Detached | Seungjin

Thirty-One

She stared outside the window, her chin resting on her palm while her elbow rested on the table. By the looks of her eyes, it seemed as if she were in deep thoughts.

Her eyes were sparkling of wonder. She had been staying like that since the bell rang. Others have started to pack up but she remained seated on her seat, keeping her eyes on the pair of love birds sitting by a tree branch.

"Boo."

She flinched, snapping out of her thoughts immediately. She gritted her teeth in annoyance as she turned her head to the person who just interrupted her from her thoughts.

"Yongbin, what the fu—"

"Oops." Yongbin interrupted, putting his finger on her lips, "Language, little girl."

"Oh shut it, will you?" She told him. "And I'm not a little girl."

"Oh, yes you are." He said, poking her nose. "I'm taller than you, remember?"

She rolled her eyes, "I'm still older than you, Seo Yongbin."

He shrugged, "Yeah? By a few months I guess?"

"Exactly."

"But it doesn't change the fact that you're a little girl to me."

She sighed, shaking her head, "I just wanna throw you back to Australia right now."

He chuckled, grabbing the chair from the side and placing it in front of Minji's table, looking straight into her eyes. "So, what's up?"

She raised a brow at him, "What?"

"Why are you so caught up with your thoughts? What, thinking about me?" He teased, wiggling his brows at her.

"You wish."

"Okay, for real. What's bothering you?" He questioned.

Minji sighed, looking outside the window again. "I— don't know, honestly. There's just this... person that I suddenly can't stop thinking about."

Yongbin suddenly furrowed his brows, expression becoming serious. "You're saying you're in love?"

"What? No! That's not what I mean!" She defended.

Yongbin utters a quiet sigh of relief, "So who are you talking about, exactly?"

"I don't know— I just can't seem too— remember?"

Yongbin raised a brow at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"It's been— years since I last saw him."

Ten years, to be exact. Ten years had passed since that certain person left. Minji is currently 15 years old and at her last year of middle school. Ten years had passed and yet... he's still on Minji's mind. 

"A childhood friend?"

Minji shook her head, "He's a grown-up man when I met him several years ago."

"And? Why exactly is he in your mind right now?"

"Well— you see, I'm also human and..."

"And?"

She bits her lips before letting out a sigh, "I also wonder about my father's whereabouts."

"Of course you do. But, what does that man have to do with your father's whereabouts?" He questioned. Suddenly his eyes widened in realization, "Are you saying..."

Minji nodded, "He might actually be my father." She stated. "Come to think of it, we do look alike so much..." She muttered. "I can still remember his face. But I just don't— remember his name..."

Yongbin tilted his head, "Do I know this man?"

Minji shook her head, "No. He came right after you left me for Australia." She told him, giving off a downhearted tone.

"Well I'm sorry that I had no choice but to move there!" He defended, crossing his arms.

Minji chuckled, "I was just kidding."

"Oh? Are they at it again?" A classmate asked from afar.

"Yup, they sure are."

"Hey Minji!" Another classmate called out, "Is Yongbin annoying you again?"

Minji sighed, "He sure is. Someone get me out of here already."

"Aw, poor Minji." A guy classmate said, walking towards them and putting an arm around Yongbin. "But in all seriousness, are you sure the two of you are not together?"

Minji furrowed her brows in disgust, "No! That's disgusting!"

"Yeah mate, why would you think of that?!" Yongbin said in his Australian accent.

"Hm..." He hummed, smirking. "So would it be okay if I court Minji?" Yongbin was quick to step on the guy's foot hard, giving him a deadly glare. "Ow, I was kidding, geez!"

"Honestly, you two are like Tom and Jerry. Yongbin being Tom and Jerry being Minji."

"Are you saying I'm the dumb one?!" Yongbin shrieked.

"So you do admit that you're dumb." Minji told him.

"I'm not!"

"Dude, I'm literally the daughter of Kim Seungmin. The intellectual being?" Minji said.

"And I'm the son of Lee Felix and Seo Changbin?"

"Look, as much as I love Uncle Lix and Uncle Binnie. Uncle Lix just share the same brain cell with Uncle Sungie while Uncle Binnie is just— being himself, I guess?"

"I'm offended."

"Oh come on. Don't be such a baby and forgive noona, will you?" Minji teased.

"Stop saying it like that! It's— disgusting!"

"It's a fact, tho. I indeed am your noona, Seo Yongbin."

Yongbin rolled his eyes, "Can we just go home? Please?"

"Oh, actually I'm not planning to go home right away."

Yongbin furrowed his brows in confusion, "Why?"

"I'm planning to stop by the hospital. I'm gonna wait for Papa so we can go home together."

"Oh, that's not a problem then. I'll just walk you there."

"Aw, you'd do that for me?"

"Um, obviously?"

Minji giggled, "Alright!"

* * * * *

Sirens.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, there was an ambulance in sight. They witnessed how the employees rushed a certain patient inside, as if the patient was actually experiencing a serious situation.

Yongbin saw the fear and worry in Minji's eyes. He held her hand, squeezing it to calm her down and gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on, let's get you inside." Minji nodded and the two went inside the hospital.

"You sure you'll be fine? Or do you want me to stay with you until Uncle Seungmo arrives?"

Minji shook her head, "I'll be fine. Thanks for dropping me here."

And so Yongbin nodded and left, leaving Minji at the hospital. Minji waited, taking a seat at the steel chairs in the hallway. She puts on her airpods in her ears and listened to Day6 songs as she waited. But eventually, she got bored.

She stood from her seat and decided to get some fresh air. She headed her way to the hospital garden, breathing out heavily as she felt the fresh air pass through her. 

As she walked around, she suddenly saw a man sitting by the bench near the flowers. His head lowered, hands gripping on his hair. It seemed as if he was— stressed out.

But one more thing that had caught her attention is that... he seemed familiar in her eyes.

* * * * *

So I'm guessing this is the most unbelievable timeskip I have ever made in my books-