⋆ ☄︎. · ̊ * 🔭
chapter twenty-seven
(this is where the writing
gets better y'all😭)

"Ahri, are you okay?" Jin asks his female member as she's lifelessly laying on her bed.

A few hours have passed since the group told Ahri that the most precious person in her life passed away.

First, she sobbed and cried her heart out, her sad aura contagious to all the other members since they have never seen her in a sorrow-filled place like this.

But after all of her tears shed, apathy washes over her like heavy water, holding her to the ground and only letting some of the sunlight in.

The sun rises and falls whether she moves or not, days come and go. She knows the feeling could lift when her eyes acknowledge the golden rays and treasure the birdsong.

Then the water will recede allowing her lungs to fill with fresh air. Then she will move fast to make up for such lost time, but in apathy there is time to think, time to know the right path instead of merely guessing.

But that's not possible. You're living to be sad, Ahri.

"I'm fine, hyung," she smiles reassuringly at Seokjin, leaving him stunned.

"Are you sure?" He asks again, being not convinced that she feels okay after an important person in her life passed.

"We can always talk, I'll listen to very thing you have to say—"

Yona shakes her head excessively, cutting him off. "No, really. I'm feeling okay," she stands up and walks towards him. "Actually, I feel perfect," the rapper smiles again, "I have never felt better than this in my pity life."

Seokjin's eyebrows furrow, his forehead creasing. Perplexity is written all over his face, utterly confused by her behavior.

"O-Okay?" He tilts his head to the side, trying to understand her. "Do you want to eat something? I could always make you tteokbokki—"

"I don't ever want to eat that again," she quickly cuts him off once again, her voice low.

Eyes widening, Jin realizes how stupid his suggestion was. Her grandmother used to do that all the time, he nods to himself understandingly.

"Okay," he puts a warm hand on her cold shoulder. The oldest member is shocked as he touches her cold skin. He immediately drags Ahri to her bed and tugs her in while she doesn't respond to any of his actions.

He puts many blankets on top of her body, being rolled like sushi by now. "Stay in your bed, or you'll catch a cold," he brushes Ahri's brown hair out of her face. "Call after us if you need anything."

She smiles at him, leaving Jin confused once again. "I'm fine, really," she nods her head, "thank you, though."

Seokjin goes outside where the others are already waiting as they were listening to the conversation. "What did she say?" Jeongguk rushes towards the oldest, worried about his member.

But Jin simply shakes his low-hanging head. "It's so hard to read her," he tells them quietly, "she smiles and says that she's fine, but she's obviously not."

Hoseok's lips turn downwards, his eyes saddening. "How can we help her?" He asks around while looking between his members. "I don't want to see her like this."

"Me too," Jimin shakes his head as he's staring at the floor.

"Wait," Namjoon speaks up, "shouldn't we attend Mrs. Kim's funeral?"

"Maybe she could say goodbye to her," he looks between them in hope, "it's a good way to complete an act that you regret."

"You're right," Yoongi nods his head. "But who should we call?"

All of them think for some time in silence, but Taehyung breaks it. "Who was the woman that called us? You know, the one who said that she passed away?" He whispers the last part.

"Yes!" Jin holds a knowing finger up, "let's contact here and ask when and where the funeral will be."

"But how should we tell that our manager?" Jimin asks worriedly.

Everyone turns to their leader, who's already deep in thought. "I'll call him now," he looks up and nods his head.

While Jin contacts the woman and Namjoon calls their manager, the rest of them are standing in the living room.

"Should we tell her parents?" Jeongguk asks in a small voice. "Maybe they could help her."

Yoongi nibbles on his lip, shaking his head. "I don't think that she talks to them," he sighs softly. "Before our debut, we went to Daegu to see her grandmother for one last time."

The boys' eyes widen while listening to their older member. Everyone, except Seokjin, didn't know that both of them went to their hometown together.

"Yona told me that she moved to Korea when she turned 12," he shrugs his shoulders.

"Maybe something bad happened," Hoseok states quietly as he stares at the ground, a pout on his lips. "That's why she never likes to talk about her past, because it may remind her of her parents."

"Woah, that was the most intelligent thing that you've ever said," Jimin's eyes widen, making Hoseok slap the back of his head.

"I talked to our manager, and he said that we could have a day off," Namjoon chimes in, content that their manager was acting empathetic.

All of them nod silently, impatiently waiting for Jin's, hopefully, good news.

Seokjin opens the kitchen door and walks out, everyone rushing towards him immediately. "Do you know where it is?" Jeongguk asks with big eyes.

"And when it is?" Taehyung questions as well, his eyes widening in hope.

Jin nods his head, a small smile on his full lips. "I know the address of the place, and the funeral will be held tomorrow."

The boys jump in excitement, happy that luck is on their side for once.

"Wait," Hoseok breaks their happy dance. "Should we tell Ahri now?"

Namjoon thinks for some time, before answering, "I don't think it's a good idea to tell it today, she needs to recover a little bit. Let's say it tomorrow."

"You're right," Yoongi nods along, "she should rest for a few hours."

"What about her friend called Jaehyun? Shouldn't he know about it?" Taehyung asks with a creased forehead.

"I don't know," Jin nibbles his bottom lip, "were they that close, though? And isn't he like mad at her?"

"He would be a fucking dumbass if he'd still be mad at her," Yoongi hisses, but apologizes for his language right after.

"I mean," he begins, "I get that he's mad and it was stupid that Ahri lied to him, but he should stay by her side if he's a real friend."

The others nod along, agreeing with his statement. "Then let's tell him at least," Taehyung states, already on his way to the door.

"Not so fast, Mister," Jin grabs the hood of his sweater, "you're not going alone."

"Yes, you can't just go alone! You're still too young and you never know what happens on the streets—" Yoongi scolds, but gets cut off by Seokjin.

"That's why you're going with him."

"Why me?" Yoongi whines now.

"You were the first one to interfere his actions," Jin shrugs his shoulders.

"Ugh," Yoongi complains, but leaves with Taehyung nevertheless.

"How can we help Ahri now?"

"I can help Ahri!" Jaehyun offers immediately, sad that his friend isn't feeling well.

Yoongi crosses his arms over his chest while Taehyung is analyzing Jaehyun's whole existence.

"Weren't you mad at her?" Yoongi asks curiously.

Jaehyun pouts slightly, his brows furrowing. "I was mad at her," he tells the duo in a small voice. "That doesn't mean that I want her to be sad. She's still my friend."

"Why are you guys even so close—" Taehyung asks with narrowed eyes, but gets cut off by another voice.

"Who's this, Jaehyun?" The black-haired boy puts his arm around his boss' shoulder, already knowing who the duo is, but asks anyway.

"These are Ahri's member," Jaehyun smiles while pointing towards them, "Taehyung and Yoongi hyung."

"Yeah, true," the other boy replies, "I liked your rap in the performance."

"Who are you?" Yoongi questions with crossed arms, his eyes roaming over the boy's tall physique.

"Lee Seojun," he grins, extending his hand.

Taehyung and Yoongi glance at each other knowingly, their eyes narrowing while staring at the black-haired boy.

Yoongi looks at down at the hand and back up at Seojun with raised brows. The boy chuckles in embarrassment while pulling his hand back.

"We wanted to tell you something, Jaehyun," Taehyung speaks up while staring at Seojun with unreadable eyes, "alone."

Seojun chuckles lightly, melodic and deep. "If it's about Ahri, then I'll stay," he shrugs his shoulders.

Yoongi stares at the boy with fiery eyes. "Who do you think you are?" He says lowly.

The two boys stare at each other. "She used to be my best friend," Seojun argues.

"That's right," Yoongi nods his head while chuckling dryly, "used to be."

"You don't even know her for that long. I know every small detail from her—"

"What did you want to tell me?" Jaehyun quickly cuts Seojun off to not cause any drama.

The group-members from Daegu have their attention on Jaehyun again. "Yeah, right," Taehyung scratches the back of his neck.

"Um, Ahri's grandmother passed away and since you're a good friend of hers, we thought we might tell you," Taehyung nods his head while explaining.

Seojun's eyes widen in shock. "Wh-What?" He stutters while staring at the two boys.

They simply nod their heads. "She doesn't feel good and we're going to the funeral tomorrow," Yoongi adds.

"When and where is the funeral?" Seojun asks, his mouth agape.

"Why do you care? It's not like you'll attend it." Yoongi argues with the taller boy once again.

"And how would you know?" The boy with the many earrings scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Let's not fight now," Jaehyun sighs, "this is about Ahri and not about our ego."

"Right," Taehyung agrees and nods along.

"You're supposed to be on my side," Yoongi whispers to Taehyung, his eyes widened in betrayal.

"Can I know where you guys live?" Jaehyun asks, "I could maybe talk to her and apologize for my behavior."

Taehyung nods and tells the address of their home. After biding farewells, the two boys from Daegu go back home.

"I hope all of this will go right," Yoongi sighs.

"Nothing is going right!" Jin yells exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry, hyung," Namjoon apologizes sheepishly.

Hoseok laughs loudly. "How did you even break the shower?"

"I don't know," Namjoon shrugs his slumped shoulders, "it just kind of happened."

The boys are trying to fix the shower while the bathroom floor is soaked with water.

"Can someone stop this fucking running water?" Seokjin loses his patience, completely wet, his hair sticking onto his forehead like glue.

"Where are Jeongguk and Jimin?" Hoseok asks while looking around the bathroom.

"They're with Ahri. Trying to lighten her mood and all," Jin sighs softly.

Sitting up on her bed, she glances between her members curiously. "Why are you guys smiling at me like that?"

"Now, Jeongguk!" Jimin yells.

The duo rush towards the girl, Jimin taking a hold on her legs while Jeongguk holds her from under her shoulders. Ahri starts screaming in shock. "What the hell are you guys doing?" She asks loudly while trying to free herself from their hold.

"Stop squirming," Jeongguk sighs exasperatedly.

"No!" She yells childishly.

They carry the female member to the living room, releasing her on the couch.

She tries to run away, but Jimin quickly grabs her waist to stop her.

"You're going to stay in this living room with us, understood?" Jimin places her on the sofa.

Before Yona tries to run again, Jeongguk swiftly positions her in between his legs, trapping her with his arms.

"Leave me alone," she tries to free herself, but he won't budge.

"Nope," the male maknae giggles, "we're going to watch a movie and you'll sit here."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ahri's lips are in a thin line. Jimin leaves the living room to bring some snacks from the kitchen.

"Now, we can start," Jimin states while sitting down beside the youngest members.

He places the snacks on the table, which is positioned right in front of the couch.

"Eat now," Jeongguk demands while motioning to the sweets.

"Don't tell me what to do," she rolls her eyes, her arms still crossed.

Jeongguk scoffs exasperatedly, grabbing some popcorn and placing it on her lap.

"Please eat something," he whispers in a small voice, "I hate seeing you like this."

Ahri's eyes sadden while listening to her member. She silently nods her head, opening the package.

Jimin starts the movie, and the trio watch it with excitement.

A few laughs escape Ahri as she's watching the boys' imitations from the characters.

This is happiness, she thinks, happiness is always with them.

After going grocery shopping, Yoongi and Taehyung open the front door to their dorm.

Entering the living room, Taehyung's lips form a pout. "They watched a movie without me!" He whisper-yells to the other boy from Daegu while pointing at his members accusingly. "They're even cuddling right now!"

"Then budge into it," Yoongi rolls his eyes jokingly, "just cuddle with them."

"Yes!" Taehyung smiles widely, waddling towards the sleeping trio.

"I was being sarcastic—" Yoongi wants to stop him, but decides against it since he's too lazy to do it.

"I bought groceries," the older member says loudly as he enters the kitchen.

"Good, because I'm starving," Jin quickly takes the bags and pulls some food out.

"Does Ahri feel better?" Yoongi asks worriedly, sitting down beside Hoseok.

"I think she does," Namjoon shrugs his shoulders, "she laughed while watching a movie with the others."

"I'm glad," Yoongi sighs while opening the package of a yoghurt.

"When are we going to wake up tomorrow?" Hoseok asks around.

"The woman on the phone said that the funeral will be at 1:00 pm, that means that we should take the train at like 9:00 am," Jin nods his head while informing the others.

"Let's wake up at 7:00 am then," Yoongi adds while eating his snack.

"Yeah," the 94' liners agree in unison.

After talking for some more time, the older members head to the living room to look for the other ones

They gaze at the younger members with agape mouths, stifling laughs. "We should take a picture of this," Hoseok tries to hide his laughter.

"On it," Jin smirks while pulling his phone out.

Jeongguk cuddles Ahri from behind, the rapper being in-between his legs, while Jimin cuddles the girl from the side. Since Taehyung chimed in later, he tightly embraces his other 95' liner from the other side.

"They're all so clingy with each other," Namjoon rolls his eyes playfully as he chuckles.

"I'm so glad that Ahri and Jeongguk are more open with us now," Hoseok smiles towards the others. They nod their heads in agreement.

Yoongi starts yawning as he places many blankets above his younger members. "Let's sleep as well," he whispers while going into their shared bedroom.

"My back hurts," Jeongguk whispers to himself as he wakes up.

Jimin is already wide awake while he tries to wake Taehyung up.

After Jimin woke up, Taehyung felt lonely and started to cuddle with his female member. So, Ahri and Taehyung are cuddling while Jeongguk tries to stand up, but since the girl is still in front of him, he can't do that.

Jeongguk shakes Yona's shoulders. "Wake up," he yells into her ear.

"The hell—" her eyes widen in shock, her body shooting up right away.

"No! Don't go!" Taehyung whines in a clingy manner as he tries to pull Ahri back down.

"Wake up, man," Jimin rolls his eyes, "we need to leave now since we're going to take the train at 9:00 am."

"What train?" Ahri asks curiously, her forehead creased slightly.

"Our train to Daegu—"

Jeongguk's eyes widen as he realizes that he just slipped. The rapper stares at him with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean?" She asks him slowly, low-key scaring the youngest boy.

"Dumbass," Jimin mumbles while clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

"We're attending the funeral of your grandmother," Jimin informs the girl, "that's why we need to get ready since we'll take the train at 9:00 am."

"Doesn't that cost a lot of money? Like the tickets and all—" Ahri asks in a saddened tone, devastated that the boys always try to help her. She feels like she doesn't even deserve it.

Jimin scoffs. "Stop acting like we're some snake ass friends," he rolls his eyes, "we're your family, and family sticks together."

All Ahri does is sigh, knowing that no words will change their mind.

After buying the tickets and arriving in Daegu, Seokjin calls a taxi to bring the group to the graveyard.

Ahri trembles like crazy as she's sitting in the car. The minutes move slowly and then the first signs of panic arrive.

It's a discomfort in her chest, a feeling in her brain like excess caffeine. Then it sets in deeper. She feel the urge to run, escape, hide.

She knows that she's going to see many of her family members, that haven't contacted her once since she left Germany. All of them know what she did, or what they think she did.

The panic grows stronger as her mental faculties give way to her emotions. She wants to jump right out of her skin.

The constricted feelings grow, as if she's strangled by just the air around her.

"You got me." Hoseok whispers from beside her, taking a hold on her cold hand with his warm one, sending her an encouraging smile.

The soft and sweet words of her member melt her heart, easing her pain slightly.

They arrive in front of the graveyard and step foot outside. The boys go beside and behind Ahri in a protective manner.

Seeing some people already, the female member walks there slowly, scared to see her grandmother's name graved on the stone.

"We're always by your side," Seokjin promises while smiling at her.

She nods her head, gaining more self-confidence by his words, and more likely, their actions.

The people around the gravestone turn around as they see Ahri and her members.

They throw her judging looks, wondering why she came. Yona tries to ignore them, and give her undivided attention to her grandmother.

Her family members don't even greet her, they simply stare at Ahri, who's right in front of her grandmother's stone.

Yona is strong. She has to be. She has to be strong for her members, brighten their day with a smile as sincere as she can muster.

For her members, to always love them and put their needs above her own. That is what she does every day.

But on the inside, she lives in a never ending death. At night, she suffers, pouring out her tears to the stars, begging them with her tear-soaked eyes to understand her misery.

Will no one understand that her heart is no longer her own, will anyone love her so much that they could see past her ugliness?

Sadness. Something Ahri never understood. Why be sad of something which has already happened? After all, there's no point crying over something that you can't change.

Unfortunately, when you get sad, it's like being stabbed in the heart a thousand times without dying.

As much as she tries to hold it in, the pain comes out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream.

The beads of water start falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. The muffled sobs wrack against her hand, which is placed above her mouth.

The world turns into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything's gone.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

Looking up in shock, she stares at the man opposite of her.

The only person that she fears.