Yoongi sighed, sat up, and sleepily rubbed his eyes. Today was the day. Today was the day he was going to visit his big brother. Jimin pressed his chest to his boyfriend’s back and hugged him tightly, “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked rocking them a little. Yoongi grinned and unhooked the younger’s arms, “No I don’t need you to hold my hand Jimin,” he refused, “I’m not a child.” 

Jimin laughed and playfully bit Yoongi’s cheek, “I didn’t say you were hyung,” he retorted, “Just offering my company.” “Don’t ing lie Jiminnie,” Yoongi laughed out while shaking his head, “You just wanna see what Juntao looks like.” 

Jimin secured his arms around his boyfriend’s waist again, “OK I do,” he easily admitted with a shrug, “I want to see if he’s as handsome as you.” He tucked his hands beneath the elder’s hoodie and pressed them against his skin. “Well he’s alright, he’s not as attractive as I am,” Yoongi answered, a smile playing at his lips as fingertips tickled his bare skin.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” the younger slickly replied, and then laughed, “I may have to trade you in for an older model.” “Park Jimin, please stop talking,” Yoongi demanded as he shifted his weight back on his boyfriend making them both fall back onto the mat. 

“Hyung you’re crushing me,” Jimin whined as the elder’s hair tickled his nose, Yoongi’s entire body was covering his. “Good,” Yoongi said shoving more of his hair into his boyfriend’s nose and mouth. “Yoongi,” he whined again attempting to move his face away. He was starting to regret hugging him because, now, Yoongi had a tight grip on his wrists and was not letting go; he was stuck between a rock and hard place.

Yoongi nervously adjusted his light denim jacket as he waited for his brother to answer the door. He knew he shouldn’t be nervous, he and his brother weren’t on bad terms…but they weren’t exactly on good terms either. He hadn’t spoken to Juntao in like 2 years and the last time they met wasn’t exactly a fun day: their dad had a minor heart attack. Despite their differences, they all came together (like a cheesy movie) for that one night. 

Yoongi’s eyes widened a bit as the door swung open and his brother’s head poked out. There was an eyebrow piercing above his left eye that wasn’t there before, ‘Boy, Jimin would love that,’ he thought mentally shaking his head. 

The elder’s brows raised in confusion, “Yoongi-ah?” he asked opening the door wider to reveal his paint decorated coveralls, “Is everything ok? Is dad in the hospital again?” Yoongi smiled at his brother’s instant concern and shook his head, “No, dad is fine,” he answered. With brows still raised, Juntao leaned against the door frame and asked, “So why are you here then, little brother?” His voice was deeper than Yoongi’s, something else he was sure Jimin would love.

Yoongi shrugged, “I came to see you, big brother,” he answered matching his brother’s tone. Juntao eyed his little brother warily, “Why?” he queried wiping as much paint as he could off his hands with a small towel, “Doesn’t daddy keep you on a tight leash? Speaking to me is forbidden.” “I’m not under daddy’s wing anymore,” Yoongi revealed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. 

Juntao looked taken aback, his small dark brown eyes opened wide, “What?” he asked. “Do you think we can talk inside hyung?” Yoongi quickly asked, “I’m starting to feel like a door-to-door salesman standing out here.” “Uh yea, come in kid,” Juntao answered. He led his brother into the kitchen, “Have a seat,” he said motioning to the small table against the far wall. 

“So tell me what happened Yoongi,” Juntao said as he sat down across from his little brother. Yoongi the ugly white chicken ceramic salt shaker in front of him and answered, “I got tired of mom and dad controlling my life. The second you left they told me that it was my responsibility to take over the company, that I was their last good son. After 12 years of them forcing me to do business internships, and getting business degrees, and shadowing business meetings, I just got fed up.” 

Juntao nodded his understanding, “Yea I get that, it’s tiresome doing something when you’re passionate about something else completely different,” he agreed, “So what finally pushed you over the edge?” Yoongi looked at his brother in confusion, “What?” he asked, though he a feeling he knew what the elder meant. 

Juntao flashed that familiar gummy smile and said, “You know, that one straw that broke the camel’s back…I think that’s how that dumb saying goes. Anyway, for me, it was car trouble.” “Car trouble?” Yoongi echoed curiously. 

Juntao nodded, “Yea, I was on my way to meet dad for a business lunch with some special European client. It was ing pouring and my very expensive foreign car decided it wanted to overheat, I still don’t even understand how that happened. While I was sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck and mentally cursing dad out for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, I saw a sign, ‘Local Art Exhibition.’” 

“And did you go?” Yoongi asked, this story was very interesting. “Hell yea,” Juntao said with furrowed brows, “I left my car on the side of the road, walked a mile and a half, and paid 12 bucks to see a bunch of mediocre artwork; and the whole time I was thinking about how awful some of that crap was and I remember being amazed at how those people were eating that crap up. I knew then that I wanted, no, I needed to show people what real art looked like.” 

Yoongi leaned back in his seat and laughed, “So you felt it was your duty? Not because you absolutely loved painting?” he asked. 

Juntao shrugged, “That too. But, that day, I had just realized how absolutely fed up I was with how my life was going. It was like  everything fell into place, my mind started to wander to the countless paintings and charcoal and pastel works I had tucked away behind my many suits and oxford shirts. My closet was a ridiculously literal metaphor of my life and that art exhibition made everything crystal clear. When I got home I told mom and dad I was out,” he told his baby brother.

Yoongi nodded, “I understand,” he said, “you had to do what was right for you.” “Exactly,” Juntao said pointing at the younger, “Now tell me what sent you over the edge.” Yoongi’s fingers found the hideous black rooster pepper shaker this time, “Not what, who,” he said through a smile. Juntao waggled his eyebrows, “A girl?” he asked. “Guy,” Yoongi corrected looking at his brother to see how he would take it. His brother had absolutely no idea he was gay, Juntao left when he was young and Yoongi didn’t feel the need to tell him when he got older.

“What’s he like?” Juntao asked without missing a beat, the very same warm brotherly smile still in place. “You don’t care?” the younger asked hesitantly. He knew he shouldn’t be shocked, his parents didn’t seem to care either, but he still needed to be sure. Juntao shook his head, “Why should I care about you having a boyfriend? Love is love, little brother. The only thing I care about is how he helped you decide to take ahold of your own life.” 

“OK, his name is Jimin and he’s two years younger than me. We actually knew each other in high school, but we didn’t get together until last fall. I was instantly attracted to him, not just physically, he has the type of attitude I both love and envy. He’s the type of guy who does what makes him happy, he doesn’t care about how other people feel about what he likes. But he’s not selfish either, we spent a lot of nights just talking. I told him about how I had given up on my original dreams because I was convinced that my future had already been arranged and that I didn’t have a choice. He told me that I had a right to do what made me happy. He said a person who loves photography as much as I do should pursue it,” 

Yoongi explained, “the more time I spent with Jiminnie, the more I began to gravitate towards my camera. And the more mom and dad hated it. They kept telling me to drop him because he was a bad influence over me, that he was making me rebel. But in actuality, I was just becoming enlightened. But of course I didn’t walk away just like that.”

Juntao laughed and nodded, “Of course,” he conceded and waited for his brother to continue. “I needed a push, and Jimin was the one to give it to me. He took me on a bus ride.” “A bus ride?” Juntao asked incredulously, “Min Yoongi, my spoiled baby brother, experienced the joy of public transportation?” 

Yoongi laughed, “Shut up hyung,” he said kicking him underneath the table, “Anyway, after I got over my uneasiness, I took out my camera and decided to document the whole thing. I took pictures of everything: the street signs, the streetlights, the storefronts, the trash on the bus, the people on the bus, the people waiting for the bus, their shoes. Everything was beautiful through that camera eye. I guess Jimin thought so too, because he took those pictures and secretly entered them into a contest. When I won they sent a letter to the house and mom and dad found it and went crazy. Dad barged into Jimin’s apartment called him my pet and then forced me to come home. I went home, told them I was ing done, and then moved out and in with him.”

“Wow, that is awesome. I wish I had someone like that when I left, damn sure would’ve made the transition easier,” Juntao mumbled. Yoongi nodded, “He definitely made me feel welcome in his apartment, that kid has been my rock through all of this,” he was trying not to sound like he was bragging. “Well I know, mom and dad didn’t take you leaving too lightly,” Juntao knowingly stated.  

Yoongi snorted, “Of course not, dad pretty much cut my client list down to a third. In every interview I had they denied me a job out of respect or fear of pissing him off. But with my portfolio I know I can land something, I just need to learn to be patient,” he said crossing his arms, “Also, your mother tried to bribe Jimin to break up with me. She had the delusion that if he and I broke up then I would come to my senses and be ready to come back to run the company. Too bad for her, Jimin isn’t that kind of person.” 

“Too bad for me, the girl I was with was exactly that type of person. But that only made me resent our parents even more,” Juntao revealed.

Yoongi laughed, “I’m sorry,” he said despite his smile. Juntao smiled and waved off his apology, “Don’t be Yoongi-ah, I should thank mom for getting rid of her. She didn’t love me.” 

Yoongi shouldered off his jacket and then gave his brother a serious look, “So tell me, is it all worth it in the end?” he asked rubbing his hands together, “because right now, everything seems a little bleak. Like I know I’m gonna get there, but I can’t help but be a little restless.” 

“It is DEFINITELY worth it kid,” Juntao said with a fist pump and a firm nod, “It may take some work, but you’ll get there. I started off painting portraits, and then I was hired to paint a few murals, and then an art buyer saw one of them. He asked to see more of my work and now we’re working on my first art exhibit, he’s expecting a lot of international people to come.” 

“Wow,” Yoongi said with raised brows, “That’s amazing hyung, when is the exhibit?” “In two months, I’ve been working on pieces non-stop for about five months now,” he said nodding back towards his open home studio. Juntao hopped to his feet, “I actually have something for you Yoongi,” he said walking towards the back of his spacious apartment. 

“For me?” Yoongi mumbled to himself, his eyes following his brother’s retreating form.

Juntao returned with a medium sized frame in his hands. “I never thought I was going to be able to give this to you, but I’ve had since I left. It was one of my first pieces, I was thinking about you when I made it. You were the inspiration,” he said before he handed it over to his brother. 

Yoongi stared down at the painting, it was an abstract piece and he had no idea how it was supposed to relate to him; it just looked like splashes of bold paint mixed with blots of black ink. He smiled down at it, “You’ve been waiting to give me this for 12 years hyung?” he asked eyeing the scratchy signature scrawled in the left hand corner. 

He may have not understood what it was supposed to convey, but it was the first gift he’d received from his brother since he was a kid and that made it special. Juntao nodded, “Yea, I couldn’t figure out the right time to give it to you since I barely see you. I was gonna express mail it to you the day you took over the company, but I think now is a much better time,” he said running paint splattered fingers through his short dark brown hair.

“It’s a good thing you did, because when your art exhibit makes you all rich and famous, I’m going to sell it for a fat stack of cash. An original Min Juntao will be worth a lot in the future,” Yoongi joked. Juntao smacked his brother on the arm, “Don’t ruin our brotherly bonding moment,” he playfully scolded.

Yoongi laughed and stood up, “Well I should go, I promised Jimin I’d pick him up from work,” he informed his brother. “OK, I’ll walk you out kid,” Juntao told his brother and led him towards the door. He pulled Yoongi into a tight squeeze, “So I guess I’ll see you at the exhibit?” he asked pulling away.

“You’re inviting me?” Yoongi asked through a shocked smiled. Juntao shrugged and nodded, “Yes, unless you like the arrangement of us seeing each other sporadically,” he retorted. Yoongi laughed, “I’ll be there, hyung,” he promised patting his brother’s shoulder. Juntao pulled 2 tickets from his pocket, “Both of you,” he said handing them to his little brother. 

Yoongi nodded and accepted the tickets, “Both of us,” he agreed before taking his leave.