SOOMIN POV:-

My spirit was dampened after I knew about my sad fate. I wasn't the kind of person to dwell on sad thoughts too much but something about losing this amazing opportunity for our bakery put me in a sour mood. Our bakery was among the many shops that were badly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and it still hadn't fully regained momentum. This competition would have been a great way to attract more people to our little bakehouse.

But beyond wanting to attract customers there was a void in my chest that ached every time I thought of someone who would have wanted to participate in this more than anything. I couldn't even represent them in this competition.

I let out a frustrated sigh. I need to do something or rather go somewhere to brighten my mood and where better than my sweet cousin Jeongguk's house.

Jeongguk lived with his family in a small house which was about a 20-minute drive away from mine. Although he had a nice bedroom and bath facilities at his house, the boy basically hoarded the guest room at my apartment 24/7. Providing Jeongguk with a spare key to my apartment was the worst decision I took the day I moved in. I basically have no privacy in my own house.

I dropped off my groceries at my house and headed over to Jeongguk's. I probably should have called him to ask if he was at home, but the loud music that was heard all the way to his driveway gave away the fact that he was, in fact, there.

I didn't need to knock before entering. From the numerous times I've visited the Jeons, I knew that they stored a spare key under the sole of a lone boot in their front yard. I wasted no time in throwing open the door and rushing upstairs to tackle my cousin.

I so badly wanted to forget about the competition I couldn't take part in so I resorted to tickling my cousin to his death. "Sto- Stop, STOP," pleaded Jeongguk through his laughs, "Please Min- ah- ah- HAHAHAHA," Finally I gave in, sitting properly on his bed. The boy was still heaving from all the tickling. "What happened to you? You seem so happy, cous." I guess I did a good job in hiding my disappointment because Jeongguk didn't seem to notice.

I just smiled and said nothing. "C'mon... Tell me. Is it because of the competition that's about to happen?" He asked, causing my distressed expression to once again fall on my face. "I'm not happy, Jeongguk-ah. I can't participate in the competition." I finally told him. I thought he'd know that I was unable to participate but of course, being the ignorant idiot that he is, he definitely forgot. "What?! Why?" "I have no one to go with. No one qualified enough between the ages of 18 and 30 at least. Even Jin isn't available."

"Can't Jin hyung make it back just in time for the competition?" Jeongguk asked, hopefully. "No, his semester finals start soon. He must be preparing hard for it." "There should be some other way right? Is there literally no one else?" "I haven't thought about it, Gguk-ah. I don't think there's anyone else that would make a good team with me. If only you were as good in baking as you were in cooking."

Jeongguk sighed. He knew there was no other way than to let go of this opportunity. He leaned in and pulled me in a hug. I realized that I was making a huge deal out of this. Opportunities come and go. Maybe next year we'll finally have another competition where Jin can make it or one where I can participate individually. I needed to let go of this one so that I could hope for a better one in the future. Thinking so, I pulled away from the hug and thanked Gguk for his comfort. He wasn't good with words but he still knew just how to make me feel better.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, startling the both of us.

Jeongguk and I rushed downstairs to check who it was. The door opened revealing a 16-year-old girl, standing in her school uniform. Almost immediately she pushed past Jeongguk throwing her bag on the floor and rushed upstairs to get to her room. Once she got there she slammed the door shut.

"JEON JIA!" Jeongguk shouted, filled with rage, and rushed upstairs. I stood there for a while comprehending what the hell just happened and decided to follow Jeongguk upstairs.

"Jia! How dare you slam the door?!" Jeongguk shouted, thumping his fist on her door, "Did you think you can get away with it just because mom and dad aren't home?" I placed my hands on his broad shoulders and asked him to calm down. "No, I am her older brother. I have every right to be angry about this."

"Maybe you should ask her what's wrong first, Jeongguk."

I pushed him aside and asked in a softer tone, "We're worried about you, Jia. Can you please open the door?"

No response.

"Jia, please?"

No response.

"I'll bake you choco-chip cookies."

The door slightly creaked open.

I knew my chocolate chip cookies would work. Jia might be Jeongguk's sister but I knew her better. She was just like Jeongguk in a lot of ways. Especially when it came to food.

We entered the room to find Jia sitting criss-cross on her bed, looking annoyed, frustrated, and angry all at once. "I'm definitely telling mom about this." Jeongguk said.

"Gguk-ah, stop. Let's know her side of the story first." I turned to Jia, "Jia, care to explain what that was all about?" I asked slightly sternly.

"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT ASSHOLE!" Jia screamed, hands frustratedly pulling at her scalp hairs.

"Who?" Jeongguk and I asked in unison.

"PARK BEOMGYU!"

"Park Beomgyu? What did that boy do to you again, Jia?" Jeongguk asked, once again getting riled up and slightly protective of his baby sister.

Jia broke out into a fake sob, "Jeongguk, he- he stuffed my locker with live spiders."

I broke out laughing.

The siblings turned to look at me with confusion and frustration clearly spread over their expressions.

"That's it? He stuffed your locker with spiders?" I turned to Jia. "They were ALIVE, Soomin. Alive." "So what? It's just a silly prank, Jia. Get over it. It's not like you're actually afraid of spiders or anything." Jia fumed at my reply. "So what?! It was Park Beomgyu. How can I get over it?" Jeongguk nodded along to his sister, visibly taken aback by my response.

Oh. So that was what this was about. Park Beomgyu.

Park Beomgyu was a part of the Park family, the one which we, The Kims supposedly hate. Jia and Beomgyu aren't exceptions to this either. They go to the same school and constantly infuriate each other by pulling silly pranks like this. I never understood how a feud so trivial could last over generations. Beomgyu was the fourth or fifth descendant of the founder of Park's Bakehouse for crying out loud!

"There you go again, Soomin, defending the Parks." Jeongguk rolled his eyes, "I don't get how you manage to like them." "I see no reason to dislike them. That's it."

"But-,"

"I don't want to hear a word more, Gguk. You've said it so many times."

"Honestly, Min-ie," Jia started, "you'll understand why we're right one day."

"Mhm..." I replied moving to sit on her bed. "And you know what, Min-ie?" Jia began again, with a sly smirk on her face, "Jin-ie is prettier than you."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" I grabbed a pillow and started hitting her with it. "Take that back, you brat! How can you call Jin prettier than me?!" She squealed trying to move away from me and grabbing a pillow to hit me with in the process. Jeongguk who stood there watching us, joined right after.

The pillow fight ended almost 10 minutes later after I managed to push Jeongguk and Jia off the bed. We were still giggling and laughing from the aftermath of the impromptu pillow fight.

When Jeongguk's parents arrived home from work, I decided it was time for me to make my way back home. I left after greeting Uncle Jeon and kissing my aunt on the cheek.

~~~

As I was driving back home, I realized my time spent in Jeongguk's house successfully distracted me from my sorrow. But now that I was alone again I felt the thoughts come flooding back into my brain. My sorrows were only intensified when my Dad called me saying how he was sorry for me, and how he knew how much I wanted to take part in a competition like this. He only made me feel worse when he talked about Mom's dream of participating in a competition just like this and how much she would have wanted me to represent her.

I felt like I was letting her down by not participating.

The more I thought about it I lost hope. It was sure they wouldn't magically make the competition individual and not as groups of two. Grandma had also called right after Dad to express her disappointment. She was more concerned about the loss of an incredible opportunity for our bakery to grow, more than anything. She told me in her attempts at comfort that she would speak to the mayor for me. But I knew that would be a fruitless attempt. The mayor never changed his decisions.

If he wanted it to be a duo, a duo it shall be.

That night I went to bed, dreaming of being able to participate. But even in my dream, I was reminded of my sorrowful fate.

~~~*~~~

(not edited)

I just wanted to clear out smth before I continue...so jungkook and jia have the surname jeon but they are very much part of the kim family ok...soomin is actually jungkooks mothers niece which makes jks mom soomins father's sister. But she married a jeon that's why her kids have the surname jeon.

Ik that in Korea children usually go with their mothers surname but for the simplicity of this story (and the fact that I don't want to create a Kim jungkook like l made a park beomgyu) we'll use the dad's surname.

alsooo- just to give the timeline of the story,, the story takes place in present time but the town they live in is more on the traditional side,,which explains the town square announcements and stuff like that.

Please comment a lot if anyone is reading this...It gives me motivation to continue writing <3 tysm for readinggg