Jungsoo's eyes were busy, searching everywhere for her brother. She glanced at every corner to find him but there was no clue. He was supposed to meet her at the entrance after parking the car. So, she stayed just where she was. There was no point in calling him, too as his phone was also with her. She couldn't remember the reason but cursed at herself for being so dumb. The girl felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to knock down the person out of reflex. But thankfully, for both of them, Namjoon caught her hands.
"Woah, calm down" he said, chuckling at her behaviour.
"Aish, oppa. you almost gave me a heart attack" she placed a hand on her chest to dramatize her statement.
"Yeah, right" he said as he took back his phone from her and they bot went to but tickets.
The large gates, painted with bottle-green, was decorated with the big cartoony models of lions, giraffes, elephants, seals and different birds. The entrance, itself gave away a welcoming feeling. After buying their tickets, the duo entered inside as if they've stepped into a whole new world. The everyday chatter that they got to hear until their ears bled was replaced with the voices of many animals which seemed to spoke all at once. It almost felt like that they were being greeted by them. The air was cool inside thanks to the thousands of trees providing shades inside. The breeze brushed back their hair as it moved past them as if asking them to follow it.
Jungsoo peeked over her brother's muscley arm to take a look at the map they were given. She squeaked out the first place her eyes landed on. "The Aquarium". Namjoon agreed as it was closer, too. The two followed the wooden sign marked aquarium with funky letters. There were not much people. So, it was like they had the place all to themselves.
They reached inside a big cave. On the either sides of the dark cave were different tanks filled with colourful marine creatures. A board with the description about each of the fish species hung above every tank. They never failed to make Jungsoo gasp with the shocking facts. Sanu awed, pointing at a tank filled with various coloured fighter fish. It seemed that the they have stolen the whole pallet of colours. Jungsoo's jaw dropped as she saw huge catfish stuck in a tank. Her only concern was the strength of the tank.
"You don't have to worry about that, Soo. They've built everything here knowing many facts about these fish" Namjoon explained but the girls eyes stayed wide opened.
"But there's just so many things that they have not find out" Jungsoo pointed out and Namjoon couldn't disagree. "Maybe they have some strange powers. Like see through solid and read people's mind" she gasped.
Namjoon chuckled, "The first thing is true, actually. Scientists have said that they've only discovered about only ninety percent of the ocean. And they suspect that there might be sea creatures way bigger than whales" Jungsoo's eyes widened as she felt a shiver run through her spine. "but reading minds? Really? stop reading so many sci-fi and watching those whatever cartoons you watch" Namjoon laughed. Jungsoo pouted and looked away at the tank in front of them.
"But, oppa, isn't it scary, though?" Jungsoo received a confused expression from her brother. "Not knowing things? How can we know what'd happen to us in the next second?"
Namjoon sighed as they walked over to the last few tanks. "We can never know everything, Soo. We just have to take a step towards our path to find out. That's how every discovery was made. We create our future. Waiting till we know all the reasons and answers will never really get us anywhere" Jungsoo hummed at her oppa.
she wasn't talking about that aspect when she asked the question. The problem running in her mind was 'What if the whole world population gets wiped out of the surface of the Earth' but she took in the advice nonetheless.
They stepped out of the darkness into light. Now it was like they were walking through a undersea cave. Various kinds of Species of fish swam their way around the awed spectators. Seeing a big oscar fish, she placed her palm on the transparent surface. The pink coloured creature slowly came towards her but quickly disappeared when it heard a scary 'boo'. Jungsoo looked at her side and gave her brother a 'done' face before walking away from him. but in less than a second, the girl called her brother when she saw a puffer fish. Jungsoo observed how it lived up to it's name and puffed up when a crab closed in on her. they also spotted squids, a few octopuses and starfishes. They all came together to make the place very eye-catching.
They came out of the aquarium after they saw some big fish in another huge pond. The duo passed the hippos as they reached the hippos. They seemed to be having their evening bath, as Jungsoo said. Namjoon laughed out loud when Jungsoo mentioned how annoyed and irritated the animals must be for not getting some privacy. The girl's concern was real. Jungsoo dragged Jungsoo over to where the elephants were.
There were almost ten elephants. They were either alone or in couples. Couples as in mother and baby and of course two mates. There were a group of people playing with a baby elephant over the fence. Jungsoo, too, made her way there and caressed the little baby's head. she turned to her oppa when the baby elephant sniffed her arm with his tiny trunk.
"Aww, he's so tiny, oppa. I wanna take him home" she said as the other group of teenagers left from there.
Namjoon puffed out a breath. "I think we have enough animals at home" Namjoon sarcastically said.
"But their all pigs and cows. No offence, though" she whined. "Aw, is he searching for food?" She asked as she saw the little elephants still sniffing her.
"I don't think they get hungry at this time" Namjoon's statement earned a weird look from the girl. "I just guessed that they're eventually trained to eat it at a specific time" Jungsoo nodded.
"But he's just a baby" Namjoon shrugged as he couldn't find any answers for her.
After the siblings talk to the baby and their mother for a while, they headed out from there. they got to see snakes which made them shiver. For Jungsoo, it was mostly out of disgust. Their scaly surface was something she never liked.
"Hobi hyung and you are on the same boat" He said laughing at her state. The embarrassed girl slapped his arm a few times which poorly had any effect.
They passed on to the big block where there were monkeys. Not just monkeys but also chimpanzees, gorillas and baboons. It was like they were different size versions of the same brand.
"Oh, Oppa," She gasped and Namjoon's attention fell on where she was pointing at. "What's Jungkook doing in there?" She said with dead serious expression but the next second, laughed out loud, bending over. Namjoon shook his head.
"That biologically makes you a baboon, too, you know?" He pointed out, making the girl stop laughing.
"Which makes you, one, too, oppa" she said and giggled.
"Hey that's very disrespectful"
"That's for murdering all the fun"
She dragged Namjoon and moved towards the birds section. The chirping got louder and louder and at one point Namjoon thought he'd go deaf. but he knew it was thousand times better than the loud noises of vehicles, factories and people. Many different species of birds were singing their story in their own language in their own caged nests. There were macaws, hornbills, golden orioles, king fishes, tiny humming birds, wood peckers, mynahs and many more indigenous and foreign species. If all of these birds came into one place like in RIO, it'd look like a masquerade party.
Just next to the birds, there were butterflies and insects. They swarmed around looking like the sparks of a firework. They made their way towards the swans and flamingoes. Some swans were bathing themselves in the pond while some others were walking here and there, inside their spacious cages. When they moved onto the flamingoes, they saw two of the pink swans mingling with each other in a corner.
"Even that two birds have mates, oppa. how come I'm still single?" she whined, complaining about the bird couple. Namjoon laughed at her.
"Maybe, Kook's reasoning is right?" he said referring to how Jungkook had been saying that no one would like to be with a childish, short-tempered, dumb, messy, thick-headed elephant. Jungsoo Wheezed, placing a hand on the right side of her chest. "I was just kidding, okay?"
"Still hurts"
"There's plenty of time, Soo. In a way, you're too young. Right one will come to you at the right time. don't worry about it" Namjoon assured the girl.
"Hope that right time will really be right" she nodded to herself. "I don't wanna be all lonely when you guys go away with yo' wives" she said absent-mindedly while walking towards the pandas.
"Hey-" Namjoon got cut off buy the girl's high-pitched voice.
"Look, oppa. that koala looks like you" she pointed at a grey fluffball resting on a tree branch. there was also a leaf handing loosely from his mouth.
"Are you insulting me?" Namjoon gasped.
"No, he just looked cuddly. That's why I said that" she giggled.
After that, they went to many places inside the Zoo like lions' and tigers'. Every time she visits the Zoo, She'd always ask 'how they chose the right lion as the king of their jungle?' but she never got a clear answer. And Namjoon didn't want to break the pattern. They also met giraffes with necks with almost kilometers in length. There were bears who looked so squishy in Jungsoo's eyes. and the Polar bears just meant pureness to her. there were cunning foxes right next to the innocent deer.
"What was the zoo staff thinking? Trying to show the two sides of the society?" Jungsoo asked her wise oppa.
"Nah, that's a mistaken point of view about the society. There are no sides as victims and predators in the present society, Soo. Everyone falls into both sides at different situations. That's some serious stuff. But on a much lighter tone, I really don't know what their idea was" Jungsoo shrugged his shoulders and her thoughts away.
After that, they both strode down various paths, leading to various creatures. The saw the seals, tortoises and turtles they couldn't see last time when they visited. And Jungsoo would never forget how Namjoon cooed when he saw some tiny crabs back at the aquarium. Ostriches with long legs, bulls with bulky bodies and horns, horses and ponies with pretty manes, zebras with stripes neater than the lines Jungsoo would ever draw and many more animals told their own unique stories and specialties. Jungsoo's mind ran off to think about how it'd be like in a real jungle with these both dangerous and innocently cute animals roaming around here and there.
After a long walk, they two siblings sat down to catch their breath. They were currently in a park area of the zoo. The place was filled with different kinds of flowers and different coloured leaves which helped it to make it all the more beautiful. There were a few food trucks and stalls which were selling different snacks. Jungsoo and Namjoon decided not to have any food since it's already evening and they have to have dinner in a few hours. So, Jungsoo suggested to buy some ice cream. She was elated when she got a cookies n' cream flavored ice cream. They both sat down on a wooden bench to enjoy the treat.
Jungsoo thought about how the day that was supposed to so lonely and boring became very interseting and fun with her oppa. he got to learn a lot today from her oppa and it felt worth it to turn down the visit to the arcade with her other three brothers. Recently, Namjoon and Jungsoo hardly get time to spend leisurely like this with both of their overflowing schedules.
"Oppa, isn't it too cruel to lock these innocent animals in a cage?" she asked, curiously while a pout occupied her lips.
"I don't have a solid answer on it, y'know. In a way, they are safer here than in jungles. Some of the animals are brought here from different countries. Some countries have very long dry seasons and these animals can't even find food. And many rare species of animals die under the present conditions of the world. Hunting, global warming, pollution and many more. So, being here is easier and safer for them. but in my opinion we can't ever justify caging them. but there's also something called in-situ conservation. I think you've learned that, right?"
"Yeah, I remember. In-situ is when a species is conserved in it's natural habitat?" she asked unsure of her memory box. But smiled when Namjoon nodded his head. "And the zoos are examples for ex-situ. Where species are conserved in an imitated environment similar to their natural habitat"
"Good," he said and Jungsoo licked her ice cream proudly. "Oh, and I was going to say this before. How far have you thought about the future, huh? About our wives?" Namjoon laughed.
"Oh, oppa, that's not even closer to the furthest I've thought. You wanna know about you-" Namjoon prevented her from completing her question.
"Why do you think we'd ever go away?"he turned to her. "How can we ever leave the place we grew up? and ofcourse, no one's going to leave you alone" a genuine smile crept upon herlips. "We'll all stay in our home with a big family that no one would beable to separate until we grow old and probably couldn't even walk. So, eventhen we'll never walk alone" they both chuckled in unison. "Becausewe're each other's strength
*******
So, there's something I wanna tell you but I'm not sure if you'd believe it. so, here's the thing, I came from two days in the past. which means I travelled two days into the future from when I was. I went to sleep on Monday and voila, when I woke up, its already Thursday. would you believe it? 🥲please do. Let's just pretend it's 12th, alright? yes.
So, Avery happy birthday to our Joonie, my first bias, the most caring leader, the wisest advisor and of course the best president. I can't really put into words how much he's comforted me, motivated me, inspired me to reach my dreams. it's very heart warming to know that there's someone to comfort me when no one around me can understand my emotions. I'M JUST SO THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL, for everything he's done of us. So, I wish this him the best in achieving everything he hopes to. Because he deserves EVERYTHING. Just look at him.
HE DESRVES THE WORLD 🐨🐨
You're my light , You're my light - You shine in my heart. You're my light, you're my light - no matter how far apart we are, your light always shine on me
Anyways, thank you guys for pretending and bearing my craziness. and thanks for reading. and I do not own any of the images above. And before you leave, don't forget to give this chapter a star ⭐🌟🌃
So, until next time, Annyeong, Borahae 💜🐨🌃💜