°•》
"how I pretended not to recognize the one who ripped pages out of my life book didn't mean that I chose to keep resenting. I chose to act like I forgot when I didn't because that was the closest thing to forgiving."
《•°

June

"Lee Jooeun?"

Someone calls my-- her name, and my heart falls... my face freezes and drops.

I bite my lips, wishing it wasn't him.

I acknowledge the flipping of papers as I turn back to the boys, but I see the door open and one of the managers looking at me.

The relief makes me sigh too loudly, and another manager who's standing closest to me eyes me in ridicule. I notice why and bow in apology. I eye the boys next, wishing he didn't recognize my name... and that he somehow forgot about me. He's a member of a band I stan now, and I want to keep acting like the first time I met the seven of them was at a concert.

"Yes?" I reply.

"Please pass by the office when you're done, there are a few aspects of your paperwork we need to review."

And that isn't nerve-wracking at all. I smile nervously, "s-sure?" As far as I know, nothing about my papers can prove I'm an ARMY. I use my brother's card to order any merch--

I am overthinking this too much. I turn to the managers, "excuse me."

I wave goodbye to BTS and bow too, but I catch his eyes by mistake and the depth in them makes me freeze for a slow second. We both changed a lot, he couldn't know I'm her this soon. I turn away and once they return the favor I walk out of the room and breathe. How will I survive being around them? This was harder than I ever expected.

I finish my paperwork with the manager and turns out he was confused about me just coming to Korea the summer of that same year and wanted to ask if I had reasons to leave the country again. I don't anymore. I made clear why and hated the sad smile he gave me with his nods.

On my ride back, all I could do was remember the pity on his face, I had many reasons that would make people think they could pity me. Maybe that's the one thing Jooeun and I have in common. But little do people know, Jooeun and I were doing just fine.

We didn't need any help.
But they always think we need someone. Well, we do not.
People who volunteer to help only end up ruining everything even more, back then it was like that and now it's still like that.

My palms tighten around my steering wheel and I stop my car somewhere. I keep remembering everything, and it angers me. My arm abruptly moves on its own and I hit my steering wheel, making my car beep. I raise my head and huff out.

"I'm doing the right thing. Despite all this, you're doing just fine, June."

I nod to myself and get home. After I park in the garage and leave my car, I walk to the front door and my phone rings. Changwook Oppa with a red heart flashes on my screen and I roll my eyes at the contact name he put for himself. I pick up, "Oppa?"

I enter our security code to open the door but someone is opening it from the other side too, "why aren't you home yet? Your brother is coming back today. We need to--"

My lips part when we come face to face at the door and I remember that today is really his flight back. "Dang," I mutter and we hang up on each other. "I forgot."

Changwook shakes his head at me, his sister who forgot about her brother's arrival. "You're so lucky I'm a good person and I won't tell him. Let's take my car."

"Should I leave my things inside?" I turn sideways.

"Just leave them in my car we need to hurry." He jogs to his car that's parked out front and I follow him.

》》》

"You kept rushing me, it was really annoying," I continue to complain as we wait in the business of the airport for SeungHo to appear.

"He will overthink it if we are late. He's your brother and I know him better than you do." He tsks in playful disappointment.

That's not true. I know SeungHo Oppa well. I still frown at how Changwook calls me his sister, but always addresses SeungHo as my brother though. Like he's not his brother too.

Changwook and SeungHo and I don't share any parents, in the bloodline. Changwook's mom is my dad's sister, she was a widow since earlier, and later she passed away when her son was only three. I look at Changwook and hold in proud tears, my dad raised Changwook as his son since then and married SeungHo's mom who was divorced and already had her son.

So SeungHo and Changwook were raised as brothers even before I came into the picture. SungHo's mom passed away seven years after her second marriage and left my dad with another son to be his own, he didn't change the boy's surnames to his own though. Till this day. I'm the daughter of my father's second marriage, my brothers call me their sister but don't call themselves brothers. It was confusing at first, but I'm the only daughter of the man who raised them so I learned that it should make sense.

As long as we are in a healthy relationship, titles won't matter. I nod to myself and look up when I catch a frantic motion in the distance.

SeungHo rushes towards us and keeps waving and making signs with his hands, is it at me? Or at Changwook? Ah, I can't tell! It's just embarrassing either way.

I hide my face with my hands and Changwook stands with the stupidest smile on his face.

Changwook starts pulling me so we meet Seungho halfway, and they continue exchanging faces and embarrassing me.

When SeungHo is close enough he opens his arms but he's smiling too hard for me to tell who he's looking at, I assume it's me and smile as hard as he does and step forward. It happens too fast then, how I'm about to open my arms and hug him back but he passes right by me and hugs Changwook. And that hug had such a loud slam to it, and their hands clapping each other's backs didn't make it any quieter.

Their laughs and hums and whispers to each other didn't cool down my grumpiness at being dismissed like that. I was more jealous than embarrassed now and I'm honest enough to admit it, I slam one leg onto the floor to call for attention but SeungHo is busy smiling at Changwook.

"Hey! I'm right here!" I snap at SeungHo, and turn to Changwook, "why did you rush me here if you two were--"

I'm interrupted with a foolish smile and a swift, windpipe blocking hug from SeungHo. "How is little Junie doing, oh God I miss you." He drags the last two words in a puppy voice and swings the hug right and left. I smile at his warmth and wrap my arms around his waist and hug back. I'm so grateful to this Oppa for too much, and these hugs are part of it.

Remembering how grateful I am and for what reasons makes my eyes glisten so I try to break the hug, "I can't breathe." I lie when I fail.

He lets go and holds either side of my face, "Have you been holding it in?" His eyes turn into rivers of understanding and consideration that make my feelings flood into mine.

I didn't have the sanity to figure out which part he's asking about, but too much has been happening and he just... knew. I nod hesitantly, scared that the tears in my eyes will fall out but they do anyway and Changwook moves closer to hide my face from the public.

SeungHo was the one who was always by my side without interfering. He trusted that I had things under control, he trusted my way of handling my business. And even when I messed up, he was there to comfort me. He was the one to take me away from my pain and trouble, while others just interfere without a plan and mess everything up.

Pretending to forget was the closest thing I could do to forgiving him, but now it feels like I never tried to.

Like I was somehow a twisted person who's proud of the scars they have.

《《《

I feel so bad this chapter had little BTS in it, but I needed to let you know about yourself more ;)
Oh and there is a lot of BTS to come, so rest assured loveLY♡♡.

just let me know how it was though because I'm very unsure. I hope you enjoyed, please vote and comment!

I hope more people could join me on this journey so please add this book to your reading lists!
Thank you for reading💜💜.
Yours truly, Kaye.

the 13th of June of 2020, the birthday of the seventh year they live.