⚠️LONG CHAPTER AHEAD⚠️
One bad apple can be very dangerous, once he gets into a basket with a bunch of good apples. He briefly touches sides with the good apples and stays there like nothing is wrong. Silently and calmly. No one sees nor notices anything.
But in reality, he secretly is making ethylene - a devilish hormone, to all the good apples. It's impossible to escape ethylene. You are doomed.
You won't even feel that you became different. A different version of yourself.
At first glance it still seems as if it's nothing serious but you already start to rot from the inside.
Was it Hoseok's fault that I have started to rot? There was a stain of guilt that became more and more noticable everyday, on one side of my shoulder. I wasn't too sure at this point.
Was I judging him?
Being honest - even I didn't know what I felt for him.
Everything became a complete mess. Oh also Jungkook, who came into my life unexpectedly and turned everything around like a tornado. I felt like a complete mess when I was around him. It's hard to understand everything.
I shiver everytime I think back to that Hoseok's raised hand and how he, later on, threw Jungkook's phone, full force, to the wall. It feelt like millions shards of glass flew everywhere, even into our eyes. It makes it hard to see. All of them stab and leave scars.
Million pieces of glass.
Why did he do that?
Three days passed since then but my parents haven't noticed anything. Both of them didn't need to open up that drawer. They didn't need that stolen money.
When I was getting ready to go to school, on Monday, the doorbell rang. In just my pyjamas, I opened the door and froze: Jungkook was standing at my doorstep.
"What...." I was at loss of words. A little embarrassed that he had to see me in my pyjamas but nevertheless - shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Can we talk?"
I didn't have even the slightest idea of what we could talk about. I didn't even want to see him. I wanted to end that story, full of drama, that flipped my life upside down.
"No. No we can't" I answered and was about to close the door but my mom's voice, which came from behind me, stopped me.
"Who's here, Tae?"
"Good morning" Jungkook greeted her.
He stood there and smiled. Him, Jeon Jungkook, stood at my doorstep and smiled at my mom. A smile that made him look like a bunny. A smile that made me forget all the anger I had towards him and smile a little too. But I would never admit that I was smiling because of Jungkook.
Never.
"Are you that new boy from Taehyung's class? You're studying together, right?"
"The one and only" Jungkook answered with the same smile. "My name is Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook"
"Why are you still standing there? Come inside"
Then, my dad came up besides my mom.
"Hello"
"Good morning..." Jungkook sent a nod in his direction, as if showing my dad that he heard him. His smile never leaving his face. That charming smile...
It suits him...
I couldn't let him come in.
"Mom, dad - I am in a rush. I'll be late. We're leaving already...to school"
"In a rush? Since when are you in a rush to school? Go get dressed first"
"No, he's right" Jungkook caught on on my attempt to get out of here. "I will wait for you outside. Thank you for the invitation, but maybe next time" with one last smile, he turned around and walked to the front of the house.
I got dressed and walked out, expecting him to be gone but to my surprise - he kept his promise. He was in the same spot that I last saw him, waiting for me.
I glared at him and turned away, walking to school, without saying a word to him. But Jungkook wasn't going to let that stop him. In an instant, he caught up to me, and was walking beside me.
"What are you planning on doing? What's your plan?"
"Why do you care?" I answered, coldly. "This is not your problem so leave me alone"
If not for his dumbass, I wouldn't even have to think of a plan!
Jungkook wasn't mad at my tone nor my cold behavior towards him. Not even a little. He walked beside me and seemed to be deep in thought.
He clearly understood, that now, he's also a part of this robbery. It was too easy to get here but now - it's more than hard to get out.
The money is gone. You can't take them back so easily. The phone is also gone. You can't take it back from Hoseok. You can't even blame him for the act he committed. There's nothing. It seems like this story involved all three of us, and it was impossible to get out.
We were nearing the school.
"I will think of something" Jungkook suddenly said and my eyes went wide at this sudden commitment. "We will think of something. You'll see"
"What can you do now?" I simply chuckled. "What's done - is done. This is my own mess now"
"It doesn't matter. Just, don't be afraid"
And here, a miracle, happened:
Jungkook stretched out his hand to me. I stood in place, unable to move.
What kind of magic is this? What's happening here? Jungkook wants to become a part of my life? My friend?
Now, his eyes looked different. They sparkled and glowed, like he was the happiest person on the planet.
He just smiled and turned away, to walk into the school.
Did I take his hand and shook it?
I couldn't tell you. Not even if my life depended on it. I didn't remember but my body heated up.
Something about Jungkook, made my whole body light up. Something about him caused warmth to spread all over me.
This warmth was weird - I had never experienced something like that before.
Hoseok didn't show up at school that day, for understandable reasons. However, Jungkook wasn't ready to accept that.
"Let's go and pay him a visit" he told me with a smirk, after school ended. "Or would you rather not?" And with that - his smirk disappeared. It was replaced by something that I could only describe as care and worry, although I didn't want to believe it.
I just shrugged.
If he wants to go there so bad, why not?
And so with that - we headed towards the city. Towards the end of it, to be exact.
I still couldn't believe that I was walking with Jungkook. With the same Jungkook that I bearly know. With the same Jungkook who threatened me.
But it was happening.
Now we were walking side by side, firmly. As if we were one.
...
We didn't talk much.
I knew where Hoseok lived but I had seen it just once or twice. I didn't expect to fully recognise his house but here we were. Standing in front of it. Nothing changed at all since all those years ago.
At first sight, it didn't look like anyone lived here but as we got closer - we could definitely hear voices coming from the inside.
A woman and a man. Soon another voice of a man was heard. We couldn't understand what they were saying, since the words were slurred and not pronounced till the end.
Jungkook's face clearly showed his disappointment and unsatisfaction. We walked for a long time and there was, probably, nothing that could come out of this. The situation also didn't promise anything good.
He walked a little closer to me and asked:
"Do you think he's in there?"
I didn't know. Hoseok was nowhere to be seen nor heard. We opened the door and walked in, but no one greeted nor heard us.
As soon as we opened the doors, we were met with having to make another decision. There were rooms on both sides of the house. On the left - is where the voices were coming from. On the right - absolute silence.
We decided to go to the right.
"Should we knock?" Jungkook asked but soon he, himself, understood that there was no point in doing that.
He opened the door. And here he was: right in front of our eyes. No one else but the man Hoseok himself.
He just sat at a table and ate sunflower seeds, not paying attention to anything around him.
He saw us and choked on the seeds. His eyes went wide but Jungkook paid no mind to that and bluntly said:
"We're here for a visit, care to let us in?"
Jungkook's voice was stern. Unbreakable. As strong as Jungkook himself. Hoseok tried to make himself as small as possible.
We're already here but I can sense that he wished for it to be otherwise.
Suddenly a bunch of shouting and grunting was heard on the other side of the door. I jumped a little from the sudden noises or maybe from the fact that Jungkook steped closer to my side and put his hand on my waist, pushing me farther away from the door. As if protecting me.
I can feel the same warm feeling in my stomach as when our hands touched. Blush begun to make it's way to my cheeks and I started feeling hot.
Hoseok saw my startled expression and said:
"Don't worry about it. It's always like this. Just sadly - neither one of them actually ends up....well, ya know" he took out a cigarette, put it between his lips and light it up.
Hoseok was smoking!
He didn't even cough while inhaling the smoke. It definitely wasn't his first time.
"Listen" Jungkook started off, getting to the point but stopped himself and shut up.
Now this was definitely something to get yourself lost over.
A little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, walked up to us out of nowhere. Her face was pale, a small button-like nose but her big blue eyes were wide open.
She was so small. Maybe not even up to my knees. She was wearing a blue dress, just like her eyes. She was just staring at us. Her hair wasn't brushed and she was just a mess.
"This is my sister" Hoseok said. He was no longer looking at us. His eyes were only on his sister.
The girl seemed to be brave because she didn't pay attention to us for long before making her way to Hoseok's lap.
"Mmmhhhh...."
She put her head on Hoseok's chest and whined like a dog.
She's weird...
"Do you want to eat?"
Hoseok's stood up, held her tight and sat her down on a chair. He went to search for food, even as far as going to another room and leaving us alone with the little girl.
"Mmmhhhh....mmm..." she continued to whine and rub her eyes.
She's probably tired and hungry
Hoseok come back with a pack of ramen, looking proud. He went over to the stove, took out a metal pot and poured water inside. A small flame did spark from the stove but the water will take a while to boil. The ramen will also cook slower than wanted.
I guess she will just have to wait
"There's no milk though..." Hoseok announced. "You will have to eat it like that, okay?"
But the little girl wasn't listening. Now - her attention was fixed on us.
Wait, no. Correction - on me. She was staring at me and I started to feel uncomfortable under her gaze. I have never seen such a stare.
What does she want?
Only she knew what she wanted. She got up from the chair and started to walk towards us. Slowly, of course. One or two steps at a time.
She looked like a lost baby animal. It seemed as if she was trying to listen to her gut, to know if we were a threat or not. She was ready to back out any moment.
I didn't move and just watched her. She was already so close and I could feel something squeeze my waist. Only then did I remember that Jungkook's arm was still wrapped around it.
Is he trying to protect me from this little girl? Oh, c'mon. Don't be silly, Jungkook...
Never the less, my heart skiped a beat.
I stood, without moving a finger, and watched just her. As fast as lighting - she shoved her little hand in my jeans pocket, grabed something and pulled away.
What, the, actual, fuck....?
I didn't get time to process what just happened when Hoseok's sister was already holding a chocolate bar in her hand. The same chocolate bar that I opened in the morning, on the way to school. I took one bite out of it and then put it back in with the intention of finishing it later.
Guess that's not happening
She was looking at it like it was some kind of treasure.
Hoseok wanted to say something but just looked away instead and stayed quiet. I stayed quiet as well. So did Jungkook.
The only noise was the sound of the water finally boiling. At first it was subtile but then got louder as time went on.
That's how, the same evening, me and Jungkook got ready to leave. We didn't say anything to Hoseok anymore.
No words needed to be said. Everything was already told. Only when we were leaving Hoseok added:
"You don't know what it's like living like this" I could feel the hatred in his voice. He said it looking straight into my eyes. "You have never experienced something like this"
"You smoke..." those words just slipped past my lips. In the wrong time and place. "I didn't know that"
"You don't know anything about me" he cut me off.
He shut the door and left us outside, in the silence. He didn't apologise to me or to Jungkook. He wasn't sorry about anything and didn't feel bad.
So that was the most truest truth, that even science proved to be right:
You shouldn't keep rotten vegetables and bad flowers next to good ones.