My heart seizes.

Oh no.

No, no, no.

The shirt crumpled in my hand falls to the ground as I spin on my heel, eyes frantically scanning over the shoppers browsing different clothes.

No Taehyung.

My eyes widen as I rush out of the store, swallowing a frustrated yell when I don't see his familiar golden-brown head amongst the people walking around.

This mall is huge.

Worry chokes my throat when the worst crosses my mind— what if someone kidnapped him?

Or what if he fell off the escalator for real this time?

_______________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

Earth is beautiful.

"Hi!" I say brightly, waving my hand at a boy whose face, for some reason, is completely gray. My lips press into a pout when he doesn't answer, remaining motionless.

Even though all I want is to run around this place, I know that's just going to make me faint again.

So I take careful steps.

Then my eyes find something that makes my face light up with pleasure. Sian had always grumbled that she wanted a new house.

Smiling happily, I pick up the cute house among the toys and begin to walk out of the place when a shrill scream makes me flinch.

"Thief! He's a thief!"

Thief?

"I'm so sorry!"

All of a sudden, I hear Sian's familiar voice as she takes away the miniature house from me. She begins bowing to the angry-faced woman, her face apologetic as she swallows.

That woman looks like my mother.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I promise he didn't mean to steal— I'll be sure to educate him better."

Me?

Stealing?

Once the angry woman has calmed down, Sian grips my hand as she pulls me hastily out of the colorful room.

"Tae!" She hisses as she pants heavily. Now that I look closer, she's sweating— and breathing fast too. "I told you to stay with me—"

My eyes widen.

"Are you sick?!" I exclaim worriedly as I cup her face in my hands. She looks taken aback as my skin grows ashen. "You're sick—"

She pulls my hands down.

"First of all," She huffs, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "I'm not sick— I'm just really, really out of shape, okay? You don't have to rub it in."

"And second of all."

"Didn't I tell you to stay with me?"

She looks furious as she crosses her arms together, giving me a look similar to my mother's. My brows knit as I mumble an apology, my voice quiet.

"I'm sorry."

"Geez, Kim Taehyung." Sian groans, tapping the sole of her shoe against the floor. "Is this part of your plan? How am I supposed to stay mad at you if you look this sorry, huh?"

"I'm really—"

Then all of a sudden, Sian pulls me back— away from the store entrance. When I look up from her face in surprise, I see a woman panting viciously.

"Y-You..."

"Thief..."

_________________________

KANG SIAN

I'm going to die if this continues.

"Tae!" I hiss as the woman pants, gripping her knees with a reddened face. "What the hell did you do?!"

"Huh...? I-I—" His eyes are wide as he stutters, gaze frantic as it passes between me and the furious woman. "I don't know..."

"I don't know?!" The woman shrieks, and only then do I notice the dark, rumpled apron she's wearing. "You let out all of my rabbits!"

Bunny Friends.

Oh dear Lord.

"Rabbits...?" He says uncertainly, before his eyes light up with recognition. "You had all of them in a cage! They wanted to be free!"

Can I just leave now?

"I'm so sorry, ma'am." I say in monotone, squeezing his hand to keep quiet when he bristles besides me. "I'll take care of it— how exactly many...?"

"Twenty rabbits." The woman huffs, and my heart drops to my chest as she crosses her arms. "Each of them worth thirty dollars."

My face instantly goes ashen when Taehyung suddenly breaks away from my grip. When I turn to glare at him, I see him holding two bunnies in his arms.

"Here's two." I say quickly.

"What? No!" Taehyung exclaims, clutching the mewling bunnies tightly to his chest. "That woman's going to put them back in prison! They didn't do anything wrong!"

"Taehyung-ah." I hiss, trying to take one of the bunnies. "I really can't do this right now. So please—"

"Neighbor?"

My face flushes with heat when I see the same boy from earlier, his eyes curious as he glances over at Taehyung hugging two bunnies.

This is so embarrassing.

"Is your friend okay now?" He asks, and I nod gratefully. "What's the problem?"

What am I supposed to say?

"She was locking up these bunnies!" Taehyung exclaims, and the woman rolls her eyes angrily. "So— um, I kind of freed them all."

He bursts into laughter.

"Are you serious?" He laughs, bending to the ground and grabbing another loitering bunny. "You have a really funny friend."

Taehyung looks curiously in Jungkook's direction, probably deciding whether he was some kind of rabbit-mapper as well.

"Wait! Stop right there!"

Now what?

Taehyung painted a statue bright red because he thought it looked too gloomy?

"The...two young gentlemen—" A woman looking to be in her forties or so gasps for breath as she bends down to her knees. Then as if she hadn't just looked like she was going to faint, she looks up and inspects Taehyung and then Jungkook's stunned faces.

"Perfect."

"Uh—excuse me." I say uncertainly as I expertly swipe another bunny flouncing across the floor.

"Are you their mother?"

The heck?

The two boys both explode into laughter as I look up to the woman's eyes, my face twisted with confusion.

"Oh—Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" She exclaims as I try to calm the bunnies struggling in my arms. "I didn't see you face! Sister, then?"

I give her a hard look.

What's her deal?

"Let's go." I say, pulling on Taehyung's sleeve. We still had like a million more bunnies to find, and even then I was probably going to have to pay into debt to the woman who's still glaring at me.

I was really not in a good mood.

"No, no, no! Don't leave!" The woman yells, and annoyance grows clear in my face as I pull a confused Taehyung away from her reach.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hiss as she fumbles with her sleek jacket pocket. "We don't know—"

"Ah— found it." The woman sighs in relief as she hands me a shiny business card. "President of PTJ Modeling Agency."

"I was wondering if these two gentlemen could lend me a hand with the Autumn Seasonal Photoshoot."

She winks at me.

"And of course, I'll pay them heartily. How does two hundred dollars per hour sound?"