Sooyun was right.
To say their father's bottled up anger exploded on Jungkook would be a perfect description of what happened.
Well, at least now it's over with, Jungkook figures.
Though, if he was to say that he wasn't affected by his father screaming at him, it would be a lie.
Yeah, Jungkook likes to try to piss Hyunwoo off by throwing parties and getting tattoos, but he still has a big influence on him. The biggest influence. And getting scolded that harshly made him feel some sort of shame.
He was dragged to apologize to Jimin and it surprised him that Jimin tried to defend him. Not that Jungkook showed that physically. And Monday at school Jimin looked happy. Not that Jungkook was looking for him to see how he was.
His father is still mad at him. Or, better yet, he's disappointed. For some reason that's worse.
Jungkook kind of regrets ever trying to anger him. Now he misses his father's happy, kind self that asks him about his day and wants to listen to him playing guitar.
Once again, his sister was right. Maybe he was immature. Is. Is immature.
"Tae, do you think I'm immature?" Jungkook asks Taehyung who's currently trying to get a small stain off his motorcycle.
He looks up at Jungkook's words with an enthusiastic grin, "I'm so glad you asked, dude! I have voluntarily written a speech for this day- Ow!"
Jungkook cuts him off with a harsh punch to his upper arm, which Taehyung is now holding with a pained expression.
"Just answer the question, idiot," Jungkook huffs after Taehyung has punched him back.
"Is this about your appa lashing out?" Taehyung questions knowingly, "Have you finally realized that being happy actually isn't a crime?"
Jungkook frowns, "So you think I'm immature?"
"That part of you is. And your mindset about other people," Taehyung points out, "You don't even let people try to get to know you."
Taehyung straightens up and leans on the bike as he turns to Jungkook, "Like, what? You're gonna live through me and your family all your life? You're gonna watch your appa get married and eventually Sooyun, hopefully to me. Do you not want that for yourself? You're gonna live alone in a big house with a cat or something? You don't even like cats. You seriously need to get over whatever fear you have," he shakes his head, turning back to his bike.
Jungkook's frown deepens, "I'm not afraid, just- I just...-"
"It's fine, Jungkook. You don't have to explain anything to me if you don't feel like you can be honest about it. Just think about it, yeah?" Taehyung cuts Jungkook's untruthful words off, still focused on his bike.
Jungkook slumps back against the wall he's leaning on, fishing up the pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.
Is he afraid?
No, afraid isn't it. He isn't scared of making new friends. He just has a hard time trusting people enough to reach that stage.
He knows how they can be. They can be fucking heartless. They can also involve too much heart and come to regret it later.
It's reckless to put your trust into another human being. You never know what's really going on in their head. You never know what their intentions are and if they really care.
That's what his childhood has taught him. Elementary school and high school. His first and only girlfriend. His own mother.
It's Friday morning, almost a week after the incident with Hyunwoo and Jimin and it's freezing cold in Taehyung's garage. Jungkook is wearing a thick sweater under his leather jacket but his fingers still feel like ice. Smoking only helps to a certain point.
Their lessons start later than usual today, in about half an hour, and Jungkook got here early to avoid his house. His father is running around cleaning before he gets to work because Areum and Jimin are coming over tonight. He told Jungkook to help out, still giving him an attitude because of the younger's own attitude, but Jungkook just had to get away.
He knows that he has to adapt to this. He doesn't know why he never expected his father to get a girlfriend. He was just always so devoted to raising him and Sooyun.
They are adults now, though. Of course Hyunwoo would find someone to keep him company when they are meant to be moving out in a few years.
No one wants to be alone. That's just how it works.
Jungkook thinks back to what Taehyung told him. Everyone around him are moving forward while he is just standing still.
Maybe he should try love? Every girl can't be unbearable. There has to be someone that Jungkook could feel comfortable talking to. Someone he could trust.
"Okay, let's extend our circle, or whatever," Jungkook mumbles, kicking at a tool laying on the concrete floor.
Taehyung looks at him with raised eyebrows, "What?"
Jungkook groans, "You said I don't let people in."
Taehyung grins, "Yeah? You wanna make more friends?"
Jungkook cringes, "That makes me sound like I'm five years old and incapable of making friends."
"Well, to be fair, last time someone tried to befriend you, you ended up scaring them away by snapping at them for asking about your family," Taehyung points out.
"Yeah, well, they should have minded their own business," Jungkook huffs, shrugging.
Taehyung shakes his head with a sigh, "This is what I'm talking about, man. To let someone in means sharing things about yourself."
Jungkook puffs his cheeks in frustration. He doesn't want to make fucking friends.
"What about Jimin and his friends? They seem cool, right? And you still need to get along with Jimin so making friends with them would be a win-win situation," Taehyung suggests.
Jungkook looks at him weirdly, "But. They're, like, the gay clique."
Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him, "So? Are you homophobic all of a sudden?"
This is the second time someone has asked him this in the past week. His father was the other person, weirdly enough.
He asked him out of the blue last weekend and Jungkook never questioned why.
Jungkook shrugs, "No, I don't care," he says, just like he said to his father, "I just think they don't want people like us to invade their circle. They seem really close. Like, couple-close. That would make us third wheels. And they're younger."
Taehyung snorts, "Now you're just making excuses to avoid this. If you're going to do this, you have to want to do it."
"Just. Not them, okay? I have to get a girlfriend, not a gay bestfriend," Jungkook huffs, annoyed with everything right now.
"Oh, so that's what this is about," Taehyung draws out the words with a grin, teasing.
"Shut up," Jungkook groans, "I don't want to do anything, but I guess you were right earlier and... yeah."
Taehyung is still grinning smugly and Jungkook groans again, pushing the other.
"Okay, okay," Taehyung laughs, "Let's just get you a date, then."
Jungkook scrunches his nose up, "How?"
Taehyung flashes a boxy smile right before turning back to his bike, "Leave that to me."
Jungkook frowns, wondering how the fuck Taehyung is going to do that, but shrugs it off nevertheless, "Whatever. Let's go to school. We'll already be late if we go now and mrs. Choi threatened to give me extra homework if I ditch one more time."
Taehyung nods, tossing the rag he was holding and locks the garage after them.
The two males get into Jungkook's car and arrives only ten minutes late to their lesson.
Jungkook knows that his father is probably going to be pissed that he fled from the house, but Jungkook really needed this. He needs Taehyung just as much as he needs oxygen sometimes.
The day goes by painfully slowly and by the time Jungkook's last lesson comes along, he's dying to get out of the building. Music class is a must, though, so he drags himself there anyway.
He sits down where he, Jimin and Nari usually sit, nodding to the two mentioned when the latter utters an enthusiastic greeting and Jimin does a small wave.
Wednesday, they spent some time clearing some things up with who gets which part and which instruments they want and the rest Jungkook just listened to Nari ranting and Jimin letting out occasional laughter.
Jungkook is growing more and more tired of the freshman while Jimin is seemingly doing the opposite, quickly warming up to her since their first lesson together.
"Picking a key is going to be the hardest part. We all have different ranges I think so it would be easier to try some out and see which works?" Jimin suggests.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's grab a guitar and go to one of the smaller rooms!" Nari says, standing up and running over to the wall packed with guitars and then back to them.
Jungkook follows the two into a smaller room and Nari hands him the guitar.
"We can use Ultimate Guitar to transpose and find one that works," Nari says, opening her laptop to search for the said site.
Jungkook tries out the guitar and cringes at the badly tuned strings, quickly correcting them.
"Let's try the original first. Since it's a duet between a woman and a man, I think it might work for everyone," Nari suggests.
Jungkook looks at the tabs, pretending to read the chords as he experimentally plays the intro pretty effortlessly.
After making sure that he remembers how it's done, he looks to the others to see Nari busy warming up her voice and Jimin staring at him with slightly parted lips.
"You're really-" Jimin clears his throat, "You're really good at that."
Jungkook watches the smaller male fidget slightly and doesn't notice the small smile that has made its way onto his own lips, "Thanks."
Jimin nods before looking away, and Jungkook thinks that he saw a blush on his cheeks. Or maybe it's just the lighting.
"Everyone ready?" Nari asks then.
Jimin hums in affirmation and Jungkook just starts playing the intro, not trying to think too much about having to sing in front of them. It's just an annoying freshman and his father's girlfriend's son. Who cares.
Nari starts with the first verse, "A dangerous plan, just this time. A stranger's hand clutched in mine. I'll take this chance, so call me blind. I've been waiting all my life. Please don't scar this young heart. Just take my hand~"
Her voice is okay, a bit shrill and pitchy at times, but okay. It makes Jungkook feel a lot better about himself. And then Jimin sings.
"I was made for loving you. Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through. Every bone screaming, I don't know what we should do. All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you~"
Nari's high-pitched squeal makes Jungkook flinch out of his daze and stop playing, looking up at the overly excited, blushing girl who is jumping up and down.
"Wah, Jimin oppa! You sound like an angel!" She exclaims with a large smile and Jimin blushes, thanking her quietly.
Jungkook can't disagree with her. Jimin sounds like a real, educated singer. His voice is soft and light but still strong and clear and the pitch is so unique Jungkook wants to force him to attempt a career in this because it would be a real shame if the world didn't get to hear it.
"Continue, please," Jimin tells Jungkook and the older can only nod.
Playing a small intro, Jungkook attempts the next verse which is thankfully in a lower pitch, "Hold me close, through the night. Don't let me go, we'll be all right. Touch m-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Jimin stops him then, eyes big, "We need to change the way we split this. Jungkook gets all Ed's parts when he harmonizes too and Nari takes Tori's part in the stick and I'll take Tori's harmonizing in the second chorus and then we can all take a line each in the last part and then all harmonize together on the last line," Jimin rambles like he was just enlightened by some higher power, eager to share his thoughts.
"I thought you and I were going to harmonize in the second chorus..." Nari says with a small frown, looking between the two older males who are currently looking at each other. Jimin with sparkling eyes and Jungkook with a confused, slightly freaked out half-smile.
Jimin blinks and looks up to Nari, "But Jungkook has the strongest vocals out of all of us, and he would be a much better Ed than me. I think it's going to be great! Can't we try it?" He questiones them hopefully, looking to Jungkook for approval.
Jungkook can only nod at the hope in the other's eyes, still not quite understanding what he just went on about.
Jimin thinks he's a better singer than him? There is no way.
Nevertheless, they do it once more, then twice and a third time. Jungkook notices how Jimin is radiating excitement over how good they sound and Jungkook can't help feeling a little excited himself. It's just the atmosphere in the room and how his and Jimin's voices fit so perfectly well and he's just a little too swept away to acknowledge that he's loosening up in the small room with two strangers.
"Shit, we're so getting an A plus on this," Jimin cheers, an exhilarated smile on his face, making his eyes disappear and his flushed cheeks look squishy. Jungkook has catched himself staring at that smile for way too long at times, but Jimin doesn't seem to notice and Jungkook doesn't want to think about it.
"You think so?" Jungkook questions, hoping that he's right because he could really use that for his grade.
Jimin nods eagerly, "I know it. We sound amazing," He assures, "Let's do it one last time before the class ends!"
And they do just that, Jimin high-fiving them at the end and his hand is so small Jungkook wants to take it into his hands and protect it from the world. Then he wants to hit himself with the guitar he's holding in his other hand.
When Jungkook is finally out of the building, he realizes what he's been doing. He was totally just letting his guard down with someone other than Taehyung. All because of a stupid, innocent-looking, absolutely ethereal eye-smile that won't get out of his head even now.
What the fuck is wrong with him? It's like he's seeing Jimin for more than what he is. A guy.
Jungkook is not gay. A small man-crush on Taehyung when they were younger but that's it. He's attracted to girls. He's had a girlfriend - a relationship that ended badly, but still. He has sex with girls. It's never great and sometimes he prefers his hand over it but that's just because he hasn't found the right one yet. Right?
But then again, there was a time when he thought that he had found the one and still there were times he couldn't get it up for her, which was a big part of an ugly breakup. Isn't that kind of natural, though? You can't always be in the mood and nobody can touch you like yourself, right?
But then why is everything Jimin does so captivating? Why does Jungkook think he's so pretty? Why the fuck is he so distracted by another male's lips? How did Jimin manage to sneak his way past Jungkook's high, guarded walls?
Jungkook didn't want him to, and he'll definitely throw him out asap.
✩ ✩ ✩
Author's note;
Jungkook facing some big questions uhoh
That pictute of Jimin I'm
✧･ﾟ:* crying *:･ﾟ✧
He's so adorable I just wanna hug...
Here's yourrrr question; How old are you and when is your birthday?
I'm having the worst time with birthdays. I feel like time is going too fast and I haven't gotten to do all the things I've wanted to do between 14 and 16... *sigh*
Anygays, I'm 17 and I'm turning 18 soon aaaahhhh I'm so ooold wtf I don't wanna. My birthday is in May and I'm fucking freaking out bc I'm gonna be an adult and I'm not ready. The only good thing that comes with that is the drivers license and that I can report myself sick to school.
...that's not very adult-like, is it? Oops