The Maknae's Night Out

Go, Go, GO!

Jungkook wistfully asks, "You sure you don't want to come with us, Taehyungie?"

Jimin says, "Come on, Tae. We haven't had a night out, just the Maknae Line, in a while."

Seeing the imploring looks of his two best friends, Tae smiles his boxy smile and says, "Okay, let's go."

They start to get into the car when Jungkook's phone starts playing Daechwita. He looks at his text messages. "Hold up, guys, Yoongi hyung wants to come too."

Jimin asks, "Just how many know about our plans?" 

Jimin laughs just as his phone goes off. He checks his texts, looks up at them, and rolls his eyes.

"Oh my god, that is Hobi hyung. He is on his way. It seems he found out about our outing from Yoongi."

Looking at Tae and Jimin, Jungkook asks, "Okay, which of you let the cat out of the bag? Tonight was just for us Maknaes." He laughs.

The house door opens, and Yoongi and Hobi come out smiling and quickening their pace after quietly closing the front door.

Yoongi says, "Thanks for waiting, guys. I've been looking forward to this all week."

Jimin and Tae look at Jungkook, "Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't tell them."

Hobi says, "We are going out with you. Can't take any more of Jin and Jooni bickering right now." he grins, glad for the escape from the chaos happening in the kitchen.

The others laugh, and Jungkook says, "Well, I guess the more the merrier, but no one else!" He tries his menacingly evil bunny look to make sure they know he's serious... kind of. They are his elders after all.

"Ok, well," Jimin runs his hand through his hair, "This makes 5 of us. What car do we want to take?"

Tae smiles, now really revved up about tonight, "It's a great night for the top down. Let's take my Mustang."

Everyone agrees, and Tae goes and backs his Mustang out of the garage. Jimin leans the front seat up to get in the back. He rolls his eyes before getting in. He picks up and hands Jungkook Bam and Yeontan's toys from when they took the dogs to the park.

Jungkook says, "Gee, thanks. Bam has been looking for his chicken. I forgot he took it to the park."

Jungkook runs into the garage, puts their doggie toys in the basket, and heads back to the car. Ducking under the garage door as it closes.

"Why are you still standing here?" Jungkook asks, curious because he had already planned to ride up front.

Hobi and Yoongi are standing by the passenger door, and Jimin is already seated in the back.

 Yoongi says, "We are playing rock, paper, scissors to decide who rides in the front. I think it should be me. I am the hyung of this excursion."

"Well, I was going to drive till Tae said we could take his car, so I was going to ride up front," Jungkook says, his voice almost a whine. His doe-eyed look is to get what he wants. It usually works. He sighs after getting the side-eye from Jimin.

Jimin says, "So if our hyungs weren't coming, you automatically assumed I would ride in the back. We 95ers get to ride up front, the Maknae in the back."

Now, these two are bickering, and Yoongi says, "ENOUGH! We have had enough bickering to last us for days."

J Hope corrects him, "For weeks." Yoongi nods in agreement.

"Yeah, for weeks." Yoongi gets in the back and tells them, "Hobi, you ride up front, Maknae, get in the back with us."

Jungkook gets in and sits beside Yoongi. Hobi's grinning because he gets to ride up front. Tae looks at them and says, "Okay, everyone ready?"

They all let him know they are ready, and Tae puts the car in drive. But before they can pull out of the driveway, the house door opens, and Namjoon comes out.

Everyone looks at Tae, and then suddenly, Yoongi  urgently says, "Go, go, GO!"

Tae does just as hyung says and steps on the gas down the driveway.

As they pull out onto the street, Namjoon stops and sighs. He needed to be faster. He heads inside to listen to Jin continue lecturing him on kitchen knife safety and injury prevention.

Tucking his just bandaged hand into his pocket, he heads back into his fate. 

He walks in with a soft smile but drops it before meeting Jin in the kitchen. 'If he didn't care, he wouldn't bother scolding me as much as he does when I'm helping him in the kitchen.' 

Jin looks up as Namjoon enters and takes a seat at the center counter. "Where did you go? Again, I was about to demonstrate how to hold your fingers when using the knife to cut vegetables, so you chop the vegetables and not your fingers."

Namjoon takes his bandaged hand off the counter out of sight. "Yes, hyung. Thank you." 

Namjoon is grateful to Jin for wanting to help him master basic knife skills, so he sits, raptly paying attention.

Jin slides the cutting board and an onion over to Namjoon. He picks up the knife and, before handing it to Namjoon, he reminds him, "This is how you hold it and start cutting." He demonstrates slicing several thin cuts of onion. Then looks at Namjoon. "Were you watching?"

"Yes, hyung, I was." Namjoon reaches for the knife, but Jin pulls it back and sighs.

"Get the onion ready first, by removing the paper skins. And since you left the kitchen for who knows what reason, wash your hands and put a vinyl kitchen glove on the injured one. Food and knife safety is just as important as hands and fingers, you know."

"Yes, hyung." Namjoon washes his hands at the kitchen sink, with a sigh that Jin can't hear because of the running water. He mumbles, "I knew I should have followed, Yoongi hyung, as soon as I saw him leaving. Damn it."

He goes to pick up the knife after removing the onion skins, and Jin blocks him. "Be more careful and take your time. There's no rush. It's not like we have a house full of hungry men now."

Just at that point, Namjoon's stomach protests being empty. Jin moves his hand and lets Namjoon pick up the knife.

"Yah! What are you doing!" shouts Jin, as Namjoon has the sharp edge of the knife facing up and is about to put his uninjured hand on it to apply pressure, cutting the onion. Jin takes the knife, turns it sharp edge down, and hands it back to him. "Now, let me see you make the first couple of slices just like I showed you."

Nerves, rattled at the fact he almost cut his hand, have them trembling now. "I don't think I should do any cutting until my hand is healed." He looks at Jin with pleading in his eyes. "Please, let me do something else to help."

"I'll do all the cutting tonight. You can make the rice," offers Jin out of concern for Namjoon's fingers. Another less-stressful day would be best, anyway.

Namjoon sighs in relief and notices his hands aren't as shaky now that he doesn't have to use a knife. He is happy to make the rice as he sets up the rice cooker. "Now this I can do."

Author's Note for those not familiar with BTS or South Korean Culture:

*dongsaengs: younger members. Those younger than him.

*hyung: translates to 'older brother'. It is an honorific title showing respect in the South Korean culture to an older male by a younger male. BTS members are very close to each other, like brothers.

*Maknae: means younger one. In the group BTS, Jungkook is all the members 'maknae' as he is the youngest in the group.

*Maknae line: The youngest in BTS are Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook, and are referred to as the Maknae Line.