Ishihara // ATEEZ ✔

38 |2| Decision

Mingi puts on his trench coat as he steps out of his shared bedroom - shared with his older brother - and his brother mumbles a goodbye before jumping from the top bunk. He waves a hand without looking back, spotting both of his parents being busy at the kitchen preparing breakfast. He kisses them on the cheeks, before grabbing a handful of bread from on top of the table and stuffing them into his mouth all at once. His mother looks at him with a worried look, and his father shakes his head but keeps a proud smile on his face.

"Have some proper breakfast before you go, Mingi," his mom says, putting a plate of scrambled eggs together with sausages and red beans. "Make sure you have the energy for the day."

He complies, pulling out the chair and finishing everything in under 5 minutes. He washes his mouth before giving a last kiss to both his parents, "I have to go now, I've found a spot I can pluck some fresh golden mangoes. The trees just started bearing fruits and if I don't hurry, someone else might get their hands on them first." He takes what he needs with him; a bag big enough to fill all the fruits he's about to harvest, a pair of gloves for when he's going to climb the trees and a stick with a hook at the end that he can use if any one is out of reach. His parents nod, knowing that they can trust their youngest son with his adventures. They send him off with a hug, and Mingi leaves his house clutching the materials close to him.

A neighbour sees him before greeting, "Good morning, Mingi. Are you perhaps off on another adventure to find some gold?"

Mingi chuckles. "Good morning, Mr. Emand. If I am able to dig some gold, my family won't be living here anymore, I'm just off to grab some golden mangoes."

Mr. Emand gives off a hearty laugh, his protruding belly shaking vigorously. "You're right about that young man. Well, if you happen to have any extra mangoes, I would be delighted if you are kind enough to give our family some."

He puts up an 'ok' sign. "You know that your family is always the second after mine if I were to bring anything back home. If you may excuse me, I will be on my way." He nods a goodbye before setting off.

Mingi descends the staircase; his unit is on the fourth floor and he lives with his family, which consists of his parents and his older brother. They are commoners and although they can't afford to have a bigger house, they are living comfortably. Their housing complex consists of ten blocks, each block having four floors. Their house is at the second block, on the fourth floor and the eighth unit if you take a left from the staircase. Their unit consists of a living room, a balcony, a kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms and a room that they converted into a store. If he's not staying at the palace, he will spend most of his time back home. His parents never complain, they are fine with him spending time at the palace, because they like seeing their youngest spending time with other people his age. If anything, his parents are very supportive of what he does for a living, finding rare items around the kingdom or the central forest, selling it in town for a price. He's also good at making deals with anyone, that they end up handing their sales for a much lower price or even sometimes, free of charge, to him. His parents run a boutique making specialized dresses while his brother is a locksmith that is employed at a shop in town.

He goes over to the stables that house the horses for the commoners living in the housing complex, and most of it are empty. Most of the commoners do not own horses of their own and they usually trek to town on their feet or hitch a ride from the shuttle carriages every half an hour. The horse is a gift from the palace, and he has been taking great cof it.

"Good morning, Mingki," he greets his horse, a name that he has given to it as a play on his name and because it sounds cute to him. The horse buries its head in his neck as it spots its beloved owner. "Let's get those golden mangoes, shall we?" He rubs the horse's body. "I will give you some as a treat later on, but we have to work together alright?" He jumps on top, leaves the stables and starts his journey to where he's heading - the central forest.