Chapter 3

The trip to the house was relatively quiet, even with Eun Young attempting to create conversation but silence settled in anyway. Jin Mi tore her eyes away from the window and found herself focusing on the point of Taeyang's mohawk that peeked over the top of the headrest. She thought about asking about it but she decided not to, his choices in hairstyles were strange. The last time she saw him, he had braids in his hair that he had asked her to help take down while he played video games. Not one of her favorite things to do. Atleast with a mohawk, she didn't have to help him with it.  When they pulled up to the house, Jin Mi opened the door and ran up to the door, leaving her backpack on the seat in the back of the car.

The front door was locked but Jin Mi had her key with her on a chain around her neck so she wouldn't forget it. Her appa had thought of it soon after her umma had gotten sick. It wouldn't do her any good to be locked out of the house when they weren't home. She pushed open the front door which felt so much heavier now. The house was completely silent, which she had come to expect but it was eerie still and cold. It sent goosebumps up her arms.

She didn't bother taking off her shoes since she'd be in and out soon enough. Bounding up the stairs, Jin Mi spared one look at the closed door of her parent's bedroom before hurrying onto her bedroom across the way. She went directly to her closet and pulled out her black-overnight bag, dropping it on her bed.

This had almost become a routine to her. Sometimes her umma had to stay at the hospital over night. But rarely for a whole weekend. She tried to keep optimistic as she packed her things. Things had to get worse before they could get better. That's what her appa had told her once. She was just waiting for it to prove true now.

Jin Mi grabbed a few sets of clothes from her dresser, making sure to pack her underclothes and a pair of pajamas. Before leaving her room, she grabbed the picture from the table next to her bed. It was a family picture they took together, all of them smiling happily at the camera, true happiness. Not forced like it was now. It was back when they all had a reason to be truly happy. She tucked it safely under her pajama pants, and went back to thinking of what else she needed. Running into the bathroom, she grabbed her toothbrush and packed that away as well. 

Looking around, she couldn't think of anything else she needed to bring. But out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her stuffed rabbit Bingu and shoved him in her bag as well. Now she had everything. She ran back out of her room and down the stairs to the front door. Before she locked it back, she turned and looked back inside the large empty house.

"Goodbye." She whispered to no one in particular. She paused for a moment, almost waiting to see if someone would anwer but she realized it was foolish. She quietly closed the door and quickly locked it. Turning on the heels of her shoes,  she ran down the driveway to the car.

"Got everything?" Eun Young asked as she got into the car, offering a large smile. Jin Mi nodded as well, mustering up a weak smile back. She set her bag on the seat next to her. Taeyang turned around to look at her, peering over the shoulder of his seat.

" Do you have homework?" He asked. Jin Mi blinked slowly, letting her mind process the words before nodding again. He nodded absentmindedly back at her.

" Okay. I'll help you when we get home. G-Dragon and TOP are coming over later," he explained and drew a blank look from Jin Mi. G-who?

"Jiyong and Seunghyun," Eun Young piped up for her, seeing the clueless look on her face. She would never understand the names the boys had picked out for themselves. G-Dragon and TOP? Honestly? She shook her head, smiling to herself.

"Oh. Okay," Jin Mi replied, smiling a little more. G-Dragon? What a stupid name, she thought to herself, scrunching up her nose a little bit.

Taeyang kept true to his word and when they arrived at their appartment, Jin Mi had set her things down and they started to work on her homework on his bed. Taeyang was patient with her as she struggled to grasp certain concepts in math and language and they were done after an hour or so. As Jin Mi put her things back in to her backpack, there was a knock at Taeyang's bedroom door and before waiting for a reply, it opened and a smirking Jiyong stepped in. Jin Mi saw his hair before she saw anything else. It was brown now, the last time she saw him it had been red-ish and the time before that it was black. The sides were cut short and the top was long, behind held in a rubber band and strands stuck out around the top of his head. He was wearing a huge white t-shirt that seemed to swallow him. He was a little younger than Taeyang but he certainly didn't look it. 

"Oh, the maknae is here?" He asked, stopping short as he saw Jin Mi. He scrunched up his face at her to which she did the same back.

"Ewh. Jiyong is here," she retorted, her face still twisted in contempt.

"It's G-Dragon," he corrected, sounding proud with himself. Jin Mi bit back a snort.

"That sounds like the name of an energy drink." Before he had time to launch back at her, Seunghyun appeared in the doorway. Taeyang nodded at him and he did the same. Seunghyun was wearing a large white t-shirt like Jiyong but a green mesh baseball cap sat atop his dark hair. He was the oldest out of all of them and looked it, too. He was close to 17 as far as Jin Mi knew.

"Seunghyun-oppa!" Jin Mi squeaked, jumping up and running over. He gave her a small smile as he looked down at her and allowed her to hug his waist. Jiyong scowled at her, still upset over the energy drink comment.

" Aish, TOP. You're going to steal my cousin away from me," Taeyang joked, getting up from his seat on the bed," She doesn't even greet me like that."

" Maybe it's because I'm better looking," Seunghyun replied, smirking. Taeyang rolled his eyes.

" Yeah. That's it," He replied, sarcastically.

" This little lovefest is sweet and everything, but are we gonna just stand around? I thought we were going to do something." Jiyong interrupted, getting everyone's attention. Jin Mi released her hold on Seunghyun's waist and he set a hand on her head.

" Right." Taeyang agreed, and made his way over to the door. Seunghyun turned to move away from Jin Mi and she grabbed his hand. Wide brown eyes stared into his.

" Where are you going?" She asked.

" Out. We'll be back later," He replied, softly. She didn't know that they would be leaving. She pouted a little, holding on to Seunghyun's hand tighter.

" Can I come?" She pleaded and was immediately met with 3 firm 'no's. Jin Mi flinched a bit.

" Oh. Okay," she spoke quietly and released his hand. "I'm sure Gomo Eun Young and I can find something to do."

" Don't worry, maknae. We'll be back." Jiyong ruffled her hair roughly and snickered as she shook her head to get away from him.

" You don't have to come back," she said and turned haughtily to walk out of the room.

" Ah. Jin Mi don't be like that," Taeyang said, walking after her as she padded down the hallway. Seunghyun came after her as well and picked her up by her tiny waist. He whispered in her ear for a moment and she nodded. A smile graced the angular features of Seunghyun's face as he set her back down on the ground. She skipped away towards down the hall, leaving Jiyong and Taeyang standing confused.

" What did you tell her?" Jiyong asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Seunghyun half-shrugged.

" I told her we'd spend the whole night with her when we get back. She's a little girl and her mom's dying. She has to be lonely. It's the least we can do while she's here."

" Who knew you were such a softie, 'Seunghyun-oppa'?" Jiyong sneered. Seunghyun's eye twitched a little and he smacked the sneer right off Jiyong's mouth, his hand connecting with the back of his head. Jiyong released a string of curses at the sting of the smack.

" It'd be in your best interest to shut up." Seunghyun growled and walked off, leading a snickering Taeyang and a grumbling Jiyong after him. Unbeknowst to them, Jin Mi had heard every word around the corner.  Dying? The word repeated in her head. Her umma was just sick. Right? Besides, her umma would never leave her without saying goodbye. Never. She repeated the words over and over in head as she walked towards the kitchen. . . Would she?