Chapter 13

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Italics indicates flashback-

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Namjoon knew he was being followed, the guy kept his distance, but Namjoon was aware of him none-the-less. The guy was good at tailing someone, but Namjoon was better. The guy had no idea he was the one, in fact, being watched. Namjoon was simply biding his time.

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For ten minutes Jungkook clung to Jimin and cried. He couldn't remember anything, too young, his parents told him, no more than a toddler, but that didn't stop him from mourning what he lost.

Both sets of parents, having made the trip to Ilsan, and two best friends, watched the long lost brothers' tearful reunion. When the boys calmed and settled their parents prepared themselves for the conversation ahead. Tae and Hoseok offered to leave so the two families could have the conversation in private, but both Jimin and Jungkook wanted them there, they needed the support of their best friends, so Taehyung and Hoseok agreed to stay.

"We knew you had brothers," Mr. Park began, "though we only met one, your hyung. He was the one to bring you to us," Jimin's father nodded toward Jungkook, "Jungkook was mentioned briefly when your hyung told you you were playing a game."

"Wait," Taehyung suddenly said confused, "Brought him to you? You didn't adopt him?"

Jimin's mother spoke up then with a shake of her head, "No, we didn't, his hyung gave him to us, papers and all."

Jungkook looked to his parents, "I take it I wasn't legally adopted either."

"No," his mother replied, "much like your Minnie hyung, you were given to us, and much like his parents felt about him, we were happy to have you." She reached forward and took Kookie's hand in her own, "You're our son Kookie, how you came to be so doesn't matter, and we love you very much."

Jimin's parents agreed with the statement.

"Your mother and I had gone to Seoul for fertility treatment, we had been trying for years to have a child, but we're unable to. No matter what we tried, nothing worked and we began to lose hope. Then, like an answer to our heart's prayer, this little boy offered us a child."


"I'll never get to be a mother."

Mr. Jeon squeezed his wife's hand, "That's not true, we can always adopt," he assured her, but she only shook her head.

"We...we can't afford it, we spent our life savings on fertility treatments, we just don't have the money for adoption."

Mr. Jeon pulled his wife into his arms to comfort her as she cried.

"Ma'am, please don't cry," Mr. Jeon and his wife looked up to see a boy of six or seven years standing before them, "I know a little boy in need of a new mother." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo, "Do you want to be his new mom?"

The woman smiled sadly at the little boy in the picture, he was beautiful and perfect, with the cutest bunny-like smile, the kind of child she hoped to have. "He's perfect, but I'm sure his real mother wouldn't want to part with him."

"He doesn't have a mother, and his father doesn't love him."

The couple looked at the boy in shock and concern, noticing, for the first time, the sadness in his eyes.

"Please help me save him, please help me save my baby brother. He needs you."


Jungkook cried silently as he listened to the story his parents told as both Tae and Jimin, who sat on either side of him, offered what comfort they could.

"I'll never forget the desperation in his eyes, the endless tears as he begged us to take you away. It was so heartbreaking," his mother said softly, tears welling in her eyes at the memory, "A child should never have such a look in their eyes."

The story Jimin's parents told was much the same, a young boy of six or seven years tearfully begging them to take his younger brother away. To save him.

Jimin, in turn, shared his newly returned memories of, first, Kookie, which triggered the memories, to their hyung, whom he hoped to find.

A heavy silence engulfed the room.

"Hyung didn't find either of us in time. He owes you your favorite chocolate and me banana milk."

And like that, the silence was broken with laughter.

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He was here again. Yoonji watched him from the corner of her eye as she wiped down a table. She knew why he was here, who he was here for. Again.

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"Hello?"

"Oppa, he's here again. Don't come in today."

"Okay..."

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Yoonji had just locked up the cafe for the evening when she was violently grabbed from behind.

"Where's the boy with the pink hair?"

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