Incarnadine | Prequel to "Viridescence"

16

No luck once again.

"What about my mom? Is she a good person?" she wonders. The man freezes and fidgets with his fingers. "Yes, she was- is a very sweet person and I can see that in the way she raised you," he smiles warmly.

Jihyun returns the smile but she feels somewhat unsatisfied. Everyone's been telling her the same thing. That she's an amazing person, that she always was kind to them. If she's so kind then why did she not return for the past month? And as nice as she was to everyone, Jihyun can never forget the way her mother treated her brother. She wouldn't even treat a criminal like that. And that's what confused her.

So is her brother the one that's bad? She hasn't seen him ever being mean but maybe he did it in secret...

What if both her mother and her brother are bad people?

She gets a shiver down her spine at the thought. No, there's no way the people she loves the most would ever try to hurt others. They're too kind.

She would much rather play with her brother than any of these other kids though. "I miss brother," she mumbles to herself while tears well in her eyes.

The man comes closer to her and pats her back to try and comfort her. "Do you want me to ask your dad about him? Let's see if we can meet him today," he smiles. Jihyun's face starts glowing and she sits up straighter. Her dad will never tell her where her brother is, but maybe he'll tell his own friend.

"Can you?" she asks, voice full of hope. The man nods and stands up. "I'll be right back!" he tells her before leaving the room. Once she's sure he's gone, Jihyun also hops off her bed and sneaks after him. 

She eventually reaches the kitchen and hides behind a wall at the entrance to the room. She peeps her small head around the corner and sees her father standing face to face with his friend, both of them too focused to notice her there.

"How's your son doing?" he asks casually. Jihyun notices her father tense at the question momentarily. He proceeds to smile and shake his head. "What son? I don't have a son!" he laughs. Jihyun's heart comes to a stop. Why is her dad lying about her brother?

"Are you sure? Jangmi keeps asking for her brother," he wonders. Her dad's smile instantly falls. "Never speak of him and pretend he doesn't exist. He's crazy and doesn't belong in my family. He never did," he whispers in a stern tone. "And her name is Jihyun. Never call her Jangmi again- not even by mistake."

The friend looks confused, but nods anyway. "I don't know the full story but I'll respect your decision."

Jihyun feels a pang in her chest at her father's words. What kind of father talks about his own child like that? Her brother isn't crazy, he's the kindest person she's ever met. She doesn't even notice the tears streaming down her face and hurriedly scurries away.

She runs back to her room and sobs into the teddy bear she's holding.

Her father walks in a few moments later and notices her sniffling, but chooses not to say anything. His mood has been ruined by the memories of the boy he hates to call his son.

"Go back to packing your stuff," he declares in a cold tone before leaving again.

Jihyun cries even louder by herself. Why can't she even know her brother's name? She only knows what he looks and sounds like, and nothing else. Where is he? Where did he go that only let him visit her every few months? And why did he stop?

These questions remain unanswered, even as she sits with her dad in their car the next morning.

"When is brother's birthday?" she asks her dad as he drives. Silence.

"What's his favourite colour?"

Silence again.

"When can I see him again? I want to at least say bye properly this time," she whines. "Stop talking about him," her father orders.

"What about mommy? When can we meet her again? I miss her," the girl complains further. "Don't talk about her either."

Frustrated beyond relief, Jihyun huffs and slouches back in her seat. She looks out the window as they drive through towns, observing every face carefully in case her brother is in the crowd. As she's watching, a thought occurs to her.

What if she searches for her brother by herself? She's mostly just curious right now, she needs to find him to quench it. If her father really won't tell her anything no matter what, and if he keeps preventing others from telling her too then she'll have to take matters into her own hands.

And just like that, the seven year old girl decides to dedicate her time to search for her brother.

A/N
Ateez look so good in the concert clips I'M GOING TO SCREAM AAAAAA