Guilty as Charged

49- Fake

Jimin, in fact, did follow me all the way home after he got yelled at by the teacher for disrupting the class. But if one looked at his face, no one would guess he was scolded by his teacher literally five minutes ago.

He looked like he was in a good mood and I knew why. Because he didn't have to stay alone at his own house.

"Did you tell your parents that you aren't gonna stay at your own place today?" I did emphasize the word own, which made Jimin raise his right eyebrow.

"Well duh, yeah!"

"And they are OK with that?"

"Why not?"

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I meant that as an insult, for example, I wanted to say 'everyone in your family is weird as fuck'.

But he took the whole thing as a compliment.

"Why, thank you for appreciating me." I don't know if it was intentional or not, but he sounded like he meant it. And now I feel bad about it.

Why? I don't really know.

"You're welcome." I said so in a low voice, trying to hide my guilt.

When we finally arrived at my house, I now knew for sure that all of this was not a good idea.

"Mom! Ji..." I wanted to tell Mom that he will be staying with us for the night. But I guess Mom had other plans.

"Boy, why are you calling me for? Never heard you call me! Except for the times when you need me to help with your wedgie!" Mom's voice boomed from somewhere inside the house.

She wasn't entirely wrong. I never did really call Mom's name when I arrived home, she could just tell by the door.

I guess I would be surprised too if my son called me when he barely does that.

"What?! I don't...no, I don't do that! And Jimin is here, dang." And then my mom magically appeared out of nowhere in front of us.

We were still in front of the door, taking our shoes off.

"Jimin? I missed you! Last time I saw you was last Saturday. It's been so long." I couldn't be more disgusted at my mom showing all that affection toward Jimin. She never even hugged me nor Yohan.

"You're so fake."

Now kids, don't go tell that to your parents if your asses aren't ready to feel the burn later on.

"Like your existence?" Saying that Mom invited Jimin inside with a warm smile, and looking at Jimin, he looked like he was trying to hold in a burst of laughter that might erupt anytime.

Taehyung fact coming, no matter how old or how much of a savage person you are; you will constantly get roasted by your own mother.

My point is, everyone gets roasted by their moms every day. And that's a universal law.

I bet Yohan was not home from school yet, because his obnoxiously loud saxophone sounds weren't pushing my limits. Well, not at that moment, no it wasn't.

Jimin didn't look nervous to be here, or better worded, to be with my mom. She gets overly excited when people come over to our house.

When dad was still here, his friends would come to our house.

I guess not anymore.

I looked at Jimin laughing at mom's way of talking. I wondered whether he would leave just like dad's friends did. I don't blame them for anything though.

I worked so hard to build the few relationships that I have, And none of them mean less to me. I never thought in my life that I'd ever get to be friends with Hoseok again. I never thought I'd get to meet the rest of the guys. I never thought I'd see mom and Yohan back to their spirits. Seeing all of them happy and the smile that's planted on their faces makes me feel maybe I am not unworthy at all.

If I at least can make them feel at home, I would die in peace...

OK, let's not go there. I'd rather be like Bill Gates before I die though.

But yeah, it makes everything worthwhile.

Mom left Jimin alone in the living room, and I joined him in there, uniform and all.

"Are you gonna stay with your uniform on?" Jimin asked me when I sat down across from him.

"Same goes to you."

"No. I'ma wear some of yours."

Then I remembered something. "Oh, you never returned my other shirt."

"Yeah. I gave it to donation." Jimin said so like it wasn't such a big deal that he just gave my shirt away like that.

"You what?" I got annoyed at him over again, "Listen, I am not as rich as you are, OK? I can't just buy clothes whenever I feel like. Give me my shirt back right now."

Maybe I raised my voice a little, 'cause mom yelled at me all the way from the kitchen. "Boy, I did not just hear you raise your voice at our guest, did I?"

"No, mom." I said in an ashamed voice, loud enough for mom to hear.

"Hey just think about it. Some poor people will get to wear your shirt. Doesn't that make you feel good?" Jimin whispered to me.

"Oh really? Why do I never see you donate your clothes?"

"I do give them! Don't you ever see Toothless with channel shirts on?" Jimin asked me like I knew who this Toothless was. I wouldn't be surprised if Jimin knew all the homeless people in Korea.

Just as I was about to ask him my burning question, Yohan burst into the house. He didn't notice the new shoes on the rack, I could tell. But when he saw Jimin sitting in the living room, they greeted each other ever so politely that I was having a hard time believing which sides of them were true.

"Jimin Hyung, welcome. Make yourself at home." The saxophone addict?

"Oh, Yohan, long time no see. You look so grown, I am surprised how tall you've become! You might even suppress Taehyung one day." Or the person that donates channel shirts who apparently was now playing the role of those relatives that everyone has?

This is exactly why I have trust issues.

After they bowed to each other, they both went their different ways. Yohan went to his room, as Jimin sat down.

"He was so small back then." Jimin looked like he was daydreaming about the time when Yohan understood less, and when he was less annoying.

"Yeah well. You're sleeping in his room tonight." I sounded like I was punishing Jimin for something, but I just didn't want anyone to get in my room.

Your typical sixteen-year-old boy.

"What?" Jimin straightened up, puffing up his eyes, "You guys don't have a guest room?"

"We used to before I turned it into my art room...unless you want to sleep with my paintings...go ahead, be my guest, I guess." I made fun of him.

The thing that creeped him out more than darkness was solid portraits or statues of anything that has a face.

He thinks they might come to life one day. I can't say I never saw one of my paintings' eyes move but I am way too mature to be scared about that stuff.

...

I threw that painting out, FYI.

My dad once told me how he saw a leaf turn into a feather in front of his eyes in the middle of the night once. He used to laugh about it, but I used to cry to my mom afterward. And dad would get scolded by mom for scaring me, but later, it was me who used to scare Yohan with the story of the Boogeyman Ghost.

Boogeyman Ghost used to live in the tree in our backyard. He kind of faded away as I started drifting away from my family...

And friends.