5: LIFE IN TIN AND CARDBOARD

"Comedian," by Zion. T

                Just outside of Seoul, there was an old shipping company where trains ran in and out all day and night. After it became too outdated for current standards, the shipping company moved to nearby land, not bothering to tear down old railroads and boxcars. Only one person was walking through the old loading site that evening: a young man with mint-green hair and a hoodie.

                He walked past several box cars, tractors, trucks, and piles of rusty metal crates, until he arrived at a dumpy sort of tin hut. It was lined with random junk, like old chairs and folded pieces of cardboard. The boy with green hair shook his head and headed inside.

                “You know, Namjoon,” he drawled, tossing his backpack on the ground as he came in, “This thing could easily win ‘best crapshoot award.’”

                Namjoon, who had been reading a book at his messy desk, turned around and grinned.

                “Still, it is the best crapshoot.”

                “Uh huh. Yeah, sure. Your weird pride for this thing has really got me worried.”

                Namjoon got up and opened the little fridge beside him. He eyed his visitor, who was pulling down his hood and raking his fingers through the mess of hair on his head.

                “So, green this time?”

                “Yeah. My scalp’s killing me, but at least I’m not shaved almost bald like I was when I first left.”

                He caught the bottle of water Namjoon tossed him and cracked it open.

                “I like it,” said Namjoon. “So, what’s up with you today, hyung?” [Hyung=way for a male to address an older brother or older male friend]

                The air grew thicker somehow. With a sigh, the newcomer plopped down into the nearest chair. “Still haven’t found a trace of Jimin, and I’ve been nosing around all day. I’m running out of options, but I don’t think he’s gotten in trouble with Sa Hyeo Pa or anything like Hoseok was worried about. Hoseok’s always a too neurotic when it comes to Jimin.” [Sa Hyeo=Four Tongues, and the character “파” or “pa” denotes the name of a Korean gang/mob].

                “I thought Hosoek said he heard one of those iljin punks in Bul-ui Agma asking around about him.”

                “Yeah? Well, I dunno, maybe he just pissed them off the other day or something.”

                “Really? Jimin-ah?”

                “Those little bastards get pissed off pretty easily.”

                “I guess that’s true.”

                The green-haired one took a long chug of water and wiped his mouth. “So, what about Tae? I heard he wasn’t doing so great either.”

                Namjoon sighed and shook his head. His voice fell down several notches as he continued, “Yeah, he got real banged up by his dad last night. He’s sleeping in the back right now.”

                “Hm. That so…”

                There was silence for a while, until Namjoon finally said, “You can ask about Jungkook, you know. It’s not illegal to care about your brother.”

                “Half-brother.”

                “Seriously?”

                “Namjoon-ah. Shut up.”

                “Come on, hyung. You’ve been playing ghost for a year and a half now. Jimin still gets to see you. Taehyung gets to see you. Me, Seokjin, Hoseok. I know you never spent a lot of time with him even before you got in trouble with Sa Hyeo Pa, but you could at least let him get a glimpse of your face or something. I mean, he would still think you were cold and dead right now if I hadn’t told him the truth myself—”

                “I’m still mad at you about that by the way—”

                “He probably would have killed himself if he hadn’t figured out! Don’t you know you’re all he ever talks about? ‘Yoongi-hyung’ this, ‘Yoongi-hyung’ that. When are you going to step up and be a real hyung? You—”

                “I’m not a real hyung!” shouted Yoongi. “I’m a bastard! Got it?”

                Namjoon stopped talking and looked away, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “You know he doesn’t think of you that way,” he said, gently.

                Yoongi snorted. “Sure. And neither does my dad.” He stood up and snatched his backpack off the floor. “I should go. Whoever is after Jimin, they’re not gonna mess around while he’s still out there.”

                Namjoon sighed again. “Alright. Be careful.”

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Author’s Note

Wowwwwww that was dramatic.

But hey, yay! Yoongi is back and he has green hair! Ah, memories.

By the way, I am aware of the fact that if Yoongi and Jungkook are half-brothers and have the same dad that they should also have the same surname, but both “Min Jungkook” and “Jeon Yoongi” looked weird to me so I gave up and decided I’d just avoid saying Jungkook’s full name for the course of this story. I know it’s kinda lame but….it was the only thing I could come up with.

On a totally different note, do you know how tired I am of business math right now? VERY TIRED. VERY, VERY, VERY TIRED. (Pray for my soul, I have an exam tomorrow).

Thank youuuuuuuuu again to everyone who’s supporting this story……..I feel like I’ve been a little distant (as distant as you can be on the internet I guess??),  but thank you for staying anyway!!