Ch.39
Hoseok's P.O.V.
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Did he seriously take a nap in the middle of our conversation? Oh hyung. Only Yoongi is bold enough and sleepy enough to pull this kind of sh*t. Guess I should go exploring. No one seems to be coming to the warehouse today. At least I got to talk to Yoongi. I'll just see the other members at school tomorrow then. Getting up from the table, I start walking out of the warehouse with a pep in my step. The sun was shining brightly and hitting my skin. It wasn't too bad with the light breeze in the air. Taking walks could always be fun! It felt nice to just appreciate the scenery even if some things weren't so pleasant to look at. That's okay though!
Since Yoongi was busy sleeping, I decided to just head home. All the other members were probably busy too. Sucks to be them. I'm such a delight to be around! During my whole walk, I waved to strangers on the streets and cats just passing by. They both looked startled, but it didn't bother me at all. Maybe the red hair was a bold statement. It was my favorite hair color while my normal favorite color is green. Playing with a rock on the ground, I kicked it hard one last time to leave it alone. The little stone bounced off a tree and got lost in tall grass. I looked up at the tall tree in awe. It was the tallest tree in town and towered over a lot of the buildings. Personally, it was my favorite tree since it created a lot of shade and stretched out into the sky. It was beautiful to me, so I made sure to apologize for hitting it with the rock.
All the weird looks I got from people slowly disappeared. They were used to me and there were much crazier people out here. Just a second ago, I saw a homeless person acting as if they were talking to a dog. Instead of a dog, they were talking to a squirell that had been run over. That was a little unsettling, but I just had to walk away faster. The walk home took almost an hour since I lived pretty far from the town. Towards the edge of the town is where my house sat. One that my parents struggled to afford constantly. Sometimes I just want to be living in a dump or homeless, so I don't have to live constantly in fear that I don't have a stable home. But it's not like my parent's will listen to me or my sister.
My sister was currently in her second year of middle school so she's an eighth grader. As I went up to my house, I couldn't help but sigh at how fake it felt. Homes were supposed to feel different. I don't know. It's not like I knew how they were supposed to feel. I just imagined they would feel like how the warehouse did with the gang. My house looked nicer then the other houses around, but it was all a lie. Stepping inside the house, I closed the door to see a lot going on already. Haeun, my sister was doing her homework on a new coffee table that I had never seen before. Dad was walking around in his suit that he seemed to live in. He didn't even have a job that required him to wear one! Then Mom came into the living room wearing a new dress with sparkingling jewelry. Please tell me she already owned them or that they're fake.
Mom adjusted her earrings as she looked at the mirror. Haeun smiled to see me back home while my parents kept running around. Where they going out tonight? Mom patted her hair for the billionth time and checked herself once more. It was annoying to put up with, but I made sure to smile at them. Dad was already glaring at me, so I think he already saw me jugding his wife. That's always nice. Haeun instantly put her head down as Dad past her to put his hands on Mom's shoudlers. He assured her that she looked fine. Once she finally agreed with the words coming out of his mouth, she turned towards the door and jumped at the sight of me.
"Oh Hoseok! When did you arrive?" She asked, playing with the jewlwery on her wrist. I don't think she cared. They were in a hurry, but I liked to take these chances. They were all I could get from them. I know the other members hated my parents and I could see why. I just still made attempts to try with them.
"About a minute ago. Are you guysâ?" I started until she frowned at me in disgust.
"Hoseok, what is that outfit?" Mom touched my sweater like it was a dirty diaper. Her nose scrunched up as she eyed me down.
"What? I like it." I pursed my lips as I stared down at what I had on. I was wearing a bright blue sweater that had the word 'golf' all over it. Then my pants were a flashy orange. In my opinion, this was a pretty fierce look.
"He looks like an idol!" Haeun shouted, looking up from her homework. I made sure to give her a thankful smile.
"Go back to doing your homework. We can't let your grades fail." Dad snapped. "What will your teachers think?" The happy expression on Haeun turned down to a look I refused to grow accustomed to. They always cared what others thought about them.
"You're not an idol!" Mom snickered.
"Dad's not a CEO of a company, but he still wears suits," I retorted to receive their hate.
At least I tried to talk to them, but it is hard to put up with them. I try to smile through and be strong for my sister. It's complicated in this household. Dad instantly began to scold me for talking back like that. He continued onto his typical rant on how important image is. If other people in the neighborhood or even our friends saw me treating them like this then I would be seen as a horrible son. Mom nodded her head to every word leaving my father's lips. She went on to say that this is for our protection because they can't stop rumors from destroying us. It seems like they didn't learn their lesson when Yoongi spread that rumor in our neighborhood. All he spread was that my father lost his job and that we possibly had to leave. Of course, we had to stay and fix everything. We can't let people think that my Dad lost his job.
"Be understanding, Hoseok honey." Mom sighed. "I also bought you more face wash and left it in your room. Make sure to take care of your skin!"
"I already have a lot." I furrowed my brows as Mom and Dad went to the front door. "Where are you guys going?"
"Out. To a restaurant like adults do." Dad's cold eyes tried telling me to shut up.
"The usual restrurant we go to. You know the one, Hoseokie." Mom giggled, trying to act cute instead of her age.
"That one is so expensive though. Should't we all just eat here at home together? Maybe order cheaper food?" I suggested. Mom gasped right away as if I had just committed the greatest sin.
They never made sense to me. My parents had the habit of wasting money like it was nothing. They almost couldn't control themselves from doing so. It frustrated me ever since I was young. For the longest time they could somehow afford luxury items, but never could afford to buy me new notebooks for school. It's like my real neccssities were always pushed aside. Then they had Haeun and she's experiencing the same thing except my sister is a lot smarter then I was at her age. That's why Dad continuously forces her to study and work hard in school since many teachers expected nothing but the best from her. She barely hung out with her friends because of this.
Mom and Dad never expected anything from me. Haeun was at first, the accident child that ruined Mom's body after me. Then Haeun soon became the Jung's precious daughter who was pretty, smart, and talented. This put a lot of pressure on her while Haeun felt bad for me. Unlike the compliments she was constantly showered in, I got the insults. Either about my clothing, looks, or anything that my parents weren't fond of. For the longest time I tried to get them to love me too and resented Haeun for it. It wasn't until I realized that Haeun also had a tough life and all my attempts were useless. I appreciate her now, but I still try to smile at my parents. I guess I'm just a little hopeful that I one day might receive a compliment that's genuine.
"We always eat at that restaurant! We're regulars! What will they think if we don't show up?" Mom crossed her arms.
"Nothing? Look, I just want you guys to stay here," I reasoned. "I mean, can't you just return that dress and all the new jewelry? You don't need it."
"Are you crazy? Don't you know how embarrassing it is to return items? Especially expensive ones!" Mom stomped her heel. Dad let out a frustrated sigh.
"We have to go, Son. Our reservation is very soon. We can't be late," He said.
"Why do you guys buy things you can't afford?" I asked as Mom clutched her chest. "Wouldn't it be wiser to save money or spend it on useful things?"
"We're adults! We spend the money we work hard for however we want. If you want anything then use your own money." She huffed as my eyes fell down to the floor. Dad had enough of me talking and started shouting. Enough to reprimand me, but quiet enough so the neighbors can't hear it. That's important.
I didn't listen to whatever he was shouting at me. Mom doesn't even work. She doesn't have a job! She hates working or putting any effort into anything. She just likes to sit down and have a manicure. Dad is the only one who works and he's a taxi driver. They refused to believe that they're low class. Since my parent's struggle to be responsible with money, I save and take care of every buck that I get from doing deals with the gang. I hide them in a place my parent's will never find. While some members like Taehyung and Namjoon use their money to help support their family, I save it with no real purpose. I only ever touch the money when Haeun or I really need something.
"Respect us as your parents. You should know better, Hoseok." Dad growled, storming out of the house to get in the car.
"Now look! You got him mad." Mom frowned, stomping her heel once more.
"I'm sorry, Eomma." I sigh in defeat. "Tell Appa that I meant well."
"Meant well?" Mom scoffed. "You should really watch what comes out of that mouth of yours." Her lips thinned as she looked me up and down with a judgmental stare. "And what goes in."
With that, Mom slammed the door closed to meet up with Dad in the car. In their eyes I was the one with no manners. Whenever I upset them in any way, they would get defensive. Nothing but insults and complaints would flood out from them. Haeun watched me with sympathy as I dragged my feet over to the couch. Something my parents struggled to pay off for the longest time. It's ridiculous. Hauen sat on the floor instead and worked on her homework. Well, she was. She paused to look over at me as I regretted the words that left me. My parents could be frustrating, but I wanted to make the effort to be somewhat grateful. In the end, they still gave me a place to sleep and didn't really hate me.
"Are you okay?" She put her pencil down.
"Yeah...I'm fine. How are you though?" I grinned at her. Enough about me.
"Tired." She laughed to see me jumping in excitement. She always laughed whenever I showed a lot of interest in her life. I do care. I want to make sure she's taking care of herself and because I hated her for almost half of my life. "By the way, auntie's letter has arrived!"
"Letter?" I raised my brow. Haeun pointed to a yellow envelop that had already been opened.
"Remember when she called to see if your birthday card arrived?" Haeun asked. "Mom found it."
"Oh! Sweet!" I grabbed it and pulled out the card inside. Auntie was telling me to work hard in school, take care of myself, and wishing good health. Auntie was always so caring. It's too bad I don't see her often since Mom and her aren't on the greatest of terms. As I got to the bottom of the card, Auntie said some confusing words. "Spend the money wisely? Did Auntie give me money?"
"Did she?" Haeun opened the envelope, but it was empty. There was clearly nothing with the card. I closed the card with a smile on my face. I have a feeling that Mom got some extra cash recently. Wonder where that came from. Especially when Mom told me to use my own money. Hard to do that when she's a thief. Sadly, this isn't the first time.
"It's okay! Don't worry." I patted Haeun's back to make her stop looking. "I think Auntie was just telling me to be wise with money since she know's how Mom can be."
"I see." Haeun nodded her head slowly, a bit unsure. She went with what I had said anyway.
"I'm happy Auntie gave me such a nice card though! Look, there's a puppy on the front!" I jumped onto my feet.
"It's cute." Haeun giggled before pouting. "You're really fun, Hoseok oppa, but I have to do my homework."
"Do you have a lot?" I looked over her shoulder to see her work. The problems look familiar, but I shoved school memories into a shredder. It's one of the main reasons I'm not the greatest student. I enjoy messing around with the teachers a lot more. Haeun groaned at all the papers so I made sure to jump around as her personal cheerleader.
"YOU CAN DO IT, HAEUN! GO HAEUN!" I attempted my best splits and jazziest jazz hands. Haeun bursted out laughing. Hopefully she wasn't as stressed out on her homework.
"You're so extra." She covered her mouth with her hand. Calming people down from stress or nerves was my specialty. It felt like exaggerating myself made others feel better and that always made me happy. I'd like to be a piece of peace even if it's just in this rough town we all live in.
*~*
Uniforms were always so suffocating. I never liked them. All they did was prevent me from showing my amazing self-expression. These teachers were really missing out on my fashion sense. Currently, I sat in science class with Namjoon right next to me as my lab buddy. Everyone in class knew we were the tightest turtles up in this b*tch. Any time Mr. Shin told us to pick a lab partner, the whole class knew trouble was going to start brewing. Technically Namjoon is a good student. He's really smart but doesn't make it public. He mainly sits in class without saying a word. He pays attention to everything the teacher's have to say while I on the other hand can't. It's hard to sit still in class when there's so much going on. There's a whole world out the window and then they have all these dangerous chemicals in front of us. How do they expect me to focus?
Namjoon would be a great student if it weren't for me always causing trouble. He listened to the instructions being given as I stared at the scale in front of me. Then there was also a pipe with a knob on it. If I turned the knob, then fire would come out. Mr. Shin was repeatedly telling us not to turn it, but I didn't see the harm. He probably won't notice if I turned it just a little bit. It won't be obvious! Random words were just being spewed out of Mr. Shin's lips at this point. Namjoon nodded his head seriously at the same time he was doing things with these bottles. He stirred something as my hand slithered over to the knob. Mr. Shin quickly glanced at our table and I put my hand away. He came closer to us and I was worried that I had been caught. Instead, he picked up Namjoon's bottle and praised his skill. He presented the perfect example to the class before handing it back. Namjoon bowed as other student's whispered. They probably didn't expect a thug to have a brain. Rude!
My hand found its way to the knob. This is fine. It'll be a small fire and then I'll turn it off. I just need that little fire. As I began to turn the knob, Namjoon held the bottle over the open flame by accident. He went to reach for his mechanical pencil that was rolling away. I watched the thin pencil almost reach then end before realizing I didn't stop turning the knob. Someone in class screamed as Namjoon's sleeve caught on fire. Sh*t! I couldn't shut the fire because Namjoon dropped the chemical in panic. We both jumped away as a large fire broke out in the class. The explosion reached up to the roof, an alarm now screeching in our ears. Normally, I'd be laughing but I was worried for my friend. Namjoon was panicking wildly at his sleeve. Eventually, he fell on the ground and someone tossed a special blanket over his arm. Mr. Shin ordered us to exit the second-year building.
"You okay, Namjoon?" I walked over to him, covering my mouth with my hand. The air smelled awful.
"Y-Yeah..." Namjoon got up. He coughed loudly as we started to leave class together. Mr. Shin gave me a glare as he hurried all his students out of the classroom.
That wasn't supposed to happen. I felt really bad for Namjoon, but he didn't yell at me for it. Sometimes I forget that he's not always my leader. Though Namjoon is my best friend, I still felt an awkward wall at times. Only because he's the leader and has yelled at me before for acting stupid. I think everyone feels that way with Namjoon despite having him as a friend first and then leader. Maybe Taehyung didn't feel that strange wall. (F/n) was also a sweetheart who only had Namjoon as a friend. She wasn't a part of our gang. She was a part of our family though. Kwon (F/n) started out as the friend of the first years but has thankfully befriended all of us. She reminds me of my little sister, so I figured she saw me as a big brother.
When school ended, Namjoon had to come home right away. The school apparently called his mom to let her know that he was involved in a science accident. She was worried sick over Namjoon. He told the rest of the members to just go over to the warehouse without him today. I felt really bad for causing this mess. That led to me walking home with the pink hair to properly apologize to his mom. A face to face talk is necessary. Ms. Kim is like a second mom to me. She'll probably shake her head to find out I was the reason. At least that's what I wish will happen. We both stood outside of his house now. Before Namjoon could even touch the door, it was slammed open by his mother with worried eyes.
"Joonie!" She hugged him. She pulled back, squishing his face between her hands. There was a lot of fear in her expression as she checked him over. "Are you okay!?"
"Yeah, it was just my sleeve that caught on fire," Namjoon stated.
"You're so clumsy, you might die young." Ms. Kim sighed in relief.
"Actually, I was the one that caused the fire. I'm so sorry." I bowed my head down. Ms. Kim noticied my presence and watched me keep my head down. She didn't stay a word. For a second, I thought she was going to slap me.
"Ahaha! Oh you boys are always causing trouble, aren't you?" Ms. Kim lifted my head to pinch my cheeks.
"Ow!" I grinned, rubbing my cheeks as she clapped her hands.
"Come in! Come in! The place is messy, but you're more than welcome to stay." Ms. Kim opened the door wide. "Is (F/n) with you guys, by any chance?"
"Oh~? She knows about (F/n)?" I wiggled my brows as Namjoon shook his head.
"I swear, you two are delusional. (F/n) isn't with us, Eomma." Namjoon crossed his arms. We shut the door as we walked over to Namjoon's room. "Sorry to disappoint you."
"They'd be so cute together! I really like her!" Ms. Kim pouted.
"Right!?" I jumped before getting pulled in Namjoon's room.
"That's enough, Eomma." Namjoon chuckled, closing his door. Ms. Kim only smirked to see his ears burning bright red.
He was so embarrassed that it was hard not to be entertained. Namjoon didn't appreciate me pairing him up with (F/n), but I'm so glad Ms. Kim sees it too. I think they could really be an item. Unfortunately, it looks like Jungkook and Jimin are already fighting over her. They did have a physical fight which shocked me so much. My soft Jimin fighting muscle Kookie? He must really like (F/n). Namjoon probably doesn't like the idea of competition. Either way, (F/n) basically friendzoned the first-year boys for now. That meant Namjoon still had a chance, so I wanted him to grab it before Jimin and Jungkook get hotter. I need my boy to win!
My conversation with Namjoon wasn't about (F/n). We talked about other things. There was really no topic to what we were talking about. We both sat on the floor of his small room as we played a video game on his old Nintendo. The game was surprisingly intense at some moments. I shouted in panic and Namjoon yelled anytime he did well. This wasn't fair! I pressed random buttons in hopes that they would help me get in the lead. They didn't really do that, but that's okay! It was really funny to see how poorly I did as I got desperate. Namjoon laughed, letting his guard down. That's when I got my sh*t together and defeated him without any mercy. He whined at his loss as my character claimed victory. The game returned to character selection, but we didn't pick them right away.
"Your parents seriously got you nothing for your birthday?" Namjoon chuckled. "It's been months."
"Well, they got me socks." I grinned. "That's something"
"Barely. Even I got you something better." Namjoon rolled his eyes.
"That's because you're my best friend and know me better than anyone." I brought up my hand for him to bist bump. Namjoon smirked and roughly hit my knuckles.
"Hey, during summer vacation, do you think we should do more deals?" Namjoon turned to me.
"We could!" I nodded my head. I had no problem with that. Then my mind returned to that conversation I previously had with Yoongi. "Oh god no, we're going to become third years."
"Finally, one more year." Namjoon groaned as I shook my head.
"No! That's too close to adulthood!" I complained.
"Shouldn't we be excited for that?" Namjoon furrowed his brows, choosing a new character.
"Well, do you plan on leaving the gang after we graduate?" I asked, selecting my character too. "What do you have planned?"
"What? I'm staying with the gang." Namjoon scoffed. "There's no way I'm ending what I made. Besides, deals are so f*cking fun. The adrenaline is great."
"Definitely." I nodded as he chose a location. "How long do you think the gang will last though? Not saying it will end soon. Just asking what you'd do if the gang comes to an end."
"Hm...I don't really like thinking about it." Namjoon sighed. "I guess once one member leaves then it'll end. Are you saying you're going to be that member?" He turned to me with worried eyes. He was trying to hide it, but it couldn't work with me. The gang was extremely important to Namjoon. After all, he created it to what it is now. He's a bit like Yoongi when it comes to the subject of leaving the gang though.
"No way." I shook my head, returning my focus to the screen. "I just want to know what my leader thinks." Namjoon slowly smiled and continued playing the game with me.