was quiet. That meant that either my parents weren't home or they weren't speaking to each other. I closed my eyes and tried to let go of my thoughts. Why did I always have to worry so much about other people's problem? Why couldn't I just leave it all behind, go to Seoul with Jisoo, and let things happen or not happen by themselves?

My phone buzzed on the desk with an incoming call. It was a number I didn't recognize. I let it buzz until it stopped. The penny Jimin had found and gifted to me sat next to my phone. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. It hadn't really brought me much luck. Maybe I was using it wrong. I rubbed it, then laughed at myself. It wasn't a genie lamp. I sighed and put it back down.

My phone buzzed again. Same number. 

I picked it up this time. "Hello."

"Bae Suzy?"

"Yes, that's me."

"This is Kim Yugyeom. Your contractor."

"My contractor?"

"You're Sangmoon's sister, right?"

"Yes . . ."

"The second payment is due on the work I've done."

I wasn't following this conversation. "Okay. Don't you have his number?"

"I've tried his number. He's not calling me back. Your name is on the contract. One of you needs to pay me."

"I didn't sign anything. How is my name on a contract?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm here at the condo. I'll be waiting."

"How much does he owe you?"

"Thirty thousand."

Thirty thousand. Sangmoon had that. I'd given him a million. There was no way he'd blown it all already. Was it even possible to blow a million dollars in less than two months? How much had he paid for the condo?

"Hello?" Yugyeom said.

"Oh, sorry. I . . . I need to talk to my brother."

"Well, someone needs to get here now and pay me or I'm removing all the installations I've done to try to recoup my labor costs."

"Okay. I'll be there in thirty minutes." I hung up and immediately dialed my brother's number. He didn't answer. I sent him a text. Call me!!!

Ten minutes passed and my phone didn't deliver any messages from my brother. I paced my room. What was I supposed to do? Pay off his debts again? Maybe he hadn't realized the bill was due. He'd pay me back.

I left my room to search for my parents. There was no way I was going to his condo alone to meet up with some strange guy I didn't know. But my parents weren't home. I started to call my dad, but stopped myself. My parents were already fighting about Beau and his money situation. Did I really need to give them something else to fight about? My eyes found the penny on my desk again and I dialed a different number.

"Hello?" His voice alone calmed some of the anxious nerves I was feeling. 

"Jimin?"

"That or some other guy is answering my phone now."

I smiled. "I need your help."

"Anything." He said it in a dramatic fashion.

"Can you come with me to meet up with a stranger and drop off a bill for my brother?"

"Is this a back-alley drug deal?"

"If only."

He laughed. "Sure. Do you want to pick me up or should I pick you up?"

I thought about my car, the one I wouldn't be able to explain, that was parked in the garage right now. The place my dad had insisted I start parking after I'd brought it home. "Can you pick me up?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

I wrote out a check, sealed it in an envelope, then went outside to wait on the porch. Jimin arrived fifteen minutes later. He gave a playful beep of the horn when he saw me. 

"You're going to love me," he said when I climbed in. 

Already on my way there, I thought. Don't give me more reasons.

"Why?" was the only thing I said.

"I brought my mom's dog for you to play with." He reached behind my seat and pulled out a little ball of white fur. I immediately reached for the dog and pulled it against my chest.

The dog stretched his head up and started my chin as his tail beat against my arm over and over. "Aww. You're right, I do love you."

"Thank you," Jimin said. 

"I was talking to the dog." I buckled my seat belt. "What's her name? His name?" I lifted the dog to check.

"Her," he said.

"Yes. That's correct."

He laughed. "Her name is Dezy."

"Hello, Dezy. You are the most adorable thing in the world."

"More adorable than Sleepy?" Jimin asked.

"Shhh." I pushed the hand that wasn't holding Dezy against the side of Jimin's face. "We don't compare around here."

He laughed again. "You are the cutest."

"Are you talking to me or to the dog?" I asked. 

"The dog, of course. 

I set the dog in my lap and met Jimin's eyes. "Thank you , by the way. For coming."

"I'm glad you thought of me to help. How many friends did you try before finding one to respond?"

"I . . . no. . . um. . ."

"Wow, how far down the list was I? You can't even remember."

"I remember," I said, then held my phone out for him. 

"This is the address."

He looked at my phone and the map I had up on it. "Got it." He pulled onto the road.

"This would be a good plot in one of your stories," I said. 

"The one with the messed-up adult. Or almost-adult."

"What do you mean? Is your brother in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know. Maybe . . . probably. Money trouble. He's always in money trouble it seems."

"Everyone has problems. There is no judgement here."

"Please. Judge away. I would if I were in your shoes."

"I don't think that's true." Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand move my way, and then, as if he changed his mind, it was back on the steering wheel again.

As the car got closer to our destination, I was even happier that Jimin had brought the dog. She was curled up in my lap and I was petting her over and over. She was the perfect distraction for my nerves. 

"I know I wasn't . . . I mean last time I . . . when we were in the tunnel . . . I'm sorry I . . ." Why couldn't I just spit it out? I was a jerk and scared and . . .

"What about last time?" Jimin asked, his eyes on the road. 

"I was telling you a funny story. It was supposed to make you laugh. I think I should be apologizing for making things weird."

"No, you don't need to apologize."

"Is everything better with your friends? You had been in a fight with them last time."

I sighed. "No. Not really. Hopefully we can work it out. We always have in the past."

"I'm sure you will." I nodded.

"Is this it?" he asked as he parked next to a white truck with the worlds Kim Construction on the side.

"This is it."

We got out of the car. Jimin took the dog from me and let her down on a patch of grass. The front door of the condo was open and I knocked on it. "Hello!" I called out. 

"Back here," a voice said.

I gripped the envelope to my chest and glanced over my shoulder. Jimin scooped up the dog and tucked her under his arm. The dog looked tiny there and I smiled at how sweet Jimin looked holding her. He joined me on the porch.

I pushed the door open farther and stepped inside. It was definitely a construction zone. Walls were in various stages of repair, pipes and wires were exposed, wood and drywall sat in piles on the ground. But I could see the vision. Sangmoon was going for an open concept, with vaulted ceilings reaching all the way to a second-floor landing area, where a bed was visible through black metal railing. The kitchen was at the back of the room. A man stood assembling (or maybe disassembling, according to his phone threats) handles on gray cabinetry. A large, cage-looking light fixture hung over an island.

The man, Yugyeom I assumed, wiped his hands on his pants and turned to face us.

"You have my money?" was his greeting.

I held up the envelope. "Can I see the bill? And I'll need  a receipt."

He seemed put out by my request, mumbling about how he already gave Sangmoon a bill detailing the work. But he dug through a bag on the island, then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

"Cute dog," he said to Jimin as he handed me the paper.

"Yeah, thanks," Jimin said. 

For whatever reason the statement about the dog made me trust the guy more. I looked over the detailed bill. I could see the things around the room that it referred to--the new cabinetry, light fixtures, electrical, and on and on. I handed Yugyeom the envelope.

He opened it immediately and looked at the check. "If this bounces, we're done."

"It's good," I said.

He nodded, then went back to the island and wrote me out a receipt. Then he cleaned up his stuff. Jimin raised his eyebrows at me, then pointed his chin at the dog.

"Yes, please," I said.

He places Dezy in my arms. I immediately kissed her head and continued to observe Yugyeom until he'd packed everything and left the house. I was finally able to breathe.

Jimin turned a big circle in the room, looking up at the exposed pipes in the ceiling that made the room feel industrial in a cool way.

"This is pretty amazing," he said. "This is your brother's place?"

"Yes." I walked over to the window and looked outside. The view out there was just as cool--a big courtyard patio with a fireplace and fountain.

I checked my phone again but there was no missed call from Sangmoon. I pointed to the stairs. "Can you just . . . give me a second?" I asked Jimin.

"Of course."

I placed Dezy on the ground to stretch out her legs and I bounded up the stairs. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Proof that my brother was making smart choices? Something that told me everything would be okay? But I only found the opposite in the form of stack of casino receipts on his nightstand. I was going to kill him.