Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Han Jisung shuffled slowly through the halls of his high school, the tie of his uniform felt constricting around his throat. Students mingled in the hallways as Jisung made the dreaded journey to his first class. It wasn’t that the class itself was bad, but Jisung had always had a hard time in school. 

He was always a shy kid and just when he was starting to come out of his shell towards the end of kindergarten, his whole world fell apart. When Jisung was just six-years-old, his father passed away in a car accident. Jisung didn’t fully understand what had happened at the time, but he quickly was forced to learn. With his father’s untimely death. Jisung’s mother, Han Yeji, completely shattered and was no longer the parent Jisung had known for the first six years of his life. Yeji spent all her time drinking following her husband’s death and began neglecting Jisung. Jisung tried his best to be strong for his mother, telling himself that it wasn’t her fault she was like this, but that the grief had consumed her entirely. Still, he was withdrawn, quiet, and had a hard time making connections with his classmates. So, as he progressed to elementary, middle, and now his second year of high school, Han Jisung was utterly friendless. Although, there was one person Jisung cared for and would give anything for. 

Shortly after the start of Yeji’s decline into her grief, she started inviting men over and eventually, she fell pregnant. This was the only time since his father’s passing that Jisung could remember his mother not drinking for more than a few weeks at a time. Then, shortly after Jisung’s eighth birthday, Yeji gave birth to his precious younger sister, Han Sohee. 

Despite Sohee not sharing a father with Jisung, Yeji had silently filled in the same surname on the paperwork. When Jisung softly asked why Sohee was getting his father’s name instead of hers , his mother had said that she could not remember who Sohee’s father actually was. Jisung didn’t know what that had meant at the time, but his eight-year-old mind was happy to share a piece of his loving father with his new favorite person. 

It wasn’t long after the birth that Yeji fell back into her bad habits. Now older, Jisung could confidently say his mother had definitely been suffering from postpartum depression following Sohee’s birth, but there was nothing he could have done about it at his age. At eight years and four months old, Jisung became Sohee’s caregiver. 

Jisung had since read everything he could find on “parentification” and it was definitely what he had been forced into at such a young age. Despite this, Jisung only had love for Sohee. She was his precious younger sister and nothing could ruin that for him. He had dutifully raised her, done everything every parenting book the local library had suggested to do to help her become the amazing little girl she was today. He was always the one showing up while she had been in kindergarten and was now there every day to pick her up from elementary school. ( In the back of Jisung’s mind the thought that Sohee was now the age he was when he basically became her caregiver sits there like sticker residue that stubbornly won’t come off. )

The last eight years of Jisung’s life had revolved around raising his sister and taking care of his mother, resulting in him neglecting everything else around him. So now, there he sat, alone in his classrooms everyday. Never uttering a word to anyone because he could never learn how to be the first to reach out and he had all too quickly gotten the “weird kid” label within his first few days of high school. 

Jisung had decided this year could be different if he tried a little harder. He had decided to change Sohee’s elementary school this year. The old one had been too far away and it gave the two siblings hardly any time for anything else. They had always been walking home in the dark and both of them were over it. Sohee’s new school was now just an easy ten minute walk from Jisung’s high school and another ten from their apartment.

With this change of schools, Jisung had more free time between the end of his school day and when he had to pick her up and it was just enough time for after-school club activities. So Jisung was going to push down his anxiety and join the school’s music club. Jisung had a passion for music but he’d never had the chance to let it all out. He had notebooks dedicated to lyrics and his search history was full of different teachings on music theory and production. He even had been able to borrow a neighbor’s guitar and record a few songs on his phone. Still, joining a music club was something he had only dreamed of so he was hoping to turn that into reality. He could only hope that his anxiety wouldn’t rip it away from him before he had the chance. 

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It was three weeks into the school year and club sign ups were soon going to close -  it was now or never. So, when the final bell rang on a seemingly normal Tuesday, Jisung took the path towards the art hallway rather than the path to the library. Jisung checked the information sheet what felt like a hundred times on the way there to make sure he was going to the right classroom, and thankfully he was. Filled with anxiety, Jisung decided not to let himself hesitate and pushed the door open before he could psyche himself out. The light conversation he had heard from the hallway quickly came to a halt as seven heads turned to look in his direction. No one said a word to him and Jisung felt his anxiety spike. 

“Hi, um, is this-is this the music club?” Jisung nervously stuttered. He could feel himself wanting to run away, claiming that he had gotten the wrong room, but he willed himself to stay put and see this through. 

A kind looking older boy quickly smiled, stood up from his spot in the front of the room, and stepped towards Jisung. “Yes, this is,” the boy answered, “Were you looking to join?” 

Jisung nodded, his mouth suddenly feeling full of cotton. He mentally cursed himself for not verbally replying but any self-deprecation was quickly scared away as the other six boys started loudly cheering. 

“Sorry about them,” the first boy laughed, “We don’t get many new members. You’re actually the second we’ve gotten this school year, and even the one first year was a surprise. Oh, please come in, sit down.” The older boy walked the rest of the way to Jisung and gently pushed him into the room, shutting the door behind them. Jisung let himself be led to a seat close to the front of the room, joining the rest of the boys in the almost circle they were sitting in. 

Another boy clapped as the two sat down, “Ya, lets go around and introduce ourselves to the newbie. Try not to scare him off.”

“If anyone’s gonna scare him off it’s you,” the boy next to Jisung mumbled. 

“I heard that!” the boy who clapped glared before turning back to Jisung and smiling, “I’ll go first, I suppose. I’m Lee Minho, a third year student. I’ve been in the music club since my first year. I’m more into dancing but I enjoy singing as well. Okay, next!” Jisung tried not to stare as he noticed how pretty this older boy was. Minho turned to his left, indicating they would go around the circle that way. 

“I’m Seo Changbin, also a third year and have been in the club for as long as Minho,” the boy, Changbin, kindly said, “I play a few instruments, write and produce some music, and do vocals and rapping for whatever we create here.” It was now the older boy who had first spoken to Jisung’s turn to introduce himself. 

“I’m Bang Chan, also a third year. I sort of resurrected this club and dragged Changbin and Minho along with me. I write music with Changbin but really I’m just into all things music. Singing, rapping, dancing, producing - all of it,” Chan laughed a bit at himself. “Alright, new kid, what's your name? Why’re you interested in the club?”

Jisung nervously swallowed. Most of the time he got looked over when self-introductions happened so he was out of practice.

“Um, my name's Han Jisung, I’m a second year student-,” Han’s shaky introduction was cut off by Changbin’s loud voice. 

“A second year?” Changbin boomed, “I thought you were a first year for sure. Why didn’t you join last year?”

The question made Jisung nervous and he stuttered, “Well I, um, I guess I just…I had some stuff going on. Didn’t really have time for clubs I guess?” Jisung internally winced at how that last part came out like a question. 

“That’s fine,” Chan quickly reassured, sending a slight glare Changbin’s way that went unnoticed by Jisung. “You’re welcome to join whenever you want. So, what brought you here, Han?”

Jisung took a calming breath and continued, “I’ve always loved music. I…I write lyrics sometimes and I’ve taught myself a lot online.” Jisung glanced around and saw them all curiously looking at him, as if they wanted to learn more, but Chan quickly moved the introductions along to the next person. 

“I’m Kim Seungmin, also a second year. I was on the baseball team in middle school, but after sustaining a small injury decided to put more time into singing, so here I am,” the boy to Jisung’s left said. 

“Hi! I’m Lee Felix, also a second year. I actually think we’re in the same class,” the bright bubbly voice forced Jisung to look up at the person speaking. Lo and behold, Jisung actually was met with one of his classmates. Jisung tried to smile back but he’s sure it looked off. “Anyways,” Felix continued, “I joined because Hyunjin invited me and I fell in love with music here. I don’t have as much experience as the rest of these guys, but I’m trying my best.”

“I’m Hyunjin, the one who dragged him here,” the next boy introduced himself, “Im a second year, too. I love art and dance so I wanted to get some experience with music.”

“I’m Yang Jeongin, the newest member,” a soft looking boy with kind eyes and bright smile was the last to introduce himself, “I’m a first year. I love to sing and want to continue doing so as an adult so I hope the club helps me a lot. I hope you can teach me stuff too, Han-hyung.”

Jisung’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head after being referred to as “hyung” by the younger boy. He was going to tell the younger one not to do so, but Chan took over the meeting before Jisung could say anything. Chan went on explaining how they have a faculty advisor but he lets them do whatever they want and only joins them whenever they decide to do a field trip or competition. Chan explained how they’ve been working on training their skills while creating original music and dance routines. 

“We’re all here because we love music or performing, so I’m trying to make this place an outlet to really hone our skills and grow as musicians and performers. Whatever reason you want to be here, we hope to help you grow,” Chan finished off his long winded explanation with a big smile. 

“Th-thank you, Bang-sunbae,” Jisung whispered.

“Look at you Chan-hyung, acting like a real older brother already,” Minho cooed, the others laughing alongside him. Chan just sighed and shook his head. 

“Please Han, call me Chan-hyung. But anyways, if you’re cool with it, we can exchange numbers,” Chan pulled out his cell phone, “We have a group chat to talk ideas out, make plans for meetings, and discuss different day trips or competitions we could do. I’d love to get you in there as soon as possible.”

“Um, okay,” Jisung pulled out his phone, swapping contact info with Chan. Jisung was starting to feel completely out of his depth. No one had ever let him call them so casually and never since buying this phone had he given the number out to a classmate. He only had this phone in case someone needed to reach him about Sohee. 

“Awesome, you’re in,” Chan sighed, “We don’t have much being planned out yet, but we talk in the chat a lot. So feel free to mute the chat if we’re bothering you.” Jisung nodded but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be bothered much by the incoming messages he was going to start receiving. 

“Alright, it’s way past the time to go,” Minho stood up and stretched. “We normally grab food after meetings everyday, you want to join?” Jisung glanced at the time and his eyes widened. 

“Crap,” Jisung shot up out of his seat, scrambling for his bag, “Sorry, but I can’t, I have somewhere I need to be.” 

“That’s alright,” Chan assured, “Maybe next time?” Jisung didn’t answer. He knew that every time he’d need to come up with an excuse, but he really didn’t feel like explaining his situation to these people he had just met. 

“Um, I really need to go,” Jisung fidgeted in place a bit before quickly bowing to all of them, “Thanks so much for letting me join. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he rushed out of the room before anyone could reply. 

“He’s a weird one,” Minho laughed as he watched Jisung speed out of the room. 

“I think I’ve heard some rumors about him,” Hyunjin said, “He’s definitely strange. No friends as far as I know.”

Felix hummed, “He’s always alone in our classes. I think he’s a bit shy. Maybe I’ll try talking to him tomorrow.”

“That’s a good idea ‘Lix,” Chan agreed, “Now let’s go get some food, I’m starving.” 

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Jisung ran out of the school in the direction of Sohee’s. The elementary school was about a fifteen minute walk from the high school and even though the normal pick up window was about twenty minutes long, Jisung liked to be there right on time. He could at least try to give Sohee a normal experience that way. If he ran, Jisung would make it just in time. 

And just in time he was, he stumbled into the schoolyard just as the teachers pushed open the doors, allowing the children to hobble out to their respective parents. Jisung picked at the skin around his fingernails as peered around for the familiar face. After a few minutes, Sohee was led out of the school by her teacher. Sohee looked a bit disheartened, but her face brightened immensely upon seeing her older brother. 

“Jisungie-oppa!” Sohee shouted, running towards him. Jisung crouched down in time to catch his little sister in a hug. 

“Hi Sohee,” Jisung gently pulled back from the hug a bit, “How was school today?” Sohee pouted and Jisung sighed. It seems despite all his efforts, Sohee was too much like Jisung himself when it came to school and making friends. 

“Jisung?” a gentle voice called out. Jisung looked up to see Sohee’s teacher smiling down at him. Jisung smiled back, signaling for her to continue. “Sohee here had a bit of a rough day. I know we’ve talked about it the other day, but I’d love to get your mother here to discuss what’s going on. I’m concerned about how Sohee is doing with the other children.”

The Han siblings tensed at the mention of their mother. Getting her away from the bottle long enough to be presentable to Sohee’s school was an impossible task. Jisung shook his head and tried to smile wider at the teacher. 

“Sorry, seonsaengnim,” Jisung replied sheepishly, “Our mom has just been so busy with work. I’ve told her everything you’ve shared with me though. She understands your concerns but she’s a bit hesitant to do much because I was the same way at Sohee’s age. I’d be happy to pass along a message to her though.” 

The teacher shook her head, “It’s alright Jisung, I was just hoping to make her aware that Sohee’s still struggling to make friends. It’s early in the year, though, so maybe things will settle soon. If you could please let her know though, I’d appreciate it.”

Jisung nodded and the teacher walked away. Jisung picked up Sohee and stood up from where he was still crouched, “Come on Sohee, let's go home.”

The two siblings walked home, the whole time Sohee was rambling on about what she did in school that day. As they approached their apartment complex, Jisung and Sohee greeted a few neighbors, briefly stopping for Jisung to lend Grandma Kim some help with her groceries. As they reached their door on the second floor, the mood shifted. 

“Is Eomma home?” Sohee solemnly muttered. 

Jisung sighed, “Her car is here so yeah, she is. But hopefully she’s in a good mood, yeah?” Sohee just hummed in response. 

Jisung gently opened the door, peering inside. Their mom was not in the living room, meaning she was most likely in her bedroom as per usual. Jisung ushered Sohee inside, helping her remove her shoes and place her backpack on the hook. He led her to the kitchen so he could start making dinner. The whole time, the two were quiet as they could be. If their mother was awake, noise would only make her upset and cause a fight. The two always hoped to avoid stressing their mother out any more. 

All was well until Sohee got bored and started clinging to Jisung, begging him to hurry up and finish so they could play. Jisung tried his best to dish out the food with a child pulling on his arm and he was doing fine until Sohee accidentally pinched his arm way too hard. Jisung crooned in pain and the arm spasm loosened his grip on the pan he was holding, causing it to fall out of his hands and slam against the floor. 

It was as if time froze, the siblings stared at each other in shock, Sohee already on the verge of tears. Neither moved as they waited to see what would happen. Would it be a good night or a bad night? Jisung closed his eyes and hoped with every fiber of his being that it would be a good night. He had had a relatively good day - so had Sohee - would it be too much to ask for a good night as well?

It seemed so because quickly he heard the telltale sounds on their mother stumbling out of bed and storming across her room. Jisung moved faster, he grabbed the food he had already dished out and turned towards the hallway. 

“Sohee, run to your room,” Jisung shakily said, leaving no room for argument. This was fairly routine so Sohee moved without hesitating. Jisung followed swiftly behind her. He was able to place the dishes on her desk right inside her room and slam her door shut just as their mother wrenched open her own door. Jisung heard the familiar click of Sohee’s lock slipping into place and only then did he turn around to meet his mother’s eyes. 

“Jisung, what the hell are you doing?” Yeji shouted, stomping over to her son, “How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?”

“Sorry Eomma,” Jisung dulled his tone, knowing how best to placate her, “I dropped something by mistake. It's my fault, I should have been more careful. I actually - I need to go clean it up now.” He moved to make his way back to the kitchen, hoping today it would be enough for her, but then he felt her hand wrap around his wrist. 

“You little shit,” she snarled and squeezed his wrist tighter, “I’ve told you a hundred - no a thousand - times Be. Quiet. Why don’t you ever listen?” 

Jisung tried his best to hide the pain he was feeling, knowing she hated it when he showed it, but she was pressing on a bruise she had made a few days prior and it hurt . His wrist was already messed up from the amount of times she’s hurt it over the years and her grabbing it would only make it worse if he wasn’t careful. “I’m sorry, Eomma,” Jisung pleaded, “Just let me clean it up and I promise I’ll be quiet. You won’t hear me again, I swear.” 

Maybe tonight was a good night because his mother let go of his wrist and scoffed, “Go clean it up, you bastard,” and stumbled back to her room. Jisung held his breath until he saw her door shut all the way. Once it was shut, he sighed and turned back to the kitchen. He willed his tears to stay in place as he cleaned up his mess. Once cleaned, he returned to Sohee’s door and did their secret knock. Sohee opened the door for him and Jisung’s heart clenched at the tear tracks staining her face. How he wished his sister didn’t have to live this life. 

Jisung smiled reassuringly and ruffled her hair. “It's alright, let’s eat now.”

The two sat on Sohee’s floor, quietly eating their dinner. Afterwards they followed their normal bedtime routine and Jisung got Sohee tucked in right on time. 

“Sleep well, Sohee,” Jisung pressed a kiss to her temple. As he walked away Sohee spoke up. 

“Jisungie? Will Eomma ever love us?” Sohee softly asked. Jisung's heart broke. He knew the real answer but he also knew he couldn’t break his precious little sister’s heart like that. So he smiled and forced out the fake answer he would never believe again. 

“Eomma loves us very much. Once she’s better things will be normal again. She’s just sick right now, okay?” Sohee seemed to accept his answer, just as she always did, and bid him goodnight before turning onto her side. 

Jisung spent the rest of his night silently crying in his bed, wondering what he and his sister had done to deserve this life.

Chapter Text

The next few weeks had Jisung following the same, but slightly new, routine. He took Sohee to school early so he would make it just on time, he quietly suffered through his classes, went to music club, picked Sohee up from school before making her dinner and getting her ready for bed while hoping to not upset their mother in the process. The only noticeable difference was the people were talking to him at school now. 

Maybe that was a stretch, but Felix was making an effort to talk to him in their shared classes and the rest of the music club members would greet him if they saw Jisung in the hallways. Jisung was grateful but he was selfishly wishing for more. He wanted to eat lunch with someone instead of eating alone in a stairwell, but he felt rude asking one of the club members if he could join them. He’s sure they all had their own friends to eat with and wouldn’t want to be bothered by him. 

One other difference to his routine was that his phone was blowing up. Literally. Chan had not been exaggerating when he said they talk a lot in the groupchat. Jisung hadn’t talked in it yet - texting was uncharted territory for him and he was nervous he’d mess it up - but he had happily read their messages and laughed at the chaos the group created. He hadn’t read the messages in a few hours by the time he walked into the club room after class one Friday and was immediately bombarded by Felix and Jeongin at the door. 

“Hannie-hyung, please say yes, please? You didn’t answer in the chat but please, you have to say yes!” Felix whined as he wrapped his arm around Jisung’s and pulled Jisung further into the classroom. The nickname “Hannie” was also a new development to his daily life. One day the group had asked when his birthday was and Felix and Seungmin had quickly taken to calling him “hyung” as Jeongin did (despite the fact he was only a day older than Felix). It eventually morphed into “Hannie-hyung” but Jisung didn’t feel bad about it. Jisung must’ve looked confused because Jeongin started rambling about this thing he needed to say yes to.

“Hyung, we go on field trips sometimes - well this would be my first one - but Changbin-hyung found this music street festival thing happening in Hongdae tomorrow. There will be vendors set up, food, live performances, live classes, and it's completely free! Well, other than a short bus or subway ride there or any food you might want to buy, but it'll be so much fun. Everyone else has already agreed but it wouldn’t be as much fun without you, so please, hyung, you have to say yes!”

“Breathe Jeongin,” Jisung soothed the younger by gently placing a hand on his arm, “When exactly would we be going?”

“We’re thinking of meeting up here at nine then going to the bus or train station from here. Chan cleared it with our advisor already so it counts as club activity,” Minho was taking charge explaining the details to him, “So transportation would be covered for all of us in case that’s a problem.”

Jisung nodded, pondering it in his head. He wanted to go, he really did, he had never been to something like this. But, he had Sohee to think about. He couldn’t leave Sohee alone - with or without their mother - and there was no one else to take care of her for the day. As if sensing his hesitation Felix spoke up.

“If you don’t want to, or if you already had plans, it's okay,” Felix smiled sheepishly, “It is a bit last minute.”

“No, I want to go!” Jisung blushed at how loud he was. It was obvious he startled a few of them because they were now all staring at him with wide eyes. “Um I mean, I’d like to go. It's just…I did sort of have plans so is it…is it alright if I bring someone with me? I know we can’t use club money for their transportation, but it's alright, I can pay for it just,” Jisung took a deep breath once he realized he was rambling, “I really want to come if it’s okay that I bring someone else.” Felix sighed in relief while Jeongin cheered, the others were smiling at Jisung. 

“Of course that's okay,” Chan replied, “Next time we’ll plan better so you don’t have to change plans you already had.” Jisung nodded but knew after tomorrow they’d understand there was no way anything would ever not interfere with his “plans.” At that thought, Jisung realized he agreed to go impulsively and had even imposed on them by asking to bring someone else on their club trip. What would they think of him now? What would they think of him once they knew he was basically a parent to his eight year old sister? 

Jisung spent the rest of the day overthinking how tomorrow would go. Sohee could tell something was up with him but being so young she couldn’t put her worry into many words. So she did the best she could and offered Jisung her prized stuffed animal for comfort once they got home from school. Jisung just laughed at her and assured her he was fine, he was just worried about a surprise plan he had for her tomorrow. That only got her more pumped up than she needed to be, but Jisung couldn’t be upset at her. 

Their mother was out when they got home, so the two siblings spent the night dancing to music in the kitchen as they prepared some snacks and sandwiches for the next day. Jisung’s emergency money had more than enough to cover Sohee’s bus tickets, but he didn’t want to be splurging on overpriced vendor food on top of it. So he’d fill a backpack of his with stuff for them to eat and drink tomorrow. 

“I’m really excited for tomorrow,” Sohee giggled as Jisung tucked her into bed. 

“You don’t even know what we’re doing,” Jisung laughed. 

“I know I’ll be with Jisungie and that’s always fun,” Sohee stated matter of factly. Jisung smiled, his sister was always so transparent about her feelings to him. 

“We always have fun together, don’t we?” He softly agreed. 

“Time with Jisungie is the best,” Sohee giggled again. 

“Alright, well, you need to get some sleep so we can have the most fun, okay?” Jisung mumbled sweetly. That got Sohee to quickly flop onto the bed and attempt to fall asleep. 

As Jisung laid in his own bed, he found himself feeling giddy. He stared at the messages on his phone, wondering when his wildest dreams became his reality. 

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In the morning, Jisung dressed himself and Sohee up in their favorite outfits. He wanted himself to look nice for his very first outing with the club. Knowing their mother was now home and asleep, the two were quiet as they packed each of their backpacks up and made their way out of the apartment. On the first floor, Grandma and Grandpa Kim were sitting on their porch. 

“Good morning Kim-ssi!” Sohee squealed. Jisung and the two elders lightly laughed at Sohee, and Jisung slightly bowed to the two. 

“Hello Sohee,” Grandma Kim waved, “Now, where are you and your oppa off to so early on a Saturday?”

“Jisungie-oppa said he has a surprise for me,” Sohee explained, “He said we’ll be gone all day so we packed lots of snacks and water.” The elders fondly laughed at the girl. 

“Well, you two have fun, alright?” Grandma Kim then shooed them off. 

Jisung held Sohee’s hand as they walked towards his school. Sohee was softly humming as she swung their hands back and forth. When they got closer to the school, Jisung saw a group that could only be the music club hanging around by the entrance. Nerves started to fill Jisung again. What if they laughed at him? What if they got mad at him for bringing his eight year old sister on their trip? Maybe he should just turn around and forget he ever agreed to come out with them. His anxiety was interrupted by a soft questioning tone. 

“Jisungie?” Sohee was looking up at him in confusion, “You’re scared?” 

Jisung shook his head and tried his best to smile, “No sweetheart I’m just a little nervous is all. Part of the surprise is that we’re meeting some people I’m in the music club with.”

Sohee gawked at him, “We’re meeting your friends?”

Jisung startled and shook his head at her, “I don’t think they’re my friends. At least they haven’t said they want to be. We’re just in a club together?” Sohee hummed and nodded as if she understood. Honestly, Jisung realized, she might. They both were in the same boat when it came to friendships. Jisung shook his head, plastered on a small smile for Sohee’s sake, and steeled himself to walk towards the group of boys. As he got closer, he realized none of them were facing his direction, meaning he might have to call out to get their attention. He was saved from his inner turmoil when Hyunjin happened to look in his direction. 

Jisung locked eyes with Hyunjin and offered a small wave to the other boy. Hyunjin lifted his hand to wave back before his eyes trailed down towards Sohee. Jisung could see Hyunjin looked confused and watched as Hyunjin flicked his gaze back and forth between Jisung and Sohee. Jisung sighed and kept walking forward until he was close enough to the group to speak at a comfortable volume. 

“Um, hello, sorry I’m the last one here,” Jisung greeted. Hyunjin was still staring at Sohee confused when the others whipped around. 

“Hannie-hyung, you’re here!” Jeongin smiled widely.

“Han, where’s your,” Changbin paused as he processed what he was looking at, “friend?” With the exception of Minho and Chan, all the others were gaping at either Jisung or Sohee. Sohee’s shyness overtook her and she slipped her hand out of Jisung’s to hide behind him, her small hands gripping his pant leg as she peered around her brother. 

Jeongin was the first to recover from the shock. He shook his head and crouched down in front of Jisung, a smile overtaking his features once again.

“Hi there,” Jeongin sweetly said, “My name’s Jeongin, what’s yours?” Sohee made no move to answer Jeongin, rather she got spooked and buried her face in Jisung’s leg. Jisung patted her head and turned to his club members.

“Um, well, this is Sohee, she’s my little sister,” Jisung explained, “Sorry, she’s a bit shy.” No one said anything, causing Jisung’s anxiety to grow, so he started rambling, “I’m really sorry. I probably-I shouldn't have said I’d come. You guys probably don’t want to hang out with me and my kid sister all day. I-We can go home if its too much of a bother for you guys-This was stupid of me, there's just no one else to watch her, but I really-I did want to come so I didn’t know what else to do so I-” 

Minho cut him off, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Hannie, calm down. It’s alright, it’s okay. It’s not a problem,” Minho smiled reassuringly, “Well, we’re just a bit surprised is all. When you said you had already had plans and wanted to bring someone we weren’t expecting a younger sibling, but it's totally fine.”

Jeongin shot up from his place crouched on the ground and nodded, “Of course it’s fine, Hannie-hyung.”

The others had recovered from their shock and were quick to assure Jisung that they didn’t have a problem with Sohee being there. 

“I have two younger siblings,” Chan explained, “Sometimes I have to watch them because no one else can, too. It’s alright Han, I promise.” 

Jisung felt his throat tighten and eyes start to burn. They were being too nice and he didn’t know how to handle it. No one had been this nice to him in a long time. 

“Should I introduce everyone?” Chan looked around encouragingly, “Hello Sohee, Im Bang Chan, but you can call me Chan, okay? This is Minho, that's Seungmin and next to him is Felix. The one who bent down to you is obviously Jeongin, the one next to him is Changbin, and next to him is Hyunjin. Is it alright if we call you Sohee? Or should we call both of you Han?”

“Han is just Jisungie’s last name,” Sohee answered without hesitating. Jisung winced and watched as seven confused faces looked towards him. He nervously tried to laugh it off and patted his sister’s head.

“Sohee, it's technically your last name too,” Jisung said, hoping that would get them to move on fast.

“But Eomma always says it's not really mine,” Sohee responded confusedly. This only got the two of them even more looks from the club members. Their mother was not a topic Jisung wanted to open up to the others about right now. Jisung flicked his gaze to his club and sighed, resigned to the fact that he’d have to say something to not make them all worry. 

“Sohee and I don’t have the same dad,” Jisung explained, “But when Sohee was born my mom just…she didn’t want Sohee to feel different from us. Didn’t want her to feel separate I guess? So our mom gave Sohee my dad’s last name. It makes things easier since it’s also our mom’s last name.” It was a white lie but Jisung hoped it would placate their curiosity. 

It seemed to work because he could see the tension leave the others’ shoulders and Hyunjin laughed, “That makes sense I guess. Her dad’s cool with her not having his name, though? It doesn’t cause a legal issue or anything?” Jisung winced again. The circumstances surrounding Sohee’s father were also not something he wanted to talk about.

“Well - you see, he…he’s not exactly,” Jisung shakily sighed, “around?” He looked down to avoid their questioning gazes, “So he doesn’t really get a say in it?” Jisung hated how everything he was saying sounded more like a question than an answer, but he was so uncomfortable with the topic at hand and just hoped they would drop it soon. 

Hyunjin looked horrified for a moment, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-” He was swiftly cut off by Chan. 

“We’re sorry for prying. Let's just move past it, is it alright if we call her Sohee, then?” Chan was clearly trying to avoid a more uncomfortable situation, but something in his gaze told Jisung that he’d be getting a one-on-one with the upperclassman soon. 

“Yes, Sohee is good,” Jisung agreed, “And either Han, Hannie, or Jisung is fine for me.” The others nodded and finally they were moving on. 

Minho checked the time and shouted out, “Alright, let’s head over to the bus stop, the next one is leaving in ten minutes.” He then started walking in the direction of the nearest stop, not checking if the others were following. Everyone scrambled to grab their things and follow behind Minho. Jisung held tight to Sohee’s hand as Jeongin came up on her other side to silently walk beside them. 

They made it to the bus stop with just three minutes to spare. When the bus pulled up, Jisung pulled out his wallet to be ready to pay for Sohee’s ticket. Seungmin seemed to be the one in charge of the club’s fares, though, so Jisung let him buy their eight tickets first. 

“Eight students and one child,” Seungmin said while handing over the money. Jisung’s eyes widened and he stepped forward to call out, but the driver just took the money without questioning it and motioned for all of them to get on. Everyone walked to a group of seats in the back and Jisung ended up in the middle seat of a row with Sohee in the window and Jeongin in the aisle. Once everyone was settled and the bus was moving again, Jisung leaned forward to talk to Seungmin who was across from Jeongin. 

“You didn’t have to do that, I have the money to pay for her tickets,” Jisung said worriedly. He didn’t want them to feel like they had to pay for anything. Plus it was money for the club only, Jisung also didn’t want anyone giving them trouble for spending money on non-club members. 

“It’s fine,” Seungmin replied, “Students get discounted tickets and children are half-price on weekends. So don’t worry about it.” Jisung understood this was a nice gesture. Maybe to anyone else, this would just be something kind to be thankful of and let it go, but Jisung had never been able to be stable with money since his dad’s passing. He knew how important budgeting was and also hated the idea of people thinking less of him because of his financial situation, so he let his discomfort show. 

“You really didn’t need to do that, though. We have the money for it,” Jisung stiffly replied. He was trying to stay calm, “I appreciate it, but that money is the club’s budget. You don’t need to use it on non-club things. At least let me give you the money to put back into the budget.” Jisung pulled the money set aside for the tickets from his wallet and reached over to hand it to Seungmin. 

“Hannie,” Changbin was now leaning forwards from his place next to Seungmin, “It’s alright, you don’t need to give the money for it. Honestly, when we thought it was a friend you were bringing, we were still going to pay for their ticket, so it’s not a big deal to us. We don’t use the money that’s set aside for our club much so it’s not like we’re using something we’ll need later.”

“If it really makes you uncomfortable, we’ll let you pay for it, but you really don’t need to,” Felix piped up, “We’re not worried about the money.” Logically, Jisung knew they were trying to be nice, and maybe they truly didn’t see his perspective, but oh how he wished he could not worry about the money. 

“Please,” Jisung was practically begging, “Let me pay for it. I’ll feel bad if you don’t take it.” Seungmin sighed, but he finally took the money and placed it with the rest they had brought. Jisung tried to smile in thanks, but he’s sure it turned out to be more of a grimace. Luckily, before anyone could say anything else, Sohee spoke up. 

“Jisungie,” the little girl said, pulling on his sleeve, “Where are we going?” Jisung smiled and quickly switched into big-brother mode. 

Jisung hummed, “Well, I told you, didn’t I? It’s a surprise.”

“Jisungie,” Sohee whined, “That’s no fair.” The others smiled at the siblings as Jisung continued messing with his sister. 

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Jisung softly replied and lightly pinched her cheek. Sohee swatted his hand away and pouted up at him. She knew Jisung wouldn’t resist her pout but he was saved from giving in by Jeongin. 

“Sohee,” Jeongin crooned, “How old are you?”

“I’m eight,” Sohee was happily distracted by the kind looking boy.

“Wow, you’re so old then,” Jeongin playfully replied. 

“I’m not as old as you though,” Sohee shot back, causing Jeongin to splutter and the others listening to laugh at his expense. 

The rest of the bus ride was spent with the seven boys taking turns asking Sohee questions about herself (and sometimes Jisung). Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination and were hopping onto the sidewalk. Looking at the crowd around them Jisung decided to crouch down and let his sister climb onto his shoulders. Sohee did so without hesitating, often opting to be carried like this on their way home from school. 

“Are you gonna be okay carrying her like that?” Hyunjin asked him. 

Jisung nodded, “For a bit. I’ll need to take a break eventually, but this is easier than holding her hand since it's pretty crowded.” 

“Well if you need to, I can carry her when you get tired,” Hyunjin offered, “I’m sure the others will help out, too.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jisung assured, “She’s my responsibility. I don't want to burden you guys with that.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to,” Hyunjin replied confidently. “You’re our friend and that means we care about you, and by association, we also care about your sister. So we don’t mind helping you out if you need it.” Jisung and Sohee's eyes widened at Hyunjin’s words and Sohee started giggling. 

“I knew it! I knew it!” Sohee cheered while patting Jisung’s face. Jisung was still staring at Hyunjin in shock while being hit. 

“Friend?” Jisung whispered brokenly. Hyunjin furrowed his brow and nodded slowly.

“Uh, yeah?” Hyunjin said, “Of course you’re our friend. You didn’t think you weren’t at this point, right? Oh god, do you not want to be our friend?” Jisung had no words. Hyunjin was saying this as if it was no big deal, but to Jisung it was everything. 

Sohee was smiling wide as she cheered on, “Jisungie-oppa has friends! I knew they were your friends, I knew it!” 

Jisung shook his head, “Shush, Sohee,” he patted one of her legs to try to calm her down, “Hyunjin I-of course I want to be your guys’ friend. I just, I didn’t know we already were? I didn’t know if you guys wanted to be my friend.”   

“Dude, of course we want to be friends with you, are you kidding?” Hyunjin scoffed as if Jisung had said the most ridiculous thing in the world. Jisung felt tears well up behind his eyes. 

“Thank you,” Jisung wetly replied, the widest smile his fellow club member had ever seen plastered across his face. Hyunjin just smiled back, not really understanding why he was being thanked. 

“Guys, come on!” Seungmin called from up ahead. The trio turned his way to realize the group had started moving without them. Jisung and Hyunjin jogged over to where the others were standing and rejoined the group.

“So, Sohee,” Chan looked up at the girl as the group started making their way through the crowds. “This is a music street festival. Since we’re a music club we wanted to check it out.”

“Jisungie loves music,” Sohee excitedly replied, “He always sings and dances with me at home.” Jisung blushed as the others chuckled at her reply. 

“Then I think Hannie will have a lot of fun today,” Chan smiled at him. The group continued walking through the festival. They stopped at a few vendor tents where they perused some CDs, one where Minho debated signing up for a new dance class, and even some raffle events. It was nearing noon and the group was starting to get hungry. They decided to find a place to sit once Sohee started whining for food. 

Jisung sat her down on a bench and crouched in front of her to dig through their backpacks while the others started arguing over what to get. Jisung opened a water bottle and a sandwich bag for his sister, who happily took it. Jisung glanced inside both backpacks before turning to his friends (how strange it was to refer to them that way.)

“I made a couple extra sandwiches and brought some extra water if anyone doesn’t feel like buying anything,” he called out.

“For real? I’m not sure I’m in the mood for anything here,” Felix said and walked closer to the siblings, “If you don’t mind I’ll take one. I think the rest of them are gunning for some fried food, though.” Jisung nodded and pulled out the two options he made, grilled chicken or ham and cheese. 

“Which one do you want?” Jisung asked. Felix hummed for a minute then took the grilled chicken from his hands. Jisung also handed over a water bottle. 

“Thanks man,” Felix smiled. Jisung smiled back and unwrapped the ham and cheese sandwich he had been holding. He shuffled around to sit on the ground facing his sister, who was happily munching on her sandwich and shuffling in her seat. Felix sat next to her and began eating with them. 

“Hey!” Changbin ran up behind them, “We’re gonna go grab stuff, are you guys sure you’re good with that? We budgeted for food so don’t worry about us overspending if you want something.”

Jisung and Felix shook their heads, content with their sandwiches, but Sohee hesitated for a moment.

“Sohee, is there something you want?” Jisung asked around a mouthful of food.

Sohee shook her head, “No, it’s okay.” 

Jisung sighed, “Sohee, I know we brought our own food, but if there's something you really want I can get it for you. I brought enough money just in case.”

“It’s okay, Jisungie, I don’t want you to spend your money on it,” Sohee tried to reassure them. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Changbin interrupted, “Since Felix and Hannie aren’t getting anything we have a chunk of the money we brought that won’t get used. If one of them is okay with it, we can use their portion to buy you something. Our treat - as a thank you for letting Hannie come with us.”

“Changbin-hyung, you don’t need to do that,” Jisung frowned at him.

Changbin smiled, “Be honest, would you have accepted using the portion we brought for you to buy yourself something?”

Jisung looked down and grumbled, “No, probably not.”

Changbin chuckled, “Then will you let us use it on your sister?” Jisung sighed and looked towards Sohee. She had a guarded, yet hopeful look on her face. Suddenly, Jisung couldn’t find it in himself to deny her. 

“Okay, fine,” Jisung relented, “But promise me you won't use any more of the money you brought from the club on either of us today? Please?” 

“Alright, fine, I promise,” Changbin grinned, “Now, what would the little Hannie like me to get?”

Sohee grinned up at Changbin, “I saw hotteok, I really want one.” 

“You got it, little Hannie! Be back in a little bit,” Changbin shouted before turning back and running off to rest of the group. Sohee laughed loudly at Changbin’s antics, now excited for her treat. 

It was about twenty minutes later when the six boys came strolling back over, hands filled with food. Changbin’s face lit up when he spotted them again and excitedly jogged over to them. He shuffled a bit with the food in his arms before bending down to Sohee’s level.

“For little Hannie, your special treat,” Changbin playfully remarked, handing over the sweet pancake to the girl. Soohee stared wide-eyed at the hotteok, carefully taking it out of Changbin’s hand with both of hers. She looked at it in awe for a moment before turning back to Changbin. 

“Thank you so much,” she said before carefully launching herself into a hug with Changbin, wrapping her arms around his neck while making sure her treat was safe. Changbin was shocked at the touch, but didn’t push her away. After taking a second to compose himself, he laughed. 

“You’re welcome, Sohee, now enjoy it for me,” Changbin said in a serious tone. Sohee pulled away and happily munched on her treat after that. Jisung watched the exchange and was happy to see Sohee so comfortable with the club, and for the club to be so welcoming of her as well. They were all packing away the food they ate while Felix and Jisung quietly talked about a performance they saw a flyer for. 

“Jisungie, eat,” Sohee’s left no room for argument as she shoved a ripped off piece of hotteok in her brother’s face. 

“Sohee, it’s yours, I’m fine, you eat,” Jisung insisted while trying to push her hand away.

“No,” she said sternly, “You like sweets, so eat some.” Sohee was shoving her hand in his face again, so Jisung sighed and opened his mouth to let her feed him. He had to admit, it was really good and part of him wanted one, but he would never admit it. Still, it made Sohee happy to see him eat it, so he was happy to oblige with whatever she wanted. 

“Eh? Hannie likes sweets?” Minho asked.

Sohee nodded, “Jisungie loves sweets but he doesn’t eat them a lot ‘cause he always wants me to eat them first. He says he ate too many sweets as a kid so now it's my turn to eat them all.” The others laughed at her response while Jisung fondly smiled at her. It was another white lie, but it's one that hurt no one but himself, so it was fine. 

“Is that true?” Minho was still cackling, “That’s too bad. Felix bakes a lot but I guess Hannie won’t be able to eat it.” Minho’s tone was teasing as he glanced down at Jisung.

“Felix bakes?” Jisung turned to the boy in question. 

“Yeah,” Felix agreed, “It’s a hobby of mine, but my family gets annoyed because I make way too much. I’ll make you guys something to take home some time.” Sohee cheered and Jisung smiled in thanks. 

Soon everyone was done eating and after talking it out, they decided to check out the performance Felix and Jisung had seen a flyer for before doing anything else. They were gathering their things together when Jisung felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Hyunjin. 

“If it’s alright with you two, I can carry Sohee on my shoulders for a while,” Hyunjin nervously offered, “I’m sure you could use a bit more of a break.” Jisung turned to Sohee and looked at her questioningly. 

“Sohee, would you want to ride on Hyunjin’s shoulders next?” Jisung asked. Sohee peered up at the other boy for a moment before smiling and nodding. Hyunjin grinned back at her before kneeling down for her to climb on. Jisung helped his sister get onto Hyunjin’s shoulders then helped Hyunjin stabilize himself once standing. 

“Alright, let’s go,” Hyunjin whooped. 

The group made their way down the street towards the performance area. Once there, the performance they were coming for had just started. Though what they had thought was just a scheduled set from some up-and-coming artists turned out to be some sort of “mic-night” situation. 

“Thank you everyone for coming out, that was another amazing performance, now who’s going to volunteer next? Singers, dancers, musicians, anyone is welcome to come on up and show us what you got,” the emcee explained into the microphone. 

“Jisungie, Jisungie, you should do it,” Sohee wiggled in her spot on Hyunjin’s shoulders. 

“I thought you just wrote music, Hannie?” Seungmin looked curiously at the older boy. 

“Yeah you never said anything about singing or playing an instrument,” Jeongin added. 

“Well um-” Jisung was cut off by Sohee.

“Jisungie sings all the time,” She explained as if they were stupid for not knowing, “And he does rapping, and dancing. We don’t have instruments but he has stuff on his phone to learn and make music and our neighbor, Park-ssi, lets us borrow her guitar sometimes.”

“Really? That’s awesome,” Chan said, genuinely amazed.

“It’s not a big deal,” Jisung mumbled. 

“Jisungie, can you do ‘Alien’? The one you showed me?” Sohee pouted at her brother. 

Jisung stuttered, “I don't even-I don’t think I could do that. I’d need to set up the audio file I have and I don’t know if they’ll let me do that.”

“Awww, that sucks,” Sohee whined. 

“Oh come on,” Minho whined with her, “I’m sure we could ask. You have the instrumentals on your phone? I’ll send Seungmin to ask if that’s cool. Seungmin go now, ask the emcee while this other person’s performing.”

“No wait,” Jisung tried to stop him, but they weren’t listening.

“Hey wait,” Chan interrupted, “If he’s really not comfortable, he doesn’t have to. Hannie, do you want to or not? I’ll grab Seungmin now if you don’t.”

Jisung hesitated, “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’ve never performed for people like this.”

“Jisungie you sing for me all the time,” Sohee said, “It’s just like that, right?” Jisung stared up at his sister. She was just saying what her eight year old mind knew - that Jisung always performed for her, how could this be any different? - but to Jisung, her confidence in him was everything. 

“Okay,” Jisung whispered, slowly nodding, “If they’re okay with me using pre-recorded stuff then I’ll try, I guess.” Sohee and Minho cheered while the rest looked at him doubtfully.

“Are you sure?” Felix asked nervously, “I don’t want you to feel forced.”

Jisung nodded, “I want to, I do.”

Seungmin came back with a grin on his face, “They said it's cool, so after this person’s done, you can set everything up and go next. I’m excited, we get to see Hannie-hyung’s talents.”

“I’m not that good, so don’t get your hopes up,” Jisung nervously chuckled.

“Nuh-uh,” Sohee argued, “Jisungie’s the best.”

“I trust little Hannie more than Hannie,” Changbin shouted, reaching an arm up to high-five Sohee. The others laughed around the two while Jisung rolled his eyes and turned back to the stage. The girl was finishing up her performance and he caught the emcee motioning towards him to set up. He took a deep breath and smiled back at his group before walking over to the performance area. He shakily pulled the audio file up on his phone and explained it to the person running the audio portion. All that was left was to wait for his turn. The emcee did the whole spiel, thanking the girl for her performance and commenting on how good it was. 

“And now, for our next performer,” the emcee boomed, “He didn't bring his instruments so we got an audio file all set up for you guys, but he’ll be singing live, so let’s give it up for our next performer.” At that he motioned for Jisung to come up. Shaking with anxiety, Han took another deep breath before climbing onto the mini stage that was set up and stepping up to the mic. The emcee motioned for him to go on before jogging off the stage, leaving Jisung alone. Jisung gulped and looked out into the crowd. His nerves were about to get to him when he caught Sohee’s eyes. She looked so confident in him, so expectant of the performance he was going to give, that Jisung felt the nerves slowly ebb away. Even now, his sister was his everything. He softly smiled and spoke into the mic.

“Hi, I”m Han and this is my song, ‘Alien’,” He simply introduced. Jisung motioned for the audio to start and slowly lost himself in his music. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

If you had asked the music club before the field trip what kind of musicality they expected out of Jisung, they would’ve been unsure how to answer. They knew very little about what Jisung was actually capable of or interested in because the boy hadn’t been very forthcoming. When they rehearsed a dance or messed around with some cover songs, Jisung always sat to the side observing. He had never joined in before and it was clear he had a hard time being the center of attention. So they were okay with letting him be until he felt ready to showcase his skills. 

When Jisung opened his mouth and started singing, all seven of their mouths dropped open and their eyes widened in shock. The strong and emotional tone that was coming from their friend as he sang his song was completely unexpected to them. 

“Whoa,” Changbin sighed, a smile drawing across his face as he bobbed his head to the beat. The others absentmindedly agreed, keeping all their attention on Jisung. It was only once Jisung got through the first verse that they started visibly reacting. 

Felix grabbed Seungmin by the shoulders and lightly shook him as he cheered Jisung on. Changbin and Jeongin started jumping up and down, shouting Jisung’s name. While Hyunjin, Minho, and Chan clapped and whooped in amazement. The crowd around them were also captivated by Jisung’s performance, the strangers cheering him on and swaying along to the music. In the throng of people though, one little voice shouted along to the final chorus, capturing the attention of a few people around the music club members. 

Atop Hyunjin’s shoulders, Sohee cupped her hands around her mouth and sang along with her brother. 

“ 지구에 툭 떨어진 I'm an alien on this earth, 나 홀로 어디에도 속하지 않아 보이고, 아무리, 웃어봐도 I feel so lonely, 지구인과 섞이려고 드는 외계인, 소리 내 말을 해봐도 누구도 듣질 않아,” Sohee’s childish voice mixed beautifully with Jisung’s vocals to the surrounding people. 

“Whoa, little Hannie, look at you go,” Changbin swung around to praise the little girl after the song finished. Sohee’s attention was locked onto something else though and she didn’t react to Changbin’s words. 

Sohee shouted, “Jisungie-oppa, good job!” Jisung was coming off the stage and retrieving his phone when Sohee yelled out to him. He walked over to his group with a sheepish smile on his face. Strangers offering compliments and claps on the back along the way. Sohee was wiggling impatiently on Hyunjin’s shoulders so he carefully pulled her down. Hyunjin freaked when she bolted the second her feet touched the ground. 

“Sohee!” the boys shouted after her. They went to chase her, but stopped when they saw who she was running to. Just ahead of the group, Jisung was kneeling down with arms wide open. They watched as Sohee launched herself into her brother’s arms and Jisung easily caught her - presumably he had a lot of practice doing this. 

Sohee squealed, jumping up and down in Jisung’s loose hug, “Jisungie you were so cool! That was so awesome you sang so good.” The girl was nearly vibrating with excitement after watching her beloved brother’s performance. 

“Thanks Sohee,” Jisung affectionately ruffled her hair, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Hannie, why didn’t you tell us you could sing? And so well, too?” Minho came up from behind Sohee to scold the younger. 

Jisung blushed, “I’m not that good.”

“Are you kidding?” Jeongin scoffed, “That was amazing. You’re so talented, hyung.” Jeongin’s enthusiasm only made Jisung blush even more and start stammering while trying to reply to the many compliments he was receiving from the group.

“Alright guys,” Chan stepped in, “That’s enough, I think Hannie understands that we enjoyed the performance. Let’s move on before he gets too embarrassed.”

“Oh!,” Felix excitedly spoke up, “I saw an artist I really like would be here selling stuff, can we try to find her booth?” Everyone readily agreed, Hyunjin immediately crouching down to have Sohee climb back onto his shoulders. 

When they approached the artist’s booth after fifteen minutes of searching, Felix and the others were quick to rush over. Only Chan and Jisung hung back while the rest of the boys and Sohee happily chatted with the girl and shopped her booth. 

“That song was really good, Han,” Chan broke the silence.

“Thank you, hyung,” Jisung blushed. He truly appreciated all the compliments, he just wasn’t used to them. 

“Your lyricism, I’m really impressed by it, to be honest,” Chan admitted, “That stuff was kind of heavy.”

“Yeah,” Jisung mumbled, not offering more of an explanation. 

“I know we haven’t known each other for long, Jisung, but I’m here if you need anything,” Chan gestured to their friends, “We all are. I’m not judging or anything but…it must not be easy taking care of your sister so much.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Jisung dismissed, “For her, I’d do anything.”

Chan chuckled, “I get it. I may not have to help my parents too much, but if my siblings needed something, you bet I’d do everything I could to help them.”

“Are they a lot younger than you?” Jisung asked.

“My sister’s eleven, but my brother is seven. So yeah, I’m sure you get that the age difference makes it feel different sometimes. But, they were also adopted so I feel a bit more protective over them because of that.” Chan explained, “You know, Minho and Hyunjin are the only ones without siblings. Changbin and Seungmin are the babies in their families, but Felix and Jeongin are both the middle of three. So, no one here is going to judge you for caring for your sister when you need to.”

“I,” Jisung paused, “I really appreciate that, hyung.”

“You know, you mentioned that Sohee’s dad isn’t around earlier,” Chan softly continued, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but…things are okay?”

Jisung blanched at the question, this was the last thing he expected out of his hyung but he probably should have seen it coming after noticing Chan’s reaction earlier. He sighed and tried his best to answer without giving too much away.

“We’re managing, my mom just has to work a lot,” Jisung lied. 

“It must be hard sometimes,” Chan sympathized, “Does your dad help at all? You mentioned your mom gave Sohee his surname.” Chan’s eyes widened as he watched Jisung’s face crumple.

“Um, well, you see,” Jisung gulped and flicked his eyes away from Chan, “My dad died. A long time ago. Before Sohee was born.”

“I’m so sorry Jisung,” Chan reached over to put his arm around Jisung’s shoulder, “I don’t know what that's like, but if you ever need to talk about it, like I said, we’re all here for you.”

“Thank you, seriously,” Jisung blinked away his tears. “Um, if you could just keep that between us for now. It’s not…it’s not a secret or anything, but I’d rather tell the others on my own time.”

“Of course,” Chan agreed, “Anything you ever tell me stays between us unless you say otherwise, I promise.”

Their conversation ended when Sohee came running over, yelling about a free sticker she had been given. Jisung immediately bent down to admire it with her, but he didn’t miss the lingering looks Chan gave the sibling pair for the rest of the day.

It was around four in the afternoon when the group decided it was time to go home. Sohee was fighting sleep atop Jeongin’s shoulders and Hyunjin was grumbling about his feet hurting. So they made their way back to the bus stop and shuffled onto the next bus that arrived. The group remained quiet for most of the ride, having worn themselves out with all the walking and excitement of the day. 

“Did you have fun little Hannie?” Changbin whispered to the girl in question. 

Sohee nodded happily, “This was the best day ever.” 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

When they arrived back at the original bus stop, everyone remarked on how much fun the day was and how nice it was to meet Sohee. 

“You can bring her along whenever you need to,” Chan had quietly assured Jisung before the group finally parted ways for the day. 

Jisung and Sohee walked the way home silently reminiscing on the fun day. It had been a long time since either of them had a day like that. 

It seems the fun they had was clouding their minds, because they walked into the apartment without thinking twice. If Jisung had been more focused, he would’ve taken better care to check for his mother’s car before he opened the door and burst their little bubble.

Upon pushing the door open, the siblings were greeted by the sounds of moans coming from somewhere in the apartment. Jisung stalled in his tracks and instinctively moved his arm to gently shove Sohee behind him. He took note that the sounds were not muffled which either meant his mother’s bedroom door was wide open or -  worse - his mom and whoever she was with weren’t in her bedroom at all. 

As quietly as he could, Jisung shut the front door behind them and removed their shoes and bags. He looked down at Sohee ( he hated the frightened look on her face more than anything) and sighed before putting on a brave face. 

“Come on,” he sweetly whispered to Sohee, “Let’s get you ready for bed.” Sohee nodded in understanding and gripped onto Jisung’s pant leg. Jisung slowly led them from the front door to Sohee’s room and he had never been happier that her’s was the first room in the hallway. 

Once inside, he ushered her over to the dresser and picked out some pajamas for her. Without saying a word, he helped her undress from the day’s clothes and put on the pajama set. She still looked scared as Jisung lifted her up onto the bed and tucked her in. Jisung had long gotten used to it, but Sohee still got nervous and confused whenever their mom brought someone home. She would especially get scared when they made noise like they were that night. 

“It’ll be okay,” Jisung soothed, placing her favorite stuffed animal on the pillow next to her, “Just try to get some sleep. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“Can you stay?” Sohee teared up as she asked. Jisung’s heart broke and he couldn’t resist. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll stay. Scoot over.” Sohee pushed herself closer to the wall and Jisung climbed into the small bed. They had to cuddle for Jisung to feel comfortable, but he knew Sohee needed that. 

“It’ll be okay?” Sohee whispered into the darkness. 

“I promise, everything will be fine,” Jisung placed a kiss on her temple, “Now go to sleep.”

Sohee quickly drifted off to sleep, the activities of the day wearing her out, but Jisung found himself staring at the wall well into the night. He heard when his mother was done with whatever guy was over and kicked him out, heard as she fumbled around in the kitchen and heard as she got frustrated with the options and angrily stomped out of the apartment. Jisung could only be thankful that he could get some sleep, but as he too drifted off, he wondered why? Why couldn’t he and Sohee have one good day?

Chapter Text

The Monday following the music festival, Jisung found himself being harassed near the end of the club. 

Okay, he wasn’t getting harassed, but his newfound friends were certainly not taking no for an answer. After apparently having such a good time with him on Saturday, they were hellbent on him coming out to their post-club hangouts now. 

“Guys, really, I have something to do,” Jisung nervously fidgeted with his bag strap as he tried to get the rest of them to back off. 

“Well what do you have to do?” Hyunjin asked, “Is it an appointment? Can we meet up after you do this thing?”

Changbin didn’t let Jisung get a word in and whined, “You have something to do every day, can’t you skip just once? Or at least tell us what it is?”

Jisung shook his head, “Sorry, but it really isn’t something I can skip.” He glanced at the clock, he only had about five minutes before he really needed to leave. He wasn’t sure he could get the others to back off by then. Maybe he should just tell them? 

Minho smiled devilishly and dramatically sighed, “I guess we could just follow him.” Jisung’s eyes widened as the others pondered over Minho’s suggestion. 

“You’re so smart, hyung,” Jeongin laughed, “Let’s go then, lead the way Hannie-hyung!”

Jisung glanced at the clock again - three minutes - and internally groaned. He was going to have to simply accept his fate and let them follow him if that’s really what they wanted to do.

“Do whatever you want, but I really have to go now,” Jisung shortly replied. Without giving them a moment to gather themselves, Jisung slid past them to exit the room. He could hear the commotion of the seven others scrambling to get their things together and catch up to him before he had the chance to slip away. 

Seungmin was the first to catch up to him. One thing Han took notice of with Seungmin is that he seemed to be more of an observer. He could always tell when the others were holding back with something so it was no surprise that he caught on that Jisung was doing so.

“You know,” Seungmin quietly spoke to Jisung as the others were running to catch up, “If you really don't want us to know, the others would back off as long as they know you’re serious. Everyone messes with each other a lot but we’d never want to make anyone uncomfortable, and that includes you.”

Jisung nodded, “I know. I’m just…I don’t want you guys to judge me, I’m just nervous.”

“We won’t,” Seungmin simply replied, not reassuring Jisung any further than that. Before Jisung could continue the conversation, Felix slung an arm around his shoulders as he came up from behind the pair. Jisung glanced back to see that the others had finally caught up to him. 

“Yay, we’re finally hanging out with Hannie!” Changbin cheered, the others offering similar sentiments. Jisung chose not to reply and silently led them out of school and down his usual path to Sohee’s school. He could hear a few of the others speculating on their destination but Jisung kept his mouth shut the entire walk. He couldn’t get his anxiety to dissipate the closer they got to the elementary school. Part of him was convinced that once they found out that every day he had to do the job their parent should be doing, they would decide he was too embarrassing to be around. He tried to hold onto Chan’s words from the other day, but he was still untrusting of all their kindness. 

As the group rounded the final corner, Jisung attempted to put a smile on his face and relax a bit. He could see the now familiar schoolyard ahead, but made no attempt to verbally alert his friends that their destination was just a few meters away. The others had been chatting the entire way and the conversation only lulled once they realized some adults were acknowledging Jisung’s presence as they walked past the group. Only after Jisung bowed his head back to the third woman - who was holding the hand of a young boy in an elementary uniform - who smiled and slightly bowed her head towards Jisung, did the others start to take notice of where they were. Jisung braced himself for a barrage of questions but luckily they were approaching the school gates and the group smartly kept quiet around the lingering schoolchildren and their parents. 

Jisung was later than he would like to be for pickup thanks to the hiccup with his club members, so there weren’t many children still waiting and only a few parents were sticking around to talk to a teacher. He easily spotted Sohee with her teacher before he even crossed the gateway. 

He turned back to the group and sighed, “Wait here, I’ll just be a minute.” Thankfully they all nodded rather than asking questions. Before they could change their minds, Jisung strutted over to his sister and her teacher. 

“Jisungie-oppa!” Sohee yelled as she yanked her hand out of her teacher’s and ran in Jisung’s direction. Jisung bent down as per usual and caught her in his arms. “You’re late,” she whined into his neck.

“I’m sorry,” Jisung apologized while soothingly rubbing her back, “My friends weren’t letting me leave. They actually wanted to come with me, that’s why I’m late today.” 

“Your friends are here?” Sohee excitedly asked, “Can I say hi?”

Jisung smiled, “Of course, let’s go.”Jisung stood up, keeping a hold on Sohee’s hand as he led her out of the schoolyard. His friends were milling about exactly where he had left them and he mentally prepared himself for the insults he expected. 

Except, they never came. 

“Hi Sohee,” Jeongin was the first to greet her, “Jisung-hyung had to pick you up from school today?”

“Jisungie-oppa picks me up every day,” Sohee stated matter-of-factly. 

“Eh? Really?” Hyunjin questioned. 

“Hannie!” Felix lightly punched the boy in question’s arm, “You could have just said you had to pick up your sister first!”

“Yeah, man,” Changbin agreed, “We wouldn’t have given you such a hard time about it if you just said so.”

“Can you hang out after you take her home?” Jeongin innocently asked. 

On the sidelines of the conversations, Jisung took notice of the three who had remained silent the whole time. Chan, Minho, and Seungmin. Seungmin looked like he was still trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle that was the Han siblings together, but Chan and Minho appeared to be a very different story. To Jisung, it seemed the two oldest members had somehow stripped away every barrier Jisung had messily stuck up and had unraveled at least some of the secrets Jisung and Sohee had kept hidden away. Without him having to say anything, they seemed to have figured out that this wasn’t a one time thing. They knew that, for some reason, Jisung’s schedule - his life - revolved around Sohee. Jisung tore his eyes away from the three prying gazes and shook his head at Jeongin’s question. 

“Sorry,” Jisung apologized, “I have to stay with her.” 

“Your mom isn’t home yet?” Felix questioned. Jisung kept his cool but Sohee withered slightly at the mention of their mom. Though it seemed the only person who caught on to her discomfort was Chan if the deep, calming breath he took was anything to go by. 

“I watch Sohee,” Jisung stiffly explained, “Our mom, she works late. So, I take care of Sohee after school.” Another white lie - sometimes she’s technically paid. 

“That’s what you do every day?” Hyunjin asked. Jisung nodded and the others stared back at him in disbelief. 

“You could have told us,” Minho finally spoke up, “We wouldn’t judge you for having to help take care of your sister. We’re not evil.” The others expressed agreement to Minho’s words.

“Yeah, my older brother and I take turns getting our younger brother,” Jeongin said, “He just does it more often ‘cause his school is closer to the elementary our younger brother goes to.”

“We also don’t mind if Sohee comes along so you can hang out with us, Hannie,” Seungmin quietly pointed out. “We all had fun on Saturday, didn’t we? You don’t have to hide from us.”

Jisung hesitated, “I appreciate that, Seungmin. But I wouldn’t want to be a bother to you guys.”

“You’re not, and neither is Sohee,” Chan cut in, “We want you around, even if that means your little sister needs to come too. You’re our friend, Jisung.” 

Jisung felt tears welling up in his eyes and his throat was tight, so he only offered a nod in response to Chan’s kind words. It had been a long time since anyone - besides Sohee of course - had expressed wanting him to be around. It all felt too surreal. 

“Why don’t we all do something?” Seungmin suggested, “We could go to your place if that’s more comfortable for you, Hannie?” 

Jisung’s eyes widened and he stammered, “Our place is really small, I don’t think we should do that. I’m sorry,”

“It’s okay, I just thought it might be easier for you guys, but we can go somewhere else,” Seungmin reassured. 

“Why don't we all hang out at my house today?” Chan suggested instead, “My younger brother should be home so Sohee, if she wants of course, could play with him. My parents have also been bugging me to have you all over for dinner again.”

Jisung peered down at his sister who gave a tiny nod. “As long as you’re sure it’s fine,” Jisung replied, “We really don’t want to be a bother.”

“Jisung, you’d never be a bother,” Chan softly smiled. “Come on, let’s go.”

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The walk from Sohee’s school to Chan’s house was not that long, so a little too soon to Jisung’s liking, the eight boys plus Sohee were filing into the foyer of Chan’s house. Jisung followed the others for where to put his and Sohee’s shoes and backpacks before awkwardly standing to the side. 

“Eomma, Appa,” Chan called out, “I’m home and I brought the club with me.”

“Welcome home, bring them to the living room, Channie,” a soft feminine voice called back. Chan motioned and they all followed, Jisung and Sohee trailing at the back of the group. The others comfortably walked through Chan’s home and, upon entering the living room, they all very casually greeted the two adults sitting on the loveseat and started filling spots on the adjacent couch and floor. Jisung and Sohee still hung back, Sohee moving a bit to stand partly behind her brother’s leg. 

Chan, who was now leaning on the loveseat behind his parents, looked over at the two still standing and shook his head. 

“My bad, I forgot you guys haven’t met yet,” Chan walked over to the siblings, “Eomma, Appa, this is our newest member, Han Jisung, and this is his younger sister, Sohee.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Jisung offered a polite bow, Sohee childishly followed suit. 

“Now, none of that here, Jisung, Sohee,” Chan’s father chuckled, “it’s nice to meet you, too, but there's no need to be so formal in this house. I’m Hyunwoo, and this is my wife, Eunyeong, you can call us by our names or some of the boys call us Eomma and Appa as well.”

“Come sit you two,” Eunyeong called them over while patting the small space on the loveseat next to her, “We’ve been dying to meet the new club member since Channie told us you joined.”

Not wanting to be disrespectful and risk upsetting them, Jisung slowly led Sohee towards the small couch. He squeezed into the spot next to Chan's mother and opened his arms when Sohee decided to climb into Jisung’s lap rather than sit on the floor in front of him. 

“So, Jisung, tell us about yourself,” Eunyeong brightly smiled. 

“Well, I’m sixteen and a second-year, um,” Jisung stammered, not knowing what else to say. 

“Ah so you’re one of the younger ones, no wonder Channie sounded so protective talking about you,” Hyunwoo chuckled, “And Sohee, how old are you?”

“I’m eight,” Sohee shyly mumbled. 

“Oh so you're in, what, second grade?” Eunyeong asked. When Sohee nodded she continued, “Jisung, as Channie’s friend, we want you to know our door is always open. Any of you boys can come here if you ever need something.”

“Thank you,” Jisung awkwardly replied, unsure how to respond. 

“Alright, you kids have fun, we’re going to get started on dinner,” Hyunwoo announced before standing up and pulling his wife to the kitchen with him. 

“We normally just play games and hang out here,” Minho explained to Jisung and Sohee, “You guys down for some mario kart?” 

“Or Sohee, I’m sure my brother will share some of his toys if you want to play with him,” Chan suggested. 

Sohee shook her head, “I’ll stay with Jisungie-oppa.” She leaned closer to his side and wrapped her arms around one of Jisung’s own.”

“Um,” Jisung cleared his throat, “I’ll just watch for now. I don’t really know how to play.”

“Huh? Really? You don’t have Mario Kart?” Jeongin was perplexed. The others looked like they wanted to scold the youngest but Jisung just chuckled. 

“No, I don’t have a console, so,” Jisung trailed off and shrugged.

“Ahh that’s too bad. Don’t worry I’ll come teach you so next time you can kick Minho-hyung’s butt,” Jeongin decided. He then stood up from his place on the floor, grabbed a controller and plopped down next to the siblings. Chan moved to sit on Jeongin’s other side and fondly shook his head as the youngest explained every single button and its function to the pair. 

The group went on like that for over an hour with Jeongin failing tremendously to show off his gaming skills. Every round he swore to Jisung and Sohee that “this would be the one” but every time, Minho mercilessly destroyed him. 

“Hyung,” Jeongin whined, “Torture someone else! I’m trying to show Hannie-hyung how to win.”

“Try harder then,” Minho deadpanned. 

Sohee cackled at the pout on Jeongin’s face, causing the others to laugh alongside her. Jisung actually was picking up on the controls and rules, but he doubted he would be any good at beating Minho. The older was just too merciless when it came to competitive gaming. Their fun was interrupted suddenly in the middle of their laughter.

“Kids, dinners ready! Come eat,” Hyunwoo boomed from the kitchen. Jisung and Sohee flinched at the sudden, loud voice, but no one seemed to notice. Sohee stood from her spot on the loveseat and decided to grab Jisung’s hand for comfort. They followed behind everyone else to see a massive amount of food spread across the table. 

“Hannie, little Hannie,” Changbin called out, “Sit wherever, Chan’s dad likes to make the plates for everyone.” Jisung nodded and moved closer to the table. He decided to sit on the end of one side with Sohee in between him and Felix. The empty chair at the end of the table seemed to be Hyunwoo’s, but Jisung would much rather be next to the man than Chan’s mother. She seemed like a nice person, but Jisung found himself uncomfortable with the idea of interacting with someone else’s mom. 

“Jisung, is there anything you or Sohee don’t like here? Or are allergic to?” Eunyeong asked from the opposite end of the table. 

Jisung was keeping his cool, but Sohee was staring wide-eyed and slack jawed at all the food in front of them. Neither of them had ever seen that much food at once - especially food that looked so good. Internally, Jisung was in as much awe as his sister, but he knew reacting like she did would raise suspicion, so instead he turned to Chan’s mother.

“No, we don’t have food allergies,” Jisung replied, “I think we’re okay to try anything here.” Chan’s dad grinned at his answer and started piling food on two plates. After a few moments, the comically large mounds of food were placed in front of the siblings.

“I’ve got some lamb for both of you and some japchae here in this bowl, and some steamed vegetables here on the side to start you both off,” Hyunwood pointed everything out, “If you want anything else, we’ve got some more of all those, some kimchi-jjigae, and some bulgogi and samgyeopsal to pick at. I know it seems like a lot of different things, but all these boys go through food like crazy.”

“Appa, come on, we’re all hungry,” Chan’s sister whined. With that, the man moved along with the help of his wife to dish out everyone else’s food. Once everyone’s plates were full and the adults were seated, Jisung and Sohee finally dug into their food. 

“Do you like it?” Felix asked the little girl as she tried some of the lamb. Sohee nodded enthusiastically and shoved more of the meat in her mouth. Felix laughed as Jisung fretted over her.

“Sohee, slow down,” Jisung reached over with a napkin to wipe her face, “You’ll choke.” 

“Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly, “It’s just really good.” Chan’s father laughed and thanked Sohee for her honesty. 

Conversations surrounded Jisung and Sohee, but the two were focused solely on the food in front of them. Jisung tried his best, but he’d never been able to provide his sister a meal this great. And he himself hadn’t had a meal this good in a long time, so they both were quick to clear their plates. 

“Here, let me get you some more,” Hyunwoo stood up and gestured for the siblings’ plates despite not having finished his own food.

“It’s okay, we’re fine, please eat first,” Jisung tried to stop the man. 

“Nonsense,” The man came behind them and snatched their plates up before Jisung could stop him, “Now what do you two want?” The siblings hesitated, neither wanted to seem greedy and ask for too much.

“Hannie, there's plenty to go around, Hyun-ssi always makes too much and sends us home with way too many leftovers,” Hyunjin groaned from across Jisung. 

“Please eat more,” Seungmin begged, “My mom’s gonna get offended if I come home with more than one bowl again.” Jisung finally relented and shyly made his request.

“I guess could I have some samgyeopsal? And maybe some kimchi-jjigae if that’s okay?” he nervously asked. 

“Coming right up!” Hyunwoo got to work getting Jisung’s food together and when he was finished, smiled down at Sohee.

“Can I have more lamb?” Sohee quietly requested.

“Anything else?” Hyunwoo checked. When Sohee shook her head, he filled her plate with a few pieces of lamb before sitting back down again. No one batted an eye as Jisung and Sohee dug into their second plates and were soon finished with that food as well. Everyone was helping themselves to their own seconds, and even thirds, of whatever they wanted. But Jisung and Sohee didn’t move to add anything else to their plates. Though, two people noticed how they stared longingly at the dishes in front of them. 

Hyunwoo, while trying not to draw attention to the siblings, sneakily added more meat to both of their plates. Maybe it was overkill, especially considering how little Sohee was, but Hyunwoo wanted to make sure they both left his house feeling full. 

When everyone finished and almost all the dishes were gone, the adults shooed the children and teens back into the living room to get a movie started. Jisung begged to help clean, but Chan’s parents insisted that since it was first time over, he shouldn’t have to help this time. 

“You’re such a sweet kid,” Eunyeong instinctively reached out and patted Jisung’s cheek, “We’ll take care of everything today, but next time you’re over, you can help if you want. I promise. Now go join the others for that movie.”

Jisung nodded and walked away in shock, his fingers dusting over the place where she touched his cheek. He was not used to such gentle affection. He shook his head and smiled at Sohee as she sleepily laid against the arm of the loveseat. He strode over to her and quietly sat next to her. 

“Tired?” he whispered as he brushed the hair out of her face. She nodded.

“Ate a lot of food,” she quietly responded. 

“Yeah me too,” Jisung giggled. In truth, he was also feeling tired from the amount of food he ate. 

“Can we lay down?” Sohee pouted up at Jisung. He glanced around at his friends. No one was sitting on the loveseat with them. Rather, everyone, even Chan’s younger siblings, were seated around the main couch and coffee table arguing over what to watch. It seemed they were close to choosing something Chan’s sister wanted so Jisung decided to take the opportunity to selfishly claim the loveseat.

“Come here,” Jisung whispered. Sohee climbed into his lap and Jisung gently laid on his side with his arms wrapped around Sohee, bringing his sister down with him. They both were facing forwards so either of them could watch the movie instead if they wanted to. It seemed that wouldn’t matter though. WIth the amount of food they ate, the siblings were both feeling incredibly sleepy and it wasn’t long before they both drifted off, the sounds of Jisung’s friends chatter and the romcom movie surrounding them.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Jisung and Sohee looked so peaceful curled up on the loveseat together. Still, as she and her husband cleaned up after the kids, worry pricked at Eunyeong’s chest. The bags under Jisung’s eyes were too deep for a normal high school boy, the two siblings were too skinny - she saw how her husband had sneakily stacked more food on the two sibling’s plates- and there was just something pulling at her. Her mind was screaming to protect these two children. She had to do something or she thinks she’d regret it. 

“Hyunwoo,” she spoke softly, “I think we need to say something.”

Her husband hummed in agreement, “I’m afraid if we say something to Jisung we might scare him off, though.” Eunyeong nodded and mulled over their options. Telling the whole club also seemed to be out of the question. Jisung might not appreciate having so many people in his business like that. 

“Let’s bring Chan and Minho in here,” she decided, “They’ll be smart about it, and you know how protective they are of the others. We can trust they’ll do something if anything happens to Jisung and Sohee.” Hyunwoo agreed and put the dishes he had been holding down. 

“Channie, Minho,” he called out, “Would you two come help us? There’s just way too much here” And bless their son and his friends, because they never hesitate to help when she or her husband ask for it. 

“What do you want us to do?” Minho asked, eyeing the mess they had created upon entering the room.

“Actually, we wanted to talk to you two without the others hearing,” she explained. “Could the four of us talk outside for a few minutes?” The two teens looked taken aback, but she met Hyunwoo’s gaze and knew they were on the same page.

“Sure,” Chan agreed, leading the way outside. Once the back door was shut behind them he was the first to speak up, “So…what’s going on?”

“It’s about Jisung and Sohee,” Hyunwoo said. 

“Jisung and Sohee? Did they do something?” Minho asked incredulously. 

Eunyeong shook her head, “No, they’re very sweet.” She paused to gather her thoughts.

“Then what’s going on?” Chan confusedly asked. 

“Promise me you will look out for that boy,” she sternly told them.

“What are you talking about?” Chan replied.

“Promise me, Chan,” Eunyeong shot back, “I think there is something going on in those two’s lives and I need you two to look out for him.”

“He’s a bit of an outcast,” Minho admitted, “But we’re really becoming friends and he’s slowly coming out of his shell - Sohee is too!”

“I’m being serious, you two. I only brought the two of you out here because you’re the oldest and I know how you watch over the others because of that. Just promise me that you will help him when he needs it,” she was trying to not lose her cool. She knew where her mind was going, but she couldn’t tell the boys what she thought without any proof. She also knew if they confronted Jisung - whether her suspicions were right or not - Jisung might get scared off. “Promise me you’ll be a safe place for him and you’ll bring him here if he ever needs it.” 

“I really don’t understand what you’re so worried about,” Chan laughed exasperatedly.

“Chan,” his father slightly raised his voice, “Just promise us. If he needs help, you’ll be there.” The two teens stared at Chan’s parents for a moment before seeming to have a silent conversation with each other.

Chan sighed and looked back to his parents, “Okay. We promise.”

“Yeah okay,” Minho - still confused - finally agreed. He shared a look with Chan and knew they’d be talking about this later. 

“Thank you,” Eunyeong sighed, “Now let’s go back inside. Finish up your movie then send everyone home for the night, it’s getting late.” 

When the parents were alone again in the kitchen, Hyunwoo rubbed a comforting hand across his wife’s back. 

“It’ll be okay, those boys are smart,” Hyunwoo assured. Eunyeong could only hope their worries were unfounded and those two would never have to act upon her request. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

By the time the two adults finished cleaning up, the credits had started rolling on the movie. Their younger two children raced each other back upstairs while the boys stayed rooted in place. 

“Ugh, I’m so sleepy. Someone’s gonna have to carry me home,” Hyunjin dramatically whined. 

“Not me, I ate too much. I'm about to pass out,” Changbin groaned and rubbed his eyes.

Seungmin stood up and stretched, glancing around the room as he did so. His eyes widened at the sight on the loveseat and he airily laughed, “Hannie and Sohee beat us to it.” 

The six other boys turned their heads in confusion to the loveseat where the siblings had been sat throughout the movie. The sight of the two siblings made them all smile and coo at them.

“Oh my god, they're so cute,” Felix awed, “I’m gonna take pictures.” He whipped out his phone and slowly approached the pair.

“Me too!” Jeongin shot up to follow Felix. The two snapped dozens of pictures and started comparing to find the best ones. 

“Hannie will love these,” Felix grinned.

“They must have been tired,” Minho mused. The conversation with Chan and his parents was still weighing heavily in Minho’s mind. 

Chan hummed, knowing what Minho was considering, “Yeah. I hate having to wake them but I’m sure their mom will worry if they don’t come home.”

“Boys,” Eunyeong called out as she and Hyunwoo entered the room, “We can drive you home if you want to grab your stuff.” 

A chorus of thanks was heard around the room as they all took the cue to get up and gather their things. Chan stayed sitting on the couch, watching over the two siblings. 

“Oh, they’re still sleeping?” his mother asked. His father had left the room to discuss with the others who would go in which car. 

“Yeah,” Chan smiled, “They look so peaceful, I almost don’t want to wake them.” 

Eunyeong smiled and walked over to kiss her son’s temple. “You’re so sweet, Channie,” she mumbled, “I’ll wake them up.” 

She moved from the couch to the loveseat and softly said, “Jisung, it’s time for you and Sohee to go home.” She reached out and gently shook the boy’s shoulder. She thought the action would slowly wake the boy, but she was wrong.

As if he was burned, Jisung shot awake and immediately shoved Sohee behind him. The little girl groaned, but didn’t wake up as Jisung wildly looked around, taking in his surroundings. Chan and his mother’s eyes widened in shock at the intense reaction. Chan watched as understanding settled on his mother’s face and a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes replaced her shock.

“Sorry, Jisung, I wanted to wake you up so we could drive you home with the others,” Eunyeong explained. 

“Hannie, are you okay?” Chan asked incredulously. 

Jisung was breathing heavily as he finally understood the situation. He had instinctively reacted to the woman’s touch and his instincts told him to protect Sohee. His reaction had clearly unnerved the mother and son duo in front of him. He was tired, too tired, but he had to take control of the situation immediately. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overreact like that,” Jisung’s voice shook. 

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have touched you,” Eunyeong smiled reassuringly, “Come on, Hyunwoo and I are driving everyone home. One of us can give you two a ride.”

Jisung nodded and gathered Sohee in his arms without waking the girl to walk towards the foyer for their things. 

“Bye Chan-hyung, thanks for inviting us over,” Jisung tiredly said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Once Jisung had left the room, his mother let out a deep breath. Chan looked over and saw the worried look etched across her face. 

“Eomma,” Chan started. 

“Remember our promise Chan, please,” She whispered. 

Chan nodded in response and she sadly smiled before bidding him goodbye and leaving the room. After he heard all the calls of goodbyes from his friends and the front door shut behind them all, Chan slumped against the back of the couch. A million thoughts were whirring through his mind but only one was sticking out.

Why would Jisung have reacted like that?

Chapter Text

Minho was laying in his bed staring at the ceiling when his thoughts were interrupted by the blaring of his ringtone. He checked his phone to see it was Chan calling. 

“Chan-hyung what’s up?” Minho casually answered.

“Are you busy?” Chan asked. 

“Hm not really,” Minho groaned as he stretched. 

Chan sighed, the sound was broken over the phone, “Can we talk? About Jisung?” 

Of course, Jisung. The other boy had sort of been an elephant in the room between the two ever since that night earlier in the week at Chan’s house. The two oldest had yet to talk to each other about it even though it was clearly on both of their minds. 

“Is this about what your parents said?” Minho clarified. 

“Yeah it's just,” Chan paused, “I think I’m also starting to worry. Jisung, he told me some things when we were at the street festival. And the way he was acting when he had to pick up Sohee? I felt something was off when he was talking about caring for Sohee. I had to think it over, but I think I’m on the same page as my parents.”

“I agree, he’s…odd. I’ve noticed since that first time he showed up at the club that something’s off. Not that it’s necessarily something bad, but…Chan-hyung, he always seems so tired,” Minho whispered the last part. 

“I know, have you seen the bags under his eyes? It’s like he doesn’t sleep at all,” Chan agreed, “I feel like it has something to do with the fact that he takes care of Sohee so much. His mom works a lot it seems, so I think he’s more responsible for Sohee than he’s really letting on.”

Minho hummed, “He mentioned that Sohee has his dad’s last name, right? Do you think his dad helps out some at least? I don’t know the situation there, but if he was willing to let her take his surname, then surely he’s not a total asshole or something.”

Chan offered no response and after a moment Minho broke the silence. 

“Unless you know of something else going on?” he dragged out. 

“He asked me not to tell anyone. Jisung said it’s not a secret, but that he’d appreciate being able to tell the rest of you himself,” Chan explained, “I’m trying to decide if I should break his trust and tell you so you can understand where my thoughts are at.” 

“I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but your parents were very concerned. If you think this secret of Jisung’s affected how you were feeling, telling me might help,” Minho replied, “Maybe it’s not the best option, but if I understand your thought process I could help you decipher if your worry is founded or not.” 

Chan groaned, “Fuck it, I think you should know. Just - don’t tell anyone else.”

“I won’t,” Minho promised. 

“Jisung told me his dad died. A long time ago. Like, before Sohee was even born,” Chan dropped the bomb. Minho’s eyes widened and he sat up in his bed, phone still pressed against his ear. 

“Are you serious?” Minho breathily asked. 

“Yeah. So, I don’t think there's anyone helping him with Sohee,” Chan said.

Minho’s brow furrowed, “I mean, their mom probably helps when she’s not working.”

“I don’t know,” Chan sighed again, “I noticed, when we went with Jisung to pick Sohee up, someone mentioned their mom, and Sohee, she-she like flinched? And she looked almost scared.”

“Chan, what are you talking about?” Minho scoffed.

“There’s more,” Chan immediately continued, “When you were all over, you know how Jisung and Sohee fell asleep? Well my mom was the one who woke Jisung up. She tried to like, gently shake him, you know? She touched him and he immediately woke up and was really freaking out. He placed himself in front of Sohee almost as if he was trying to protect her. It was as if he thought my mom was going to hurt them.”

“This is a very serious thing you’re suggesting,” Minho coldly replied.

Chan ignored him, “And she said something when we first met her! About her last name before Jisung explained it away.” 

Minho thought back for a moment before repeating those very words, “Eomma said it's not really my name.” 

“Yes! That,” Chan exclaimed, “When she said that, I remember thinking that was a very strange way of putting it.”

“She is a child, Chan,” Minho sighed, “Maybe their mother was just explaining the situation to Sohee and that’s what her little brain took away from it.” 

“Maybe,” Chan paused to think for a moment, “I’m still concerned about them, though.”

“I am too,” Minho admitted, “You’re right about that day we went to your house. It felt like I figured something out that I wasn’t supposed to. I don’t want to accuse his mother of anything but…”

“Jisung’s so jumpy and nervous all the time. That doesn’t just happen,” Chan added.

“Well, Felix did say Jisung’s a bit of a loner. And Hyunjin said Jisung was on the verge of tears when he called Jisung his friend,” Minho pointed out, “I don’t think he’s had friends in a long time, maybe ever. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been a victim of bullying because of that, either.” 

“You’re probably right, I’m still worried though.”

“That’s fine, there’s definitely something going on,” Minho cleared his throat, “So what do you want to do about it?”

“I think if we confront Jisung, he’ll just run from it, both literally and figuratively,” Chan lightly laughed, “I think we have to wait for him to come to us.”

Minho hummed in agreement, “I think we keep showing him that we’re friends so he feels more comfortable to talk about whatever’s going on in his pretty little head.”

“Pretty?” Chan teased.

“I’ll air-fry you,” Minho threatened, “But seriously, I think what we’ve already been doing is the best option right now.” 

“Do you think we should tell the other’s about what my parents said?” Chan quietly asked. 

“No, I think we keep it between us for now,” Minho suggested, “If his or Sohee’s behavior gets more concerning then I think we can talk about it again. For now, I think the others would just overwhelm Jisung.” 

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Chan said. He shuffled around a bit before adding, “I do feel bad sort of doing all this behind his and the others’ backs.”

“Trust me, if somethings going on, Jisung will appreciate not having everyone speculating about his business. It’ll be fine for now,” Minho chuckled. 

“Alright, well, thanks Minho, you always help me figure these things out,” Chan said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What would you ever do without me?” Minho teased. Chan laughed before ending the call. Minho flopped back down on his bed and resumed his staring-at-the-ceiling position. He may have been trying to reason with Chan, but it would be a lie to say he wasn’t just as concerned about Jisung. Something was up and Minho wasn’t sure how much longer it’d be before it all came crashing down. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Seungmin woke up that Friday morning with a goal in his head - get closer to Han Jisung. After the events of the past Monday, Seungmin felt suspicious of Jisung and Sohee, but he still felt like he was missing something. He knew Chan and Minho had figured something out if the way they were having secret conversations was anything to go off of, but Seungmin doubted the other four had any clue of his concerns. 

There was just something off about the siblings to Seungmin. Or even about Jisung in general. He joined the club but hesitated to show off his musical prowess. Then, he agreed to go to the street festival, but got upset about money being spent on him and Sohee, and even hid the fact that he had to watch Sohee until the last minute. Jisung apparently watches Sohee everyday afterschool and kept that a secret because he was scared of being judged. Then there was just his overall shyness. Seungmin liked to think of himself as a very observant person and he could tell Jisung was holding something back. There was more to the story of the Han siblings but, for whatever reason, Jisung was not willing to divulge any more information. 

On his walk to school, Seungmin thought of what else he knew about them and remembered the situation with Sohee’s dad. Apparently the man wasn’t around at all - enough so that Jisung’s dad was willing to share a last name with the girl? Was Jisung’s dad around? What was the story there that Jisung could have a half-sibling but his dad was somehow so chill about it? 

Seungmin shook his head, those were answers he would learn with time. For now, he just wanted to get closer to Jisung. Show the other boy that, no matter what, he at least had Seungmin in his corner. He knew the others in the music club likely felt the same way - the bond the eight boys were forming was surprisingly strong despite how short they’ve known each other - but Seungmin didn’t want to rely on just group activities to strengthen their friendship. So he had a plan. 

He was going to invite Jisung and Sohee to his house tomorrow. Just the three of them for some friendly bonding time without the other pests around. He just hoped Jisung would say yes. 

It had become the new norm for the four second years to meet-up in that short time before classes started and today was no different. As Seungmin approached the gate, he saw Jisung anxiously tapping his foot nearby. It seemed Felix and Hyunjin had yet to arrive. 

“Jisung!” Seungmin called out and jogged over to the other boy. Jisung’s head snapped up and a shy smile graced his face as he saw Seungmin approaching.

“Hi Seungmin,” he quietly greeted.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Seungmin started. Jisung titled his head in confusion, waiting for Seungmin to continue. “Do you want to come over to my house tomorrow? You can bring Sohee if you want.”

“What?” Jisung sounded even more confused. 

“Do you want to hang out tomorrow? I’m inviting you to my house,” Seungmin repeated. 

“Oh what’s this? Kim Seungmin inviting someone to his house? I never thought I’d see the day,” Hyunjin dramatically said as he approached the two boys, Felix by his side.

“Seungmin’s house? When? I’m so down,” Felix grinned mischievously. Seungmin narrowed his eyes at the two newcomers. Great, his plan was ruined.

“Ooh, we could go to the skate-park near your house,” Hyunjin excitedly suggested, “Chan-hyung and Changbin-hyung have been talking about teaching us some things.” 

“I can bring snacks!” Felix shouted. 

Seungmin internally groaned, his plan was definitely ruined now. His annoyance was broken when Jisung spoke up.

“That sounds like fun, Seungmin,” he quietly said, “Are you sure it's okay?” Jisung was nervously fidgeting with the strap of his bag while awaiting Seungmin’s response.

Seungmin’s eyes softened and he nodded, “Yeah, I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t,” he reluctantly turned to the others, “I’ll message the group chat to invite everyone.”

Hyunjin cheered and hugged Seungmin while Felix started badgering Jisung for his favorite baked goods. Seungmin just accepted his fate and texted the chat.

Everyone had jumped at the chance to hang out at Seungmin’s place, so the next day Seungmin was quietly getting drinks and snacks set up in the dining room. His parents were gone for the day, having decided to visit his older sister, so he didn’t have to worry about his rowdy group of friends bothering them. The sound of the doorbell ringing tore Seungmin away from his endless rearranging of everything. 

When he pulled open the door, Changbin was leaning against the frame with the rest of the group mingling behind him. 

“Seungmin-ah!” Changbin shouted, “How nice of you to invite us over.”

“Come in,” Seungmin faked annoyance at the group. In truth, he was a bit annoyed at his original plans getting ruined, but they were all his friends so hanging out together was still fun. Even if they were extremely overwhelming sometimes. 

“Seungminnie, I brought your favorite - brownies,” Felix shoved a tupperware container into his hands before venturing further into the house. Seungmin sighed at the large container, but knew Felix was just trying to be kind and show gratitude. As the others filed in, Seungmin noticed that Jisung also had a container that looked suspiciously like one of Felix’s.

“Hi, Seungmin,” Jisung greeted, “Thanks again for inviting us.”

“Of course, come in,” Seungmin let them in and shut the door behind them before pointing to the container, “What’s that?” 

“Oh, Felix brought it for me. Told me to take it home. He asked me what I liked but I didn’t really know how to answer, so I think these are brownies?” Jisung explained.

Seungmin hummed, “Felix’s brownies are the best so you should hide those in your bag before the others try to steal them.”

Sohee gasped and quickly handed her little backpack over to Jisung. “Put them in here, Jisungie-oppa.”

Seungmin stifled his laugh as Jisung fondly shook his head and gently stuffed the container in her backpack. 

“Come on guys, we want to get some homework done fast so we can go to the park!” Minho shouted. Seungmin sighed before leading Jisung and Sohee to the dining room where the others were spread out.

When it was decided that they’d be going to Seungmin’s, Jeongin whined about needing help with his homework. Then Hyunjin asked for help, then Felix, and suddenly it turned into a half study, half skateboarding hang out. Seungmin couldn’t complain though, he would never admit it, but he also needed help with his English work and only Chan or Felix could help. 

“Sohee, did you have any homework to do?” Jeongin grinned down at the little girl as she sat in the chair next to him. 

“Yeah, I don’t need help though,” Sohee confidently replied.

Jeongin pouted, “If you do need help, you can ask me.”

Sohee hummed, “Okay, thanks Innie-oppa.” She zoned in on pulling her homework out of the folder and getting started so she missed the look of awe on the older boy's face. 

Jeongin was widely grinning again and laughed, “I got a nickname!” 

The others started teasing him, but Jisung just smiled at the group. It still shocked him that they were so welcoming of Sohee and understanding of his situation. Jeongin being so happy with her attention was just another amazing thing to add to the pile of things he was grateful for. 

“Alright, alright,” Chan put an end to the teasing, “Let’s all get started on our own homework, too.”

Groans were heard around the room, but they all pulled out their own work and soon the only sound in the room was of papers rustingly and pencils scratching. Everyone seemed fine on their own until Hyunjin whined about his history homework and soon they were all broken off into pairs. 

Chan softly explained the topic to Hyunjin, while Minho and Changbin worked out their science paper, and Felix sneakily gave Seungmin the answers for his English work. Jeongin was flicking his eyes from his paper to Jisung over Sohee’s head. He was nervous to ask for help from his newer friend, but he was really struggling with his math. 

“Hannie-hyung, are you good at math?” Jeongin asked quietly. 

Jisung looked up from his own math homework in confusion before he processed what the other boy had asked. Jisung nodded and Jeongin sighed in relief. 

“Thank god, I’m really bad with it,” Jeongin sheepishly admitted, “Could you…could you take a look and tell me what I did wrong? And maybe explain the ones I skipped to me?” 

Jisung blinked a few times before nodding. Jeongin grinned again and shot out of his seat to stand at Jisung’s side. He handed over his paper and waited for the older boy to look it over. Jisung looked over the paper for a few minutes before realizing what Jeongin was doing wrong.

“You’ve got the process right on these kinds of problems, you’re just making a tiny mistake and that’s probably why you’re getting the wrong answers,” Jisung explained. 

“Really?” Jeongin asked. 

“Yeah. You see after you do this step,” Jisung pointed with his pencil, “you just keep forgetting about the exponent from the original equation. It seems you rush a bit and forget to write down the exponent after the first step. So you’re not doing a whole entire part of the equation.”

“Huh?” Jeongin questioned and gently took his paper back. He scanned over his paper before groaning in frustration, “So I’m doing it right, I’m just dumb and missing stuff?”

“You’re not dumb, Jeongin,” Jisung scolded, “You’re just rushing. Here, try one of the ones you skipped and just take your time with it. Even if it takes ten minutes, take those ten minutes to see if you can figure it out.” 

“Okay,” Jeongin pouted and squatted down to write more comfortably. After about five minutes he put his pencil down and nervously gave Jisung the paper again. Jisung looked over the problem Jeongin tried and smiled.

“It’s all right. You did it,” Jisung said. 

“Really?” Jeongin asked softly. 

“Yeah. It’s clear you understand it, you just need to take a few extra minutes to make sure you don’t miss something.”

“Thanks so much, Hannie-hyung,” Jeongin softly smiled at his math homework as he went back to his seat. Jisung felt warm at being able to help his friend, even if he really hadn’t done that much. He just shook his head fondly and went back to his own work, tuning the rest of the room out.

Once Jeongin was back in his seat, he was surprised by the tug on his sleeve from the little girl next to him. 

“Innie-oppa, I need your help,” Sohee leaned over to whisper to the older boy.

Jeongin was so thrilled, he quickly bent down a bit to whisper back to her, “What do you need help with?”

“I have a project where I need to answer these questions about a friend and tell our class about them, but…” Sohee trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Jeongin frowned at the little girl and at how sad she looked. 

“Do you have a friend at school you want to write about?” Jeongin muttered. 

Sohee shook her head, “My classmates don’t like me very much.” 

Jeongin’s frown deepened. Sohee is one of the sweetest kids Jeongin had ever met, how could anyone not like her? How could she not have any friends? Jeongin shook off his shock and tried to smile at her.

“Well, we’re friends, right? Why don’t you write about me?” Jeongin suggested. 

Sohee’s eyes widened and she smiled. “Really?” she happily asked, “We’re friends?” 

“Of course we are,” Jeongin playfully responded, “Now, what questions do you have for me?” 

Sohee immediately turned serious and started firing questions at him. They were silly questions such as his favorite color, what his family was like, and what his dream job was. But Jeongin took every question seriously, giving her the best answer possible so she could have the best presentation out of everyone in her class. 

“Okay, now I need to take a picture of you,” Sohee said after her last question. She hummed as she thought hard before pouting up at him, “Innie-oppa, I don’t know how I’m supposed to get the picture to school. What do I do?”

Jeongin’s older brother instincts flared up so he immediately spun around and called out, “Seungmin-hyung!” Everyone flinched at the volume of the youngest boy's voice and looked at him in annoyance. 

“What?” Seungmin glared. 

“Do you have a printer?” Jeongin asked.

“Uh, yeah. Do you need to print something for your homework?” Seungmin questioned. 

“Sohee does,” Jeongin smiled.

“Huh? Sohee, we could have stopped at the library. Why didn’t you say something?” Jisung pouted slightly at her. 

“No-no wait,” Jeongin moved to answer for the little girl, “She needs to print a picture of me. For her friend project.”  

“Friend project?” Jisung titled his head curiously. 

“I needed to ask a friend these questions and Innie-oppa said we’re friends,” Sohee nervously explained, “I also need a picture of my friend but I don’t know how to get one.” 

Jisung felt sad as he looked at his sister, but the others didn’t notice. They had no idea the inner turmoil he was having at the fact that Sohee truly didn’t have a single friend at school to do this project with. 

“Okay, we’ll take a picture on one of our phones and print it really quick,” Seungmin waved it off like it was no big deal.

“I’ll take it,” Hyunjin offered, already pulling out his phone. Jeongin cheered and started asking Sohee how he should pose. 

The girl pondered for a moment before sheepishly asking, “Can we take one together?” Jeongin immediately agreed and Hyunjin started directing the two for the picture. 

“Okay, Jeongin, bend down so you’re level with Sohee - no a little lower - yes! Perfect, stay there. Now Sohee, can you wrap your arms around Jeongin-ah’s neck and press your cheeks together?” Hyunjin ordered them around, “Yes, just like that. Oh my god, you guys are cute. Now, both of you, smile nice and big. One, two, three!” Hyunjin snapped the picture and immediately moved to show the two to see if it was to their liking.

“Hyung, can you please send that to me?” Jeongin begged. 

“I’ll send it in the groupchat so everyone can have it,” Hyunjin giggled and turned to Sohee, “Do you like it?”

Sohee was smiling at the phone and nodded. 

“Awesome, Seungminnie, I’m gonna print it now, where’s the printer at?” Hyunjin stood up and Seungmin moved to lead him out of the room. 

“Wait!” Sohee called out. When they turned around, she blushed and fiddled with her hands before quietly requesting, “Can I have two pictures? One for my project and one for home?” 

Seungmin smiled, “Of course you can. We’ll be right back.” They came back a few minutes later and handed Sohee two printed out pictures. 

“Thank you so much, Seungmin-oppa,” Sohee smiled up at him.

“What about me, I took the picture,” Hyunjin jokingly pouted. 

Sohee giggled, “Thank you, Hyunjin-oppa.”

Hyunjin and Seungmin were proudly smiling at receiving her thanks and the other four who had yet to be graced with her attention were slightly sulking in the background.

Jisung was smiling at the scene before looking back at his homework and sighing.

“What’s wrong, Jisungie-oppa?” Sohee asked worriedly.

“Nothing, I think I’m just sick of my homework,” he groaned.

“I am too,” Changbin threw his pencil down and leaned back in his chair, “Break time?”

“Yeah, if I stare at this physics textbook for one more minute I’m gonna throw it,” Minho said. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

“We’re going to the park, right? The one with the skate ramps?” Felix suggested. 

“Yeah, Chan and I brought our boards so we could finally teach you guys some stuff,” Changbin replied.

“That one has a playground too so Sohee could run around and play,” Chan agreed. 

“Is that okay with everyone?” Felix asked and looked around. Everyone agreed and soon enough, they were out the door and walking through Seungmin’s neighborhood. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

It was a short walk and once they arrived, Felix and Hyunjin pulled Chan and Changbin towards the skate ramps. Minho, Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin were left standing around with Sohee as they watched the other four run off. 

“Do you want to go play, Sohee?” Jisung asked his sister. She nodded but hesitated to run off.

“Sohee, do you want us to come with you?” Minho softly asked. 

“Can you all sit on a bench and watch me?” Sohee asked. 

“Of course, come on,” Jisung pulled her towards the playground. They found an empty bench and Jisung immediately sat down on it, smiling at Sohee. Minho plopped down next to him and threw an arm on the bench behind Jisung. 

“Go run off and play, your oppas are tired from working too hard,” Minho playfully put on the act of a worn-down parent.

Sohee laughed at him, “Minho-oppa is silly.” 

“Minho-hyung is dumb,” Seungmin teased, causing Sohee to giggle more. Minho glared at the younger boy, but decided not to playfully threaten him like he normally would in front of Sohee. 

Seungmin sat down on Minho’s other side, the three taking up almost the entire bench. Jeongin pouted, but then an idea popped in his head and he turned to Sohee.

“Hyungs are mean. Sohee, can I play with you instead?” Jeongin asked. 

“Yes!” Sohee shouted, excited to have a chance to play with her new friend. She grabbed Jeongin’s hand and pulled, “Come on, Innie-oppa, let’s go.”

“Be careful Sohee!” Jisung nervously called after the pair.

Jeongin looked back and smiled, “Don’t worry, Hannie-hyung, I’ll watch her.”

Jisung was reassured that Jeongin was with her, knowing the other boy had experience watching over a kid from having his own little brother. That plus the fact that Jeongin already seemed to care deeply for Sohee as a brother figure meant Jisung didn’t feel the need to watch over them like a hawk. Once they were happily climbing the playground stairs, Jisung allowed himself to let out a sigh and slump back into the bench. 

“You alright, Hannie?” Minho asked. Seungmin looked over to observe Jisung himself and noticed how he seemed to have deflated once Sohee wasn’t around. 

“Yeah, I’m just a bit tired,” Jisung brushed off. 

Maybe it was Seungmin being paranoid, but he felt like there was something else going on. He glanced at Minho and was surprised by how sad the older’s eyes seemed sad despite the smile on his face. 

“Need a nap, Hannie?” Minho lightly teased. 

Jisung laughed, “I’ll be okay.” 

The three fell into a comfortable silence after the teasing, just enjoying sitting together while watching Jeongin and Sohee play together. The two seemed to be having a lot of fun together and it put a smile on all of their faces to see both of them so joyful. 

Still, Seungmin couldn’t quite shake the feeling that had been sitting in his chest the whole week. This hangout had been intended for Seungmin to get closer to Jisung, to let Jisung know that he wasn’t alone. He wanted to make sure Jisung would trust him enough to tell him if something was wrong. He decided to take action. 

“Hannie, can I ask you something?” Seungmin broke the silence. Both Minho and Jisung looked over to Seungmin questioningly. 

“Sure?” Jisung cautiously replied. 

“Why didn’t you tell us about Sohee?” He gently asked. 

Jisung’s eyes widened and stammered, “What-what do you mean?” 

“Just, why didn’t you tell us that’s why you couldn’t hang out every day? We would’ve understood, especially after we met her and everything,” Seungmin explained. 

Jisung frowned and took a deep breath before responding, “I guess I was just scared.”

“Scared?” Minho murmured. 

“Yeah I mean…I like you guys a lot, and I like being in the club. I’ve never,” Jisung paused, “I've never really had friends before and I didn’t want to mess it up. I was scared you would judge me, or get annoyed, or something.” 

“We’d never act like that,” Minho frowned, “We’re not horrible, Jisung.”

“I know that! Or at least, I’m starting to understand that but…it’s hard. Like I said, I’ve never had friends like this, I was scared of messing it up. I’ve never had the chance to tell anyone about Sohee, so I just didn’t know how to without it turning out badly,” Jisung admitted. 

It was hard for Seungmin to hear that. Jisung, despite clearly still struggling to open up and let himself get closer to the club members, was now someone Seungmin considered to be a friend. Jisung had been nothing but kind to them, and Seungmin hoped they were all the same for him. Seungmin was worried about Jisung with how exhausted he always looked and how stressed he seemed to be. To hear that Jisung had hid his truth from them because he simply had never had friends to share his life with, well, that just felt wrong to Seungmin. Jisung deserved better than that. 

“Hannie,” Seungmin began, “Thank you for telling us that. I’m glad you feel like you can tell us about that kind of stuff. We are your friends and we’ll never seriously judge you, especially not for something like this.”

“Exactly what he said,” Minho softly said, then joked, “If you need me to, I’ll knock some sense into you every day so you don’t forget that.”

Jisung smiled, “Thanks Minho-hyung. You too, Seungmin. I...I really appreciate it.” 

“I just want you to know that you can talk to us, any time about anything that’s bothering you,” Seungmin said, “Even if you think it’s dumb. I’m sure the others will agree, but any one of us would be happy to listen to you or give you advice when you need it.” Seungmin knew he was pushing it but he wasn’t scared of Jisung running off. He’d just chase Jisung if he needed to. 

Jisung tensed and seemed to have put a guard back up, looking at Seungmin with a questioning glare. He stiffly nodded before replying, “Okay. I’m just tired, but I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Okay. As long as you know that we’re here if you need it,” Minho gently added. Jisung simply nodded and didn’t offer any more explanations. He turned back to face towards the playground and watched as Jeongin pushed Sohee on a swing. 

Seungmin sighed and met Minho’s gaze. They said nothing, but Seungmin was relieved when Minho gave a slight nod and patted Seungmin’s leg in reassurance. He did something right, at least in his hyung’s eyes. It was still obvious to Seungmin that Minho knew something he didn’t, but he’d have to let it go for now. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin today’s fun atmosphere by pushing for more information out of anyone. 

The silence the three were sitting in was broken when the four skateboarders came over huffing and puffing from how tired they were. 

“Did you kids have fun?” Minho teased. 

“Hyung,” Changbin playfully whined, “I’m hungry.”

“Same,” Chan and Felix replied in unison. 

“Can we go back to Seungminnie’s and order pizza?” Hyunjin asked hopefully. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Seungmin agreed. He glanced back over to the playground and huffed out a laugh, “Who wants to go rescue Jeongin?” 

The other six boys followed his line of sight and were met with their maknae now sitting on the ground, covered in carefully placed sticks and leaves. Sohee was flitting around him, putting each item she picked up carefully on him. It was clear they were playing some sort of imaginary dress up game with whatever nature had to provide. So poor Jeongin was getting all dirtied up at the whims of Sohee’s imagination. 

Everyone started cracking up at the sight, even Jisung who had still been cautious from the conversation with Seungmin was laughing alongside them.

“Oh my god, he’s not even fighting it,” Hyunjin cackled. 

“Hannie, Hannie, please tell me you let Sohee do that to you,” Minho giggled and squeezed Jisung in closer to him.

Jisung was shaking with small laughter, “She’s never played like that before.” That only got them all laughing harder. 

“Oh poor Innie,” Felix cooed, easily taking on Sohee’s new nickname for the boy, “I think he just wants her to be happy even if he has to suffer.”

“I’ll go get them,” Changbin offered. He jogged over to the pair and immediately started teasing the boy, “Jeongin, you look so pretty! You did a good job, little Hannie.”

Sohee shyly smiled, “Thank you, Binnie-oppa.”

Changbin grinned and shouted back to the group, “Haha! I got a nickname!”

Jeongin was blushing out of embarrassment but still asked, “What do you want hyung?”

“A bunch of us are hungry. We’re thinking of going back to Seungminnie’s and ordering pizza before we all go home,” Changbin explained.

“Yes! Let’s go,” Jeongin stood up from the ground, “Are you ready to go Sohee?”

“Yeah,” she started giggling, “You look silly Innie-oppa.”

Jeongin’s blushed deepened and he tried to pick out all the things in his hair and clothes. Changbin ended up having to help him get everything, but soon enough they were back with the group and making the walk back to Seungmin’s place. Chan had called in an order for delivery so it’d get there around the same time they all did and, thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long after getting back for the food to arrive. 

They spent the rest of their time together stuffing themselves full of pizza and Felix’s brownies. Chatter and laughter was non-stop the entire time as they all simply had a fun time together. They were sitting in the living room when Seungmin’s phone chimed. 

“My parents are on their way home,” he mumbled, “You guys should probably get going soon.”

Jeongin stretched, “Yeah, I promised my mom I wouldn’t be out late.” 

They all gathered their things and helped Seungmin clean up what was left of their mess and shortly after, they were making their way out the front door. Seungmin had greeted everyone goodbye, Jisung the only one left inside as he helped tie Sohee’s shoes. 

“Thanks for coming guys,” Seungmin smiled as the siblings finally walked out the door, the rest of the group waiting on them. 

“Seungmin?” Jisung said, “Thanks for inviting me over. I liked hanging out with you a lot. I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you on Monday,” Seungmin replied. With one last smile and a thanks from Sohee, his friends were off on their way home and Seungmin was alone. 

He raced up to his bedroom and flopped onto his bed, a wide grin settled on his face. Jisung had fun, even if Seungmin’s initial plans were ruined. It may not have been how he planned, but Seungmin was glad he made some progress with Jisung. He could only hope they would grow closer from here.

Chapter Text

It had been a relatively normal Monday for Jisung. He had had a fun weekend hanging out at Seungmins on Saturday then spending Sunday with Sohee downstairs at Grandma and Grandpa Kim’s. He hadn’t even had a bad moment with his mom all weekend since she had stuck herself in her bedroom for two whole days. So he was in unusually high-spirits as he made his way to pick up Sohee from school. 

He should’ve known it was too good to last. 

As Jisung crossed the gate into the school’s courtyard, he immediately saw Sohee and his eyes widened. Sohee was standing there, tears streaming down her face, while her teacher and a man Jisung didn’t recognize stood on either side of her. Jisung sprinted over as he grew concerned for his sister. 

“Sohee, what’s wrong?” He asked, kneeling down to hug her in the process. Sohee just cried into his collar and softly apologized. Alarm bells rang through Jisung’s head, what could Sohee possibly be apologizing for? 

“Jisung,” the teacher started, “This is the principal, Lee-nim. We need to discuss some things about Sohee.” Jisung instinctively put his guard up but tried to shake off the tension before standing up to bow to the principal. Sohee clung to the front of his legs as he did so. 

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Jisung stiffly greeted, “I’m sorry to be blunt, but is there something wrong?”

“We are concerned about some things that we’ve noticed with Sohee’s behaviors,” Lee-nim quickly got to the point, “I know you normally handle pick-up due to your mother’s work, but,” the principal handed over a slip of paper, “This is an official request. We need to speak to a parent or guardian of Han Sohee’s or we will have to escalate our concerns prematurely.” 

Jisung took the piece of paper and scanned it over. To him, it seemed legit, but he had never heard of something like this. Jisung was getting anxious but tried his best to clear his throat before responding, “Can I ask what you are so concerned about?” Jisung looked up and finally locked eyes with his sister’s teacher. 

When he looked at her, Jisung felt like she was stripping down every guard he had put up and only one thought crossed his mind as she looked at him - looked at his sister - with so much pity and despair. They know.

“Jisung,” the principal sighed, “I’ll only discuss this with you as you are the primary emergency contact here, but we have concerns about Sohee’s life outside of school. There are…signs. Signs that your home life is not healthy. I think you understand what I’m implying here.”

“Jisungie-oppa, I’m so sorry,” Sohee mumbled into his shirt, “I want to go. Please, I want to go home.” Jisung bent down to pick her up, steeling himself before sternly offering a reply. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jisung hated the lack of confidence in his voice. In that moment, he knew, there was no getting out of this. 

“Jisung,” the teacher gently placed a hand on his arm - Jisung flinched reflexively and he could see when her suspicions only solidified even more - she continued, “Jisung, I’m not just worried about Sohee. I’m worried about you, too. Whatever’s going on we can-”

“There’s nothing going on,” Jisung yelled and cut her off. 

Please forgive me, he begged in his mind, You’re so kind, but I can't. No one can know. We have to be okay. We have nowhere else to go, so no one can know or they’ll take us away from each other.

“I don’t know what you’re implying, but whatever you’re thinking is untrue,” Jisung spat back, apologizing in his mind the whole time, “I'll let my mother know, but I’ll be taking Sohee home now.” Then he turned around and left before they could say anything else to him. 

Jisung could hear them calling after him, but he couldn’t afford to keep listening to them. He knew their concerns were founded on reality, he knew they had a reason to be concerned but he was so scared. It had been just him and Sohee for a long time. No adult had ever expressed concern for Jisung even though he had lived with his mother in this state for over ten years. Ten years and it took until his sister reached age eight for an adult to say something to him. It had been too long and too many terrible things had happened. Jisung had walls built up higher than anyone could ever climb. He was terrified of letting anyone know the truth of their home. If he told the truth now, his whole world would fall apart. 

Would they keep Sohee with him or separate them? Would they search for her father and leave Jisung in the dust? Would they be put in an even worse situation? Or, the answer he was scared to find out the most, would anyone even believe them? 

Jisung tried to shove his worries away to comfort his still crying sister. She was clinging tightly to him and Jisung needed her to calm down before they got home. If their mother was home and reacted to Sohee’s loud crying, it would most definitely cause her to start a fight. 

“Sohee, it's gonna be okay, don’t worry,” Jisung soothed. 

“I’m so sorry Jisungie-oppa,” she sobbed, “I messed up.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart, I promise.” Jisung squeezed her gently, “Whatever happened, it's not your fault and I’m not mad, I swear.” 

“We were doing work, then they asked me about Eomma and I didn’t know what to say, and I think I said something wrong ‘cause then they took me somewhere else where the principal asked me more questions about Eomma with another lady,” Sohee hiccuped, “I’m sorry Jisungie.”

“It’ll be okay,” Jisung replied, “I’ll talk to Eomma and figure things out, okay? You don’t need to worry about it.” 

Jisung had never had a talk with Sohee about what to or not to say about their mother. In hindsight, maybe he should have in order to avoid a situation like this, but Jisung couldn’t help but think that some part of him, somewhere deep inside him, wanted something like this to happen. He wanted someone to notice just as much as he was scared of the consequences of being found out. In that moment, however, he could only think about how he should have told Sohee how to lie about their mother. 

“Are you sure? I’m scared.” Sohee pouted up at him.

Jisung smiled down at her, putting on a brave face, “When have I ever lied to you? We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

Sohee giggled, “Jisungie and Sohee against the world.” 

“You got that right,” Jisung's heart softened as she repeated their little mantra, “Now let's stop crying, okay? We’re almost home so I’ll get you a snack then talk to Eomma.” Sohee nodded, then tucked her head into Jisung’s neck. 

Jisung hurried into the complex and up to their apartment. He saw their mother’s car and could only hope that she was alone. As much as he hated it, he knew he needed to talk to her as soon as possible if they wanted any chance of making this go away. 

Once inside, he got Sohee situated in her room with a small snack and drink. 

“I’ll be back soon. Everything will be okay, so just get started on your homework and I’ll come help you when I’m done talking to Eomma, okay?” Jisung rubbed up and down her back to calm her down as he explained. 

Sohee nodded and sniffled, “Please be safe, Jisungie-oppa. I don’t want Eomma to hurt you because I messed up.”

Sadness weighed heavily on Jisung’s shoulders at her words. For someone so young to be worried about such a thing broke his heart and made Jisung wish their life was different. Jisung wished he was strong enough to let the teachers find out the truth so they could escape this hell. He was just too scared of the possibilities. 

“I’ll be okay, I promise,” Jisung kissed her forehead and left the room. He waited for her to lock the door before walking to the kitchen. He had a small plan - he wasn’t sure if it would work, but he had to try. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Jisung dug around in the kitchen and eyed their meager supply of food. It wasn’t much but if he could figure out something to make and bring to his mother, maybe this conversation wouldn’t go terribly. He finally settled on making her a light meal of some stew since it had likely been a while since she’d eaten. 

Once the food was done, he filled a glass with water and took a moment to breathe. There was a high chance this would go terribly and only make the situation with Sohee’s school worse, but he had to try. On the off chance she’d clean herself up enough to calm the school’s worries, he had to try. 

Jisung shakily grabbed the bowl, glass, and even one of Felix’s brownies for good measure before he made his way down the hallway. Once in front of the bedroom door, he braced himself before gently pushing it open. The stench inside the room was awful - stale beer, sweat, and cigarette smoke caked the room. Jisung tried his best to make sure the rest of the apartment didn’t smell so bad but his mother’s room was the one place he was never allowed to clean. So it sat in the mess and rotted into the terrible state it was currently in. 

He quietly walked over to the side of the bed his mother was sleeping on and slowly placed the dishes on the nightstand. He couldn’t tell if she was awake, so he took a steadying breath before speaking softly.

“Eomma? I made you some stew,” Jisung paused, “I thought you might be hungry.”

A moment of silence before his mother replied, “What do you want?” 

“I needed to talk to you about something, something important,” Jisung nervously explained. 

“Whatever it is, no. Now get out,” she harshly said.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…it’s Sohee’s school. They want to speak with you. In person.”

His mother groaned before rolling over to face him. She was clearly annoyed as she responded, “Tell them I’m working.”

Jisung scratched his arm, “They aren’t taking no for an answer. They gave me a paper, said you have a week to see them before they…before they get others involved.”

He saw how his mother’s demeanor changed at the emphasis he put on “others” and that was the moment he knew this conversation was going to go terribly.

“What did you tell them?” She demanded angrily, sitting up in her bed.

“N-nothing, I swear,” Jisung stammered and took a step back.

His mother shot up and grabbed his wrist - the same one she always did. Jisung whimpered as she squeezed but tried not to react any more than that. It hurt so bad, maybe she was about to break it again, but he had to stay as stoic as possible. 

“What the fuck did you say to them?” Yeji yelled. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Jisung insisted, “They said they noticed things and they’ve been asking for you for a while. I guess they-they just want to meet you, that’s all.

“That’s all? Are you stupid? They don’t get police involved because they want to meet parents,” she roared, “Did Sohee say something?”

Jisung vehemently shook his head, “No, I told her not to. She didn’t do anything.”

“You’re protecting that little brat, aren’t you?” Yeji let go of his wrist to stalk past him into the hallway. Jisung immediately reached out to stop her before he could think about it. 

“No, I’m not,” Jisung shouted, “She didn’t do anything. Listen, you just have to go talk to them, right? Just for a little bit and it’ll go away. I can help you. I’ll help you get an outfit together and-and I’ll help you fix your hair. Eomma, please, if you just talk to them and convince them that me and Sohee are just dumb kids, it’ll go away, right? So why don’t you not drink for a few days and go see them when you feel a little better. Afterwards you can do whatever you want again.” 

Jisung’s ramblings were cut off when his mother pushed him. He fell backwards on a piece of furniture to the side of her door and ended up on the floor. His back was stinging but he had to get up. He had to before she did worse. He was stopped when she placed a heavy foot on his chest and sneered down at him.

“Who do you think you are?” she yelled again, “Telling me what to do, please . I don’t have to do anything. You convince them. You’ve been doing that this whole time, right? Why should I have to give up the things that make me happy to fix the mess you created? I’m not doing anything wrong, right Jisung? I’m just disciplining my disrespectful child, right?”

Tears spring to Jisung’s eyes as she pressed him hard into the floor. His wrist hurt, his back hurt, and he was frustrated. He should have known this would never have gone well. 

“Eomma, please, just talk to them,” Jisung begged, “It’ll be so much worse if the police get involved. What if they come here? Or talk to you? That won’t go well at all and they’ll take us away.” Jisung didn’t care so much about staying with his mother, but staying with Sohee meant staying with their mother, so he needed Yeji to fix this.

“After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you show your thanks? You're a bastard, just like your father,” She spat. 

Jisung didn’t react to her dig - she always tried to bring up his father to upset him, but it stopped working a long time ago. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction right now. 

“You know what? Let them take you, maybe it’ll teach you a lesson,” Yeji removed her foot from his chest and turned around to stalk down the hall again. Jisung scrambled through the pain to follow her. 

“Eomma where are you going?” Jisung cried, “Please, let’s just talk about this a little more.”

“No, Jisung. You know, it’s so hard for me to raise you two and I’m trying. It’s not fair for you and that shitty school to suggest that I’m awful,” she was playing the victim once again, “So, let them get the police involved and we’ll see what they do.”

Her victim complex didn’t phase Jisung but he found himself becoming desperate. She was suggesting letting authorities find out because in her deluded, alcohol ridden mind, she was convinced everything would always go her way. Yeji was certain she was not to blame for anything she had done.

“Eomma, please, let’s just talk,” Jisung quietly pleaded as he stood facing her. Yeji groaned in frustration, grabbed his hair and pulled hard. He reflexively yelped in pain at the action.

“Oh, please. Be a man, Jisung,” she jabbed, “We’re done talking.”

She let go of his hair and stomped out of the apartment, car keys in hand. Jisung was on the verge of a breakdown as he watched the door slam shut behind her. The worst possible outcome (and the one he expected the most) had happened. Their mother wasn’t going to do anything about it. He had a week to change her mind or come up with something else before his life was ruined. 

His mother was somehow convinced they wouldn’t believe them, but a part of Jisung knew that was delusional. He knew if police and social workers ended up speaking to himself and Sohee, they’d figure everything out. When they come to the apartment, they’d see the state of everything - alcohol bottles everywhere, hardly any necessities, and a pitiful amount of food for two growing children and their mother. They’d see everything and the siblings’ lives would be ruined forever. 

Jisung let himself cry silently in the living room for a moment. He had spent so long being the strong one and now, with the prospect of his life changing drastically, he needed to let his emotions out. Especially before he faced Sohee after she heard all that. She likely knew he was injured so he needed to cry out the pain so he could convince her he was fine. 

He didn’t understand what either of them had done to deserve this. All he wanted was to keep Sohee in his life, stay being her big brother, but all he could think at that moment was that their mother just solidified his worst fear. He could only hope that he could come up with something to get Yeji to that school sober.

Chapter Text

The next day, Jisung woke up to his alarm just three hours after falling asleep. His mind was racing all night with anxious thoughts after the afternoon he had. Now that Sohee’s school had voiced their suspicions, Jisung knew that this wouldn’t go away and he needed to figure something out, and fast. With how his mother reacted to the news, Jisung knew this was going to be difficult and the idea of another violent encounter with his mother kept him up. 

He had told Sohee he was fine, but in truth, his wrist was burning and his back was no better. He would definitely have to scrounge up money from somewhere to buy bandages for his wrist and cream for his back. He laid there in bed for a few extra minutes, wishing he didn’t have to move at all that day. 

Still, Jisung got up and did his normal morning routine. He cleaned himself up, put his own uniform on, woke Sohee, got her dressed, and made them a small breakfast before heading out the door right on time. He was so distracted by his anxiety that he almost missed something important and Sohee was the one to bring it to his attention. 

“Oppa,” Sohee tugged at his sleeve, “Look, Eomma’s car isn’t here.” Jisung snapped his head over to look at their assigned parking spot and, Sohee was right, the car wasn’t there. Jisung realized he had never heard their mom come home despite being awake for most of the night. That could mean their mom crashed at someone’s place last night, but nights like those were extremely rare since their mom preferred to bring people to her own place. Jisung always worried when the car wasn’t there in the morning. He’s sure Sohee was starting to feel the same way he did so he attempted to reassure her. 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Jisung replied, “She was probably tired and stayed at a friend’s house.” Sohee didn’t look convinced - probably because Jisung was too tired to hide his own worries - but nodded in acceptance and continued their walk to school. 

Jisung purposefully rushed dropoff, much to Sohee’s dismay, in order to avoid another confrontation from her teacher. He needed time to figure out how to deal with the situation and didn’t want to slip up when talking to them before he decided what to do. He only had a week to get his mother to the school, according to the paper, so he had to think fast. His mom was clearly not willing to budge as of their talk yesterday and he had no clue what to do about it.  Jisung was so in his head on the walk to school that he didn’t notice his friends calling out to him. An arm slung around his shoulders out of nowhere and, instinctively, Jisung violently flinched away from the person. 

“Woah, hey,” the person shouted as they stumbled away from Jisung, “Jisung it’s just me, Hyunjin?” Jisung looked up and, sure enough, his eyes met his friend’s. To the side he saw their fellow second-years, Felix and Seungmin, looking at him with worry. 

“Jisung,” Seungmin cautiously said and took a step forward, “Are you okay?” 

He tried to laugh it off, “Yeah, sorry Hyunjin, I didn’t sleep well last night and you scared me a bit.”

Felix’s face scrunched up in confusion and he replied, “You didn’t hear us calling out to you?” 

Jisung shook his head, “Guess I was just thinking too hard.” His attempt at a joke fell flat and the three continued to stare at him. Hyunjin opened his mouth to say something else but he was abruptly cut off by the sound of the bell.

“Shit,” Seungmin grumbled, “Come on, we’re gonna be late. Hannie, Felix, we’ll see you later.” With that Seungmin grabbed Hyunjin by the wrist and dragged him away to their classroom. 

“You sure you’re okay?” Felix asked. Jisung stiffly nodded, trying to smile, before turning to lead the way to their classroom. Felix fell into step beside him and the two walked silently to the classroom. They made it just in time for the final bell and quickly shuffled to their seats. 

The two were seated fairly close together but not enough that they could whisper to each other or pass notes. Jisung had never been grateful for that before, but today he needed the space to think. As their first teacher started the lesson, Jisung immediately found himself zoning out. He fixed his gaze out the window and tuned out the rest of the world around him. How was he supposed to get his mom presentable for Sohee’s teachers in a week? How was he supposed to even convince Yeji to go there? He had no idea. 

Jisung was ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of the classroom phone ringing. The teacher loudly sighed before stalking over to the phone. 

“Yes?” she answered irritably. Jisung, along with his classmates, watched as the anger quickly left her face and her eyes widened in shock. She ended the phone call after a quick, “I'll send him down right away.” 

Jisung noticed that her hands were shaking and once her eyes met his, he knew it was over. 

“Han Jisung?” She composed herself enough to at least calmly say his name, “Gather your things please and head down to the principal’s office.” 

It was as if the world froze for Jisung. He didn’t move. He just watched as all his classmates turned to look at him, some giggling - they thought he was in trouble. To most of them he was just the sad, loner kid but his eyes met Felix’s and Jisung knew at least one person in the room could see his panic. Having Felix’s questioning gaze bore into him got Jisung moving. He hadn’t even taken anything out of his backpack so he just placed the strap over his shoulder as he stood up and made his way to the classroom door. He had to walk past the teacher and the ice that had crawled all over his body shattered when she gently patted his back while                                                                   guiding him out the door. 

“I hope everything turns out okay,” she whispered to him before turning back to the class, shutting the door behind her. 

If Jisung thought he was anxious before, the walk to the office at least tripled what he had been feeling. It felt like hours and minutes at the same time, but he eventually reached his destination. 

“Han Jisung?” 

Jisung looked up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at. He saw the receptionist’s chair was empty and the principal was waiting for Jisung himself just outside the office door. Jisung shakily nodded. 

“Come into my office,” the principal stepped aside and once again, Jisung felt a warm hand on his back guiding him into the room. When the door shut behind him, Jisung took in his surroundings. To his shock, two police officers and the guidance counselor were standing in the office. 

“Han,” the guidance counselor spoke this time, “Let’s all take a seat.” She was too kind, too calm, and Jisung snapped.

“No,” Jisung spat out, “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Han,” she tried again, “I think it would be best if you sat down. These officers need to talk to you.”

“It’s my mom, isn’t it?” Jisung said instead. His mind was racing. She left upset last night. Jisung never heard her come home. Her car wasn’t there this morning. Now the police were at his school.

Instead of answering, the older of the two cops gave introductions, “I’m Officer Cho and my partner here is Officer Bae. You’re not in any trouble, we just need to talk.”

“Is she dead?” Jisung bluntly asked. 

“No, no kid, she’s not,” Officer Cho assured. A small weight left Jisung’s shoulders.

“She’s in the hospital with a few injuries,” Officer Bae continued - the weight returned - “And, to put it simply, she’s in a lot of trouble.” Jisung crossed his arms over his chest and turned to the older officer.

“Just tell me,” his voice broke as he tried to remain calm.

Officer Cho nodded, “She got in a car accident early this morning. Hit another car while going the wrong way down the road. It was dark, she didn’t have her headlights on, and the driver of the other car didn’t have time to react. There’s also evidence she had been drinking.”

Jisung keened and dropped to his knees. He looked back up to the officer and felt his throat tighten on the sob he was holding back. “The other car - are they alright?” he asked. 

“The driver and front seat passenger unfortunately didn’t make it,” Officer Cho softly explained, “The backseat passenger is currently in critical condition and being treated at the hospital. Things don’t look good for him either, though.”

Jisung’s eyes glazed over and he absently nodded at the officer’s words. His mother had killed two people. Possibly three by the end of the day. All because she wouldn’t stop drinking for even a day. 

“Shit, grab a trash can!” someone shouted. A moment later, a can was shoved in front of Jisung just as he felt the vomit rushing up his throat. It was hot, gross, and all too overwhelming, but some of the anxiety fizzled out of his body after vomiting. One of the officer’s hands rested on Jisung’s shoulders as he slowly calmed down.

“What happens now?” JIsung shakily asked after a few minutes of silence.  

“Well,” Officer Cho started, “Your mom’s going to be in the hospital for a few days and after that, unless someone bails her out, she’s going to be in jail until court proceedings can start. What happens with that is up to her lawyer, the prosecutor, and the judge.”

“Okay,” Jisung mumbled in reply, “What about me and my sister?”

Officer Bae squeezed his shoulders and sadly smiled down at him. “We’re going to take you to pick up Sohee, then we’ll have to take you two to the station while we look into some things. A social worker will come by eventually to talk to you two, figure out what the best option is. If you’re up for it, I think getting some information on your mom from you would be helpful. Though that’s something we can always do another day.” 

Jisung nodded absentmindedly. “Can we get Sohee now?” he asked. 

“That’s probably for the best,” Officer Cho agreed. Bae stood up from his place kneeling next to Jisung and pulled the boy up with him, keeping a hand on his back to steady him. 

“Han,” the principal called out before they could leave the room, “We’ll talk to your teachers and take care of everything, so don’t worry about school for a little bit, alright?” With that, the officers led Jisung out of the school and to their car. 

A fog had settled over Jisung’s mind. He played over the last thirty minutes in his head over and over again, wondering how any of it was real. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Too soon, they pulled up in front of Sohee’s school and it was like a fire was ignited in Jisung. Suddenly, the thought of a social worker talking to them - of Sohee possibly getting separated from him - was all Jisung could think about. He pulled himself out of the car as fast as he could and raced inside the school, leaving the officers in the dust. Jisung was immediately met with the kind receptionist once he entered the school.

Her smile faltered as soon as she saw who had burst through the door. “Han-ah?” she asked, standing up from her chair, “Shouldn’t you be in school?” The door opened behind him and Jisung watched as dread fell over her face upon seeing the officers. 

“Um, I need to pull Sohee out for the day,” Jisung brokenly explained, “It's-it's an emergency.” 

The receptionist nodded and tried to offer him a comforting smile, “I’ll call for her right now,” she assured and moved to her phone. She made quick work of asking for Sohee to be sent to the office with all her things. As the receptionist was hanging up the phone, the principal distractedly stepped into the office. 

“When you have a minute, I’m gonna need some more copies of these flyers made. They need to be sent home today and we dont-oh,” Lee-nim stopped in his tracks when he finally looked up from his folder, “ Oh , Jisung.” The pity in the principal’s tone made Jisung’s eye twitch, but he said nothing in return. 

“Jisung, what’s going on?” The principal asked as he walked over to the teen. He tried to get Jisung to meet his eyes to no avail. “Jisung?” he tried again.

Some sick part of Jisung thought that this never would have happened - his mother wouldn’t have left the house that night prior - if it hadn't been for that threat of intervention from this man.

Jisung swallowed, “An emergency,” he mumbled. He finally looked up and met the principal’s searching gaze. After a few moments, understanding settled in his eyes and the principal stepped away. 

“Jisung, your sister hasn’t been here long, but if you need anything - either of you two - you both always have a place here, understood?” the principal sternly said. Jisung nodded, tears filling his vision. At that moment, Sohee stepped into the room.

“Sohee,” Jisung gasped. He rushed over to her, dropping to his knees and pulling her into a tight hug. The sobs he had been holding back finally spilled out and wracked his body.

“Jisungie-oppa?” Sohee asked, “I’m scared. Why are you crying? Why are the police here?” Jisung pulled himself together as best as could and leaned back to look his sister in the eye. He smiled softly and gently cupped her face in his hands. 

“Sohee, Eomma got hurt. She’s okay, she’s just in the hospital,” Jisung explained.

“Is that why her car was gone this morning?” Sohee asked. 

Jisung wetly chuckled, a few more tears spilling out, “You’re so smart, Sohee.”

“Then,” she hesitated, “That’s why the police are here?”

Jisung shakily continued, “Sort of. When Eomma got hurt, she was doing something bad and more people got hurt. She’s in a lot of trouble. So we have to go with these officers right now. I know it’s scary, but we have to be a little brave right now.” Tears were now spilling out of Sohee’s eyes as well.

“You’ll stay with me, right?” she cried. Jisung pulled her back into a tight hug.

“Of course,” he assured, “I promise. It’s me and you against the world, yeah?” Sohee nodded against his chest and continued to cry. After a few moments, Jisung stood up with Sohee and her bag in his arms. He turned to the officers and nodded to signal he was ready to go. 

As they walked out, Jisung turned to bow in thanks to the school staff before walking out without letting them say anything more to him. They had all been so kind to him and Sohee. He hadn’t had adults he felt so comfortable around since his father had died and, now, it was all being torn away.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The drive to the police station felt like an eternity. Jisung sat in the back with Sohee still in his arms. She had refused to let go of him and the officers had been kind enough to turn a blind eye to their improper seating arrangement. With everything Jisung was anxious about, he would have refused to let his sister go any time soon regardless of what the officers said.

Jisung let the officers open the car door for him, grab their school bags, and lead them into the building. The place was fairly loud, other officers and detectives milling about on their computers, phones, or talking to people. It was too overwhelming and Jisung was grateful when they were brought into a small interrogation type room. 

“You two can sit here,” Officer Cho gestured to the table and chairs, “We’ve already called for a social worker earlier so hopefully they’ll be here soon so we can figure things out for you guys. Can I get you two anything to eat or drink?”

Both Jisung and Sohee shook their heads. Anxiety was crawling away at both of them from the inside out - eating was the last thing on either of their minds. 

“Alright,” Cho sighed, “Then, could we ask you some questions about your mom?”

“Yeah,” Jisung croaked. Maybe it was a rash decision, but he wanted to finally be honest at least about his mom’s drinking. She had killed two people - injured a third - and he wanted them to get their justice. 

“Okay, thank you, Jisung,” Cho said, “I am going to need to separate you and Sohee - just for questions. Don’t freak out. We have a kids area and I’ll have Officer Bae stay with her the whole time.”

“Why can’t she stay here?” Jisung nervously asked.  

“She’s so young,” Officer Bae softly explained, “She doesn’t need to hear this right now.”

“It’s okay Jisungie-oppa,” Sohee whispered, “it’s only for a little bit?” She looked up at him with fear in her eyes - as if she thought he would disappear.

“Of course, only for a little bit,” Jisung mumbled. Then he turned to the officers again, “Let’s make this quick.” With that, Officer Bae coaxed Sohee away with the promise of toys and activities while Officer Cho set up the recording device, his notepad, and finally sat across from Jisung. 

“Alright, so Jisung,” Cho cleared his throat, “Your mom, Han Yeji, we’ve now confirmed she was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Does your mom drink often?”

Jisung swallowed the lump in his throat and whispered, “Yeah.”

“Sorry kid, can you speak up?” Cho slightly moved the recording device closer to Jisung. 

Jisung sighed, “Yes she drinks a lot.”

“How much is a lot? Twice a week? Three times?” Cho asked. 

“Every day,” Jisung answered honestly. Cho stared at him as if trying to figure out if he was lying. 

“Every day? You’re sure?”

Jisung nodded, “It’s been a while since she was last sober for more than a month. She did stop for a while when she was pregnant with Sohee, but it didn’t last long after she was born. The drinking can be pretty on and off with her, but it's been almost every day for a long time.”

Cho jumped into his next question, “And Sohee - how old is she now?”

“She just turned eight last November.”

“And was Sohee’s birth what started her drinking?” 

Jisung shook his head, “When my dad died, that’s when she started. So two years before Sohee was born.” 

Cho stared at him for a long time before gently asking, “How old were you when your dad died?”

“I was six,” Jisung mumbled. 

“And you’re,” Cho checked his notes, “sixteen now?”

“Yes.”

Cho sighed, “Ten years is a long time. This is your mom’s first run in with the police but, has her behavior when drinking ever been unpredictable? Or violent?”

JIsung shuffled uncomfortably in his seat before nodding, “Yeah. It has.” 

“Did she ever hurt you?”

“Yeah,” Jisung’s throat felt tighten so he offered no other explanation.

“Did she ever hurt Sohee?”

“No,” Jisung shouted, “Not-not physically. I made sure that never happened.”

Cho paused for a moment before asking, “Would you let your mom hurt you so that Sohee was safe?”

“I’m all Sohee has,” Jisung explained, “I made sure she could have the best childhood possible. Me - not anyone else.” 

“Her father not around?” The officer inquired, writing something down.

Jisung shook his head, “No my mom she…after my dad died she brought a lot of men around. She told me the day Sohee was born that she didn’t know who was actually Sohee’s dad. That’s why Sohee has the same last name as me.”

“So no other family or adults have been around?” 

“No, it’s just been me,” Jisung sheepishly admitted. 

“I see. Well, okay, Jisung, I think that’s all I need from you right now,” Cho started packing everything up, “We’ll probably have to talk again about some things if a trial occurs, but this is enough for now.” Jisung nodded and silently followed Cho to the room Sohee and officer Bae were in. Jisung glanced at a clock and realized it had already been over two hours since he was pulled out of class. He sighed, knowing this wasn’t ending any time soon. 

And he was right because when he walked into the kid’s room, there were two women waiting with Bae and Sohee. 

“Ah, Jisung,” Bae exclaimed, “These are your social workers, Nam-ssi and Woo-ssi. Nam-ssi has been on your sister’s case for about a year so I’m sure you’ve met.” 

Jisung short-circuited at his words and stared incredulously at the older woman before him. 

“Her case? What are you talking about?” Jisung asked. 

“Your mother never said anything?” Nam sweetly asked. Jisung shook his head in response, so she continued, “Yeji wanted some support from Sohee’s father. He had been giving the monthly checks with no problems since Sohee was born, but the court required a case worker to be involved once Yoo-ssi expressed that he wanted custodial rights over his daughter.”

Jisung started laughing once he processed her words. He had to - not a single part of this made any sense to him and he told them just that. 

“This has to be some sort of joke,” he chuckled, “My mom doesn’t even know who Sohee’s father is.” Nam pulled a folder out of her briefcase and handed it over to Jisung. He could see Officer Cho off to the side looking confused at the situation as well.

As Jisung opened it, she explained, “This is not a joke. Yoo-ssi has been providing child support payments every month for the last eight and a half years. A year ago he expressed that he wanted custodial rights at a hearing he initiated. The decision has been barred for the last four months pending a full investigation into both parents. I’ll admit, we’ve been behind due to other more pressing cases and that is why a decision hasn’t been made yet.”

“You’re kidding,” Jisung’s voice shook as he flipped through the file. It showed every payment made, the court dates, everything. Even the investigation notes that had been made on his mother so far and the completed investigation of Yoo Wonshik and Hyunki - Sohee’s father and his wife.

“Jisung,” Woo soothed, “I know it’s a lot to take in but-”

“You don’t get it,” he shouted, “She-she always said she didn’t know who it was. In the hospital on the day Sohee was born, Eomma said she had absolutely no idea who the father was. And-and she was sober for eight months at that point. She gave Sohee my dad’s last name because she couldn’t remember for fuck’s sake. And child support? I’ve spent eight years living off every little scrap I could manage to pull out of her but this document shows she’s been getting about one million won every month for that entire time? This doesn’t make any fucking sense.” 

“Jisung, we know it's a lot to take in, but it’s the truth. Sohee’s dad has supported your mom this entire time and now wants the chance he wasn’t given to be a parent to her,” Nam explained calmly. 

“What, so he gets to just waltz in here and start doing his job now? After I’ve done everything for eight, no, almost nine years?” Jisung yelled, getting angrier - and more scared - by the second. 

“Oppa,” Sohee sobbed, “Jisungie-oppa, I’m scared.” Jisung immediately rushed over and dropped to Sohee’s side, wrapping his arms around her securely. He peered over her head as tears also streamed down his face to look at the social workers and officers. 

“Jisung, you need to understand,” Woo stepped a little closer to the siblings, “This is something he wanted to do sooner. Your mom just never let him and Yoo-ssi thought he shouldn’t fight with her. He thought your mom would eventually change her mind. He only took it to court when he finally gave up on waiting for Yeji to come around.”

“What happens to us now?” Jisung quietly sobbed. 

“Well,” Woo sighed, “After talking to Nam-ssi, it’s my understanding that Sohee will be placed with her father for the time being -” Jisung keened at this - “It’s not an official decision, but considering the circumstances, once your mother is well enough to do so, court proceedings are going to continue on the custody case as well. Until then, Sohee will have to stay with her father.” 

“What about Jisungie?” Sohee cried, “He can come with me, right?”

Woo sadly smiled down at the siblings, “Yoo-ssi is not Jisung’s father, but we can ask him. Maybe he’d be willing to let Jisung stay with you considering everything.” Nam nodded when Woo looked back at her for confirmation - silently agreeing this could be a good course of action. 

“What happens if he says no?” Sohee asked immediately, “Can I say no and stay with Jisung-oppa?”

Woo sighed, “If he says no, we’ll find a family member for Jisung to go with. But you’ll still need to go with your dad, Sohee.” The little girl started crying loudly as she understood the social worker’s words. If her dad, this Yoo-ssi, said Jisung couldn’t come with, Sohee would have to leave Jisung behind. 

“There isn’t anyone else,” Jisung sobbed, “Sohee is all I have. Please, please , don’t separate us. You can’t - you can’t do that, please. I’ll do anything just please , anything but that.” 

“We’ll try our best, Jisung,” Nam finally said, “But we can’t make any promises. We’ll leave you two alone for a bit but, Yoo-ssi should be here soon.” With that, all four adults left the room, the two officers worriedly glancing back at the two kids. 

Jisung and Sohee both cried harder at her words. Jisung clung tight to his sister and she sobbed and begged to stay with Jisung no matter what. Jisung tried to soothe her with the usual tricks that worked when she had a meltdown, but nothing seemed to work. 

“I have to stay with you,” she cried.

“I will do everything I can, okay?” Jisung pulled back slightly to wipe her ongoing tears away, “I’m not just going to let them take you away. It’s me and you, no matter what , okay? Don't you ever forget that.”

Sohee sobbed into Jisung’s chest, “I love you Jisung-oppa.”

Jisung choked on his tears, firmly placed a kiss on her temple, and whispered. “I love you too, Sohee. So much. You can’t forget that either, okay? If I can’t go with you, you need to always remember how much I love you, okay?” 

Sohee nodded against her brother’s chest but was crying too hard to offer a response. Running out of options to calm her down before the inevitable, Jisung started singing to her. 

It was a mess - tears were still flowing down his own cheeks, but Jisung softly sang through Sohee’s favorite of his songs. His voice broke too often throughout it, a lot of the notes weren’t right, but the message he wrote for just the two of them was there. This song was their own little secret, and it did just the trick. 

Sohee’s sobs slowly died down as Jisung’s song came to a close as well. They both were still freely crying, but it was not as heavy and loud before. Sohee stayed cuddled in her brother’s arms as they waited for the moment their lives would change forever. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

It felt like only a few minutes later when someone knocked on the door. A second later, the door opened revealing the two social workers, Officer Cho, and a middle-aged man Jisung had never seen before. After a moment, Jisung realized - this was Sohee’s father. 

Jisung took in his appearance - trying to find any hint of Sohee in this stranger’s face. Maybe part of him was trying to figure out if he recognized this man, but it was pointless. His mom had brought so many men home and Jisung was so young at the time this man would have been around so there was no way he would recognize him. Jisung was pulled away from his assessing of the man when the door was softly shut behind him, breaking the bubble over the siblings.

“Sohee, this is your dad,” Nam gently explained, “He’d love to meet you.” Sohee only whimpered and curled tighter into Jisung’s embrace. She wasn’t ready for this. 

Jisung looked over to the man and took notice of the annoyed look on his face as he peered down at Jisung. But there was also a hint of sadness and longing in the man’s gaze. He seemed to realize how he was staring, shook his head, and tried to smile at Jisung. Jisung only glared back.

“You must be her brother,” his deep voice shook Jisung a bit, “I’m Yoo Wonshik.”

“You slept with my mom?” Jisung coldly asked. Wonshik cringed a bit at the crude question but nodded in response. 

“We were dating for a bit,” Wonshik explained, “I found out she had a kid - you - and I left. I wasn’t young, but I wasn’t ready to commit to that. At least, not with Yeji. I also thought she was still married. Eight months later, she called. Said she had another kid and was sure it was mine.”

“Why didn’t you ever come for Sohee?” Jisung demanded. 

“Truthfully, I don’t know. I thought it would be easier if I just gave her the money and stayed away,” Wonshik replied, “I didn’t realize until much later that your father wasn’t around either. I had always assumed she had cheated on him with me.” 

“You want to take Sohee now, though?”

“I think it’s for the best, especially now with what your mother has done,” Wonshik replied.

Jisung paused for a moment and decided he needed to get rid of his cold attitude towards this man. 

“Yoo-ssi, I may not agree with your decision to stay out of Sohee’s life for so long. I don’t regret anything, but it's been hard being a kid and raising my sister because my mother was too drunk to care,” Jisung ranted, “But I want to trust you. I know Sohee and I can’t stay with Eomma anymore. She…she really messed up.”

“I appreciate you taking care of Sohee in my place,” Wonshik softly replied. 

“Yoo-ssi,” Nam stepped into the conversation, “We’ve talked to Jisung and Sohee and we want to propose something to you.” 

“What is it?”

“We’ve checked everywhere and, and there is no family,” Woo started to explain, “There is no one for Jisung to go with on either Yeji’s or his father’s side. As you can see, Jisung has been taking care of Sohee her whole life. This is already a very stressful situation for a kid her age, we think it would be in her best interest if she wasn’t also taken away from her brother so suddenly.”

“What are you suggesting?” Wonshik questioned. 

“Would you and your wife be willing to also house Jisung?” Nam dropped the bomb, “There is truly nowhere else for him to go and, at his age, I’m afraid a group home will be his only option.” 

Wonshik looked even more confused at the question and before he could open his mouth to outright deny it, Jisung got desperate. 

To the shock of all the adults in the room, Jisung gently pried Sohee off his torso before flinging his body to the ground in front of Wonshik. He was resting on his knees and bowed until his forehead hit the floor. Sohee was softly sobbing behind him and had moved to cling to his back when Jisung started begging.

“I know I’m just a random kid and a stranger to you, but I’m Sohee’s brother. I changed all of her diapers, I taught her how to walk, read, write, I’ve taught her everything she’s learned outside of a classroom,” Jisung rambled, “I was the one at every school function, the one picking her up every day after school, making all her meals - everything. I’ve done everything to raise Sohee to be the amazing kid she is right now. I love her so much, she’s the only family I have besides my mom. Please, Yoo-ssi, I will do anything you want. I will do whatever chores you want, I’ll get a job so I can pay you rent, whatever you and your wife want, I’ll do it. Just please, don’t take her. Please don’t separate us right now, I’m begging you.”

“Please let Jisungie-oppa come with me,” Sohee whimpered into her brother's shirt.

Wonshik sighed, “I’m-I’m really sorry-” Jisung sobbed loudly - “I can’t take you home with us, Jisung. My wife and I talked about it when I first decided it was time to fight for Sohee. We both agree that it’s just too much for us. We have a young boy at home - Sohee’s younger brother. And after talking with these social workers and officers today, we also think…it was unfair to both of you for you to have been Sohee’s caretaker. You deserved to be a kid and Sohee deserved a real parent. We think…we think it’d be for the best if you had a break from that unhealthy bond.”

Jisung broke down at Wonshik words, a million thoughts racing through his mind. How could this man think every sacrifice Jisung made for the last eight years had actually been hurting his sister? How could he think ripping her away from him would do Sohee any good right now? How could this man and his wife not even consider saving Jisung from their mother as well after everything he had done?

“Yoo-ssi, I don’t think you realize how serious separating Sohee from Jisung right now can be,” Nam confidently broke into the conversation. 

“My wife and I are more than prepared to get Sohee whatever help she needs from a therapist and psychologist, but we decided we cannot take in another kid, especially a teenager,” Wonshik sternly shot her worries down, “Sohee is my kid, not him. So I will only be taking Sohee home with me.”

“I understand,” Nam gave up. Legally, there wasn’t anything they could do. Wonshik was under no obligation to take in Jisung, even if not doing so would potentially hurt Sohee in the process. In the background, Officer Cho scoffed while Woo shakily took a breath and turned away from the scene in front of her. 

Jisung lifted his torso up from the ground and pulled Sohee into the tightest hug he could manage. Sohee was still crying and all Jisung could think was how she probably needed some water before she passed out from all the crying. 

“If there's nothing else, I think Sohee’s had a long day. I’d like to take her home now,” Wonshik said. 

“Okay, I’ll have to come as well to make sure everything is in order at your home but,” Nam defeatedly sighed, “We can leave whenever. There's no more paperwork for you to fill out.”

“Let’s go then,” Wonshik clapped his hands together. The sound of the clap ignited something in the siblings.

Jisung clung even tighter to Sohee and started begging for Wonshik to change his mind, “I promise I’m a good person, I’ll do anything, please don’t do this to us. Please .” 

Sohee, on the other hand, started screaming. It was completely incoherent, but she screamed bloody murder and twisted her hands in Jisung’s clothes, refusing to let go. 

Jisung knew they were just doing their job, but he would never forgive the social workers for coming over to pry him and Sohee apart from each other. 

“No!” Sohee shrieked as she was pulled from Jisung’s arms. Jisung stumbled to follow.

“Please, you can’t do this,” he sobbed as he attempted to grab Sohee back. Woo was next to him, trying and failing to push him away from Sohee. Sohee, who was being held in Nam’s arms as the woman tried to carry her towards the door. 

Sohee kicked out and screamed the whole way to the already open door. Officer Cho was standing off to the side of it while Wonshik had already left the room and was standing in the busy bullpen. Once they crossed the threshold, a surge of adrenaline pulsed through Jisung. 

He fought back against Woo a bit harder and managed to catch her off guard. Once she stumbled backwards, Jisung bolted for the door. He had just made it to the bullpen when strong arms wrapped around his torso from behind - Officer Cho was holding him back.

“She’s my sister,” Jisung yelled in between his sobs as he struggled in the officer’s arms, “You can’t take her, she’s my little sister, she’s all I have.” 

In the back of his mind, Jisung could feel the eyes of every single person in the room on him, but he only had eyes for Sohee, his precious little sister. Sohee had managed to twist herself in Nam’s arms and was trying to escape the woman’s grasp by climbing over her shoulder.

“I want Jisungie-oppa,” Sohee sobbed heavily, “Let me stay, please let me go home with Jisungie-oppa. I promise we’ll be okay without Eomma.”

“Let me go!” Jisung shouted as he tried to pry the arms off his body, “Sohee!”

Sohee’s eyes met his across the room as Nam tried to rush her away from the heartbreaking moment and Jisung saw those same eyes he saw every day. The wide, bright, beautiful eyes that had greeted him eight years ago were now filled with the anguish and despair that Jisung had sworn to protect his baby sister from. Jisung saw the moment her childish thought process turned her feelings against him. 

“Jisungie-oppa you promised,” Sohee yelled, “You promised you’d stay with me. You broke your promise!” 

Jisung stopped fighting as her words cut deep. Later, when his emotions weren’t so fragile, he’d realize she didn’t mean what she said. Sohee was scared, and only eight. In her mind, Jisung made a promise and didn’t keep it, even if he - and everyone else - knew it wasn’t his fault that it all fell apart. But, in that moment, her anger towards him broke him faster than anything else that day. Jisung slumped against Officer Cho and watched helplessly as Sohee finally exited the building. In just a moment, she was gone and Jisung had no idea when he’d see her again. 

“Come on kid, let’s sit you down,” Officer Cho grunted from behind him. Jisung slumped even further down as the officer dragged him back into the room with his social worker and maneuvered him around to seat the boy on the couch. 

“Jisung,” it was the social worker getting in his space now, “I know that was really difficult, I wish we didn’t have to do that to you both. Since Yoo-ssi was unwilling, there was nothing else we could do, I hope you understand that.”

Jisung offered no response, he kept a deadpan stare at the floor in front of him, the tears streaming down his face and the sobs hiccuping out of his throat were the only things showing he was still there. Woo sighed and patted him on the shoulder before standing up.

“I’m going to make some calls, figure out where I can get you a bed, at least for tonight.” Woo explained, “Why don’t you rest here then once I’m done, I’ll take you home to grab some things first, okay?” With that, both she and Officer Cho left the room. When the door clicked shut, Jisung realized he was truly all alone. 

Chapter Text

By lunchtime Felix was well and truly freaking out. For starters, Jisung was acting weird that morning then, not even thirty minutes into the day, he was pulled out of class and never came back. As Felix was anxiously making his way across the school to the music club’s usual lunch spot, he started hearing the rumors. 

“Hey, you know that quiet kid in our class? That got pulled out during first period?” one classmate loudly asked his friends.  

“Han something, right?” another responded. 

“Yeah, well I heard from class 2-C, he was seen leaving the school with cops.” The group was now laughing as they spewed baseless theories of what Jisung could have possibly done. 

Hearing those words, Felix’s anxiety spiked and he tuned out the rest of the conversations around him. Cops? Jisung left with the police? None of this was making sense to him and to top it all off, Jisung hadn’t answered a single one of his many texts. When Felix finally reached the usual lunch spot, he was on the verge of tears. 

“Woah, Felix, what’s going on?” Changbin interrupted whatever arguing was going on between the group once he spotted the younger looking so distraught.

“Hyung?” Jeongin gasped. 

“Have any of you heard from Hannie?” Felix blurted out. 

“Hannie? Aren’t you in his class?” Minho asked. 

“Yeah, the last time Seungmin and I saw him was when we left you guys this morning to get to class,” Hyunjin replied, “No one else would have seen him.”

Felix groaned, “Has he texted or called any of you?” The others double-checked their phones but no one could say yes. 

“Felix, what’s going on? Did Jisung not go to class with you?” Seungmin asked, a hint of nervousness in his tone. 

“No, he did, but,” Felix started crying, “Our teacher, she got a call then she told Jisung to grab all his things and go to the principal’s office. I think it wasn’t even thirty minutes after first period started and he never came back.”

“Okay,” Chan tried to calmly take over the situation, “Maybe he’s still there, or something happened and he needed to go home. I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon.”

“There’s more,” Felix anxiously cut in before anyone else could, “On my way here, I heard people talking about him. They’re saying someone saw him leaving with police.”

“Police? No way,” Changbin shouted. 

“That has to be just a rumor, Lix-hyung,” Jeongin stood up to try to soothe the other boy with a hug, “Hannie-hyung would never do something bad enough to get police involved.” 

“But what if something happened? Like with Sohee or his parents?” Felix cried. 

The others were too stuck in their own worries to notice Chan and Minho having a silent exchange. They both remember Chan’s mother’s words all too well and the conversation they had the other day on the phone. It seemed they both had the same idea - something was really wrong and this was the moment Eunyeong was talking about. 

“Okay, everyone calm down,” Minho shushed everyone, “Let’s talk this out.”

“I think we wait until club,” Chan took charge, “If no one’s heard from him by the end of the day, Felix, Minho, and myself will go talk to their homeroom teacher about getting his address. If the teachers know what’s up they might even ask for someone to bring Hannie his school-work anyways.”

“Chan’s right,” Minho supported, “We could easily get teachers to agree to it if we approach them calmly, but as concerned friends.”

“Can the rest of you at least try texting him?” Felix begged, “I don’t know, but maybe something happened and he isn’t comfortable talking to me about it yet. Channie-hyung, I know you guys have talked a bit and Minho-hyung, Seungmin, I don't know, it just seems like he’s gotten closer to you guys faster somehow.”

“Okay, we can all text him,” Seungmin said, “You’re right, there might be one of us he’d be more comfortable talking to, so it doesn’t hurt for all of us to try. Or at least let him know that we care.” 

“Okay, I’m doing it now,” Hyunjin whipped his phone out to rapidly type out his message. The others were quick to follow suit. 

“Okay,” Chan sighed as he pressed send, “Let’s eat then we’ll reconvene at the end of the day. If any of you hear from him, try to let us know immediately if you can.”

“Or if you hear anyone else talking about him, try to remember who it was,” Minho added, “I want to kick their asses.”

“Minho,” Chan warned.

He rolled his eyes at the older, “Obviously I mean I’ll tell the principal about it.”

Chan sighed but said nothing more, trying to finish his meal before the bell rang instead. His friends were silent the rest of lunch, everyone now overcome with worry for Jisung. Minho and Changbin, as the other oldest members, were trying to appear calm and chill to hopefully help the younger ones relax. It was clear in the way Minho was uncharacteristically glued to his phone and the way Changbin kept flipping his over that they too were anxious in this situation. When the bell finally rang and they were all making their way back to class, Chan could only hope this was all a big misunderstanding. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

At the end of the day, five of the eight club members were waiting in the club room. Seungmin and Hyunjin were running late and the others were getting impatient. 

“None of you heard from Hannie-hyung?” Jeongin asked again. 

Changbin groaned, “For the last time, no. I’ve checked a thousand times and still nothing.”

“Same here,” Felix whined. Chan and Minho shared a glance across the room. Chan had been nervously pacing the front of the classroom while Minho was tapping his feet against the floor from the desk he decided to occupy. Neither of them had said anything about their conversation with Chan’s mom, but it was stuck in the forefront of both of their minds. 

Suddenly, the classroom door opened and they all spun around to find Seungmin and Hyunjin finally entering the room.

“I’m guessing none of you heard from Jisung either?” Seungmin asked, sounding more angry than anything. 

“No,” Jeongin groaned. Felix’s lip trembled and he looked two seconds away from crying again.

“Lixie, “ Hyunjin strode across the room to comfort him, “Don’t cry, we have our plan, remember? You’re gonna try to get Jisung’s address and then we’ll figure it out from there, right?”

Felix nodded and shakily sighed, “I just have this…this awful feeling, Hyunjin. I think something bad happened. You saw how Jisung was acting this morning! He was so distracted and he flinched so hard when you touched him. In class, he didn’t even take out his notebooks and pencils. He’s always had a little system so he can take good notes. Then his face when our teacher called his name out - he looked so scared.”

“Something was definitely wrong this morning,” Seungmin softly agreed, “He just looked so exhausted.”

“Do you guys think whatever had him acting weird with you has something to do with why he got called to the office?” Changbin asked. 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I mean, maybe? I don’t really know. He said he didn’t sleep well last night and when we asked how he didn’t hear us calling out to him, he tried to joke that he was thinking too much.” 

“I’m sure that’s a possibility but we’re not going to know until we talk to him,” Jeongin spoke up.

“Alright,” Minho interrupted, standing up from his seat, “Chan, Felix, let’s go. The rest of you, stay here. We’ll come back after we talk to the teacher.” 

“Can we just come with?” Seungmin irritatedly asked. 

“I don't think Felix and Hannie’s teacher is going to appreciate all seven of us infiltrating the teacher’s lounge demanding an address,” Minho retorted. 

“Alright, enough,” Chan tried to diffuse the situation as he noticed anger rising between the members, “The three of us will go, you four stay here. We will come back immediately and figure out what to do next, okay?” Once everyone agreed, Chan led his two companions to the hallway. He then silently took the familiar path to the teacher’s lounge. Once they reached their destination, Chan suggested Felix take initiative as Jisung’s classmate. 

Felix knocked on the doorframe and the three of them walked into the lounge. “Excuse me? I’m looking for my homeroom teacher, Byun-nim.” The woman in question peered over from her desk on the other side of the room and smiled brightly at the trio.

“Yongbok-ah, come on in,” she called out and waved them over. Once the three were in front of her, she twisted in her chair and kindly asked, “What can I do for you boys?” 

“Well, Han Jisung, he’s in the music club with us and he’s our friend,” Felix rambled, “He was pulled out of our first period and never came back.” The trio took notice of how the teacher’s face faltered at the mention of Jisung’s name and some of the surrounding teachers looked up at the same moment.

“Yes, I’m aware of…that,” Byun carefully replied, “I can’t exactly discuss that with you boys, though.”

Chan immediately jumped in, “We know that it’s just, well, he mentioned he’ll be out for a few days and we were hoping that we could be responsible for getting him the work he’ll be missing.” Minho’s gaze flicked to Chan nervously at the little lie but didn’t say anything.

“I see,” the teacher nodded, “The principal mentioned not worrying about the missing work for now, but Jisung mentioned it to you?”

“Yes, he called during lunch,” Minho supplied, sweetly smiling down at her.

“You know how Jisung is,” Felix tried to laugh, “He’s really worried his grades will slip if he can’t do the work now.” Thank god Felix shared almost every class with Jisung. This gave him an insight into the kind of student Jisung was, making the story all the more believable. 

Byun sighed and shook her head, “I had a feeling the principal wasn’t right about not providing work. Jisung’s always been a good student and his grades are important to him. So I’m not surprised he’s focusing on school even after the principal told him to not worry about it.”

Minho hummed, “We tried, too. Clearly it didn’t work.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes to talk to his teachers and see if they have anything for him today,” she stood from her desk, “Yongbok-ah, can you provide the notes for him?”

Felix quickly nodded and easily lied, “Already sent him pictures from this morning’s classes.”

“Okay, wait here,” she smiled. 

The trio awkwardly stood around as Byun pulled Jisung’s teachers to the side, discussing the situation with all of them. About twenty minutes later, the homeroom teacher came back with a stack of papers. 

“His math and literature teachers refused to provide anything today but here’s stuff from everyone else,” She handed the stack to Felix, “Though, I think he’ll get along just fine if you take good notes, Yongbok-ah.”

“Could we also get his address? We’ve never been to his house before,” Felix awkwardly trailed off, hoping this wouldn’t raise suspicions.

“You can’t ask Jisung?” she confusedly asked. 

“He’s dealing with some things and said he wouldn’t be able to check his phone again for a while. Figured we could ask you since you’d have to give his address out anyways when you asked someone to bring him his work,” Chan easily smoothed over, offering her a kind and innocent smile. 

“Makes sense, one second,” she typed and clicked around on her computer before grabbing a pen to write on a sticky note. She easily peeled it off and stuck it on top of the stack in Felix’s hands, “There you go.” 

“Thank you so much,” Felix bowed, Chan and Minho quickly copied him. 

“It’s no problem, I’ll see you tomorrow, Yongbok-ah,” she waved them off at that.

Once the trio was in the hallway they all let out a deep breath full of anxiety. 

“That was so nerve wracking,” Felix sighed, “I can’t believe we just lied to teachers like that.”

Minho shrugged, “We had to get his address somehow. Now come on, the others have been blowing up the chat. I'm surprised they haven't come here by now.” The three sped towards the music room as fast as they could without drawing attention. They burst through the club room, startling the other four.

“We got his address,” Chan confirmed. A sigh of relief sounded throughout the room.

“You weren’t answering so we got scared you ran off to Hannie’s house without us,” Changbin shook his head.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Jeongin’s voice shook as he stood up, “Let’s go.” The others agreed and started moving to leave, but Chan and Minho were quick to raise their hands and stop them.

“Listen to us for a moment,” Chan authoritatively said. 

“Chan-hyung and I were talking in class and we think it’d be best if we didn’t overwhelm Jisung,” Minho explained. 

“What do you mean?” Felix was the first to ask. 

“We don’t know what happened,” Chan calmly explained, “You’re right, Felix. It could be something really bad. We all know that Jisung hasn’t exactly…easily opened up to us. He might get overwhelmed if all seven of us show up after something bad happened.”

“So,” Seugmin drawled out, “What are you thinking?”

“Chan and I will go to Jisung’s, you guys find somewhere to hang out and wait for us to update you,” Minho answered and the room exploded. 

“Hyung, that’s not fair!” Jeongin childishly yelled.

“I’ve been worried about him all day, I'm going,” Felix argued. 

“Why the hell are you two going? Why not one of us?” Hyunjin angrily questioned.

“This is exactly why,” Chan accused, “None of you are staying calm. We have no idea what we are walking into. Jisung does not need to have to deal with our emotions on top of his own. Not to mention, he’s most definitely also handling Sohee right now. Minho and I can stay calm and rational despite our worry.”

Changbin interrupted, surprisingly calm, “I’ll take you all to my place, okay? We can raid the snacks and calm down so you’re ready to support Hannie if he needs it. Chan-hyung and Minho-hyung are the responsible adults here, let them handle this first. Can we do that?” The younger four nodded, though still seeming to not agree with the situation.

“You promise to update us?” Seungmin glared.

“Every chance we get,” Chan promised. 

“Fine, we’ll go to Changbin-hyung’s and wait then,” Seungmin finally agreed.

“Okay, let’s go,” Minho took the papers from Felix’s hands, snatched up his own bag, and made his way out of the room. The others quickly trailed after him. 

As they left the building, Chan punched Jisung’s address into his GPS app. He and Minho pondered over it for a moment before figuring out which way they needed to go.

“Okay guys, we’ll talk later,” Chan waved goodbye before he and Minho turned in the opposite direction from the rest of the group.

They spent the entire walk in silence. Both Chan and Minho knew there wasn’t much that could be said beyond speculation, so they both decided not to say anything at all. The walk itself took about a total of twenty minutes, and they both stopped in their tracks as they came in front of the apartment complex. 

“Let’s see,” Minho inspected the sticky note, “It says he lives in apartment 202.”

It was an outdoor apartment complex so they could easily scan the numbers from where they were standing at the entrance. Chan was the first to find the apartment and pointed it out to Minho. The two calmly walked over to the building and up the stairs. Chan braced himself before politely knocking on the door. A moment passed before he knocked again.

“Jisung? It’s Chan and Minho,” the oldest called out.

“Let me try calling him,” Minho muttered after they still got no response. Jisung was notorious for always having his ringer on - Minho assumed it was in case something happened to Sohee. The call rang through completely, but the duo couldn’t hear a ringer on the other side of the door. 

“He’s not home then. Fuck,” Chan leaned his back against the wall, “What do we do now?”

“I’m waiting here,” Minho decided. He sat down next to Jisung’s door and fiddled with his phone, “He has to come home at some point.” 

“You’re right,” Chan sighed and sat down next to Minho, “I’ll update the others.” Chan sent off a quick text explaining their situation before pocketing his phone again. 

“It’s almost four p.m. now. If he was pulled out of class around eight-thirty then it’s been over seven hours,” Minho mused. Chan nodded, but his reply was cut off by Jisung’s neighbor’s door opening. The two boys looked up and made eye contact with a very confused looking woman.

“Who the hell are you?” she asked.

“We’re Jisung’s friends. We’re waiting for him to come home,” Minho explained, not moving from his spot on the floor. Chan, however, immediately stood up to talk to this woman. 

“Right. If you're his friends, wouldn’t you have been in school with him?” she pointed out.

The two shared a look before Chan decided to ask, “How well do you know Jisung and Sohee?” 

The woman chuckled, “Please, those two are precious to this neighborhood. Everyone adores them. Especially the Kims downstairs. Jisung’s always helping those geezers out and they love to dote on little Sohee. I have a hobby in music and let Jisung borrow my stuff sometimes. Trust, I know them very well.”

Minho scrunched his face for a moment before gasping with a realization, “I think Hannie might have mentioned you before. Park-ssi, right?” 

The woman nodded, “Yeah, that’s me, but call me Doona. Now explain, what’s the deal here?”

“Well, Jisung was pulled out of class this morning and no one’s heard from him since,” Chan explained, for some reason he trusted this woman, “We’re a bit worried, so we’re waiting here.”

Doona nodded, “That’s unusual. Never thought I’d hear of him getting in trouble,” the older woman sighed, “Well, he comes home around this time with Sohee everyday. So hopefully he comes back soon. Actually…you know, I don’t see his mom’s car. That’s strange.”

“Strange?” Chan echoed.

“She’s just always home this time of day,” Doona brushed off, “Look, I gotta get to work, but tell Jisung I’ll want to talk to him when he gets home. Getting pulled out of class…what the hell is this kid doing?” she sighed, “Whatever, take care, kids.” With that, she bounced down the stairs leaving Chan and Minho alone again. Chan slumped back down next to Minho and sighed tiredly.

“I’m sure Hannie will be home soon and we’ll all laugh at how ridiculously we overreacted,” Minho unconvincingly said. Chan stared out into the distance, wondering just how much longer they’d have to wait.

Chapter Text

It was just after five p.m. when Woo came back into the room Jisung had been left in. Almost two hours after Sohee was ripped away from him. Almost two hours of being utterly and completely alone. 

“Jisung,” she softly called out as she sat next to him, “I found a group home that can give you a bed tonight. I know it’s not what you want, but it’s better than staying here all night.”

“I want to go home,” Jisung mumbled.

“I know,” Woo crooned, “But, under the law, I can’t let you go back to your apartment without a guardian. So you’ll have to go to the group home tonight, but I’m going to try my best to find a family that could take you in. I think you’d do better in a less crowded setting.”

A tear slipped out of Jisung’s eye as he whimpered, “This isn’t fair. I didn’t do anything.”

“I know, Jisung. I wish I could do more for you,’ Woo shushed him as more tears fell down his cheeks, “Let’s go to your home and get some of your things. You can bring whatever you want with you, okay?” When Jisung didn’t respond, Woo stood up and took it upon herself to drag him with her. Jisung didn’t fight and let himself be led out to the bullpen by the social worker. They grabbed his bag from Officer Cho on the way out.

“We’ll be in touch, Jisung. Take care of yourself,” the older man gave as his parting words. Jisung kept his head down, too tired and lost to talk. Woo led him out to her car where she guided him into the passenger seat before climbing behind the wheel herself. 

Luckily, she could read the room and kept the radio off for their short drive to his apartment complex. As they pulled up, the sun was starting to set and Jisung glanced at the radio clock to check the time. “5:32” it read. It had now been nine hours since he was pulled out of class. Nine hours since his life changed. 

“202, right?” Woo asked as she put the car in park. Jisung didn’t respond. He knew that she knew the address and was only trying to get him to talk. 

He followed her out of the car as he had no other choice and dragged his feet after her. He didn’t want to step foot into the apartment, but he had no fight left in him. There was nothing left to fight for once Sohee was gone, so he let himself be brought home to at least gather some essentials. After all, who knew if he would ever be allowed back in there? Jisung was pulled out of his thoughts when Woo stopped at the top of the stairs with a startled noise.

“Oh, you boys scared me,” She let out a deep breath, “Sorry.” 

“No, we’re sorry, we’re just waiting for a friend,” a familiar voice replied. When Woo moved forward and Jisung took the last few steps up, he glanced up to see who the voice belonged to and his breath stuttered in shock.

“Jisung?” the same voice - Chan - yelled. The older boy immediately stood up, “Where the hell have you been?” 

“Hannie,” Minho was there too? He had crossed the small space once he saw him to pull Jisung into a fierce hug, “Hannie we were so worried about you.” 

In Minho’s strong and warm embrace, Jisung felt his walls breaking down. He may not have known the other boy for long, but the comfort he was experiencing was too much for him to keep on pretending he was okay. Jisung wrapped his arms around Minho’s torso and whole-heartedly sobbed into Minho’s collar. He gripped tight onto the back of the older boy’s shirt - afraid that Minho would disappear too if he let go.

“Hannie, what’s going on?” Minho glanced at the woman for an answer as worry filled him all over again. He was so relieved to see Jisung, but now that crippling feeling of anxiety was creeping back into his body.

“Sorry, I’m Chan and that’s Minho, we’re Jisung’s friends,” Chan introduced them to the woman, “You must be Jisung’s mother?”

The woman shook her head, “No, actually I’m Jisung’s social worker, call me Woo-ssi.” 

“Social worker? What? Hannie never mentioned that?” Minho’s voice raised in pitch as he grew more worried. 

“It’s a new case, that’s why Jisung’s never said anything about me before,” Woo said as if that explained anything.

“Hannie, Hannie look at me,” Minho pulled back from the hug to cup Jisung’s face in his hands. His heart shattered at the devastated and exhausted tear-stained face in front of him but he tried to hold strong, “What happened? Felix said you were taken out of class, others said they saw cops. We couldn’t reach you and we were all so worried, what’s going on?”

Chan gasped, eyes wide, turned to the social worker and demanded, “Where’s Sohee?” 

Jisung keened and threw himself back into Minho’s arms, sobbing with renewed vigor, “Hyung, they took her. They took her away.” 

Minho tried to shush him, running a gentle but firm hand down Jisung’s back, “It’s okay, Hannie, it’s okay. Calm down a little and tell hyung what happened.”

Jisung took a shaky breath before the words came tumbling out, “My mom got in a car accident. It’s so bad, hyung. She killed two people. And-and she’s been lying to me this whole time! Sohee’s dad showed up to take her. I didn’t think my mom knew who he was but-but he’s been-he’s been giving my mom money this whole time and apparently he’s been trying to get custody? I don’t understand, nothing makes sense anymore, and he wouldn’t take me in even though I have nowhere to go and I’ve been taking care of Sohee her whole life. They took Sohee away from me, hyung. She’s all I have and they took her away,” Jisung wailed the last part, somehow crying even harder. 

Chan and Minho paled as they listened to Jisung’s ramblings. The two looked over to Woo to get confirmation and the distraught look on her face said everything. 

“You separated them?” Chan whispered hauntingly. 

Woo sighed, “We tried, Sohee’s social worker and I, we really did. But there was no convincing Yoo-ssi. There wasn’t much we could do besides explain that it could be detrimental to Sohee to separate her from Jisung after everything she and Jisung have been through. Jisung is not biologically or legally his child, so he has no responsibility or obligation to take him in as well. On top of the ongoing custody case he’s had open with Yeji, Sohee’s social worker had no choice but to place Sohee with her father for the time being.”

“It’s not fair,” Jisung sniffled, his voice muffled by Minho’s neck, “He’s never been around, why does he just get to take her?” 

“Is your mom okay? The accident - will she be coming home eventually?” Minho asked. It seems these were the wrong questions because Jisung only cried more.

Woo decided to explain for him, “Jisung’s mother was under the influence when she got in the accident. Like Jisung said, two people died and a third is in critical condition. She’s going to be facing some serious consequences for this.”

Jisung lightly punched Minho’s chest in frustration, “It’s not fair. Why couldn’t she just stop drinking? Why couldn’t she just get better?”

“Oh, Jisung,” Minho whined, trying to hug him tighter. Jisung may not have given many details, but he and Chan weren’t stupid and quickly realized that the drinking was not a one-time thing for his mother. 

“What happens to Jisung now?” Chan asked. “Is there a family member nearby?”

Woo smiled sadly and shook her head, “I'll be taking Jisung to a group home tonight. We’re just here to grab some of his things.”

“There's no foster family that could take him in?” Chan quickly asked, “I’ve heard group homes can be…less helpful in certain cases.”

“Unfortunately, there is no other option right now,” Woo sadly replied. 

Chan’s mind raced as he tried to think of any way to help Jisung in this moment. He was already torn away from Sohee, he couldn’t let Jisung be torn away from his friends as well. Suddenly he remembered the conversation his parents had with himself and Minho that one night. His mother’s words - “Promise me you’ll be a safe place for him and you’ll bring him here if he ever needs it.” - repeated through his mind like a mantra. Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly spoke his mind. 

“If someone had an active foster license and no current placements, would you be able to place Jisung with them?” Chan demanded.

“In theory, yes,” Woo carefully said.

“My parents, they’ve had their license for years - that’s how my siblings joined our family,” Chan rushed to explain, “We have no placement right now, they renewed their license less than a year ago. Can you place Jisung with them?”

“I’ll have to look into it,” Woo started to explain but Chan quickly cut her off once he sensed her hesitation.

“Please, he’s already been separated from Sohee. Don’t separate him from his friends too, I’m begging you,” Chan shouted, “I’ll give you their information so you can check, but please, at least let him come to my home tonight.”

Woo glanced over to where Jisung was still being comforted in Minho’s arms and looked back to the fierce determination etched across Chan’s face. These were two people who clearly cared for the now broken boy in front of her. Maybe it was against procedure, but Jisung deserved for her to at least try. 

“Let me check with my supervisor and contact your parents,” Woo relented, “What are their names?”

“Bang Hyunwoo and Eunyeong. Thank you so much,” Chan bowed to show his appreciation. 

“Jisung, you have your key? Why don’t we go inside so you can sit while I make some calls. Your friends can stay with you,” Woo offered. 

Jisung must have muttered something because the next moment Minho was carefully reaching into Jisung’s back pocket and pulling out a set of keys. He tossed them to Chan who quickly unlocked the door and pushed it open. 

Later, Jisung would be mortified that two of his friends saw the state of his home, but he was too lost in finding comfort in Minho’s arms to care at the time. Chan and Minho were unable to keep their cool, the smell of booze and cigarettes immediately infiltrated their nostrils and overwhelmed them. Woo looked as if she was used to this sort of environment as she carefully shut the door behind them and moved into the kitchen to make her calls. Chan and Minho could only gape in shock as their eyes trailed over the space they could see from the living room. 

It was clear someone, likely Jisung, tried to keep the place nice and clean. However, it seemed whatever measures he took could only do so much. There were stains all over the carpet and couch. The walls were slightly discolored in some areas - probably from years of someone smoking in the enclosed space. The saddest of all, there was no life in the apartment. No one would ever be able to tell that the two bright, beloved Han siblings lived here. 

“Oh Jisung, you’ve been struggling for a long time, haven’t you?” Minho was now crying softly, “I wish we would’ve met sooner.” 

Chan could only silently agree as he stepped further into the apartment. He wanted to take as much of it in as he could. Maybe, in some way, this would help him understand Jisung. He was beating himself up for not noticing just how much Jisung was truly suffering. He had his suspicions, his parents did too, but he still held back from pushing Jisung for more information. Now, he was filled with guilt and regret. 

Things were starting to piece together in Chan’s mind and it wouldn’t be until much later when Jisung finally confirmed all their guesses. Now though, Chan felt as if everything about the Han siblings finally made sense. 

Jisung was finally calmed down enough to have stopped sobbing, but he was refusing to leave Minho’s embrace - he probably hadn’t been hugged by anyone other than Sohee in a long time. The thought was stuck in Chan’s mind but he tried his best to focus on other things. He attempted to seem normal as he stepped next to his cuddled up friends and gently broke the silence.

“Jisung, where’s your room? I’ll help you pack some things to take with you,” Chan wanted to make sure they could get Jisung out of here as fast as possible once Woo was done on the phone. 

“End of the hallway, on the left,” Jisung mumbled. Chan nodded and turned to walk down the hallway. He could hear Minho coaxing Jisung to follow with the kindest voice he’d ever heard come out of the other’s mouth. 

When Chan reached the door and entered the room, he could only smile sadly at the sight. It wasn’t full by any means, but what was there was clearly precious to Jisung. A handful of cds that must have been music the boy loved so much if he was willing to spend money on them. Notebooks carefully stacked up on the floor - probably filled with lyrics if Chan had to guess. Behind him was a boy who was scared to ask for anything, and in front of him was the space with his only belongings. 

“Okay Hannie,” Minho cooed, “What should we bring to Channie-hyung’s? He’s close by so we can always come back if you forget or want something else, okay?” Jisung finally - but reluctantly - pulled out of Minho’s embrace to look over the room. He rubbed at his tired eyes before sighing. 

Silently, Jisung pulled open the closet and grabbed a duffel bag that was sitting on the floor. He methodically started pulling the meager amount of clothes off their hangers and messily folding them into bag. Chan and Minho hung back, neither wanted to upset Jisung, so they waited for the younger to ask for help on his own. 

Once the clothes were done, Jisung grabbed the cds Chan had noticed and carefully packed those up too. Next was the notebooks. Every single one was carefully shoved into the bag as if Jisung was scared he would lose them. There were a few trinkets Jisung grabbed as well and, all too soon, the room was practically empty. 

“I’m, um, I’m gonna grab my bathroom stuff,” Jisung then trudged across the hallway. A moment passed before he came back with a small amount of toiletries. Chan and Minho held their tongues, but both were already thinking of talking to Chan’s parents about buying Jisung more necessities. 

“Anything else?” Chan tried to confidently ask once he noticed Jisung awkwardly fiddling with the bag. Jisung shook his head so Chan turned around to lead them back to the living room. 

“Hannie?” He turned around at the sound of Minho’s voice. There he found Jisung standing in front of the first door in the hallway. He was clutching the duffel bag tightly in one hand and the other was half raised and shaking. It was as if he was going to open the door but was scared to do so.

“Jisung do you want to grab something from there?” Chan asked. 

Jisung’s lip quivered and he quickly opened the door before he could stop himself. He shakily stepped into the room, Minho right behind him. Chan slowly followed them. Once he entered the room, his breath stuttered in chest as he realized what room this was. 

Toys were littered across the room, a few stuffed animals neatly tucked in place, the closet was fuller than Jisung’s and everything was clearly well taken care of. This was Sohee’s room. 

“Is there something you want, Hannie? Something to remind you of Sohee?” Minho quietly asked. His voice sounded thick and high pitched and Chan knew this meant he was holding back tears. Jisung didn’t reply and remained stock still in the center of the room. 

Tears welled up in Chan’s own eyes as he took in his surroundings. Jisung’s room was so sparse, but Sohee’s had so much. Jisung has clearly sacrificed a lot to make sure Sohee could have everything she could ever want or need. 

Before either of the older two could say anything else, Jisung shuffled over to the bed and sat on it. His hands trailed across the comforter before reaching for the one stuffed animal that was carefully resting against the pillows. Jisung clutched it tight to his chest before shakily sighing.

“This is her favorite,” he quietly explained, “Her kindergarten, they had a free field trip to the zoo. We went and she fell in love with this animal. I’d never heard of them before and when we got to the gift shop, she saw this and I could tell she really wanted it. Sohee’s always been smart though. So even though she was only five, she didn’t ask me for it. She pretended she didn’t want anything because she knew we didn’t have money for it. But, I wanted to surprise her so I got it. It was all the emergency money I had left but it was so worth it. I asked her why this one? Why a quokka stuffed animal? And you know what she said?” Jisung wetly laughed, “She said it reminded her of me, that’s why she loved them so much. She’s slept with it every night since then because it helps her feel safe. How is she supposed to feel safe if she doesn't have me or the quokka?” 

Jisung was crying again and Minho was quick to kneel in front of him and wipe his tears away. 

“I know you’re scared, Hannie, and I’m sure Sohee is too,” Minho softly said, “You love each other so much, I’m so sorry you can’t be with her right now. But, why don’t you keep her quokka safe for her? Take her precious stuffed animal with you to Channie’s so you can give it to her when you see her again. Don’t you think Sohee would want her Jisungie-oppa to take care of her prized possession?” 

Jisung was crying even harder but nodded in agreement to Minho’s suggestion. He held even tighter onto the stuffed animal as Minho gently pulled Jisung down and back into a hug. 

Chan could only watch from the doorway with tears in his eyes as Minho comforted the other. This was all too much to process and Chan could only imagine how broken Jisung felt at that moment. Here was someone Chan thought was just a shy boy who loved music and his sister, but underneath that tough layer was someone so hurt by life. And today only made that hurt so much worse. 

He was interrupted out of his thoughts when he heard Woo finishing up her phone call. Chan turned around when he heard her walk out of the kitchen. 

“There you guys are,” She looked relieved as she peered into the room, “Jisung, I have good news.” 

The boy in question raised his head over Minho’s shoulder to look at her distrustingly. It was clear he didn’t think any good news could come out of her mouth.

Woo continued, “I spoke to my boss and your friend’s parents. You can stay with them. Indefinitely. So you’ll be nearby if you need to come to the apartment, you can stay at your school, and you won’t have to leave your friends. I know it’s not exactly what you’re wanting, but this is the best solution right now.” 

Jisung’s lip quivered and he lifted his head more to look at Chan. Chan braced himself for whatever was stuck on Jisung’s tongue. 

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Jisung breathily asked, “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“I’ve told you before, you’d never be a burden,” Chan replied, “I promise, myself and my parents are offering this because we care about you and we want to help you.”

“Okay,” Jisung brokenly whispered. 

“Do you have everything? We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Woo reassured. Jisung nodded and Minho helped him stand up from Sohee’s bed, slinging an arm around his shoulder in the process. 

It was a mostly silent walk out of the apartment and to the social workers car. The only sound was Jisung’s quiet sniffling as he locked the door behind them all and walked away from the only home he had ever known -  the home he shared with Sohee and the home he had once shared with his father. The other three knew that the home must have been full of bad memories for Jisung, but that didn’t change how hard this was for the boy. 

Woo offered the other two boys a ride as well since they were going to the same place. Chan sat in the passenger seat as Minho and Jisung were refusing to let go of each other. The journey itself wasn’t that long - Minho wasn’t exaggerating when he’d said Chan’s house was nearby. Still, it felt like a lifetime as the silence sunk over the car. 

When they pulled up in front of Chan’s home, his parents were already outside, anxiously waiting for them to pull up. The social worker got out of the car first, grabbing her paperwork and quickly moving to greet Chan’s parents. 

Chan was next out of the car, grabbing Jisung’s bag to carry it inside for him. He watched from the side as Minho gently coaxed and pulled Jisung out of the car. It was clear the events of the day were now wearing Jisung out completely and he was a breath away from passing out from the mental and emotional toll on him. He was desperately clinging to the stuffed animal and slumping all of his weight onto Minho, who was doing his best to keep Jisung upright as the trio walked up to the front door. His parents and the social worker were waiting right inside the foyer for them as they toed off their shoes. 

Chan’s mother looked very distraught as she watched Jisung enter her home. Chan thought back to just last Monday when his parents pulled him aside and he realized his mom must be feeling just as guilty as he did for not saying something to Jisung that day. 

“Boys,” Hyunwoo broke the silence, “Why don’t you take Jisung to a bedroom for the night. We need to talk to Woo-ssi about some things, but we can talk to Jisung tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” Chan eyed his parents and the social worker. Once he had Jisung in a bed, it was going to take a lot to make him wake his younger friend up. 

The social worker nodded, “I’ll stop by someday soon to go over things in more detail with him. He needs some rest.”

“Okay,” Chan nodded, “You got him Minho?” 

“Yeah, let me just,” Minho grunted before readjusting and picking Jisung up bridal style, “This’ll be easier than trying to make him walk up the stairs. We taking him to your room?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Chan then bid the adults goodbye and led the way up the stairs to his room. His siblings were curiously peeking out their respective doors as the trio walked down the hallway, but Chan just patted them both on the head and continued on his path. 

When they got in his room, Chan gently shut the door behind him and placed Jisung’s bag on the floor. Minho maneuvered Jisung onto Chan’s bed and brushed the hair out of his eyes before sitting next to the now laying down boy. 

“You okay to sleep in Channie-hyung’s bed Jisungie?” Minho softly asked. 

“Yeah,” Jisung hoarsely responded. He curled in on himself and rubbed his cheek against the stuffed animal in his arms. 

“Do you need to go home Minho?” Chan asked out of the blue. Before Minho could respond, Jisung surprised them both and shot his arm out to grip Minho’s wrist. 

“Hyung, please stay,” Jisung begged, a sob stuck in his throat. 

“Hey, hey, Hannie, it's okay. I’m not going anywhere,” Minho shushed his worries, “I was going to say I just need to let my mom know where I am and why but my parents will understand. Channie-hyung’s gonna have to drag me out of here himself if he doesn’t want me to stay.” 

“Of course you can stay,” Chan murmured, moving to sit at the foot of his bed. “You guys can take the bed, I’ll take the couch downstairs.”

Jisung hesitated before quietly asking, “Can you stay here? Please? ” 

Chan was admittedly a bit shocked at Jisung’s question. Jisung had been such a private person for the short time they’ve all known him. Chan had assumed that Jisung would shut down and hide after the awful day he had. Chan didn’t think Jisung would want even Minho, let alone both of them, to spend the night with him. Chan had a queen sized bed, so it’d be a tight fit for all three of them, but if Jisung wanted the physical comfort, Chan wasn’t going to be the one to deny it from him. 

“Of course I can. Only if you’re sure that’s what you want,” Chan murmured and reached out to gently squeeze Jisung’s ankle, “I just thought after today…that you might have wanted to be alone. But I’m happy to stay here with you and Minho if you want me to.”

“I just,” Jisung paused, “I don’t want to be alone. Not tonight.” 

“Okay, we’ll stay. Now why don’t we get changed, yeah?” Chan suggested, “Minho, I’ll lend you some clothes. Jisung, do you want to borrow anything?” 

“No, I have clothes,” Jisung muttered. Chan nodded and crossed the room to grab Jisung’s bag for him. Chan placed the bag on the bed then moved to his own dresser to pull out clothes for himself and Minho. 

Chan and Minho moved to change out of their uniforms and into the pajamas right there. They’d been friends for a long time and changing clothes for a few moments was no longer something they were uncomfortable with. Jisung, on the other hand, hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed. Despite clearly being exhausted, he made no attempt to change out of his uniform and prepare for bed. 

“Hannie,” Chan cautiously stepped over to the side of the bed, “Do you want help changing?” 

Jisung didn’t respond or show any indication that he’d heard the other boy. Chan looked back to Minho for help, but Minho was also unsure what to do.

“Okay Hannie, I’ll pick your clothes out for you,” Chan decided. He felt bad going through Jisung’s bag, but he wasn’t about to let Jisung sleep in the uncomfortable uniform all night. Jisung was clearly out of it, probably because of the traumatizing things that had happened that day, and Chan was willing to help Jisung with whatever he needed. He pulled out the first plain longsleeve t-shirt and pair of baggy sweatpants he came across then placed Jisung’s bag back onto the floor. 

“Hannie, let’s get you out of those uncomfortable clothes,” Minho had now stepped onto the other side of the bed. Jisung nodded and finally stood up from the bed. He took the clothes from Chan and nervously looked around.

“What’s wrong?” Chan asked. 

“Um, where’s the bathroom? Or can you guys just…turn around while I change? I’m not…I’m just not comfortable changing in front of anyone,” Jisung stammered. 

“We’ll turn around,” Chan smiled and turned his back to the bed. Minho stepped around the bed to stand next to Chan, his back also to Jisung. They quietly stood there and listened to Jisung rustle around as he changed into the pajamas. 

“Okay, you can turn around now,” Jisung softly said after a few moments. The older boys turned back around and Jisung looked incredibly smaller in the baggy clothes. He looked even more worn down and exhausted and they both wanted to get him into bed, immediately.

“Let’s lay down, Hannie,” Minho chimed. Chan moved to pull his comforter back while Minho adjusted the pillows so they each would have at least one. Chan paid it no mind when he noticed Minho put the comfiest pillow in the middle for Jisung. 

Minho carefully pushed Jisung down onto the bed and moved him back until Jisung was laying in the middle of the bed. Minho handed him the quokka to hold and carefully laid on Jisung’s right side. He pulled the covers over both of them, taking extra care to make sure Jisung was nice and warm. Jisung was lying on his side, facing Minho, and Minho decided to lay on his own side to be face-to-face with Jisung. 

“I’m sure the stuffed animal is comfy, but you can cuddle me whenever you want, I won’t mind,” Minho softly said. He then broke the seriousness with a small joke, “You can also kick Channie-hyung all night. He snores like crazy.” 

Jisung didn’t laugh, but he gave Minho a small nod. 

Chan sighed, “It’s not that bad.” He then climbed onto Jisung’s left side and sat against the headboard. He knew his parents would come talk to him once the social worker left, so he was going to try to fight off sleep until then. 

“That’s just what you think,” Minho hummed. Chan shook his head but offered no response. 

It was a tight squeeze on the bed, but Chan didn’t mind. Jisung was small and he’s shared a bed with Minho many times over the years for sleepovers. So if this was what Jisung needed to feel comforted, he would do it a hundred times over. It seemed Minho also could tell it was a tight squeeze because he kept readjusting himself. Neither of them wanted to touch Jisung without permission, but it was also hard to comfortably fit three teenage boys on the bed without cuddling a little bit. 

“Jisung?” Minho asked, “You can say no, of course, but can I cuddle you?”

“Yeah,” Jisung whispered. Minho immediately threw his arm over Jisung and pulled himself closer to the younger. Minho pushed Jisung's head into his own neck and placed his cheek on Jisung’s temple. 

“If you’re uncomfortable, just tell me,” Minho whispered, “I promise I won’t be mad.”

“I’m okay,” Jisung snuggled deeper into Minho’s chest, “This is nice.” 

Chan noticed tears welling up in Minho’s eyes and he reached out to place a gentle hand on Minho’s head. Minho looked up and they locked eyes. They knew they would need to talk about this later, figure out what they needed to do to help Jisung through this without ruining him along the way.

“You two get some rest,” Chan murmured as he reached over to brush his fingers through Minho’s hair, “I’ll wait up for my parents to check on us, okay?”

“Okay, hyung,” Minho softly said. It was silent after that and soon enough, the room was filled with the soft, rhythmic breathing from both Minho and Jisung. Jisung had fallen asleep almost instantly, the exhaustion from the emotional day finally catching up with him. Minho only fell asleep once he knew Jisung was asleep himself. Once he felt Jisung relax, Minho pulled him in a little bit tighter, placed a firm kiss on his temple, and let his own eyes fall shut. Chan decided not to comment on the affection. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Chan sat there, absentmindedly stroking Minho’s hair, for what felt like an hour before he heard a soft knock on his door. A moment later, his door was pushed open and his parents entered the room. 

“Hi Channie,” Eunyeong quietly greeted. She scanned over the trio on the bed, “They asleep?”

“Yeah, Jisung was tired,” Chan murmured.

“Woo-ssi gave us more details of what happened today,” Hyunwoo said, “It’s going to be tough for Jisung for a while.”

“You need to be prepared for it to be hard, Channie,” Eunyeong added. 

“I know,” Chan confidently replied, “He’s our friend. We’re all gonna take care of him as best as we can. Whatever he needs, I know everyone in the club will do whatever they can for him.” His parents smiled at his response.

Eunyeong suddenly remembered, “The others called earlier to see if we’d heard from you. Have you updated them yet?”

“Shit, no, I completely forgot. Everything happened so fast,” Chan sighed.

“It’s okay, but why don’t you step out and call them? We’ll stay here with Minho and Jisung in case they wake up while you’re gone,” his mother smiled comfortingly. Chan thanked his parents, slipped out of his bedroom, and made his way to the living room. He sat on the couch and collected himself before opening Changbin’s contact and pressing call. 

It only took three rings before Changbin’s voice boomed in his ear, “Hyung! Is Jisung there?” Chan could hear shouting and shuffling in the background from the rest of their friends. 

“Am I on speaker?” Chan asked. 

Changbin was silent for a moment before replying, “Now you are.”

“Chan-hyung!” Hyunjin shouted, “It’s been forever since you last updated us, what the hell is going on?”

“Is Jisung okay?” Felix asked.

“Can we talk to him? Is he there?” Jeongin anxiously pestered. 

“Guys, guys! Let Chan-hyung speak,” Seungmin talked over them all. 

Chan cleared his throat, “He’s here - we’re all at my house now. Jisung…he’s staying here.” 

Five sighs of relief sounded from the other end of the phone. Hyunjin was loudly singing praise, while someone else was loudly sniffling. They were all happy at the news. 

“So he’s okay?” Changbin finally asked. Chan remained silent, not sure how to approach the question. Should he tell them everything that happened? Would Jisung prefer to tell them on his own?

“Chan-hyung,” of course it was Seungmin, “Something's wrong, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Chan coughed to ease the tightness returning to his throat, “yeah, something’s really wrong.” 

“Is Hannie-hyung okay?” Jeongin whimpered. 

“Physically, yes. Otherwise, no. Not at all.”

“Oh god, is Sohee okay? Are Jisung’s parents okay?” Hyunjin asked. 

“It’s Sohee isn’t it? Hyung, please, no,” Felix started crying.

Chan quickly interrupted, “Sohee’s okay, she’s not hurt.” 

“So she’s there too?” Hyunjin sighed with relief. Chan bit his lip as he knew he had to ruin their relief again.

“No, she’s not,” Chan continued before any of them could interrupt him, “Their mom got into an accident. She’s okay, just some small injuries but…the other car wasn’t so lucky. I don’t know all the details, everything sort of happened really fast, but Jisung’s mom is in a lot of trouble for it.”

“Oh god, that’s terrible,” Felix keened.

“And Sohee? Where is she?” Changbin demanded. Chan’s mind unhelpfully noted that this was the first time Changbin hadn’t called her “little Hannie.” A true testament to how serious this was. 

“Like I said, I don’t understand all the details. Jisung, he’s really upset, but from what we could gather from him and his social worker, Sohee’s dad was paying child support and apparently trying to get custody of Sohee for a while. Jisung…he had no idea at all. Their mom always led him to believe that the guy just left. But, I guess because of the ongoing custody case, they had no choice but to put Sohee in his care for the time being.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Jeongin immediately started crying harder, “They just took her? Why would they do that?”

“It’s a whole legal thing, they had to. There was no substantial reason not to,” Chan sadly explained. He knew Jeongin, out of all of them, had the closest bond to Sohee, so it was understandable he was extremely upset. In such a short time, he truly had been starting to see the girl like a little sister. Sohee herself felt close to Jeongin, it was just that weekend she had done her friend project about Jeongin. Chan wondered if she had even gotten to share the picture she had immediately cherished with her classmates.                                             

“Does that mean Jisung’s gonna go away? Is he getting shipped off to some family member?” Seungmin asked. 

“No, he’ll be staying at my house. My parents, they have a foster license,” Chan replied. There was a moment where they were all silent except for Jeongin’s crying and Felix’s attempts at soothing the youngest as they processed what Chan had said.

“There isn’t anyone, is there? There's no family for Jisung to stay with,” Changbin slowly figured out.

Chan swallowed, “No, there’s not. It’s just been Jisung, Sohee, and their mom for a long time. And some things Jisung said tonight…it seems his mom hasn’t been a good parent. Again, I don't know many details, Jisung will have to explain when he’s ready, but it seems like something has been really wrong for a long time.”

Someone on the other end started whole-heartedly sobbing, the sound growing distant immediately. Chan heard Hyunjin call for Seungmin, his own voice getting further away, and he could figure out what was going on. 

“This…this can’t be right,” Jeongin sniffled, “Hannie-hyung’s so nice and-and Sohee’s so precious. This doesn’t make sense, why did this happen to them?”

“I don’t know, Innie,” Chan softly replied, “I really don’t. But Hannie is going to need us to be there for him. I know you care about him Innie, I know you all do, so we need to do everything we can to help him, okay? Of course it's okay to be upset, it’s a very sad and frustrating situation, but he’s going to need our support.”

“Can we talk to him?” Felix hoarsely asked.

“He's asleep in my room right now, Minho’s with him,” Chan replied, “We’ll see if he’s up for it tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” Felix said, “Just…when you can, let him know we’re thinking of him?”

“Of course Lixie,” Chan assured, “Can you guys take care of each other for me? I heard Seungmin before. Please just make sure you’re all good before you go home tonight, okay?”

“I got them, Channie,” Changbin replied. 

“One of you take care of Changbin too,” Chan lightly scolded.

“Promise we will, hyung,” Jeongin said through his tears. 

“Okay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything tonight. Make sure Hyunjin and Seungmin know that, too,” Chan said. 

“See you tomorrow, hyung,” Felix quietly offered before Chan hung up the call.

Chan sighed and slumped back against the couch. He knew this was going to be rough for all of them, especially Jisung. He just hoped none of them would get overwhelmed and back off from Jisung. They had a long road ahead of them and none of them had a clue how much worse the situation would get. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

When the call ended, Changbin immediately set into action. He felt responsible as the oldest there to take care of the others. He would take care of himself later. 

“I’m gonna find Hyunjin and Seungmin, you two stay here. I’ll be right back,” Changbin said to Felix and Jeongin. He pushed himself off the bed and left his bedroom in search of the two boys. 

He checked the living room, dining room, and kitchen, but couldn’t find them anywhere. Changbin stopped to think where Seungmin would have run off to when his older sister, Miyoung, came into the room.

“Changbin, is there some reason Seungmin is crying in our front yard right now?” she asked, her tone accusing. 

“It’s complicated, I’ll explain later, noona,” Changbin pushed past her to run out the front door. Just as his sister said, Seungmin was standing there sobbing and fighting against Hyunjin. It seemed Hyunjin was trying to keep him from leaving, but Seungmin only wanted to run. Changbin rushed over to them and tried to help Hyunjin calm the younger boy down. 

“Minnie, please, just come back inside. I don’t think you should be alone right now,” Hyunjin begged.

“Let me go, please, just let me go,” Seungmin sobbed. 

Changbin placed a hand on Hyunjin's shoulder and gently pushed him over so he could take Hyunjin’s place. Changbin could tell Hyunjin was stressed out, and the last thing Changbin wanted was for Seungmin to get a chance to run. 

“Seungmin, Hannie’s with Chan and Minho right now. He’s…he’s probably not feeling okay but he’s safe with them,” Changbin tried to soothe him, “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you what else Chan-hyung said. I know you’re really upset - I am too, but I don’t want you to go home feeling like this. So take a deep breath and let hyung take you back inside to sit.”

“I-I can’t, I really can’t,” Seungmin cried. 

“Yes, you can. Come on, take a deep breath with me,” Changbin took a couple deep breaths and after a few tries, Seungmin calmed down enough to be more reasonable. 

“Come on Minnie,” Hyunjin wrapped an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders, “Let’s go sit.” Changbin followed behind them as Hyunjin guided Seungmin back into the house and to Changbin’s bedroom. When they returned, Changbin took notice of Miyoung sitting on the floor with Jeongin squished between her and Felix, trying to help comfort both of them. Hyunjin and Seungmin took the bed, so Changbin decided to sit on Felix’s other side. 

“What did Chan-hyung say?” Hyunjin asked as he stroked Seungmin’s back. 

“Hannie is sleeping right now, so we couldn’t talk to him, but he and Minho are taking care of him. I’m sure Chan’s parents are too,” Changbin explained, “He said we can see how Hannie is feeling tomorrow and maybe we could all stop by Chan’s place.”

“I feel so guilty,” Seungmin sniffled, “I knew he was hiding something. I-I felt like something was wrong, really wrong. But I didn’t say anything. I should have said something.”

“Seungmin, you couldn’t have known,” Felix softly said. 

“But I should’ve asked him!” Seungmin shouted.

“Maybe,” Miyoung cut in despite not knowing the full situation, “But you can’t change what happened. I don’t know what happened, but if your friend is struggling, the best you can do is be there for him now. If you’re upset like this, I’m sure it’s pretty bad, but you need to just show him that you’re in his corner.”

“Noona, it’s not fair,” Jeongin mumbled, “What would you do if someone took Changbin-hyung away from you? If someone took my little brother from me, I don’t think I’d ever be okay again.”

Miyoung paused and processed Jeongin’s words. She looked confused, as if she was trying to piece together what happened with just Jeongin’s ramblings. She finally sighed and looked at her younger brother, “I’m going to need you to explain if you want some good advice from me.”

Changbin told the story, the others filling in whatever holes he had missed. He started from when Jisung joined their club, then the music festival, the day at Chan’s house and everything in between. When he finally explained what they knew from Chan about what had occurred that day - the car accident, Sohee being taken away, and Jisung having nowhere to go - he saw as his sister realized how heavy the situation truly was. 

“Okay, give me a moment,” Miyoung muttered. Her brows were tightly knit together as she thought over all the new information. Finally, she took a deep breath, “This is a very complex situation your friend is in. I’m not sure what Chan means by saying their mom wasn’t a good parent, but it could mean anything. You’ll have to see when Han is comfortable to talk about it with you and be as supportive as you can. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling. If I was in his situation and Changbin and I were separated…you’re right Jeongin, I don’t think I could handle it on my own. But, if I had a support system, maybe that’d make things different. You guys have a wonderful group here. If you stand by him, I think that's going to help him more than anything else.”

“I think it’s really bad, Noona,” Seungmin sobbed, “I’ve noticed some things. I think Chan-hyung and Minho-hyung have, too. That’s why they insisted on going to Hannie’s place on their own.”

“I know you’re worried, but you’re just going to stress yourself out more if you think like that right now,” Miyoung pointed out, “Calm down tonight and help Han with a clearer mind tomorrow.”

“But what if it really is something terrible? What if it's…” Changbin trailed off, letting the others fill in the word he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud.

Miyoung sighed, “You’ll have to cross that bridge when you get to it. But, if this kid really has no one else, then trust me - you guys being there for him, you guys supporting him through this, that’s going to mean everything to him. He might push you away or try to make you mad at him, but you guys will need to keep showing him that you’re not going to walk away. Show him you’re not going to leave him alone.”

“Where do we even begin?” Hyunjin mused.

“Let’s try to calm down tonight so tomorrow we can convince Chan-hyung to let us go to his place,” Changbin suggested, “Then we’ll start by just showing up. If Hannie sees us sooner rather than later, that might help him realize later that we aren’t going anywhere.”

“You think he’ll want to see us tomorrow?” Felix mumbled.

“I think we should try, like Changbin-hyung said,” Jeongin answered, “Just try. Even if he tells us to leave, we should at least show up so he knows we want to be there.”

“You’re right,” Seungmin said, “I just…I feel so guilty.”

Changbin stood up from the floor and sat on the bed next to Seungmin. He pulled Seungmin and Hyunjin in for a comforting hug and said, “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You sure?” Seungmin whispered.

“Even if we did do something wrong, I think Hannie will forgive us. He’s nice like that,” Changbin said with a soft smile, “We just gotta take care of him for a bit, okay?”

Seungmin nodded against Changbin’s chest and Hyunjin hummed in agreement. They were all on the same page, they could only hope their efforts would prove helpful.

Chapter Text

Minho was roughly woken up when he felt the bed jostling beside him. He groaned and peeled his eyes open only to be met with a messy mop of brown hair. He blinked as he took in his surroundings and remembered where he was. Minho had his arms wrapped tightly around Jisung, who was still sleeping soundly. He lifted his head and realized Chan had been the one to get up. 

“What time is it?” Minho mumbled. 

“Six-thirty,” Chan whispered back. 

Minho hummed and snuggled back against Jisung. He really didn’t want to leave Jisung, but his mom made him promise he’d at least go to school if he was going to be staying at Chan’s for the time being. His parents understood the situation once he explained what had happened, and they wanted him to support Jisung, but they insisted that Jisung would probably be more upset if Minho fell behind than at being left alone. 

“If Chan’s parents are okay with it, you can stay there as long as Jisung wants you, aegi-ya,” his mom had said over the phone, “We’re proud of you for taking care of your friend like this, but you need to also take care of yourself.”

So, Minho decided he would be going to school today, then coming back to Chan’s afterwards to check in on Jisung. He gave Jisung one last squeeze before pulling his arms away from the sleeping boy and pushing himself into a sitting position. 

“Want some breakfast before we go?” Chan asked.

“Yeah,” Minho agreed and stood up from the bed. He snuck a glance back at Jisung to make sure he was still sleeping, then left the room with Chan. They quietly went down to the kitchen and were met with Chan’s parents. 

“Hi boys,” Eunyeong greeted them, “Jisung still sleeping?”

“Yeah, hopefully he sleeps a bit longer,” Chan replied as he stuck his head in the fridge, “Eggs good for you Minho?” 

Minho hummed in agreement and sat at the table across from Chan’s parents. Chan got started on cooking their food and a semi-awkward silence fell over the room. 

Eunyeong cleared her throat, “I’ll be staying home from work today and possibly the next couple of days. It’d be for the best if Jisung isn’t home alone, given the circumstances.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Minho nodded. He hesitated before asking, “If it’s what Jisung wants, could I maybe stay another night or two? My parents said it’s fine as long as you guys are okay with it and I go to school, of course. Jisung…it seemed to help him a lot having both Chan and I around. I’d hate to upset him even more right now.”

“Minho,” Hyunwoo cut him off, “Of course you can. We can all talk about it later to see what Jisung wants, but you know you’re always welcome here, all you boys are. It’ll be a little different with Jisung fitting into our family dynamic, but that stays the same. Even if it’s because you want to talk to us adults, all of you boys can come here whenever you need or want.”

“Thank you, appa,” Chan said from the stove, “Thank you, too, eomma. I know you’ve fostered before, and obviously Jisoo and Tae were adopted, but you didn’t have to do all this. So thank you for taking in Jisung.”

“Channie, you don’t need to thank us. We told you our concerns and told you to bring him here if he needed it,” Eunyeong replied, “We were both prepared for this possibility.”

“What do you mean? We didn’t know for sure until yesterday that something was wrong,” Minho asked. Chan had finished cooking their breakfast and gently put the plates on the table and sat next to Minho.

He looked confusedly at his parents and said, “Yeah, I mean, Minho and I talked quite a bit about it after you talked to us, but I never imagined it would be like this.” The adults exchanged a glance and Hyunwoo decided to explain.

“You know we’ve fostered a lot of children, Channie,” Hyunwoo gently started, “Some of them had more difficult lives than others. We were able to recognize some signs with Jisung and Sohee. The social worker told us about some things they found out, and our suspicions seem to have been correct. An investigation is being conducted, so we don’t know for sure yet, but things don’t look good. Jisung also would need to open up more before anyone truly knows what has happened.”

A silence fell over the table as they mulled over Hyunwoo’s words. Chan had forgotten that his parents had probably had enough experience to be able to tell when something was off with one of his friends. They probably met Jisung and Sohee and could immediately tell what was wrong. 

“Their apartment…it was awful ,” Minho brokenly whispered. 

Chan nodded, “I just can’t believe Jisung and Sohee were living like that. It’s not fair.”

“I know,” Eunyeong sympathized, “it’s hard to see someone you care about hurting so badly. But, you two did good last night. I think you were exactly what he needed after everything that happened.”

“I agree, so just keep doing whatever you did and hopefully Jisung will feel safe here with time,” Hyunwoo said.

“Now, I’m gonna get the kids up and ready for school. Finish up your breakfast and get changed so you can head out,” Eunyeong instructed, “I’m sure the other boys want to talk to you and you’re already running late.”

As his wife left the room. Hyunwoo turned back to the boys, “I’m going to call the school once I get to work. The social worker is contacting them herself, but I’m going to also let them know what the situation is. I don’t know what kind of student Jisung is, but maybe he’d appreciate getting some classwork brought here.”

“That part might already be handled,” Chan sheepishly said. 

“What did you do?” Hyunwoo sighed.

“Felix is in the same classes as Jisung,” Minho slowly answered, “Felix is how we found out about Jisung getting pulled out of class so fast. So when we didn’t know anything…we might have lied to their homeroom teacher that Jisung asked the three of us to bring him his work in order to get his address.”

Hyunwoo sighed and shook his head, “I’m not happy you boys lied to a teacher, but I understand why you did it. I’m happy you got to Jisung’s place, at least.”

“Hopefully we won’t need to do it again,” Minho smirked.

“You better not,” Hyunwoo joked back, “Now go on. Eomma was right, you’re gonna be late.”

“Shit,” Chan checked the time on his phone, “Let’s go Minho!” 

After quickly cleaning themselves up, getting changed, and begging Chan’s mother to text them throughout the day about Jisung, Chan and Minho were running out the door in the direction of the school. By the time they got there, the warning bell rang.

“Hyungs!” Chan and Minho stopped in their tracks at the sound of Jeongin’s voice. The first-year was sprinting over to the pair with the others hot on his trail. 

“Sorry, but we all need to get to class,” Chan apologized. 

“Chan-hyung, that's not fair, we’ve been so worried,” Felix fought back, “Tell us how Jisung is.”

“No, we all need to get to class now,” Chan insisted, starting to push past them so he could attempt to make it before the final bell. 

Minho sighed, “Hannie was still asleep when we left. Chan’s mom is staying at home with him, she’s going to text us throughout the day. We can talk more at lunch, now let’s go.” Minho walked off, following Chan to their first class. He heard the others groan in annoyance before their rushing footsteps caught up to them. They all made their ways to their classes, wishing they had more time to talk.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

When lunch finally rolled around, Chan and Minho had gotten a few worrying texts from Eunyeong so they decided to call her before meeting up with the others. 

“Channie, you better not be in class,” she warned when she answered his call.

“No, lunch just started,” Chan reassured her, “I have Minho here we’re just…we’re worried and we know the others want an update too.”

Eunyeong sighed over the phone, “It’s rough, but we knew it would be. He’s just not leaving the bed, refusing to eat or speak, and won’t let go of that stuffed animal. I’m assuming it’s Sohee’s?”

“Yeah, it is,” Minho confirmed, “He’s not doing anything? ”

“No, he’s just laying there,” Eunyeong confirmed, “I’m checking in on him every half hour, I left him some food and water, but I think he’s just too sad today. I think he’s going to be like that for a while. This is a very difficult situation.”

“We understand,” Chan said, “We just wanted to check in. Do you think the others could stop by later?”

“Yes, I spoke to his social worker a bit ago and we both think the others should at least come see him for a little bit,” Eunyeong said, “Maybe that would help him.”

“Okay, we’ll let the others know. Thank you so much, Eomma,” Chan then hung up the phone and left with Minho to their usual lunch spot. The others were anxiously waiting for their arrival and lit up when the two oldest finally sat at the table.

“Any news?” Felix immediately.

“Hannie’s having a hard day,” Minho started to explain. 

Jeongin pouted, “Can we please still come over?”

“Yes, my mom thinks it’s a good idea. Just,” Chan paused, “Don’t be upset if he’s acting differently.”

“We’re not dumb, we know he’s not gonna be okay,” Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“I know, just warning you because if you guys get upset, he might take it the wrong way,” Chan tried to smooth things over. 

“How…how bad was his mom? You said things have been bad for a while,” Changbin quietly asked.

Minho sighed, “We don’t really know. The apartment…it was really bad. But apparently his social worker is conducting an investigation? I’m not sure, but Hyunwoo said it’ll take time before anyone knows the full truth. Hannie…he’ll need to get comfortable opening up about whatever did happen.” 

“Is his mom okay? You said she caused an accident?” Felix spoke up.

Chan nodded, “She’s in the hospital, but she’ll be okay. I don’t know if I should be the one telling you this, I’ll apologize to Jisung later, but…his social worker said she was driving under the influence. Two of the people in the other car didn’t make it off the scene.” 

“That’s why he was pulled out of class?” Hyunjin asked. Everyone was shocked at how awful the situation truly was. 

“I assume so,” Minho shrugged, “That’s at least what led to them giving Sohee’s dad temporary full custody.”

“Was it,” Seungmin paused, “Was the drinking a one time thing?” 

Chan looked sad as he shook his head, “I don’t think so. We won’t know for sure until Jisung’s ready to open up but he…he said something last night. I think she’s been drinking for a long time.” 

“That’s why Hannie-hyung always takes care of Sohee, isn’t it?” Jeongin shook his head as he started to piece things together.

“Probably,” Minho admitted, “I can only assume that’s why. It was pretty clear that Jisung’s been doing a lot at home.”

“Has Jisung said anything?” Changbin asked. 

“Not really. He was super emotional last night, obviously, and said some things he probably wouldn’t have normally said,” Chan explained, “but, according to my mom, he hasn’t been doing anything today.”

“Will us going to see him really help?” Seungmin asked wide-eyed. 

“I think so,” Minho confidently replied, “Chan’s parents and Jisung’s social worker also agree. We’re his support system so we need to stand by him until he’s ready to tell us what he wants.”

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Felix questioned. 

“Let’s skip club today, it’s not like our advisor keeps track of us anyways,” Minho rolled his eyes, “Finish out our classes and we’ll meet here after last period ends. Then we’ll go to Chan’s and see what we can do. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded, agreeing to the small plan. Chan opened his mouth to continue, when the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. They all forlornly looked at the food none of them touched and reluctantly got up to go back to class. At the hallway where they normally part ways, Chan looked back at younger ones and tried to offer a reassuring smile. 

“We’ll see you guys later, okay?”

They all tried to smile back and turned to make their way back to class, a heavy weight settling on each of their shoulders along the way. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

When the group arrived at Chan’s house after school, only Eunyeong was home. She greeted them from the kitchen when they all stepped into the living room. 

“How’s Hannie-hyung?” Jeongin asked nervously. 

Eunyeong’s smile disappeared, “He’s still upstairs. You guys should go sit with him, maybe that will help him out.”

“Okay, we’ll let you know if we need anything,” Chan smiled before leading the way up to his bedroom. He slowly pushed open the door and shuffled inside. As the others followed him and quietly shut the door behind them, Chan took in the sad sight before him. 

Jisung was still under the covers and clutching tightly to the stuffed animal. His face was buried in the quokka, but his eyes were peeking over its head. He was completely zoned out - staring at the wall across from him without actually taking in his surroundings. Jisung just looked so small and worn down. Despite sleeping for so long, the bags under his eyes were clear as day, likely from all the crying and stress from the previous day. 

Minho was the first to move. He reclaimed his spot from the previous night and laid down next to Jisung. He was hoping to get a reaction, but Jisung didn’t move at all.

“Hi, Hannie,” Minho softly greeted, “How are you feeling?” 

Jisung didn’t respond. 

Minho hummed, “Everyone is here. They all wanted to check on you…I’m sorry we told them without asking you first, but everyone was really worried after Felix told us you were pulled out of class.” Jisung still didn’t respond. 

“Hannie-hyung?” Jeongin whimpered as he cautiously stepped up to the other side of the bed, “I was so worried about you, Hannie-hyung. Please, can I hug you? Please? ” 

Something about Jeongin got Jisung to react. Maybe it was the desperation in his tone, or maybe it was the fact that Jeongin was younger than Jisung. None of them had missed how Jisung had taken to treating the youngest similarly to how he treated Sohee. So, they were only slightly shocked that Jeongin was the one who got him to move. 

Jisung slowly flipped onto his other side to look up at Jeongin. None of them could see Jisung’s face, but when Jeongin’s own face crumpled, they could only imagine. Jisung lifted up his right arm - his left still clutched the stuffed animal to his chest - and Jeongin immediately took the opportunity. 

Jeongin slid onto the bed, laying similarly to how Minho was, and wrapped his arms around Jisung. He placed their foreheads together and started crying again. 

“Hyung, I’m so sorry, it’s not fair,” Jeongin sobbed.

To their surprise, Jisung started crying with him, “They just took her away.”

“I know,” Jeongin shushed him and tried to comfort Jisung by brushing a hand through his hair, “It’s not fair, hyung.”

Jisung whined, “They-they just ripped her from my arms. She wouldn’t stop screaming for me and-and they-he wouldn’t let me go with her. Why wouldn’t he just take me too?”

“Who, Hannie? Who wouldn’t take you?” Minho asked. He had now plastered himself to Jisung’s back, attempting to comfort both Jisung and Jeongin with gentle touches.

“Wonshik,” Jisung hiccuped, “Sohee’s dad- ” Jisung gripped Jeongin’s shirt in frustration- “I took care of his kid for eight years and he just threw me away like the trash I am.” 

“You’re not trash,” Seungmin softly replied. He was now standing behind Jeongin, trying to be another comforting presence for Jisung, “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“If I’m not trash, then why doesn’t anybody want me?” Jisung pitifully asked. 

“We want you,” Felix was now stepping forward, his voice full of emotion as he tried to keep it together for Jisung’s sake, “We want you, Chan’s family wants you…I’m sure Sohee wants you.” Felix whispered that last part, not sure if he was making it better or worse by saying that.

“Why?” Jisung asked. 

“Why what, Hannie?” Minho replied. 

Jisung sniffled, “Why do you want me? I’m not any good.” Their hearts broke hearing him say those words. 

“Jisung,” Hyunjin exasperatedly said. He hadn’t moved from the door to the bedroom. He was scared of making things worse by overwhelming Jisung, but he couldn't stand back and listen to Jisung say that about himself. Hyunjin continued, “You’re so good. We love being friends with you, you’re a bit quiet and shy, but you always know what to do and say. You’re so talented, passionate, and work so hard in club all the time. You clearly were taking good care of Sohee. But Jisung, even if none of that was true, you’d never be trash. You’re a person. You’re Jisung, and that’s all we want. We care so much about you, I promise, you’re not trash.”

“Who told you you’re trash?” Changbin asked, “This Wonshik guy?”

“No, not him,” Jisung mumbled. He hesitated to continue talking.

“Jisung,” Chan moved to sit at the foot of his bed just like he had the previous night. He placed his hand on the small boy’s ankle and took a deep breath, “Jisung, you can tell us anything. I promise we won’t judge you or get upset with you. If you want to, if you’re comfortable, you can tell us the truth.” 

“Eomma,” is the only thing Jisung said in response. 

“Your mom? She’s in the hospital right?” Jeongin was confused by Jisung’s answer, “Do you want to go see her? Chan-hyung, could we maybe-”

Jisung cut him off, “No, I don’t want to see her.” 

“Then what-” Seungmin gasped, figuring it out himself. His eyes widened and he stared determinedly down at Jisung, trying not to get too upset. 

“Your mom called you trash?” Minho heartbrokenly asked. He had been suspicious, everything was indicating that their mom had not been good to Jisung and Sohee. Everything was pointing to the fact that the siblings had likely been abused in some way. A part of him knew that it was inevitable for this to be found out once he and Chan realized Jisung’s mom had a drinking problem, but that didn’t make it hurt any less to think about.

Jisung shrugged, “Probably has. She’s made me feel like I am for a long time…I don’t want to talk about her right now.”

“Okay, you don’t have to,” Chan quickly reassured him, “If you change your mind though, we’re all here for you. We’ll listen whenever you want.”

“Okay,” Jisung muttered, “Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Of course, Hannie, whatever you want,” Minho assured him, “Do you want the others to stay?”

“That’s fine,” Jisung said, “Can…can you hug me? Like last night?”

Minho smiled sadly, “Yeah, of course I can. Come here.” Minho opened his arms and waited for Jisung to roll himself out of Jeongin’s embrace and turn around to face Minho instead. Jisung hugged the stuffed animal to his chest with both arms and tucked his face into the crook of Minho’s neck. Minho wrapped his own arms around Jisung and pulled him in as close as he possibly could. 

“Hyung, can I hug you too?” Jeongin shakily. Jisung nodded, but didn’t realize Jeongin couldn’t tell he had done so.

“Come here, Innie,” Minho gestured for Jeongin to cuddle up against Jisung’s back. 

Jeongin laid an arm around Jisung’s waist and rested his face between Jisung’s shoulder blades. He rubbed his cheek against Jisung’s back as he tried to compose himself.

“Love you, hyung,” Jeongin whispered. It was clearly meant for Jisung, even though he hadn’t specified which hyung he was talking to. 

Jisung’s breath hitched and Jeongin shushed him. 

“It’s okay,” the youngest said, “You don’t have to say it back. Just try to remember that I do, okay?” 

“Okay,” Jisung whispered back. 

The four who were not on the bed - Changbin, Hyunjin, Felix, and Seungmin - watched over the cuddle pile for a moment before shuffling around the room. They decided to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed together. Chan patted Seungmin’s head in comfort when the younger boy sat directly in front of him. The others curled around him, making an awkward cuddle pile on the floor. 

“This is so fucked up,” Felix whispered, tears freely flowing down his face.

“I know,” Changbin sighed, “What do we even do?”

“This,” Chan answered, “Let him talk to us, sit with him.”

“It’s going to get a lot worse, isn’t it?” Hyunjin murmured. Everyone sat in silence for a moment. They didn’t know much, but they all had a gut feeling that things were worse than they thought and that more was still to come. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The group stayed like that for a few hours. They sat in silence, hoping their presence alone was comforting to Jisung. The boy in question had easily fallen asleep in Minho’s embrace, just as he had the night before. After a little bit of crying from the youngest, Jeongin and Minho soon followed Jisung and were snoozing at his side.

Chan had moved to the floor and attempted to comfort the rest of his friends. All of them were taking this hard. It was stressful and upsetting seeing Jisung so upset and knowing that there wasn’t a way for them to fix it. Chan was gently petting Hyunjin’s hair when a soft knock rapped against his door. 

“Come in,” Chan called out. The door opened, revealing both of his parents behind it. They quietly walked into the room and shut the door behind them. 

“Jisung’s asleep again?” Eunyeong asked. 

“He cried a bit, asked if he could sleep again,” Changbin answered. The parents nodded in understanding. 

Hyunwoo cleared his throat, “Did he say anything to you boys?”

Seungmin helplessly shrugged, “He said Sohee’s dad refused to take him in. What kind of person does that?”

“He also said his mom makes him feel like trash,” Felix said, sadness dripping from his voice, “He…he thinks so little of himself.” 

“Did he say anything else about his mom?” Hyunwoo gently pushed. 

“He said he doesn't want to talk about her, so we’re not talking about her right now,” Minho’s light tone rang through the room. Their talking must have woken him up. 

“Okay Minho, we won’t bring her up more than we have to,” Eunyeong relented, “We just wanted to check in.” 

“I understand,” Minho lolled his head back down to lay it back on top of Jisung’s. 

“We’re gonna order in some food tonight,” Eunyeong explained, “We’re gonna have to talk to Jisung a little bit tonight as well. So you boys can stay for dinner, but afterwards I think it’d be best if you all headed home for the night. You guys can stop by any day you want to come see him again.” 

“Okay,” Seungmin lightly pouted at the idea of leaving Jisung, the others silently felt similarly, but they all respected Chan’s parents too much to argue back. 

Minho hesitated before quietly asking, “What about what we talked about this morning?” 

“You can stay after dinner, but like I said this morning, it’s up to Jisung and what he wants,” Hyunwoo replied. He flicked his gaze to the sleeping boy then back to Minho, “I think I can tell what his answer will be, though.” 

“Thank you, Hyunwoo,” Minho smiled in gratitude. 

“Alright, we’ve kept it simple and ordered some pizza, we’ll let you know when it gets here so you can wake Jisung and Jeongin up, okay?” Eunyeong said. 

“Thank you Eomma, Appa,” Chan replied. His parents gave them a smile and left the room, heading back downstairs. 

“Why does Minho-hyung get to stay?” Seungmin honestly asked. There was no upset in his tone, he simply wanted to know. 

“Jisung kind of panicked when he thought Minho was going home yesterday,” Chan explained, “He also seems to be finding a lot of comfort in Minho, if that wasn’t obvious.” 

“I asked if I could stay once I realized that I might be helping Jisung,” Minho continued, “My parents are okay with it as long as I go to school and Chan’s parents are also okay with it. Hyunwoo and Eunyeong said if it’s what Jisung wants then it’s okay.” 

“Okay, that makes sense,” Seungmin said. They fell back into a comfortable silence, Jisung and the youngest still sleeping away the entire time. A few minutes later, a tiny knock sounded on the door and instantly was pushed open by Chan’s younger brother.

“Hi Tae, what’s up?” Chan smiled at his little brother. 

“Eomma said to come get you. She got pizza for dinner!” Tae excitedly said. 

Chan chuckled, “Okay we’ll be right down.” The little boy smiled and raced back out of the room. Chan and the others stood up from the floor, stretching as they did so. Minho was still awake, but the way he was clinging to Jisung made him unable to move until they woke the other boys up. 

“Hannie? Innie?” Minho nudged them a bit, “it’s time to wake up.” 

Jeongin groaned and rolled away from Jisung. He murmured, “What’s happening?” 

“Dinner’s here,” Chan explained. 

“Shit, okay, I’m up,” Jeongin rolled off the bed and followed the others out of the room and downstairs. Minho gently shook Jisung, who groaned at the touch.

“Hannie,” Minho cooed, “Food’s here. You can eat up here if you really want to, but you need to eat something.”

Jisung finally opened his eyes and peered over at Minho. Chan was watching from the foot of the bed, waiting to see what would happen. Minho brushed Jisung’s hair out of his face and smiled. 

“I’m sure Chan’s parents wouldn’t mind if we ate up here if you want,” Minho muttered.

Surprisingly, Jisung shook his head and whispered back, “It’s okay. I’ll eat with everyone.”

Chan patted Jisung’s leg and replied, “If you’re sure.”

When Jisung nodded, the three slowly got off the bed and shuffled down the stairs to the dining room. 

Jisung didn’t eat a lot, barely two slices of the pizza and a couple fries after being coaxed by Minho to “just have one more bite” every few minutes. As long as he was fed and out of Chan’s bed, none of them were going to be too picky. This was the first day of many and this much out of Jisung was enough for now.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Everyone else had left and the two children were situated in their rooms. It was just Jisung, Chan, Minho, and Chan’s parents seated around the dining room table. Jisung was staring at the floor, anxiously fiddling with his fingers as he waited for someone else to break the silence. 

“Jisung, we just wanted to tell you something your social worker explained to us last night,” Eunyeong smiled reassuringly.

“It’s important that we discuss this now,” Hyunwoo added. Jisung nodded in understanding and waited for them to continue. 

Eunyeong took a deep breath, “To start off, you’ll be staying with us permanently. It’s the best option for you, and we want to be able to give you a place here. However, if you’d rather stay in a group home…we understand and we could talk to Woo-ssi about making that happen if that’s really what you’d prefer.”

Jisung slowly shook his head and softly replied, “If it’s not a problem, I’d like to stay here. I can help with chores or bills if you need me to.”

“Nonsense, bills are not your responsibility. We don’t make Chan pay for anything, so we would never ask that of you,” Hyunwoo strongly replied, “As for chores, we can cross that bridge with time. For now, you don’t need to worry about anything like that. You have enough going on right now.”

“We’ll give you some time to settle in here and…process everything, but eventually we’ll go over  how things work in our home, okay? Nothing bad, just some rules and boundaries everyone has, okay?” Eunyeong explained.

“Okay,” Jisung whispered. 

“Now, Woo-ssi explained to us that they’ll be conducting an investigation on your mother along-side the police, so we’ll tell you anything she tells us about that. She’ll be stopping by sometime in the next few weeks to check in on you and hopefully give you some news on your mom and Sohee,” Hyunwoo said. Jisung simply nodded again, not wanting to talk. 

“As far as school, we’ll see how you feel this weekend, but you don’t need to go back this week,” Eunyeong assured, “Felix is getting your work from all your teachers and Chan will bring it home for you everyday, but the school has also said you don’t need to do any of it if you’re not up for it. They’ll work with you when you do go back to catch up on everything.” 

“One last thing and then we’ll let you boys get settled in for the night,” Hyunwoo smiled, “This weekend, I’ll clean out the extra bedroom and we’ll get it properly set up for you. As long as you’re okay still sharing Chan’s room. If not, I can do a quick clean out tonight for you.”

Jisung shook his head, “I can keep using Chan-hyung’s room if he’s okay with it.” 

“Of course, I don’t mind,” Chan answered. 

“And with that, Minho has expressed that he would like to stay for a few more nights. It seems like having him around is helping you?” Hyunwoo suggested, “It’s up to you, though. Do you want Minho to stay? He can stay as long as you’d both like. I promise it’s not a problem. Or if you don’t want him to stay, that’s okay too.”

Jisung nervously shifted, “Um, if Minho-hyung and you guys are okay with it…I’d like it if he stayed.”

“Okay, then everything’s settled for now. Minho, call your parents and then you three can head up to Chan’s room whenever you’re ready,” Hyunwoo smiled. 

“And, Jisung, if you need anything, we’ll help you as best as we can,” Eunyeong said, before leaving the boys alone.

“I’ll be right back,” Minho smiled and stepped out of the room. He quickly pulled up his mom’s contact and pressed call.

“Aegi-ya, how is everything?” His mom answered the call.

“It’s…it’s not great. I wanted to let you know I’ll be staying here for a few more days,” Minho explained, “Jisung…he said having me around is helping him. So I want to stay. He needs me right now, Eomma.”

“I understand,” his mom assured, “Can I bring you anything?”

“If you don’t mind, I could use a few changes of clothes, my second uniform set, and my toiletries?” Minho tentatively asked. 

“Of course, I’ll get everything packed up and head over to the Bang’s to drop it off right away.”

“Thank you so much, Eomma,” Minho smiled.

“I’m very proud of you, Minho,” his mom added, “This Jisung must be very important to you for you to be able to do all this for him.”

Minho hummed in response but didn’t say anything else. Jisung was so new to his life, but Minho felt a pull towards him. He felt like he had a connection to Jisung that was entirely unexplainable. He would truly do anything to help Jisung through this. Minho just hoped he would be enough. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The next few days went similarly to that Wednesday. Jisung stayed at home in bed with Eunyeong checking in on him until Chan and the rest of his friends came home after school. Jisung didn’t talk about anything that happened with the group again. He didn’t want to talk about it so the others didn’t push even though they clearly wanted to ask. 

Every day, Felix brought Jisung his homework with the answers already filled out. It was obvious he had enlisted the help of Seungmin to get the work completed for him so he’d have one less thing to worry about when he decided to go back to school. 

When Saturday rolled around, it was only Jisung, Minho, and Chan along with Chan’s family. Everyone else was busy and wouldn’t be able to come over that weekend even though they wanted nothing more than to be with Jisung. Minho and Chan were more than happy to get some time alone with Jisung to check in with him more thoroughly. 

Hyunwoo and Eunyeong were transforming the guest room into Jisung’s room while said boy stayed cuddled on Chan’s bed with Chan and Minho. They were relaxing in silence when a soft knocking broke the silence. 

Chan cleared his throat, “Come in.” 

The door opened to reveal Jisoo and Tae, Chan’s younger siblings. Chan smiled and sat up to greet his precious siblings. 

“Hey you two, what’s up?” Chan ruffled Tae’s hair when he ran up to the side of the bed. 

Jisoo nervously shuffled next to Tae and fiddled with something behind her back, “Um…Eomma and Appa explained that Han-oppa would be staying with us for a while now.”

“That’s right,” Chan cautiously replied.

Minho propped himself up on an elbow and smirked at the two children, “Did you want to say hi to Hannie?”

Tae eagerly nodded, “We have something for him.”

“Oh, really?” Minho was mildly shocked. Jisung finally sat up to look at the children and tried to smile reassuringly at them. He hadn’t really interacted with Chan’s younger siblings yet and he found himself not knowing where to start.

Jisoo and Tae shared a nervous glance before Jisoo quickly moved her hands from behind her back and thrust something over Chan and into Jisung’s hands. Jisung rushed to take it from her and peered down at it in confusion. It was a folded piece of paper.

“Um, thank you?” Jisung quietly said, not knowing what exactly he was holding. 

Tae giggled, “You have to open it, silly.” 

Jisung attempted to smile and followed the little boy’s instructions. When he unfolded the paper he gasped in awe. Tears welled up in his eyes and his throat constricted as he scanned over the paper. 

It was a drawing, clearly a joint effort from both children. In the drawing, six stick figures were labeled to show they represented the two children, Hyunwoo, Eunyeong, Chan, and Jisung. All six were holding hands and smiling and written above their heads in colorful writing was, “Welcome to our family, Jisung!”

“Do you like it?” Tae nervously asked.

Jisung sniffled and nodded, “Yeah, I do. Thank you.” 

Chan smiled sadly, “This was very nice of you two.” Tae and Jisoo giggled as Chan patted both of them on the heads. 

Watching them reminded Jisung of how he was with Sohee. He missed her so much and to have Chan’s younger sibling welcome him to their home so easily, made him feel emotional. 

“Why is Han-hyung crying?” Tae innocently asked. The two children looked at Jisung curiously while Chan and Minho whipped their heads around to check on their friend. 

“It’s okay if you don’t like it,” Jisoo bravely said, but the pout on her face showed that she didn’t mean her words. 

“No, I love it, I promise,” Jisung sobbed, “It’s just…you guys remind me so much of my sister. It made me a little sad, but it’s not your fault.”

Jisoo paused, then asked, “Why is she not here?”

“Sohee had someone else she had to stay with,” Jisung said, hoping it was enough of an explanation for the children.

“Is she happy?” Tae questioned. 

Jisung choked down another sob, “I hope so.”

“Alright, you two,” Chan sensed Jisung was on the verge of a breakdown and wanted the kids to leave before it happened, “Why don’t you go play?” The kids smiled and ran off, leaving the three teenagers alone again. 

Minho was the first to break the silence, “Jisung?”

Jisung immediately sobbed, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I really do appreciate it, it’s just really hard to be around them. I didn’t want to be mean to them, Chan-hyung.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Chan turned to pull Jisung into a tight hug, “I know you’re not trying to be mean to them and you aren’t being mean . This…this is hard. It's probably already so overwhelming for you. I know it’s going to take time for you to be okay around Jisoo and Tae, and that’s more than okay.” 

“I miss her so much, hyung,” Jisung cried harder, “I don’t know what to do.”

“I know Hannie,” Chan murmured. 

“It’s not fair,” Jisung whimpered, “It’s basically just been me and her Sohee’s whole life, why couldn’t they just let me keep taking care of her? I was doing a good job.” 

“You were doing a great job, Jisung,” Minho affirmed. He pulled Jisung into a hug and continued, “I know it doesn’t make sense right now, but it’s not right the way you guys were living.” 

Jisung shook his head against Minho’s chest, “You don’t even know anything.”

“We saw the apartment. It’s…obvious you guys have been struggling for a long time,” Chan said. 

“You don’t know anything ,” Jisung insisted. 

Chan decided to push and asked, “Will it help if you tell us?”

Jisung hesitated, “I don’t know. Where do I even start?” 

“Wherever you want,” Minho interjected, “You can tell us as little or as much as you want. We’ll listen whenever you need us to.”

Jisung stayed silent for a long time. Minho rubbed a comforting hand up and down Jisung’s back as they sat there. Chan and Minho assumed that Jisung wouldn’t tell them anything and were surprised when he broke the silence. 

“After my dad died, my mom just broke, ” Jisung whispered, “She started drinking and she’s never really stopped.” 

Chan and Minho stayed silent, they didn’t want to scare him off by saying anything. 

“She’s tried to stop, and when she got pregnant with Sohee, she stayed sober the whole time somehow,” Jisung continued, “But…I think after Sohee, she just got more depressed. She just stayed in bed all the time and I had to do everything . I was…I was only eight and had to learn how to change diapers and make bottles. I did everything for Sohee this whole time.”

After a moment of silence, Minho dared to ask, “Did your mom ever do anything?”

“No,” Jisung replied, “She’s never been an actual parent to Sohee. Honestly, my mom’s barely been around Sohee because I made sure Sohee wouldn’t have to be a victim of our mom’s behavior.”

“And what about you?” Minho muttered. 

“What about me?” Jisung hesitated to ask.

Chan took a deep breath, “Jisung, were you a victim of her behavior?”

Jisung sucked in a sharp breath and hardened his gaze before he replied, “I hate that word.”

“Victim?” Chan asked. Jisung nodded in response. 

“Am I really a victim if I let her do the things she did for so long?” Jisung sullenly asked. 

Minho took a deep breath, “Did you ever ask her to do the things she did?”

“No,” Jisung answered, “I didn’t stop her most of the time, though.”

“Well,” Minho gathered his thoughts, “You were just a little kid when Sohee was born. You would have trusted your mom to do what’s right, I think.”

After another moment of silence, Chan asked, “What did she do to you?”

Jisung hesitated, “I’m not sure I’m ready to say everything yet.”

“That’s okay,” Chan assured him, “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“She…she neglected us if that wasn’t obvious,” JIsung tried to joke but it landed flat. “There’s almost never food in the house. There were a lot of times I’d go and do chores for our elderly neighbors in exchange for a meal for us. I skipped meals a lot just to make sure Sohee had something to eat. When we came over here last week…that’s the most food we’d ever seen at once. It was…unreal.”

Chan and Minho’s eyes filled with tears as they listened but they didn’t dare to interrupt Jisung. 

“It wasn’t just that. I was the only one who cooked when we did have food, I was the only one who ever cleaned, and like I said, I did everything for Sohee her whole life,” Jisung sniffled and wiped at his face, “With school, I did everything. I was the guardian for Sohee. My mom officially was on paperwork, but I was the only one who the schools ever met.”

“That’s why you pick her up everyday,’ Chan murmured.

Jisung nodded and dryly chuckled, “It’s not like she actually has a job. But, all that stuff, I could handle. I’d do anything for Sohee, so taking her to and from school, feeding her, helping her grow up, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ after that,” Minho muttered as he reached out to brush the hair out of Jisung’s eyes.

“Not exactly. There’s just…something else,” Jisung explained. 

“If you don’t want to tell us, you don’t have to. If you’re not ready it’s okay,” Chan assured.

“It’s not that I’m not ready, it’s,” Jisung paused, “it’s a lot and I know it’ll make you guys think differently of me. I don’t want to be judged.”

“I…I can’t promise we won’t react to whatever you tell us, but, Jisung, we’re never going to judge you for whatever happened,” Chan softly said. 

Jisung nodded and averted his gaze from his friends, “You know she drank. The drinking, it’s made her lose all rationale. When she’s upset…she takes it out on things. On me, mostly. She…she hits me, and other things. My mom is violent and…I’m sorry, I just can’t say the word, but you know what I’m trying to say.”

“Oh, Hannie,” Minho whimpered. He reached out and pulled Jisung into a tight embrace. “Hannie, I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. You and Sohee deserved so much more than that.’

“Han,” Chan whispered as he pulled two other boys into his own hug, “I won’t lie, us and my parents had our suspicions. I really wish we weren’t right, though. Your mom should have never laid a hand on you and she should have been there to raise Sohee with you . I’m sure being a single parent is difficult, but she should have never left you to do all the parenting.”

“I know, at least, somewhere in my brain I know that's true,” Jisung agreed, “But it’s also been my life for so long. It’s so hard to admit that the way I’d been living was bad. Because if it really was so bad, why didn’t anyone ever say anything?”

“I don’t know,” Chan answered honestly, “But that doesn’t mean what you went through wasn’t bad. It doesn’t mean it's okay or excusable. You were failed by every adult around you, but that doesn’t justify anything that happened to you and Sohee.”

“I’m not sure I believe that,” Jisung quietly admitted. 

Minho instantly replied, “Can you try?”

Jisung slowly nodded in response. He could try to see things from an outside perspective. He could try to understand that, no matter what, the things that happened weren’t right.

“Do you want to tell anyone else yet?” Chan asked. 

“Not the others,” Jisung quickly said, “I’m just not ready for all of them to know.”

Minho nodded, “Okay, we won’t say anything to them.”

“What about my parents?” Chan added, “I won’t tell them anything if you don’t want me to, of course, but if you want to tell them we can.”

Jisung mulled it over for a moment before agreeing, “I want to tell them. Today. If there’s an investigation happening on my mom, they’ll find out soon anyways. I think I’d rather they hear it from me first.”

“Okay, we can talk to them later, after the kids are in bed,” Chan decided. When Jisung agreed to that, Minho sighed and cuddled closer to the other two boys.

“Let’s take a nap,” Minho suggested. Chan chuckled but wrapped his arms tighter around the other two and tried his best to get in a lying position. After a few minutes, the room was silent except for the sounds of the three boys’ matched breathing.

Later that night, when Jisoo and Tae had gone to bed. Jisung asked for Chan’s parents to come with them so they could talk. Jisung sat on the bed squished between Chan and Minho once again as he gave the same details to the two adults that he had given his two friends earlier. The adults did a better job at hiding their emotions and simply thanked Jisung for telling them. 

It was as simple as that. They didn’t make a big spectacle out of it and Jisung found himself appreciating the almost nonchalant reaction more than anything else he could have imagined. It made him feel like he had gotten some of the weight of his chest without making himself more of a burden on them. 

“The bedroom is ready for you,” Hyunwoo changed the subject in an attempt to lighten the mood, “Obviously you can still sleep here if that’s what you guys want, but you have your own space here whenever you want it, Jisung.”

Eunyeong added, “And if there’s anything you don’t like about it or what to add, you can always ask. We won’t mind or get upset.”

“Thank you,” Jisung sincerely replied. He wanted to say so much more to them. They had opened up their home to someone they barely knew and had done so much for him already. He wanted to properly express his gratitude but it was still hard to talk to the parents. 

“Of course,” Eunyeong smiled, “Alright, we’ll get out of your guys’ hair. We’ll check in tomorrow about school, okay?” 

Jisung nodded and the adults took that as their cue to leave. The instant the door was shut, Minho flung himself on Jisung. 

“I’m proud of you, Jisung,” Minho wetly said, “I’m sure that was difficult.”

“Yeah, it was,” Jisung acknowledged, “but having you guys here made it easier.”

“I’m glad we could be here for you,” Minho mused. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Chan broke it.

“So, do you want to sleep in your new room?” he asked. 

Minho hummed, “I can go home if you want as well. Though, if you want me to be honest, I’d like to stay.”

“Can you stay one more night?” Jisung shyly asked, “Can all three of us stay here just for tonight?”

Minho grinned, “Of course, Hannie. Anything for you,”

Chan hummed in agreement, “Just remember, you can always stay here with me even after you move into your new room. And Minho - or any of the other guys - can stay the night whenever.”

“Okay, thank you,” Jisung murmured.

“Alright, enough serious talk,” Minho hopped up from the bed, “Let’s get changed and put on a shitty movie. It’ll be fun.”

Chan laughed but moved to follow Minho and pulled Jisung up with them. That’s how the three spent their last night after almost a week together. They curled up against Chan’s headboard in comfy pajamas and some crappy horror movie playing on Chan’s television. Chan had made popcorn and they spent the movie either eating it or throwing it at each other. Jisung had fun. He didn’t laugh along with them. but he smiled the entire time, and that was the only step he needed to make that night.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The next day, Jisung had decided he wanted to go back to school the following day - Monday. He decided a week was the most time he could afford without risking falling too far behind. He sat in the living room telling Chan, his parents, and Minho this as they tried to make sure it was what he really wanted. He understood their worry, truly, but he felt that this was something he needed to do. If he let himself stay away, it would just get harder and harder to go back the longer it took. So, he wanted to rip the bandage off and return tomorrow. 

“Jisung, are you absolutely sure?” Eunyeong stressed. Her brow was furrowed - it was clear she didn’t think this was a good idea, but also that she didn’t want to tell Jisung he couldn’t.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” Jisung admitted, “I want to go back now. It feels like I need to or I’ll run away from it forever. I’ll have Felix in every class, too.”

“I understand what you’re saying - we all do,” Hyunwoo assured, “We just want to make sure you’re not just saying you’re ready to go back because you think it’ll be easier for everyone else. If you’re not ready, we can keep doing what we did last week and revisit this next weekend.”

Jisung shook his head, “I appreciate it, but I want to go back. I…I would really like to get back to some sort of normalcy.”

The parents stared at each other in silence before Hyunwoo sighed and smiled at Jisung, “If you’re absolutely sure, we’ll support you.”

“Thank you,” Jisung whispered. The parents left the room and Jisung hesitantly turned to Minho.

“I’m proud of you, Hannie,” Minho said, “We’ll all be there for you tomorrow however you need, I promise.”

“I appreciate that, a lot,” Jisung smiled. He glanced between Chan and Minho nervously before he blurted out, “I want to try sleeping on my own tonight, too.”

“Okay,” Chan simply replied, “Do you want Minho to stay in my room in case you change your mind?”

Noticing his hesitation, Minho patted Jisung's shoulder and said, “It’s okay if you want me to go home. I won’t be upset.”

Jisung deflated a bit and nodded, “I just, I want to try. It’s not like you could stay here forever.”

Minho laughed, “Oh, but I would if you wanted me to. Chan’s parents love me, so they’d be fine with it.”

“Yeah, but I know you miss your cats. And your parents,” Jisung softly replied. 

“You’re just too nice, Hannie,” Minho sighed, “Okay. I’ll go home. Remember I’m a phone call away if you need anything.” 

Jisung nodded and watched as Minho left the room to go pack up his things. Minho - and Chan - had been his rocks during the last few days. If they hadn’t sat in front of his apartment that day, Jisung wasn’t sure where he would be - both physically and mentally. He was obviously still struggling a lot, but Chan and Minho had been the steady, strong supports he needed to simply breathe and begin to process what had happened. They hadn’t treated him differently, they had accepted him when he opened up about some things, and they just let him exist as he was. There were no expectations or judgements from his two older friends and that was something he’d appreciate from them for the rest of his life. 

Saying goodbye to Minho caused some lingering tears from all three of them. Jisung had hugged him tight, shoving his face into Minho's neck once again. Minho squeezed him back just as hard and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Jisung’s head. 

“Okay, you’ll see me tomorrow morning. Less than twelve hours from now you clingy boys,” Minho tried to joke as he pulled away from Jisung. No one laughed, but they didn’t need to. This was Minho’s way of breaking the tension. Chan and Jisung weren’t going to say anything, so if Minho didn’t they would have been stuck in that hug all night. 

Minho’s phone beeped with a text notifying him that his dad was outside, so the other two walked him to the door and watched as he strode down the driveway to his dad’s car. At the last moment he turned around and shouted, “Remember, call me if you need it!” before getting in the car and being driven away. 

When they re-entered the home, Chan turned to Jisung and asked, “Do you want to hang out for a bit?”

Jisung slowly shook his head and said, “I think I want to take a shower and go to bed.”

“Okay, if you need something, you know where I am,” Chan said before heading back upstairs. 

Jisung’s room was on the first floor with Chan’s parents just down the hall. They had moved all of Jisung’s stuff down here earlier that day so he was all set to do his own thing for the night. 

He went through what used to be his normal routine of showering, skincare, and brushing his teeth before he was curled up in his new bed an hour later. He curled around the quokka plushie and let out a calming breath. He was terrified for tomorrow if he had to be honest with himself, but it wasn’t enough to change his mind. He said he wanted normalcy, but he was so scared it would be too different. 

Soon, Jisung was stuck in an endless loop of thinking of all the things that could go wrong and all the things that would be different. He was panicking and silently crying, but he couldn’t bring himself to reach for his phone to call Minho. He couldn’t will himself out of bed to go curl up next to Chan again. He had handled all his problems alone before, this night shouldn’t be different. It shouldn’t be this hard for him to not run to someone else for help. 

Jisung didn’t let himself give in. He buried himself under the covers, shut his eyes tight, and willed himself to fall asleep as he cried his heart out.

Chapter Text

Jisung laid in the guest bed staring up at the ceiling. He had just woken up to his alarm but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and move. It was Monday. It had been a week since the incident at the elementary school. A week since that fight with his mom. A week since the events that resulted in his life turning upside down were set in motion. It was Monday, he had barely slept, and he had insisted on trying to go back to school. 

The school was being more than understanding, Chan’s parents tried to reassure him that he could take more time off, and his friends said they could keep bringing him the missed work, but Jisung just couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get back to school now or he was worried he’d never go back. He knew that if he didn’t at least try, he’d eventually succumb even further into his depression and never get out of bed again. 

A soft knock on the door alerted Jisung to someone coming in. Chan peeked his head in the door and sadly smiled at Jisung still under the blanket. The older walked into the room and shut the door behind him. 

“Hey, Jisung,” he quietly greeted. 

“Hi,” Jisung hoarsely replied. 

“You know, if you’ve decided you’re not up for it yet, everyone will understand,” Chan softly said. 

Jisung finally sat up and nodded, “I know. I’m…I’m okay. This just makes it all real. Everything's different now.”

Chan sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, “Yeah. I’m sure it’ll be difficult for a while. But you have seven people in that school with you who would do anything to help you. And Felix is in all your classes so you’ll never be alone. Then you also have my mom, dad, Jisoo, and Tae. My point is, we’re all going to be here for you whenever you need it, no matter what.”

Jisung swallowed down a sob, “Would it-Would it be okay if everyone comes over later? Or at least Minho-hyung? I think today’s gonna suck. A lot.”

“Of course,” Chan immediately agreed, “You get ready and I’ll let my parents know to expect a few more mouths to feed later, okay?” At Jisung’s nod, Chan smiled and left the room again. Jisung roughly rubbed his hands over his face and took a moment to breathe before finally getting himself ready for the day to come. 

When Jisung got to school, it was already different from his normal routine. He obviously didn’t have to take Sohee to her elementary school first, then he walked with Chan instead of by himself, and rather than only meeting up with his fellow second-years, the whole music club was waiting in front of the school for Chan and Jisung. The school day hadn’t even started yet and Jisung was already feeling the familiar tinge of anxiety creeping up due to all the differences. 

“Hey Hannie,” Felix greeted him with a warm hug. Jisung only offered a small smile in response. 

“You ready for this?” Seungmin dared to ask.

Jisung hesitated then murmured, “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

“Would you,” Changbin paused, “Do you want to go back to Chan’s? You don’t have to come back now if it’s too soon.”

“No,” Jisung replied, “I’m sure it doesn’t make any sense, but…I think I’ll never come back if I don’t do it now.”

Minho jumped in before anyone else could, “Okay, if that’s what you want then we support you. We should all get to class now. Are you okay with just Felix for now?” 

Jisung nodded. It’s not like he had another option. Even if he said no, it wasn’t as if any of the others would be able to skip their own classes to sit in his and be by his side. He would need to let himself lean on Felix for support a little more. It wasn’t that Jisung didn’t want to open up to Felix, he just hadn’t had the opportunity to do so yet. He’d spent plenty of time with everyone since they had all met, but Chan and Minho ended up being the ones who got the most of the serious conversations so far. Jisung hoped he would be able to let himself open up to the others as he processed everything. 

They all branched off, Jeongin heading to the first-year hallway alone, Hyunjin and Seungmin heading to their own class, and Chan, Minho, and Changbin upstairs to the third-year hall. Jisung slowly trudged next to Felix, dreading what was ahead. Felix gently took Jisung’s hand in his own as they passed dozens of their gossiping peers. 

Felix whispered in his ear, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right next to you the whole time and our teachers know what's going on. I already spoke to all of them last week in case you decided to come back, and they moved seats around on Friday so no one will be suspicious. I’ll be next to you in every class. You poke me or whisper and I’ll take you out of the room whenever you need.” 

“Thank you,” Jisung whispered back. He knew if he tried to talk anymore than that he’d be a centimeter away from a full breakdown and that was the last thing that needed to happen in front of everyone. 

When the duo entered their classroom, all the chatter stopped for a brief moment before the room was filled with whispering again. Their teacher wasn’t there yet, so Felix led Jisung to their seats while attempting to ignore their classmates. Jisung’s was still the same, over by the window and Felix was just on his right side. They sat down and didn’t say a word. Felix seemed to understand that Jisung needed a moment to gather himself before the long day that was ahead of them started. So, he started to take out his own supplies and get situated for the start of class. 

Jisung was taking a deep, calming breath when someone called out his name. 

“Hey Han! Welcome back.” 

He slowly lifted his gaze to see one his classmates and his gaggle of friends stifling laughter behind him. Jisung didn’t say a word in response - this particular boy and his friends had always been pretty awful to Jisung and he was in no headspace to even think about engaging in a conversation with him. 

“You were gone for a while, we almost started to worry about you,” he said with a laugh.

“Woong, leave him alone,” Felix harshly said. Jisung almost laughed as he realized he had never even known his bully’s name.

“Oh come on Felix,” Woong whined, “Are you besties with the loser now?”

Felix stood up from his seat and glared, “Woong, back off.” 

“What, just ‘cause he joined your little music club you’re up his ass now?” Woong stepped closer to Felix, “I just wanted to welcome our classmate back. I mean, we all heard what happened.” Giggles were heard throughout the classroom. They all thought it was some joke. Jisung’s worst nightmare came true and they were all laughing at him. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. So back off,” Felix replied. 

Woong turned his attention back to Jisung and smirked, “So what did you do? Rob someone? Drugs? Come on, you must have done something good. Police don’t take you away for nothing.” 

“Woong, I swear if you don’t leave him alone,” Felix was cut off.

“Oh look at Lixie, protecting the drug addict,” Woong and his friends roared with laughter, “Didn’t know you were friends with such a bad influence.”

“That is enough!” A voice shouted from the classroom door. All their heads turned to see their teacher fuming at the door. 

“Seonsaengnim, I was just welcoming Han back to school,” Woong tried to sweetly explain. 

“I’m not stupid, Choi,” the woman barked back, “I told you all to leave Han alone when he returned to school. You all should be extremely embarrassed. Choi, you can head down to the principal’s office. I’ll let him know to expect you.”

“What, that’s not fair! If we have a dangerous criminal in our class I’d like to know,” Choi continued to fight. Others started to murmur around him in support.

“Enough, all of you,” the teacher angrily shouted. The whole class was stunned to silence. This particular teacher had a lot of patience and never showed much of a reaction when the bad eggs were acting up. So, to see her so quick to show anger made them all realize how serious she was.

The teacher continued, “Choi, you will go down to the principal’s office. The rest of you will leave Han alone and continue our class as usual. Unless you’d like to join Choi in the office. Understood?” 

Everyone nodded and Woong groaned as he made his way out of the classroom. Jisung was stunned as he watched everything unfold. He knew people would be curious, but he didn’t expect rumors like that to be floating around. And he certainly hadn’t expected his teacher to get so furious with everyone. It was too much - too different from the normal school day he had craved so badly - and he already felt a breakdown coming. 

As if able to read his mind, Felix called out, “Miss, can Jisung and I go to the bathroom for a moment?” The teacher immediately agreed and the entire class watched as Felix pulled Jisung out of his chair and guided him out of the room. They all watched with wide eyes as his breakdown started before Jisung could even leave the room. 

Luckily there was a bathroom basically across the hall from their classroom, so Felix quickly got them there and locked the door so no one could disturb them.

Jisung was heavily sobbing, “Why do they think I did something?” Felix whimpered and tried to pull Jisung into a comforting hug.

“Someone in another class saw you leaving with the police that day,” Felix quietly explained, “That’s how I found out so quickly that something must have happened that day. But, everyone started spreading rumors. I didn’t know how to shut them down, didn’t know if I should have said anything about what really happened. I’m…I’m so sorry Hannie. I should have at least told you about the rumors.”

Jisung sniffled and shook his head, “It’s not your fault. So much happened, you were only trying to protect me by not telling me. It’s okay.”

Felix whined into Jisung’s neck, “I didn’t know they would all act like that.”

“None of them cared about me before, why bother me now?” Jisung sadly asked. 

“Because they’re fucking stupid and only care about gossip,” Felix harshly said as he pushed back from the hug, “You don’t need to tell them anything if you don’t want to. They’ll get over it in a few days.”

“I know,” Jisung nodded, “I just wish they'd leave me alone again.”

“I’ll keep doing what I did with stupid Woong if it helps,” Felix offered. 

Jisung hesitated, “Try not to go too far?”

“I won’t,” Felix agreed, “Now, let’s clean you up and get you back to class.”

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

It had been a long, awful day and Jisung was on the verge of tears as Felix practically dragged him to the club room. Felix had tried so hard to be enough for Jisung, but the day was too hard. From the start of the first class, all the questions, stares, and concern from peers and teachers alike had been too much for Jisung. 

It didn’t help that after the disaster that was their first class, everyone decided to still bother Jisung and Felix. They had all seen how Jisung was crying as Felix led him out of the room and now different rumors were being spread, some even partially right. Rumors that a parent died, both parents died, his house burned down, and so much more. Countless people had come up to the two throughout the day offering “condolences” even though they had no idea what they should be feeling bad about. The continuous fake concern from everyone was too draining on Jisung’s mental strength. It didn’t help that Jisung had been informed that he had to spend lunch with the guidance counselor and his homeroom teacher to go over some things rather than spending the break with his friends. 

On top of everything, Felix knew Jisung was stuck on the fact that after club, he’d be going back to Chan’s house. He wouldn’t be walking to the elementary school, he wouldn’t be carrying Sohee on his shoulders, and he wouldn’t be going home with her. He wouldn’t be going home at all. 

Felix didn’t know how else to help so he pulled Jisung along as fast as he could. He tried to comfort his slowly breaking friend along the way.

He softly said “We’re almost there, Hannie. Everyone will be there and you can go home with Chan. I’m sure Minho will go with you too if you want. Everything will be okay.” Felix opened the club door to find they were the last to arrive. Everyone was chattering away, seeming in good spirits despite the worry he knew they felt. 

“Oh, you guys are finally - oh my god are you okay?” Hyunjin had started to warmly greet them and that quickly changed when he saw their appearances. 

“What the fuck happened?” Minho shouted as he shot up and strode across the room. He pulled both boys into a hug and tried to comfort them.

“Today fucking sucked, hyung,” Felix started to cry into Minho’s shoulder, “Everyone sucked. I-I didn’t realize how much our classmates would bother Hannie. I tried to stop them but some of them…they wouldn’t let up.”

“It’s okay, Felix, just calm down a bit,” Chan soothed from next to the trio.

“It’s not okay, everything’s so fucked up,” Felix sobbed. Jisung tried to push out of the hug to look at Felix, but Minho wouldn’t let him. So Jisung settled for hooking his chin over Minho’s shoulder to speak for himself.

“It’s not your fault, Felix,” Jisung said, “I’m so grateful you were there all day. I knew today would be really hard. It’s not your fault that it sucked. I’m just sad, but it’s okay.”

“Can you tell us what’s going through your mind?” Jeongin shyly asked, “Maybe we can help somehow if we know what specific things are bothering you. Maybe we can help change some things to make school a little easier for you.”

Jisung hesitated but couldn’t stop himself from spilling everything, “Why can’t everything just be normal again? Why can’t they all just ignore me? None of them had ever talked to me before unless they were insulting me so why? Why do they want to act like they care now? Why can’t things be normal so we can have fun in club again, then I could go pick up Sohee, and go home . I just want to go home and for things to be fucking normal.” Jisung was sobbing by the end of his rant and he reburied his face into Minho’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Hannie,” Minho whispered to him, “I wish we could fix everything right now for you.”

“Is there anything that would help?” Hyunjin desperately asked. 

“Yeah,” Changbin cut in, “Anything you want to do, we’ll do it with you. We’d do anything to help you, Hannie.”

Seungmin was the one to offer the solution. He gently spoke up, “Would it help to stop by your home today? Or stop by Sohee’s school?”

When Jisung didn’t answer, Chan sighed, “I’m not sure if that’s a good-” 

Jisung quickly cut him off, “No, please, I want to go. I want to go to her school.”  

Chan stared at Jisung for a moment, Jisung had finally got Minho to loosen his grip so Jisung could determinedly stare Chan down before he could reject the idea entirely. Jisung’s sure he looked a mess with tears staining his face, but he needed Chan and the others to know he was serious. 

Chan finally sighed through his nose and agreed, “Okay, if you’re sure. Let’s go now.”

“Are-Are you sure?” Jisung asked, “I don't want to take away practice time from all of you.”

“Jisung,” Hyunjin said incredulously, “We weren’t going to practice today anyways. Not unless you asked to. We don’t care about practice right now.”

“Okay, if you’re all sure,” Jisung replied. He was met with a chorus of “yes” and suddenly they were leaving. 

Just like that day they ended up at Chan’s house, Jisung led the way out of their school and to the elementary school. Only this time, Felix and Minho were on either side of him, holding his hands in theirs as the others were walking way too close behind them. But Jisung found himself not minding the closeness at all.  

When they made it to the school, they were entirely too early for normal pickup but Jisung found himself sitting on the garden ledge next to the gate and waiting. Minho and Jeongin were quick to jump up with him while the others stood around in silence. 

They sat there for a long time before parents started to wait as well. Some recognized Jisung and offered polite head bows to him in greeting. There were a few, whose children were in the same class as Sohee, that came over to the group of boys.

“Excuse me, but you’re Sohee’s brother, right?” One younger woman gently asked. 

Jisung nodded and let out a hoarse, “Yeah.”

An older woman, someone’s grandmother he presumed, questioned, “We were told that she suddenly no longer would be at this school last week. Is that not true? Did she come back?”

“We were all so concerned, especially when we didn’t see you at all,” the third woman added, “Is Sohee okay? Are you okay?” 

Tears welled up in Jisung’s eyes. These were three women who he probably had never said more than a few words to, but they still were so genuinely concerned about him and his sister. He tried not to cry, but the genuine care from the strangers was too overwhelming. 

Jisung took a deep breath and answered, “She won’t be attending here anymore. She…She’s moved away. I just…I wanted to stop by. Thank her teacher and everyone for…” he trailed off. He did want to thank the teacher for being so kind, but he knew there was something else he had to thank her for, even if it was still too difficult to accept that what she did was a good thing.

“Only Sohee moved?” the first woman asked. The other two also looked confused at his answer. 

Seeing that Jisung wasn’t going to talk, Chan answered, “It’s a bit complicated, but Sohee’s with a family member.”

The grandmother, full of much more experience than the others, seemed to understand what laid beneath Chan’s polite answer. She eyed Jisung for a moment before saying, “And what about you? Is someone taking care of you?”

Minho smiled sadly at the older woman and hooked an arm around Jisung’s shoulder, “We’ve got him.” 

Before any of the three women could ask another question, the familiar sound of the kids being let out of school was heard. Others started moving to get their children and the three women sent a lingering look Jisung’s way. All of three of them stepped in front of him, Minho, and Jeongin, ignoring the questioning sounds of the other boys. 

The youngest woman pulled Jisung down into a quick hug and simply whispered, “It’ll be okay,” before she walked away to find her child. 

The grandmother was next. She placed a strong hand on Jisung’s shoulder. Still bewildered, from the hug, Jisung’s gaze was full of confusion as he stared at her. The old woman simply said, “You’ve been such a sweet boy.”

Finally, the third woman stepped in front of him and said, “We all saw how much you love Sohee. Things will be okay, I’m sure.” She then patted his cheek gently and walked off. As she walked off, all of Jisung’s friends watched the three women with a mix of shock, confusion, and awe at their actions. Jisung gently touched where the last woman had touched his face in awe. It was the last thing he had expected, but he couldn’t say he hated it.

“Did you know those women?” Seungmin questioned. Jisung shook his head in reply, still shocked by their actions. 

“Jisung, is that you?” 

The group of eight turned their heads and only Jisung’s eyes widened at the person before them. He hopped down from where he was sitting to stand in front of the woman. 

“Seonsaengnim,” Jisung’s lip wobbled as he spoke. 

The woman - the teacher - gently smiled and said, “Jisung, it's nice to see you. How are you?”

Jisung shrugged, “Okay, I guess.”

The teacher nodded and sighed, “We were told what happened. All the teachers, I mean. I’m so sorry Jisung. Sohee’s social worker informed us of some…things. Things related to what the principal and I spoke to you about. I’m just so sorry we didn’t say something sooner. I’m sorry it came to this.”

Jisung shook his head, “It’s okay. I just wanted to come and say thank you. Thank you for always being so kind to Sohee and myself,” he took a deep breath to calm himself down, “She didn’t really like coming to school but she always had fun with you. So, thank you so much. For everything and I’m sorry, too. For how I spoke to you both that day.”

The teacher held back her own tears, “You don’t need to apologize, Jisung. I understood then and I understand now. It’s okay.”

“Thank you,” Jisung breath shuddered, “Well, um, that’s why I came here. I guess this is it.” He sadly glanced around the schoolyard, knowing once he walked away there was really no coming back. He couldn’t do this again, it wouldn’t be at all helpful to him. 

“Wait, before you go,” the teacher rushed out, “The social worker took all of Sohee’s things with her, but there's two things I kept. Just in case you came around. Would you wait for a moment while I go get them?” When Jisung nodded, she spun around and hurried back inside the school.

“What were you guys talking about?” Felix gently pried, “The thing you apologized for?”

“It’s nothing,” Jisung swiftly brushed it off, “Don’t worry about it.” They all eyed him curiously, not really accepting his dismissal, but they all silently agreed not to push it at that moment. 

The teacher came hurrying back towards them, holding two sheets of paper in her hands. She handed one over to Jisung and he looked curiously down at it. His heart clenched when he realized what it was. 

“Her friend project,” the woman confirmed. She pointed at the picture and continued, “That’s your friend, right? I thought you might want to hold onto it or maybe give it to him.”

Jeongin moved to stand next to Jisung to peer at the paper and found himself feeling emotional. It had been just last week when he had been sat next to Sohee answering these silly questions, taking that picture with her, and playing with her on the playground. Just over a week ago but it felt like a lifetime ago. 

“Thank you. So much, seriously,” Jeongin sniffled. Jisung was staring down at the paper, unable to tear his eyes from his sister’s smiling face in the picture. 

“And the other thing,” the teacher caught his attention again, “We were working on a project for parent’s day coming up in class. It’s called ‘My Hero’ and they were all going to present the projects when their parents and guardians visited the classroom next week. She didn’t get to finish hers but…you should have it Jisung. She wrote about you.”

Jisung shakily reached out to take the paper and carefully read over the sheet. It was a printable worksheet where the kids had to fill in answers about their hero, similar to the friend project, that would later be transferred to a poster board with the help of the teachers. But at the very bottom, the last question asked “Why is this person your hero?” It was one of three questions Sohee got to answer. Jisung crouched down and started sobbing after he read what she wrote. 

In her messy, childish handwriting it said, “Jisung-oppa is the best person ever. He takes care of me better than anyone. He makes all my food, helps me stay clean, and teaches me a lot. He takes care of me even when he gets hurt. Sometimes, he gives me food even if it means he won’t eat. Jisung-oppa loves me more than anyone else and would do anything for me. He keeps me safe. Jisung-oppa is my hero.” 

It was fairly simple and straightforward of an answer - as expected of a child her age. It was clear she was just grateful for all the ways Jisung took care of her, but to anyone paying attention, that paragraph altogether was a giant red flag. The words “when he gets hurt” and the mentions of Jisung not eating were probably what caused the teacher to step in. To Sohee, it was her normal everyday life, but to anyone else, it was a sign of so many awful possibilities. 

“Oh Jisung,” the teacher murmured and instantly fell to her knees to pull him into a hug, “It’s okay.”

“Thank you so much,” Jisung cried as he continued to clutch the papers, “Thank you.”

“Of course, Jisung,” she pulled back and blinked her own tears away as she stood up. Jeongin and Chan pulled Jisung up to stand as the teacher continued, “I know Sohee obviously doesn’t go here anymore, but if you need anything , you can come here.”

With that, they parted ways. The teacher turned without another word to re-enter the school while the club members slowly guided Jisung away from the school in the direction of Chan’s house. Jisung was still crying and tightly held the two sheets of paper to his chest, not letting any of them read either of the papers. No one said anything other than a few attempts at comforting words from Chan, Minho, and Felix as they made their journey. 

Upon entering Chan’s home, Jisung was the first to slip off his shoes before he ran across the house. The others messily tried to all take off their shoes at once to barrel after him. 

“Hannie?” Changbin called out as he bolted after him before anyone else could. He maneuvered through the living room and hurried down the hall to the guest room Chan had mentioned was now Jisung’s room. He stopped when he saw the door wasn’t closed, rather it was wide open. He looked inside to see Jisung curled into a ball on top of the bed, still clutching the papers he had been given. Jisung was sobbing, his body shaking from the heartbreaking cries.

Changbin didn’t hesitate and immediately flopped onto the bed next to Jisung and pulled the smaller boy in close so his face could be buried in Changbin’s chest as he cried his heart out. The pounding of footsteps was heard as the others rushed to catch up with Changbin. Upon entering the room, they all watched as Changbin held Jisung in his arms. The older didn’t say or do anything else, he just embraced Jisung as he broke down. There was nothing he could say to make anything okay - Jisung had a rough day and needed to let his emotions out. It was as simple as that. 

After a few minutes, Jisung’s sobs started to quiet down until they eventually turned into hiccups. He slightly pushed back from Changbin and quietly said, “You give good hugs.”

Hyunjin laughed and the others cracked a smile, some giggling with him. It wasn’t that the situation was funny, but rather it was not anything any of them expected Jisung to say. 

Changbin proudly smiled and jokingly shouted, “Of course I do. I give the best hugs out of anyone here!” He calmed down for a moment and quietly said, “I’ll hug you for as long as you want, Hannie.” 

Jisung hummed and pressed his forehead back against Changbin’s chest. He took a calming breath and said, “Thank you, all of you. I…I seriously don’t know what I’d be doing with myself right now if I hadn’t joined the club and met you all.”

“Hey,” Chan softly called out as he walked over to sit behind Changbin on the bed, “Don’t think like that. We’re all here for you, that’s all that matters, okay?” 

“Okay,” Jisung whispered back. 

“Did you want to do anything Hannie?” Felix asked from across the room. Jisung shrugged in response and Minho decided he wouldn’t accept that. 

“Come on, Hannie,” Minho came over to nudge Jisung’s back, “Tell us, we won’t judge you.” 

Jisung hesitated but quietly asked, “Can you all sit up here with me? Just for a little while.”

“Cuddle pile it is,” Minho sang before he flopped down on top of Jisung and Changbin. 

Changbin groaned in fake annoyance as the others were quick to follow Minho’s lead. Chan plastered himself to Changbin’s back while Hyunjin came over and laid across the foot of the bed. Felix cuddled up next to Hyunjin while Seungmin pulled Jeongin to lay on top of the two of them. It was a mess and some of them were in a bit of pain, but hearing Jisung’s breathy giggles for the first time in a week made it all okay.

Today was the first day of many. Some would be just as difficult as today was, others wouldn’t, but no matter what, Jisung felt a spark of hope knowing he wouldn’t be going through it alone.

Chapter Text

It was a random Saturday, just two weeks after he started school again. Jisung was lounging on the couch, the rest of his friends in the living room around him as some movie he’d never heard of played on the television. Ever since Jisung had come to stay with the Bangs, his friends had taken to coming over after school and on weekends more often. Jisung appreciated it a lot, he still hasn't talked much about the circumstances of his current situation with anyone besides Chan and Minho, but it was nice to have the others around. It made him feel like he could open up to them without any worries once he did feel ready. 

It had been about two weeks since he had gone back to school. Things were still hard, but after the first week, others outside the club stopped bothering him about what had happened or to offer condolences. He had finally felt caught up in all his classes thanks to his friends and he was trying to feel comfortable in this new normal. Most days he still wished that things were back to normal, that he was picking up Sohee after practicing with his friends, but he was slowly growing accustomed to Chan’s home. Jisung still couldn’t bring himself to refer to the house as his in any way, not even the bedroom, but Chan’s family couldn’t be more welcoming. It would take a lot more time, but he was slowly getting used to his new normal. 

Their quiet hangout was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Jisung paid it no mind as Chan’s dad answered the door. He could hear Hyunwoo talking to whoever it was before letting them in the home. 

“Jisung-ah?” Hyunwoo gently called for him. Jisung poked his head up from where he was laying against Minho and turned around to see his social worker and Officer Cho standing there. Immediately his guard was up. They were here for a reason and Jisung couldn’t believe it was a good one.

“Jisung, calm down,” Woo stepped forward, “We just…we have updates on some things.”

He wasn’t buying it. Last time he saw either of these people, his whole life fell apart. Surely they could only have more bad news. Jisung found himself leaning back again to find comfort in Minho’s arms. 

“Kid, why don’t we go talk in the kitchen?” Officer Cho suggested.

“Why?” Jisung defensively asked. He felt his friends looking at him in a mix of shock and confusion at his disrespectful tone. 

“It’s personal and we weren’t sure if you would want your friends to hear it,” Woo quickly explained, “If you want to stay here, we can. But your foster parents will also have to be present for the conversation.” 

“I want to stay here,” Jisung replied.

“That’s fine, I’ll grab Eunyeong,” Hyunwoo reassured, “Are you sure you want the other boys to stay?” At Jisung’s nod, Hyunwoo accepted it and went to find his wife. When the parents returned to the room, they were quick to shoo Changbin and Felix off the loveseat and offer it to the two guests. Eunyeong and Hyunwoo placed themselves behind the couch Jisung was sitting on.

Jisung adjusted himself in between Minho and Chan to face the two guests. He anxiously fidgeted with his hands as he waited for either his social worker or the officer to rip off the bandage and start talking.

Woo cleared her throat, “Well, Jisung, I want to start by letting you know I saw Sohee.” Jisung’s gaze snapped up to her and his eyes widened with hope. He felt Minho grip his hand tightly.

“Is Sohee okay?” Jeongin blurted out. 

Woo smiled down at the other boy and nodded, “Sohee is doing okay. She misses you, of course, Jisung. She kept asking for you. Sohee also said she was sorry for what she said that day. She made me promise to tell you that.” The others turned to him, confused. This was the first any of them were hearing of Sohee saying something upsetting, but Jisung paid them no mind as he let tears start falling down his cheeks.

Jisung hiccupped through a sob, “I know she didn’t mean it. Is,” he paused to gather himself, “Wonshik and his wife, they’re good?”

“They’re not hurting her.” Woo confidently reassured him, “I won’t lie though, it’s an adjustment and Sohee is still very upset that they won’t budge in their decision about you. She is struggling emotionally, but they’re treating her very well. With time, I’m sure she’ll grow to have a good relationship with her father and step-mother.” 

More tears slipped out of Jisung’s eyes and he whimpered, “As long as she’s okay.” 

“Can they see each other soon?” Hyunjin quietly asked from his place on the floor, “I think it’d help Jisung if he could just see her once a week or something.”

“I don’t disagree with that, but it’s something we’re working on,” Woo explained with a tight smile, “I’m trying, Jisung. I know you may not believe that right now, but I’m doing everything I can to try to get you some sort of visitation or contact agreement with the Yoo’s.”

Jisung nodded and tried to wipe his tears away. She was right, he didn’t exactly trust that she was trying at all, but he had to hold onto that sliver of hope or he’d really have nothing left.

“I also have an update on your mother,” Officer Cho finally spoke up. 

The tension in the room grew noticeably as Jisung physically reacted to his words. Jisung pulled away from Minho to sit as straight as possible and stared down at the floor. The other boys flicked their gazes nervously between their friend and the officer. 

Cho continued, “She’s out of the hospital and has been moved to a facility pending her trial. She was arraigned and the judge decided no bail could be posted. So she’ll be staying there. Also, I know you were worried about the third person from the other car. I wish I had better news for you, but unfortunately, the boy also didn’t make it. His injuries were just too much for his body to handle. So she’s being charged with all three of their deaths as well as driving under the influence.”

Jisung’s hand shot up to his mouth at the news. He’d been hoping that the third person would be okay. The thought of his mother killing three people was too much to handle. Especially when the only reason she was out that night was because of the argument they had gotten in. The room filled with gasps as everyone realized how severe this case had gotten. 

“Jisung, kid, I know it’s a lot to take in. You’ve been hoping since the beginning that your mother didn’t hurt anyone in the accident. But I promise, the prosecutor isn’t going to let her get off easy. The three of them and their families will get justice,” Cho paused, “But, just stay calm for a moment. There’s something else I need to tell you.” The officer paused and looked to Woo for help.

The social worker carefully continued explaining, “Jisung, we conducted our investigation for Sohee’s custody case on both your mother and the Yoo’s. With what we learned from that and also what we learned from the conversation you had with Officer Cho the day of the accident, the prosecution is adding three more charges to Yeji’s docket.” 

“What charges?” Hyunwoo asked, though he sounded like he already knew where this was going.

Officer Cho looked Jisung straight in the eye as he prepared to say it. Jisung could only appreciate this man’s straightforwardness with him. From the beginning, from that moment in the principal’s office, Officer Cho didn’t try to baby Jisung. The whole time he’d been honest with Jisung and had always told him the whole truth. This time was no different. 

“One count of child abuse and two counts of child neglect,” he sliced through the tension in the room. 

As everyone around him processed this information and what it meant, Jisung fell apart from the inside out.

Jisung stood up from the couch and backed away from everyone, he saw as his friends and Chan’s parents followed him with their eyes. Their eyes which were filled with sadness, fear, and the pity Jisung had always dreaded. Chan’s parents, Chan, and Minho had already known, but that didn’t make this any easier for Jisung.

“No, no, no,” Jisung mumbled as he shook his head, “No, no, they don’t get to do that.”

“Jisung, unfortunately, it’s not up to you. There’s enough evidence, so they’re moving forward with these charges,” Cho continued, “If you want to testify you can but-”

“No!” Jisung shouted, shocking everyone, “How? You can’t do that without my permission. What if I don’t want to press charges?”

“We don’t need you to do that to be able to prosecute her for these specific charges,” Cho explained, “Plus you’re not the only child affected.”

Anger and anxiety flared up in Jisung and he snapped, “I’m the only one she hit though. And you have no proof besides my word. You didn’t ask to take pictures or see any of the injuries when I told you she hurt me. How are you going to get her charged with child abuse without any evidence of it?” 

Woo stood up and slowly made her way over to the now panicking Jisung. She gently spoke up, “Jisung, it’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Not of your mom. She can’t get to you.”

“How do you know that?” Jisung shouted back defensively, “She’s gonna get on that stand and play the victim card just like she always does. She’s gonna be all, ‘Oh poor me, my husband died and left me with our good for nothing kid’,” he mocked, “She’ll spout her same nonsense ‘til the jury and judge feel bad and send her to a rehab instead. Then she’ll get out and she’ll know. She’ll know I said something.” 

Eunyeong was now carefully walking over too and she gently spoke to him, “Okay, Jisung, let’s talk this out. I personally don’t think that would happen. I think she’s going to jail no matter what she tries. That family of the people in the other car, they’re not going to just let her go to rehab instead of jail, right?”  Jisung slowly nodded as she reasoned with him.

“Kid, she’s going away for their deaths,” Officer Cho said matter-of-factly, “These charges are just more crimes we discovered she committed.” 

“Why bother then? If she’s definitely going to be pronounced guilty for the accident, why bother adding these charges on?” Jisung demanded to know.

“Jisung,” Woo pitifully said, “You deserve justice, too. Sohee deserves justice.” 

“All those things you told me, she can get in trouble for all that.” Officer Cho pointed out, “And all the other things you didn’t tell me, you can decide to tell the court everything. She can pay for all of it.” They were slowly calming him down, slowly reasoning with him, but Jisung was still holding back.

“Is anyone even gonna believe me?” Jisung shakily asked. 

“I believe you,” Hyunwoo said. Jisung flicked his gaze to where the man was still standing behind the couch. 

“You don’t even know what I’ve already told him about. Or what I could still accuse her of,” Jisung replied.

“I know, but I still believe you,” Hyunwoo simply said, “Eunyeong believes you. Woo-ssi believes you. Officer Cho believes you. The boys all believe you. You don’t have to decide now but, they’re right, you and Sohee deserve justice for whatever it is your mom did to you two.”

“We talked to Sohee’s school,” Officer Cho slowly added, “We know about the conversation they had with you the day before the accident. We know about the ultimatum they gave you. That proves someone at least had concerns without you having to tell them first. It shows that someone noticed and would go against any claims that you’re making it all up.”

Cho thought that piece of information would be the thing that finally calmed Jisung’s anxiety down, but it did just the opposite. They were all caught off guard by the breakdown Jisung fell into.

Jisung broke down in sobs, “I wished they hadn't noticed. If they never said anything, this never would’ve happened. No one noticed for ten years, why did they have to now? If they just hadn’t said anything those people would still be alive and I’d still be with Sohee.”

The adults were puzzled by his words, glancing at each other as if silently asking if anyone knew why Jisung was saying that. Someone noticing the abuse should have been a good thing despite the separation he and Sohee had been forced into. 

“I’m so sorry you spent so long living like that, Jisung,” Woo stepped even closer to him, “It’s good that someone noticed, though. I know separation is not what you wanted for you and Sohee, but you both are living under much better circumstances.”

“You don’t get it,” Jisung crouched down and sobbed into his hands, “You just don’t get it.”

“Help us,” Eunyeong pleaded, now kneeling in front of Jisung and gently holding his arms, “Please, help us understand.”

“If they hadn’t told me to bring Eomma to school, I never would have talked to her that night,” Jisung hiccuped through his explanation, “I never would have tried to reason with her. She never would have gotten so upset. She wouldn’t have left her bed so she wouldn’t have gotten in the car. Those people wouldn’t be dead if they just hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, Hannie,” Minho sighed. He got up from the couch to kneel next to Eunyeong, “This isn’t your fault or the school’s fault. The accident is only your mom’s fault. I’m sure it’s been hard thinking about what could have happened if things were different - if the accident never happened. But someone noticing you and Sohee were being hurt, that’s good. I’m glad they noticed. I don’t want to think about you getting hurt any longer.”

“I’ve been getting hurt for ten years, I could take it as long as I needed to. People died, that’s not right,” Jisung wiped uselessly at his face, trying to make his tears disappear. 

Minho gently put his hands on Jisung’s cheeks and forced Jisung to look at him, “I know, it’s not right that those people died. But it’s also not on you or Sohee’s teachers. I know you don’t realize it now, but I promise you, this is no one’s fault but your mom’s. You shouldn’t have to get hurt by her anymore just because it might mean she won’t hurt anyone else.”

“That’s all I know how to do - get hurt so other people don’t,” Jisung leaned into Minho’s touch as he sobbed.

“Is that why it’s only one charge of abuse but two for neglect?” Eunyeong softly asked. 

Jisung tried to nod - his face was still being held in Minho’s hands - and he answered, “She never hurt Sohee, not physically. I protected her for her whole life.”

“And you did so good,” Eunyeong gently took Jisung’s hands in her own, “You did such a good job protecting her. You’re an amazing brother, Jisung. But you deserved to be protected, too. Someone should have been there for you and I’m just so sorry you didn’t come into our lives sooner. I’m so sorry no one was there to save you before it got this bad.”

“It’s okay,” Jisung shakily whispered, “I protected Sohee, that’s all that matters to me.”

A tear slipped down Minho’s cheek and he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Jisung’s forehead. He leaned back to wipe Jisung’s tears away and softly said to him, “I wish you could see how important you are, Jisungie. You deserve the same protection you gave. Your mom getting charged for what she did to you both, that’s how you can be protected. It’s really late, but it’s the way it needs to go. Will you let them do this? Can you let them get justice for you, Jisungie?” 

A few minutes passed as Jisung took in everything he’d just been informed of. The adults in the room were anxiously looking back and forth from Jisung to each other, wondering if they should say anything else to him. Chan had moved from the couch to the floor and had tried his best to wrap his arms around his five friends who were trying their best to quietly cry in each other’s arms. The thought had been there the whole time, but no one wanted to believe that abuse was actually what was happening to Jisung. No one wanted to think that their precious friend was being hurt so badly for so long.

“Okay,” Jisung broke the silence. 

“Okay?” Minho asked. 

Jisung nodded, “Charge her. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Are you sure?” Officer Cho asked. 

“This will protect Sohee, too, right? And it’ll help the family of the people in the car?” Jisung nervously questioned.

Cho felt a deep sadness wash over him as he realized Jisung still wasn’t really doing this for himself. He decided that was a battle for another day and agreed, “Yeah, kid. This means she can’t hurt Sohee again and it’ll put her away for even longer. And the victim’s families can feel better knowing she’s not getting out any time soon.” 

“Okay, then I’ll do it. I’ll tell you as much as I can,” Jisung agreed. 

Officer Cho sighed, “Thank you Jisung, this is good.”

“What happens now?” Hyunwoo asked. 

“We’ll need to go down to the station and get Jisung’s official statement. Probably some photos as well,” Cho explained, “Either you or your wife will have to sit in with Jisung since you’re legally his guardian right now. We can give you some time, but it’d be better to do it sooner rather than later. The prosecutor will need to submit the evidence and the last thing we want is for the defense to try to claim Jisung was coerced.”

“Jisung?” Eunyeong gently called out his name, “What do you want to do? We can do another day but, if you’re up for it, we can get it done today so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Can…can Minho-hyung come with?” Jisung quietly asked. Minho looked back to the officer with pleading eyes and the older man nodded. 

“Of course he can,” Cho assured, “He might not be able to sit in the room when you give your statement, but he can wait right outside, I promise.”

“Okay, we can go today then,” Jisung said. 

“Minho, take Jisung back to the couch,” Eunyeong stood up, “Us adults are going to talk for a few minutes then we’ll let you know what’s going on.” Hyunwoo, the officer, and the social worker quickly followed her into the kitchen to discuss what they were going to do next. Minho followed the instructions given to him and coaxed Jisung to stand up. When Jisung shakily stood up, he clung tightly to Minho’s arms, and allowed the older boy to lead him back to the couch. They sat there, Minho holding Jisung loosely, while the other five boys sat on the floor, crying in each other’s arms. 

“Jisung, Jisung, I’m so sorry,” Seungmin shakily cried.

“Seungmin,” Chan gently warned.

“Minnie, we can talk about it later, okay?” Hyunjin sniffed, trying to stifle his own tears, “Hannie has enough on his mind right now.” Seungmin whimpered but nodded in agreement. He buried himself deeper into the arms surrounding him.  

“Please don’t pity me,” Jisung pleaded, “I can't take it, not from you guys.”

“I don’t know if pity is the right word, we just feel terrible that you were getting hurt,” Changbin carefully replied. 

“You’re our friend, Jisung, it feels awful to know someone we care about has been getting hurt for a long time,” Felix added. 

Jisung’s mind was a mess, but he knew that if his life had been different, had been happier, and one of his friends was in his current position, he would also feel terrible. Even now, the thought of any of friends going through even a little bit of what he’s dealt with makes him feel sick. 

Before anyone could get another word in, Chan’s mother stepped back into the room.

“Okay Jisung, Hyunwoo is going to go with you and Minho to the police station,” Eunyeong explained, “I’ll stay here and cook a nice meal for you to come home to, okay?” Jisung nodded in understanding. 

“Let’s get going,” Hyunwoo quietly said. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

When they entered the police station, they were immediately taken to an interrogation room. Cho had been right, Minho had to sit outside in the waiting room. Something about it causing a conflict of interest if this goes to trial. However, legally, Hyunwoo had to stay in the room as Jisung’s guardian. 

“Alright Jisung,” Cho grunted as he sat across from the boy and his guardian, “We’ll do the same thing as last time. This will be recording everything we talk about. I'll ask questions and you just need to answer as best as you can. I know it’ll be hard, but the more honest you are, the better. We’ll also take pictures of whatever injuries you still have afterwards.”

“Okay,” Jisung whispered. 

“Let’s start with the night before the accident,” Cho flipped through his notes, “We talked to Sohee’s school and they told us about the conversation they had with you. They told you your mother had a week to come see them before they’d simply get authorities involved. Did you talk to your mom about it that night?”

“Yeah, I did,” Jisung answered.

“How did that go?” Cho asked. 

“Really bad,” JIsung shifted in his seat, “I made her some food and tried to bring it to her so she’d maybe be more relaxed. I explained the situation as best as I could, but she got really mad at me.”

“Why was she mad?”

“At first, because she thought I told the school. She gripped my wrist really hard,” Jisung replied, “Then she thought Sohee told. She wanted to hurt Sohee, but I went after her.”

“What happened when you followed her?” 

“She pushed me down, I hit my back on this table thing in her bedroom,” Jisung took a shaky breath, “Then she stepped on my chest. She was upset that I wouldn’t make it go away. She didn’t want to give up drinking for even a few days to make sure nothing happened to us. She said I could learn a lesson by being taken away, then she went to leave. I tried to stop her, but she pulled my hair, knocked me down again, and stormed out.”

“Did you know where she was going when she left?” Cho asked.

Jisung shook his head, “No, I don’t know where she goes whenever she leaves.”

“When did you realize your mom hadn’t come back?”

“The next morning. Sohee pointed out that her car wasn’t home when we left for school,” Jisung paused, “I was worried because she doesn’t like to stay the night away from home, but I never thought this would have happened.”

“Did your mom get violent with you often?”

“Yes,” Jisung croaked.

“How would she hurt you?”

“Slap me, throw her beer bottles at me, knock me down, she likes to grab my wrist. One time she broke it,” Jisung answered honestly. Hyunwoo took a deep breath next to him, trying to keep himself calm for Jisung’s sake. 

“Other than the broken wrist, has your mother given you any other serious injuries?” Cho questioned. 

“My shoulder is messed up from her yanking my arm so often. I’m pretty sure I’ve had quite a few concussions. And…” Jisung hesitated to continue.

“You can tell us, Jisung, I promise it’ll all be okay,” Cho reassured him.

Jisung shakily continued, “I have a lot of scars. From where she’s cut me with her beer bottles.”

“Okay, are these intentional cuts or just from the glass being around?”

Jisung’s brow furrowed, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“That’s okay. What I mean is, did she ever cut you with a purpose? Did she ever hold you down or grab a part of your body to intentionally cut you? Or did the cuts come from falling on glass after she broke a bottle?” Cho re-explained.

Jisung tensed up but quietly answered, “Both.” 

“Okay, when she cut you on purpose, what exactly did she do?”

“She’d hold me down and just slice it enough for it to sting. I only have a couple scars from that,” Jisung explained. 

“Did she ever do anything else with the cutting?” Cho carefully asked.

Tears started flowing down Jisung’s face, “One time she…she cut a word.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” Cho asked after a moment of tense silence.

“I was thirteen, and we had no food left. I tried really hard to make things last, but Sohee needed food badly. I begged her to go to the store, or give me money. I was-I was just so hungry and I started crying and she got really mad,” Jisung explained, “She said my dad would be disappointed in me for being such a crybaby. I got upset and talked back to her for the first time. I said dad would have stopped loving her a long time ago if he was still alive.”

“What did she do after you said that?”

Jisung sobbed, “She threw her bottle at me. She missed but it hit the wall and smashed. She pushed me to the floor and held me down. She started screaming in my face. She called me names and said I should have never been born, then she grabbed a piece of glass from the bottle. She said, ‘You’re just a bastard,’ and dug into my skin. She cut that word onto my thigh.”

“Bastard?” Cho confirmed. 

“Yeah,” Jisung wiped at the tears on his face, but they didn’t stop. He felt Hyunwoo press a tissue into his hand and Jisung quickly covered his face with it as he cried harder. 

“I’m very sorry she did that to you, Jisung,” Cho gently said, “You didn’t deserve any of that.”

Jisung wasn’t so sure he believed him. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Once Jisung had left the home with Minho and Hyunwoo at his side, Seungmin let himself break down. He felt arms wrap around him and could hear the rumblings of people talking, but he needed to let it all out. When he finally calmed down enough for the sobs to turn into random hiccups, Seungmin pushed at whoever was surrounding him until they got the message and backed off. He looked around at his friends and took notice that everyone except Chan was crying just as hard as he was. 

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin coughed through his tears, “It’s okay to be upset. We’re all upset.”

“I know,” Seungmin wiped at his face, “I feel so awful though.”

Changbin patted his back, “I think we all do. He’s our friend, and something really bad was happening to him. It’s normal to feel upset about that.”

“But, I noticed and I-I didn’t do anything,” Seungmin choked down another sob.

“What do you mean you noticed?” Jeongin furrowed his brow.

Seungmin shrugged, “I could tell something was wrong. Something really didn’t sit right with me once we found out about Sohee. I wanted to try talking to him before the stuff with the car accident happened, but I didn’t really get the chance. I talked to him that day we all went to my house, but I didn’t get to ask as much as I wanted. If I had just tried harder, maybe we could've gotten him help sooner.”

“Minnie, you can’t think like that,” Felix scooted over to sit next to Seungmin. He slowly leaned his head on the other boy’s shoulder and continued, “you couldn’t have known it was this bad.”

“Maybe not, but I knew. Deep down, I knew he was hurting,” Seungmin whined.

“Seungmin,” Chan spoke over everyone else, “Hannie, he didn’t want people to find out. He was scared, he’s still scared. If you had tried to ask, he would have run from it.” Everyone paused at Chan’s words, letting them calm their own feelings of worry and guilt just a little. Only Hyunjin picked up on something.

“Why do you sound like you knew?” Hyunjin quietly asked. 

Chan sighed and that was all that was needed before the room exploded.

“Hyung, you knew?” Felix shouted.

“How could you not do anything about this?” Jeongin accused. 

“How long have you been keeping this a secret? How long was he still getting hurt?” Seungmin angrily spat.

“Why wouldn’t you tell the rest of us?” Hyunjin breathily whispered. 

Changbin yelled to silence the others, “Guys, this is not helping. Let Chan-hyung explain before you accuse him.

“Thanks, Changbin,” Chan smiled sadly, “Look, Jisung told Minho and I some things a few days after we moved him in here. Right before he went back to school. Minho and I weren’t trying to lie to you guys, but you have to understand, Jisung’s trust is fragile. It’s honestly barely there, even now. We didn’t want to break it. He told us some things, then we told my parents with him that same day.”

“Why didn’t he confide in the rest of us?” Seungmin whimpered. His thought process was not logical in the slightest, so he couldn’t shove away the feelings of being hurt by Jisung not confiding in him.

Chan shook his head, “I can’t really say, I’m not him. Like I said, he’s scared and his trust is so fragile. He didn’t tell Minho and I a whole lot, but it’s also not something he’s going to open up about easily. If you’re wondering why us over any of you, again, I don’t know. If I had to guess, I think he’s sort of latched onto Minho and myself since we were there that night. And obviously he’s staying with me and Minho’s also become a source of comfort for him. I mean, look at today, Minho calmed him down and Jisung only asked for Minho to go with him. I can’t choose who he trusts right now, and neither can you. You just have to prove that he can trust you. He just wasn’t ready to tell you guys. I mean, shit, he definitely also wasn’t ready for today to happen.”

“Why didn’t you get the police involved that day? Why is Jisung so surprised they added those charges?” Jeongin softly spoke up.

“Well, he told us that he had already spoken to the officer about it the day of the accident,” Chan said, “And we knew his social worker was doing an investigation alongside Sohee’s. I think…I think Jisung always knew that they’d show up here eventually to talk to him about it. I just don’t think he realized they’d take him seriously. I think people believing him scares him.”

“Why?” Felix was confused, “Shouldn’t this be a good thing? People believing him and getting justice for him, I mean.”

“It makes it real,” Hyunjin was quick to answer, “Think about it. He said it’s been like this for ten years . He didn’t get through all of it by dreaming of someone saving him. He probably tried to justify what was happening to him. Now, the reality that it was wrong and shouldn’t have been happening at all is gonna be shoved in his face for who knows how long.”

“He said no one ever noticed,” Changbin murmured, “Having to face it like this, it’s going to make him wonder why no one noticed instead of using that fact as justification for the abuse.”

Seungmin started sobbing again, “But I did notice. I just didn’t outright ask him what was wrong. How many people did exactly what I did?”

“My parents noticed too,” Chan placed a comforting hand on Seungmin’s leg, “They noticed and they told Minho and I to watch out for him. I talked with Minho a lot about it and we agreed that Jisung would run if we had asked him at the time. It’s,” he paused, “It’s not right. In hindsight, maybe we should have taken the risk of that and showed him that someone noticed - that someone cared enough to notice. You’re right, Seungmin, there could be so many people who did exactly what we did.”

“But that doesn’t make it anyone’s fault except his mom’s,” Eunyeong had reentered the living room, spooking the boys.

“If I had just-” Seungmin was cut off.

Eunyeong sighed, “You’re going to run yourself ragged talking about ‘what ifs.’ The fact is Jisung is here now. We know for sure now. So, we need to show up for him, be patient with him, and help him get through this.”

“He shouldn’t have had to go through that for so long,” Seungmin sobbed. 

“I know,” Eunyeong wistfully said, “But he did, and there’s no changing that.”

“Now what do we do?” Jeongin timidly asked.

Eunyeon sat on the couch behind the boys and smiled, “Exactly what you have been doing. Show him you care and that you’re willing to be someone he leans on. Just be his friend. That’s what he needs.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Felix wetly laughed as he cuddled closer into Seungmin, Hyunjin right up behind him. 

Eunyeong ran a hand through her son’s hair and whispered, “You guys are already doing it.”

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

After answering more questions about the abuse and neglect he and Sohee had experienced, Jisung now had to take pictures of his injuries. Part of him didn’t want to, but he knew he needed to. 

“Okay Jisung, just start with whatever you’re comfortable with,” Cho said. He was holding a camera and waited patiently until Jisung was ready. Jisung braced himself, tried to be strong, and slowly pulled up his sleeve. 

It had been a few weeks, but his wrist still had some purple bruising and the shape of his mother’s fingers still stained his skin. 

Hyunwoo rubbed his hands across his face as he observed the first of Jisung’s many injuries. It was hard to not react, to not show emotion as he listened to Jisung’s stories, and now it was even harder as he was face-to-face with them. Cho kept his composure and took a few pictures of Jisung’s wrist at various angles.

“Does it hurt?” Cho asked after taking the last picture. 

Jisung shrugged, “I’m used to it.”

“That doesn’t mean it can’t hurt, Jisung,” Hyunwoo spoke for the first time since entering the room. 

Jisung wilted a bit, “It doesn’t hurt exactly, it’s just uncomfortable.”

“We’ll get someone to look at it later, to make sure it’s not broken again,” Hyunwoo decided. 

After a moment of silence, Cho said, “Whenever you’re ready, we can move onto the next one.”

So they continued exactly like that. Jisung pulled his shirt off and Cho took pictures of the bruise and now scar on his back, the various scars on his arms and torso from being accidentally cut with the glass. When Jisung shifted his sweatpants down to reveal the brand on his thigh, he closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see the looks of pity and disgust on the adults' faces. He listened to the sounds of the camera shutter for what felt like an eternity before it finally stopped. 

“Is there anything else you want me to take pictures of?” Cho quietly asked. 

Jisung shook his head and pulled his pants back up. He opened his eyes again and grabbed his shirt off the table to pull it back on. 

“Okay, Jisung. This will all be submitted as evidence, but hopefully nothing further will need to be done,” Cho explained, “Your mother has a court date on Monday where her new plea for the charges will be entered. If her lawyer is smart, she’ll plead guilty to her charges. In the event she pleads not guilty, however, the prosecutor may ask you if you’d be willing to testify, what do you think about that?”

Jisung’s mind was racing and he shook his head, “I don’t-I don’t know.”

“That’s okay, we can figure that all out if it comes down to it, but I really don’t think it will,” Cho shut him down before he could panic, “For now, let me grab someone with more medical experience to check on your injuries. Sit tight for a few more minutes.”

“Minho-hyung?” Jisung hesitantly asked. After telling some of his secrets, he was drained. All he wanted right now was the comfort of his best friend. 

“I’ll grab him, too, don’t worry,” Cho smiled and left the room. A few minutes later, Minho came barreling into the interrogation room, Cho and another officer right behind him. 

“Hannie,” Minho keened and moved to pull Jisung into his arms. Jisung melted in Minho’s embrace. 

“Jisung, can my coworker take a look at your wrist?” Cho asked. 

Minho pulled back and looked confusedly down at Jisung, “What’s wrong with your wrist?”

“Eomma hurt it,” Jisung quietly admitted.

Understanding settled over Minho and he shakily sighed. He watched carefully as Jisung let the new officer roll up his sleeve to inspect his wrist. Minho felt sick when he saw the awful color of Jisung’s skin and the shape of his mother’s fingers wrapped around his small wrist. 

“I’m just going to make sure it’s not broken,” the other officer kindly explained before he reached out to inspect Jisung’s wrist. He gently twisted it to check the range of motion and pushed down in some places to see if Jisung felt any pain. 

Minho felt when Jisung tensed, but the younger boy gave no other reaction to the pain. It reminded Minho of how Jisung said he was used to the pain and suddenly Minho was brimming with anger. How could anyone, especially his own mother, ever hurt Jisung so badly?

“Well, it’s not broken. Probably a muscle strain if I had to guess,” the officer said, “I’ll give you an ice pack to take home but I’d recommend icing it for a few days and grabbing a wrist brace from a pharmacy. This bruising is pretty intense and it’s clear your wrist has been reinjured quite often, so it’s likely it’ll take a few more weeks for the discomfort to fully go away.”

“Okay we’ll do that, thank you so much, officers,” Hyunwoo said. 

“Let me grab that ice pack and then I think you guys are good to be on your way,” the officer stood up and left the room. Minho took the opportunity to check in with Jisung. 

“Hannie, are you sure it doesn’t hurt too badly?  Minho asked the boy in his arms, “I’m sure Hyunwoo would take us to get you an x-ray if you want.”

Jisung shook his head, “It’s not broken, I promise. It’s just bruised. It’ll be okay.”

Minho hummed, “Okay. Just promise you’ll at least tell me if anything starts to hurt?”

“Okay,” Jisung whispered. 

After the officer came back with an ice-pack, they were informed that they could finally leave. Jisung had answered enough questions and provided enough photo evidence for now. If they needed anything else, Jisung could do it another time. So, Hyunwoo led Minho and Jisung back out to the car. The two teens sat cuddled up in the backseat in silence as Hyunwoo drove them home. Minho had gently taken the ice pack out of Jisung’s hand to hold it to Jisung’s wrist himself. 

Jisung muttered a small thanks and Minho warmly smiled down at him. Jisung took notice of the flutter in chest upon seeing the smile but decided to pocket it away to deal with later.

When they pulled up in front of the Bang residence, Hyunwoo opened the backdoor for Jisung and Minho gently helped him out. Minho pouted as Jisung took the ice pack back - it would be way too awkward for them to walk while Minho held the ice pack. 

Minho still stuck close to Jisung’s side as Hyunwoo led them to the front door. He had known the abuse had happened, but seeing the injury with his own eyes had rattled him a bit. A part of him still couldn’t imagine Jisung getting hurt at all, but it was clear as day just what had been happening in that apartment. 

“Eunyeong sent the other boys home for the night,” Hyunwoo explained as they entered the home, “They can come over again tomorrow if you’d like, Jisung, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you after the day you’ve had.”

“Can,” Jisung paused before he braced himself to ask, “Can Minho-hyung stay the night? Please? ” He didn’t want to have to beg, but he would. The day had been too hard and Jisung had gotten too used to seeking comfort in Minho’s arms. Maybe it wasn’t good, but he would give into the indulgence for just one more night if that was all he could have.

“Of course he can,” Hyunwoo reassured him, “Let’s get you two something to eat first, come on.” 

They were led to the kitchen where they found Chan and Eunyeong sitting at the table, silently sipping cups of tea. 

“Oh, you’re back,” Eunyeong greeted them, “I made bibimbap, come sit.” The mother stood from the table and moved to put together three bowls of food. Minho guided Jisung into a chair and sat down next to him. Hyunwoo took the seat next to Chan. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Chan spoke up.

“What’s with the ice pack?” he asked. 

“Eomma hurt my wrist,” Jisung quietly responded around a bite of food.

Chan blinked, “You never said anything.”

Jisung shrugged and swallowed, “I’m used to it.” 

Sensing Chan was about to blow, Eunyeong took over the conversation, “Did you want to talk about anything, Jisung?”

“No,” Jisung answered as he pushed his barely touched food away, “I just want to go to bed.”

“Eat at least half that then we can go to your room, Hannie,” Minho encouraged, “We can cuddle all night.”

Jisung pouted a bit at the food. He had no appetite after the draining day he had, but he knew he should listen to Minho. He agreed, “Okay, but can Chan-hyung stay in the room, too?”

Minho looked expectantly at Chan who resigned himself to wait until later to find out what happened at the police station.

“Yeah, Hannie, I can stay in your room tonight.”

Hyunwoo groaned as he stood up, “Eunyeong and I are going to talk. We’ll see you boys in the morning.”

After they all bid each other goodnight, Hyunwoo led his wife to their bedroom and softly closed the door behind them. He silently sat at the edge of their bed and, after a beat of silence, held his head in his hands as he started crying. Eunyeong sat next to him and placed a comforting hand on her husband’s back as he let his emotions out. After a few minutes, he started ranting. 

“The things his mother did, they’re so awful,” Hyunwoo hoarsely explained, “They-they took pictures for evidence, you know? They’re so bad and Jisung, he doesn’t even realize how bad it is because he’s so used to it. His wrist, you can see the shape of her fingers. That’s how hard his mother grabbed him, and Jisung said it doesn’t even hurt.”

Eunyeong knew that any abuse is terrible, but she’d grown to care for Chan’s friends as if they were her own children. She may not have known Jisung for long, but she still cared just as deeply for him. Hearing about his injuries broke her heart in a way that made it feel like she couldn't breathe anymore.

“That’s not even the worst,” Hyunwoo continued, “She branded him. On his thigh. He was hungry and got upset, said something about his father, and then she cut him. Just like that. He’s stuck with the word ‘bastard’ on his skin for the rest of life because he was a child who was hungry .”

Eunyeong shakily took a breath, “That’s horrible.”

Hyunwoo cut her off and looked deep into her eyes, “If that’s what he was willing to tell them today, what else has she done? What terrible things is he still keeping secret because he’s just not ready to talk about them?”

She stared back at her husband, unable to give him an answer. Being branded by his own mother must have been so traumatic for Jisung to go through. Hyunwoo was right, there must be something worse still under lock and key if Jisung was willing to give that up now.

“What do we even do?” Hyunwoo murmured. 

“We get him therapy,” Eunyeong slowly replied, “We support him. Even if he’s being difficult, we don’t walk away. We give him what he asks for, at least with necessities or comforts like letting Minho stay over. You know how this can go, we’ve seen it with some of the children we’ve fostered. He’s going to see how far he can push to try to make us give up on him. We have to show him that giving up is not an option for us, especially when things are hard or upsetting. We just need to be the parents he hasn’t had.”

Hyunwoo composed himself and sadly smiled up at his wife, “We can do this?”

Eunyeong smiled and took his hand in her own, “We can do this.”

Chapter Text

The following Tuesday after school, it was just Minho who was walking home with Chan and Jisung. Even though everyone wanted to be with Jisung as much as possible, they didn’t want to overwhelm him or overstay their welcome at Chan’s house. So, for today, only Minho was coming after Jisung shyly asked the older boy if he would. When the boys entered Chan’s home, they were ready to head upstairs to the oldest’s bedroom when Eunyeong called out to them. 

“Chan, Jisung, could you please come here?” she shouted from the living room. Jisung immediately tensed and the older boys went to comfort him. 

“Jisung, I promise we’re not in trouble,” Chan reassured him, “And even if we were, my parents would just talk to us. They wouldn’t do anything else, I promise.”

“Okay,” Jisung nervously nodded. He didn’t fully believe that he wasn’t going to get hurt again, but he was trying to be more rational when it came to Chan’s family. The three made their way into the living room and were met with Officer Cho and Jisung’s social worker, Woo, sitting there. 

“Minho, I didn’t know you were coming over today,” Eunyeong stiffly smiled at him.

“Jisungie asked me to come over,” Minho stiffly replied. He was nervous, the last time these two adults came over, they had upset Jisung a lot. They had given Jisung some terrible news, so Minho was worried their presence could only mean something bad. 

“Boys, come sit,” Hyunwoo tiredly sighed, “Officer Cho and Woo-ssi have something they need to discuss with Jisung.” Chan and Minho guided Jisung to sit on the couch squished in between them with Chan’s parents on Chan’s right. It was a tight fit, but the two older boys had come to realize that Jisung benefited from closeness when he was stressed or anxious. 

“Is Sohee alright?” Jisung timidly asked. 

“Yes, Jisung,” Woo-sii immediately assured him, “This…this news isn’t about her.” 

Jisung paused, “Is it about my mom?”

“Yeah, kid. We’ve got some news about her case,” Officer Cho explained. 

“How long is she going to be in jail for?” Jisung asked. The adults made eye contact with each other, and Officer Cho sighed, knowing he would have to continue to explain. 

Cho cleared his throat and continued, “We don’t know yet, Jisung.”

Jisung furrowed his brow, “But you said her court date was yesterday, and that she'd take a plea deal.”

“I know,” Cho cut him off gently, “I shouldn’t have assumed that she’d take the easy way out and I’m…I’m so sorry for not properly preparing you for a different outcome.”

“What do you mean? What happened yesterday?” Jisung’s breath was picking up, a panic attack had started to brew in his chest. Minho quickly grabbed Jisung’s hand to tightly squeeze, hoping it would ground the other boy somehow. 

“Jisung, her lawyer has decided to fight all of the charges,” Cho admitted, “She pled not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Unfortunately, this will be going to trial.”

“She can do that?” Chan exasperatedly asked. 

“Yes, she can technically plead however she wants as long as her lawyer has evidence to support their case,” Cho explained. 

“What fucking reason does she have to excuse all of this? Even the accident?” Minho yelled. 

Cho sighed, “Yeji is claiming the death of her husband affected her too greatly. The depression and PTSD it caused and that was left untreated is the reason all these things occurred.”

“So, she’s not saying she didn’t do these things,” Chan slowly figured it out, “She’s just saying she’s not to blame for them?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Cho said.

“That’s bullshit!” Minho laughed incredulously, “How can anyone accept that?”

“Minho, calm down, you’re going to scare Jisung,” Hyunwoo lightly scolded him. Minho immediately clammed up and shut his mouth. As upset as he was, the last thing he wanted to do was make Jisung feel unsafe for even a second. 

Jisung was crying and shaking his head. He muttered repeatedly, “I knew it, I knew she would do this.”

“Jisung,” Woo gently said, “Jisung it’s okay. The prosecution has all the evidence from our investigation and your statement and photos. He’s already started gathering a list of witnesses to call in to take the stand. Your mother is not going to get away with any of this.” 

“There is one thing though,” Cho continued, “Jisung, the prosecutor wants to call you as a witness.”

“No,” Jisung immediately blurted out, “You can use the pictures and everything I said, but I can’t. I just can’t .”

“Jisung, you getting on that stand would solidify everything ,” Cho said, “It would make your mom’s case completely fall apart.”

“I don’t want to see her,” Jisung was panicking now, “I don’t want to look at her and tell her every horrible thing she did that she doesn’t even remember happening.”

“You getting on that stand could also help with Wonshik’s custody case,” Woo added.

Jisung let out a confused, “What?”

“The custody case has to continue, regardless of the ruling your mother ends up with,” Woo explained, “If we want to ensure the family court judge understands how important it is that Yeji is out of Sohee’s life, we need you to tell that judge everything as well.”

“Hold on, so you want him to get in front of his mother and detail the abuse and neglect not once, but twice?” Chan angrily asked. He was frustrated, it felt like these two adults weren’t listening to what his friend wanted. They were ignoring Jisung’s fear and panic for their own benefits, and Chan didn’t like it one bit.

“Family court is a lot different from criminal court. He wouldn’t necessarily have to take the stand. We would submit all the evidence from the criminal trial and the judge would simply need Jisung to be present in case the judge has any questions. Jisung’s testimony would support our claims that Yeji is an unfit mother,” Woo said. 

“That’s basically the same thing,” Minho pointed out.

“Jisung,” Eunyeong finally spoke up again, “We will support whatever decision you make, but you need to know once you make one, you can’t change it. If you say no, there is no going back.”

“And if he says yes when he’s not ready, he’ll be forced to do it anyway,” Minho argued. 

Jisung was incredibly overwhelmed, but he tried his best to speak his mind.

“Officer Cho,” Jisung nervously said. He scratched at his thigh to attempt to ground himself and squeezed Minho’s hand tight before he continued, “You’ve been keeping it straight with me since the beginning. How likely is my mom to get out of going to jail if I don’t testify?

“The lawyer’s case isn’t as strong as ours, but it’s enough to cause doubt if we’re not careful. If you testify and tell everyone firsthand the things you’ve been through and about your mom’s drinking and grief, I truly believe Yeji will have no chance of staying out of prison,” Cho said.

“You’re sure?” Jisung asked. 

“The evidence is incredibly stacked against her. Your experiences are the most damning pieces of it all,” Cho confidently replied, “Everyone hearing it directly from you will only help them understand it more.”

“And if I go to this family court stuff, Sohee won’t be forced to see our mom?” Jisung continued. 

“I believe your mom will be stripped of all her parental rights,” Woo assured, “I don't see the judge letting Yeji ever contact Sohee again.”

“What about me?” Jisung quietly added. 

“I’m sorry?” Woo tilted her head in confusion. 

“Will I get to see Sohee if I do this?” Jisung asked. 

The social worker paused before she carefully replied, “I’m trying, Jisung. We can try in court too, but there's not a lot of precedence here. There isn’t anything legally requiring that you get any sort of visitation or contact rights with Sohee. It’s unfortunately up to what Wonshik decides if he’s given sole custody.”

“That’s not fair ,” Jisung’s breath hitched, “Sohee’s my only family besides my mom. I’ve been with her for her entire life, why do we just get torn apart like this?”

“I…I’m very sorry Jisung,” Woo apologized again, “I know it’s not what you want, but I can’t make you any promises. No matter what you decide.”

Cho cut in, “You need to understand, Jisung, if we make any promises to you, it could be seen as us bribing you to speak against your mother. Then everything, even the charges for the accident, could be thrown out and it’d be very hard to go to a retrial without the evidence we currently have.”

“So I do all this, I help all these people, and I’m still screwed over?” A tear slipped down Jisung’s face as he got angrier, “I just get…stuck in the system by myself while everyone else gets what they want? The family of those people who died get to see my mom go to prison, Wonshik gets to take Sohee even though he spent eight years not doing a damn thing for her, you and the prosecutor get to win your case. But I just get my whole life ruined?”

“Jisung,” Hyunwoo started but was quickly cut off.

“I get it, none of you can promise me anything,” the tears were falling faster down Jisung’s face now, “I wouldn’t even believe you if you did. But everything's been turned upside down. And now I’m burdening people who barely knew me before this all happened because there's no one out there who wants me. There's no one who cares about me besides Sohee and you won’t even let me talk to her. How is this right? How is this good for either of us? Everyone also seems to be forgetting that I was the only person who cared about Sohee for eight years. You’re telling me she’s doing great, but I really don’t believe you.” 

Jisung separated himself from Minho and Chan and abruptly stood up from the couch and began walking out of the room.

“Jisung, we are regularly and spontaneously checking in on Sohee. She is being treated very well,” Woo called out after him. 

He turned around and sadly smiled, “Is she happy, though? How often does she ask where I am - ask why she hasn’t been able to see me? You and Nam-ssi said it yourselves so I wonder, how damaged are the two of us really going to be from this? How badly is this separation going to ruin our futures?”

“Jisung, you both are in great positions,” Woo attempted to reassure him, “You have a great support system here and Sohee will grow up with stable, loving parents who can provide everything she could need or want. You…you’re a kid, Jisung. A kid who was forced to grow up too soon. You will benefit a lot from this change to your life. Sohee will also benefit from having a real parent. The life you both lived was not right, you both deserve better than that, even if it means separation.”

“So that makes this all okay? Because we were abused and our mom was shit it's perfectly fine that we don’t see each other ever again? Just because I shouldn’t have had to do all that, it means we’re better off without each other?” Jisung angrily replied. 

“That is not what I meant,” Woo tried to explain.

“Whatever, I’ll do what you want. I’ll testify wherever you need me to because I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t and my mom somehow won,” Jisung said, “But stop patronizing me. I’ve been through more than either of you could imagine and the only reason I didn’t just let myself completely wither away is because I had Sohee. So none of you, especially not Wonshik, get to tell me that Sohee and I are better off without each other. Because I promise you, one way or another, I’d be long dead if Sohee hadn’t been born.” 

“Jisung, wait,” Woo tried to stop him, but Jisung immediately turned and bolted down the hallway when he finished his rant.  A moment later, they all heard a door slam shut, signifying that Jisung was no longer willing to listen to them. The adults all solemnly sighed, but the two teens still sitting there were stewing with anger. 

“I mean no disrespect,” Minho stiffly said, “but you guys are ridiculous.”

“Minho, not now,” Hyunwoo scolded.

“Hyunwoo, you’re like a second father to me, but no,” Minho snapped, “Jisung’s right. None of this is fair. I’m not going to stand by and watch as you all manipulate the fuck out of him.”

“Minho!” Eunyeong exasperatedly shouted, “Now is really not the time.”

“Kid, listen, we know a lot more about the way things like this have to go than you or Jisung do,” Cho sternly explained, “We’re not going to lie to him.”

“Oh, but guilt tripping him into testifying is fine?” Minho snarled. 

Chan coldly cut in, “Respectfully, you may know more about the legal system, but no one knows more about what their life was like than Jisung and Sohee. Be honest, can you confidently say that separating them is the best thing for either of them? Is never letting them talk again going to be beneficial to either of them in the slightest?” 

Woo hesitated and after a moment, she put her head down and sighed, “This separation is the least helpful thing, especially for Sohee. If you think Jisung is struggling, that little girl is going to lose it if we can’t get Yoo-ssi to agree to something . She’s young, and she doesn't have anyone with her besides this new family. We tried, I swear we really did. Officer Cho was there for it all. You have to understand though, we can’t force Yoo-ssi to do anything. He has no legal ties to Jisung. If a judge doesn’t force him to let Sohee have contact with Jisung, it’s completely up to him.” 

“Do you think he will support the two staying in contact or seeing each other?” Hyunwoo asked.

“I’d be surprised if that guy even lets her talk about him,” Cho muttered. 

“Officer, don’t,” Woo warned. 

“It’s stupid,” Cho ignored her and shook his head, “Jisung takes care of his kid for eight years while he fucks off to start a family with someone else. Then he decided Jisung is some sketchy problem kid just because he’s a teenager. You heard the way he spoke about Jisung at that investigation meeting.” 

“What did he say?” Chan questioned. 

“Legally, we can’t tell you since it's part of something being submitted as evidence,” Woo took over, “but…it was bad.”

“Bad is putting it nicely,” Cho shook his head again but didn’t elaborate any further. He sighed as he stood up, “We’ll give Jisung a few days, but the prosecutor is going to want to go over his testimony with him. I’ll give you a call later this week to schedule something.”

“Okay,” Eunyeong weakly agreed before leading them out of the house. 

“I still think this is bullshit,” Minho said as he glared at the floor.

“Minho, please, we can talk about it after Jisung calms down,” Hyunwoo sternly said to him. 

“Why are you guys so stuck on him testifying?” Chan asked, “Jisung told them everything the other day, right? He took pictures, too, why is that not enough?”

Hyunwoo sighed in defeat, “It’s not that no one would believe any of that without him there to retell it. It’s that, without him there to support the claims he made, the defense could twist his words. The defense could say almost anything they want to cause doubt without him there.”

“It’s not right that he’s basically being forced,” Eunyeong said as she re-entered the room, “Trust me, I’m not happy about this at all. But this unfortunately isn’t just about him now. If there’s doubt in his statements, it could lead to doubt in the charges for the accident. Her sentence could be lighter than anyone wants just because he wasn’t there to defend his claims.”

“That’s not fair,” Minho said. 

“I know,” Hyunwoo agreed, “But it might be his only option.”

Chan stood up and sighed, “I want to try to talk to him.”

“Let’s all go,” Eunyeong followed her son, “We had other things we wanted to talk to him about before they showed up.”

Minho hesitated, “Are you sure? Shouldn’t we give him a little longer to calm down?”

“The worst he can do is tell us to leave him alone,” Hyunwoo said, “I don’t want him thinking that we don’t care that he’s upset.”

Minho was still hesitant, but he followed the Bangs to Jisung’s room regardless. If anything, he would be the one to shove them out of the room if Jisung wasn’t ready to talk. He hung back as Chan knocked on the door.

“Jisung, can we all come in?” Chan waited for an answer, but didn’t receive any. He glanced back at the others and sighed before opening the bedroom door.

“Jisung?” Eunyeong gently said as the four shuffled into the room, “Jisung can we talk?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Jisung’s reply was muffled. Minho couldn't see Jisung from behind Hyunwoo, so he moved to the side of the room. He blinked in surprise when he saw that Jisung wasn’t just on his bed, he’d completely buried himself under the covers. Minho’s heart clenched at the sight.

“Jisung, honey, we know you’re upset,” Eunyeong soothed as she walked over to sit next to the lump on the bed.

“It’s fine,” Jisung replied.

“No it’s not,” Chan confidently said, “I don’t like that you’re basically being forced into this. You shouldn’t have to testify if you really don’t want to.”

Jisung shot up from under the covers and uncharacteristically glared at Chan, “What choice do I have? If I don’t get on the stand and my mom isn’t sent to prison or somehow wins , I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life. If Sohee has to see her again, repeatedly, I’ll never forgive myself for not trying. So I have to do this.”

“It’s not fair though-” Minho was cut off.

“My life hasn’t been fair for a long time, hyung,” Jisung coldly replied. He was clenching his fist tight in the blanket and Minho noticed how Jisung’s hands shook and his eyes were full of tears again. They all tensed at his words. Jisung was right, but it was still hard to hear. 

Hyunwoo gently spoke up, “If you don’t want to do this, you really don’t have to. That’s one of the rules here - no one has to do anything that will make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. That includes you.”

Eunyeong continued, “We can talk to Cho and the prosecutor and see if there's another option if you still want to help. We don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

Jisung deflated a little and murmured, “I’ll testify. I know it doesn’t make any sense to you guys, but I have to do it.”

“Okay, we’ll support your decision on this, Jisung,” Hyunwoo accepted, “We’ll all be there every step of the way. I’m sure the other boys will be as well.”

“They’ll have to drag me out of the courtroom themselves if anyone thinks I won’t be there for you for the entire trial,” Minho added with a hesitant smile. He still wasn’t sure about this, but he would be damned if he didn’t stay by Jisung’s side through this.

“Thanks, hyung,” Jisung whispered. The room was encased in silence for a moment before Hyunwoo took a deep breath.

“Jisung, there was something else we wanted to talk to you about before they showed up with that news,” the father explained, “If you don’t want to hear it today, just say so and we can revisit this conversation tomorrow, but we do need to discuss it with you.”

Jisung visibly tensed, obviously fearing the worst, but one reassuring nod from Chan and Minho got Jisung to at least agree to listen to what the parents had to say. 

“We want to get you a therapist. Not because we think there’s something wrong with you,” Eunyeong reassured once she saw Jisung’s initial shocked reaction, “We were thinking it might be helpful for you to have someone on the outside of the situation - and a professional - who can work through things with you. Someone who you can talk to about things you’re maybe not ready to talk to us about. Or now, someone to talk to about the trial and the custody case without any biases.”

“A therapist can help you move past all the things that happened to you in ways none of us could,” Hyunwoo added, “And that’s not because any of us don’t want to help you, it’s just…different talking to a professional compared to us.”

“It’s up to you, Jisungie,” Minho butt into the conversation, “If you’re not ready or you don’t want to right now, no one's going to make you.” He was sure the Bangs were thinking that, but Minho knew if it wasn’t laid out for Jisung, he still wouldn’t understand that he had a choice in this matter.

Jisung nodded and slowly asked, “Can I stop going if I don’t like it?”

“Of course, honey,” Eunyeong reached out to hold Jisung’s hand, “Can we make a deal, though?”

Jisung blinked and frowned, “A deal?”

“Three sessions. Can we agree that you try three full sessions before you decide you want to stop?” Eunyeong suggested. 

After a moment of thinking, Jisung nodded and quietly replied, “That sounds okay. Could someone come sit in the waiting room with me for now, though?”

“Of course. Whoever you want can go with you if they’re available,” Hyunwoo reassured him. Jisung’s gaze nervously flicked to Minho, but he stopped himself from speaking up.

Minho quietly sighed and finally moved to sit on the bed next to Jisung. He lightheartedly said, “Jisungie, I’d be happy to go with you.”

Jisung hesitated, “Can it be you or Chan-hyung? For now?”

“I’d also be happy to,” Chan smiled from across the room.

Eunyeong sighed in relief, “Why don’t we find you someone and see when we can get you an appointment. Then we’ll figure out who will go with you that first time, okay?”

Jisung nodded and quietly replied, “Thank you and I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.”

“You have no reason to apologize,” Minho quickly said. 

Eunyeong fondly shook her head, “Minho’s right, don’t apologize for that. What happened is very upsetting and I’m sorry people keep asking things of you. I’m sorry no one’s giving you the answers you want.”

“I’m sure this is all very scary and upsetting,” Hyunwoo said, “and it’s not helping that you can’t see Sohee. None of us are going to be upset with you for being emotional. Especially now with a trial happening. But I want you to understand that we took you in because we wanted to - because we care about you. Not for any other reason and you are absolutely not a burden on us, okay?”

Tears were spilling out of Jisung’s eyes again and he was feeling choked up, so he only nodded in response to Hyunwoo’s words. 

“Okay, why don’t we leave you boys alone,” Eunyeong squeezed Jisung’s hand one more time before standing up, “We’ll come get you for dinner, alright?”

“Thanks Eomma,” Chan whispered as his mom walked past him when leaving the room. He shut the door behind them and sat on the bed on Jisung’s free side. Minho had adjusted himself so he was cuddled up next to Jisung with his head resting on the younger’s shoulder. Chan didn’t make any moves to copy Minho’s actions, but he reached out to hold the hand his mother had been holding. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while as they waited for Jisung to open up.

“I’m scared,” Jisung whispered a while later.

“Why are you scared?” Minho gently asked. He readjusted his head to be able to see Jisung’s face a bit better.

“I have a lot of secrets,” was all Jisung said.

Minho paused, then lifted his head off the younger’s shoulder to ask, “What do you mean?”

Jisung hesitated, “There are a lot of things I didn’t tell the police in my statement. Things I’m just not ready to talk about, even if it’d help put my mom away. What if they push me on the stand? What if I have to tell them my secrets to make it stop or to just make them believe me?”

Another beat of silence then Chan asked, purely out of curiosity, “Why didn’t you tell the police everything? 

“There's just too much,” Jisung explained as he fidgeted with Chan’s fingers, “I can’t talk about some of it yet. Maybe the therapist idea will help, but right now I’m not comfortable telling anyone, especially not a courtroom full of strangers. There’s some really bad things that happened. I know things about my mom that would probably have the court make a decision in seconds, but I’m still scared of her, too. What if I’m forced to spill one of my secrets and she still gets out? I’ll be terrified for the rest of my life that she’ll be looking for me.”

“She can’t hurt you, Jisungie,” Minho gently reached out to brush away a stray tear, “I know it’s scary and your brain probably isn’t going to be rational when it comes to your mom for a long time, but she won’t be able hurt you in that courtroom. I’m still not happy that you’re practically being forced into this, but when you’re on that stand, there isn’t anything your mom can do to you. You’ll get to tell the truth and your mom won’t be allowed to even talk to you.”

Chan cut in before Jisung could respond, “I know this may not be helpful for us to say, but I really don’t see her not getting jail time. I don’t know what all you said in your statement, but even if you said nothing, there's the car accident to consider. Three people died, I don’t see how her defense is going to convince anyone to not convict and sentence her properly for at least that.”

“Tell us to shut up if we’re not helping, but if it does help, we all believe wholeheartedly that she will be given a guilty sentence for everything,” Minho continued, “I don’t see a reason for this to not work out. There’s too much evidence according to all the adults. Your wrist alone is enough evidence for me to want to see her rot, so whatever else you told the police should be plenty for the judge and jury.”

Chan continued, “She is guilty and the court will see that and punish her how she deserves to be. I know it.”

“I’m just not sure I believe that yet,” Jisung admitted. 

Minho rested his head on Jisung’s shoulder again and softly whispered, “Then let us believe for you.”

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Jisung had once again insisted on going to school the following day. The four others tried to convince him not to. He had been having a hard enough time readjusting to school already, so they wanted him to take breaks when he emotionally needed to, but Jisung wouldn’t back down. He knew they didn’t understand, but going to school was routine and that was one of the only things keeping him from completely losing it.

So he had spent the morning silently sitting next to a worried Felix as he took notes in each of their classes. Jisung wasn’t sure if Chan and Minho had told the others what happened, but they must have said something if the glances that kept being sent his way as they all ate lunch together were anything to go off of. Jisung didn’t particularly feel like discussing it, though, so he kept to himself during the short lunch break. It wasn’t until they got started in club activities that someone brought it up. 

“Hey, Jisung, can I talk to you for a minute?” Seungmin asked. Jisung nodded and followed his friend to a corner of the room none of the others were sitting in. Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix were working on some dance moves while Chan and Changbin guided Jeongin through the vocals of some new song they were testing out. Everyone was doing their own thing so Seungmin and Jisung wouldn’t have to worry about being bothered as they chatted. 

“What’s up?” Jisung said after they sat down.

“Chan told me what happened yesterday, I was wondering how you’re doing,” Seungmin explained. 

Jisung shrugged, “It’s a lot, I guess.”

“Are you,” Seungmin hesitated, “Are you sure you want to testify?”

“Not entirely,” Jisung honestly answered. Seungmin’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to respond, but Jisung continued, “I know I’ll regret it if I don’t, though. I know it doesn’t make sense to you guys, but I need to do this.”

“I just want to make sure you’re not forcing yourself into something you’re not ready for,” Seungmin said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready,” Jisung tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Seungmin fidgeted with his hands, “Are you nervous about seeing your mom again?”

“Yeah,” Jisung honestly replied, “I don’t know how much she remembers.”

Seungmin nodded in understanding, “Do you think it will help you to say it all out loud? To her?”

Jisung lightly shrugged, “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far.”

Seungmin was frowning and his brow was knit tight with worry. He wasn’t convinced Jisung had thought this through. He wanted to support Jisung’s decision, but he was worried how this trial would affect Jisung’s already fragile mental state. Seungmin would be there no matter what happened, but he didn’t want Jisung to shatter when they were already working so hard to put his broken pieces back together. Plus with the ongoing custody case, Seungmin had a feeling that would destroy Jisung regardless of how the criminal trial goes. 

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin said after realizing he had lost himself in his thoughts, “I’m just worried about you. You are already dealing with so much, I’m concerned these court cases are only going to make things worse.”

Jisung nodded, “Yeah, but I don’t really have a choice. The trial and the custody case are going to happen even if I’m not there. I’d rather go, if for nothing else, then for Sohee. And for the family of the people in that other car.”

“What about for yourself? Will testifying do anything for you?” Seungmin pointedly asked. He didn’t want to make Jisung feel bad, but Seungmin didn’t think Jisung should leave himself out of the reasons why he was doing this.

Jisung looked down in shame and shrugged. He mumbled, “I don't know. I’m not ready to think about that part of it yet. Doing it for other people makes it seem a little less scary.”

That only made Seungmin worry more and he gently voiced his concerns, “Jisung, obviously I understand wanting to help Sohee and these other people, but you should also be thinking about what’s going to help you.” When Jisung showed no signs of replying, Seungmin quietly asked, “Do you think you should talk to Chan’s parents about maybe seeing a therapist? I think talking out your thoughts and feelings about all this could help.”

Jisung looked up again and nodded, “Chan’s parents already talked to me about that. They’re going to find someone and let me know when the first appointment is. We agreed I’d try at least three times before I decide if I don’t like it.”

Seungmin sighed through his nose, “Good, I’m glad. I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I’m really worried about you, Hannie. When I asked Chan why you looked so distant today and pestered him into giving me the real answer, I only got more worried. I will support you no matter what, but I wish you weren’t going to have to relive everything in this way. You’re my friend, Hannie, I just hate knowing that this is going to hurt you and there’s nothing any of us can do to make it go away.”

“I really appreciate it, Seungmin,” Jisung sniffled, “It’s been hard, but having all you guys with me makes it better. I hope you know that. I wish things were different, I still wish the accident never happened and things were back to normal, but I’m glad I have you and the others. If I was alone right now…I don’t know.”

“You aren’t alone, so don’t think about that,” Seungmin reached out and took Jisung’s hand in his own, “I’m glad we’re helping and if you ever need anything, you can come to me. Or if you get sick of Chan-hyung or Minho-hyung, I’ll help you hide from them. We can even get Felix and Jeongin in on it.”

Jisung quietly giggled, “Thanks Seungmin.”

“Hey, what are you two doing over there?” Changbin shouted, causing the two second years to turn his way, “Come help us with this track, Innie can’t sing it all by himself.”

“Coming,” Jisung quietly replied and shot up from his seat. 

Seungmin silently and slowly followed Jisung across the room. He still wasn’t happy about the situation, he couldn't understand why the statement Jisung gave wasn’t enough, but he was glad Jisung seemed to be doing relatively okay. He was still struggling, he still couldn’t open up to them entirely, but Seungmin hoped with time and therapy, Jisung could get to a place where he understood how to do things for his own wellbeing. For now, Seungmin would remind him as often as possible how much they all care for him.

Chapter Text

Jisung was sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair bouncing his leg up and down and fidgeting nervously. Chan was right at his side - Minho was very upset he couldn’t be the one to come, but he had a dance class he had to attend and Chan’s parents refused to push the appointment back. They had been lucky to find someone who could squeeze Jisung in for an emergency appointment just a week after their initial conversation and weren’t going to try their luck again by rescheduling. 

Chan had tried to talk to Jisung to soothe his nerves at first, but it was obvious Jisung wasn’t listening. So Chan just sat next to him in silent support as they waited. He wasn’t sure if it was actually helping, but he didn’t want to do differently and send Jisung into a panic attack accidently. 

When Jisung’s name was called and he looked at Chan with so much fear and uncertainty, Chan wanted to grab him by the arm, drag him out of the office, and never return. However, he knew this could help Jisung, so he tried his best to give a reassuring smile and said, “You got this. I’ll be right out here the whole time, so if you really hate it, you can just come back to me and we’ll go home, okay?” Jisung was still shaking terribly, but he nodded slightly and finally stood up to follow the receptionist to the office. When Jisung disappeared from his sight, Chan let out a sigh, slunk down in his chair, and let his own anxiety run its course. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Jisung wanted to run back to Chan the second he entered the therapist’s office. No one had told him his therapist would be a woman and he wasn’t sure he could be comfortable with her. Being around Eunyeong was difficult enough despite how incredible the mother was, but having to sit down and talk about his trauma with a woman was terrifying to him. 

“Han Jisung? Hi, I’m Dr. Jang. But you can call me Nari if you’d prefer,” the woman kindly greeted him. She gestured to a plush chair across from her own, “Please sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Jisung slowly sat in front of her and stared down at the floor - he was too nervous to make eye contact. He didn’t say a word and waited for the therapist to break the silence.

“Are you nervous?” she asked. Jisung jerkily nodded in response, but still didn’t speak. Dr. Jang smiled and continued, “Could you tell me why you’re nervous?”

Jisung shifted in his seat and softly explained, “I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about anything.”

“That’s very understandable, Jisung,” Dr. Jang assured, “I only know a bit from your foster parents and I did speak to your social worker, but you don’t need to talk about any of it today. Today, we are just going to get to know each other. Does that sound good?”

Jisung paused, “You’re not going to make me talk about my mom?”

“Not today, that’s something we can work up to,” Dr. Jang continued once seeing the confused look on Jisung’s face, “Of course we are supposed to tackle those hard things and help you work through whatever it is that you’re here for - that’s what therapy is for. Still, you never have to talk to me about anything you aren’t ready to. As we work up to it, I’ll ask questions or introduce topics, but if you don’t want to answer you don’t need to. We also don’t need to talk about the hard stuff every session. If you want to just complain about school with me one day, that’s constructive too.”

Jisung slowly nodded. He couldn’t fully grasp the idea of not using every session to dig deep into his trauma, but he wasn’t the professional here. So even if it was a little scary, he would just have to learn to trust Dr. Jang.

So they went back and forth for an hour, learning little things about each other. He learned that she had two kids and a dog, and he told her about Sohee. Not that bad things, but just that she existed, is precious to him, and that he missed her. They talked about who his friends were, what he liked about school, and he even dared to talk about his foster parents and the admiration he had for them despite still being a little scared of adults in general. Overall, the session went very well in Jisung’s opinion and when their time was up, he left that office feeling a lot more comfortable with the idea of weekly therapy. 

Jisung met up with Chan in the waiting room again and the older boy silently led the way out to the car. Only once they were pulling out of the parking lot did Chan take the opportunity to talk to Jisung. 

“So, how did the session go?” Chan gently asked. 

Jisung hummed, “Good, actually. She didn’t make me talk about anything yet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she said we don’t have to talk about anything until I’m ready,” Jisung explained, “We talked about all you guys, your parents, and her family. We just…got to know each other today.”

Chan nodded and briefly turned to look at Jisung, “So, do you think you want to go back next week?”

Jisung hesitated then quietly said, “Yeah, she was nice. I think it’d be good to keep trying.”

Chan was glad to hear that Jisung wasn’t going to immediately give up on going to therapy. Even though he would support Jisung no matter what, Chan really wanted Jisung to get the help he needed with a professional. He and Minho could only do so much on their own. 

Speaking of Minho, Chan suddenly remembered, “Oh, Jisung, you should call Minho. He was blowing up my phone wondering how therapy was going.”

“Why would he do that? I told him I’d text him when we got back,” Jisung was confused by Minho's actions.

Chan chuckled, “Minho’s just been a bit worried about you and when Minho worries, sometimes he goes a little overboard. So he’d probably chill out a bit if he could hear that you’re doing okay.”   

Jisung blushed a little at the explanation. He knew he had gotten closer to everyone, especially Chan and Minho, but hearing that Minho cared enough to worry about him that much stirred something in Jisung’s chest. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and silently pulled up Minho’s contact info. Jisung hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button and swiftly putting the phone to his ear. It only rang three times before Minho’s soft voice broke the silence.

“Jisungie?” Minho answered the call, “Jisungie, are you okay? How was therapy?”

“It was good, hyung," Jisung quietly responded. He could tell Chan was trying not to eavesdrop, but what could he do since they were sitting in a car together? Jisung took a deep breath and continued, “She was really nice.”

“Oh, the therapist is a woman? I thought you were nervous about that?” Minho curiously asked. It was true, when they found out about the appointment, Jisung had expressed to Minho that he wasn’t sure if he’d prefer a male or female therapist. On one hand, he still had a lot of issues with female authority figures, but he also wasn’t fully comfortable around older men either. So he had been nervous to find out who his therapist would be. 

“Yeah,” Jisung cleared his throat, “I was nervous at first, a lot. I wanted to run away immediately, but she was really nice.”

Minho sighed in relief, “I’m so glad. I was a bit worried it would go really bad, so I’m happy you’re doing okay afterwards. What did you guys talk about?”

“Not much, we just got to know each other. Dr. Jang said we could get to the serious stuff as I’m ready to. She’s not going to make me talk about anything I don’t want to,” Jisung explained.

“That’s amazing, Jisungie. I’m-I’m just so glad you’ll have this,” Minho sounded a bit choked up. 

Jisung whimpered a bit and rushed to ask, “Are you okay, Minho-hyung? What’s wrong?”

Minho sniffled and laughed, “Yeah, I’m just happy. We’ve all been so worried about you and after all this stuff that’s happened, I was scared therapy might make it worse. I’m just really, really glad your first session went so well.”

Jisung was blushing again, but he smiled and murmured down the line, “Thank you, Minho-hyung. You’ve been by my side this whole time and it just,” JIsung paused, “You mean a lot to me, Minho-hyung. So thank you for caring.”

“Of course, Jisungie. I’ll always be by your side.” Minho sweetly replied, “You’re my friend now so you’re stuck with me.”

“Okay,” Jisung said. He didn’t know what else to say and he was saved from his awkward feeling by Chan pulling into the driveway. Jisung sighed, “We just got back to Chan’s so I’ll have to let you go now, hyung.”

Minho sighed, “Ah that’s too bad. I wanted to keep talking to you.” Jisung could almost hear the pout that was undoubtedly on Minho’s lips.

Jisung breathily giggled and in a bold move, he teasingly asked, “Text me?” 

Minho took in a sharp breath and shortly replied, “Yeah.” he cleared his throat, “yeah, yeah, I’ll text you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Jisung said without thinking. He startled himself a bit with the ease he was teasing Minho, but his nervousness about it was quickly brushed away when Minho giggled.

“Guess I should text you right away,” Minho mused, “I’ll let you go, but expect a text from me immediately. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jisungie.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Jisung said his goodbyes and hung up the call. 

Chan gave him a teasing look and asked, “Good talk?”

Jisung blushed, “Shut up. Come on, I’m sure your parents are waiting inside.”

Chan cackled as they got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Jisung was right, Chan’s parents were waiting on the living room couch to hear how the session went. The four of them spent over an hour talking about the details of the therapy session, how Jisung felt during it, and how willing he was to continue. Overall it was a nice conversation and Jisung left the living room feeling content about how his night went. 

After getting ready for bed, Jisung checked his phone to see that Minho had actually texted him quite a few times. He smiled as he read over the messages. 

“Jisungie

Answer me

Where did you go

Are you talking to chan’s parents?

You must be

There's no other reason you’d ignore me

:(((“

Jisung giggled as he replied.

“Sorry hyung, chan’s parents wanted 

to talk about it a lot. 

You’re probably asleep now. so 

sorry i missed your texts

I’ll see you tomorrow hyung”

Minho’s reply was instant.

“I’m not asleep yet Jisungie

Couldn’t sleep waiting for 

your response”

“Did I keep you up? 

You should get some rest

I’m sure you’re tired 

from dance class”

“You’re okay jisungie, i just 

wanted to keep talking to you

I like talking to you.” 

Jisung blushed at Minho’s honesty and hesitantly messaged him back.

“I like talking to you too, 

hyung. A lot.

Talking to you makes things 

feel a little normal and like it 

will be okay”

It was a few minutes before Minho responded. Jisung anxiously wondered if he had said something wrong, if he had been too strong with his admission. All the anxiety washed away when Minho finally responded.

“I’m so glad I can be that for you.

It means the world that you trust me 

enough to let me be that person for you.

Talk to me whenever you need to, Jisungie.

I care a lot about you, so i’ll do anything to 

help you feel more okay”

“That means so much to me, thank you.

I know my problems have sort of taken

over, but i hope i can be that person for

you as well, hyung. Please talk to me 

when you need someone?”

“I will, I promise.

I need to go to bed now,

but i’ll text you in the morning.

Good night Jisungie. Sweet dreams <3” 

“Good night Minho-hyung”

As Jisung tucked his phone away and nestled under the covers, a soft smile adorned his face. Having Minho to talk to, to lean on, and to have a friendship with was truly a wonderful thing. He cared about all his friends, but something about his connection with Minho felt different. He wasn’t sure he wanted to figure out what that difference was just yet, but knowing he had Minho by his side until he was ready to do so meant the world to Jisung. He could only hope Minho would be a patient with him until he was ready to explore the fuzzy feeling in his chest. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The next day, Jisung was packing up his things to get ready to walk home with Chan after music club when he felt a poke on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with Jeongin’s smiling face.

“Hannie-hyung, do you want to hang out?” the younger sweetly asked. 

“With everyone?” Jisung was feeling a bit tired from the anxiety of the previous day and he wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the afternoon with all seven of his friends. To his surprise though, Jeongin shook his head.

“Just us,” Jeongin explained, “We can chill at my house. Maybe get some homework done or play games? I could finally teach you Mario Kart so you can kick Minho-hyung’s ass next time.” 

Jisung thought it over for a minute and decided spending time with his youngest friend was a good idea. He hadn’t had a chance to really ever spend one-on-one time with Jeongin, so Jisung was happy to do so now.

“Let me just tell Chan-hyung, okay?” Jisung replied. Jeongin eagerly nodded and vibrated with excitement. Jisung walked over to Chan - who was discussing something with Hyunjin and Minho - and gently tapped his shoulder. 

Chan turned around with a smile and asked, “You ready to go home?”

“Jeongin actually asked me to hang out, so I’m going to go to his place for a little bit,” Jisung explained. 

“Hanging out without us? How cruel, what am I going to do with my day if I can’t spend it with Jisungie?” Minho dramatically joked.

Hyunjin snorted, “We literally have dance class tonight, you wouldn’t have been hanging out with him anyways.”

Minho hummed, “But he’ll be all preoccupied with Innie, so he won’t answer my texts.”

“I’ll text you, don’t worry,” Jisung murmured, then immediately blushed.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Minho smirked, “We should probably get going, Hyunjin. We’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Minho and Hyunjin crossed the room to drag Felix away from his conversation and headed out to their dance class. 

Chan smiled at him, “Be home for dinner? Eomma and Appa said they have to talk to you about something, right?”

Jisung nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be back in time.”

“Alright, have fun, and let me know if you need a ride home,” Chan reached out and ruffled his hair, “I’ll just be doing some homework today.”

“Okay, thanks hyung,” Jisung then walked back over to Jeongin, giving him a thumbs up to signal they were good to go. Jeongin playfully whooped and draped his arm over Jisung’s shoulders as they left the classroom. 

“We are going to have so much fun!” Jeongin cheered.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

“So this is my place,” Jeongin grandly gestured after they walked through the front door of the small home. As they removed their shoes, Jeongin shouted out, “Eomma! I brought a friend home!”

“Who is it, Jeongin?” his mother called back. 

“Jisung-hyung!” Jeongin shouted back. Soft footsteps came from further in the house and soon Jisung was met with Jeongin mother. She had a kind face - like her son - but her eyes held a bit of sadness as she looked over Jisung.

“My Jeongin has told me a bit about you, Jisung,” she gently said, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Jisung stammered, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

She smiled, “What are you boys getting up to then?”

“I’m teaching him how to play Mario Kart so we can team up against Minho-hyung,” Jeongin confidently puffed out his chest. 

His mother laughed and joked, “You’ll be here for a while, I bet. Will you be staying for dinner then, Jisung?”

Jisung shook his head, “I need to be back to Chan’s for dinner tonight.”

“That’s alright,” she assured, “I’ll make you guys some snacks. Jeongin, don’t get too competitive. Also, be nice and let your brothers play if they ask. I don’t want to hear any fighting today.”

Jeongin pouted but agreed to her request. It wasn’t that Jeongin minded playing with his brothers, but he wanted some alone time with Jisung. After all, so much had happened and Jeongin hadn’t had a moment to check on his hyung by himself. He’d always been with the others since everything happened. Jeongin knew Jisung was relying quite heavily on Chan and Minho - which was fine - but Jeongin wanted Jisung to know that he could also be someone to rely on. 

“Come on, we have the games set up in mine and Doyun’s room,” Jeongin gently tugged Jisung’s down the hallway and into a bedroom, “Doyun’s my older brother. He’s picking up Yejun - that’s our younger brother - from school right now.” 

Jisung nodded along as he was pushed by the younger to sit on the floor of the bedroom in front of the television. Jeongin messed around a bit trying to turn on the console and find the proper controllers, but soon enough, Jeongin plopped down next to him with a wide grin on his face. 

“Do you remember what I showed you at Chan-hyung’s house that one time?” Jeongin asked. 

“A little bit. I probably forgot some stuff, though,” Jisung shyly admitted. 

“That’s okay,” Jeongin assured him, “You are here to learn, so I’ll teach you everything. We’ll start easy then move on to harder stuff once you feel comfortable. Does that sound good?”

Jisung nodded and immediately, Jeongin booted up the game and began to explain the different aspects. It felt like an eternity that the younger spent explaining all the different cars, add-ons, and items that could be picked up, but Jisung wasn’t bothered by it. Jeongin was nice to be around. He had a very bright and calming presence in Jisung’s opinion, so he was happy to sit there and listen. 

They had managed to get through one round where Jisung ended up in fifth place when the bedroom door opened. The two boys looked up and Jisung was met with a boy who looked incredibly similar to his friend. 

“Oh, hey,” the boy greeted as he tossed his backpack on one of the beds, “Didn’t know you had a friend over, Jeongin. I’m Doyun, his brother.”

Jisung nervously introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Han Jisung. We’re in the music club together.”

Doyun’s eyes widened a bit and he flicked his gaze over to his younger brother for a moment. He swallowed thickly and tried to compose himself, “It’s nice to meet you, Jisung. Jeongin’s mentioned you before. You guys just playing games?”

Jeongin hummed, “We need to team up if we want to beat the others.”

Doyun laughed, “Let me join, I’ll teach you guys a few tricks.”

“Okay, but go easy on Hannie-hyung! This is his first time playing,” Jeongin glared at his brother. 

“Yeah, sure,” Doyun teased, “Now scoot over.” Jeongin squished in closer to Jisung so Doyun could sit next to him and still be able to see the screen well. 

They went through a few rounds, Doyun giving them some very helpful tips for different courses. When Jisung managed to win first place, beating Jeongin a little mercilessly with his item usage, they decided to stop playing. 

Jeongin groaned in defeat, “Why are you so good at this, too?”

“Maybe you’re just bad,” Doyun joked. Jeongin lightly punched his brother’s shoulder and pouted at Jisung.

“It’s okay, Innie,” Jisung reassured him, “We just need to practice more. Then we’ll both be able to beat Minho-hyung in no time.”

“You guys have fun with that,” Doyun stood up, “I’m heading out to study with some friends. Nice meeting you, Jisung. I’ll see you later, Jeongin.”

They bid their goodbyes to the older boy and sat in silence for a while. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, Jisung found himself liking to just sit with Jeongin at his side. Still, despite the laidback, calming atmosphere, Jisung felt something gnawing at his chest and he decided he needed to get it out.

“I saw a therapist yesterday,” Jisung suddenly blurted out. 

Jeongin eyed him in shock and whispered, “Yeah?”

Jisung stiffly nodded, “Chan’s parents thought it would help considering, you know, everything.”

“Did it? Help, I mean,” Jeongin softly asked.

“I think so,” Jisung took a calming breath, “We didn’t talk about anything serious yet, but it wasn’t bad. I think I should keep going.” Jeongin took a minute to think over what to say, he wasn’t well-versed in this kind of situation and felt very out of his depth when it came to talking to Jisung about serious topics. Which is precisely why he hadn’t taken a chance to talk about everything with Jisung before. That was why he could only offer to play video games with his hyung rather than talking through his trauma like he suspected Chan and Minho were doing. 

Jeongin finally replied, “I don’t really know much about this stuff if I’m being honest, hyung. I think it’s good you're going to therapy and have someone to talk to. I’m sure it’s hard talking to us about stuff when we don’t really know what we’re talking about.”

Jisung hummed, “Talking to anyone about it is hard, but maybe this will be good.”

“Is there something specific that makes it hard to talk about?” Jeongin curiously asked.

“There’s just a lot of really messed up stuff that happened to me, Innie,” Jisung humorlessly chuckled, “My head, I’m sure it’s all screwed up because of the shit I went through. None of it’s pretty and I know it’s hard for anyone to hear, let alone people who know me like you. I mean, you guys were so upset when you found out the truth about my mom.” 

That part was true, Jeongin realized. After Chan’s mom had sent them all home that day, Jeongin had stumbled into his house and scared the living hell out of his family when he immediately broke down in heavy sobs. It hadn’t been his secret to tell, but he ended up spilling everything he knew to his parents and Doyun - Sohee, the abuse, the neglect, all of it. His family had been just as scared and heartbroken as Jeongin was to learn of his friend’s struggles and they hadn’t even really known about Jisung beforehand. Jisung’s life was just plain heartbreaking to anyone who heard it. 

“It’s hard to hear because we care,” Jeongin slowly explained, “I haven’t been friends with everyone much longer than you have, but we all care about each other. The thought of you or even any of the guys going through anything like that, it makes me feel sad and scared. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want you to tell us things when you want to or need to.”

Jisung blinked in surprise, but Jeongin continued rambling before he could cut in.

“Honestly, I invited you here today because I was hoping we would get closer,” Jeongin was brightly blushing now, “I know Chan and Minho are helping you a lot - even Seungmin, too - and I’m so glad you have them, but I’m hoping one day you’ll feel that kind of comfort in all of us. I know I’m the youngest, but I want to be someone you can rely on, too. I want to help you the same way they are.” 

Tears were welling up behind Jisung’s eyes and he shakily whispered, “You already are. Seriously, you are. This, just having a normal day playing games, meant the world to me. I’m so grateful for all of you. Even if I don’t spill my secrets to all of you, you all mean so much to me. You guys are helping me in so many different ways and I really don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have all seven of you by my side right now.” 

Jeongin brushed his tears away and sniffled, “I’m-I’m so happy you feel that way. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing inviting you here. I didn’t know if I should be pushing harder or bringing anything up. I’m just so glad we’re helping you. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want you guys to worry,” Jisung whispered, the tears finally spilled down his cheeks. 

“Hyung, that’s what friends are for - we worry when things are hard,” Jeongin said, “We’ll worry, but we’ll also support you through those hard times. Please don’t ever apologize for this. We want to be by your side, we care about you, and there’s nothing you should be apologizing for.”

Jisung sobbed, “I just feel so guilty. None of you need to deal with my stuff if it’s too hard. If you wanted to walk away, I’d never blame any of you for that.”

Jeongin gripped Jisung by the shoulders and fiercely stared him down, “None of us are walking away from you. We care about you too much. That’s what makes this hard. It makes me so sad you had to live like this, but I will never leave you to deal with this on your own. Do you understand that?”

Jisung nodded his head as he cried harder at Jeongin’s words. When the younger pulled him into a tight hug, Jisung let himself completely fall apart in Jeongin’s embrace. He must have been keeping more bottled up than he had thought. Once he had opened his mouth, it had been too easy to spill everything out. Jisung was truly so grateful to Jeongin and all their friends for their support and care, but the guilt had been starting to consume him. Maybe that was something he’d need to brave and talk to his therapist about. 

“We all just want you to feel happy, safe, and loved, Hannie-hyung,” Jeongin whispered, “In whatever way that looks like for you. We care about you so much. I know it’s hard, but please, try not to doubt that.”

“Okay,” Jisung whispered, “I’ll try. Just promise you’ll tell me if you get sick of me and my crap.”

Jeongin pulled the older in closer and murmured back, “That will never happen, but if it does, I promise I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” Jisung sniffled. 

They stayed like that, tucked into each other’s arms with tears streaming down their faces, for a while. Jisung was grateful for the comfort as he found himself craving it more and more with each passing day. Being able to go to any of his friends and get this physical comfort felt surreal to Jisung, but he was so thankful he wasn’t alone through all of this, even if the guilt ate away at his core.

Jisung hoped that this would be over before his friends could ever get tired of him. 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱𝄞⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Jisung was dropped off by Jeongin’s mom just as Eunyeong was finishing up dinner. He left his school things in the living room and joined her in the kitchen, silently sitting at the table as the woman started portioning out the food.

“Did you have fun at Jeongin’s?” she gently asked. If she noticed the red rims around his eyes, she thankfully didn't comment on it.

“Yeah,” Jisung quietly replied, “We played games and just talked.”

Eunyeong warmly smiled, “I’m glad you had fun. Dinner’s just about ready.”

“Okay,” Jisung said.

Eunyeong started placing dishes on the table as she added, “Hyunwoo and I want to talk to you after dinner. We’ll send Chan up with the kids so it’s just us.”

Jisung tilted his head in concern, “Is it something bad?”

“Not exactly, sweetie,” Eunyeong assured him, “It’s about the trial. We wanted to talk to you about it alone first. You can of course tell whoever you feel comfortable afterwards.”

Jisung hummed. He hadn’t forgotten about the fact that he needs to testify by any means, but he had been hoping it would be longer before it became real. 

Eunyeong called everyone down for dinner and it went on like any other night. Tae gave a detailed account of his day, Jisoo updated them on all the gossip going on at her school, Chan teased his siblings while the parents lovingly observed their children. Jisung had grown to find comfort in the fact that the family didn’t seem to change how they acted around one another once he had moved into the home. If they had tiptoed around him for too long, Jisung would have only felt like more of a burden on the family. 

Once dinner was over, Jisung helped Chan and his siblings clean up before Hyunwoo sent his three kids back upstairs. 

Chan looked over at Jisung and confusedly asked, “Is something wrong?” Chan had been there for almost everything at that point, so it was unusual for him to be sent away for a conversation. 

Jisung reassured him, “I’ll come talk to you after.” With that Chan offered him a smile before chasing his younger siblings up the stairs to hopefully keep them distracted long enough. 

“Alright, Jisung,” Hyunwoo sighed as he sat back at the table. Jisung and Eunyeong followed suit.

Eunyeong reached over to hold Jisung’s hand and she softly explained, “We’ve been talking to Officer Cho and the other people involved in the trial. We need to go meet with the prosecutor later this week. It’s standard. As such an important witness and also being so young, he wants to go over some things with you.”

“We will both be there with you,” Hyunwoo assured him, “You’re not going to have to do this alone.”

Jisung hesitated and asked, “Can Chan come too?”

Eunyeong shook her head, “It can only be us three for now. But I’m sure after school that day Chan will gladly spend some time with you and talk it out if that's what you want. And of course the other boys are welcome to come over.”

“Do you know what he wants to talk about?” Jisung nervously asked. 

“We’re going to have to go over the statement and photos you gave to the officers,” Hyunwoo explained, “I’m not sure what specifically we’ll have to talk to him about, but he probably just wants to make sure he has all the facts. Because he’s going to be the one presenting everything at the trial.”

“Okay,” Jisung murmured. He felt that familiar feeling of anxiety creeping up through his body. It had been hard enough telling Chan and Minho, then Chan’s parents, then giving the official statement. Now, faced with the reality that he would be detailing his life - his pain - to a room full of strangers on record, Jisung felt that his world could come crashing down at any minute. 

“It’s all procedure, Jisung, it’s nothing to worry about,” Eunyeong attempted to reassure him.

Jisung’s mind was fuddled though, and all he could say was, “Can I go talk to Chan?”

The parents seemed to understand that Jisung needed to take a step away from the conversation. They understood that if they forced him to keep talking to them, it would only make matters worse. 

“Of course,” Eunyeong sighed. 

Jisung immediately pushed back from the table and shot up from his seat. He practically ran upstairs to where he knew Chan was. He heard laughing from Tae’s room and slowly peeked into the room.

“Jisung-hyung!” Tae shouted when he noticed the older peeking around the doorframe. Chan looked up from the game they were playing and the smile slowly dropped from his face.

“Hannie? Is everything okay?” Chan asked. 

“Can we talk?” Jisung whispered. Chan instantly stood up from the floor and moved to usher Jisung out of the room.

“Of course, of course,” Chan placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “Let’s go to my room.”

“Is Hannie-oppa okay?” Jisoo worriedly asked.

Chan turned back to his siblings with a small smile, “He’s okay, Hannie just needs to talk to me about something.”

The two quickly moved into Chan’s room and the older gently shut the door behind them. Chan led Jisung to sit on the edge of the bed and took the place at his side. He wrapped an arm around Jisung’s shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. 

“What happened?” Chan softly asked. 

Jisung shakily sighed, “I have to talk to the prosecutor this week. We have to go over my statement apparently.”

Chan thought for a moment and said, “Does that make you nervous?”

“Yeah sort of,” Jisung admitted, “It’s just…how many times am I going to have to explain everything?”

Chan hummed in understanding. Jisung had already had to go through everything so many times. He also knew that testifying alone was terrifying to Jisung. Chan himself had hoped giving testimony would be the next and final time Jisung would be forced to talk about the abuse outside of therapy, but it seemed that was wishful thinking on his part. 

“I don’t know,” Chan sighed, “I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you a number, but we just don’t know.”

“I’m tired,” Jisung whimpered, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

“Jisung,” Chan started.

“I know, I can’t back out,” Jisung interrupted him, “I don’t actually want to, I think. I want to help by testifying, but…this is just so much. How am I supposed to keep doing this? And what about Sohee? I still don’t know what’s happening with her.”

“I know,” Chan replied, “This-this is a lot for anyone to deal with. I wish it wasn’t happening to you, Jisung. Truly. If I could make it so everything could be resolved tomorrow, I would. You’ve been through enough, I wish you didn’t have to relive it in this way.”

Jisung sniffled, “It’s just so daunting. I know it's coming, but I don’t know exactly when. And, in a way, I don’t know what is going to happen. Now having to meet with the prosecutor is making it too real.”

“I don’t know what the right way to help you is, but if there is anything I can do to help make this situation better for you, just let me know,” Chan said, “Seriously, don’t pretend like you don’t need help because I’ll just do my own thing if you don’t say anything.”

Jisung huffed a small laugh as a tear slipped down his cheek, “Thanks, hyung. I appreciate everything. So much.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you feel better about it right now?” Chan asked. 

Jisung shrugged and mumbled, “I don’t know.”

Chan followed through on his previous threat and impulsively pulled Jisung closer to him, placing Jisung’s head on his chest. Jisung made a small noise of confusion but Chan quickly shushed him.

“Let me just hug you,” Chan brushed Jisung’s hair back, “I know you’re used to being independent, but you can lean on us a little more. So sit here, let me hug you, and you do whatever you need to do to feel better.”

It took a few minutes for the tension to leave Jisung’s body as he let himself relax in Chan’s embrace. It was only a moment later before sobs started falling out of the younger boy’s mouth. Chan said nothing, just kept his arms wrapped tight around Jisung as he cried. It wasn’t much, but if this could help JIsung even a little bit, Chan would sit here until his joints were stiff and his muscles ached. He would do anything to get Jisung through this.