Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk heaved a cardboard box through his new apartment. He grunted as a piece of paint chipped off where it nicked the side. He set it down on the tiled flooring and sent it careening off into a doorway. Practically kicking it into the room he was sleeping in. (Not his room. It would never be his. Not really.)
"Mia?" He said, taking the phone between his ear and his shoulder into his hand, "Did you hear what I said?"
"Yes, Oppa! I know, I know. Stay safe with our parents until you come back. How long will you be gone?"
"Not sure. As soon as I know you're safe." He bit his tongue as he leant back onto the black leather couch. He sighed, keeping a tight lease on the regret he feared would show in his voice.
"Oh." The line was silent for a second way too long- "Oppa! Don't leave me here."
"Mia, it's not for long, just until I can-"
"They never come home! They're always on business trips! I'm sure they'll understand if you-"
"Yoo Mia. This is final," Joonghyuk hissed, ignoring how it made his heart rip in two, jagged pieces, "If I cannot guarantee your safety, how can I take care of you?"
The line went flat once again, until an unfairly meek voice rung through.
"Sometimes..." Joonghyuk held his breath as he waited for his sister to continue, "Sometimes I wish my oppa wasn't famous. Maybe then I could be normal."
Joonghyuk let the phone slip out of his hands and clatter on the floor. The noise echoed, bouncing off his eardrums. Hands clammy, he scrambled to pick it back up and press it against his ear.
"Mia? Mia you don't mean that, you-"
Silence. He glanced at the phone screen.
Yep. She hung up.
Mia had never hung up on her brother before. This meant she was serious.
Joonghyuk was a fuckup of a brother, now he knew this for a fact.
And something inside told him that Mia knew it too.