"Oppa! Do you have extra A4 paper?" Nina shouted from upstairs. I was in the kitchen doing the dishes after we were all done with the dinner except for Mina. She had always been like that ever since I confiscated her boxing gloves. She never talk to me or even eat with us. She would never join if there was me. Yes, she hated me that much. I did that because I loved her. If I did not love her, I would never care about her and let her do everything that may put her in danger.

I didn't respond to Nina. She then ran down the stairs when I was rinsing the last plate in the sink. "Oppa! Did you hear me?" Nina asked with an annoyed expression on her face. 

"I heard you" I said as I wiped my hand with the towel. Then, I walked to the stairs and headed to my room. Nina followed me. "I thought I bought you a bunch of A4 papers for you. Did you eat them all?" I teased.

"Very funny oppa. You bought it for yourself and not for me" she exclaimed. 

"Really?" I said as I opened my room door and headed to my desk. I took my bagpack and slung it over my shoulder. Then I took few pieces of A4 paper.

"Are you going out?" Nina asked. She was leaning with her arms crossed on her chest at the door frame. 

"Yes" I answered as I looked into the mirror that was on my desk and fixed my hair a little. I grabbed the jacket that was on my bed and put it on halfway. I walked to Nina and handed her the A4 paper. "Can you please hold this for me?" I said as I handed her my bagpack too.

"Band practice?" she asked me.

"Yup. Why else should I be out at night?" I responded while putting on my jacket properly. 

"Goodluck" she said while handing back my bagpack.

I smiled and took the bagpack from her hand. Nina was one annoying sister but she was the strongest and most responsible in our family. After our father died, she was the first who managed to put herself together and faced the reality. She was the one who always been there whenever my mother needed someone. She took care of us all better than I did. "Thank you" I said. "Now let me kiss you" I said before landed a kiss on her forehead. Then, I quickly ran down the stairs before she could kick me. I could hear her screaming and yelling from upstairs. 

I put on my boots and quickly walked out of the house. I closed the door behind me. When I turned around, I found Mina was talking on the phone in our garden. 

"Ne Junka unnie. I will meet you there on Saturday" Mina said through her phone. There was a pause before she continued. "Junka unnie. Thank you very much" she said the last words before she hung up the phone. She turned around and she was shocked. Her jaw dropped when she saw me.

"Who were you talking to?" I asked.

She flustered at first but she managed to answer it "None of your business"

I frowned to her and she looked away. "It's cold out here. You better get inside" I said.

She didn't say anything. Instead she just dashed inside without looking or saying anything to me.

-----------------

Our band were having a practice at our usual place. I was spacing out and I kept making mistakes in every song that we practiced. It really made Kwanghee hyung pissed off.

"Stop! Stop!" Kwanghee hyung shouted and everyone stopped playing their respective instrument. I sighed with my head looking at my feet. "Yah! Moon Junyoung. Why do you keep making mistakes? This is not like you" 

I rubbed my hair and turned to them. I slightly bowed my head and apologized for the mistakes I made for the whole day. "I'm sorry. Very sorry" I said. Eventhough we were close and we were like brothers but when it comes to practice, we had to be polite. It was the rule that was agreed by all of us. 

"I think we should take a break" Taehun suggested. 

Heechul didn't say anything but he just nodded his head as an agreement. 

"Okay. 10 minutes break" Kwanghee hyung said while putting down his guitar. "Then we will continue where we left" he continued before heading to the back section. I was pretty sure Kwanghee hyung did not want to stop practicing because he wasn't taking a break. Instead he was editing some of the arrangment for our new song. Kwanghee hyung was the one who felt the most anxious and nervous since we only have less than 2 weeks left before the Battle of The Band. I was pretty sure he did not want to let go off the chance from winning the contract from Star Empire. We need that contract if we want people to hear our music. Plus, this week's battle would be only the preliminary round. We did not want to be eliminated from the beginning so we gotta be serious about this.

I put on the jacket that I left on the couch. "I'm going to get some air" I said as I walked to the stairs and headed out of our practice room. 

I took a little walk without knowing where am I heading to. My head was spinning, reminding of the fight I had with Junka last 2 days. Ever since that fight, Junka didn't call me or text me like she used to. Whenever I called her, she would try to make it as short as possible and whenever I texted her, she either replied me with just one word or no reply at all. I've been thinking about what she said to me. I did not realize that I was actually being forceful to her. I mean, she never actually complained about it. Plus, it was not like I always forced her to do everything that favor me. I respect her desicions if she hates anything.

Why she had to make that as a big deal anyway?

Mina. The other girl who made my head spinning. I could sense something was wrong with her and the phone call that I heard yesterday. If she was referring to my girlfriend, as far as I remember, she never talk or even come down to the living room when Junka visited my house. When I asked her who is Junka that she was talking through the phone and she answered Junka was just her senior at school. I asked Nina for confirmation in case if there were just 2 different persons with same name. Nina's answered surprised me. Nina said they have no senior named Junka. 

Something was wrong. 

-------------------

It was Saturday and almost 7pm. I was heading home after the band practice. We decided to take 2 hours break and continue tonight. I decided to go home because I really felt suspicious about Mina. "I'm home" I shouted as I took off my boots. I headed to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. Hwayoung, Jaeyoung and Jinyoung were in the living room watching TV. 

"Jinyoung-ah" I called. He was sitting on the couch and just right beneath my eyesight.

"Hm?" Jinyoung responded without even looking at me. 

"Where's Nina noona and Mina noona?" I asked.

"Upstairs" he answered half heartedly. 

"Omma?" I asked.

"I don't know" he answered.

His answers really annoyed me so I decided to ask Jaeyoung instead. Before I could open my mouth, Jaeyoung already answered to my question, "She went to visit her sick friend somewhere in Incheon. She'll be back tomorrow"

"Ohh right" I said as I remembered that my mother did mention to me about it. I ruffled Jinyoung's hair and he harshly drew my hand away from him. I walked up the stairs when I bumped into Nina. "Where's Mina?" I asked.

"She went out" Nina answered. 

"Out? Where?" 

Nina shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't say anything. Why are you searching for her?"

I felt something was strange. Mina never gone out by herself. The last time she went out was the day I caught her trying to sneak out to join the illegal tournament. I cursed under my breath and dashed down the stairs. I quickly put on my boots. 

"Oppa. What's wrong?" Nina asked.

"You stay here with the others. I'll be back later" I said as I dashed out of the house. 

I ran for about 5 minutes before I hit the main road and I was lucky that there was an empty cab. I hop on the cab and asked the cab driver to bring me to the warehouse. The warehouse where the illegal boxing tournament was held.

After about 30 minutes of drive, I arrived at the warehouse. Once I got off from the cab, I ran around the warehouse, searching for any possible doors that I could use to enter the warehouse. I heard that when the tournament starts, the doors would be closed and it would be open again when the tournament was over for the day. I checked for every door and it was all locked. I ran around when I saw a girl walked in. I ran to the door and I managed to held the door from being shut with my feet. I opened the door wide and entered the warehouse. The sound of the door shut behind me made me startled for a moment. I didn't know why I was shocked by the sound. Maybe I was just too anxious about what I am doing.

"Where shall I go first?" I muttured to myself.

I slow jogged along the hallway and checked on every room that I passed by. I heard the sound of the spectators screaming and shouting in the main arena. I knew I  only had to follow the screaming voices because I bet I could find Mina there. Maybe she was in the spectators seat, watching the tournament like other people. That what I was hoping because I definitely did not want to find my sister, preparing with her boxing gears, to go up on the ring and fight till her last breath. 

I turned at the end of the hallway. I could see a figure that I recognized. I slow jogged, approaching her while yelling, "Yah Moon Mina!"

Mina turned to me and she was startled. I could see muttured 'oppa'. I grabbed her arm before she could run away. My gripped on her arm was strong. She was struggling to let herself free.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. I was trying to maintain a calm voice but she did not respond to me. She just made me more angry.

"Answer me!" I yelled. She was startled but that did not make her answer to my question. "I'm asking you what are you doing here?" I yelled. She still did not answer to my question. Instead I caught her staring at somewhere else. I followed her glanced and I saw Lee Junka. My girlfriend Lee Junka. She was standing still with perfect boxing gears on her. My grip on Mina's arm tightened. .

"What are you doing here Lee Junka?" I asked Junka. She did not answer me. My patience level was over the limit and I could not tolerate to anything. I couldn't believe that Junka would bring my sister to this filthy place. She supposed to understand about my problems and she should cooperate with me. She even lied to me about wanting to be left alone during weekend. She did not want to spend her weekend alone. She just wanted to be alone so she could join this tournament.

"You joined the illegal tournament and you brought my sister here, with you?" I asked. I could feel my eyes were burning because I felt betrayed.

"I.." she tried to explain when Mina cut her.

"It wasn't her fault oppa. I was the one who asked her to bring me here" Mina said.

"You shut up" I yelled at her before I turned to Junka. "You told me that you want to be alone and by alone do you mean this?"

"I can explain" Junka said but I immediately showed his palm to her face as a sign for her to stop talking. I wasn't ready to hear anything. I was too mad that I might make drastic and foolish decisions towards Junka.

"You know my story and I expect you to understand. How could you drag my sister to this kind of place? I couldn't believe that you go around faking as if you are innocent when you are actually not. I trust you Lee Junka" I muttured the last sentence. I trusted her. How could she do this to me? 

I grabbed Mina with me and left Junka without saying anything.

"Let go of me!" Mina shouted as soon as we reached our house. I let go of her and she turned to me. "You are so mean Moon Junyoung" she yelled. 

"I am your brother and you should adress me one. I am trying to protect you" I yelled at her. "You are grounded for a month"

"You cannot punish me because you are not my father" she yelled back. "You don't deserve to protect me because you are not my father. Why you have to be so mean to me?"

"I can ground you because I am your eldest brother. I'm doing this because I don't want what happened to appa will happen to you. Why is it so hard for you to undestand?" I yelled. 

"Yes! It is hard for me to understand because you don't understand me either. You never care about what I want. Apparently everyone in this house never care about me." she yelled and tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I am not happy living in this house. I want to do something that makes me happy. Boxing is my passion and I'm happy to do boxing. Appa inherit his boxing talent to me and not to be able to expand the talent really makes me unhappy. Appa is not happy too. I know he wants one of his children to inherit his talent and it's me. I'm a grown up and mature enough to think what is right and what is wrong. I, myself don't want what happened to appa will happen to me too. But oppa, you forced me to. You forced me to have this rebel feelings towards you. Why is it so hard for you and omma to allow me at least practice boxing?"

I was startled. I was speechless.

"You are not my father so stop acting like one" Mina muttured before she turned around and ran up the stairs.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't think properly. I was too mad that I thought I needed some time to myself. Nina and my other dongsaengs watched the fight. I turned my glanced toward Hwayoung and she was already sobbing. Nina was comforting her. I guessed she just miss appa ever since Mina kept mentioning him. Or maybe she was just afraid.

"Oppa are you okay?" Jaeyoung asked. 

I looked at them before I took a deep breath. "Stay at home. I need to get some air" I said as I headed out of the house again.

I've been wandering around the town without knowing where to go. It feels like the air around me is suffocating inside of me. I didn't know where my legs were bringing me. My head was spinning. I couldn't think straight. What Mina said to me was very offending. She was right though about not allowing her to do something that she is happy to do. I didn't know that she was suffering this bad. I thought that I already fulfilled my duty as an older brother and that is to protect my other siblings from getting any harm. I did protect her physically but not mentally. So basically I did not do my best to be a good brother.

I lifted my head up and I recognized the street. It was the street that will lead me to Junka's house. I didn't know how and why I ended up here. I walked up the street anyway because I believed that I had something to resolve with my girlfriend. She had been keeping secrets to me all this while. When we started dating, she couldn't control herself from having trust issues towards me. I had try everything for me to gain her trust and yet she kept doubting on me when she actually had a secret that she kept from all of us. I could accept the fact that she does boxing but was she crazy for joining the illegal tournament? After she knew about my family story, about how my father died, how could she bring my sister to that filthy place? How could she do this to me?

I stopped walking as I was a few feets away from the front gate of Junka's landlord's house. I heard a sound of a door opened and closed. I looked up and it was Junka's house door. I heard the sound of giggling and chattering. Not long after that I saw Junka linking her arm with a guy. I didn't want Junka to see me so I quickly leaned my body against the wall and hid myself behind the lamp post. They were walking down the stairs and I could say that Junka was smiling. She was happy. She was happy after what she had done to me this evening? When they reached the front gate, Junka pecked a kiss on the guy's cheek before she waved goodbye as the guy walked along the street to the other way.

I could feel my cheeks were burning and a drop of tear rolled down my cheek. I my feet and let it bring me to wherever because I don't know where to go anymore.

--------------------

To be continued...