"Jackson-ssi, you didn't have to walk us all the way up to the penthouse." Jaegeun laughed, standing next to the driver who pressed the button for the fifty-seventh floor.

"I'm used to escorting your noona, Geun-ssi. Just let me do my job, would you?" Jackson responded, no trail of malice in his voice.

It was true, taking care of them and being their driver was his duty but it was also a small way of showing his gratitude toward Jimin and Yoonji. They were kind enough to let him keep his job years after his original bosses' deaths.

Jackson had been around for a long time. He was hired to be a driver for the Jungs when he was around the age of twenty-four. Their kid— that looked exactly like the emerald-eyed boy standing behind him— was only seven. Throughout his years of serving them, he watched that kid grow. Jackson was even planning to attend his graduation since he knew the child's parents wouldn't.

But a few months before that day came, a funeral was held in his remembrance.

He had watched him grown— also had the same honor with the Mins, the Parks, and the Kims. They were all his children in time's essence.

So seeing them— the two who died before they were able to step on that stage and receive their high school diplomas— in perfect condition, breathing and alive...

He had to contain the overwhelming emotions building up in his chest.

Escorting the three boys to the penthouse was his job but it was also his way of being there once everyone saw Jaegeun's friends.

Those years of working for Jimin enabled Jackson to get to know him and his friends. He himself was able to control his reaction. But the others?

He'd be lying if he said he expected them to do the same.

"Jackson-ssi, you okay?" Jaegeun asked in worry, noticing the agitation in the man's expression. Jackson gave a halfhearted smile with a thumb held up.

The younger didn't believe him but decided to let him be, turning behind him to look at Hoseok who already had his eyes occupied elsewhere.

Yoongi watched in awe, mouth subconsciously hanging open, as the numbers above the elevator doors increased at an incredibly fast speed. Hoseok bit his lip, having to hide an amused grin while watching the older high schooler's expressions. It was an endearing sight to see him easily entertained by an elevator. He almost resembled a wonderstruck child.

Jaegeun observed the two, tongue poking the inside of his cheek as he felt something weird in the pit of his stomach.

The elevator finally stopped in their destined floor. With metal doors opening, a ding followed after a robotic lady's voice came out of nowhere to announce their arrival.

All four of them walked through the short hallway, stopping at the end, in front of the only door of the floor they were in. Jackson went ahead and pressed his thumb against the keypad above the door handle. He was scanned before the screen immediately glowed green, a soft beep following.

Jimin had trusted the older man enough to let him save his thumbprint in their security system. It made it easier for Jackson to access the place but he only ever used it when at least one of his bosses was around (that included Jaegeun and the Kims).

"Holy fuck." Yoongi couldn't help but slip a curse out as he took in his surroundings after entering the penthouse. Everything looked too expensive for him to touch, even the view overlooking all of Seoul screamed money. He could've sworn he'd seen a photo of the living room in some sort of rich people magazine.

Hoseok was also in the same state of astonishment. Sure, he was used to living in a mansion that was probably twice the size of the Parks' penthouse, but it never had that homely feeling to it. Just one step into the place and he could tell that Jaegeun's dad— or whoever decorated the place— made sure to keep the setting cozy and warm.

As a true home should be.

"Wanna eat something first before we start working on the project?" Jaegeun asked, earning a shrug from Yoongi who's brown eyes were still scanning the area. Hoseok simply replied with an "Up to you."

"Then let's eat." The blonde smiled. "You two can leave your bags in my room. We'll work on the project there later. I'll go see if Jimin's back."

After they were given directions, the two older high schoolers nodded as they headed upstairs while Jaegeun went into Jimin's office to look for the man. Jackson followed behind him, hoping Jimin was still at work. He wanted more time to be able to find a way to prevent everyone from freaking out after seeing Hoseok and Yoongi. It would be horrible if their reactions ended up scaring the boys and embarassing Jaegeun in front if his friends.

"Jimin?!" Jaegeun yelled, hoping his dad was home to help him prepare some snacks. He'd ask Jackson but he felt bad enough that the man picked him up from school and escorted him and the others all the way up to the penthouse.

"In the kitchen!" Jimin responded. His son, who was on his way to the office— turned on his heels and start heading to the kitchen instead.

His nose picked up the sweet smell coming from the stove as he entered the room. Aside from the coat and tie discarded on one of the barstools, Jimin was still in his usual work attire— dress shoes and dark pants along with a white button up. The sleeves were neatly folded up to his elbows while the top three button in the front were undone. A black apron was hanging around his neck and tied around his waist, hugging his form as he waved to his son with a silicon spatula in hand.

"You're home earlier than usual." Jaegeun smiled, walking over to the his dad who held a plate of deep fried sweet potatoes, carefully transferring them in a pan with melted sugar.

"Cancelled my meeting for the day. It wasn't an important one." Jimin explained, reaching up to ruffle the boy's hair which wasn't held up by his usual headband or hair tie. Jaegeun had to lean down a bit for the shorter male to be able to leave a quick peck on his temple. "Wanted to make some snacks for you and your classmates while you work on the project."

"goguma mattang?" The younger questioned, pointing at the pan where sweet potatoes were  being coated with caramelized sugar.

Jimin nodded. "Couldn't really think of anything else."

"You know you didn't have to make anything, right?" Jaegeun giggled.

"But I wanted to." His dad rolled his eyes before turning to their driver who quietly sat in a barstool next to the one that Jimin's coat was occupying. "Evening, Jackson-ssi."

The old man displayed a heartwarming smile, wrinkles evident on the ends of his lips and the corners of his eyes. He loved watching the duo's bond. It reminded him a lot of his own father-and-son bond with his eldest kid.

"Would you like some?" Jimin held the pan of candied sweet potatoes up after turning the electric stove off.

"No, thank you." Jackson politely declined with his hands waving next to him. "I'll be heading off soon. My wife's already making dinner. She'd kill me if she found out I ate something before eating her cooking."

The brunet laughed, placing the snacks in a plate for his son and his classmates. "Well, I'm sure her cooking is very delicious."

"She's the best cook I know. Our daughter takes after her." The old man grinned proudly, happy to talk about his small family at any given time. "I'll make sure to bring you two some of her best dishes when she makes extras."

"Oh! I'd love that!" Jimin beamed with his contagious eye smile, causing his son to unconsciously copy his expression.

"Geun-ah, where are you?" Yoongi asked loudly from the living room, making all three males' heads turn. "We're kinda lost, you've got a big ass place."

If Jaegeun was a puppy, his ears would of perked up at the sound of the older male's voice. Jimin raised his brow at the sight of his son's giddy smile while Jackson mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

"I'll be right there!" The blonde yelled back.

Jimin's phone dinged as he untied  his apron and hung it on the wall. Digging it out of his pocket, he read the messages from his lockscreen.

"Ah, your Joon-Appa and Jin-Appa are here. They're already heading up with your noona and her new boyfriend."

Jackson tensed in his seat after hearing the announcement.

"Why are they coming so early?" Jaegeun questioned.

"We wanted to catch up and chat before dinner." Jimin explained before shooing the high schooler away. "Go to your classmates. Let me just send a quick reply back and I'll be out there with the snacks."

The blonde nodded, heading out of the kitchen and making his way into the huge living room while Jackson followed to witness the next few scenes.

"Your room's nice." Hoseok complimented, standing up from where he was seated on one of the couches once he saw the younger walking toward them.

"Thanks." Jaegeun mumbled awkwardly.

"Did you find your appa?" Yoongi question, a good distance between him and the emerald-eyed boy.

"Yeah, he'll be out here in a bit." The two nodded before seeing a man emerge from a hallway, walking with a plate of sweet potatoes in one hand and a coat on the other. His neck tie was untied, laying loosely around his neck as he mumbled something to his smartwatch.

Jackson braced himself when Jimin finally looked up.

It took a second.

It took a second for him to realize what he was looking at— who he was looking at.

And suddenly the plate dropped, pieces of white ceramic scattering across the wooden floor and embedding the giant rug. The sweet potatoes and sugary syrup were a long forgotten mess on the ground.

But Jimin couldn't care less.

He couldn't care less when two exact replicas of his dead friends were standing right in front of him.

He... he couldn't— he didn't know what to...

His feet were stuck on the ground, forcing him to watch the two's confused eyes and Jackson and Jaegeun's worried ones. His son tried to shake him out of his paralyzed state.

That's what it was. That's the word.

Paralyzed.

Jimin felt paralyzed.

He felt like he had just seen a ghost— two at that. It almost made him laugh at how it was very likely that they were indeed ghosts due to everything.

Jaegeun immediately rushed to his dad's side right as the plate hit the floor. He didn't know what was happening but he his expression gave away his concern. "Jimin, what's wron—"

"Yoongi? Hoseok?" The man whispered, voice wavering.

His son stared at him in shock. He didn't remember ever telling his dad their names.

"Jaegeun, you told your dad about us, too?" Hoseok questioned with no hint of teasing in his tone. Judging by the younger's expression, it most likely wasn't the case.

He even sounds like him. Jimin thought sadly.

He hadn't heard that voice in over a decade.

Then a realization came to him.

"Fuck! Your noona's on her way up!" The man panicked.

"Huh? What about Ji-Noona?" Jaegeun asked, completely lost. "Jimin, what's going on?"

Jimin had no idea how to answer that question when he himself didn't know. "Just— Just— I'll explain later. Take your friends to your room before she—"

The front door's keypad beeped, indicating that someone had unlocked it.

"Minie-Oppa! I'm home!" Yoonji announced. "I brought the others with me!"

Jimin widened his eyes. "Ji, wait!"

It was too late.

The woman turned the corner— her boyfriend, Namjoon, Seokjin, and the kids behind her. "Geun-shine, come meet my boy... my boyfriend..."

They all witnessed the sight of Hoseok and Yoongi at the same time— both standing in the living room, alive.

Her smile slowly faded away.

"Are those—" Namjoon couldn't even finish his sentence before seeing Yoonji's boyfriend panic as he barely caught her falling body.

"Yoonji!" "Noona!" "Unnie!"

Yoonji had passed out.

=

Jimin, Yoonji, Namjin, and Jackson after seeing TE Sope: ...

Jaegeun and TE Sope: ...

All of you guys right now: 🍵👁👄👁🍿

Me, the author, who knows the next update will hurt because I already planned the next few chapters:

I was expecting this update to reach no more than 1200 words but it ended up being 2000 🐷