I Lied | BTS

04

Kangdae and Jimin arrived back at the dorm with the shorter holding an ice cream happily as he still held tightly on to the older's arm, almost as if he would get lost if he let go and it had Kangdae chuckling to himself a few times. He was like a child in the eyes of Kangdae like he wasn't able to live out his child to the fullest so he was making up for it, it was sweet.

The members all sat in the living room, the same video game still being played. It hadn't been a long walk and it was their day off so it only made sense that they were all still there.

All eyes turned to the pair and suddenly it was awkward again, Kangdae standing there next to a smiling Jimin.

"Have fun?" One of the members with black hair questioned Jimin with raised brows.

Jimin grinned, "So much fun. Look, free ice cream." He giggled and sat down beside Namjoon.

Another member looked at Kangdae with amusement, "You bought him ice cream?"

Kangdae only shrugged and headed back to his and Namjoon's shared room without a word. He wasn't trying to be rude, he just came across like that, especially since he would formally introduce himself to the rest of the group or asked for their names. How was he supposed to push his emotions aside when they all stared at him like that?

Not long into Kangdae's hiding, Namjoon entered the room and sat beside him on the bed, "You and Jimin get along?"

"Yeah, sure." Kangdae shrugged, "He's a little ball of sunshine."

"Then you should meet Hoseok." Namjoon chuckled but he didn't get much of a response, "Why don't you come out and meet everyone?"

"You don't think they'll yell and spit in my face?"

"Not if you give them a reason to."

Namjoon all but dragged the older male out of the room by his wrist and sat him down between him and Jimin who smiled his way as he had done multiple times before. Kangdae sat there uncomfortably and still didn't glance around the room even when Hoseok introduced him and everyone else.

"Want to tell us about yourself?" Hoseok suggested with a welcoming gaze, something which made Kangdae have to hold himself back from hugging the man.

For a moment, no one spoke, simply waiting.

And then Kangdae plucked up the courage, "I'm Moon Kangdae, twenty-two years old, born in Gwacheon-si."

Everyone turned to look at Jin who had his head down, obviously not wanting to have such a conversation.

"How do you know Jin-Hyung." The one known as Yoongi questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Hyung," Namjoon warned.

"No, I want to know."

Kangdae sighed and sat back in his seat, glancing at the man sitting almost exactly opposite from him whom he once cared so deeply for, "We... were friends."

"What happened?"

Hearing that question had Jin jumping from the couch and rushing to his room, tears already running down his face, he didn't want to hear the answer and Kangdae didn't want to give it. Kangdae would give anything for things to go back to the way they were.

"I messed up," Kangdae shrugged, "I made a mistake that cost us our... friendship and I regret that every day but what's done is done." His words sounded cold and maybe they were but he didn't know what else to say.

Taehyung glared heatedly, "What did you do?"

"I don't think it's my place to say."

Yoongi scoffed, "Why is that?"

"Because it is a private matter between us and I don't want to hurt him further."

It seemed they left it at that though some weren't very happy with the answer that was all they were going to get for the time being and they would have to deal with it. If Jin wanted to tell them then that was fine but Kangdae didn't want to make another mistake by outing his secrets to his friends. 

The next day, Kangdae visited his siblings again, trying to ready himself for his busy upcoming schedule. They lived close by, the fifteen-minute bus ride to their building was terrible while the hug that greeted him at the door was heart-warming. Areum, arms wrapped around her brother's neck, squeezed him tightly in her skinny arms as she did every time she saw him.

She was young, freshly eighteen and caring for her younger brother as Kangdae had done for both of them. Minjun was in that rebellious phase at the age of fifteen and wanted little to do with his older brother. Kangdae loved both of them all the same, even if Minjun showed his hatred for him often, he still cared for his baby brother. He raised them, they were his children.

Despite their parents being around and two of the loveliest people, they worked a lot seeing as the family struggled for money regularly so Kangdae was pushed to be an adult even when his parents had felt so guilty for it, Kangdae didn't mind.  

"Oppa, how are you?" Areum asked as she let her brother into the apartment, the place cluttered with clothes and food wrappers from an uncaring Minjun. Areum tried to keep the place tidy but it was clear she had given up long ago.

"I'm fine. You?" He raised a brow at a clearly stressed Areum.

She smiled, "I'm okay, just tired."

"Minjun keeping you up?"

"He plays his music all through the night and doesn't listen to me. It's driving me up the wall." She tugged at her hair lightly and even then, they could hear Minjun's speakers blasting.

Kangdae grimly nodded, "I'll go talk to him."

"Be careful, he's in one of his moods."

"When isn't he?"

Kangdae left the living room and made his way down the dark hallway, all doors closed but Areum's and music much too loud for an apartment building. Without knocking, Kangdae opened the door, seeing Minjun laying on his bed and phone in hand, unfazed by the deafening bass.

Kangdae rolled his eyes, "Turn that shit down, would you?!" He yelled and it barely caught the boy's attention so he went over to the speaker and unplugged it.

Minjun looked up, "What the hell?!"

"I told you to turn it down." 

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"The hell I can't! Your sister is exhausted cause your punk ass has been playing music all night and day! Look at this place! It's a dump!" Kangdae yelled throwing a shirt he picked up from Minjun's desk to throw at him, "I want you to pick your shit up and be nicer to your sister before I kick your ass."

"You can't do that! That's child abuse!"

"Yeah? Well, guess what? You're my child which means it's my responsibility to punish you so if that means kicking your ass, I'm gonna do it."

"You're not my dad!"

"You wanna be out on the street?!" Kangdae yelled and Minjun went quiet, "I can arrange that! I'm sure Areum would finally get some sleep. Do better."