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"Pain is the best motivator. Fear is the next best opposite. Fearing keeps you outside of the field, so the next time your heart beats in fear... push a little further. Because pain isn't always an outcome, pain is a process."

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Mochi

It's a busy day, the five of us run back and forth, serving the food my dad and Jin are cooking. My dad leaves to pick my mom up around the time when the customers start getting less and less, I look around at my friends and smile wholly, feeling truly happy.

I have friends now, real ones who're there when I need them. I eye Namjoon who's trying so hard when all this isn't his thing, my eyes move to Jungkook as he professionally aces the role of a waiter at his first try.

I roll my eyes away from him, feeling a funny ting of jealousy. However, it fades when I see RyungNa and Yoonbi cleaning tables and taking back trays while chattering together. My eyes linger longer at a certain raven head as I smile subconsciously, I look away when I realize what I'm doing and look at Jin in the kitchen like it's his kingdom.

He's cooking alone and joyfully giving out the food now that there is no time pressure. Half of the tables are empty a while later, my parents are back in the kitchen and Jungkook is out of sight along with Yoonbi. I clean up after Namjoon leaves with Jin and look around. "RyungNa?" I call to her as we clean tables beside each other. 

"Jimin?" She smiles at me playfully then looks at what she's doing, her glasses are so cute. I smile down at the table I'm cleaning then clear my throat and stand tall, well as much as I can.

"Are you tired?"

"No," her voice is timid, I thought I was done with making her comfortable around me. I frown at her as I finish cleaning, I shove the rag into the pocket of the apron around my torso and stand beside her.

"Are you alright?" I eye her face closely, watching her turn redder and redder by the second, "why are you so red, RyungNa yah." I laugh.

She giggles shyly and looks away, pushing my chest but I hold her wrist and keep her hand on the left side of my chest, making her feel my heartbeats. "Why are you nervous?" I ask her, standing beside her sideways and looking into her eyes that are too interested in the floor.

She can pretty much feel how my heart is beating and I'm still complaining about her nervousness when I'm not doing any better.

"I-I'm not nervous." She retorts, supposedly, but her stuttering ruins it.

"What should I do with you," I let go of her hand and move closer to her, holding her face in my hands. I love how short she is. I smile down at her and make our noses touch. "Can I walk you home today?" I ask her.

"I don't know, can you?" She looks into my eyes and my heart skips a bit.

"Definitely." I drown in her dark orbs as I remember how she managed to get me hooked to her.

It's after we had a couple of chats via texting through our phones, I sit on the benches of our school's field, too tired to go back to class yet. "Jimin?" I hear a female voice before someone settles beside me, a safe distance away.

"Yes?" I turn and see RyungNa, grazing the dusty ground with the tip of her shoes, "hey." I say.

"Hey, class will start soon." She gestures to the school building as I turn back with a weak smile on my face.

"I don't want to go." I blurt. Before the sudden idea of laying my head on her lap starts to get too appealing, I look away shocked at my own thoughts.

"Neither do I." She smiles back, giving me hopes of skipping class with her, the idea thrilled me for an unknown reason, "but we must go." My hope crashes down and I look away from her, realizing that she didn't lock eyes with me over a few seconds till now. "Let's go." She smiles.

I stretch my hands out for her to pull me up, she looks at my hand then blushes, making me laugh loudly at her reaction, "come on! If you're such a good student then help me all the way!" I tease.

"Yeah, w-whatever!" She stutters and takes my hand in hers. Like the lunatic I am I let her help me up with no effort from my side, making her fall forward onto me. I find myself laying on the bench with her over me, our faces inches apart. She backs off immediately though, leaving no chance for me to do anything.

Do anything? Chance? What are you thinking Jimin! I shake my head and stand up, walking with her to class. "I'm sorry."

"No need," she mutters and doesn't look at me.

"Why do you avoid my eyes RyungNa?" I move my head, leaning to the side so I'm looking straight into her face, genuinely curious.

"You're too much." I hear her say and go into the class, leaving me to figure out if she really said that or not. I touch my chest where my heart is beating fast and laugh loudly to myself.

"Unbelievable!" I tell myself and go into class too.

I think it's since then that I really felt something, "omo! What happened!" I hear my mom shouting from the kitchen as my dad calls for me. RyungNa and I look at each other before running to check the commotion.

The first thing that catches my eye is Yoonbi's limp figure in Jungkook's arms, her head against his chest while one of her arms is limply draped on his shoulder as the other is dropped down, lifelessly moving as Jungkook nervously holds her, "she passed out, I-I don't know-- she had been getting dizzy the whole day." Jungkook looks so lost as he says that, I've never seen him so flustered before.

I hear heavy breathing beside me then turn to see RyungNa on the verge of crying, "come on! Take her to my room!" I tell Jungkook and open the door to the stairs leading to the floor of my house. Jungkook obeys and I let him go in first as I take RyungNa's hand and pull her with me.

His heavy steps follow me as RyungNa holds Yoonbi's hand, calling her name. "Put her down," I tell him to put her on my bed as we enter my room, I don't care how messy it looks as I watch Jungkook laying Yoonbi on the bed and pushing away the hair that came on her face.

"What's wrong? What happened to her?" RyungNa asks Jungkook from beside me.

"I don't know, I was talking to her and she lost it." Jungkook holds Yoonbi's hands in his and I see him shaking in a way that's too much for the incident. His eyes are darker than usual and there is a hint of sentiment in them. I remember myself when SoMin's body was lying unconscious in the hospital and move forward, patting his shoulder.

"She's going to be okay, I'm sure it's just because of stress and fatigue." I comfort him and keep by his side till he nods to me and I'm sure he's not so worried anymore.

"Where is her phone?" I turn to RyungNa as she asks, "we need to call her parents. She is supposed to be home by now."

"I tried, there is a passcode," Jungkook says without turning to RyungNa as he takes Yoonbi's phone out of his pocket.

RyungNa steps forward and takes the phone from his hand, "I know her passcode." She mutters, letting her fingers jab on the screen till it's unlocked then I see her calling the most recent number Yoonbi received a call from. Yoonbi's mom.

"Hello?" She turns her back to us as her shoes graze the floor nervously, "omonie? Um, it's about Yoonbi. No, I think she's okay but she fainted. Oh really? Okay, thank god," RyungNa laughs and nods, "sure, will do that. Don't worry, I'll take care of her. Good night!"

RyungNa hangs up and turns to us with a totally relaxed face, "her mom said that she was expecting it. Yoonbi was working on something last night and didn't sleep at all. She skipped lunch too. She's practically on a cup of coffee since the beginning of the day, without sleep."

My eyebrows shoot up as Jungkook and I turn back to Yoonbi, "idiot." I hear Jungkook muttering and sitting back with a sigh. I nod, agreeing. I see RyungNa putting Yoonbi's phone on the shelf near the bed before her hands freeze in place. I frown and look at her face to see her eyes looking at the picture frame of SoMin and me.

I shove my hands into my pocket and go stand beside her, leaving Jungkook to continue holding Yoonbi's hand and staring at her with deep thoughts about god knows what, "who's that?" RyungNa asks when she feels me looking at the picture from over her shoulder.

"SoMin," I say smiling, I see RyungNa's shoulders stiffening and my smile widens at where her thoughts are taking her, "my sister." I put her in peace.

She nods, letting her slender thumb trace the faces on the picture. "You look really happy and wilder. And SoMin looks really pretty, she has really nice hair." My smile drops as RyungNa notes SoMin's hair. They both have the same raven hair, I start panicking about RyungNa thinking that she's a replacement and begin blabbering.

"It's not what you're thinking, I never compare your looks to hers. I promise it's pure coincidence. I never even thought of you two at once, I'm serious, I swear--" I'm fallen to silence when I hear RyungNa giggle up at me just before I feel a certain warmth kiss my cheek.

I look down at her with wide eyes, realizing that she just pecked nervous me on the cheek, "he's cute when he's nervous, you know?" She's looking back at the photo as her finger rubs my photographed face.

"Only when he's nervous?" I play her game, talking in third person about myself as I rest my chin on her shoulder. She giggles more and I feel the warmth from her cheeks and neck radiating to my face.

She shakes her head, trying to relax her tensed shoulders and I can tell she's going to change the subject, "where is SoMin now? She looks our age but I never saw her around in school."

My smile drops at that as I look at the picture, feeling RyungNa's head slightly turn to me at my lack of speech, "she's one year younger than us," I stretch my lips in a thin line, breathing deeply. This is not how I wanted her to know but I need to tell her now or I'll just keep avoiding it, "she's gone, for a year and a half now."

I feel RyungNa's figure get rigid as her hands hold tight onto the frame, her knuckles get white as she struggles to maintain her calm breathing, "I'm s-sorry," she says and turns to me. I smile down at her, ready to tell her that it's alright but all words I once knew are out of my head when her arms wrap around me and hug me tight, "she's proud of you."

I feel myself melting into her as her calm voice lulls my erratic heart, "I'm proud of you too." I hear her whisper and wrap my arms around her, drowning in her presence and pulling her as close as I could. I need to make sure she's really real, I won't let her slip out of my fingers too.

"Thank you," I nuzzle her hair, breathing her scent and feeling her tiny form from under her work clothes. My eyes catch a movement near the bed as we let go of each other, I turn and see Jungkook's back down as he rests his head on his arm that's propped on the bed's side. His head is bobbing up and down as he dozes off, making me laugh at him.

An hour or so later, RyungNa and I leave my room and go downstairs to tell my parents how everything is going just fine. It's when RyungNa and I are doing last-minute cleanups and preparing to close the restaurant that my mom calls for us from upstairs.

I share a questioning look with RyungNa and we go upstairs, "oh there you are," my dad looks at us, "Yoonbi woke up a few minutes ago."

"Finally!" RyungNa shrieks and runs into my room, bowing to my mom as she walks out.

"I need to go downstairs and make sure everything is put away, go in and send the girls home." My mom pats and shoulder and goes downstairs as my dad follows behind.

I go into my room to see Jungkook and RyungNa sitting on either side of my bed as Yoonbi sits up with her back propped against the headset, "slept well?" I laugh at her.

"You must be kidding me, I'm going home and sleeping forever." She laughs back.

"Yah! Yoonbi! You're so stupid by the way, how dare you do that." RyungNa crosses her arms and looks away grumpily.

"Well, nothing massive went wrong and I'm okay now," Yoonbi pushes the covers and stands up, Jungkook warily looks at her as he stands too, "whoa!" She swings around, dizzily, but holds herself in place as RyungNa helps her, "I need to reach my bed soon." She laughs. Jungkook smiles and shakes his head.

"Then let's take you home," I say chuckling and waiting for them to go out so I follow, RyungNa and Yoonbi walk out of my room first while Jungkook watches them and finally gets a move on it to follow.

As he turns around his chair to get to the door, he freezes in front of my shelf and takes an unsteady step backward, "yah, Jungkook?" I walk to him, leaving the door open. "Are you okay?" I look at his face and get taken aback by his darkened eyes and scared face, I look where his eyes are looking to see SoMin's and my photo frame.

What's wrong with him? I furrow my eyebrows and call his name again but he doesn't seem to hear me, instead he asks one question in a voice that holds too much pain and sentiment.

"W-who is she?"

"My sister, SoMin." I answer obliviously, none of his actions are making sense. I jolt forward in startle to hold him when he falls against his chair, letting his hands shake and lips quiver.

What the hélł is going on?

//MOCHI FOR THE SPOTLIGHT
JOONIE FOR PRESIDENT

so this book's plot is the one I worked hardest on, so even if my writing sucks I hope that will make up for it lol.

I'm not feeling too well these days, I'm always tired and I keep bruising from anything my body accidentally touches. Which happens a lot. We are going off-topic lol. I hope you liked this chapter!♡♡.

Stay safe, those suicide triggering challenges are back on the internet so take care and stay safe!♡♡.

Yours truly,
Kaye💜💜.

*did I use that media before? Hmm