"you can let me in, ae rin. i'm yoongi, the owner of this house." the male's voice echoed from behind the door as ae rin kept her focus in the key hole. "well, not technically the owner," he muttered as a hand was raised to his head.

"what? then why would i let you in?" ae rin asked as she tightened her grip on the bat. "how do i know to trust you?"

"look, ae rin. i am renting this place so it really isn't owned by me, is it?" he arched his eyebrows, casting his gaze on her once he noticed her peeking through the door. "please let me in. i forgot my keys on the kitchen counter. you can check yourself," he told her, a smug expression taking up the majority of his face.

ae rin followed his actions, arching her eyebrows as she gently turned her head towards the kitchen view. on the kitchen table was a set of keys. and a doraemon keychain was attached.

"o-okay. i'll let you in," she softly said, using her free hand to open the locks on his door. "i'm sorry for keeping you outside."

"no, it's okay. i wouldn't trust myself either," said yoongi, his eyes inspecting the bat in her hand as a laugh managed to slip from his mouth. "you went a little overboard, though."

"did i?" she took a turn to inspect the bat in her hand before forcing a smile on her face. "i don't believe we properly met. i'm ae rin. hwang ae rin," she mused.

"hello ae rin, hwang ae rin," he said, "but i already know that from last night. you just wouldn't let me go."

"i wouldn't let you go?"

confusion stroke her face.

"yes. i had to carry you by your hands because jungkook wouldn't let me carry you bridal style. but then you just hugged me and didn't let go." he shrugged, grabbing an apple from the counter. "i don't blame you, though."

"ah, yes." ae rin looked at him with a smile full of mockery before putting down the bat on his counter. "i think i should go now," she whispered, sighing as she caught sight of herself on the mirror on the wall.

"can't let you go." he shrugged once again, pulling out his phone from his back pocket.

"and why not?" she asked, one eyebrow raised as she hugged her body with her two arms.

"gotta follow orders," he simply answered, shoving his phone in her face.

ae rin bit on her lip as she took hold of his phone and read the messages from jungkook.

"i can't believe this guy," she muttered. rolling her eyes, she passed him his phone and started to grab her stuff from the couch in the living room. "why do you let him boss you around? aren't you older than him?"

"well, yes. but... he said that something happened last night that he's trying to figure out," he started, pausing as he saw ae rin stop packing. she looked up at yoongi, curiosity gnawing at her sides as she waited for him to go on. "he told me that you can't go home. not yet," he finished.

another shrug.

"why not?" she took in a deep breathe before slipping her bag over her shoulder. "why can't i go home?" she asked, eyes hardening as she glared at yoongi from afar.

yoongi continued to lean on the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed on his chest as he shrugged.

again.

"why don't you ask yourself?"

"what?" she tightened her fist, fingernails cutting through her skin as she cast her gaze on the front door.

"surely everything started before you got drunk," he said. "just stretch your mind and try to remember what happened yesterday," he told her, walking up to her before he patted her shoulder and sat down on the couch. "sit down, ae rin. you're not going anywhere any time soon."

"i have to get home to my grandpa and i have to w-work," she hiccupped.

and then it dawned her.

her grandpa.