1. Jackson doesn't have a best friend.

The Roommate team liked to tout that YoungJi and Jackson were best buddies and even teased viewers that they were ‘more than just friends,’ but everyone knew it was just a role they played really well. It wasn’t hard to believe, of course. YoungJi was effervescent and dorky, Jackson was hilarious and just a little bit crazy, and their onscreen chemistry was palpable to anyone with a pulse. The audience loved seeing them interact so they’re increasingly paired for segments together and thus, the legend of JackJi and their great friend/relationship began.

But YoungJi wasn’t Jackson’s best friend.

And that’s okay because her best friend was her sister, and not even HaRa or anyone at DSP for that matter could top her own flesh and blood. Still, it did make her curious.

“Who is it then?” YoungJi asked him out of the blue one day. They were in the car, waiting for JongOk and SeHo. Jackson glanced up from his phone, confused because he didn’t have ESP to follow YoungJi’s train of thought.

“What?”

“Who is it?” YoungJi repeated. “Your best friend.”

Jackson stared at her for a second before snorting.

“Yah.” He laughed like she’d said something silly. “What kind of a question is that?”

“I’m just curious.” YoungJi huffed defensively.

Jackson turned in his seat to give her an amused little smirk that had irked her for reasons didn’t like to dwell on lately.

“Aren’t you supposed to be my best friend?”

YoungJi frowned because Jackson had answered her question with two questions and, if she didn’t know any better, she’d accuse him of evading the subject.

“That’s on the show.” YoungJi insisted aloud. “I’m talking about when you’re not here filming.”

Jackson looked off thoughtfully for a moment and then shrugged.

“Umm… Mark I guess?” He suggested more than answered, naming his roommate back at Got7’s dorm.

“You guess.” She deadpanned, shooting him a ‘Really?’ look.

“I don’t know.” Jackson laughed again, having the grace to look sheepish. He scratched just under his ear where a black fang dangled before explaining, “It’s just...I just have a lot of friends. It’s hard for me to say who I’m closest to among them.”

YoungJi was aware of Jackson’s popularity but she was persistent because,

“How does that make any sense?” She pressed. “Shouldn’t it be obvious who you confide and trust the most out of everyone else?”

“Not really.” Jackson replied, leaning back in his seat. “I mean, I have groups of friends that I hang out with or talk with but,” He fiddled with the ring he shared with his group members and admitted, “I can’t honestly say that there’s any one person who really knows me better than everyone else.”

YoungJi blinked, surprised.

“That…that sounds so lonely.”

Jackson scoffed at her tone. “Yah! Don’t say that so sadly.”

“How else am I supposed to say it?” YoungJi argued.

“Not like I’m the saddest little kid on the planet!” Jackson threw back with a chortle. He scratched the back of his neck then said, “Look, it’s not like I don’t have people I trust or get along well with. It’s just…” He shrugged, “I guess you could say I don’t have a best friend; rather, I have several.”

“Ehh.” YoungJi twisted , unpleased. “That’s cheating.”

“Says who?” Jackson challenged, turning his chin up. “Who says you’re only allowed one best friend??”

“The word ‘best’ in the title.” YoungJi retorted drily.

“Aish.” Jackson muttered. After a moment he tried, “Look at it this way, who’s your best friend?”

“My sister.” YoungJi answered immediately.

“Right.” Jackson nodded because he knew that already. “But even though she’s your best friend, you’re close to HaRa too, right?”

“Of course.” YoungJi almost laughed because it was such an obvious fact that she adored all her seniors in KARA, though she was admittedly closer to HaRa simply due to their ages. “What are you getting at?”

“I’m just saying, while I’m sure your sister knows almost everything about you, there have to be some things that she won’t ever understand in your life. Like your debut,” Jackson pointed out. “She may have been there when you were training and when you were on the selection show, but she won’t ever really know what it was like for you like the other trainees at your company do, right?”

YoungJi thought about it for a moment and relented, “Yeah, I suppose so…”

“And being in KARA,” Jackson went on, “You could tell her everything that happens whenever you go to practice or perform on stage with the group, but I’m sure there are only some things that have happened that only the group members know about right?”

“That’s…kind of true.” YoungJi sunk back into her seat thoughtfully, “So what you’re saying is, you have different types of best friends?”

“No, no, not really.” Jackson made a face, “It’s more like…I have friends who know and understand certain things about my life. I have friends back home, I have friends here, I have my group members, and so on and so forth.” He shrugged again. “Picking a best friend among all of them would be like disregarding some other parts of my life, you know?”

And YoungJi understood him perfectly.

His friends back in Hong Kong with the awkward names she can’t fully pronounce get Jia Er, the talented dork he’d been before he wagered the opportunity to become an idol against his own father. Got7 got the fun, mood-making Jackson that gets them through performances. The other idols in their industry got the wild, partying kid who could turn a quiet dinner into a raucous party with the right phone calls. And the Korean public got the hilarious foreigner on a variety show every Tuesday night.

Jackson Wang gave little pieces of himself away, spreading his secrets and stories across a broad spectrum of people that were important, if not always close (physically or otherwise) to him.

“But…” YoungJi said haltingly, drawing a pattern on the arm of her chair. “We’re friends too, right?”

It was a fair question though she felt stupid and needy the moment it fell from her lips. They were good acquaintances who got along well as co-workers and co-stars. That should’ve been enough for her, right?

“Tch,” Jackson flicked a finger on her forehead, smiling, “What kind of a question is that? Of course we are.”

(Sometimes, YoungJi wondered which piece of him she held in her hands.)

4/6/15