Caught in a Lie (Jimin's Heart #1)

COME BACK HOME

Somewhere along the journey to Busan, Hae Mi had fallen asleep; the girl next to her had to shake her awake when they arrived at the bus terminal. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and groggily getting to her feet, Hae Mi gathered her things and shoved them into her backpack.

The bus terminal had changed since she was last there. Everything had been modernized - the design, the seating; nothing had gone untouched by a renovation. She powered up her phone as she was lost in the stream of people disappearing into the Korean night. Things were calmer down in Busan; it was a type of serenity she had missed back in Seoul.

"Hae Mi noona!" a boy called, waving from the curb.

Hae Mi blinked as she walked nearer to him in the dim street light. He looked almost exactly like Jimin, only with a few slight differences, and smiled in the same way.

"Park Ji Hyun!" Hae Mi grinned and embraced him in a hug. When she had last seen him he was seven years old and trying to keep up with the older kids. "Wow, hi, how have you been?"

Running a hand through his black hair, he took her suitcase from her. "Hi to you too," he teased. "I've been good. I finally graduated high school a couple of months ago and started up at the nearby university, but I'm home for the weekend because I couldn't miss out on seeing Lee Hae Mi again." He led her in the direction of his parent's car.

Sure, Hae Mi had a younger sister, but there was always something so welcoming and exciting every time she was around Ji Hyun. She gave it to his infectious playful energy - it always made everyone smile, no matter who was with him.

"You guys always treated me better than I deserved," she said as they walked into the parking lot.

"Well my family is your family," Ji Hyun mused as they stopped before a car. It was a red sedan, and a newer model at that.

No one waited in the car, which surprised Hae Mi. "Where's your mom and dad?" she asked as they loaded her things into the trunk.

"They're at home, waiting for the prodigal daughter to return," he replied with a wink. "Actually, they're getting a late dinner ready for you and were cleaning up Jimin's room, since he hasn't visited in a while."

Interesting. Hae Mi had always remembered Jimin being a family boy, but it was clear that his career had made it difficult to be a part of his family. It wasn't wholly surprising - Hae Mi had spent a lot of time traveling without her parents - but it was still sad to hear.

Ji Hyun kept the conversation flowing easily between the two of them as he drove them to his house. He had only recently gotten his driver's license - the day after he graduated high school - and was working at a convenience store on top of going to school full time. The hardest part of his life was dealing with his parent's adjustment to Jimin living in Seoul and pursuing his dream to be an idol, but they had relaxed through the years.

Hae Mi listened to the flow of Ji Hyun's conversation with interest. She settled into the passenger seat and watched the scenery of Busan roll by. While the bus station was in the downtown area of Busan, the Park's and her family had lived about ten minutes outside of the downtown area, in one of the growing neighborhood areas. Fond memories were triggered in Hae Mi's mind. The Park's and Lee's had lived next door to each other. Jimin and Hae Mi's bedrooms had faced each other, so it was all too easy to throw open a window and talk to each other late at night.

Her heart warmed at the sights of the familiar houses in darkness. This was her street, her home, her happy place that she had to leave behind all those years ago.

Ji Hyun parked the car in front of the house and ran around to the back to get her things out of the trunk. Hae Mi exited the car as her phone chirped. It was a message from Jimin, sent to her ten minutes ago.