4

Jungkook was a child.

He was born in the dark side of the city where ion is like selling necessities and drugs is like breathing to the air. The glare of his neighbours who are part of a gang and the never-ending smokes of cigarettes was something Jungkook will never get used to it though it has been 16 years of his life living with it.

Jungkook never hates his mother for raising him in such place. He did not even spending his time with his mother who was busy keeping her business of renting girls to the hungry men in the city. It will be a lie if he said he did not want to hug her or seeing her in the kitchen, welcoming him back from school. It was always him and the empty house.

But the house was not empty that night when his mom brought another man back home. Uncomfortable with it, he went out to the nearest closed shop, sat on the cold floor and did his homework from school under the light at the front of the store. It was not scary and lonely as he was listening to the songs through his earphones.

A sudden presence of another human being beside him causing him to look at the newcomer and found a young man, with a black jacket and orange hair, smoking to a cheap cigarette. Jungkook ignored him as he believed it was just another man that come to disturb him but he was surprised when the stranger took the right side of his earphone and put it on him.

“Hmm, you got a good taste on the songs unlike others.”

The stranger said to Jungkook who was still surprised by his action. The stranger looked at his book on the floor, squinting his eyes.

“Maths? I’m pretty good at it. You can ask me if you don’t know how to do it.”

He said before looking at Jungkook, flashing his rectangular grin that Jungkook found it amusing. Seeing how Jungkook was not responding, the stranger lifted his hand and making a peace sign to him, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I’m Taehyung.”

It was not a one-time-meet. It was more than that.

Taehyung became the new part of his life slowly as he kept seeing the younger at the same place they first met, either helping Jungkook doing his homework or simply having a talk of their life in the wrong place. It has become their habit to meet at night, even just for a while.

Taehyung was not as same as the others – that is what Jungkook think about the older. He was born in the family of drug dealer and was raised to be one but he never failed to live his life as if he was never part of it. Though his hair was orange and never tuck in his school uniform, he excelled in his studies and a good friend to everyone in the school. Keeping his record clean except for coming to the school early.

Jungkook admired him.

“Hyung, do you ever thought of changing your life? The way we want it to be?”

Jungkook asked him as he stole a glance to the smoking man in front of him, who had his hair colour changed to lilac a month ago.

“What’s there to change when I made it perfectly as I want it to?”

“So it means you want to be a drug dealer too? Then why you’re studying so hard when it’s useless anyway?”

“Who says I’m studying for my future?”

Taehyung blew out the smoke before he dampened cigarette on the ground, throwing it away.

“The family chain is unbreakable no matter what you did to change it. Even if you have a different occupation, your genes remain the same. I’m learning to know more, better than my family. Besides, occupation does not define you. It’s your knowledge.”

“I don’t get it.”

Taehyung chuckled and patted the younger’s head.

“You will one day.”

But Jungkook still could not understand him till he totally forgotten about it.

He even forgotten about his mother when Taehyung acted like one in her place. He was there during Jungkook’s school ceremony – all of it. He taught Jungkook Mathematics and stole a game when Jungkook did great in exam. He was the one who pat Jungkook’s back and told him everything is going to be fine with a smile on his face.

He also taught Jungkook about life – on how to survive in the dark city. How to steal without getting caught, how to make a deal without getting cheat on, how to read people easily, how to defend himself whenever something happen and the most important thing – smoking.

“You’re grown up man now. Learn how to smoke.”

Taehyung said as replaced the lollipop inside of Jungkook’s mouth with a cigarette before he stole the lollipop for himself.

“18 is not a legal age for Korean, hyung.”

“I’m flexible.”

“You’re stiff as .”

Taehyung knocked his head for saying the right thing. Jungkook could not help but to laugh at it. Jungkook took the lighter from the older and lighted it up, exactly how Taehyung had taught him before.

“Are you going for college, hyung?”

“Nah. Doesn’t want to feel old yet. My dad is going to Gangnam for a bigger deal so I’m going to take over here.”

“Oh…”

“Where do you want to go to once you graduated, Kookie?”

“The same place as you…”

But Taehyung could not hear the soft mutter under Jungkook’s breath. Seeing how the younger did not answer, Taehyung turned Jungkook’s face to look at him before he stole another thing for the younger – his first kiss.

Jungkook blinked at the sudden action before he flustered after knowing the fact his crush was kissing him. He tried to break the kiss but Taehyung pulled him closer into his arms and deepen the kiss, making Jungkook to give up and kissed him back. Jungkook could not help but to blush hard once they broke it.

“I-I’m not 20 yet, h-hyung. The k-kiss-“

“Is it wrong for me to kiss someone I like?”

“Huh?”

Taehyung smiled.

“I can’t wait for you to turn 20 to be my boyfriend.”

It was not romantic but everything Taehyung did is romantic to Jungkook.

The way the older kissed him sweetly, hugged him lovely and held him in bed gently when the older was inside of him. Jungkook was still learning