Bwoh???” everyone gasped, stunned at the news. They turned to look at Ji Yong and then to Seung Ri before turning back to Lia.

There were a lot of mixed emotions going around in the room. Lia was angry at TOP for lying, sad for Seung Ri who will be the one affected the most, confused for Ji Yong who is going to get married and just plain . . . numbed for herself. She wasn’t sure how she felt, only how she felt toward the others. Tae Yang and Dae Sung were confused. TOP was really guilty for lying. Seung Ri was extremely hurt and depressed. And Ji Yong . . . he was torn between happiness and confusion and horror.

But Lia was glaring at her brother. “He hid the papers from us,” she said. “I went to look for the triplets’ passport but I found a piece of paper that said PATERNITY TEST RESULTS. It stated that . . . Ji Yong Oppa . . . is the father.” She hung her head, tears escaping her eyes. She looked up to see the hurt expression on the maknae’s face. “I’m sorry, Maknae Oppa . . .”

Seung Ri turned to TOP. “Why did you lie to us?” he asked quietly in a low, quivering voice.

“I thought it was for the best at the time,” he explained, his voice barely above a whisper. “I did it on impulse.”

“You thought it was for the best at that time?” Seung Ri repeated in absolute disbelief. “What difference would it have made?!” he bellowed and he flinched. “Either way one of us was going to get hurt! You could have at least told the truth! Then all of us didn’t have to see the wistfulness in their eyes every single time they look at each other!”

Everyone was shocked by his words and Lia and Ji Yong cringed. Was it really that obvious, what he said?

 “I messed up, I know,” TOP said weakly.

Seung Ri swore. He was so mad, so hurt, and downright furious with his hyung that he just had to swear. The news hit him hard. He felt like he had been hit on the head with a ton of bricks. He was going numbed. The triplets he thought was his, who he took care of for almost a year, getting used to the idea that he was a father when the father had been Ji Yong all along.

Everything fell apart.

He looked at Ji Yong who seemed to have frozen at the news. He knew he was taking the news just as bad. He was still in love with Lia even though he denied it. And he was getting married to Soo-Jin in less than a week. What the hell is he going to do?

Dae Sung and Tae Yang awkwardly looked at each other. They should probably leave but it was important for them to be there as well. They were just as part of Big Bang as the other three are. And, they were concerned for Lia and her triplets.

Seung Ri turned to TOP bitterly. “Look at him,” he said, pointing to Ji Yong who looked as though he’d gone into shock. “Can you see what mess you’re putting him in now? He’s going to get married to another girl, you idiot! If you had at least told everyone he was the father in the first place he wouldn’t be feeling so trapped right now!” He didn’t care about anything anymore.

“I’m sorry.”

He laughed sarcastically. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it this time.” He looked at his girlfriend . . . can he still call her that?

“Lia,” he spoke up and she turned to him. He looked back at his hyung. “What is she going to do now? Look at her!”

TOP didn’t look at his sister.

“I sad look at her,” the maknae said harshly and he did.

He saw the tears and the anger but mostly the hurt in her eyes.

“She ran away from us because you hurt her too much and you are her brother! She trusted you and we all know how much she hates liars. And yet you still lied to her!” Seung Ri snarled at him. He ran a hand through his hair. “Now the father of her husband is getting married and we all know well that I can’t be the father anymore because it’s not right!”

Nobody bothered to stop him from yelling because TOP really did deserve all the words being thrown at him.

“So what happens now, hyung? Did you have a plan for that? Did you have a backup plan just in case we find out — no, when we find out?”

TOP kept quiet.

“Answer me!” Seung Ri shouted at him. All he saw was red and when TOP didn’t answer, the next thing everyone knew he was punching the older guy, who didn’t even try to defend himself. He punched him again and again. He was letting out all of his frustrations, venting his anger out on the one person who caused his happiness that was all just a lie.

Lia began to cry and Tae Yang wrapped his arms around her, covering her face with his hands, to stop her from seeing the bloody sight. Dae Sung and Ji Yong shot up from their seats and tried to pull the maknae away from him. It was a good thing Soo-Jin had took the triplets out for a stroll in the park.

“Enough, Maknae,” Ji Yong said gravely, letting the leader inside of him take control. “It is completely fine to yell at him but you have crossed the line when you threw the first punch.”

“He deserved it.”

It wasn’t Seung Ri who said it. It was Lia.

Her gaze was fixed on her brother who was gasping to breathe, his face bloody. “This is low, even for you,” she said to him. She was done. She was done with everything. She had had enough. She looked at Seung Ri. “I’m sorry for everything,” she whispered.

“It’s not your fault.” Seung Ri felt like he was dying inside as he looked at her. He didn’t feel like she belonged to him anymore. He felt like she belonged to Ji Yong.

She looked at Ji Yong. “What do you want to do?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He, of course, wanted to be with Lia, but he can’t just throw Soo-Jin away like that. “They’re your kids. You gave birth to them. You decide. I’ll . . . just go along with it.”

She thought about it. “Whatever happens, Ji Yong Oppa, marry Soo-Jin Unnie,” she said, her voice shaking a bit. “She doesn’t deserve to be hurt like this.”

“But, our kids,” he choked.

But she shook her head. “No one is going to get hurt anymore. My stupid brother has done enough damage.” She stood up. “We’ll just . . . carry on as though nothing happened. Ji Yong Oppa will marry Soo-Jin Unnie.” She looked at Seung Ri. “And Maknae Oppa will be the dad. My kids need a father, and . . .” She hesitated. “Or unless you don’t want to be the father?” she asked softly.

Seung Ri didn’t want the kids anymore now that he knows they’re not his. But he can’t just abandon Lia with triplets. He nodded but he was reluctant. “Sure.”

He did not fool Lia.

“Then maybe we should give them up for adoption.”

“No,” all five boys said.

Seung Ri looked at her and felt a pang of pain in his already aching heart. Lia wiped her tears away as it fell and hid her face. She didn’t want to look at any of them and to them pity her. She turned and headed out of the apartment without another word. She needed to get away.

The father of her babies is getting married, her brother lied to her, and her boyfriend did not want the babies . . . what the hell is she going to do? She’s only eighteen (soon to be nineteen) and she’s already stuck with three babies without a father. Oh wait, the babies weren’t with her.

Soo-Jin can probably just drop them off at an orphanage and let a happy couple to adopt them, giving them a happy home that she would not be able to give them. It was probably for the best.

She just had to get out of here, away from Big Bang.

She ran to the nearest park and cried on an empty bench.

Why does she suddenly feel so empty? Like something is suppose to be there, but she just didn’t know what? Everything seemed do still, so silent. It was so loud; the silence was so loud it was killing her like a slow, painful death. A soft buzzing sound rang in her ear and no matter how hard she tried to block it, covering her ears with her hands, it just wouldn’t go away.

Her stomach churned in pain, pangs of shuddering was wracking her body, and she clutched it there, hoping it’ll stop. But like her tears, it didn’t stop. The pain was agonizing. She wanted to scream in pain, but she stuffed a hand in to stop herself.

Why is this happening?

“Lia . . .” a familiar voice called out and she felt the person hugging her. He wrapped his arms around her firmly and held her to him. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? No that was a stupid question. Of course you are not okay.” He hugged her tightly in his arms.

She looked up to him and he gently wiped her tears away with his thumb, caressing gently with soft touches. “Oppa, it hurts,” she said to him, crying. “My brother lied to me — and I trusted him and he knew how much I hate liars. My boyfriend doesn’t want my kids. The father of my babies is getting married in less than a week. What the hell am I going to do? I am a single mother at nineteen. Maybe I should give them up for adoption.” She shook her head and looked at him. “How did you know where to find me?”

Mir shrugged. “I didn’t,” he replied. “But I was walking down the streets when I saw you. I knew you were crying so I made my way to you.” He hugged her tightly.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she said in a whisper. “I can’t go on. It hurts.”

He brought her face to his. “Yah, don’t you dare go kill yourself,” he scolded her. “I don’t want to hear this talk.”

“I’m a mess.”

He kissed her forehead. “Yes you are.” He sighed, hugging her again.

“What am I going to do?” she wailed in the only source of comfort.

“I don’t know, Lia,” Mir said helplessly. “I really don’t know.”

“Lia.”

They looked up to see Seung Ri standing in front of them. They looked at each other rather uncertainly. Should Mir let them talk it out? He should. He stood up. “Lia, I’ll be waiting in the car,” he told her.

She nodded and turned to her boyfriend as he walked away, leaving them to talk. “Yes?” she asked coldly.

Seung Ri winced. “Okay, I deserve that,” he said.

“Just spit it out already.”

He kissed her. He wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed her. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured, crushing his lips on hers again. “I’m sorry. Please come back to me. We will try to make this work, okay?”

But Lia pushed him away. “Just give some time, okay?” she said brusquely.

He nodded. He knew it was pointless to argue. “I love you,” he said bravely.

Lia didn’t say anything. She just walked over to where Mir was waiting for her by his car. She got in the car at the passenger seat and looked down. Mir got in the driver’s seat and drove away.

Not once did she look back to Seung Ri.