Chapter 2: In which Jungkook meets every hyung in the sharehouse

"I'm gonna kick your this time, Tae!"

"And that's the twentieth time you've said that!"

Jungkook can hear Jimin and Taehyung shouting excitedly from his room on the second floor, even as they descended down to the basement. He doesn't comment on how ing loud they are to Seokjin who had led him up to his room.

On the second floor, Seokjin tells him that the room beside the stairs is Jimin and Hoseok's shared room. There is a balcony facing the street in front of the house and beside it is Namjoon and Taehyung's room, while Seokjin and Yoongi's and his own room are opposite each other.

"You can do some unpacking first, or explore the house. I gotta head to the grocery store real quick. I usually stock up for the new week tomorrow, on Sundays, but since there's a new family member today, we should have steak! It'll be a huge misteak if we don't! Hahaa-heheh-hng↗hng↗hng↗hng↗-" Seokjin laughs at his own joke. Jungkook finds his laughter sounding exactly like a windshield wiper.

Hmm, punny. Jungkook laughs lightly and gives the older man a thumbs-up. Seokjin, pleased with himself, takes his leave. He doesn't close the door behind him and Jungkook sees Namjoon pass by. "-call Suga and tell him to come home to fix-" Namjoon says as he slips on a shirt, now fully clothed from head to toe.

After saying "wow, thighs" in awe, Jungkook's new housemates had burst out laughing; Hoseok screaming about how cute his reaction was, Jimin slapping his thigh and then at Jungkook's shoulder, Taehyung pointing his finger at Namjoon (his thighs to be exact), and Seokjin laughing that windshield wiping laugh. Namjoon thought Jungkook was really cute and felt that he would definitely adore this kid. "Hey, I'm Kim Namjoon. You're one of us now." He walks over to Jungkook and places his hand on his shoulder. "Part of the fam! And since Seokjin is like the mum of the house, you can call me daddy-"

"No, don't call him daddy."

Someone whistles.

"Anyway, it must be fate that has brought you here to this share house." Namjoon grins and Jungkook finds it difficult to tell him that it was the cheap rent that has brought him here. "We are destined to meet and here, we'll be like your older brothers. If you have any questions, don't be shy to approach any of us, anytime."

Jungkook is thankful for Namjoon's kind words and believes he is the most normal housemate (for now), with disregard to the "call me daddy" part. Afterwards, he was escorted by Seokjin to his room. 

Too lazy to unpack his stuff, Jungkook leaves his baggage at the side and goes downstairs. At the stairs, he sees a figure zooming past to the other flight of stairs leading to the basement, with screams going "HOBI'S COMING!!" He decides not to visit the basement.

Jungkook looks around the living room curiously. A flat-screen TV, consoles, a few shelves of books, DVDs, decorative items and more, L-shaped couch, a coffee table, and several picture frames hanging on the wall. It looks to be a decent, clean, really cozy living room. He moves closer to the photo-wall and tries to put his housemates' names to their faces. Seokjin-hyung, Namjoon-hyung, Hoseok-hyung, Taehyung-hyung, Jimin-hyung... Namjoon-hyung said the name 'Suga'. He isn't home today? 

At that moment, Jungkook hears the front door slam shut, accompanied by someone's grumbling.

"Tsk! Always breaking things here and there and everywhere. Isn't this the third time he broke the ing lock?  I'll put him in a ing headlock the next time an 'accident' happens again, that careless ."

Jungkook hears footsteps approaching, down the hallway, to the living room where he stood awkwardly peering at a picture on the wall. The deep voice filled with annoyance grew louder.

"Who am I? Bob the ing builder? I swear-"

Their eyes meet and the 'probably-Suga' hyung stops his grumbling abruptly.

"Hi..?" Jungkook says nervously when the man narrows his eyes at him. This man was around Jimin's height but was clearly more intimidating to him. Naturally this man would be suspicious of a person he'd never met before in his own home. An intruder? Burglar? Where are the 3 idiots?  the man wonders, scrutinizing the tall boy in front of him. A faint scream and laughter rising from the basement helps confirm that the 3 idiots are downstairs.

"Err... I just arrived a little while earlier. You must be Suga-hyung?" Jungkook asks. The man nodsay. Okay, he knows my name, and from the way he dresses and the build - frikin' tall kids nowadays... He kinda looks like Jimin's...

"Yeah, I am. What's your name, kid? How old are you? Where are you from?"

"I'm Jungkook. I'm nineteen. I'm from Busan."

Yeahhh, I'm right, the man nods to himself, isn't he Jimin's younger brother? Did he come to visit?  He gives Jungkook a small smile and extends his hand. "I've never met you before, but I've heard a lot about you."

Wait, what?  Jungkook tilts his head in confusion but Suga doesn't catch it and just shakes his hand. Suga drops his haversack on the couch and Jungkook notices he's holding a food packaging bag from a street food stall, with what looks like sticks inside. Suga gestures for Jungkook to sit down with him and Jungkook does.

Suga opens the bag and pulls out a stick.

"Do you eat lamb skewers?"

He offers Jungkook a stick of barbequed cubes of skewered lamb. Jungkook takes it and mutters a 'thank you', looking at the lamb skewer. He'd never tried and tasted them before, even though he'd passed by street stalls and restaurants selling them numerous times. He bites onto a skewered lamb cube and pulls it out of the stick. Chewing this new delicacy, the glorious taste of it surprised him, so much that he didn't hear Suga saying, "You're so tall. What the hell do they feed kids these days? Your bro Jimin could use some of that. How is he so much shorter than you?"

Suga notices the wide-eyed Jungkook chewing on his newfound favourite food and gives him another stick, secretly smiling at the younger boy. He eats well, this kid. He leans back into the couch and continues to eat, not bothering to find another topic to talk to Jungkook.

"Suga-hyung," Jungkook says, "These are really good. I think I might become addicted to them now. Thanks alot." The hyung chuckles softly, a fatherly look on his face. He takes out his phone to use and offers Jungkook another lamb skewer before the younger boy excuses himself to continue exploring the house. Munching on the delectable food, Jungkook walks by a squeaky clean, white and pink-themed kitchen, a library or workspace, another room, and another, and...another. This place is huge, wouldn't have guessed just by looking at it from outside. There's even a backyard.

The new tenant returns to the living room and sees that Suga has switched on the television, even though his eyes are on his phone screen instead. Jungkook gets permission to change the channel and he stays in the living room with Suga.

Into the fifth group performing their song on Music Bank, they suddenly hear the sound of a car screeching to a halt outside in front of the house. Then, car doors slamming shut and someone shouting angrily, "Yah, Joonie!"

"Looks like they're back," Suga mumbles while eating, still scrolling through his phone and obviously disinterested at the return of his other housemates.

Seokjin and Namjoon walks into the living room, holding bags of grocery in both hands, and a plastic carton of eggs held protectively by Seokjin. "Jungkook-ah, can you help me bring these to the kitchen..."

Namjoon lets out a nervous laugh. "I made him hold the egg carton and he somehow managed to peel the scotch tape out and an egg rolled out onto his lap!" Seokjin shouts and Suga can imagine it. Jungkook, on the other hand, doesn't know how the that can happen but hey, let's not judge a new housemate so soon.

"Itchy fingers, y'know," Namjoon lets him know.

 Jungkook takes over the groceries from Seokjin and follows Namjoon to the kitchen.

"I told you not to eat any snacks before dinner time!" Jungkook overhears Seokjin chiding Suga who is pretending to watch Music Bank while silently finishing the last piece. Seokjin-hyung said we're going to eat steak. How generous, meals are even provided here sometimes. 

The newcomer helps keep the groceries as well as prepare the ingredients for dinner under the instructions of Namjoon. Meat, lettuce wraps, french fries, potato, rice, etc. He sees Namjoon standing in front of the fridge door that has various magnets on it, some holding up little notes, countless numbers of food coupons and takeaway brochures, and Jungkook spots a polaroid of Jimin. Why.

Namjoon leaves the kitchen after reading a note, just when Seokjin enters. "Can I help you with anything?" Jungkook offers, not that he usually does cooking and is capable of making high-quality food, but he thinks the least he can do to show his gratitude for 'free' meals is to help wash vegetables and chopping onions and such. "Thanks, Jungkook, but it's not your turn today." Seokjin smiles and dismisses him. 

Again, coming from the basement, they can hear Taehyung and Jimin's voices.

"I was so close, hyung! Do we really have to cook with Jin-hyung?"

"I've won eight times and Hoseok-hyung won six times. Your score was barely close, Jiminnie."

Jimin pushes Taehyung when going up the stairs for that.

Both of them are Seokjin's kitchen assistants for the day and while they made dinner, the rest of the housemates had gone back to their rooms to do some work and unpacking in Jungkook's case.

Time passes twice as slowly for Jungkook since he really doesn't want to unpack his belongings. Packing took him a week and now he has to take out everything he painstakingly folded and squeezed into his luggage? He'd rather pick out whatever he needs to wear on a daily basis directly from the luggage (he's kidding himself). After arranging his clothes into the cupboard and his art materials on the desk and shelf available, he finally clears out his luggage, and dinner is ready.

Hoseok calls him and they go down to the dining area just next to the living room. "Yo, Jungkook!" Taehyung calls out and waves his hand at the boy. "Come sit with me!" Jungkook listens to this hyung and sits. "I'm so glad you're here. With you, I'm no longer the maknae, maknae," Taehyung says with a too-friendly smile."Let's get turnt in this house from now on."

"Someone stop Tae from speaking English," Namjoon mutters from the side.

There is only silence at the dinner table, except for the clinking of cutlery against their plates and bowls and slurping of drinks, as the seven boys wolf down their meal. Jungkook wonders how Seokjin managed to eat his steak in three pieces.

Suga notices how Jimin and Jungkook are not conversing with each other, and nudges Jimin, asking why he's not talking to his brother.

"Who?"

"Your brother."

"Huh?" Jimin gives him a confused look. "Do you mean on the phone?" Suga returns the same look. "Isn't Jungkook..."

"Jungkook?" Jimin repeats louder than Suga expected him to and now he's gotten everyone's attention. Suga stares at Jimin. Wait, was I wrong-

"Jungkook's not my younger brother."

Oh.

"Hahaha, you thought Jungkook was his brother?"

"Didn't I tell you the new tenant's arriving today?"

"Look, he's the same age as Jimin's brother, he's from Busan, I remember seeing his brother dress similarly during a video call last time, and his name starts with a 'J'. They could be the same person!"

The rest of them are amused with Suga's mistake and Jimin realizes there is abit of resemblance between the two 97-liners he knows of. 

"By the way Suga-hyung, I'm Jeon Jungkook," Jungkook decides to add.

"Oh, now you tell me?"

"You didn't ask for my full name."

Taehyung laughs aloud, seeing Suga fall silent in front of the new maknae. "Nice one, Kookie! But umm...why are you calling him Suga-hyung?"

Isn't that his name? A nickname? Why do they all have nicknames? J-Hope, Suga... I bet Taehyung has one too. I just know it. Jungkook looks to the owner of the nickname 'Suga', waiting for him to reveal his real, biological name, and it seems as if 'Suga' could read his mind because he says, "My real name is a secret."

"Why?"

"Because it's cooler that way."

"Pfft", comes from Hoseok, who immediately pretends the sound didn't come from him to avoid getting hit. Jungkook knows he'll find out soon enough so he doesn't probe further. 

By then, everyone was already finished with dinner and leaving the dining table. They clear their own plates and cutlery and dump everything in the sink for the 95-liners to wash because washing dishes is included in the kitchen assistant's job scope.

Again, Jungkook feels like he should offer some help as the new tenant. He makes his way into the kitchen without being caught by Seokjin, whom he thinks might tell him to rest in his room instead. "Let me help you." Without a doubt, the 95-liners accept his help and he starts drying the dishes beside them with a cloth.

As friendly and outgoing boys, who could easily buddy-buddy with people (mostly Taehyung), they manage to make the maknae feel comfortable in a short span of time and grow relatively close, close enough that Taehyung lets Jungkook drop the honorifics and call him "Tae" even.

Jimin, on the other hand, wants to be called 'hyung'. No way is he going to let this kid with an unfair growth spurt address him without honorifics. It's the only way for him to remind Jungkook of his seniority and how he's bigger older than him.

"If Yoongi-hyung hadn't mentioned you resembling Jihyun, my actual brother, I wouldn't have noticed," Jimin says in the midst of washing a spoon. Ohh, Yoongi-hyung. See, someone was going to let out his real name. Jungkook also wonders what Jihyun looks like. Does that mean he looks like Jimin too? He doesn't think so.

They retreat to their rooms after they were done with the dishes and Yoongi visits Jungkook's room. "Just letting you know that I haven't fixed the toilet door, so don't be surprised if someone enters. If anyone does, it's probably Taehyung," Yoongi informs him and steps away from his room.

"'kay, thanks, Yoongi-hyung."

The older man steps back towards the room and sees Jungkook grinning at him from where he sat on the bed. Mmhmm, I know your real name. Yoongi narrows his eyes at him. "Let me guess. Jimin."

"Yeah."

"Knew it."

Later that night when Jungkook is about to go to sleep after placing his phone by the bedside table, he hears multiple KakaoTalk notifications ringing and his phone vibrating. He debated on whether to reach for the phone or nah. It could be spam...

Jungkook takes his phone and reads the notifications.

It is spam.

House

> Hey guys, I added Jungkook

> Remember to put a ♥ behind 'Jin-hyung' when you save my number

> Welcome to the hood, Rapmon here

> Sup Jungkookie, you're one of us now hahaha

> oops I'm Jimin haha

> it's your Hope here ;)

> Suga

> hahaha Jin-hyung wants to have a heart behind his name but I bet he saved JK's name as 'Tenant Jeon Jungkook' hahaha

> ikr

> *ryan emoticon*

> *ryan emoticon*

> YO JK! KOOKIEEE

> taehyung in the hOUSE

> welcome to our groupchat, it's LIT AF

> except for Min Suga

> I'll kill you

> TURN UP

I should turn off the notifications and mute this chat. Jungkook sighs, but saves all their numbers nonetheless.

A longer chapter this time! :)

Thank you for reading <3