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Even after Jungkook dropped us home, I could only sense the kindness and sincerity reflecting in his big brown eyes. The way he kissed Jia once again before leaving, flashing a big smile at me and not saying a single word again.

I could now see the fakeness in his smile. It was painful to witness.

He left us at the steps of the building, the dark clouds gathered once again in the night sky. It was the same as the day, but the only difference this time was, I was excited and eager in the day to see him and this time, I was scared and regretful by seeing him walking off.

I didn't know when I would be able to see his face again. If he was embarrassed because of what happened yet again in front of so many people. He was worth pitying.

I watched as he winced while walking off the steps, the sound of his shoes a hundred times heavier than any time. He was physically well, but I was slowly understanding what was going on in his mind.

"Please take care." I said, not too loud but enough for him to hear. He turned around and looked into my eyes. I didn't even smile, and nor did he.

"You too."

And he didn't turn back again.

I sighed as I walked into the elevator with Jia, feeling nothing but confused. Jia was tired, but on top of that, she was scared because she witnessed something she shouldn't have seen ever in her life.

I didn't say anything to her as we walked into our house, my mom already sitting on the couch, waiting for us with her arms crossed. She greeted me as soon as I stepped in, lost in thoughts.

"You both are late, was everything okay?" She asked and I nodded, taking off my shoes and sluggishly walking in my room, dragging my body forcefully. I locked the door from inside and slid down, feeling my emotions brim up and pour down my eyes.

I wasn't crying for myself this time. I was crying for him. Our fate. Everything that happened today had a strange reaction in my head and I couldn't feel anything but sorrow.

What is this? Why do people suffer like this? What did they even do to deserve this treatment?

I went through this myself and I saw someone going through the same, but with a positive response even after he tumbled down every single time.

I finally realised, I'm not the only one to go through this, there are so many people...but no one can understand us better than the ones going through the same thing.

I prayed for everything to go right for him as I wiped my tears with my sleeves. The day surely went well, but nothing could go right in my life. It had to get ruined somehow.

Staring at my window with my legs pulled up against my chest, I watched as the curtains flew with the strong stroke of wind and the pitter patter of rain started to resonate in my room. It suddenly reminded me of something.

Jungkook's song...

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*Jungkook's POV*

"I'm fine, stop babying me."

"Yah, show me your face! You're looking uglier as ever!"

"I don't care!"

I sipped the coffee from my cup as Taehyung kept on insisting me to put a bandage on. Little did he know, I was hurting somewhere else more than this.

"Aish, it's raining..." He sighed and I looked out of the clear glass window by our table. The rain was pouring heavily and people were walking hurriedly. Some with umbrellas, some without it.

"It's good to see that it's raining. I'll have an excuse to be late." I took a deep breath, inhaling the earthly scent of the rain when the door of the cafe opened and a strong gush of wind came in.

"You can stay at mine if you want, but your father..."

"Don't worry about me, Taehyung. I'll be fine." I reassured him, taking a bite of the sweet crunchy cookie.

"So, how did it all go?" He asked. I recalled every event, atleast until I was feeling joyful.

"It was nice. I had a lot of fun."

"I thought you'll meet her alone, but who was that little girl with her?" He inquired and I remembered Jia's face.

Little J... I reminded myself.

A smile crept upon my lips as I kept the cup down, "she was her cousin. Her mother sent her along so that-"

"She could spy on you both. Yeah, as I thought. Strict parents." He rolled his eyes and I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms.

"Correct. We went to the restaurant and ate together. Then we went to the park, fed the ducks and talked. It was a nice experience." I told him, more attentive towards the heavy rain pouring out on the streets.

"As I thought, she was pretty," Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows at me and I pursed my lips, "effects of having strict parents. Internet isn't always wrong."

"I indirectly called her pretty, but she got really flustered that it made me laugh so many times." I chuckled, checking my wristwatch.

"Yah, what did you talk about? Tell me in detail." Once again, he insisted and I shook my head, not wanting to tell everything that we did. I knew he would make fun of me for it.

"Nothing special, really. We talked about life, parents, studies."

And something that we could never talk about to anyone until now.

"Do you plan on seeing her again?"

His question was discrete and I sighed as a response. I didn't know. I didn't know if she would even want to see my face after seeing what happened today and what was my reality...

Maybe we would be able to talk in emails or messages, but I didn't know when I would see her in person once again.

"I don't know. Let's see."

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I got home as I took off my wet shoes, my clothes sticking to my body as I sweeped my damp hair back. I ran upto here without any umbrella and got all wet.

The lights of the house were off as I tip-toed to my bedroom, switching on the lights and peeked in, holding my breath.

My room was in a mess. The drawers were open, my wardrobe was all disheveled and the bedsheets were on the ground. Looked like I just got raided.

I didn't care about that because that's how my room used to look often. I picked up the pieces of glasses from the carpet, the flower vase that Taehyung gifted me on our second year of friendship was broken into pieces. The lilies were scaterred on the ground, already looking dried and dead.

I sighed, carefully picking up every single piece and collected them on a piece of newspaper. Looking for any more destruction, I checked the bathroom, but thankfully he didn't make it in there.

I looked for my father everywhere, but he was not in my room. I checked the other room, and as soon as I switched on the lights, I found him laying down on the ice cold tiles, dead asleep.

Sighing at his figure, I took off my jacket and threw it away. I changed into a dry t-shirt and trousers first and came back to the room. Pressing my palm to his forehead,  checking if  his temperature was high or not.

Thankfully he wasn't ill, just too drunk. I dragged him along the tiles but it wasn't easy because he was much heavier. I somehow picked him up, my legs shaking because of the cold.

Placing him in my bed, I covered his body with the blanket, hoping he would become sober until the morning so we could talk easily.

The less I want to talk to him, the more I find myself caring for him.

The rest of my night was spent on the couch, snuggling in piles of blankets and overthinking how my father was just one room away but million miles apart from my soul.

These sorrowful events overpowered the sweet moments that I spent with the two beautiful girls, and the image of my dad hitting me and them being horrified was engraved in my head. It wouldn't go away... neither the feelings nor the embarrassment.

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*Hana's POV*

"You're leaving today?! But you said you're going to leave on Tuesday!"

I watched my aunt pack her belongings the very next morning. My heart sank when I got to know that they were leaving in just an hour.

"I'm sorry Hana, the flights aren't available till the end of the month. We have to leave today." Her voice was filled with guilt and I couldn't help but feel mad at myself.

"No, please stay a little longer. We didn't even play the game we always play!" I pleaded, looking at Jia's sleeping figure in my bed.

"We'll be back soon. I promise, we'll see each other next year-"

"Are you sure? What if we can't?"

"Hana, what are you saying!?" My mom slapped the back of my head and I turned to her, my veins rushing with adrenaline and my heart pounding.

"All promises are fake. Everyone lies. Aunt promised she'll leave on Tuesday but she didn't tell me. If you both have told me before I could've made some time for us! You don't understand how happy I felt when you were here. I was finally at ease... I wanted to spend more time with you but now you're leaving all of a sudden and I don't even know when we'll meet. Why do you all lie?"

"She said she doesn't have any choice! Stop this!" My mom's voice was higher and I just looked away from her, containing my anger while I took deep breaths.

"But why did you hide it from me? You knew I trusted you..." I muttered under my breath.

And you broke that trust all of a sudden...

Aunt woke Jia up and she watched me with her lidded eyes as I stood in the corner, watching her luggage.

When they'll leave, I'll be alone once again... Jia won't be here anymore to scream at me and make me scared...she won't be here to give me candies and cuddle me...

Aunt whom I love the most, she'll leave too... I won't have anyone to share my feelings with...

Even though they're not my family members, they make this house feel like home...

It won't feel the same after they'll leave...but they had to, because no one can stay forever.

I looked at my mom who rolled her eyes at me, muttering a 'dramatic kid' at my face. I easily heard her but I didn't react because my mind wasn't functioning.

The old feelings of heaviness dawned upon me once again. That familiar sadness, those black clouds of agony in my mind, they all came back. The only way to let them out was to lock myself yet again and cry.

It always comes back to crying...

So I didn't cry this time. Instead, I ran to my aunt's room and hugged her, tight as ever. She patted my back and kissed my forehead as she stared into my eyes with pity. Both of us didn't say anything and I turned to Jia, leaving a chaste kiss on both her cheeks and giving her a warm, big hug too.

And then I ran.

I slipped into my shoes and ran out of my house, leaving my mom behind who was screaming my name. I left aunt and Jia behind too, because to me, goodbyes were hard. I couldn't see them leaving with the guilt in my heart that I wasn't able to give them the attention they deserved.

It was my health, my studies, my college, my plans with Jungkook. All because of me. I wasn't able to share a whole lot of things that I wanted to tell my aunt. I wasn't able to complete the sketch of Jia, that I was planning to gift her on her departure. It was all because I was lazy. I was good for nothing.

My mind was pounding once again because of all the load. The worries about Jungkook and his father, the worries about me being a brat and running away. But I had to, because I was a coward.

There was no place left for me to go to in the early morning. I watched people jog on the pathways, doing exercises and the sun's blazing light making it easier for me to breathe. I watched every movement happening around me, but I seemed to be frozen while everyone else seemed to be in a hurry.

After putting my hood on, I walked with my hands digging in my pockets. I didn't even realise that this time I didn't have my phone with me, and thus no mode of communication.

I didn't even had any money to eat and my stomach was grumbling. It was freaking 9 in the morning.

So I decided where to go. My safe place, my comfort provider.

My genie.

A/N

Poor Hana :'(

Are goodbyes hard for you too? For me, yes.

If I spend time with the people I love, the negative energy in me vanishes away. I feel jolly and enthusiastic. But nope, I'm not really good at saying goodbye because when I do, the memories that I enjoy and collect in that time don't make me happy anymore but make me feel more uncomfortable, that I won't be able to live them again :') (I'm weird, wbk)