The House of a Mind | Yoonkook [Discontinued]

5

Days went by just as they had before. Mixing, blending, and fighting against each other so Jungkook wouldn't admit the boring life he led.

The fridge was as empty as he'd ever seen it. The only food left was a single red apple that he refused to eat until the spiraling and pleas of his stomach got close to eating him alive. Sometimes, Jungkook would find himself staring at it for minutes on end until his stomach interrupted him. The shaded sides of it as it sat alone in the fruit bowl did nothing but entice him more, though that may sound overdramatized.

Jungkook sat on the couch, biting back tears as thoughts about his heath drizzled in his head. What would happen if he continued to starve and sit in either his room or by the TV all day, finding everything else useless to be done behind closed doors if no one would see.

Jungkook didn't want to die, but under these circumstances, he began to prefer it over living.

"Why aren't you happy here?"

Jungkook looked up from the couch to spot the man standing there. His figure had grown, causing Jungkook's subconscious to begin realizing how easily he had been swayed. All he could understand was the new size of his figure and how he really didn't fit the word "man" in his head anymore. Now he was more like an aura; one like ink.

"You chose this for yourself, didn't you?"

Jungkook stared back down at his lap, getting a glimpse of his thin, snow white arm and fingers. "I...I don't know."

"You should."

Voices from the TV surrounded them and took all the words Jungkook wanted to say, leaving them in silence. As the silence progressed, the TV's volume increased. The voices of a boy and girl could be heard as clearly as a window. One watched with their full attention and the other heard it with half their head.

Some knocks out the door were to interrupt and turn down the TV's volume.

Jungkook looked up and the man turned to face the front door.

"Hey." A familiar yet distant voice spoke, "Sorry for leaving you. I decided to give you some space for a bit then a bunch of stuff happened that I could hardly keep up with." He chuckled, "Anyways, how are you?"

Jungkook's jaw dropped in his closed mouth. His eyes stared at the door wide and he found it difficult to move a single one of his muscles. The TV tortured him once again with the last time the two spoke, him being able to memorize every word by then. Though, it had a quiet voice that time.

"Yoongi...?"

"You better not even think of talking to him," The man told him, "You never know what your big mouth is going to tell him now. Especially in the state you're in."

"We didn't improve much I don't think," Yoongi recalled, "But we have enough time to do that."

Jungkook gulped and glanced down at his fingers.

"...I guess I can tell you more about me." Yoongi said, "Maybe that could help you open up more, though I kinda doubt it."

That caught Jungkook's attention pretty quickly.

"I'm twenty-five. Think I already said that." Yoongi began, "I majored in carpentry but ended up pursuing music instead. I understand that even with my degree I won't replace an actual professional in the field, but I'm willing to at least help you a little. I'm not sure what exact state you're in right now, but from what I can tell, it's not too good. Wait, I'm supposed to be telling you about myself. Umm..."

Jungkook grew uncomfortable when Yoongi talked about his state and wondered how easy it was to notice. How much did the outside of the house change over the past month or two? Not by a lot, Jungkook attempted to assure himself, but he wasn't sure if it was even true.

"Me and my friends are in a band called BTS." Yoongi continued, "I sure you don't know us because we aren't even that well known in our own neighborhood. But it's fun, for the most part."

That topic was one Jungkook couldn't help but be curious about. He always wanted to be in a group, be that a clique or a band. And the way Yoongi chuckled and spoke about it like it was a dream locked tight in his chest made him wonder once again what it felt like to belong somewhere. To have a home that other people could visit.

Maybe locking himself inside wasn't the right answer.

"What a fool you are, Jungkook," The man mumbled, "Thinking that you can even take a single step in the world in or after this state. Why, you've got to learn to do things in this house before even thinking of doing anything out there. Your vision's blurred, Jeon."

He laughed — a deep growl with a smirk. Something Jungkook may not forget.

"I can't really say too much to you right now since you're pretty quiet," Yoongi said, "But I don't want to leave you in this state, either. So I guess waiting is the best option right now."

"Don't have much longer to wait." The man mumbled.

Jungkook gulped while his shoulders got tense. He looked back down at his hands.

"I guess...before I go, I want to tell you something."

Jungkook looked to the door and was able to notice the man looking over as well.

"You have a voice. It's your choice if you want to use it or not. And one small voice can change the whole world. Either for good or for evil."

A sound was made after that, like a breathy smile.

"If one small voice can do that, then every single voice can make a change." Yoongi added, "Your words could even change the way I view the world. It all comes down to confidence."

Jungkook pondered on those words for a moment. Why did they sound so much like the man's?

"I want you to think about that." Yoongi stated, "I'll come back tomorrow to visit. Hopefully I could learn your name by then."

When that joke brought silence, it didn't feel good. To Jungkook it didn't feel good.

Those words lingered like the man's had, but in a different way. Like those words created a gap, and not being able to ask questions about it made it worsen. They didn't beat him down, but the opposite. Jungkook felt more important.

That day, he ate the apple, despite not being minutes away from death. And he didn't regret it.