TWENTY-FIVE

      The day was clear. No  clouds grazed the sky, a light blue reigned upon it. Her school uniform wasn't comfortable. She dreamed to not have stayed with the blazer on.

    "Can we just take the ramen and go?" Ara asked as she tugged her big sister's sleeve.

    Nari shook her head, "You'll stay with a friend of mine while I do some work stuff."

   "Jimin?" She asked timidly and her big sister chuckled.

   She could picture her face whenever the girl would glance at Jimin. Her eyes twinkled and her pupils dilated.

   This wasn't a crush anymore, it was something else.

    "You wish it was Jimin," she took two bowls of ramen from Suk's store and walked to the cashier, "you'll be staying with Eun and Hye." she lied, Nari knew who she'd be staying with.

     Ara sighed, "You had one job, you could've chosen Jimin but no–"

       The chime from the bell was heard through the store as it signaled that someone had entered. Steps were heard coming closer to the sisters. Who could it be?

     The orange haired boy strolled inside the store and Nari smirked.

     Sure, she had thought that Jimin was bad for his sister. Now that she knows he was her childhood friend, she knows that Jimin would never hurt Ara.

    She gave him the talk on how she would be okay if he didn't lead her on. He said he wouldn't.

   Let's hope he doesn't.

   "You were saying?" Jimin asked as he stood in front of both girls; the smiling one and the shocked-out-of-her-mind one.

   The girl stuttered in the presence of Jimin, "H-hi, Jimin."

   His eyes found hers and Nari saw him soften at the sight of his little sister, "Hi Ara, nice seeing you again."

    Those stares they gave each other said a lot. Nari noticed.

    "Okay," she shook her sister's shoulders, "focus. You'll be staying with Jimin, Eun and Hye; they're waiting inside the car. I'll pick you up at twelve in the afternoon." she told her baby sister and almost giggled at her cuteness when she nodded rapidly.

   She could be cute whenever she wanted to.

   Walking toward Jimin she squeezed his shoulder, "Take care of her," she was serious, "I'll let you know what we find."

   Jimin nodded, "I'll be on the lookout."

   She took this as her sign to kiss her sister's cheek, pat Jimin's back, say goodbye to the new owner of the store, Dan and leave.

   To her amusement and sadness, Suk had resigned. Two weeks ago he decided to pass the store to his friend Dan.

   Suk had also been declared missing. No one knew where he went.

   Nari cried when she heard of his disappearance. Her first friend here in Busan was missing, probably gone.

   I hope he's okay.

   Walking to the front of the store she waited patiently for Hoseok to appear in his motorcycle.

   Oh yes, apparently all of them had decided to begin using motorcycles instead. She'd have to get over her fear of them now.

   The sound of the engine grew louder as he drove closer to her.

   "Good morning, it's Sunday right?" he asked as he handed her his helmet.

   She nodded earning a chuckle from him.

   "Don't worry, I don't drive like Jimin." his hand found hers and placed them around his waist.

    Nari sighed, "You know these make me nervous."

    "Well, hold on tight then." he said as the engine reared to life and they sped away.

                          -

   Today they'd accompany Hyuk to his home. Namjoon had insisted that they'd compile all the evidence that showed Zik as the one responsible for Melody's death.

     They had been searching almost all morning but nothing was found. Nari was almost at the verge of giving up. She couldn't, she had to find something.

   There has to be something important here.

     "Are you sure she had something written about Zik?" Hoseok asked as they searched through her untouched room.

    Strawberry.

     It smells like strawberries.

    The color pink was smeared all over. Pink walls, pink pillows, pink cushions; pink everything.

     A pink notebook caught her eye. Jogging to the desk, her mind began thinking of what that notebook might be. A journal? A diary?

    "I found something." she said as she took the notebook in her hands.

    Hyuk narrowed his eyebrows, "See if you can find Zik's name anywhere." he was behind her as he tried to peak at her sister's handwriting.

    Her handwriting was so pretty.

    Going through the pages, Nari began searching.

   Hyuk's friend...

   No.

   Jin is so kind...

   Nope.

   I might love Jin, I'm sorry Hyuk.

   No.

   Zik asked me again...

   Here it is.

    "May 14," Jin read out loud from in front of her, "two days before her death." his voice wavered.

   "Read it." Jungkook's voice startled her. He had replaced Hyuk's place and was now behind her. His hand drew patterns on her hip bone to calm her down.

      May 14, 2016

    Zik asked me again. I thought he'd understand but he doesn't. No means no. I don't want to betray Bangtan, I don't want to betray my family. I don't want to betray Jin, never.

    He asked me to lead his men along with some other man. He even said he'd pay me for that.

    I prefer staying with people who wouldn't turn their back on me, like you did, Zik.

    Bangtan are my family. I would never do this to them.

                                          -Mel

  "I can't believe him." Hyuk said as he took the notebook and read it over and over.

   Jin had enclosed his hands in a fist, "Why would he want her to be part of the Dragons?" 

    The Dragons?

     "Is that their name?" Nari asked, she'd never heard their gang name.

     They all nodded.

     Namjoon sighed, "He has this thing—infatuation—with dragons so he named them The Dragons," he chuckled, "such a stupid name."

    True.

     Nari took the notebook back and continued searching.

    May 16, 2016
  
    Wait...

     "May 16 was when she—" she asked and their eyes widened.

    The day she was killed.

    She began reading out loud once more.

    May 16, 2016

     I feel like I'm being followed. I managed to run inside my room safely. My siblings aren't home and our parents are on a business trip, like always.

     My mind has been making me think about Zik. I thought he loved me, but he just wanted to feel powerful with each threat.

   I've never told Jin, or Hyuk; anyone this. Zik and I used to date when we were in middle school. We'd date secretly. At first he was so kind but then he began getting into drinking at such a small age through his father. His father made him drink his first bottle of beer, he obligated him. What kind of father obligates his child to drink?

    The point is that he began being aggressive but never got to hit me. One day, he almost did. I decided a week later to cut it off, cut a toxic relationship off.

   I will never forget his words:

      this isn't over, I'll get you.

     you will regret this...

                                         - Mel

    Jin's rapid breaths filled the room, "I need to get out of here, this wasn't a good idea."

   He ran and slammed the door loudly. His steps were heard as he jogged downstairs.

    Nari looked at the door and went to open it, "I'll be back."

    All five boys nodded and she left, looking for Jin.

    "Jin!" she ran outside and found him inside his with his hands on his head.

    She tapped the window and he jumped up.

    He rolled his eyes that were full of tears.

    The lock was taken out in a snap and he let her inside. She sat down and he stared at her coldly.

     "What do you want?" he asked as he looked at a picture on his hand.

      She had thought about this but she thought it was too far.

      Better now than ever.

      "Is that Mel?" she turned to him as she pointed to the picture.

       His red eyes furrowed, "Yeah."

     The picture was of him kissing her cheek as the petite girl smiled. She had light skin like Hyuk's with green eyes. Her features were similar to her brother's.

    Jin's eyes displayed sadness with a small piece of longing. He missed Melody. Nari could see how he felt. She wanted to hug her friend but she was afraid to step outside the line.

     "What was she like?" she asked Jin.

      He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Why do you want to know?"

      She sighed, "This will help you feel better. Thinking of the person they love always helps people feel better," she paused as she tied her hair, "so, tell me, what was she like?"

      His lips tugged upward in a smile, this was the first time she saw him smile.

    He placed the picture on the dash of the car and turned towards the girl.

    "She was amazing, humble and very beautiful," he said, "she had this way of making everyone love her."

    "Her hair was always up in a bun, her brown hair like Hyuk's always was all messy but I loved it like that. She would look beautiful in anything."

    "I still love her." he cracked. His walls had fallen down, he was crying.

    Nari patted his back as a sign of support, "I'm sorry."

    He sniffed before shaking his head, "There's no need for you to be sorry, it's not your fault."

    "But–"

     The passenger door opened.

     Both of them stopped talking and stared at the five boys.

     "She left an address on her notebook." Yoongi handed the paper to Jin once they had all settled in.

    They all looked shaken.

      He handed the paper to Nari.

      The address was scribbled on her handwriting and she tried to remember where this was.

     "It says to ask for Jay?" she turned to the boys.

     Some widened their eyes, some stared in confusion.

     "Yun Jay." Taehyung mumbled.

      She knew that name well. She had heard it for her first years of birth.

    That name belonged to the man who abandoned her and her family.

    The man she never wanted to see.

     Yun Jay was none other than her father.

                       -

    It would've never crossed her mind that after all these years, she'd be seeing her father again. Out of all the seven billion people out there, it had to be him again.

    After he vanished into thin air.

     "This thing is taking a long time to load." Taehyung groaned as he typed on their 'business' computer.

    She had stayed silent the whole ride to Hoseok's home. Not one word.

    "Are you okay?" Jin nudged her shoulder.

    She shook her head in agreement, "Yeah." Lie.

    "You seemed shaken by the name." he continued.

    "I've just heard it somewhere," she paused, "that's all." another lie.

    She heard Namjoon sigh. He had been helping Hoseok with finding the place that Mel had scribbled on the note.

   "Okay, tell us. Who is he?" Namjoon asked her.

    "What–" she was interrupted.

    Taehyung looked at her, "We know you are hiding something."

   She had been caught.

    "Remember that drunk phone call?" Jungkook asked her.

    The drunk phone call? Yes, she remembers.

    "I do, why?" she asked. Her father kept going through her mind. She could see him soon, sooner than she thinks.

    Jungkook took a deep breath, "Because–"

    Her heart thumped louder each second. She had to tell them. They deserved to know.

    "He was my father." she let out.

    All six boys stared. Just stayed serious. Standing there with no emotion.

    "We know." Jungkook responded.

    What in the world? She had never told them about him. Not even Hyuk knew about her father. No one except her family did.

    "How—if this is some kind of joke–"

     Hoseok scoffed, "Oh, trust me. This isn't a joke."

     "He worked with us for some time. He helped us, then he left, he disappeared." Namjoon responded.

    He had left them too? He worked with Bangtan, he was working against the law?

   Her father. The one who tucked her to bed, who sang lullabies, who hugged her when she cried over her childhood friend moving away; who left them. He started all of this, Bangtan.

    The world began spinning around her head. The last thing she saw was the boys running to her before a pair of arms held her by the waist.