33: THOSE WHO STAND IN MY AUDIENCE

"1+1=0," by Suran (feat. DΞΔN)

                “Congratulations, congratulations. Next, graduating with scholastic honors…”

                She was trying. Really, she was trying very hard. But it was just so difficult to stand still in her graduation robe and maintain a normal expression with the four of them sitting there like that. In the second row of the auditorium, all sitting together like some cheerfully dysfunctional family, was that group of boys she was becoming increasingly familiar with.

                Namjoon and Yoongi wore low hats, sunglasses, masks, and bulky sweatshirts, despite warm sun shining outside. Squished in between them was a very enthusiastic Taehyung. He had unfortunately had brought with him a sign reading, “CONGRATULATIONS, NOONA” with many random spray-painted images that were actually quite terrifying and had no apparent connection to graduation at all. Sitting on Yoongi’s right, freshened up and practically radiating beauty, was Seokjin, all decked out in a smart black suit with a deep blue tie and gelled-back hair. He seemed blissfully ignorant to the fact that they were at a high school graduation and not a business meeting.

                No, there definitely wasn’t anything normal about them, not one bit.

                But today, Naeil wasn’t upset at them for embarrassing her. She kind of relished their disturbance of Jae-Dong’s self-serious graduation ceremony. They were by no means a high-ranking school in Seoul, but it seemed like the faculty had convinced themselves of it being otherwise. Sure, it was a little annoying that everyone was asking Naeil who the boys were, but it was worth it for all the puzzled, disgruntled looks from school her classmates and teachers.

                Yoongi and Namjoon almost hadn’t come. They knew that at least Juyoung would recognize them. But in the end, they showed up, anyway. Juyoung couldn’t really do anything about it, since he was busy graduating with the rest of the third-year students. He just sort of glared at them from the stage, and Yoongi and Namjoon sort of looked away and hummed to themselves.

                At some point, all the words being spoken around her, all the stares from the audience, and yes, even Taehyung’s terrifying sign—they faded away, and suddenly the reality of Naeil’s position dawned on her. She was graduating, and no amount of imagination on her part could have predicted the future that awaited her: Honyong University and…well, something to do with the Korean mob? Only a few days after graduation, she would be packing her things and heading to her new apartment on campus. It wasn’t exactly what she had hoped for in life, but somehow, Naeil never felt more certain about her decisions than she had now.

                The ceremony ended while Naeil’s head was still in the clouds, and she wandered around for a while before finally finding her mom. She felt herself immediately surrounded in her mother’s firm arms.

                “Naeil-ah,” she choked out, her daughter’s hair. “I’m so, so proud of you, sweetheart.”

                Naeil returned the hug, chuckling a little. “Eomma. Are you crying?”

                “No! I’m—I’m not.”

                “You’re definitely crying.”

                Jaehee pulled away, giving Naeil a full view of her watery eyes. “Okay, maybe a little.” She gave Naeil’s cheeks a little pat. “You did well, ttal. You worked so hard. I’m very proud of you.”

                “Thanks, eomma,” she took her mother’s hands in her own. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

                “Noona!”

                Taehyung appeared from the crowd, jumping up and giving Naeil a hug from behind that almost knocked her over. Jaehee gave her daughter a questioning look as she fought to keep her balance.

                “Eomma, this is, um, Kim Taehyung,” she said, prying the boy’s arms off of her.

                Taehyung straightened immediately and bowed. “Eomma-nim, it’s very good to meet you. Noona has taken such good care of me, I’m so glad I met her!”

                “Taehyung-ah—there you ar—oh.”

                Yoongi stopped in his tracks, looking from Taehyung, to Naeil, to her mom, and back to Naeil. Even behind all the things covering his face, Naeil could see something like panic set in.

                “Uhhhh…um…I…” He looked to Naeil desperately and whispered through his teeth, “Naeil-ah!”

                If Jaehee had looked confused when Taehyung appeared, she looked positively mystified at the appearance of this gangster-like man speaking so familiarly with her daughter, who was only smiling.

                “I’m…” Yoongi stopped, bowed and started over. “I’m, well, this—” He motioned to his appearance. “—It’s just because—”

                “He’s blind!” exclaimed Taehyung, surprising everyone. “His eyes look all weird, so he always wears glasses like that.”

                “I’m not—”

                “But the mask…?” puzzled Jaehee.

                “He’s not blind, eomma. He’s just…um…albino.”

                “Albi—?!”

                Naeil scooched over to Yoongi and dug her finger into his ribs.

                “The light isn’t good for him, eomma. It’s really terrible, he has to go around like this all the time.”

                Just then, a Namjoon appeared behind them, setting his hand on Yoongi’s shoulder and smiling at Jaehee through his mask.

                “Oh, Naeil-ah, is this your mother?”

                An awkward silence followed as they all stared at Namjoon, who couldn’t look more sketchy—and clueless.

                “His brother came too,” said Naeil finally. “It’s such a bright day out, too. Poor things.

                What discomfort had been stirred up at the sight of Yoongi and Namjoon was more than made up by the appearance of Seokjin. He practically floated over to Naeil and his mother, smiling brightly as he greeted her and introduced himself.

                “Uwa, you must be Ji Oneul!” cried Seokjin. [Oneul=today].

                Jaehee looked confused.

                “Because you’re Naeil’s mother! HYUH HYUH HYUH!”

                Namjoon audibly groaned, and Yoongi just stared at Seokjin as if he was the most pitiful human being he had ever seen in his life. Fortunately for Seokjin, however, Jaehee laughed hardily at his terrible joke, the corners of her eyes crinkling with delight.

                “Ah, you’re very clever, aren’t you?” She patted her daughter’s shoulder cheerfully, but her eyes were still captured by Seokjin’s face. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you introduce me to your charming friend—I mean, friends, before?”

                Trying very hard not to look too red in the face, she forced out, “Oh, we’ve just gotten to know each other.”

                “Well, he’s very handsome, very kind too.”

                “Aigoo, thank you, madam. You’re looking lovely, yourself.”

                “Aigoo—”

                Naeil edged over to where Yoongi and Namjoon stood in dumbfounded silence. “I think it’s too late now,” she whispered, leaning toward them. “They’re going to become best friends forever and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

                “They’re exchanging phone numbers,” growled Yoongi, sounding a little bitter.

                “What?! Eomma!”

Author’s Note

Kim Seokjin, Mom Whisperer. He has a magic smile.

So I recently converted one of my very oldest friends to BTS and I’m still in denial that she actually likes them, but then she says stuff like “BTS keeps me going,” and “all I want to do when I get home is watch videos of them,” and asks me random questions about Korean words, and seems to be listening to them every time I sit down to study with her. It must be real. It’s just so hilarious, I can’t believe it haha

Waaaaa I almost didn’t have time to post this I randomly went to a FOUR HOUR concert this evening and halfway through I was like OH MY GOSH I NEED TO UPDATE.