It's been a loooong time (in my Jungkook voice).

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Buckle up your seatbelts because this chapter is another blast to the past.

September 2004

"Miss Kang?"

The lively atmosphere of the classroom suddenly quiets down as everyone looks at our teacher to answer the intercom.

"Yes?" She responds in confusion. Usually the parents tell her ahead of time if they'll be checking out a student early. As far as we know, no one is supposed to be checked out. Today's my birthday and all of the students are supposed to be here the whole day. How do I know this? I overheard my father ask the other parents last week. He and my mother wanted to give me a surprise classroom birthday party.

I overheard Dad making cupcakes in the middle of the night. Mommy quickly rushed me past the kitchen this morning so that I "wouldn't see" them; I saw them all. I also saw the goody bags of candy that mom tried to hide in her work bag. They had the biggest smiles on their faces as they walked me to school this morning, promising me that today would be a memorable day. They suck at hiding surprises but I love my Mommy and Dad. And I'm ready for a cupcake.

"Could you please send Jeon Jungkook to the office for dismissal?"

"Ah... Could you please ask Mr. or Mrs. Jeon what happened to the... uh... thing the parents discussed for today?"

"Please send Jungkook to the office for dismissal." The intercom promptly ended the transmission. Miss Kang blows out a long breath, shoulders humping over in defeat. "Jungkook, when you get to the office, could you please ask your parents to stop by for a moment?" I hurriedly nod my head as I pack up my belongings.

I stubbornly take slow steps towards the office. I don't understand why I'm being checked out if they're giving me a classroom party. Unless they're tricking me into thinking I'm not having a classroom party because they found out that I found out about the classroom party. A grin spreads across my face because that sounds like something silly they would do. They're playful like that.

I start turning the corner when I see two adults talking in the hallway. One is a woman dressed in a red, spaghetti strapped shirt worn under a blazer with low rise jeans. She wore silver, pointed toe heels that matched her silver purse and accessories. She has long, wispy bangs cut into her blonde dyed hair.

I've never seen this woman before but she has a familiar face. I know this because I see this face every day. Her brown eyes aren't as warm as the ones that smiled at me when I was dropped off this morning. The glossed lips are frowned instead of being twitched upwards as usual. The nose, that my dad refers to as a beak, is scrunched up in annoyance. This face looks tired.

This isn't my mother's face, but she looks so much like her. I have a bad feeling in my stomach and it reminds me of something my dad once said. This woman must be my Aunt Wendy. And that guy, who I don't care to get a good look at, must be her husband.

I quickly retreat back around the corner before they can see me. I know my parents wouldn't send her to pick me up, especially not with how Dad despises her. Something isn't right; I need to get home to see my parents. The only issue is that the office is located near the front door so they'll see me if I head that way. I'm going to have to sneak out another way.

I speed walk through the halls of the school while doing my best to avoid being seen. I'm good at sneaking around since I've always played Hide N Seek with my parents. My steps are really light even though my feet are a bit large. I find my way to another exit door when I see Mr. Seo.

Mr. Seo is the father of one of my classmates. We have parents who volunteer at the school on rotating schedules. Today seems to be Mr. Seo's day as hall monitor. I approach the older man who gives me a jolly smile. "Hello Jungkook."

"Mr. Seo." I bow in response; the inside of my mind is moving faster than a bullet train as I come up with a distraction. I've never lied in my life but right now I'm on crunch time. I look up to face his warm face as I let random words spew from my mouth. "Your daughter is sick from- from eating crayons! Miss Kang wanted me to come find you and tell you." I nod to myself at the believable lie. "She threw up everywhere!" My hands wave around in an exaggerating motion. Mr. Seo's smile drops as he takes in everything I said.

"Was she sent to the nurse?"

I shake my head in response. "No, your daughter wanted you to take her home because she feels really, really, really bad." Just as bad as I feel for lying to the poor guy. Mr. Seo gulps. "Thank you for informing me, Jungkook, especially when I can see that you're on your way to the office for dismissal. My little girl and I are grateful," he says giving a small smile. "I'm sorry but I need to rush off. Thank you again."

Mr. Seo jogs away to find his daughter's classroom. I feel bad for lying, especially because his daughter isn't even in my class. He's going to be mad when he realizes that. I did it for good reasons but lying leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Realizing that I'm on a mission, I look around a few times before turning to exit the building.

I never thought it would be this easy to skip school. Maybe that's why the teenagers always skip in the movies.

My feet move on their own as I remember the familiar path home. I'm surprised none of the grown ups around ask why I'm not in school. Then again, I wouldn't respond anyway. Cause, you know, stranger danger. Plus, I feel like I'm the kid from my mother's favorite holiday movie, Home Alone 2. It's an American movie that Jinyoung bought her when they first learned the English language. I don't understand the language but I know that there's a boy with a bunch of money who's freely walking the streets. The only difference is that I don't have a lot of money.

I don't have any money. I'm just a kid; I'm broke.

My thoughts keep me busy until I arrive at our apartment complex. I notice three police cars in the parking lot. One officer leans against the hood of his car with a clipboard in hand while the others seem to be inside. Our apartments aren't the most expensive, but the people in this building are good people. We've never have bad things happen to where we need the police. I'm not sure what happened but I don't want to be near this. I need to find my parents and right now I can't risk going to kiddy jail for skipping school.

I sprint around to the back of the building. I've never been alone back here before. I know this is where the dumpster for our trash is but Dad never lets Mommy or me take out the trash. He sometimes let me walk him down and watch from the door as he dropped off the trash, but that's it. He's always worried about what could happen. I guess there's a garbage monster. It's just going to have to deal with me today because I'm more afraid of what happened to my parents than I am over a stinky monster.

My hands reach up to enter the building but the door is locked. I know from memory that there's a door stopper on the inside. I just have to wait until the next person dumps their trash. I place my jacket upon the ground to sit on and lean against my backpack for comfort. The waiting game begins; so I wait. And I wait. And wait some more until I fall asleep.

I'm soon awaken by the sound of footsteps approaching. I can't believe I let my guard down and fell asleep, especially when I'm trying to find my parents. My eyes snap open to see a teenage boy walking towards the door. He's holding a steaming hot cup of ramen. The boy looks at me in confusion as the door opens. Behind the door stands a pale faced, teenaged girl.

"I can't believe you're here," she says behind a weak smile. The boy smiles warmly as he hands her the ramen cup. "I can't have my favorite girl being sick. Plus, school was boring today without you." It seems that I slept through the whole school day.

"I also can't believe you called me from a pay phone," she chuckles.

The two hug each other before the girl notices me. "Jungkookie?" Somehow she knows my name. "Hey! I've seen you and your parents around." Her eyes turn to her boyfriend. "His parents are totally relationships goals," she gushes before turning back to me. "Why are you out here? I know your parents wouldn't leave you out here alone."

"I..uh..I got locked out when I was bringing the trash out," I lie.

"Your parents let you bring the trash out?" Her boyfriend's eyebrows furrow.

I stand placing my hands on my hips, poking out my chest. "Uh, yes! I'm a big boy. Today's my birthday."

The couple looks at each other before smiling. My neighbor's boyfriend reaches into his pocket, pulling out random bills. His girlfriend nods at him before he turns to hand the money to me. I stare at his hand, unmoving. I don't understand.

"Happy Birthday little man," he says in a gentle voice.

"Jungkook," his girlfriend corrects. "Happy Birthday Jungkook." Her boyfriend gently grabs my hand, stuffing the bills into my palm, before closing my fingers around the money.

"Now get into this building before you get sick like me," the girl scolds. She holds the door open wider. I nod, remembering my initial mission. I bow to each of them before grabbing my things and running into the building. I decide to take the back flight of stairs that I've seen my father take numerous times.

I run to the third floor and find the familiar apartment, 341. We have a distinct door because my mother wrote "143" in marker. Jinyoung once told me the story of how my parents initially wanted their apartment to be numbered "143" because it stands for each letter in the phrase "I love you."   The apartment was taken so they took "341" and started the joke  "you love I." I've always grown up in a small home full of love. But right now this isn't the home that I know.

The door is wide open with yellow "caution" tape covering the entrance. It's cracked, almost in two pieces as if brute force was used to open it. I step through the tape because this is my home. Furniture has been shredded open. Glass rests on the floor from broken picture frames. My eyes rest on the picture of Mommy, Dad, and I from the first time he had Family Day at his tattoo shop. It's an off guard photo of us laughing that was taken by Jinyoung.

I run through the apartment and head directly to my room. Clothes are everywhere; my mattress is thrown on the floor. My framed picture of Mommy, Dad, Jinyoung, Jaehyun, Jaebum, and I taken at Jaehyun's last birthday party is also shattered. My baby pictures are thrown across the floor. My feet move on my own towards my parents room.

Their dresser drawers are wide open; their closet door is wide open. Clothes are thrown everywhere in here as well. The mattress is shredded as if Wolverine slashed through it. A lamp lies broken on the floor. Papers, such as my birth certificate, are thrown everywhere. This room looks bad. This whole apartment looks bad. This place has never looked like this. And there are still no sign of my parents. So I do the one thing that feels right: cry.

I cry because my parents aren't here. And I just know that my parents wouldn't leave me alone. Especially not on my birthday. I cry and scream to the top of my lungs because this has to be a joke. My parents are playful and this has to be some type of joke. There must be a camera hidden somewhere in this mess.

"You're not funny!" I yell aloud.

"You're not funny!" I repeat hoping they'll run into the room. On cue, I hear footsteps coming from the front. My arms fold over my chest, my lips do their best pout. I refuse to turn and look at them. I'm mad and they're going to know it. This wasn't a funny birthday prank; they play too much.

"Jeon Jungkook?"

That voice does not belong to my father; it's definitely too deep to be my mother's. My body slowly turns to face a young police officer. He lets out a sigh of relief. "We've been looking all over for you buddy. Where have you been? Your school said you suddenly went missing." I don't answer.

"Are you okay?" Again, I don't reply. He slightly frowns at my lack of response. Realizing that I'm not going to cooperate he calls into his walkie talkie. "Officer 749 reporting. Jungkook has been located. I repeat, Jungkook has been located." He lets go of the button before a brief static chimes in. "Good job, Officer 749. We are coming up."

The officer squats down so that's he's level with me. "I'm Officer Oh, but you can call me Sehun." A small smile appears on his face. "I want to help you. Can you tell me what happened today, Jungkook?"

"W-where are my parents?"

I can see him contemplating on how to answer my question. There's sadness in his eyes; frown lines appear on his face. "Jungkook, your parents..." he trails off as he thinks on how to best answer the question. "Did you ever see your parents doing anything you would consider bad?"

"No!" I immediately yell in response. "My parents were always good and full of love and happy. The only bad thing I've ever seen was Mommy forgetting to do her homework one time! Oh, and Dad burnt the popcorn once so he blamed it on Uncle Jinyoung because Mom hates that smell."

Sehun laughs at my innocent response. I place my hand on my hips. "That's not funny, Mister!"

Sehun starts to laugh harder. "You're so adorable," he cooes before something heavy seems to settle on his brain. His voice drops to a whisper. "Your parents seem like wonderful people. But today-"

"Your parents decided that you'll be temporarily staying with me."

My eyes widen in horror as I realize that Aunt Wendy, Uncle Wooyoung, Creepy McCreep from my Dad's shop and another officer have entered our residence. The vibe of my loving home is already gone; somehow, even more bad energy fills the room. "You had us worried sick, Darling." Wendy walks closer before pulling me away from Sehun. "I'm your Aunt Wendy and that guy in the red shirt is your Uncle Wooyoung." I try to turn back to Sehun but the other officer grabs him by the shoulder.

"May I speak with you, Officer Oh?" The older male asks but his tone is more demanding. Sehun gulps before immediately standing to his feet. "Yes Captain. Let me just finish up with Jungkook here, if that's not a problem. This is a difficult situation and he was just getting comfortable enough to talk."

"That's the problem, Officer Oh. You were about to discuss the case details with a juvenile. I didn't clear you to speak with him about the details regarding the case. All he needs to know is that he's going to be living with loving relatives that will provide him the best care."

Sehun shakes his head is disagreement. "I apologize, Captain, but I beg to differ. The Jeons may not be the people they were presented to be. I spoke with Jungkook and-" Sehun is cut off by the sound of Uncle Wooyoung clearing his throat. The other officer nods before giving Sehun a stern look.

"Jungkook is a mere adolescent who should not be involved in the investigation. And since you seem to be so defiant right now consider yourself taken off this case."

"But Captain-" 

"'But Captain' nothing. Officer Oh, you should go back to the precinct so that you can prepare to head home for today. Consider yourself on leave until otherwise notified."

Sehun prepares to argue back, but I reach out touching his knee to let him know that it's okay. This man has possibly just lost his job because of me. I don't want him to risk anything else. Him risking himself isn't going to get me any closer to my parents. And with the bad vibe I'm getting, I'm afraid he won't see his family anymore if he keeps talking.

Sehun's lips thin hesitantly before he gives a stiff bow to his superior. He also bows to Wendy, Wooyoung, and Creepy McCreep. Officer Oh turns to exit the room, but not before giving me a small smile. "Thank you," I silently mouth to him while the others aren't looking. He couldn't do much, but at least he seemed as though he wanted to give me the truth. I watch as his figure retreats from the apartment. I hope Officer Oh will be alright... because I have a feeling that I won't be.

Officer Oh's Captain forces a smile onto his face before addressing my aunt and uncle. "I sincerely apologize for his insubordinate behavior. He will be dealt with accordingly." He then turns to Creepy McCreep. "Why don't you and I head to my office so that we can finish discussing the drugs?" He then clears his throat before quickly speaking again. "My apologies! I didn't mean to say that in front of Jungkook."

A sigh of annoyance escapes from Wendy's mouth. "Yeah, yeah. A lot of things have been inadvertently said in front of my precious nephew. If we're done here I'd like to excuse us so that we can get the little one home." That's when I can't stay quiet anymore.

"This is my home!" Tears start to prickle in my eyes threatening to spill over. "This is my home and my parents are missing! Where are my parents?" I attempt to run out the room but Wooyoung has a strong hold on me. My arms try to wiggle free from his grasp. He has a strong grip but I don't give up. "Let me go!"

"Calm down, Jungkook."

"No! You're not my Mommy and Daddy! Let me GO!" Wooyoung's hold on my arm tightens in a silent warning for me to quiet down. I continue crying. I can't accept that this is my fate. My parents are missing and I have to live with my aunt and uncle who I've never seen before. No, I can't accept this. My parents would never willingly leave me alone, especially not to the likes of these two. My parents are coming back. I just have to have trust.

I have to have faith.

I have to believe.

That's what I keep telling myself as I'm walked towards the front door. I have to have trust that my parents wouldn't purposely leave me. I notice the candy from the candy bags messily adorning the carpet; the ripped up treat bags haphazardly accentuate them. I have to have faith that my parents didn't do anything bad to get us into this situation. Cupcakes lie all over the kitchen counters; some have even fallen on the kitchen floor. It looks as if the cupcake tray was purposely thrown somehow. I remember that Jinyoung once told me how loved ones will always make their way back to each other. I have to believe my parents will come back.

I try to grab onto the door frame but ultimately I get dragged out of the two bedroom apartment. This small apartment has been home to me my whole life. I'll always remember the leaky kitchen sink. I won't forget how the bathroom sink was missing a knob so we had to use pliers to cut the water on and off to wash our hands. It took the landlord a while to come fix that because he was elderly and sick. I'll always remember the view of the basketball court from my bedroom window. I'd watch older kids sneak out at night to play a few rounds. I won't forget how the heat wouldn't work during some winters so we had to use the stove to heat the tiny apartment.

I look one last time at the dent in the living room wall. It came from my mother elbowing the wall one time while she ran from Dad and I during a tickling session. We had used a picture of the mural Dad had painted for their proposal to cover it but that seems to be broken on the floor as well. I'll never forget the love given and lessons learned in this apartment. Loud sobs escape my mouth as I'm dragged away. This sucks but things have to get better.

I just have to have trust.

I have to have faith.

I have to believe.

[[Credit to LacryCherry for the custom masterpiece which I've titled "The Cupcake." Thank you so much Bun Bun.💛]]

We finally know how Jungkook ended up in Wendy's custody.

• Who do you feel was the biggest threat in this chapter: Wendy, Wooyoung, Creepy McCreep, Officer Oh, or his captain? Why?

• Can you see any foreshadowing that hints to the things his parents told him when they reunited in Chapter 2?

• How do you feel knowing the story of how he became separated from his parents?

S/O again to the amazing LacryCherry for lending her wonderful art skills! It really fits the cupcake theme of this book and shows how even something so deliciously sweet can have a darker meaning.

I also want to shout out an underrated Jikook gem. Please check out Angel's Sin by Brighteu . It's well worth the read. 💛

Please don't forget to comment and vote on the chapter! & Thanks for reading!