Ch.43
Jungkook's P.O.V.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Taehyung's an idiot. They all get on my nerves when they mention steroids. I know that I can't deny I got into them, but I'd rather forget. Sometimes I feel like trying one more pill, but I know I can't. I would disappoint everyone and especiallymyself. The reason I got into them in the first place was because I was tiredof being weak. I am stronger than everyone else in the gang, but I wanted to bestronger. When we do deals with people who order steroids, I feel almosttempted sometimes to just try again. But I can't. Namjoon stopped doing steroiddeals because of that. He never asked me, but I guess he knew my struggle. Thethings I did when I was on steroids still upset me. Everyone tried so hard tomake me clean. Then the withdrawal symptoms were a b*tch to deal with. Pain hada whole new meaning to me at that point. So yes, it still gets on my nerveswhen my hyung's bring it up. I'm reminded of my mistakes, my temptations, and howI still need to grow as a person. Too many emotions that I didn't want tounpack.
Putting down my phone, I turn over on my bed to lay on my back. The Jungkook (F/n) knows is the same Jungkook he knows. All the hyungs have been teasing me lately for having feelings for her. They don't bother Jimin about it too much because they like my reactions. They want to get a rise out of me and I can't help it. (F/n)'s the first girl I like. Most of them aren't that interesting or worth my attention. For the longest time, I ignored girls despite them showing interest in me. I never understood that. It was always so weird. Mainly because my mind was always focused on sports. Everything was on sports until I became a first year. I quit sports, met Taehyung and Jimin, and got introduced to the gang.
Then I met (F/n). At first, I didn't care about her. I figured Taehyung was into her, but he was just being friendly. He makes friends like it's nothing. Before I knew it, (F/n) got closer to the gang and I took a liking to her. That bad thing is that I have to compete against Jimin for her. Too bad I'm in the lead. Jimin hyung is nice, but he won't stand a chance. If there's one thing I'm good at which I'm good at everything, is winning. My only problem is changing my strategy to get (F/n) into me after she said she just wanted to be friends. By the time we're second years, she's going to be my girlfriend for sure. Nothing is going to stop me on that. I turned off the lights and finally went to sleep as I thought about the question Taehyung asked me. He's always saying stupid stuff.
The next morning, I did my usually schedule. Get ignored by my parents and then go to school. I met up with Taehyung and entered Mr. Pyo's classroom. He looked extra tired today. What's his deal? Occasionally, I felt bad for him since he had to put up with Taehyung. At the same time, I wanted him to feel bad for me since he only has to deal with the silver hair for one class. Imagine my pain! Just kidding. Taehyung and I our good friends, but I love picking on my hyungs. We don't speak formally to each other, but they're always so surprised to see me insulting them. I accepted the rule of speaking informally fairly quickly. Jimin took some time and (F/n) adjusted pretty quick like me. Taehyung still talks formally to the elder members often, but only because he admires them so much.
Class was over and I spent another class not talking. (F/n) tried tutoring Taehyung which I knew was a lost cause. Mr. Pyo refused to reteach the lesson, so he was whining over that for most of the class. Mr. Pyo managed to keep his cool this time. I thought he was going to murder someone when Taehyung told Mr. Pyo to forget professionalism and let favoritism get to him, implying that Taehyung is his favorite. (F/n) didn't say a word, but I knew she wanted to laugh. It was funny. We waited in the hall as Jimin joined us. We didn't stand too close to (F/n) like we used to. The only one allowed to be near her was Taehyung and the other hyungs because they didn't kiss her or fight someone over her.
Surprisingly, (F/n) didn't let things become awkward. Things actually felt the same as if the kiss or fight didn't happen. That was nice. She continued to be a kind friend. The only thing that sucked was the way Jimin looked at her as they went to physical education class. Whatever. Taehyung and I splitted ways as I went off to my next class. Lunch was going to be next so I'll take that chance to talk to (F/n). Though she doesn't find it awkward, it takes me some courage to talk to her. I did take her first kiss out of nowhere after all. Time went by and I hurried over to the cafeteria. Taehyung was in line as I passed him to eat my food outside. Soon, everyone arrived with their food in hands.
"What are you eating?" (F/n) peeked over at what Yoongi was munching on. She chose to sit down next to the older hyungs today instead of us. He was eating a bag of chips which I didn't see anything wrong with. Ever since Yoongi had to get along with her, they've gotten closer. He still gets annoyed by her, but it does make me jealous. The worst part is that Taehyung sees that. Currently, the silver hair was smirking at my pain.
"Back off." Yoongi shoved his hand deeper in the plastic bag.
"Oh hey! He didn't swear." Seokjin clapped his hands. "Improvement!"
"We're like best friends!" (F/n) leaned her head against the blue hair's shoulder. I looked away as Jimin pouted. Taehyung only laughed. Yoongi pushed her off but (F/n) wasn't hurt. She pursed her lips before looking over at the blonde across from her. "Jimin, you're my real best friend. You know that."
"Yay!" Jimin grinned. "I know!"
"What happened to being humble?" Namjoon raised a brow.
"I am being humble. I'm letting Taehyung be your 'favorite'." Jimin gave the boy next to him a side glance.
"I'm ready to throw hands!" Taehyung tossed his pretzel in the air.
"Once you guys start this, you don't stop for months." Hoseok shook his head. "Please stop now or else Jungkook becomes our favorite."
"That punk?" Taehyung gasped to get shoved into Jimin by me.
"Looks like I'm their favorite." I rolled my eyes. They're always acting like this. Now that we're no longer dealing with drama, (F/n) can see how tiring the members really are. We're family, but they can be a lot at times. That's why we all annoy and tease each other like this. (F/n) giggled at our silliness. She mainly talked to Hoseok during lunch. My plan failed, but that's cool. I'll get a chance to talk to her later! I'm good with women. I'm a playboy!
We waved goodbye to the rest of the members and (F/n). My last class of the day is English with Jimin and Taehyung. As we made our way there, I saw a girl who had previously confessed to me so I went to hide in the bathroom. Taehyung told me when the coast was clear and Jimin couldn't stop laughing. It's not my fault! The girls here are kind of terrifying. Ms. Yoon was writing stuff on the board as we came in. Taehyung jumped into his seat while Jimin carefully set his items down. Just the way they carried themselves said a lot about them. I wondered if the same was for me. Smoothly sitting into my seat, I watched those two talk. Taehyung met Jimin the same day we met, but he has a closer friendship with the blonde. It wasn't my fault that I was so quiet or out of touch with my emotions. I never really had a reason to talk to people or make friends. This is my first time having friends, so I hope I was doing it right.
*~*
It was twenty-three PM and I'm finally home. School ended hours ago yet I'm finally arriving home now. This has been my life ever since the end of primary school. It's not like I had went to a tutor after school. No, that wasn't the case. I would practice for two hours with each sports team I'm in and then use the remainder of the time at the gym. Mom signed me up for a gym membership once I started middle school. It didn't matter too much to me then but it was getting on my nerves now. I'm so close to finishing my last year in middle school and I didn't want to continue this in high school. I barely have time for proper sleep and my homework is barely ever done. Tossing my gym bag on the floor, Mom comes rushing in from the kitchen with a giant grin.
She wanted to talk to me about something. Most likely had to do with sports. Screw that. I'm tired. I want to sleep! Dragging my feet towards my bedroom, I ignore the shelves carrying hundreds of trophies. They meant nothing to me. Sometimes I would catch my parents staring at them with a lot of love. What about me? Instead, they looked at me like I was some kind of machine then their child. Mom grabbed my wrist roughly and forced me to face her. She was holding a brochure to the best sports high school in South Korea. They've been shoving this school down my throat ever since one of my coaches told them I had real talent.
"Jeon Jungkook! Look at me when I'm talking to you." Mom huffed. "Look at this. Your dream school has grown an interest in you~!"
"My dream school?" I furrowed my brows. That place was anything but that. If I went there, then I was allowing myself to burn in Hell. That's what it felt like. I'd rather go to SuChin. And that place has a reputation as 'where souls die'.
"Don't give me that tone. Pay attention!" Mom snapped her fingers in front of my face. Was I a dog now? "A recruiter saw your soccer match and gave me his card! That's when I told him about all the other sports you did. He said you showed serious promise."
"Don't they all say that?" I rolled my eyes to hear her scoff.
"Jungkook, why aren't you excited? This has been your dream since forever!" Mom glared at me. "Getting you into this school will give you better chances at scholarships for college. The less money we pay, the better."
"This isn't my dream. It's yours and I don't even know what I want to be when I get older." I tried turning around only to get slapped across the face. Mother uttered many words under her breath. She called me ungrateful amongst other things. I was a filthy child in her eyes whenever I said things like that. Dad never stopped her from treating me like this. He allowed it to happen. My nostrils flared as I gritted my teeth.
"Clean your trophies. Now." She started sauntering back to the kitchen. I forced myself to stare at the shelves. This would take me past midnight to complete.
"Eomma! You can't tell me to do that! I need to finish my homework and I'm tired." I stomped my foot. She didn't even spare me a glance.
"Should have thought about that before you decided to treat me disrespectfully. Maybe you'll see just how much of gift you have while you clean. Don't let that be a waste."
Sighing heavily, I faced my whole body to all the shelves. The last time I ignored her demand to clean these trophies she didn't feed me for a whole week. Somehow, she was able to tell by the amount of dust! She always cleans them herself so why did I have to do it? Pulling out the spray bottle and cloth, I started at the left. The awards went as far back as third grade. They began to take sports seriously as soon as I got into middle school. The awards were either from track, soccer, swimming, taekwondo, and other random things I've attempted in the last few years.
Sports were fun in the beginning. I got along with my teammates, but Mom told me to focus on the sport. Only on my skills, technique, and nothing else. Not important things like communication. When I focused on the sport, I improved my skills faster and I just had a talent for it. I was athletic, and it came to me easily. That didn't mean I didn't work hard. I'm grilled with everything I do. Coaches expect the best from me. Mom needs a talented boy to help with future costs on school. She already wastes so much money on equipment and that d*mn gym membership. It feels like a huge waste of my time. I want to actually make friends. Watch movies and play video games! Things boys my age do. The only bothersome thing when it comes to making friends is that I struggle to get along with anyone. I suck a communicating and get nervous around people. Anytime I try to talk to someone, I choke up on the spot. I can never convince myself to talk to them because I'm so scared of what they'll think and what to do. I don't know what to do! I want to just have friends who don't do sports and to be a normal teenager.
But I'm not seen as normal. I'm seen as this ball of talent that has promise. What does that even mean? Am I good at sports or not?
All my teams rely on me to help them win. It's incredibly stressful. Especially since my teammates don't really like me like they used to. We could have been friends but now they hate how the coach likes me. They hate how recruiter always look at me instead of them. It's not my fault they feel inferior. Maybe they should work twice as hard as me and then maybe they'll be good. The same guys talking bad about me in the locker rooms are the same guys who look at me when we're losing. I've gotten a reputation in our town. Guys from other schools know me as a force to be reckoned with. They all wonder how far I'm going to take my athletic career. They think all this effort I put into sports is on my own accord and that I just have this huge passion for it! LIES.
Mom's gotten crazy with sports over the years. It was originally my Dad's idea to put me in a team. Then she kept hearing all this praise about me from coaches and let it get to her head. She likes the image she's gained from me. Other parents always come up to her during meet ups and ask about my training. They question my diet and ask for advice. She thinks she's raising some celebrity but she's more than wrong. Dad never told Mom that she's gotten overboard. He defends her instead since she defends him. He's working hard, and Mom uses that money to help me succeed in life. How!? I can't stand the thought of running track in high school or any other sports. Letting this continue will be the end of me.
By the time I had calmed down, I had finished all the trophies. My head hurt so much. Looking for a clock, I frowned to see it was one in the morning. It appears I'll be getting scolded yet again by my teachers. School didn't matter to my Mom. Only the sports I participated in. She put me in every competition she could possibly find. I made it inside my room and crashed on my bed. At that moment, I made the decision to just come home after school. I'm going to take a stand once and for all. The coaches will be mad that I skipped practice, but they won't be as furious as my mother. Their shouting will never compare to her's.
The next day, I walked home with a smile on my face. Is this how it feels like to be free? Seeing the town in broad day light was interesting. Everything didn't look as sketchy. Arriving home, I opened the front door to see Mom vacumming and Dad putting on his tie. He raised his eyes to meet mine and his mouth dropped wide open. Mom turned around in confusion until her eyes landed on me. She turned off the machine and screamed in rage. I closed the door, tightening my grip on the straps of my backpack. They're going to listen to me today. Sports will no longer be a part of my life!
"Jeon Jungkook! What are you doing here!?" Mother screeched.
"I'm going to do my homework. I have to catch up." I glared at her as she came charging towards me. She opened the front door and tried pushing me out.
"Get out! Get out! Go to practice!" She fumed. Luckily, I had more strength than her and didn't allow her to lock me out. She's crazy. Dad sat down on the couch, taking in the scene. All he ever did was watch. What's wrong with him!? Say something! For pete's sake, I'm your son! Don't you care about my well being!?
"I'm not doing sports anymore!" I pushed her hands off me. "I'm done. I quit everything!"
"You can't quit! Jungkook, you don't know what you're saying," Mom shouted.
"I do know what I'm saying. I should know what I want for myself better than anyone." I walked over to the couch across from Dad. Mom laughed loudly at my comment. She took a seat next to Dad to make this a family discussion. I'm an only child and the attention is always on me. I hated the attention. It's so suffocating.
"Jungkook, you're too young to know what you want." Mom crossed a leg over the other.
"What do you mean? I'm going to be a first year very soon." I wanted to rip my hair out. "I'm almost done with ninth grade."
"Maybe when you graduate high school, then you can know what you want." Mom glanced at Dad for him to say something in her favor. He was shocked and thought on what to say.
"J-Jungkook, listen to your mother. As parents, we want the best for you," He stammered. What a push over.
"How is forcing your child to train for more than five hours for the best?" I stood up in outrage.
"This is why you can't quit sports. You're too childish and can't realize why us as adults are making these decisions for you." Mom glared at me, telling me to sit down with her eyes. She drove me mad and Dad wasn't innocent either. They were both torturing me.
"Well, I hate playing sports. You can't force me to do them anymore." I crossed my arms. "Tell me I'm childish all you want. I won't show up to practice anymore. Waste all your money on equipment! I don't care!"
"Jungkook, what are you saying?" Dad frowned. Don't make that aggravating face. "I work hard to help your mother pay for these things. Why do you want to throw it away all of a sudden?"
"It's not sudden! I've been telling this to Eomma for the longest time, but she refuses to tell you." I revealed to see his eyes widen.
"Is this true?" He looked at her.
"Are you kidding me? Jungkook is just going through adolescence. This is all going to end soon," Mom spoke with a cold expression. Her eyes never left mine that were burning. "I'm going to make sure that you go to your practices, so you don't ruin your future. Do you understand?"
"I already told all my coaches that I'm quitting," I stated to see her panic.
Dad was hearing this all for the first time. He usually goes to work later in the day and we don't see each other often. It's Mom who I'm forced to be around. Fear and anger travelled through her body as she tried to find the right words to throw at me. I stood with a confident expression. I wanted them to know that I'm officially done with sports. No matter how hard they want me to continue, I'll ruin anything they throw at me. I'm going to make friends and enjoy my free time after school. They can't take that away from me anymore. Mom came onto her feet, making an attempt to put her hands on me again. This time Dad actually tried to calm her down, but it clearly wasn't working.
"We can work this out." Dad sighed as Mom threw her hands around.
"IF YOU STOP DOING SPORTS THEN WE'RE NO LONGER YOUR PARENTS!!" Mom howled. I sucked in my breath to hear those words. Was she seriously taking it this far over sports? "You can starve! Runaway! I don't care! We're no longer supporting you! The only thing you get from us is that room you sleep in. Nothing more!"
"Jungkook, can't you at least do two sports?" Dad raised a brow.
"Appa, you don't get it either." I shook my head to see him purse his lips.
"Get ready to pay for your own bills! If your future dies, then don't blame me! Because I tried!" Mom removed Dad's hands off her. She stormed out of the room, screaming nonsense at the top of her lungs. "I helped you for years! All this time and effort for nothing! I can't look at you or call you my child!"
"B*tch," I muttered to see my Dad become stunned.
Is that all you can do? He just sits and reacts to what's going on. He takes her side no matter what. The problem is that he won't take mine. He can't see or understand what I'm feeling. He's just like Mom but less screechy. She makes fire alarms sound like birds chirping. Dad turned to me with his his brows knitted together. I had a feeling that I was going to get scolded. For what? Using that kind of language, quitting sports, or treating Mom poorly? It didn't matter to me. After all, she just said that they're no longer my parents. That means they can't scold me as if I was theirs anymore.
"Did you actually become this ungrateful?" Dad questioned. "I may not always be here, but you should treat your mother with respect."
"You don't know what's going on so stop talking." I went towards my room.
"Hey! Jungkook! Jeon Jungkook, come back here!" Dad called after me. "Your Mother was serious! We're no longer going to support you."
"Nothing's changed then!" I slammed the door.
Why are they so frustrating!? They made me feel like I was going crazy. I didn't know whether I was actually being a child or whether they were being unfair. At first, Mom made me believe I was in the wrong. She made sure I was guilty and always forced me to apologize, but she refused to say sorry. That word was impossible to get out of her mouth. She can't say sorry to her own son and that enrages me. I wondered if puberty was just making me feel this way. Was I actually an awful child? I know I didn't always treat my parents with respect. I'm not an angel and won't ever claim to be. I just can't stand the idea of them being right. Did they care for me because it don't feel like it?
Shoving my face into my pillow, I tried to steam off. They're so emotionally tiring. It's hard to know what I'm feeling when Mom constantly told me to ignore them. To only focus on sports. Then whenever I brought up any negative emotions about sports, she would blame it on something else. She would insist that how I felt was not actually how I felt. From now on I'm going to be my own person. However, people normally do that, I'm going to figure it out. I finished middle school quickly after that. Summer break was relaxing. I didn't have to travel around the country for competitions. The only worrying thing was feeding myself. I tried eating cereal and Mom took it away from me because she paid for that box. I didn't.
Money was becoming a struggle. I didn't have a job and there was no way that I was going to return to sports. Luckily, my relatives gave me birthday money which would last me about a month. Mom and Dad avoided me on my birthday. I had to remind myself that they're awful. Not me. Soon, it was high school orientation at SuChin. They were giving the new students a tour around the campus and other things after the entrance ceremony. I figured going would create a good chance at making friends. Everything was fine until I saw everyone on the campus. There were so many people. It made me nervous to see so many people all in one place. Wasn't this suffocating? Someone my age handed me a flier and I panicked. Were they student council? I don't know.
I tried to relax as I stood in the middle of campus. They're not judging me. But they so are! I can feel their stares and I feel like they hate me already. Shaking my head, I needed to focus on something else. A lot of students were crumpling up the fliers and tossing them onto the ground. The town I live in is just dandy, huh? Students were listening to someone with a megaphone, but I ignored them. I made the descision to pick up after everyone's mess. Eventually, I had lot in my arms and had to throw them away to continue cleaning up. A trash can sat a couple feet away from me so I decided to toss the paper like basket balls. Each paper fell inside without a problem. What was I doing? I came here to make friends and now I'm basically doing sports. Can I not do anything else? This was incredibly disappointing. That's when I saw a flash of silver laughing right next to me.
"You're really good at getting them in! Let me try!" He crouched down to carry a few. He had a boxy grin as he tossed them. Out of the five that he held, only one went inside. I scoffed, but he seemed so happy with that single one. "Sweet! Did you see that? I made one!"
"Yeah, just one..." I mumbled softly. His boxy grin went away, but he still smiled at me. Wait, was this supposed to be my chance to make friends? This was so weird. I had no idea where to begin. That's when another guy came running over.
"Taehyung! You just left out of nowhere!" He frowned.
"Ah, sorry Jimin. I got distracted. I'm playing this fun game where you throw the fliers in the trash," Taehyung explained.
Jimin nodded his head with slight interest. He grabbed one crumpled ball and threw it without even trying. The ball hit the side of the trash can. Jimin frowned while Taehyung cheered him on. Jimin then tossed another one and made it in. For some reason they were so happy by just making that. Them landing the ball inside the trash was barely skill and mainly just luck. Tightening my grip on the piece of paper, I realized something was different with me. Why couldn't I be happy at all when it came to sports? Or even just this stupid paper basketball game? They were happy for the fun of it. They weren't taking it seriously because it was just a game. A game.
"...A-Are you guys first years?" I forced myself to talk. They turned to me as my eyes fell back down to the ground. I can't make friends like this. What's wrong with me? Lifting my head to look back at them, Taehyung's boxy grin had returned while Jimin gave me a shy smile.
"We are! Actually, I just met Jimin like five minutes ago." Taehyung laughed. What!? They looked like friends. How did he do that so effortlessly? It made me a bit jealous. "What's your name? I'm Kim Taehyung."
"Jeon Jungkook." I bowed.
"Park Jimin." Jimin kindly bowed his head back.
"Wow! We should all hang out after the ceremony!" Taehyung jumped around. Hang out? I don't even know these guys. Everything is happening so quick. "I know where to find the tastiest fish cakes!"
"Really?" Jimin's brows jumped. Food sounded really nice, but I didn't have money on me. I was really careful not to spend my money. If I was hungry, then I ate the food I bought at home. Nothing out on the streets. Taehyung and Jimin were excited to ditch the orientation while I rubbed my neck nervously. They probably don't want to be friends with someone who bails on the first group hang out.
"Sounds good, Jungkook?" Taehyung asked.
"Uh...I think I'll skip out." I frowned.
"Are you sure?" Jimin quietly spoke.
"W-Well...um...I don't have money. I don't know. Sorry" I stumbled on my words. God, I hate myself. It's not that hard to talk. Why am I having trouble? I kept hating the words that left my mouth and wanted to restart. This is almost painful. "Maybe next time."
"Money?" Taehyung looked sympathetic. At that moment, my stomach had to rumble. Things can't get more embarrassing. Taehyung didn't see it that way though. There was a change in his eyes. "I got you covered! You don't have to pay me back."
"What? I can't do that to you..." I shook my head. Swallowing hard, it was hard to make up my mind. I wanted to make friends and eat food. Somehow I was shooting down all my chances. Taehyung didn't seem to hate me though. His offer still stood and Jimin seemed to understand my shyness. Was I always an introvert?
"No buts! We're stuffing ourselves tonight!" Taehyung shouted. "No empty stomachs on my watch."
"You're so nice." Jimin chuckled as Taehyung wrapped his arm around the other's shoulder. The silver hair looked towards me and raised his arm for me to join.
"Come on! Get over here!" Taehyung smiled. I hesitated but let myself get closer. He hugged us tightly. "I'm going to make sure you two get comfortable around me! We're gonna be SuChin's troublemakers!"
Jimin and I laughed at that. It was hard imagining myself causing any kind of trouble. We ditched the rest of the orientation to go eat. There, I got know more about the two boys. Taehyung refused to let me stay quiet during the entire time. He forced me to talk and Jimin made sure to include me in the conversations. They tried really hard to get me feeling like a part of their group. Taehyung was already calling us his friends by the end of the night which was strange. That went by too fast or is that usually how it goes down? I wouldn't know, but I was so happy to have friends. It felt awkward to be around them in the beginning, but I was slowly getting used to them. Heck yeah! I finally have friends!
Time went on. I hung out with Taehyung and Jimin for three months. One thing that was strange was that Taehyung always disappeared after school. Plus, he was hard to find during lunch. It was like he was purposely hiding. Then there were those moments where Jimin and I spotted people eying us. They mainly judged Taehyung, but since we were associated with him we got a similar look. Jimin was worried about Taehyung while I figured he was fine. Eventually, Taehyung confessed the truth to us. He was in a gang. This whole town seems to be filled with thugs. That's when Taehyung told us to join. Jimin was terrified at the thought while I took it in a different direction. I'm tired of being quiet. It'd be interesting to have people actually fear me. So I told Taehyung that I needed something new.
Jimin was such a wimp in the beginning. He was too afraid to do anything. Yoongi was frustrated at first with him the most. Second was me. It didn't take long for Yoongi to constantly help Jimin in the gang. He watched over him like an older brother. Jimin appreciated it, but he was also scared of his older 'brother'. We didn't know how to feel about considering them our family. It didn't feel right at first. It wasn't until one deal when things went really wrong. We could have died, but we kept calm. All of us stood our ground and protected each other. None of us thought about ourselves. It felt like we truly were family by the end of it. My only problem was how Jimin behaved in the beginning of it. Though it helped me consider everyone family, Jimin was starting to bother me during deals.
"I don't know guys. I don't want to do this." Jimin frowned as we drove to the location.
"You just have to get to the highest spot around. Watch over us and let us know if anything goes wrong," Namjoon reminded him.
"...I know. It's just scary..." Jimin shifted in his seat, running a hand through his orange dyed hair.
"Oh get over it! It's not like you're the one right in front of the guys with weapons." I growled to see the orange hair looked stunned. He didn't expect me to snap and I was surprised too. Hoseok looked at us with a frown. He hated it when we didn't get along.
"C'mon, Kookie. Be easy on him," Seokjin pleaded.
"It's okay, Hyung. He's right..." Jimin stared down at his lap. His expression was hurt and Yoongi scoffed to see me looking emotionless.
"He'll get braver soon. Everyone is different," Yoongi spoke bitterly, glaring at me through his mint green bangs.
"I was really scared for my first deal." Namjoon laughed as Yoongi shook his head.
"I was bored!" Seokjin grinned at us through the rearview mirror.
"I was excited!" Hoseok shouted.
"I was nervous." Taehyung poked his head through the window.
"Yeah, we all feel different and this isn't even your guy's first deal anymore," Namjoon stated. "Give it time. I'm sure Jimin will adjust and be an important member to the gang."
"Get ready, Jimin. You're gonna have to jump out soon." Yoongi reminded the orange hair who was biting his bottom lip.
"I don't like jumping out...it hurts," Jimin mumbled as I sighed in annoyance. He grew stiff at that before telling Yoongi and Seokjin that he was ready.
He wasn't. There were no high spots at the location we were at. Everything was flat and there was no where to hide. Jimin wasn't prepared for that. The other gang got angry to find Jimin trying to sneak around. They were upset at us for having a spy. The situation turned south right away and Jimin didn't know what to do. It wasn't until I knocked out a guy about to hurt him that he finally began moving. We all began fighting the opposite gang as much as we could. Seokjin came by with the truck as our savior. All of us hopped inside and he floored it out of there. Right after that incident, Namjoonwent over to talk to Jimin who was upset with all the bruises he got. Jimin wasclose to crying, but Namjoon managed to make him feel better. I didn't want myhyungs to be hurting, so I started teaching Jimin some taekwondo moves for him to have under his belt. He needed something to use since he was basically flinging his limbs around back there.
Jimin thanked me and I apologized for my rude behavior. We made up and things were good again. The older members called me mature for doing so and I liked the sound of that. I'm the maknae so I usually get called a child. It felt nice to be called that. The gang helped me feel like an adult that night. Not to mention, I also get money from deals. I'm able to live on my own in my parent's house. They don't ask about where the money is coming from and don't ask why I stay out so late sometimes. If they ever start to care, it's because of my job and that's all they will get from me. I finally took a complete stand against my parents now that I was with the gang. As soon as we had seven members, we were complete. It's hard imagining a member gone or someone added. This was the perfect gang.
*~*
Ms. Yoon told Taehyung to stop talking to Jimin during her lecture. That wasn't going to stop him. He's too much of a chatter box. Taehyung tried talking to me, but I remained quiet. I'm not letting this hyung pull me into his sh*t. Ms. Yoon got frustrated but not like Mr. Pyo. He was something else when it came to Taehyung. It was pretty funny if I'm being honest. Class ended and everyone met out near the gates. (F/n) was excited to go to the warehouse and I wanted to sit next to her. First years called sitting in the bed of the truck while the older members had to sit inside. Seokjin drove the truck nearby and we all hoped inside. I was happy to go to the warehouse instead of home. My parents have been sensitive lately since I haven't done sports in a year. I still go to the gym though but I pay for my own membership and go whenever I want to. How it should be.
Once we made it to the warehouse, the members couldn't wait to run inside. Jimin and Taehyung jumped out without laying down the tailgate. Hoseok and Yoongi ran inside, competing with the two first years. Seokjin and Namjoon took their time compared to the others. They were still run walking though. I laid down the tailgate and held (F/n)'s hand as she got down. My heart was racing at the physical contact. She didn't seem to care one bit about it though. It was natural for her. Besides, she was holding my hand to get down safely.
"Thanks, Jungkook!" She smiled.
"Wanna stay out here?" I heard myself ask. I better not pull another stupid move like the kiss. I can agree that that was a mistake. It was just me being desperate enough to take a chance when Jimin and (F/n)'s friendship was struggling. Sighing, I realized I shouldn't think of winning (F/n)'s love as a competition. That's my problem.
"Sure. What's on your mind?" (F/n) tilted her head cutely.
"I'm sorry for the kiss..." I frowned as she chuckled.
"You've apologized for that several times now. It's okay." (F/n)'s cheeks went pink. She probably didn't want to think about the kiss. I wanted to throw myself in front of Seokjin's truck as he drove full speed. After doing actions, I greatly regretted them sometimes. How did I actually get the courage to kiss her? Who do I think I am?
"I just feel really bad." My eyes fell to the floor. She lowered her body to get in my sight.
"Jeon Jungkook, you're fine," She said before standing up with a straight back. "As long as you don't do it randomly again."
"Promise! Done! Deal!" I brought my hand out and she shook it. We laughed, my awkwardness around her finally melting away. I just needed to be sure that she was okay with me. "Thanks for being such a good friend."
"You're a better friend." (F/n) smiled softly. I'm so happy that I met her. I'm thrilled that Taehyung spoke to her and that she wanted to befriend Jimin. I'm stoked that she idiotically came to the location of the deal due to her curiosity and Taehyung's carelessness. I'm filled with euphoria to know the gang helped me befriend her. There's no way I would have done so otherwise. It made me think of the question Taehyung asked. Why not ask her about it?
"Hey (F/n), what would you do if the gang ended?" I questioned. (F/n) was surprised at the sudden question but thought about it. She didn't take long to answer.
"I'd still want to be friends with you guys. In all honesty, I just want you guys to stay together as friends even if the gang ends." (F/n) nodded to her words. "To be honest, I don't like how dangerous the situations you guys get yourselves in. I'd be happy if that part in your lives ended despite you guys enjoying that type of stuff."
"We do love it." I chuckled.
"I don't know. Those are just my two cents, but I know life will work itself out." (F/n) grinned. "It always does."