Hey, it was you that night right? 14:30

Read 17:48I don’t know what are you talking about.

Don’t pretend like you didn’t know 17:49

That grey jacket only belongs to you 17:49

Read 17:54  I really don’t know what this is all about.

Whatever 17:55

Anyways, thank you for that even though you didn’t admit it 17:55

I really appreciate it 17:55

Anyways, winter games is in a month 18:10

You’re still welcome to join 18:10

Jeon Jungkook changed one-hundred eighty degrees.

The usual smiley black-haired boy turned gloom. As if Yoongi’s tragedy repeats again, but this time it’s much worse. He stopped going to the lunch completely, only staring off outside the window in the classroom without minding Taehyung’s plead of getting something to eat. He stopped going to basketball practice, he dozes off in class, he doesn’t even budge when Yoongi tried to knock some sense to him.

“Kookie,” Seokjin pleaded beside him, “Please, just eat some lunch. You don’t need to come with us but please eat something,”

The black-haired boy didn’t even glance at the older. He only stared down on the window beside him like it was the most interesting thing in the world. There was Hoseok and a frowning Taehyung waiting in front of the class’s door, with Namjoon and Yoongi accompanying their oldest friend to approach Jungkook.

The silver-haired boy sighed as he patted Seokjin’s shoulder, “Hyung, let’s just go for this time. He’s not listening,”

Seokjin’s frown grown deeper as his heart got more guilty at Jungkook’s condition. He finally stood up from his place, “We’ll be at the cafeteria if you need us, okay?”

Even if he didn’t answer, the oldest still tried to ask him the things he needed, before finally being pulled by Namjoon out of the class. It has been like this for days and the rest of the boys started to suspect that Jungkook wasn’t even eating at home too because the youngest of the crowd just looked too skinny for his own good.

Yoongi who wasn’t left the class yet only sighed before he ruffled the younger boy’s hair as he put a box of milk on his table. He has been doing it since Jungkook’s breakdown even though he didn’t know if the boy takes it or not.

“Call me if you want more, okay?” he says as he finally turned from him, getting out of the class as the rest of the boys were waiting for him.

Jungkook still didn’t touch the box.

*******

“Yes, the key’s in the flower pot right next to the door,” she says as she tucks into her shoes, “Yeah, it’s okay really. You can just come in,”

Jungkook has completely stopped going to school, as he lost the motivation of getting up the bed and face the world once again. When he found out that both of his father and mother had already known the truth far before they finally decide to bury Jungwon at Busan, he only felt more betrayed. He stopped talking to his mother to the point it was getting really worrying.

“Jungkook-ah,” he can hear his mother shout from downstairs, with him being under his sheets, “I’m going to work now okay? There’s breakfast in the table if you want to eat!”

He knows he wouldn’t go down—his appetite has long gone some days ago and he definetly didn’t feel like going to eat again soon. He had only ate once a day since the truth had dawned on him, twice when his mother’s persuasion got to him. But it was so little everytime he have it, that it was kind of useless to cook so much.

As he heard the front door closing, he sighed as he takes his phone into his hand. It was eight in the morning and it marked the third day since he locked himself in his house, not going outside even only to the convinience store near his house. He has been feeling tired everyday that he doesn’t really moves from his bed besides going to the restroom. He didn’t even do anything in those time, he only stared at the ceiling or drowning himself to sleep.

Even now, he can feel that he’s getting drowsy already despite being just woken up an hour before. He exhaled for the umpteenthtime that day (and it was still morning even) before throwing his phone to where he doesn’t care before pulling up his blankets, covering his face as he let himself slip back into sleep.

A few hours into nothingness and darkness, suddenly he can hear his door room being knocked. Guessing that it’s probably his mother, he didn’t answer it.

“Jungkook, can I come in?”

He peeked out his head when he heard the voice. It was familiar and it was definetly not his mother. As his masculine voice keep asking, Jungkook finally sighed and gave a hum of confirmation as the door slowly creaks. A flock of brown hair showed up into his sight, smiling at him as he stepped in and close the door.

“Hi,” Taehyung smiled at him as he lied down beside him, “How are you feeling?”

Jungkook didn’t answer him, throwing his glance back to the ceiling as he earned a sigh from the boy beside him who was now currently glancing at the same direction as him.

“Don’t worry about getting disturbed, it’s just me today,” Taehyung tried to give assurance to him, but it seems the crowd wasn’t the thing that made him bothered. He was just simply tired of knowing the bleak truth.

“Jungkook,” he started again, “Do you remember what did you tell me when we were talking about my sister?”

And finally for the first time in days the black-haired boy opened his mouth, “...No,”

“You said to give her a chance,” Taehyung says, “You said I need to appreciate her efforts of fixing my pain,”

Not getting a reply on his words, Taehyung continued.

“Even though what happened to you was unbearable to accept... But maybe you should do the same like how you tell me, Kook,” he turned to smile at him, “I know it’s hard, it’s really hard to know that your most trusted person had been lying to you this whole time.. But he just wanted you to live happily without feeling you need to be as perfect as him. Kris too, I bet he’s only trying to protect your feelings. He knows it would be like this when he told you,”

The black-haired boy looked at him, dark circle under his eyes even though he had been sleeping all day, “What.. are you trying to say?”

“Appreciate their efforts,” Taehyung softly said, “I bet your brother never meant to hurt you, Jungkook. Kris too, he’s only trying to fix everything he can,”

Turning back his glance to the ceiling, Jungkook’s face scrunched as he reminenced his memories. The black-haired by haven’t really cried again since he ran away from Kris, but when he thought about the realization, his old memories with his brothers and how he always thought Kris was the bad guy... It overwhelmed his emotions that his tears are swelling on the edges of his eyes.

“It’s just,” he croaked, “Its just sad, Tae. Why do they have to do that? I never thought that I’ll be bothered with all those comparison so why does he need to go that far? My parents knows about it, Tae, and they didn’t tell me about it..,”

“They’re just afraid that it will be too much for you.”

“I trusted him so much, Tae. I trusted him so much with all my heart, with everything that I have,” Jungkook finally sobbed now, “Why he can’t just be truthfull to me? I would understand, I would never see him in another light if that what he’s scared of, so why?”

“People are complex,” the brown-haired boy raked his fingers through the other boy’s raven hair, “They sometimes think too much for something so little, afraid that if they didn’t think about it they’ll do it wrong. No one wants to be wrong, and from what I heard your brother is a little perfectionist,”

The black-haired boy nodded as he bit his lower lip, “He is,”

“You were an important part of his life and he must wanted you to have the best in the world. If people started comparing you two he’s afraid that you’ll hate him. He’s afraid that you’ll start to dislike him because everyone expected you to be like him,”

“But I won’t..,”

“That’s what he didn’t know, and probably didn’t dare to ask you too,” Taehyung smiled at him, “You gotta understand that... people sometimes go overboard when it comes to their love, you know? Like Namjoon, you know why he’s gone into deliquency, right?”

Jungkook softly says a yes to him.

“You’re brother was doing the same—only to protect you. Only for your best,” he continued, “Besides—this is a really ty thing to say from me but, if he didn’t do all of that... We wouldn’t get to meet you, Jungkook. We would be still in pieces without you,”

Taehyung stopped talking as Jungkook bursted in a crying fit. He let the black-haired boy wailed as he kept raking his hair, caressing it softly in a sign of assurance that he’s here for him.

“Tae,” the younger called, “Am I... that pathetic?”

“Of course not,” the taller boy frowned, “Why did you think like that?”

“I know you said that he only wanted the best for me... But I feel really ugly, Tae. It feels like that I’m that pathetic and so much of a disappointment that he had to protect me, that he had to hide me from everything... I really feel like he’s subtly saying that I’m that pathetic to stand up for myself,”

Before Taehyung could really utter another word, suddenly Hoseok bursts into the room and throwing himself to the black-haired boy, seemingly like he has been eavesdropping the whole conversation from the door.

“Oh, Jungkook!” he exclaimed as he hugged the hell out of the boy, “You’re not pathetic! You’re far from it—you’re amazing! You’re the most amazing person that I’ve ever met! If you weren’t here the basketball club would never even returned and we’ll all miss the winter games once more..,”

“Hyung...,”

“So don’t you say that you’re pathetic anymore, alright? You don’t deserve to be called that  after everything that you did to all of us,” the older boy smiled as he pulled from the hug, “You’re a really great person, Jeon Jungkook,” 

“Thank you, hyung,” the boy smiled a little as his hiccups weren’t completely gone, “I still feel so bad, though,”

“That’s okay,” Hoseok just ruffled his hair, “It’s okay to still feel like that, things doesn’t go away instantly. The most important thing that we’re all here for you. Those bad feelings will go away gradually and we’ll help you in it!”

Jungkook smiled, but suddenly his face scrunched, “But, hyung.. Tae... what is Hoseok-hyung doing here? You said it was only you?”

Hoseok froze as Taehyung slapped his forehead. The brown-haired younger boy had been frowning at the older boy when he barg