Behind The Front | Yoonkook

Chapter 24

Yoongi POV

Finally shoving the last bookcase into its proper place, I huff out a small sigh before hearing the door chimes. Running a hand through my hair, I make my way through the tall cases and to the front of the shop, spotting my friend waiting for me.

"You said you wanted to talk. Do you wanna do that here or while we're out searching for your piano?" Hobi asks gently with a small smile. I'm grateful for his bluntness, not entirely sure how I'd bring the topic up if it had been left to me.

"Can we go in back and talk first? I just... I need to talk." I mumble quietly, rubbing the back of my neck. He just smiles and nods, letting me lead the way to the back of the shop where the office is. We sit down at the desk, me in the desk chair and Hobi on the other side.

"Everything okay?" Hobi asks gently, worry in his eyes. I bite my lip at the question, shrugging a bit.

"I'm dropping out." I comment, not exactly answering his question. My gaze is stuck firm on the desk top, uncertainty swimming within me.

"But it's not because you know you don't need the degree. It's for something else, isn't it?" He adds onto my statement, knowing me well. I nod in response to this, knowing I can't lie to him.

"What's going on?" Hoseok asks gently, tone even softer than what he'd been using before.

"You can't tell Jin hyung or Namjoon or Tae. They can't know yet." I speak up, finally lifting my gaze up to look at him, needing him to understand I'm serious about this. He nods silently, getting the message.

"Jungkook kept returning here each night, after that first evening he came and apologized and helped. We got to talking that next night though, talking a little bit about just how much his parents controlled the person he'd became. It was to the point where, everything he's been doing is because of them. His degree, the type of people he let in, the place he stayed. He was going after a business degree he didn't want so that he could take over his parents company, just like they want him to." I begin explaining, my gaze falling back to the wooden top of the desk.

"And you offered him a way out. Didn't you?" Hobi pieces together softly. I glance up at him, nodding.

"You know me, and you know how I feel towards those types of people. You know those people just as well as I do. He's moved in with me, and he's going to start working here once this place gets up and running. We're splitting rent at the moment, until his parents remove all of the money they'd been feeding him since he's supposed to be their heir. Starting next semester, he's changing his major. I told him I'd pay for his tuition and I'll pay him while he's working here, I'll cover the rent. Help him figure out how to get back up on his feet without his parents." I explain quietly, still not looking up from the wood that separates us.

"You dropped out so that you could focus on paying for him instead. Didn't you?" Hoseok questions, having figured it all out. With a small smile, I look back up at him, nodding.

"Yoongi, what are you gonna do about your music though? That means you can't go into those studios anymore to work on them." Hoseok asks gently, knowing how touchy all of this somewhat is for me.

"I don't need the music or the music degree. You said it yourself just the other day. Besides, it'll allow me to spend more time here and at the tattoo shop. I'll be okay financially, and I don't have to deal with my music to survive or be completely happy. It's part of why Ms. Lee suggested getting the piano for here. So that I could continue playing and working on my music." I shrug, glancing up at him towards the end. He gives me a small smile though, shaking his head for a moment.

"Do you like him?" Hoseok questions softly, not an ounce of teasing or joking or anything in his voice. I purse my lips a bit at this, sighing a little.

"Yeah. He's a good person and he's trying hard to change." I murmur quietly, truthfully feeling a little nervous and scared to be admitting such a thing aloud.

"It's okay, Yoongi. It's okay to fall for someone. Try letting him in, let him get to know the real you with no walls up, no cold front. You're a really good person, Yoongi. Give him a chance, and I'm sure he'll fall head over heels for you. You deserve that. You deserve to be loved and appreciated like that, and in a way more than what Jin or Tae or Joon or I can give you."