"IT ISN'T MAKING MISTAKES THAT'S CRITICAL; IT'S CORRECTING THEM AND GETTING ON WITH THE PRINCIPAL TASK."
- Donald Rumsfeld

MI-YOUNG PARK WAS SUSPICIOUS.

This shit is sus—

Jimin didn't think too much about how Taehyung didn't linger around as much or that he didn't walk home with the Park siblings as often anymore, but Mi-young noticed.

And Mi-young was curious.

"So, is there any reason why Tae isn't around as much?"

Jimin shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk faster.

"Dunno."

"Dunno? You 'dunno' why your best friend isn't provoking us anymore? Did he just fall off the face of the Earth?"

"Nah, we still chill just not with you around as much I guess."

"Oh really? Why?"

"Dunno."

"He hasn't been in art class recently."

"Oh, well ya know, he's always ditching so it ain't that big of a deal."

"Hm still seems suspicious though."

Jimin's eyebrows quirked as he thought of a way to change the subject.

"How is it suspicious? Hey, are you sure you're not just tryna talk more about Tae because you la-la-like him?"

"You better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up—"

Jimin giggled running towards home while Mi-young continued to chase after him, smiling at how clumsy her brother was as he tripped over air from running too frantically.

With bright smiles and squeaky giggles, Mi-young was happy to spend some quality time with Jimin, just like how they did before they moved.

While Mi-young kept poking Jimin and teasing him further, Jimin laughed harder and harder, but he never failed to keep the thought of Taehyung and his sudden aloofness towards the Park siblings in the back of his mind.

~•~

The sounds of sweet, joyful giggling could be heard, echoing through the chilly, crispy air soaring its way into every bystanders' ears and filling each individual with a waterfall of purity and sunshine.

It's as if the birds hushed one another to simply bask in the beautiful melody that was Mi-young and Jimin's giggling and laughter.

As Taehyung trailed slowly behind the Park siblings on their way home, he couldn't help but think of the times he made Mi-young and Jimin giggle and laugh.

He could simply flick Jimin's shoulder and then Jimin would jump away giggling while yelping that 'it tickled.'

The simple act of putting two straws between his lips to have the appearance of tusks never failed to make Mi-young break into a smile whilst softly giggling at how foolish Taehyung looked and claiming 'that's not even funny!' as she continued to giggle to herself even after he removed the straws.

Taehyung softly smiled at how easy it was to make the Park siblings giggle and smile, and how easy it was for the Park siblings to make himself giggle and smile.

It was the way Jimin would always take care of Taehyung after they were both wasted, giving Taehyung water while letting him sleepover at the Park's house because Jimin knew it wasn't safe for Taehyung to walk the dark streets alone so late in the night even if Taehyung kept mumbling 'back off Park, I'm not a girl, I can walk home by myself late at night.'

The way Jimin would not only give Taehyung his homework to copy off of, because when did Taehyung ever do his homework, but how Jimin would even sit down and teach Taehyung the lessons from the homework because, according to Jimin, 'you need to understand it so you can do well in the future assessments.'

And it was the way Jimin made Taehyung feel like he wasn't just some useless, brainless, and troublemaking boy, but instead an intelligent and kind young man who has the potential to do better in school and in life if he actually tried.

It was at that moment when Taehyung realized how Jimin always treated him with nothing but respect and brotherly love even when Taehyung would continue to pressure Jimin to do things that were definitely not beneficial to Jimin in any way whatsoever, but Jimin would still do anything Taehyung asked him to do even if Jimin knew he shouldn't, because that's the kind of person Jimin is.

And the kind of person Jimin is— all soft and fluffy, only wanting to please and make Taehyung a better man even though Jimin was slowly deteriorating under Taehyung's schemes— was not the kind of person Taehyung is.

And for once, Taehyung felt awful for treating Jimin so badly.

Because Jimin didn't deserve it, and Mi-young certainly didn't deserve any of his crude and rude remarks, especially when all Mi-young would do in response was curse at him, but never even attempt to spit back anything even more vile as revenge.

The Park siblings didn't deserve any of it.

They never truly hurt Taehyung, even after all the awful things he's done and said to them.

Taehyung scoffed to himself as in came a moment of clarity that the only person that hurt him, was himself.

And suddenly, Taehyung felt shameful and disgusting.

Turning right on the corner of the street, Taehyung walked and kept walking further and further down the unknown road, and far away from the usual route to the Park residence.

And the Park siblings didn't have a dark shadow trailing behind them anymore.

~•~

A/N:

Hi, I love you.