The One I Should Love

Chapter 3 | 기다림

It was cold tonight. 

Hana avoided being at home in the evening as much as she could. There was something sad about living alone in a tiny apartment in a city that housed almost ten million people.

How could a place feel so empty when a hundred other people were just steps away? 

She had lived in cities for most of her life, aside from a short few seaside years in Jeju. She had been so young when her mother died that she could barely remember those times. 

Following her father's career had seen their small family move to Seoul, then Los Angeles, and even Sydney, Australia for a few years, before they'd returned to their ancestral home.

City skylines framed all her childhood memories, but she had been fortunate enough to have had a doting father who's only dream was to show his daughter the world.

Hana sat at her small window, gazing through the rivulets on the dark glass to the grey metropolis beyond. The distant lights blurred and distorted through the water. 

It was a little harder to feel lucky over the last few years; they had been a struggle, both emotionally and financially. But now that she had a steady job she could start making a dent in her debt and get back to a better place. 

It would take a while to get there, but she could finally look forward again, and start dreaming of what the future may bring.

--

"Welcome to our humble home!" Namjoon said as he opened the front door to the group's dormitory, inviting Hana inside. 

The apartment had a wide communal room with the kitchen to one side. Most of the members were gathered in the living area, circling the dining table at the centre of the space. 

Yoongi was resting on the couch, a common sight after a long day of practice. Taehyung, on the other hand, appeared to be trying hard to prevent Yoongi from resting. 

There was a shared sleeping area on the other side of the house. It wasn't a large apartment, but it felt smaller with all the members home at once. 

The group greeted her as she entered, Seokjin and Jimin making a space for her to sit down between them. 

"Hyungggg!" Jeongguk called from the other room. 

Six heads looked up, then at each other. 

A few smiles were shared, before a loud chorus of, "Yes, Jeongguk?" as the boy stepped into the doorway. 

He blinked at everyone's attention, and Hana giggled. 

The maknae noticed her and forgot who he was calling for. "Assistant-nim! What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

Her smile fell. "I've come to take back my banana milk," she said in a low voice, suddenly serious.

The younger boy's eyes widened and he edged towards the entrance to the kitchen, blocking the fridge from her view.

She laughed, breaking their staring contest, "I'm here to take some photos. Don't worry, Jeongguk-ah, your stash is safe."

Jimin laughed at the maknae's expression, a squeaky noise in her ear. Seokjin looked at her, "You'd make a decent actor, Assistant-nim."

She scoffed at that, but it made her smile.

"Okay!" she announced, clapping her hands together. "Is everyone ready for a group photo?" 

They weren't at all, and chaos ensued as most of the members rushed to get changed or fix their hair. 

Hana managed to convince them to let her take a casual one with them all having fun first, agreeing that she wouldn't post anywhere if they weren't happy with it.