Them

7. JUNGKOOK

They say he was crazy. But that wasn't true? Right? Jeon Jungkook only did what was good for his family. Maybe he was kinda a badass but maybe kinda super evil too. Living in Busan did that to you. The city blazed amber, but wasn't the brightness that made him look away. It was that thought that his brother had done this. And in fact he did.

"Good job, Jung Hyun. I'm very proud of you." smiled Mr. Jeon to his eldest son, Jungkook's older brother. Some say he was the most evil out of Busan's criminal economy but we all know that wasn't true. It was his younger brother. Blood dripped from Jung Hyun's fingertips as he stepped away from his father and turned to where Jungkook was watching in a state of shock, "I'm sorry."

Jungkook fell to his knees. He remembered how his mother took Jung Hyun to get ice creams every Saturday, and how she let them go do whatever they wanted to do. Jung Hyun would often tease Jungkook for being slow. He missed his brother - even though his brother was standing right in-front of him.

He missed the laughter. He missed the autumn leaves, the colour - each and every shade that his brother used to throw in his face to remind him that was Autumn already. He missed the candid photographs of them, that his mother used to keep. Jungkook missed the joy of it all.
"Go inside, Jungkook." hissed Mr. Jeon to his youngest son.

"Yes, Father." said Jungkook a little sad and made his way inside of his house. Soft piano music lit up the house's foggy and gloomy interior. His mother's own music. As he went down to the piano, he smiled as he saw his mother sitting there looking as radiant as an snow angel, her eyes lighting up like Christmas lights at the sight of her son.

"Sweetheart." She smiled and continued to sing and play the piano with her perfectly trimmed nails and long, slender fingers. She was like a dancer, lost in the music of it all. On her neck, was the lovely but expensive locket that Jung Hyun had gotten her when he was four years old.

He hadn't cared about what Jungkook had gotten her, but she did. Jungkook had gotten her handwritten letters, seashells and autumn leaves. It was for her birthday which Jung Hyun never remembered -  that's why he just gave her gifts at any time of the year.

"Jungkook. Listen to me." His mother said as she delicately continued to play, "you have to stop. You give out pieces of yourself to people but never let them see the whole picture. I've seen it. I know who you are."

"But Father-"

"I don't care. Be yourself, Jungkook. Please. Since I've met your father, he carries more anger and pain than a thousand armies could bear. Your father is deceiving, betraying and he hurts more than you and I. You can't look the other way. Believe me, my son, when I say that he's already crossed hell. And he wants you to be you. So do I. So, stop trying to impress everyone and just try and do you. And ignore your brother, he only wants what will be yours." She smiled.

And all Jungkook had to do was look down to see what his mother was really talking about... bodies. Heaps and heaps of bodies piled up like bits of dog food ready to decompose like wilting flowers. "In my defence, they were dead when I got here." defended his mother, "which means that one of my son's must of had to do this. You know what your father's like with rotting corpses."

"..."

"Sweetheart. This is what I mean. You don't have to do the maximum to impress your father or even get attention. I'm here. Your brother may be here but he's out of his mind. Your father is here but he's also out of his mind. You need to restrain yourself. Before I have to.." his mother told him.

"But what if I can't?" Jungkook pleaded.

"Then, Jeon Jungkook, you try."