Chapter 16

 

“Guys, I have something to tell you,” Hoseok stands patiently as he waits for his parents to sit down on the couch.

“What is it, Hobi?” Mrs Jung asks.

“Did you not get accepted?”

Hoseok bites his lip so he doesn’t let anything slip, “Can I go drinking with my friends tonight?”

Mrs and Mr Jung exchange a strange look, before directing their eyes to their strange child.

“Drinking?” Mrs Jung asks, “Why?”

“Because…” Hoseok sighs dramatically, “Because I didn’t get into medical school,”

They both gasp, giving their son a pitiful look.

“Hobi… I’m so sorry,” Mr Jung sighs, “It’s okay, you can study and try again next year,”

“Actually,” Hoseok breaks his fake facade and grins up at them, “I got accepted into something else,”

“Oh?” Mr Jung grins cheekily, “Where will you be studying?”

Hoseok starts a drum roll on his legs. His parents both join in, looking excited.

With one last slap, Hoseok cheers, throwing his hands in the air, he yells.

“Korean National Police University!” He grins. Mrs Jung looks shocked, but Mr Jung stands up and cheers with his son.

“A police officer!” He laughs merrily, “My son is going to be a police officer!”

Hoseok and his father hug each other, laughing happily at Hoseok’s new prospects.

 

Eventually, they turn to look at Mrs Jung, who looks nervous.

“A police officer…” She bites her lip, “That’s a bit dangerous isn’t it?”

“Yah!” Mr Jung chastises her, “We said we’d support him no matter what! A police officer!” He wipes away a stray tear of happiness, “My boy is going to be a strong civil servant!”

“What do you want to do when you get promoted?” Mrs Jung asks.

“I want to be a detective!” Hoseok says proudly.

“Aigoo!” Mr Jung almost faints with pleasure, “You’re going to be the best detective ever! Yah!” He nudges his wife, “Remember when he was a little kid? He’d always watch Detective Conan on the TV!”

“I guess…” Mrs Jung sighs, “I guess we can’t stop you… when do you start?”

“July,” Hoseok supplies, “I’m going to start training now so I don’t fail my physical!”

“Don’t forget to practice for your entrance exam!” Mr Jung grins, “Those are gruelling,”

“Don’t worry, Dad, Ma,” Hoseok hugs his mother tightly, “I am happy… are you happy, Ma?”

“Of course I’m happy for you!” Mrs Jung says, hugging her son tightly, “Just be careful,”

“Don’t worry, ma,” Hoseok grins at his two parents, “I’ll be passionate, and strive for justice!”

“I know you will do well,” Mr Jung chuckles, “So I assume this meeting with your friends is a celebration?”

Hoseok nods.

“What I just did… do you think it’ll work on them?”

“No way!” Mrs Jung smacks his son playfully, “That was an emotional rollercoaster! Just tell them straight out,”

“Alright, Ma,” Hoseok grins at his proud parents. He is finally starting to feel the pieces coming together.

 

 

Sumi looks up at the Korean BBQ restaurant they are supposedly drinking at with nervousness. All she has been told is that Hoseok has some news for them and wants to drink together for the first time – now that they have graduated.

Drinking together? Korean restaurant? Not joining Jennie and Jungkook at Medical school orientation? All these facts running around Sumi’s head scream that he couldn’t get into medical school. Is this going to be a sorrowful event?

Not only that, Yoongi and Namjoon will be here. Has the break already started? How should she act around him now? All the thoughts in her head, pushing for her to move on… she can’t face him right now.

 

Sumi takes a deep breath in and calms her beating heart.

It’ll be fine. No matter what it is, it’ll be fine.

She steps into the crowded restaurant.

“Welcome!” A staff member bows as she enters. Sumi bows back, looking around for her friends. She spots them at a seat by the window. They would have seen her having a mental breakdown through the window from where they are seated.

 

Blushing a little, she heads over to them. The first thing she notices, which she always does whenever she is with her friends, is that Yoongi and Namjoon are not there. Are they running late?

“Hey, Sumi!” Hoseok jumps up at hugs her tightly, wiggling with joy. She relaxes a little as the relief of not having to console her friend washes over her. This is obviously not a sombre occasion.

“Hey guys,” Sumi beams as Hoseok lets her go. They sit down, Sumi beside Hoseok and Jennie opposite them beside Jungkook. There is no more available room for Namjoon and Yoongi.

 

“They are not coming,” Jennie answers Sumi’s unspoken question as she watches Sumi frown at the table. Sumi’s frown deepens with confusion.

“They are training hard!” Hoseok chuckles, “That’s okay, I told them over the phone,”

“What’s happening?” Sumi asks, “Is everything okay?”

“Of course!” Jennie chuckles. Jungkook smirks as well, leaving Sumi to believe that she is the only one who doesn’t know. Is she really not that close with her friends?

I need to message them more… Sumi tells herself as her heart breaks a little.

“I decided I am not going to be a therapist anymore,” Hoseok begins, smiling proudly.

“Are you still going to study?” Sumi interrupts as she suddenly feels concerned for her friend.

“Wait for him to finish!” Jennie chastises her playfully. Sumi smirks and waits for Hoseok to finish.

“I’ve decided to become a police officer!” Hoseok declares proudly, “I start in July, and yes, I’m already training for the physical test, and yes I am already training for the university exam,”

“Wow!” Sumi gasps, “Congratulations! How did you come to this decision?”

 

Hoseok spends approximately 30 minutes talking about his trip to the university for career day, and how he found the army stand.

Sumi watches him talk animatedly about his newfound dream and plans for the future. Every question they have, he has an answer for. Every single detail they can think of, he is already 2 steps ahead of. Sumi has never seen Hoseok so organized. Honestly, she has never seen him even plan an outing, never mind his future.

Seeing him talk so excitedly about his new purpose makes Sumi feel proud. As she looks around at them all, she is finally starting to feel like an adult. Yeah, she might have only just become an adult, but seeing them all moving into the world with ambitions and plans makes high school life seem so far away now. How is it that she missed all this growth? Her friends have changed as human beings and she didn’t even notice.

 

“Hey! Are you ready to order now?” A server calls as they pass the table.

“4 servings of sirloin steak and short ribs, please!” Jennie calls after him.

“And 4 soju and beer bottles, please!”

“Cass?” He calls back.

“Yeah!” They all respond, grinning with enthusiasm. They are going to try alcohol for the first time at a locally well-known Korean BBQ place, somewhere they have always wanted to go.

 

They have no idea how well they will handle their alcohol, or what beer or soju tastes like. They are just going off what they have seen from their parents, Korean Dramas, and reality shows.

“I have always wanted to try a soju bomb,” Jungkook grins at Hoseok cutely, “I wonder what it’ll be like?”

“Yah,” Jennie whispers to Sumi, grinning wickedly, “10 bucks says he’s the first to pass out,”

“I’ll accept that bet,” Sumi glances at Hoseok, “I think Hoseok will need to be carried home,”

“What?” Jungkook frowns, “Are you guys making bets?”

“No,” Sumi grins, “What makes you think that?”

Jennie and Sumi laugh loudly, looking at the two bewildered guys with mirth dancing in their eyes. Hoseok looks confused at the sudden laughter, whereas Jungkook looks haughty – almost like he’s accepting a challenge.

 

“Alright,” Jungkook raises his eyebrow at Jennie, “I bet you two will be drunker than us!”

“That’s an easy bet to accept!” Jennie giggles, “We’ll just drink slower!”

Hoseok tsks at Jennie, catching onto the inside joke.

“You have to keep up,” Hoseok smirks, “It’s only fair,”

“Fine,” Sumi grins evilly, “shot by shot, sip by sip. We’ll drink equally,”

“Yah,” Hoseok pushes his chest out proudly, looking down at Sumi excitedly, “I am a future police officer! If I can’t hold my alcohol, how will I be able to socialise with my coworkers?”

“We’ll see,” Jennie giggles.

 

The food and alcohol arrive, along with standard Korean BBQ sides. The server gestures to the box with the utensils in it before walking off to serve another customer.

“Thank you!” They cheer happily. Hoseok takes the tongs and the scissors, properly manning the BBQ easily. He cuts the meat into almost perfect squares and cooks them to perfection. As he does this, Jungkook begins pouring shots of soju and glasses of beer.

“Shots first?” Sumi smirks at Jungkook, “Or do we want to do a soju bomb first?”

“Yah, yah, yah,” Hoseok shakes his head, “My dad always says you start the night with a shot of Soju, then food with the beer, then you play the drinking games, okay?”

“Fine,” Sumi grins, “Everyone ready?”

They all pick up their glasses, ready to try the strong alcohol for the first time.

“One shot!” They cheer together as they down the drinks. Jennie and Sumi gasp and cough, making strange faces. They both grab a glass of water and try to get rid of the strange flavour from their mouths. Jungkook and Hoseok laugh, but they are both already red in the face.

“Ahhh~” Hoseok sighs, “That was strong!”

“No way!” Jungkook grins cheekily, “That was nothing!”

Considering everyone’s reactions, it seems very strange that Jungkook and Hoseok are drunker than Sumi and Jennie. Are they really lightweights?

Sipping the bitter beer, they begin consuming the delicious meal in front of them. They talk of school and their friendship as they merrily finish the meat and a glass of beer each.

“Alright, time for Soju bombs!” Hoseok cheers as he begins setting up the glasses with Jungkook.

 

“Let’s drink together for the first time, alright?”

 

Sumi’s heart stops as she recalls the conversation she had with Yoongi a while ago. They had decided to have their first taste of alcohol together after Sumi was talking to him about the alcohol study she had been doing for her book.

She vaguely recalls mentioning how girls tend to get drunk easier the first time, to which he responded with a cheesy line.

“I’ll protect you,”

“Let’s drink together for the first time, alright?”

It was the first time Sumi ever saw Yoongi with jealousy and concern in his eyes as if he was already warding off men trying to take advantage of her drunken state.

Sumi frowns, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. Why did she suddenly remember that? Are her drunken thoughts going to be filled with Yoongi?

 

“Sumi,” Jennie leans forward, her eyes full of concern, “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

Sumi frowns even more at this. Her friends know her so well. Why doesn’t she know them this well?

“Are the soju bombs ready?” Sumi asks, plastering a gleeful smile to her face. Jennie nods approvingly as Jungkook and Hoseok answer excitedly. They have all had 1 shot of soju and 1 glass of beer, which is just over half a bottle of beer. The rest of each of their beers is lined up, ready to be bombed.

“Are you guys ready?” Jungkook snickers, “Not too drunk yet?”

“Us?” Jennie scoffs, “It took you guys way too long to balance those glasses on top of each other! I think you are too drunk,”

“We’ll see about that,” Jungkook murmurs cockily.

“Ready?” Hoseok positions his hand at the first shot glass, “Let’s go!”

Hoseok pushes the glass so all the shot glasses land in the beer. They begin frothing over the brim of the glasses and onto the table. Jennie, Sumi and Jungkook cheer.

“Alright,” Hoseok grins, “One shot!”

“What?” Jennie frowns. Jungkook and Hoseok start sculling their drinks as if they had secretly decided to have a head start.

Sumi and Jennie take their glasses and begin pouring the drinks down their throats. Sumi sighs happily, smacking her lips with appreciation as she puts the empty glass down. Sumi likes the taste of soju and beer together, rather than separated. The soju makes the beer sweeter and more bearable.

 

“Yummy,” Hoseok chuckles weakly as he rests his head on the table, sliding his reddening face down his arm. He has beer all over his chin and hand, making him look like a drunken mess.

Jungkook chuckles, grinning at Sumi.

“I guess you won that bet,” He smirks.

Sumi blushes at the strange look in his eyes. She has never seen Jungkook so confident or forward. Sumi feels like she is seeing a new side of Jungkook that he hides behind his quiet persona. A personality he only reveals when he is comfortable with someone.

“Woo! Another one!” Jennie cheers, having not heard the exchange between Jungkook and Sumi. She pours them all another shot, and they take another one. Hoseok looks at his glass and grins. Jungkook slides the shot glass away from him, a small frown on his forehead. Hoseok doesn’t notice as his eyes slide shut. Sumi’s heart warms at this subtle caring act. Jennie has definitely found a really good friend.

 

After a while, Sumi starts to feel tipsy and giddy. Definitely not as drunk as Jungkook, but drunk enough. Jennie and Sumi seem to have won the bet, as both Hoseok and Jungkook are resting their heads on the table. They still talk and converse with Sumi and Jennie, but they can’t seem to lift their heads.

 

A few hours later, after talking about everything and anything, the staff come over to tell them it is time to leave. It is almost 1 in the morning, but they have only had 5 drinks each, excluding Hoseok, who had 3.

Hoseok agrees happily, allowing a staff member to lead both Hoseok and Jungkook out of the BBQ place. Jennie is swaying dangerously behind them, but she seems pretty okay.

There are a few other drunken patrons being led from the restaurant. It seems to be a common occurrence at this place.

 

Sumi follows them all out, gratefully accepting 2 water bottles from the owner. It looks like Sumi can hold her drink a lot better than her friends. As tiresome as it will be to help them home, she feels a little proud.

They sit out the front of the restaurant, sipping the water and sobering up as they drunkenly talk about their first time with alcohol.

“How are we getting home?” Sumi asks.

“I… I’m over there!” Hoseok gestures vaguely to the left, away from the busy city street, “Only 10 minutes!”

“So, the plan is to walk?” Sumi asks, looking at everyone.

“I guess,” Jungkook shrugs, “I live near Jennie… you’re just after that right?” Jungkook frowns.

“Yeah… I guess it isn’t that far,” Sumi shrugs, “We should get going,”

Sumi stands and watches the others stand. She moves to help Jungkook, but he shuffles over to Jennie for support. Sumi changes direction, pulling Hoseok’s arm over her shoulders.

 

So, Sumi leads them all to Hoseok’s house first, which is the closest. Jungkook and Jennie dawdle behind them, giggling and slurring. They aren’t making real conversation, but they seem to be enjoying themselves all the same. Sumi smirks as she listens to Jungkook’s attempt at flirting and Jennie giggling, completely blind to it all.

Eventually, they reach Hoseok’s house. He shushes them and waddles up the path to his front door. He fumbles with his keys, giggling and swaying. Just as Sumi decides to help him, he gets the door open.

“I’ll call you guys tomorrow!” Hoseok calls out, definitely waking his parents, “Love you guys!”

“Bye, Hobi!” Sumi calls back quietly as the three of them turn and head towards Jennie’s house, which is the next closest apparently.

 

“I live… a few streets near the mall… with the ice cream…” Jungkook giggles, “I like ice cream,”

“You must be near me,” Sumi nods, “That’ll make it easier,” Sumi sighs. Jennie has decided to put all of her weight onto Sumi. They waddle for about 10 minutes, Sumi trying to support Jennie as much as she can.

“Sumi… I forgot to tell you my plan…” She pouts, “My plans for Namjoonie~” She giggles. Sumi laughs too until she sees Jungkook’s face. His eyes are wide, and his lips are parted with shock. This must be a cruel surprise for him.

“Uh… let’s talk about this later,” Sumi laughs awkwardly, but Jennie whines cutely.

“I need to tell you!” She demands as she straightens up. They have just arrived at Jennie’s house. She grabs Sumi’s shoulders and holds her there, stumbling a little in her drunkenness.

“You know… I like Namjoon,” She shakes her head slowly, “No… I love Namjoon,”

“Ok…” Sumi says quietly, carefully watching Jungkook’s rigid figure. He is listening intently, frozen with fear.

“But he’s going to America for so long…” She sniffles, “So! I plan to wait for him!”

“Jennie…” Sumi sighs, “It’s late, go to bed,”

Jennie huffs and spins around. She loses her footing and crashes into Jungkook, who catches her easily.

“Oh! Jungkook!” She cheers. Sumi bites her lip, waiting for Jungkook to drop her. To her surprise, he smiles kindly at her.

“Careful,” He says huskily, “Let’s get you to your door,”

Sumi watches as Jungkook leads Jennie up her driveway and to her door. He takes her keys and opens the door for her. Jennie is greeted by her tired mother. Sumi can’t hear what they are saying, but she assumes Jennie’s mother has thanked Jungkook and said she’ll take her inside.

 

Jungkook shuffles down the path to Sumi.

“Jungkook…” Sumi starts, but Jungkook passes by her. Sumi catches up to him, walking silently by his side.

He seems to have been sobered by the shock of Jennie’s words. She knows he needs to be comforted, but she can’t find the right words to help him.

Eventually, he speaks.

 

“So… Jennie likes Namjoon?” Jungkook asks, smiling a little.

“Jungkook…” Sumi sighs, “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” Jungkook laughs.

“I can tell you like her…” Sumi says sternly, “Jennie might be oblivious, but I know you like her,”

Jungkook doesn’t respond, he just looks down at his shoes. He seems to have dipped back into his depressed stillness. After a few minutes of walking in silence, he sighs.

“You know…” Jungkook scoffs, “I started speaking to Jennie because I wanted to confess to her. I didn’t want to leave high school with any regrets,”

“I see,” Sumi nods, “When are you going to tell her?”

Jungkook scoffs again, looking down at Sumi with red eyes.

“I can’t tell her,” He says firmly, “I’ll ruin our friendship… I can’t… not now,”

“Jungkook, she has to know,” Sumi reasons, “You never know… 3 years is a long time to wait for someone,”

“You’re waiting for Yoongi for 3 years,” Jungkook snaps, “She’ll probably wait for Namjoon too,”

His voice sounds intense and remorseful.

“I don’t know…” Sumi says bitterly, “I don’t think Yoongi and I will last,”

“Really?” Jungkook asks, easily pushing aside his thoughts as Sumi does, “But you guys look so good together,”

“We have problems… I don’t think it’ll work out,” Sumi smiles up at Jungkook as he stops in front of what must be his house, “It’ll be the same with Jennie’s feelings. Namjoon doesn’t know, so you don’t even know if he likes her back,”

Jungkook nods to himself as his eyes brighten at the thought.

“I see…” He smirks, “Thanks, Sumi,” Jungkook beams as he looks up at his house.

“Will you be alright?” Sumi asks.

“Of course,” Jungkook frowns down at her, “But will you? It’s pretty dark…”

“Don’t worry,” Sumi points down the end of the street, “I’m almost around the corner. I’ll be home before you get into bed,”

Jungkook chuckles and nods, looking mollified.

“Alright, Goodnight,” Jungkook waves and heads into his house. Sumi watches him go inside. As soon as he is out of sight, the smile slips from her face. As much as she wants to console Jungkook and make him believe he might have a chance, she knows that Jennie will always love Namjoon. His only hope is that Jennie is rejected.

 

Conflicted, worried, and still extremely drunk, Sumi makes her way to her home, her mind wandering endlessly.