Jungkook P.O.V

The annoyingly loud sound of my alarm echoed in my ears. I switched it off, turned over and continued dozing.

Five more minutes. . .

When my alarm went off for the second time, I groaned and sat up straight in my bed. I squinted my eyes to look at the time; 6:13 A.M.

"Two minutes early." I muttered and quietly made my way to the bathroom my hyungs and I shared. I didn't want to wake them up so early in the morning especially on a Sunday.

After a quick shower, I was standing in front of the refrigerator, looking for anything to eat, and ended up finding nothing but last night's leftover fried chicken.

Fried chicken for breakfast. . . well, there's nothing else in the fridge and I sure as hell don't have the time to prepare a decent meal for myself.

While I was waiting for the chicken to be heated in the oven, I yawned, cursing myself for being so nice.

Last night, at around midnight, my friend had messaged me saying that he apparently had a family emergency and couldn't attend his shift at the amusement park we work at due to it, so he asked me to cover for him.

I had gotten a leave from my job at the amusement park for a week, and today was supposed to be the last day, but looks like I get back to work a day early. Yay me.

My friend, Eunwoo, had said that he would also cover for me someday if I took his place today, so I agreed. Quite easily, I realise now. I guess I'll also tell him to treat me to lunch for a week. That's a small price to pay for my stolen sleep.

Once the chicken was heated, I quickly ate it, not having the time to enjoy it or relish the deliciousness of it.

I looked at the time in my phone; 6:28 A.M. Just enough time to write a note for my hyungs. Well, those who were here anyways.

I quickly jotted down a note stating that I left for work early today and that I would be back in time for dinner. All my hyungs, except me, have a holiday on Sundays. Yes, I'm the only fool who works on Sundays too.

I hastily stuck the note to the fridge with the help of some stray magnets, grabbed my bag and left our shared house.

-

I stared out the bus window, an earphone in my right ear, while the other was hanging down my shoulder.

The amusement park was an hour away from where we lived, and I foolishly missed the first bus. I had to wait at the bus stop for another ten minutes till the other bus, which I'm currently on, arrived. Guess I'm gonna be late again.

But that didn't worry me. That old fool needs to be grateful that I'm even coming to work.

I smiled. Soft music paired with the view of Seoul was calming. It temporarily made me forget about all the troubles and worries that hovered around my pitiful life.

I forgot that I was abandoned by my parents exactly ten years ago, only to be found later and raised by my 6 hyungs.

I forgot that my final year of university would end after the exams that begin next month.

I forgot that we were supposed to collect money to pay the bills for our shared home next week, which might I add, is cheaper and fun because there were 6 other humans in the house, well, there used to be 6, now it's only 4 others in the house, and me.

I forgot that I had 3 assignments due tomorrow, yet I wasn't even close to finishing them.

I forgot that I was depressingly single at the age of 23.

I forgot that I had only gotten about 5 hours of sleep.

I forgot all of it, because I was too engrossed in the music I was listening to. Yoongi hyung's song was playing right now.

"Why so serious? Why so serious? Why so serious?"

The beat was weirdly calming and made me smile and bop my head along with it.

The lyrics, however, were a totally different story. Yoongi hyung has a talent of making songs with the plain bitter truth sound so good.

He was a producer and a rapper. I could feel the pain he went through just by listening to the lyrics. Though not being famous worldwide, he still has prying eyes on him all the time, and he envies the people who live normally. What's extraordinary for others would be ordinary to him, and what's ordinary to everyone would be extraordinary to him. He's human too. Just like everyone else.

I should give him a hug once I get back.

I looked outside the bus and saw a mother walking with her child. They looked happy.

Though I didn't have a mother, or a father for that matter, my hyungs were more than enough. They took care of me as if I was their own brother.

All the hyungs had together payed all my school and college fees. I was, am, grateful, but I have taken way too much from them.

It was time to pay them back too.

Which is how I started working for 3 different part-time jobs; just so I could provide for myself and for them.

The hyungs don't approve of it though. They say that I'm overworking myself. I probably am, but at the end of the day, it's for them. They're the reason I'm here.

I shifted in my seat and closed my eyes, Yoongi hyung's beautiful voice resonating in my ears.

-

"Ah, Jungwoo! You're late today!" My boss' voice boomed, as soon as I ran into the staff quarters.

After I caught my breath I said, "It's Jungkook."

"Yes, but why are you late?" The annoying fool asked.

"I wasn't even supposed to come today—"

"Oh, skipping shifts, I see. It's good you came, otherwise I would've fired you," he interrupted me.

"Eunwoo isn't coming in today. I'm filling in for him," I said impatiently.

"Go wear your costume, your shift has already started." My dear boss said shooing me away, completely ignoring what I had said.

I sighed. There's no point arguing with that old geezer.

-

I stood in front of the mirror in the changing room, my hair tied up into a man bun. A giant bear's head sat in the far corner of the room. I grabbed it and slowly put it over my head.

Yes, that's my job; dressing up as a bear in an amusement park and suffer from the abuse I receive from small children, while handing out flyers advertising the new fast food cafe in the amusement park.

It's really stuffy in there, not to mention stinky. But, I can't really do anything. Leaving this job would mean less income, and I can't really afford to do that, especially when Yoongi hyung is set to have his shoulder surgery next week.

"Okay. . . let's get it."

-

"Mom, look at that bear!"

"Can I take a picture with it? Please?"

Those were the types of comments that I received. Yes, they were annoying, but I got used to them after a while. I have no other choice, really.

A kid came forward and stood beside me to take a picture with me. I posed for the picture. The kid started jumping and accidentally hit my abdomen.

That kid got strength. . .

"We're so sorry." The mother came forward and started apologising while bowing. I gave a thumbs up to her while slightly bowing myself which resulted in the bear head hitting the mother in the face.

I panicked and started bowing more while slowly taking steps backwards, but I ended up bumping into another passerby.

I turned around to find a man glaring at me angrily. I bowed down again, apologising profusely, hoping my apology would be accepted by him.

The man shot me another glare and walked away. Why me? Why is it always me, god damnit.

I backed away from there, and sat down on a nearby bench. I held out the flyers politely, while dancing a bit, to the people walking past me.

Some took it and read it, while some took it only to walk a few feet and then dispose of it. There were also a couple rude people who just ignored me, or bumped into me which made me lose my balance and resulted in me falling down.

A kid came forward and helped me stand up straight. "Are you okay?" She asked. The girl looked to be around 10 years old.

I gave her a thumbs up, with a smile, but then realised that she couldn't see my face.

"You dance very nicely," she said. "I was standing there and looking at you." She added, pointing at a horse carousel.

I bent down. "Where are your parents?" I asked, speaking loudly, so that she could hear me. "I don't know. They left me there about an hour ago to change my little sister's diaper, but I can't find them now." She said, pushing a couple loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I'll help you find your parents," I said, pulling out my phone to send a message to the headquarters to announce about missing parents. "What's your name, child?" I asked the kid.

"Ji-Eun." She responded. She doesn't looks worried at all.

A couple minutes later, a voice echoed throughout the amusement park. "Parents, or guardians of Ji-Eun are requested to head towards the third wing of the park, I repeat, parents, or guardians of Ji-Eun are requested to head towards the third wing of the park immediately."

"Your parents will come here now, okay?" I asked Ji-Eun who just nodded in response. She doesn't speak much.

"Ji-Eun-ah! There you are, my child, I was looking everywhere for you!" A man shouted while walking in our direction. He looks shady. He had an uneven beard and his clothes looked old. I looked at Ji-Eun, but she was looking scared?

"Come here, my child." The man pulled Ji-Eun and hugged her harshly. She looked uncomfortable in his grip.

"Sir, may I ask who you are?" I asked, while slowly pulling Ji-Eun out of his rough grip. "I'm her father." He said. "Is he your father?" I asked the girl. She shook her head. "I don't know you." She said.

"What nonsense are you speaking, child? I'm your father!" He said loudly, which attracted attention from around us.

"Sir, I'll be needing some proof that you are her father. An identity card, perhaps?" I asked as politely as I could.

"What the hell! I'm her father! Why do I need to show proof of that to the likes of you!?" He said, shouting.

"Sir—"

"She's my only daughter! I have been searching for her for so long, and here you are questioning my identity!" He roared once again, which made me lose it.

"She says that you are not her father! How can a daughter not recognise her father!? Show me some proof that you are her father, and then you can leave! How difficult is it to just show a card?!" I yelled back.

The man glared at Ji-Eun who hid behind me.

"Show me some proof, or leave before I call security," I said with gritted teeth. Ji-Eun was suddenly pulled by the man which made her scream loudly.

I punched the man on his face which made him release Ji-Eun. She came and hugged my legs tightly. I could feel her shivering.

"How dare you punch me!? I'll complain about this to your boss!" He yelled.

"How dare you abuse a child!? I'll complain about this to the police!" I yelled back with equal ferocity.

He pushed me and I stumbled, but quickly pushed him back.

"Ji-Eun!" I heard a cry and saw a middle aged couple carrying an infant. They were accompanied by the security.

"Mom! Dad!" Ji-Eun finally released my legs and ran to them.

"She's your only child, huh?" I turned to the impersonator, who gulped. He quickly started running away, but I removed my bear head and ran after him till I caught him. I punched him and dragged him to where the security guards were standing.

"This man was pretending to be her father and shouted at her and abused her in front of me. Call the police right away." I dropped his unconscious figure in front of Ji-Eun who growled and kicked him.

I laughed and patted her head. "Thank you so much, sir. You saved our daughter. Thank you." Her parents thanked me, looking as if they were close to tears. "No problem, sir, ma'am." I said.

"What can we do to repay your kindness?" They asked.

"Just take better care of your daughter." I replied, patting Ji-Eun's head once again.

"Of course we will. Thank you so much. Let's go, Ji-Eun-ah. Dad will buy you an ice cream," Her father said, holding her arm gently.

"Wait," She said and ran towards me. She engulfed me in a tight hug, kissed my cheek and said, "Thank you." I smiled.

"You're welcome, Ji-Eun. Always remember, stand up for yourself and if someone does something to you which you don't like, kick them right where it hurts, okay?"

She giggled and nodded her head, before running away with her parents. I smiled after her furthering figure.

-

"Jungwoo! How dare you abuse that man!" My idiotic boss yelled. I was unfazed.

"He was pretending to be a little girls' father and abused her in front of me," I said, in a bored tone.

"How does that— wait, he did what?!" He looked shocked.

"I said what I said."

I was honestly tired of all this. "Well, in that case," He cleared his throat. "Well done Jungwoo! I'm proud of you!" He said, shaking my hand. I was still uninterested.

"Wait, here's your bonus!" My boss handed me an envelope. I was suddenly interested. I opened it and saw money. Lots of money.

"Is this my salary?" I asked slowly, counting the money in my hands. "No, it's your bonus. You'll get your salary next week." He said. "Thank you, sir." I said bowing slightly.

"You did well today Jungkook. You can leave, I'll manage the rest of your shift."

My boss, whose name I couldn't remember, said and walked out, leaving me alone, my mouth hanging open.

He called me Jungkook. . . not Jungwoo, or any other name, he called me by my name.

I smiled, grabbed my backpack and winced when I realised that my fingers were bruised after punching that disgusting excuse of a human.

"Are you okay, Jungkook?" My coworker Mingyu asked me. I'm sleep deprived, I just brawled with a 30 year old piece of shit, I have uni tomorrow and I have two other shifts at two other places. Yeah, I'm okay.

"I'm fine." I said, before walking out.

-

"You're early today." My coworker Dokyeom said, folding his arms over his coffee stained apron.

I nodded while yawning. "I know. Don't tell boss. I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me up when it's time for my shift."

"I can't, I'll be busy. What will I get in return if I wake you up?" He asked, smiling mischievously. "You will be helping me and will get my blessings which will help you in your future." I said.

He pretended to think. "Hmm. . . tempting, but no."

I sighed. I had a feeling he would do something like this. "Okay, fine, I'll treat you later today," I said. "Anything you want. As long as it's in our budget." I added, after seeing him open his mouth.

"Deal," He said, shaking my hand.

I shook my head and walked to the storage room for a well deserved nap.

-

"Jungkook! What are you doing here!?"

I was jerked awake. I opened my eyes and looked up to see my boss Ji-A standing over me, a shocked expression on her face.

I quickly stood up, dusting myself and wiping the sleep out of my eyes. Damn, I'm screwed.

"Ma'am, I was—"

"When did you get here?" She cut in between.

"Around noon," I said, scratching my head. "I got an early leave from my previous job, so I came here early." I added, looking at my feet.

"I thought you had a week off from the amusement park," Ji-A said.

"Yes, ma'am, but my friend asked me to cover for him, so I did."

"First, don't call me ma'am, your shift hasn't begun so Ji-A is enough. Second, that's sweet of you." She smiled a bit.

"Ah, thank you ma— Ji-A," I said, smiling too.

"Your shift doesn't start for another 15 minutes," she said, looking at her watch. "Can you get me a bandaid? Dokyeom cut his finger. Again." She sounded exasperated.

"Isn't it the third time he's hurt himself this week?" I asked, pulling out a bandaid from the top shelf.

"It is," Ji-A sighed, taking the strip from my hands.

I watched her slowly turn the bandaid in her fingers, examining it. A few strands of her hair had escaped from her ponytail and fell over her forehead. She pushed it back and turned to look at me. She came forward and brought her hand near my face and patted my head.

"Your hair was messed up since you were sleeping in that awkward position." She said, clearing her throat.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"I'll take my leave now. Don't be late for your shift," She pulled opened the door of the storage room, but before leaving, she turned around and pointed to her lips and said, "There's a little bit of. . . something near your lips." She stifled her giggles and quickly left.

I brought my hand towards my lips and felt something wet.

Since when do I drool in my sleep!? Jeez, way to go Jungkook.

-

"Here's your caramel macchiato, ma'am." I said, keeping the coffee mug in front of a customer who nodded at me, too engrossed in her magazine.

I sighed and walked back to the counter. Rush hour will begin soon.

The cafe's door made a jingling noise, announcing that another customer had entered. I looked up and saw two girls, a couple years younger than me, walking towards the counter. They look like brats.

"What's the best thing we get here?" The one on the left asked. "Isn't it obvious Cho-Hee?" The other one said, smirking in my direction.

"Min-Ji, oh my goodness." Cho-Hee giggled, and Min-Ji joined in. I stood there, feeling awkward.

"Coffee or baked goods?" I asked, annoyed.

"There's no need to be rude—" Min-Ji looked at my name tag. "—Jungkook."

I cringed at the way she said my name. "Decide on something, or you're free to leave, the door's right there." I wasn't having any of her flirty nonsense.

"Feisty, I see." Min-Ji said, looking at her nails. I decided to ignore them and walked away.

"Coffee! We want coffee!" I heard Cho-Hee call out after me.

"What type of coffee?" I called back.

"Iced americano for me," Cho-Hee said. I waited for Min-Ji to tell her order too.

"One iced americano coming right up," I said, filling the cup.

"I want a fat free milk coffee with just one scoop of sugar and sweetener. Oh, and don't forget to mix it properly, I don't like drinking bitter coffee." I heard Min-Ji say. I ignored her.

"Did you hear me?" She called out. "Hello? I'm talking to you Jungkook!" She said loudly. I continued to ignore her.

"Bro, Jungkook, Ji-A is calling for you." Dokyeom said, peeking his head out of the staff room.

"Oh, good you're here Dokyeom, please take this americano and give it to the kind lady there. And take the other one's order and make it," I said, passing the iced coffee to my coworker.

"And, she doesn't like her coffee bitter so stir it properly." I added mockingly before heading inside the staff room.

-

"Here's your bill, sir." I passed the receipt to the man in front of me.

"What are these extra taxes for?" He questioned, going through the bill.

He's the fifth customer to ask me that.

"It's for the cafe's management. The washroom, lights, water et cetera, taxes for them," I said, as politely as I could as this topic was an anger inducing one.

"Doesn't the original prices include that?" He asked, staring at me.

"Sir, I just work here part time. Any doubts of yours can be cleared by the boss, who unfortunately is out at the moment," I said, still polite.

"You work here, so you should know about all this! What a dumb worker." He muttered before throwing the money on the counter.

I stared at the money and clenched my jaw. I was this close to go and grab his collar and scream at his face. This close.

He smirked at my reaction. Don't test my patience and leave before I wipe that stupid smirk out of your ugly face.

I don't get paid enough to bear all this shit.

He turned around, thankfully, to leave, but Ji-A entered the cafe. She saw the smug look on his face, my angry face and the money sprawled on the counter and put two and two together.

She stopped the man and told him to come back to the counter, and surprisingly, he obliged.

"Jungkook, do you mind telling me what exactly happened here?" Ji-A asked, calmly, but I knew that she was anything but calm at the moment.

"This man questioned me about the new taxes, and I unfortunately don't have sufficient information to explain it to him, which angered him to call me a 'dumb worker' and throw the money on my face and walk away," I said, stoically.

"Sir, the notice about the extra taxes is right there, it would be nice if you could open your eyes once in a while and look around instead of unnecessarily abusing our workers," Ji-A said, folding her arms.

"And it isn't polite to throw money on the faces of our workers, nor is it allowed. You can get sued for it." Ji-A added, glaring at the man.

"Sued for it? Hah! Sure," The man scoffed.

"My brother is a police officer and I'm just one click away from giving him a call to get you sued for all the damage you have caused to our worker," Ji-A said, holding out her phone.

"But—"

"You questioned his position, verbally abused him, belittled him by throwing money on his face and are denying it all." She continued, holding up her fingers, each finger for each point.

"I—"

"You can either apologise to him and pick up the money and hand it to him respectfully, or I'll be forced to give my brother dear a little extra work to do," Ji-A said. The man nodded and bent down to pick the money up.

I just stood, there glowering at him.

"Sorry." He kept the money on the countertop.

"I said, hand it to him," Ji-A said, a little rudely, but I was enjoying this way too much.

"Sorry," he said a little forcefully, kept the money in my hand, shot us both a glare and left.

As soon as the door closed, the entire cafe started to clap. I joined in while grinning widely.

"That's what happens if you disrespect my coworkers," Ji-A said, keeping her hand on my shoulder. I noticed that she said 'my coworkers' instead of 'my workers'.

"Thanks, Ji-A." I smiled.

"It's ma'am for you, mister. You're on your shift right now so I'm your boss," Ji-A said, trying to sound superior but ended up laughing. I joined in.

"Yes ma'am." I said teasingly.

-

"You can take a leave this week, if you wanna." Ji-A took the apron from my hands.

"No, surprisingly, I like coming and working here," I said.

With you.

"Oh, I'm honoured that you like working here." Ji-A laughed.

"This place got good vibes," I said, staring at her, who stared back.

Our little staring competition was interrupted when Dokyeom walked in.

"Bro, you coming? You owe me Doenjang-jjigae, in case you forgot," he said, rubbing his palms together.

"You didn't exactly fulfil your role, now, did you? I asked you to wake me up in time for my shift, which you didn't do," I said, somewhat pissed because he had interrupted us. . . staring at each other.

"Not my fault miss boss here walked in and found you and woke you up!" He said, holding his hands up.

"Oh, I'm the one who cut my finger, right?" I shot back.

"I told her that I'll go get a bandaid on my own, but she just wouldn't listen!" He exclaimed.

"How is—"

"I'm right here, if you guys don't realise that." Ji-A said, making her presence known.

"Sorry about that Ji-A, we'll take our leave now." I slung my backpack over my shoulder.

So, will I or will I not see you tomorrow?" She asked, folding her arms.

"I don't know, I guess you'll just have to wait and see." I winked before leaving with Dokyeom.

-

I reached the library I work at with about five minutes to spare. The sun was setting in the distance, painting the sky one last time, before letting the darkness the night brings and the moon's light take over.

I wonder what Jin hyung would have made for dinner.

The thought of food made me laugh, recalling the time I had spent with Dokyeom, a couple hours ago.

He had a lot of questions, particularly regarding my relationship with Ji-A. I had to disappoint him though, because I myself don't know what my relationship with her is.

She's pretty, smart, independent, sassy, kind. Everything important in a human. Time will tell what she means to me.

The door to the library opened, and I walked in, inhaling the intoxicating and familiar musky smell of all the books inside. It was refreshing from the pollution outside. I hummed.

I had been coming here for almost 8 years now. I would come here for research for my school projects. This job was one of the first jobs I had gotten.

It was pretty simple really. Attend to the people in the library, find books for them if they're having problems with finding it and clear their doubts.

And if I get free time, which is pretty frequent as people are pretty resourceful and rarely have problems finding anything, I get to read a couple books. Or just chill with my phone.

I have gotten caught by the librarian many times, and have gotten many warnings, but I still continue.

Old habits die hard.

-

I was checking my SNS as I hadn't gotten the chance to do so since morning, after I had finished attending to the people here, when the light suddenly went out.

It was completely, utterly dark in the library.

I heard groans and yells from the people who were previously reading books.

"Jungkook!" I heard a furious cry. A couple moments later, the librarian came walking in my direction, a flashlight in his hands.

I quickly tried shoving my phone inside my pocket but unfortunately he saw it.

"Again!? Haven't I warned you enough about using phones in this library!? Only books are allowed in here!" He lectured me.

"Why did the library black out?" I asked, diverting his attention.

"Yes! That's because you didn't pay the electricity bill like I had told you to, you imbecile!" He yelled at me.

"Wait, what?" I said, confused.

I racked my brain to recall what he was talking about. Electricity bill? We're struggling back home to pay all our bills, and you're asking me to pay the electricity bill for the library too!?

"I told you to pay the bill last week! I even gave you the money for it!" He yelled once again. And then I remembered.

I had indeed gotten money from him, but there was an emergency, and Namjoon hyung had fainted at home, so I gave the money to my friend Jaehyun who also worked here and told him to pay the electricity bill.

He suddenly came running and stared at me with fear in his eyes. I sighed. He forgot about it, didn't he?

But I can't tell that to the librarian because Jaehyun had already had gotten too many warnings and was almost fired two weeks ago, and this will get him fired for real this time, and he can't afford that, especially with his sick father in the hospital.

I took a deep breath.

This is a bad idea.

But I'm a good friend.

"I. . . forgot about it, sir. I'm sorry," I said, with a shaky voice.

"An emergency had occurred at my house, and I had to leave as soon as possible, and then I forgot about it."

I bent my head down, awaiting his response.

Was I expecting him to be a little understanding and let me off?

Yes.

Was he understanding and did he let me off?

No.

"I've had it with you Jungkook! You have been regular here, but that doesn't mean that you're allowed to do whatever you want to do and break all the rules we made! You use your cellphone even after I tell you that it's forbidden, you talk loudly, you sing loudly, and I don't care if it sounds beautiful, it adds noise pollution to my library! And when I take pity on you and give you a job here, you don't even do it properly! That lady over there had trouble finding a book, and has been searching for it for the past 10 minutes, while you're busy in your oh-so-important mobile. I ask you to pay the electricity bill, no I ask you to deliver the money I gave you, yet you can't even do that properly! And this is just a single example out of many of your reckless and inconsiderate actions!"

He yelled out at me with more force. If the whole library couldn't hear him before, they could now. Very clearly. I just flinched at his harsh tone, but then clenched my fists.

Yes, it's all true, but that doesn't mean I'll accept this disrespect.

I've had enough. No more nice guy.

"You know what? I'm firin—"

"I quit."

"W-what?" He asked.

"You heard me, I quit. I can't with your nonsense. Is this a library or a prison!? I'll use my mobile wherever and whenever I please, thank you very much. And, my hyung had an accident, which is why I left in a hurry and forgot to pay the bill. But do you care? No, of course you don't. You're a cold heartless person with no empathy, who cares for nothing other than his oh-so precious books! And, do I look like your personal worker or assistant to do everything you tell me to? Why couldn't you pay the bill yourself? Don't you have hands and legs too? But no, you burden all the work on me and then later shout and disrespect me like this when I forget to do one thing. I will not be accepting this disrespect anymore. I have tried my best to bear it all and suck it in, but this is it. I can't do this anymore. Goodbye. I wish you and your library all the very best."

I yelled back before grabbing my bag and giving the library's door a good slam before making my way out.

I was shocked at my own behaviour. I never bursted or lashed out at anyone like that. I don't even recall the last time I shouted at anyone angrily.

I stopped outside, trying to catch my breath and to calm my shaking hands.

"Jungkook! Are you okay?"

I heard a familiar voice call out.

"Ji-A?" I asked, shocked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when she reached me and began patting my shoulder.

"That doesn't matter, tell me are you okay now?" She asked, brushing off my question.

"Yeah, I guess but—"

"How long have you been doing this?" She interrupted me.

"How long have I been doing what?" I asked, a bit confused.

"For how long have you been suppressing all your emotions!?" She cried.

"I don't know what you're sayin—"

"When was the last time you cried? Or shouted at anyone? Or basically let out your emotions?" She asked. I opened my mouth to give an answer, but no words came out.

When was the last time I did that?

I myself didn't know.

"I. . . don't know." I said, softly.

"You dumb person! You shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that! Never! Because, every bottle has an overflowing point, and when you reach that point, all your emotions will burst out, like how it did inside! And now see what happened because of that; your anger made you lose one of your jobs!" She exclaimed in worry.

"I try Ji-A, I try. But I just. . . can't. My hyungs will get worried, and I don't want to burden them with my problems, it'll just add more stress to them." I said, looking at my feet.

"You're an idiot!" Ji-A said exasperatedly, hitting my head softly.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I smiled sadly.

"Just remember you can always come and talk to me. And no, your problems won't be a burden to me, in fact I'll be happy, because I can be useful to you by helping you." She said, matching my soft tone.

"Thank you Ji-A. I appreciate this," I said, genuinely thankful.

"No problem. Now go, your hyungs must be waiting for you," she said, waving at me. I nodded, waving back and started walking away.

Everything slowly sunk in now. I just lost a job. Great.

-

"I'm back!" I called out, pushing the front door open.

"Jungkook-ah! Come to the kitchen quickly!" I heard Jin hyung's voice calling back urgently. I frowned. What happened now?

"What happened, Jin hyu—"

I stopped in my tracks when I saw who it was.

"H-hobi hyung? Jimin hyung?" I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating.

"It's us, Jungkookie." Jimin hyung said, spreading his arms. Hobi hyung smiled that adorably cheerful smile of his beside him. I dropped my bag on the ground and ran to embrace my dear hyungs.

They had gotten a dance scholarship abroad 2 years ago, and I hadn't seen them ever since. They had tried video calling me many times, but I always refused to see them, probably because I was furious that they had left so abruptly, no warnings, just left like that, leaving nothing but a simple note as a memory of their presence.

I would never admit it, but I missed them, a lot. I suspect that everyone else in the house could tell. They would tell me to call them, but my ego and pride would always reject the idea.

At first I used to even curse them for leaving me alone with the other hyungs, because I had a closer relationship with Jimin hyung. He somehow understood me the most. He was always there for me, and would continually tease me, but I had grown a liking towards those harmless teases.

Hobi hyung was the one who had taught me to dance. Without him, I would be just be hopping around like a rabbit instead of dancing. His passion had ignited a fire in me to be the best I could at dancing, or basically everything else.

I didn't realise when we all had begun to sob.

"I missed you both so much." I said, in between loud sobs.

"We did too, Kook, you can't imagine," Jimin hyung said, still patting my head.

"You wouldn't even show us your face whenever we video called." Hobi hyung hit my head.

"You both left just like that, without any second thoughts about me, so I had to give my hyungs a punishment," I said, laughing slightly.

"It was a terrible punishment Jungkook." Jimin hyung trailed sadly.

"We couldn't even see how much you were growing. And, speaking of that, you have grown so much Jungkook! Look at him being all muscly." Hobi hyung said, pressing my bicep. I laughed.

"But, without you both, I felt empty. I would pretend to be fine, but I wasn't. Not when my dance teacher and my brother weren't home anymore," I said, sniffling.

"Well, we're back now for good, Jungkook. We won't be going anywhere now, so don't worry," Hobi hyung said, smiling widely, which made me smile too.

"I see that you haven't lost that bunny smile of yours." Hobi hyung said, pulling my cheeks.

"Hyung!" I whined. He laughed.

"We're here too, in case you couldn't notice, Jungkook." I heard Taehyung's deep voice. I turned and saw Yoongi hyung and Taehyung gathered in the kitchen too.

"So, what's the good news and what's the bad news?" Jimin hyung said, wiping his eyes and looking at me expectantly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your face had that little sadness but your eyes were shining when you walked in," Jimin hyung said.

That's what I meant when I said that he understood me the most.

"Still haven't lost your spark hyung." I laughed, and Jimin joined in.

"Now spill," He said.

I told them all about how I quit my library job because it was too much stress for me.

"Finally did something right in your life. You would go crazy if you continued working like that." Yoongi hyung said.

"Look who's talking," I said, giving him a pointed stare. He shrugged.

"My work is different, yours is different," he said, heaving a sigh. I walked to him and gave him a slight hug and muttered a "You're doing amazing," in his ears. He smiled slightly, exposing his gums.

"And I'm guessing the good news is that you found a chick." Jimin deadpanned. I stared at him for a few seconds before hitting him on his head.

"Stop calling her a chick. Her name is Ji-A," I said.

"I wanna meet her tomorrow," Jimin declared.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. Now go change your clothes and come for dinner. Jin hyung has prepared a special meal." He pushed me out of the room.

I sighed and rubbed my head. Why did I even tell them about her?

-

"What's the special mea—"

My jaw fell when I saw the living room decorated beautifully, with a purple banner that read, '10 years with our Jungkookie.'

"You thought we forgot, right?" Jin hyung said. I wordlessly nodded, which earned me a smack on my head.

"We'll never forget important dates in this family," Jimin hyung said.

"You're gonna make me cry again, stop it," I said, genuinely close to tears. I took a couple deep breaths. "When did y'all even get time to do all this?" I asked.

"When your workaholic ass was busy working three part time job," Yoongi hyung said.

Before I could protest, the door to our home was opened rather harshly, revealing none other than my remaining hyung.

"Kim Namjoon! Open that door carefully, you fool, otherwise that will also break by your hands!" Jin yelled at a fast pace.

Namjoon smiled sheepishly and held up a bag. "I brought snacks and drinks."

". . . You're forgiven, but be careful the next time!" Jin hyung said, grabbing the bag from his hands, and placing its contents on the large food spread on the table.

"Let's eat now, I'm hungry," Taehyung said and walked towards the table to stuff his large mouth.

I looked around and realised something.

We're 7 once again. We're complete.

I felt complete.

Although I too had my ups and downs, I held out. I didn't give up, because I had my hyungs with me at every step. They were like my support system and I wouldn't be here without them.

I could smile as long as we were together.

I could smile, because as long as I had them with me, I knew that,

I'm fine.

~ E N D ~