Wrong Number

Chapter 27

It didn't take long to leave the city. Mina's head rested against the cool glass as they drove. She could see Sunny's reflection in the window. Every few minutes she would look over at Mina. For half a second they made eye contact in the glass but she looked away, choosing instead to focus on the trees outside the car. It was easier that way. 

"Oh, we used to love this song!" Sunny cheered as she cranked the volume up. It was an upbeat number they had sung and danced to at least a hundred times. Sunny's off-pitch singing brought her out of her shell slowly. First, it was a small smile. Gradually she turned her body away from the car door. Finally, she was singing along too. The sun reflected through Sunny's hair, turning it a golden hue. Mina stared for a moment and let the moment sink it. As picture-perfect as it was, her heart didn't skip a beat. There was no rise of emotion in her chest. She didn't feel the urge to reach out or even smile back. She nestled back into her seat in comfort as the sign announcing their arrival to their hometown approached. 

The trees gave way to buildings once again. They passed the ice cream parlor they had spent so many evenings in, the movie theater they had frequented, and their school they had first met in. The memories were warm, but that was all they were... memories. 

The car slowed to a stop outside the inn as Sunny pulled into a parking spot close to the door. "I'll grab your bag for you," Sunny offered. 

Mina could see her mother just inside the door sweeping. It had been three months since she had left for the new semester and without her phone, she had no way of letting her family know that she was even coming home. 

The bell above the door chimed. She was barely inside before her mother was hugging her. "Look at you! Have you been eating? You've lost weight! And you're hair, oh your hair has grown out," the taller woman clasped her upper arms as she stepped back to look over Mina. Her eyes widened as she took in the cast and the crutch. "You're hurt! What happened to you? Was it stairs? Did you fall down some stairs? Ah, I've told you so many times to be more careful! You careless child, you need to sit!" 

Under normal circumstances, she would have brushed it off but it was nice to have her mother worrying over her. It made her feel like a child again. Like everything was going to be okay as though it was only a scraped knee. 

"I'm fine, really," she assured her. 

"Lee! Mina hurt her foot," her mother called out. 

She didn't have time to shush her before her father was coming from the back room behind the counter. "She did what? Mina!" He set aside a bundle of carrots and rushed over to her. As usual, they were being overly dramatic about it but she smiled and let them. 

"It's not that bad," she said. 

"Not that bad? You're in a cast! You broke something, didn't you?" He kneeled down in front of her so that they were at eye level. "Are you overworking yourself at school? You can tell us." 

She shook her head with a laugh that ended when the door chimed again. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Kim. I brought Mina's bags in for her. It's great to see you both," Sunny smiled at them and set the bag aside. 

"Soonyi," her mother said. "Thank you." Her tone was crisp but she was polite. It had never been a secret that Mrs. Mijin hadn't cared for Sunny. She had called her crass to Mina more than once, a detail that Mina recalled clearly. 

"Mina's home?" 

"Jae!" Mina pushed herself up from the chair her mother had seated her in. She launched herself to hug her little brother. "How dare you get so tall while I was gone," she said. He was easily a foot taller than her. He had grown at least four or five inches since she had left. 

He caught her and picked her up before setting her back down. "It's the protein and hard work," he bragged. 

Sunny stood awkwardly at the door. It wasn't often that she was excluded, a feeling that she had forgotten since college started. "I can take your bag up to your room if you'd like," she offered. 

"That won't be necessary," Mrs. Kim answered. "We have a guest in the room next to Mina's and we don't want him disturbed. Jaeyoung will take care of it." 

He propped his elbow on her shoulder and grinned down at her. "You haven't met your replacement yet. I decided he can be my new sibling since you're never here and he promised to play games with me later." 

Mina raised an eyebrow. "My replacement?" 

"He just got here today but he's already been such a help! He was barely checked in when he started asking about my day. He cleared his own dishes off his table and took them to kitchen! Would you believe he was going to wash them himself?" she asked. 

"And he helped me carry in the groceries. Such a nice young man," her father added. 

Sunny made a face. "He's a guest?" she asked. 

Mrs. Kim's mouth fell into a straight line as she looked over at her. "He is. He's very courteous and has such nice manners. His mother must have spent extra time with him." 

The slight jab went unanswered when the stairs creaked. Long legs appeared first coming down the stairs. His waist was narrow, matching his chest. Mina blinked when she noticed how the tee-shirt stretched around his biceps. 

He smiled and bowed his head when he reached the bottom step. 

"Mina, this is Mark," her mother said. "Be polite and introduce yourself." 

"Um.. hi." 

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You were expecting Jungkook, weren't you?