[italicized in narration – past event]

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Amber was not surprised to see Jiwoo's younger brother on the verandah, in front of an open door. He was dancing in socks, with a pair of white earpieces in his ears. She assumed that he did not play the song too loudly as the boy became aware of her presence. It may have been her shadow that stopped him.

He turned around, pulling the earpieces out of his ears. "Hello, noona," teenage Hoseok bowed and greeted cheerfully. His school uniform was unbuttoned, and his plain white shirt was on full display.

"Hey." Amber took a moment to sense the atmosphere they both were having. Hoseok's response to her appearance made her wonder if he knew where his sister was. "Is your sister here?"

The sound of footsteps had Hoseok looking back, and there was his mother standing in the living room. The boy mouthed Amber's name to his mother, earning him a smile later. Then, she told him to invite her in. "Noona, come in. Mom is inside."

Hoseok was about to get inside to open the door wider for her, but Amber grabbed his forearm, halting his next movements. "I can't stay long," she said.

The boy smacked his head, laughing softly. "I forgot about the boutique."

"No one is in the boutique."

Hoseok had a frown on his face. "Isn't Jiwoo noona at the boutique?"

"Yes, she's supposed to be there but she isn't there. That's why I'm here."

The next thing she knew; she was sitting down on a solo sofa with her boss' parents opposite her. Hoseok sat comfortably on the floor.

They talked for such a long time, trying to figure out where the oldest child in the family had been. As Amber explained that Jiwoo wanted her younger brother to take her place in case she left long, Hoseok felt an overwhelming tightness in his chest.

"But I'm still in high school."

"I'll take care of the boutique with Seokjin and Yoongi until you graduate," Amber said to Hoseok.

Time ticked on and on. Hoseok could not stop thinking about where his sister had disappeared, but luckily, it did not affect his academic performance. Up until the day he graduated from high school.

A high school diploma would not be sufficient for Hoseok to become a boss if Amber were to think properly. The thought disturbed her so much that thinking of a way to convince Seokjin and Yoongi to accept him would be difficult.

On Hoseok's graduation day, his parents came. She came as well, on Jiwoo's behalf. She knew she didn't need to do that, but she thought she needed to fill the empty seat.

The moment his feet stepped on the stage to receive his certificate, his eyes fell on the seat beside his mother. It was Amber who sat in Jiwoo's seat. His friend, his sister too. Her parents smiled proudly at him from their respective seats. Even though he smiled, Amber could feel his suffocating emptiness.

When their eyes locked, his smile gradually faded. His stares were empty. Begging for his sister's existence. He didn't want Amber there. He wished for his sister. And Amber didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave the seat. She didn't want his 'younger brother' to feel more isolated because of an empty presence.

As soon as Hoseok received the retirement letter from his high school, he managed the boutique. Amber had thought thoroughly. She wanted him to enroll in college since he might need it. Hoseok, however, insisted on taking over his sister's role.

Days passed by, and the new boss finally lost his mind.

Amber wanted to use the loo after talking with their manufacturer. Her walk through the corridor was interrupted when she saw Seokjin patting the crying man on the shoulder. The see-through curtain against the wall was torn, the papers scattered, and the light bulb on the table shattered.

The older man spoke no words. Amber noticed Seokjin was under pressure with this whole situation since the day Jiwoo disappeared.

Yoongi got affected too. He and Amber argued when he considered resigning. He had his resignation notice ready, but Amber refused to accept it. When asked why he wanted to resign, he said he didn't trust someone who had no experience in the area. Mad, she expressed how ridiculous his decision was.

Fortunately, Amber coaxed Yoongi to stay. With Seokjin, she sought help to train him together.

Years passed, and Hoseok gained an understanding of his role as a boss. He gained experience as they hired more potential workers. But he changed a lot.

He was no longer an ambitious and bright boy. Only he and his sketchbook occupied his time and space. Only him and a small sketchbook. Hardly saw him leave his nest.

That made the three of them concerned.

**********

"What a bunch of idiots." Amber heard Yoongi say, snapping out of her thoughts. He was watching Jungkook and Taehyung who were trying to pry Jimin's mouth open.

"Open your mouth! I said, open your mouth!" yelled Taehyung. His thumbs stretched Jimin's eyebrows and that almost made his friend's eyes bulge.

Gritting his teeth, Jimin exclaimed, "no"

Jungkook, on the other hand, pressed Jimin's cheeks in an attempt to open his mouth. Jungkook yelled, "give us our jelly!"

Never did they know, they had hired a bunch of potential monkeys.

Amber could never understand the minds of the three youngest. What was the point of forcing the jelly out that was already chewed and coated with saliva?

"Ew," she silently uttered amid the noise.

The boutique could have easily been turned into a zoo or a circus because of the chaos. But, in Amber's opinion, it wasn't a bad thing since the surroundings would be less quiet. Once in a while, they made Hoseok smile with their silliness.

When Amber thought she could ignore the food argument, a new case grew.

"Eh? There's no more pizza." Confusion drew on Jisoo's face as she lifted nearby plates and pizza boxes.

In this case, Amber could have named it the disappearance of the last pizza, for no one knew, except for Amber and Namjoon, that Yoongi gave it to Hoseok.

**********

Hop, hop, hop.

The white plastic filled with takeaway food swung lightly in her grip as she hopped. Never had she worried that food would fly off her hands.

Hop, hop, hop.

Passing by a few familiar faces, she would never forget to greet them.

"Good evening, grandpa!" The bright woman greeted an elderly man watering his plants.

"Good evening! Aigoo, you look merry today," said the elderly man grinning.

The girl bobbed her head once. "Yup, because I know I'll find you here. Oh, I bought you your favorite shark fin soup!"

"My, you don't have to bother yourself buying me this." He grinned, taking the takeaway container from her hand when she insisted on taking it.

The woman chuckled and said, "my dad must've troubled you a lot while I wasn't around." She then whispered, "I feel sorry that I had to leave you with his temper."

The elderly guffawed, "it's not bad at all. All I need is this cane."

Their area erupted with laughter.

Jiah remembered Grandpa Ji used to hit her father on the butt with a cane when he scolded Jiah for arriving home late. Since her father was intimidated by Grandpa Ji, she always sought him out for help. They were not blood family members, but they were so close that people at the market mistaken them for grandfather and granddaughter hanging out together.

It was only he who knew she ventured out late at night looking for jobs. The father never asked. No matter what, she would never leave home without a reason. She was not a wild girl, she was not a partying type, and she was not someone who would likely run away from home when she had problems.

She had been venturing out to look for a job to help her father, but her father never knew.

"Have you found a job?" asked the grandfather. He then drank the lukewarm soup.

Jiah hummed sadly and pouted, shaking her head.

The grandfather displayed a tight smile after gulping down the soup.

"I will keep looking for it! I'm not stopping" the girl said.

Grandpa Ji sighed with a hum. He said, "It's been two years, Jiah. Aren't you tired?"

"Nope."

"Aren't you annoyed that your dad keeps giving you money?"

"A little," she said, face twisted. "At the same time, nope. That's the only way I can get his attention. It gives me the energy to start the day but, I wish he had other ways though."

"My, my, I think I figured why your mom fell for your dad. Your dad must have high caffeine in his face."

She responded by nodding her head with an 'O' shape on her lips and wiggling her eyebrows. The grandfather guffawed.

Neighbors knew of the matter that she often received pocket money from Mr. Lee. The judgmental middle-aged women in her area were likely to say she used the money to hang out with her friends. Jiah tried her best to ignore them.

The truth was unknown to all. No one knew she kept the money in her savings box. She still had her earnings from her internship to pay for bus fare and food when she reached the city. Refusing her father's constant pocket money was pointless.

She kept them to save her father from his debts. And when they had settled the debt and had enough money to do other things, she wanted to bring her father to find her mother.

'Uhmma, where are you?'