Jungkook had smokes steaming out his ears, if only Jisoo could see it such in cartoon everyone used to watch as children. His arms crossed and legs were shaking, almost extremely that sometimes she needed to hold the table because if not, their beverages would spill. His pointers were also randomly tapping on the surface, probably was the caffeine reacting— since he had already the third time on that day— and Jisoo had innocently pondered why Jungkook kept watching around, seeming panicky.

“Is there something wrong?” Jisoo tilted her head, expression displayed worried when she stopped the action of writing down her memo.

“Nope.” Jungkook sipped one-third of his ice latte, before detaching his back from the chair, getting nearer to Jisoo— and perhaps— attempting to be focused to her questions.

“Continue.”

The sound of her clicking pen, or how the tip of it scratched with the paper, could not prevent Jungkook to not staring toward Suzy and Jaehyun’s direction. Never did he got of how intense Suzy was staring at his friend right now, all serious and attentive, which he had never gotten any. He wondered what were they talking about and if he was not being respectful enough to Jisoo, maybe he had flown to their table and be there till the end of session.

“Jungkook,”

“Yes?”

The boy blinked afore he went back to glance at Jisoo.

“Is there anything you consider as fear, worry or whatever that dominating your thinker?” She began searching of what cause the younger one distracted.

With that, he had no choice but to follow again where his desire took his eyesight shifted. As in when the scene of Jaehyun offering his other half of earpiece to be put on Suzy’s ear, Jungkook was by now steady on his feet.

Son of a .

He left Jisoo being clueless by his sudden departure then.

It was the idea of letting this friend becoming his substitute was previously looking better as it came to Jungkook’s disordered mind. For the reason, the other would be unlike Yugyeom who loved flirting everyday and so on. But maybe, the decision he took on the way, could be wrong. Because Jaehyun appeared to be getting a lot more comfortable with her. Or else, it could be also Suzy, who has the charm to lure everyone else to feel attached.

No, it can’t be.

Right here and right now, he just didn’t want to embrace the reality. He couldn’t stand the fact that Suzy and Jaehyun were sharing the earpiece already. Wherein he thought it was the thing that she did only with him. Only to him and now he was jealous, which he could never really tell her the reason why he was behaving such as this.

“Switch.”

Suzy and Jaehyun raised their view, to meet the round orbs boy who was standing by their seat.

“Huh?” She was the first responded toward his unusual action.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow when he grasped she had quickly organized the stuff and try to conceal whatever she wrote about Jaehyun on her notes.

What if she was writing his name all over the paper— like what Jungkook did sometimes in class, with hers, of course— and Jaehyun seemed secretive as well he lowered view to his fidgeting hands.

Never leave a brokenhearted girl with someone who’s good-looking as hell, like Jaehyun for example. Jungkook imagined they had their happy-go-lucky talk that maybe his friend had put the smile back to her face. Hadn’t he realized, Suzy had her solemn aspect when she was having earlier conversation with the dimpled-boy. Jungkook’s mind was blasting with negative thoughts and now, he clearly couldn’t help it.

“Switch.” He repeated once more. “Make me your subject, again.”

Suzy frowned because Jungkook was appearing dead serious for what he stated. She contemplated for; one, she caught Jisoo was not minding her subject enough as she was giggling to her phone from afar. Seokjin would be the one to blame for that. And two, what Jaehyun trusted to share with her was critical, whereas she wouldn’t be examining it merely for a task.

“No.”

Suzy did mean what she said after one glance to Jaehyun and she returned to Jungkook. There’s something she was certain he wanted to come back, but swiftly turned to the other.

“Jae, can we have some…alteration?”

The called boy bit his lower lip, in advance of he regarded at her and looked up to Jungkook to answer.

“Sorry, Kook… I think I’ll pass.”

There was a ninety-nine percent chance Jungkook would not be speaking to him at school tomorrow— or probably up till their graduation— Jaehyun was so sure of. By way of he indignantly reverted to the occupied table with Jisoo.

The distant between their table might be not too remote, hitherto Jungkook felt it was already so far and he probably won’t reach her at hand. However, it might be not as much as what Jisoo sensed when Jungkook was there being so much the anti-social person, whom she identified couldn’t communicate well. Unreciprocated, was one word Jungkook hinted to describe whatever situation that was bothering him, Jisoo noted it down the paper. She wondered why she didn’t know what did it signify, yet.

Jungkook had bear in mind that he would be the one who took care of Suzy at all cost. And it was a blur for him to consider this undertaking as a joy— otherwise, it was just real-life burden which could affect him even worse.

Taehyung opened his eyes to the sight of his room. His head was groggy when he supported with a palm, glancing to the side as he noticed a girl with long, brunette tresses was snoozing next to him on the bed. The tanned boy tried to recall what happened when he was out at the club— already two days in a row, he remembered he spent time the night around. Maybe it was another acquaintance of Mr. Oh’s son who apparently had more than a decent number of colleagues there.

Dark, as he knew the sun wasn’t up yet when he checked on his phone, reading the notifications that displayed Jungkook’s name. A couple days passed without the youngest texted him even once and then, he already sent three messages asking whether he could give him a call by now. Taehyung peeked to the digital clock ahead before he decided to ring the younger instead.

“Hello—”

“Jungkook, what time is it in Seoul?”

“Hyung, it’s you who call me… So, if you keep wanting to bother because it is passing my curfew, maybe I don’t need to talk with you right now…”

Taehyung took a deep breath nonetheless, he realized Jungkook sounded too even, he wasn't considered more of nagging at the younger. It wasn’t that Jungkook ever sounded that self-collected and it began to make Taehyung worried.

“What’s wrong?”

The person on the other line exhaled as well. Taehyung wasn’t at ease catching Jungkook sounded too solemn for being his standard.

“Do we need to go through all this change, hyung?”

Taehyung’s brow perked up at the question. “What change?”

“Everything.” Another sigh could be heard by him across. “Everything that we all need to get through… You know… You, me, Seokjin hyung—”

“Are you going to talk about mom and dad, too?”

“Yeah, they’re included as well…” Jungkook continued as Taehyung followed to be a good listener. Despite the fatigue and drowsiness that he had. “Can we go back to what we were?”

Taehyung knew deep inside, Jungkook wanted to confer something else which was more and more significant than this. However, he was now talking to Taehyung and Jungkook wouldn’t spill it out loud in regard of that. Still, the older let Jungkook prattled, up till it came to what he was about to say next.

“It to be in love.”

“Says who?” Taehyung simpered to get Jungkook’s whine then. “Kookie, I’m giving you the freedom to love a certain person, and I don’t know what else that keeps you holding on…”

It breaks off for Taehyung’s own exasperation, as he didn’t mean to say it that way. As for Jungkook, who might consider wrong, moreover to drown him into deep contemplation.

“So, Suzy noona is like your giveaway to me because you’ll be not around?”

Jungkook wouldn’t see his brother supported his one bony cheek with a palm. “Don’t say it like that— you know, that’s not what I mean…”

“How do you expect me to fill up your absence? Do you even considered how does she feel if this is how you’re going to leave her?”

“Jungkook, I never wish you to fill up anything for me, maybe… Maybe, she would start finding someone new to replace me—”

Wrong again, Taehyung didn’t know why he kept using something to describe that was wide off the mark. It was true though he needed someone to look after what is meant a lot for him after he’ll be gone. He supposed when Jungkook admitted he had feelings for her, then things would not be so complicated. But then again, when it came to a matter of heart, there’s nothing he can do especially to force other people to be with one another.

“I don’t want to be your replacement, Taetae hyung…” Even the older lowered his view of how desperate he would to take back what he said to Jungkook. “I can never be you.”

“Not even once I ever ask you to be me, Jungkook.”

“I know… It’s just what’s in my head is starting to be a bit much and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Jungkook’s voice was so small and Taehyung grasped the younger was on the verge— or tears might be by now streaming down his cheeks. Too late to mend what words he already uttered and perchance it’s best to end their conversation.

“Just go to sleep, Jungkook.”

The said person has counted of how many times Taehyung did call him without the pet name and it did bother him the uttermost.

“One more thing, hyung…”

Taehyung’s sigh would be the indicator for Jungkook to carry on.

“If you didn’t know that you’re gonna die… Will you still do all of this because of me?”

Taehyung was having none of it. Not right in the instant when he sensed to prioritize his contentment more than anything he had done. Perhaps, this was the moment for him to turn the most arbitrarily in such short of a lifetime.

“I’ll talk to you later.” firmly, he replied the younger and just hung up.

Not ever in Jungkook’s sixteen years of life, he had pictured Taehyung as one of the most illogical person compared to what nicest entity he used to deal with. Agony, which was one thing the older couldn’t catch from the soul that might be needing him at the most distant.

Jungkook acted beyond his definition of normal by the next day. He couldn’t sleep all night, which it caused him to appear like when he was up in the morning. Seokjin did make fun a little at breakfast and Jungkook didn’t have enough will to even get back at him.

His friends at school was another complication, like it wasn’t enough for him to give the silent treatment to Jaehyun, Yugyeom occurred to be sticking up to his best pal and Jungkook was back being his anti-social self that day.

Well, in all his life, Taehyung was basically the best person to ever taking his side and last night, the older did turn him down because he kept rambling such non-sense. It adds up to the point where Jungkook was required to prepare that he was about to lose the beloved brother. As well as he was the one needed to be his second layer and be responsible for what Taehyung left behind.

Later, had the round orbs boy identified, he already was with Jisoo doing the next session regarding this psychological stuff. The older girl across him recognized sometimes Jungkook would appear out of context, but today he seemed wasn’t even there in the first place.

“Hey, Jungkook… Do you feel like you don’t want to do this right now?” Jisoo gritted her teeth and the person she probed was still looking elsewhere. And that’s why she tapped her pen to the book a few times, until Jungkook has returned the focus toward her. “You okay?”

He did tense at her question, but he didn’t see why he should be honest to Jisoo, since she was at no behalf to know the entire concern.

“Let’s do this quick and maybe we can speed up to finish for all.” Jungkook answered as he shook his head.

Never did he was this eager to finish the session and in its place, it did cause unease for Jisoo a little bit more. Soon, she has opposed and turned to observe his countenance, clearly.

“Let’s reschedule.”

Jungkook wasn’t a fan to add the chance of him extending this assignment with the older girl. However, he did feel a bit more drained than ever and he might need to go home sooner to compensate the lack of sleep he had by the previous night. Before long Jisoo had dismissed him, the high schooler took no longer to leave the regular coffee house.

“Jungkook,”

He must’ve been aware that the other group, which usually be in the same place was not partaking the task in another site than Jisoo and his. Jungkook turned around to find Suzy was throwing him a worried look, she was approaching him by the parking lot.

“You’re leaving early?” She clasped her notebook as she was trying to watch deeper inside his orbs.

Jungkook stepped a couple backwards, intending to march en route to the vehicle parked by Mr. Hwang in advance. “Go back do your thing with Jaehyun.”

“You don’t seem okay—”

Suzy lifted her palm to reach his forehead, hitherto the younger pulled away.

“The hell do you care.”

His mumble didn’t go unnoticed by Suzy. She refrained herself to ask more, nevertheless, she did express what she wanted to deliberate. “I do care, Jungkook…”

That’s the thing about Suzy’s stare which Jungkook loathed himself because he always surrendered and carried away by her thought. There was a small part within his subconscious, whereas it yanked Jungkook to be aware that he wouldn’t be giving in to her.

“Then, don’t.” replied the younger bitterly afore he began moving to leave her sight.

Suzy tugged the closest she could reach of Jungkook’s sleeve, only for her to find his gaze was even downer than she ever gotten.

“Why?” she stifled a lump within and in solicitous.

He took a heavy breath as he was still avoiding to consider straight into her watch. “Don’t do this if it’s because of my hyung.” With that, he pulled his arm to not be held by her.

She returned him merely with a solemn look.

“I’m not Tae hyung.”

Jungkook snapped Suzy out of her current trance. As soon as he left her on the spot and what she muttered to respond, was nowhere near could be overhear by him.

“Of course, you’re not him, Jungkook.”

Taehyung shot up from his bed to find it was still two in the morning while his phone kept buzzing by the end table. He could assume who would be calling him by this point, and for the third time they’ve been not in the same place, it started to annoy him up to his very own limit.

“What?”

He was half-asleep to not noticing the caller ID.

“Tae… It’s me,”

“Jin hyung?” Taehyung gasped softly as he facepalmed, to summon his will to fully concentrate.

“Please come home… N-now…”

“Hyung, calm down…” Without doubt, he was putting why Seokjin was requesting something that he knew he wouldn’t be doing soon. “What’s the matter?”

The second Kim’s son proceed to the eldest, for the reason he caught him was stammering at the other line.

“I’m on my way to the hospital— ,” It never was good when Seokjin started cursing by his own. “Jungkook tried to cut himself, Tae!"

Taehyung swore his heart dropped as he didn’t catch what next from the older brother, since his phone was released to the floor.

A/N:

Hide myself behind my bias because of this little twist~

xoxo,