Chapter Text
Down. Down. Up. Down.
Up. Down. Down. Up.
A sudden snap! rang throughout the room as the bow broke in its owner's hands. Bae Jinyoung let out a groan of frustration and threw the bow against the wall, breaking it even more. He stared at the cello resting between his legs, glaring at the instrument. The stringed instrument was perfect but somehow Jinyoung kept breaking all of his bows.
He knew he was actually the problem, but he didn't like to admit it.
The seventeen-year-old gently set his cello down on the floor and walked back over to his broken bow. He picked it up, inspecting the damage that was done to it. It had snapped in half due to the pressure Jinyoung was placing on it. This was the fifth bow this month that he had broken. He already knew his parents were going to kill him.
More specifically, his mother was going to kill him.
She loved hearing him play his cello, despite not being fond of classical music. However, she felt as if Jinyoung was always a bit too rough on his cello and that he needed to treat it with more respect.
His father and step-father also felt the same way his mother did.
But he was only being harsh with his cello because he desperately wanted to leave his home, Busan. He was hoping to get a musical scholarship for a university in Seoul, where his father still lived. His mother had said that the only way he was going to Seoul for college was if he got a scolarship.
Jinyoung loved Busan, but his life hadn't been the same ever since he lived that one year in Seoul.
It had been six years since Jinyoung lived in Seoul and during those years, he had only visited Seoul about five times. Every time he wanted to visit, something would come up and he would have to cancel. He kept in touch with his friends through text, but he hadn’t seen them since the time he visited Seoul when he was thirteen.
He missed everyone he had met.
"Jinyoung! Come down for dinner!" His mother called, breaking Jinyoung's train of thoughts. The cellist sighed and tossed his broken bow in the trash before placing his cello back into its case.
The teenager ran a hand through his hair as he made his way down the stairs, towards the kitchen. He lived in the same house he grew up in and it seemed to have gotten smaller as Jinyoung got older. Jinyoung felt as if it was too small for him now.
Another thing that had drastically changed was Jinyoung's demeanor. He was quite cheerful in Seoul, but he reverted back to his shy personality when he returned to Busan. Ever since then, he hadn't been the same. It worried his parents a bit, but they figured that that was just what his personality was. He could be cold at times, but there were certain people that could break the ice.
"I heard something break earlier. Did you break another bow?" His mother smiled as she passed two plates over to Jinyoung to set the table. Jinyoung glanced at his mother, amazed at how she was only thirty-three years old. Jinyoung thought it was a bit weird, being the same age as his parents when they had him.
He couldn’t imagine raising a child at this age. He felt as if he knew nothing about the world yet.
"The bow snapped when I was practicing. Whose turn is it to buy me another one?" Jinyoung asked, softly as he set the table. His mother just laughed and shrugged, "I bought your last bow. I guess it's Jaehwan's turn to buy the bow."
Jinyoung winced when he realized his step-father was next to buy him a bow. As a musician, Jaehwan felt as if Jinyoung was too rough on his cello and he tended to give him a hard time about the instrument. Jinyoung didn't mind it too much, because he knew Jaehwan had good intentions.
"I'll text him later about the new bow." Jinyoung said and his mother just nodded her head before placng food on their plates.
They ate dinner in a comfortable silence, which neither of them minded. Jinyoung could feel his mother glancing at him all throughout dinner, but he said nothing about it. His mother had been acting a bit strangely for a few days now and instead of confronting her about it, Jinyoung waited until she was ready to tell him whatever it was.
"Jinyoung, you remember my boyfriend, right? The one I met in America?" His mother started her sentence off carefully, not sure how to phrase her question.
Jinyoung's eyes wavered for a moment before he looked up from his plate, "The one that I've only met like four times? What about him? Did you guys break up or something?"
He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he really did not like his mother's boyfriend. Each time they met, he ignored Jinyoung as if he didn't exist. It took Jinyoung a few years to notice, but he realized that it was probably because Jinyoung was a child of another man and his mother's boyfriend was jealous.
Well, it wasn't like his father was a threat. He was busy with his own husband to worry about.
His mother's boyfriend was a businessman that was based in America. Somehow, he had met Jinyoung's mother when she was working there and the rest is history. He visited Korea a few times to see her.
"Don't be so rude, Jinyoung. He's still an adult and you should at least give him some respect even though you don't like him." Jinyoung's mother said as she pressed her lips into a thin line. She always did that whenever she scolded him.
"Sorry. What about him?" Jinyoung said, wanting the conversation to end already. He needed to practice for his summer recital that was happening next week. He was going to start his last year of high school in about two weeks, but the summer recital was more important to him. There was a chance for some scouters to see him perform.
His mother was silent for a moment and Jinyoung glanced back up at her. Her lips trembled before she started to talk again, "He asked me to marry him and I said yes, but there's just one thing that's an issue..."
"Is it me? Does he want to disown me or something?" Jinyoung asked, being completely serious. His mother frowned and him but shook her head.
"No, I made it clear that you would live with us. However he's still working in America, so we were going to get married there and live there from now on. You'll have to transfer schools later this year, because I'm leaving at the end of the year."
Jinyoung's eyes widened at what his mother had said to him. He dropped his chopsticks and stood up his chair, still in shock.
"I'm not going. Not after working so hard to get into a good school!" He nearly yelled, but he bit his tongue, keeping his tone down. He didn't want to yell at his mother unless absolutely necessary.
"Listen, you don't have a say in this. You're coming with me and you can probably still get into a good school in America!"
"No, mom! You're completely missing the point. I can't just learn a new language in months and expect to get into a school that I like! What about dad? I don't want to leave dad or Jaehwan hyung! I especially don't want to leave Jaemi when she's just a child." Jinyoung exclaimed, slamming his hands onto the table. He knew it was a cheap shot to mention his younger sister in the midst of this, but he was only speaking his honest feelings.
Two years ago, his father and step-father had adopted a young girl that was just one year old at the time. Her name was Jaemi and Jinyoung adored her. He would videochat with his step-father just to see his sister. Much to his father and Jaehwan's dismay, Jaemi's first word was Jinyoung's name. That's how close they were.
"This isn't up for discussion and I'm not going to argue with you. You're still under my control since you're just a child. I don't want to hear anything else from you about this." His mother said, with a firm voice. Jinyoung said nothing in reply and just left the dinner table.
He knew arguing with his mother was going to get him no where.
-
"Jaemi, please hold still so I can change your clothes."
"No!"
Jaehwan sighed, watching as his daughter rolled around on the bed. She was only three years old, but she was already a hand full. She has just taken a bath and needed to get her pajamas on before going to bed, but she wasn't listening to Jaehwan at all.
"Jaemi, let papa put your clothes on so that we can read you a bedtime story." Minhyun's voice called as he walked into the room. He was still wearing his scrubs and was getting ready to wash up so that he could relax. Jaemi pouted her lips and listened to what he said.
"Why does she always listen to you and not me?" Jaehwan mumbled softly as he got her clothes on. Minhyun just chuckled and kissed Jaehwan's temple as a reply.
Suddenly, a ringtone was heard echoing in the apartment. Minhyun sighed and went to go answer his phone, hoping that it wasn't the hospital calling him to come back.
"Hello?" Minhyun said, not bothering to check the caller I.D.
"Jinyoung's gone!"
It took the doctor a moment to recognize the voice, but hearing those two words together alarmed him.
"What do you mean he's gone?"
"Minhyun, he's gone! I checked his room and he packed some things and his cello and he's gone! His window was wide open!"
Jaehwan held Jaemi in his arms as he watched Minhyun, feeling a bit worried. He couldn't hear what the person on the other line was saying, but he could feel that it was troubling. Minhyun was frowning and he looked almost panicked.
"Okay, listen. Daniel is in Busan right now, I'll give him a call and then call you back. Keep trying to call Baejin to see if he answers." Minhyun said before ending the call. He sighed and stared back at Jaehwan.
"I think Baejin ran away from home..." Minhyun mouthed, not saying it outloud so that Jaemi wouldn't hear. The three-year-old looked at her father with interest, not quite understanding what was happening.
"Is it because of his mother and her fiancée?" Jaehwan said softly, remembering what his husband had told him earlier in the week. The couple wasn't pleased with the idea of Jinyoung moving all the way to America, but they knew they didn't have much say in the situation. Jinyoung was still under the control of his mother until he turned twenty. They didn't want him to leave, but running away wasn't eactly the best solution either.
"Probably. I'm going to call Daniel and see if he knows anything. Is it alright if you tuck in Jaemi?" Minhyun said as he walked over to gently kiss his daughter's forehead. The three-year-old smiled at her father and clapped her hands.
"Alright. Let's go now, Jaemi. Time for bed." Jaehwan said as he took Jaemi out of their room and towards her own. Minhyun stared at his phone for a moment before sitting down at the edge of his bed, dialling Daniel's number.
He only hoped his son was alright.
-
7:43 PM
From: Bae Jinyoung
To: Park Jihoon
Yah, how long does it take to get from Busan to Seoul when taking a train?
7:45 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
don't u remember watching train to busan? it takes like three hours... why?
7:48 PM
From: Bae Jinyoung
To: Park Jihoon
I fell asleep during that movie. Okay, thanks.
7:49 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
jinyoung???????????
7:50 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
bae jinyoung u better answer me!!!
7:51 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
doctor hwang just texted everyone's parents abt u
did u really run away
7:52 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
ur so dumb
7:53 PM
From: Park Jihoon
To: Bae Jinyoung
mmm, just let me know if u need a ride when u get to seoul, dummy
7:57 PM
From: Bae Jinyoung
To: Park Jihoon
Thanks. See you in a few hours.