"Do your hyungs take care of you well?" Jungkook asks, staring at the oblong tank full of jellyfish. The creatures undulate in the water as if moved by the same force. They may be just as transparent as Jungkook feels at this moment. Their slippery bodies remind him of unblemished skin, and he feels envy for them if only for a moment.
He doesn't know what prompted him to ask the question. After meeting with Namjoon, it feels like he's more open. He thinks he can finally allow his members to take care of him.
"Oh, of course." Huening Kai taps a finger against his jaw, as if shuffling through his memories. "It's hard for me to trust people easily. After living with the other guys for years, I learned that I shouldn't be afraid to tell them anything."
They move through the COEX aquarium, and Jungkook loses himself in thought while admiring the various tanks and even a section decorated like a mystical forest.
"As the youngest, I always felt like I needed to catch up," Jungkook says as they wander. He wants to add something else to this statement, but emotion chokes up his throat.
Huening Kai doesn't respond until they reach probably the main attraction of the aquarium, the undersea tunnel exhibit. Framed by refracted light between the sharks and other sea animals, Huening Kai stands still as the moving walkway brings them through the simulated ocean. "For me, I felt the same. But there was no pressure from the other members to catch up. Over time, I felt that it became easier to see myself on their level—chasing the same dream."
"Have you ever kept a secret from them?" Jungkook asks.
He thinks he's asked the wrong question when Huening Kai greets him with silence. But the younger boy breaks out into laughter suddenly, causing several tourists to glance back at them. "Oh, I keep so many secrets. But all the main ones, they know. I feel like I owe it to them to tell them when I'm struggling with something."
"I see." Jungkook is surprised with the maturity from the youngest member of TXT. It wasn't that long ago when he was in the same position, basking in the new glow of the idol career, with so many doors opening in front of him. Over time, maybe he's become a bit jaded. He thinks about what it was like to feel like nothing was impossible.
Huening Kai lights up as he rounds the bend to the last part of the aquarium. "This is my favorite part," he says. "The penguins."
The cute fluffy creatures welcome Jungkook with their little flippers. He can't help but grin.
"I visited this place right before I debuted," Huening Kai says. "Thank you for coming here with me, Jungkook-hyung. I felt like I needed company this time."
"It was fun," Jungkook says. "And no cameras around too—it isn't very common where we can do things like this."
Huening Kai nods, then draws his lips to one side. "I know you're my sunbae, but I want to tell you that you should confide in your members. Whatever the problem is. They will not only understand, but help you through it. You can do it, hyung!"
While Jungkook watches the penguins, he begins to recognize the truth in Huening Kai's words. He needs to make that shift, to change his mindset to look at his members in the same way as before—as his closest friends.
"I think I will," Jungkook says, watching a penguin take a dive into the pool, swimming bravely close to the glass. "I'll tell them. I'm ready."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope your 2023 has been filled with euphoria so far 💜.
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my time, that's your time | jungkook
FanfictionJungkook has excoriation (skin picking) disorder, and he must rely on his five younger brothers and six older brothers to take care of him, even though it's hard to give his full trust.
