"What did you do?" Hyoyeon said, a menacingly cool tone taking the better of her, a glare fixated on her father.

In response to his daughter, the man merely shrugged, "I took out the trash, or rather, it took itself out."

The answer didn't seem to fare well with Hyoyeon, who's face bore a hurt expression from her father's words - her brother being a sensitive topic to her, "Trash..? Trash? Is that what Jongdae is to you?"

Shrugging for a second time, the man laughed to himself, "He made his choice, didn't he?"

The question seemed to be directed to Hyoyeon's mother who looked up, and quickly looked down when she realised she was now on the receiving end of Hyoyeon's glare, "He's the one who left, you didn't force him out dear."

Hyoyeon snorted at her parent's ignorance in disbelief, "You don't get it, do you? Don't tell me you're that oblivious."

It wasn't the Kim's patriach who answered, but the matriach, "Get what?"

"For the longest time he's been craving your attention; wishing you'd give him even the tiniest fraction of what you give me, Kibum, even Jongin. But he never got it. He's among the smartest in his year, he's always trying to tell you, neither of you listen. You got annoyed because he's seeing Joonmyeon? Boohoo - if anything it'll make you and Mr Kim closer, possibly giving you new business oppurtunities. He tried so hard to get your attention, but never got it. Until now, when your social reputations are at risk."

She stopped for a moment and glanced at her siblings, then her parents, "Looks like you have two children walking out on you today - two who could ruin your social status. If anything, I urge you try your best to stop the other two from doing the same." 

Rolling her eyes, sighing and turning, Hyoyeon stormed out of the room, heading to the door, slamming it behind her. She went and sat on the bench just outside the house, anticipating maybe Jongin to come out to ask about his twin, although it wouldn't surprise her if he didn't, as he was very much a daddy's boy and would hardly go against their father even it was for Jongdae.

It was a while before somebody exited the house; even to the point where Hyoyeon doubted that they even cared about her which told her that Jongdae's welfare didn't even stand a chance against her parents' other priorities. When she heard the door shut she began to test the ways to say 'Jongin' in a disappointed tone because she thought, hoped, that it was Jongin and not anybody else. As she turned, it wasn't Jongin who stood there, but her mother who looked sheepish, her posture resembling a shy school girl on her first day. Without saying a word she sat beside her daughter and looked out on the forest view the family had. A cold silence laid between the two, neither wanting to talk - not knowing what to say, until Mrs Kim spoke out, "Where's Jongdae?"

Hyoyeon, gaze directed to the birch trees, shrugged, "He just left, how am I supposed to know?"

Her mother chuckled to herself, shaking her head slowly, a hand on her heart, "You know, I don't hate Jongdae."

"No-one said you did."

The older looked at her daughter, "But you implied it. I don't hate him, and I'm proud of him, I really am. Your father doesn't like it when I praise him, he says he doesn't' need praise when we have Kibum and Jongin...He says Jongdae'd understand"

Hyoyeon looked at her mother, "And you go along with it? You say you're proud, but you seem so distant - so out of it."

"It's my fault we're not as close, although you have to realise - it's your father." She sighed, "You know, when I first married him and we had you, he told me he always wanted a large family believe it or not, he loved children once...But something went wrong, something changed him into what he is now..."

"So what you're trying to say is?"

Hyoyeon's mother turned to her, "What I'm saying is, he's not the man I married."

Another silence settled between the two, Hyoyeon trying to process her mother's words and message whereas the aforementioned sighed and wiped some threatening tears away from her eyes, rubbing her arms to occupy herself. Again, the silence was broken once more by the mother, "Do you have any ideas where he could be?"

Hyoyeon thought of a second, "Maybe he's at one of his friends, Baekhyun or Kyungsoo's houses."

A small smile of gratitude appeared on her mother's face that stayed for a while, "Thank you."

Hyoyeon watched as her mother produced her car keys from her pocket and standing, walking to her personal car. It didn't take Hyoyeon long to figure out what her mother's intentions were and she smiled to herself, realising change could be happening. She herself then got up and made her way to her own car and driving to her university campus, a good mood growing on her.

~

"You two aren't to talk to Jongdae or Hyoyeon, am I clear?"

Kibum and Jongin nodded obediently, taking in every word their father said to them, neither wanting to defy him, "Yes father."

The answer pleased their father who smiled somewhat proudly at his two sons and took a bite of his breakfast, "If Jongdae or Hyoyeon attempt to talk to you block them out."

Like robots, the two teens nodded and replied again, "Yes father, of course."

Mr Kim set down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin, "And if your mother speaks to you, seem uninterested and occupy yourselves with something else until she leaves you alone."

The same nodding motion was repeated, coupled with the same words. Mr Kim inspected his sons and smiled, finishing the last of his meal before leaving the room for work. Hearing the door slam Kibum turned to his younger brother, taking a bite from his toast, "Are you actually going to do what he says?"

Jongin stared at is brother and nodded slowly, a hint of fear still present from his brother and sister's outbursts, "Of course, it's what he wants."

Kibum laughed to the point where he choked on the food in his throat, "You're joking, right? Jongdae's your twin brother - you can'tjust suddenly decide one day you don't want to talk to him."

Jongin shrugged, "Father's his father and he seemed to be able to do that, so why can't I? I'd rather be on father's good side rather than Jongdae's or Hyoyeon's."

"And what about mother?" Kibum inquired, curiousity of how loyal his brother was to their father growing, "Are you going to ignore the woman who birthed you. Father raised us to always respect her."

Jongin turned away from the older and shrugged, "And now he's raising us to ignore her if she tries to speak to us."

Kibum rolled his eyes and stood up, brushing crumbs from his thighs and moving his plate from the table to the sink, "Let me guess, do you think siding with him all the time will get you somewhere in life?"

Jongin nodded, "Obviously. He's accepted yours and Hyoyeon's lives as entertainers, possibly idols. I'm the next heir to his business throne."

Kibum stopped and looked at his younger brother, "But is that what you want? Do you really want to be a businessman? Last time I checked, Kim Jongin's dream was to be a renowned dancer...to dance on the same stage as his sister, not sit at meetings all day and become so full of himself his world shrinks around him and everyone's left to pick up the pieces."

"It's my life Kibum, not yours. Not Hyoyeon's, nor mother's and not Jongdae's. Worry about yourself."

Kibum furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed his forehead, a scowl appearing slowly on his face, "I will Jongin, and I'll worry about my family too because unlike you I still have an interest in them." 

Sorry for the lack of Jongdae/Suchen in this chapter - I thought it'd be best to explore the relationships of the Kim family and how they function without Jongdae, with the addition of seeing their views on him and each other c:

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Until the next chapter~