Chapter 14 – My Knowledge
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What I see as important constantly changes, but you’ll always be at top place.

[ BG MUSIC ]

     “You can crash on Jeongkook’s bed for the night.” J-Hope said when he noticed Taehyung stiffly standing by the door he just shut after having the maknae brush past him a bit too harshly. J-Hope was lying on his own bed comfortably as he played games on his phone.

As Taehyung strolled over he rolled himself slowly onto Jeongkook’s bed and lied down on his back with an arm under his head. He stared at the ceiling, having thoughts travel around his mind.

“So do you know what’s with Jeongkook? He came in and totally ignored me.”

Taehyung sighed before replying, “I yelled at him.”

J-Hope’s fingers paused for a moment before he continued playing, “Oh.”

Taehyung scrunched his lips up as he glanced over at J-Hope, nodding to himself when he confirmed it was worth a shot. “Hyung, did you know about Jimin’s…circumstances before?”

The elder finally paused his game manually and turned his head to look somewhere in Taehyung’s direction. “You found out?”

Taehyung nodded.

“Honestly I don’t know much about it either. It just came to us hyungs over time that there had to be a reason Jimin would never want to go home on public holidays, or why he had low marks on orals regarding family issues. He has foster parents but I guess he just prefers to be on his own than bother them.”

“What do you mean bother them? Don’t they like him?”

“No it’s not that,” J-Hope shook his head lightly, “but they have five other children they’re looking after, and they’re all under twelve. Jimin doesn’t want to burden them. Or, I assume that’s how it is. What else do you want to know?”

Taehyung lifted his eyes to meet J-Hope friendly grin and smiled back.

“What do you know about…him and Jeongkook?”

J-Hope raised an arm and slid it between his head and his pillow, eyes travelling around the ceiling as he let out a loud exhale. “Yah…that’s a long story. The two go back quite far. Again, this is just based on what I know, alright?”

Taehyung nodded and gestured for the elder to continue.

“Well, I think it was about two years ago. Jimin was about seventeen and Jeongkook fifteen. Wow that little kid, he’s grown so much.” The two chuckled at the statement. “Jeongkook came across Jimin on the streets one day after school. The boy was soaking in the heavy rain but he didn’t seem to care enough about getting himself some shade. Jeongkook ran out and tried to drag him inside a shop but the boy wouldn’t budge. Then suddenly, he broke down.”

Taehyung stayed dead silent as he listened to J-Hope’s every word with a compressing feeling in his chest.

“Jimin began crying. He cried in thundering rain. Jeongkook, well it was the first time he had ever seen such a thing. The funniest part was he actually thought Jimin was the same age as him. Baby-face boy wouldn’t talk for a good ten minutes. But eventually, Jeongkook got through to him. He lead him away from the crowding traffic and they got dry. If I’m not wrong, they danced themselves dry. You can probably assume what happened next.”

“What?”

J-Hope shot Taehyung a bright grin. “He asked Jimin to join the group, of course!”

Taehyung nodded slowly as he gradually began to understand where he stood.

“But not just that though, he began to change.”

“Who?”

“Jeongkookie. He changed alright. He looked out for Jimin wherever they went, and if we ever roamed the shops together, Jimin was always the first person Jeongkook would spend money on. He attached himself to Jimin so much we were actually kinda worried at first, but now we’re okay with it. Besides, you can probably tell that they’re not as stuck to each other anymore. That was ever since you appeared.”

“Me?”

J-Hope nodded. “Jimin asked you to join the group, and Jeongkook backed off.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion.”What does that mean?”

The elder shrugged as he resumed his game, “Who knows.”

“But…I only joined last year. What about the year before that? Hyung, is Jeongkook…gay?”

J-Hope blinked as he thought seriously for a moment, not taking his eyes off his phone screen. “Maybe. We used to stay up on nights where he’d share his feelings with me. If that’s anything to go by, I’d say it’s quite possible. I find them cute though, I mean. Jimin’s almost two years older but Jeongkook’s taller and has a wider shoulder span. It really looks like he’s the elder of the two, right?”

“Does Jimin like that?”

J-Hope shrugged. “Seeing after all he’s been through, it’d make sense for him to want someone who can protect him, right? I remember before you hanged with us, the two used to even sleep on the same bed together. I used to walk in and see Jimin sleeping soundly in Jeongkook’s arms. The maknae seriously hugged him like he was a little puppy.”

Taehyung shuffled uncomfortably as he felt pieces of happiness slowly break apart. His favourite memory with Jimin was the night they hugged each other to sleep, and now he finds out he wasn’t the first person Jimin had ever done that with.

“So, what have you done with Jimin?”

“What?”

“Come on, Tae. I won’t tell.”

After a moment of hesitation, Taehyung spent a few minutes spilling his experiences with Jimin from the past few weeks. The kiss, the hugs, the smiles, everything. But despite J-Hope’s apparent reaction when he heard what Jimin’s surprise present was on the night of December 30, the other memories suddenly began to sound so lame in Taehyung’s ears after hearing Jeongkook’s story.

“Don’t let Jimin’s past get to you, Taehyung. I think out of all of us, he’d be the person who would like to leave the past behind the most. If Jimin’s working hard for the present and the future, then that’s where you should focus on too. Do you get what I mean?”

Taehyung nodded after hard consideration into J-Hope’s words. “Even the death of his parents?”

“Especially the death of his parents.”

“Alright. Thanks hyung.”

“Anytime.” J-Hope his side facing the wall, giving Taehyung some privacy. The younger slipped out Jimin’s gift bag from his pocket and pulled out a white bracelet. He smiled and put it on before reading the tag note that came with it.

“There was a black one but I felt white suited you more. Hope you like it, Tae.”

He turned to his side too and sighed, not being able to help but wonder what Jimin and Jeongkook were doing back in his room. When he was angry earlier, he felt that Jeongkook was the intruder in his and Jimin’s relationship. But now…it’s quite obvious he was wrong.

“There’s one more thing you should understand though.” J-Hope’s voice suddenly came from the other side of the room.

“Yes, hyung?”

“Maybe Jeongkook was his past, and maybe you’re his future. But regardless of who has spent more time with him, in the end, it’s Jimin who decides who he wants to be with. I mean, Jimin’s not the type to just kiss anyone you know.”

 “I would never kiss other people randomly, Tae.”

Taking that thought to heart, Taehyung got under Jeongkook’s blankets and turned silent as he tried to fall asleep.