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chapter five

"I'm just glad that I have you back."

I smile on my way to work, replaying Taehyung's words over and over again.

It's afternoon right now, which means that my shift starts in a few minutes.

Arriving at the cafe, my smile is still planted on my face as I approach Jaehyun. "Hello, boss."

"Someone seems in a good mood," he smiles at me. I nod and smile back. 

"I'm glad," he states, "please put your apron on and bring the food to the customers."

"Will do, boss," I salute and put the apron above my clothes.

After many hours of work, my shift finally ends. Jaehyun walks up to me and hands me another envelope. "You've done a great job, Yona," he beams.

I found out that Jaehyun actually lived in North America for four years. Ever since then, we started speaking more in English to each other. Well, more or less; he speaks Korean, and I mix up both languages, so that I can talk and express myself to him better.

"Thank you so much again for giving me this opportunity. Hopefully, I can repay your generosity one day."

"Stop being so cute with me, you'll make me blush," he jokes, hitting my shoulder.

"I mean it, really. I'll get going now, thank you again!" I smile for the last time toward him as I make my way back home.

Opening the door, I place my jacket and bag on my bed. I count the money that I have earned in the past few days, satisfied with what my effort has manifested into.

I knock at the boy's dorm and Taehyung opens the door. His eyes immediately light up the moment he sees me.

"Yona!" He screams, suffocating me with a tight hug.

"H-Hello," I answer, trying to breathe in the suffocating hug.

"Finally, you came, we can play now!" He drags me towards the living room where Jungkook and Jimin are already seated on the floor.

"Hey, guys," I smile toward them.

Jimin smiles back at me and mumbles a loud greeting while Jungkook simply looks down, face flustered and red. His eyes are widened, too, for they are not even looking at me.

"We're playing a video game, and I was just about to call you as well!" Taehyung admits, bouncing up and down like a little kid.

"Great!" His wide beam is mirrored on my face. "Which game?

Both of us sit down next to the other duo. "So, we're playing Mario Kart—"

Unfortunately, Jimin is cut off by the entirety of the older members marching into the living room.

"Good, we found her," Namjoon says to the other boys.

"Why were you guys even searching for me?" I look at them, confusion written all over my face.

"What were you doing a few days ago at night, Kim Ahri Yona?" Yoongi asks as he approaches me, arms crossed.

"I don't know, trying to sleep?" I reply ironically, in which Jungkook giggles quietly.

Yoongi can only sigh at Jungkook's reaction. I notices that he doesn't scold him like he scolds me, and I gasp slightly in betrayal. Before I can say anything, though, I am cut off.

"We're being serious, Ahri. What were you doing at night?" Jin questions me now.

"What do you want to know? Tell me what I did. I'll tell you guys the truth," I admit, still not really understanding what their point is.

"Because you always tell the truth, right?" Yoongi badgers sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "Why do you always want to fight? Don't you have anything better to do?" I argue with him, crossing my arms.

"Watch this then," Yoongi says, taking the remote and opening the news channel.

On the news is my painting on the wall I made a few nights ago. My mouth opens in shock.

A snort escapes me, though I'm quick to stifle it and put my hand above my mouth as the older members are sending me disapproving looks.

"Damn, my painting is so beautiful, even the news channel is talking about it," I brag about myself.

"This is not the time to joke. What if the police searches for you?" Yoongi questions me, once again.

"Chill, they won't do anything. They don't have my face or name," I try to calm him down.

But it seems like I'm making him even angrier than he already is. It's my strength, really.

"Aish, this girl," is all he can say, going into his room in irritation.

Hoseok sits down next to me. "But really, you did that so beautiful. Like the wolves and all. You're our artsy girl, huh?" He puts his arm around my shoulder and ruffles my hair.

I nod happily, the others are still gazing at me. "You won't do that again, right?" Namjoon asks.

I shrug, "I don't know, sometimes I want to release everything and I just spray. I can't promise nothing, to be honest."

Seokjin and Namjoon simply sigh, making their way to the shared bedroom.

"Goodnight, guys. Don't stay up too late," Jin mumbles, closing the door.

"Let's play now!" Jungkook gets excited and starts the game on the television again.

"Okay, Let's divide into groups. The two maknaes against the older ones," chirps Jimin, grinning.

The male maknae's face turns a dark shade of red and he nods, gulping.

I sit down next to him, so that it is easier to play. "You okay, Jungkook?" I ask him, worried about his state.

"Y-Yeah, l-let's just start," he stammers, handing me a controller.

Chuckling because of his shyness towards girls, we soon start the game.

After playing for a few hours, I grow tired. "Let's play another time, I'm tired," I yawn and rub my sleepy eyes.

They all nod and continue playing. Making my way back to my dorm, I remember that I still have to give Yoongi the money back he lent me.

Quickly opening my door, I grab the money and enter the boy's dorm again. "Why are you here again, Ahri? Want an act of revenge after losing two times?" Jimin asks me teasingly.

"You lost 3 times," I say as a matter of fact, "but no, I need to talk to Yoongi hyung."

I knock at the door. Seokjin opens it, sending me a questioning yer sweet look. "What are you doing here, Yona?" He asks me, tilting his head.

"Can I talk to Yoongi-hyung, please?" I ask him.

"If you can wake him up," he nods, "Namjoon, let's go out for a while."

Both of them walk out as I enter the room. It's the first time I'm here. There are some bunk beds and a mattress in the tiny room. How can they sleep in this environment? My eyes widen as I look around in shock.

Yoongi's sleeping on the lower bunk bed in the corner of the room. I walk up to him and tap on his shoulder. "Go away, Taehyung. I don't want to play," he mumbles out of a pistol, making me snort.

Scoffing, I poke his sides. "Taehyung, I just said—" he mutters in a harsher tone while opening his eyes.

He seems surprised at first but then puts a blank face on right after. "What are you doing here? It's already miserable that I have to face you every day." He sits up on the bed.

Ouch. That hurt. "Good one, hyung."

I sit down next to him. "So, um," I begin. Pulling out the envelope from my back pocket, I hand it to him without saying anything.

"What is this?" He asks, staring at it in curiosity.

"The money I lent from you when we went to Daegu," I simply answer.

He gazes up, and when our eyes lock, the angry expressions of only a few minutes ago has evaporated. Yoongi holds my gaze, but instead of the coldness I know really well from him, it is unreadable.

"I don't want your money, Ahri," his eyes stay hard, but his voice seems to soften.

"No, please. I don't want to be in dept. I'm really thankful that you gave me the money, came with me and all that, so please accept it—" I ramble, but he cuts me off.

"No, Ahri. I don't want it," he argues back, forcefully putting the envelope back in my hand.

"Why can't you just accept it?" I grow impatient and hand it back to him.

The softness extinguishes from his voice, his uncustomary warmth gone faster than summer rain on the tarmac. "I won't take your money. Discussion ended."

He's trying his best to control himself, and I notice it, too. Still, I don't want to be in debt to someone I don't even know.

"Why do you always have the need to argue with me? Just take the goddamn money!" My voice grows louder, beckoning over to the envelope. My face heats up due suppressed rage.

"Don't swear with me, I'm still older than you!" Yoongi chastises, trying to hold in his growing fire.

Before both of our burning lava snaps, Seokjin goes between us. "Can both of you stop arguing? Ahri, you don't swear at your elders. And Yoongi, you don't yell at your younger members," Jin scolds both of us, disappointment evident in his voice.

"Can you please leave before the situation worsens happens, Yona?" Jin asks me. He sends me a stern yet caring look, and I can only sigh at that.

Nodding slowly, I make my way out. But not before I place the envelope under his blanket he has slept in.

He'll get really mad at me when he finds out, but I can't live with money that I still owe.

I say goodbye to the other boys and walk into my own dorm. It's 12 a.m. and practice starts at 6 a.m. Yawning loudly, I change my clothes and eat some bread before brushing my teeth.

Laying in my bed, I think about how my grandmother still needs to sign the contract. She'll never do it.

She wants me to go to a fancy college and live a monotonous life, but I don't want that. I want to travel the world, help other people and spread my creativity. I can't do that while working somewhere I don't want to. It just feels so... forced.

You'll achieve that one day, Yona.

I repeat in my head as I fall asleep, captivated in a dream.

"So, tell me," the interviewer starts, "presenting tonight at the Grammys. It feels good, right?"

Namjoon explains the sentence to others in Korean.

"It feels great, sir. We really appreciate everything and are proud that we've come this far," I answer as I smile towards the interviewer.

"We really appreciate this opportunity," Hoseok adds, nearing himself towards the camera.

Yoongi and I make shocked faces after the interviewer asks us how we found out about the news and how we celebrated it.

Everyone is wearing smiling faces. We all seem to enjoy our time, hearts filled with joy and peace.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE ! )
the last scenario is ahri's dream, if
some of you guys were confused about it.