Track 07

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jungkook's apartment is exactly the way you thought it would be. His walls are black, like most of his furniture. It looks like a vampire lives in here. The flat is huge.

You guys bring Hoseok into the living room and lie him down on the big, also black, sofa. Jungkook rushes into the bathroom, while you try to distract Hoseok from his pain. "Hi, I'm y/n." You say. He doesn't even look at you. Better not ask any questions, so you just start talking. "I'm making music together with my friends and Jungkook helps us a lot. I guess you guys are pretty close. How do you know each other?" Damn it, that was a question. He's probably not able to listen. But to your surprise Hoseok answers quickly and even smiles at you now: "Hi, I'm Hoseok. Jungkook and I went to school together some time ago, and then I got into some shit. But Jungkook has always been there for me. I can always count on him." Hoseok's smile fades.

Just in time Jungkook appears next to you with all sorts of stuff. He takes off Hoseok's shirt and you can see two pretty bad stab wounds. But they're nowhere near the heart. Jungkook wipes away all the blood and you can see that Hoseok's body is scared everywhere. "It's not too bad, this time. You'll be as good as new, in a few days." Jungkook smiles.

He's like a totally changed person. Concentrated, he bandages the wounds and does not stop talking, to distract his friend. After a couple of minutes, he's nearly done, he runs back to the bathroom, but this time comes back quicker than before. He injects Hoseok with a clear liquid, which makes him drift off to sleep immediately.

You put a pillow under his head and a blanket over him. "He should be sleeping for at least 10 hours now. He really needs to rest." Jungkook whispers. He takes your wrist and pulls you lightly out of the room. You close the door behind you and enter the kitchen. "Do you wanna eat something? I'm starving." He says it like he didn't just stitch up his wounded friend. You shake your head. You're in no place to eat right now. How does Jungkook not see, that you're not okay? And how can he be biting into this strawberry. He pulls out a container full of them and puts them on the table.

"Why didn't you want me to call an ambulance? He could die, Jungkook!" You still don't get over the fact, that you didn't call for help. "Hoseok has a problem with hospitals. A few years back he spent some time there as a patient, he met some pretty bad guys, who made his life into hell. That's why he doesn't want to go back. Calling an ambulance was never an option."

You nod. "He told me, you guys know each other from school?" You want to find out more about Jungkook's past. And also about why Hoseok was stabbed. "Yes, I've known him since we were little boys. About 13 years now." He takes the next strawberry. His fingertips and lips are covered in the red fruit juice.

"He said... he got into some shit..?" You try not to make it too obvious. But Jungkook has to understand why you are curious. You just drove his half dead friend across town.

"Yes. You know Hoseok's family is pretty messed up. His younger brother died really young in a car accident. Since then his parents were so full of grief, that they couldn't care for their other children anymore. So when he was 6 years old Hoseok came into an orphanage. He still doesn't know who his parents are. From there on it all went downhill for him. He had the wrong friends and started smoking at eight." You nearly fall off your chair. "Eight? That's so young!" "Yes, he did it for four years. But Hoseok's willpower is stronger than anyone's I know. He's never once touched a cigarette since he stopped smoking at 12. In school we became best friends and played games a lot. He practically lived with me and my family. My older brother Taehyung and I took him in, as our own brother."

So Tae wasn't lying. You're surprised that Tae didn't tell Jungkook, that he knows you. "When we graduated, Hoseok came in touch with some of his older friends. They were bad influence on him. He lent them money, almost all of it. But they never gave it back. They used it up for alcohol and drugs. Meanwhile Hobi was really struggling to get his life together. With no money and no job. He often gets into fights, when he confronts the people he lent his money to. That's when he came into the hospital the first time. But as he said, he's a bad fighter. I try to teach him Taekwondo once a week, but his body is not meant to fight. He's a slow learner."

Wow, so Jungkook, the guy who looks like he deals drugs or worse, is actually a good man, helping his struggling friend. "What was today all about?" You ask and grab your first strawberry. You wonder where Jungkook got them from. It's winter, did he buy them frozen? But they taste so fresh.

"Today was actually not about him asking back his money. He gave that up some time ago. But some stupid "friend" of his, a guy from the hospital, started a rumour that Hobi inherited a lot of money from his dead parents, which is not true of course. He can barely live with the money he's making working at a coffee shop. But he's well known in the drug-scene, because of his friends and his past. He once told me: In the orphanage everybody's hiding shit. And everyone is 100% selfish. They try to make the best out of every situation only for themselves, no matter how others feel. But Hoseok's different. He has always cared about others. Maybe because he has two siblings. They really loved each other, but he hasn't seen them in four years."

Jungkook sounds like he wants so end, but he hasn't told you what today was about, so you dare to ask: "What was today about then?" "I told you, the people think that Hoseok's rich, they want his money. They threatend him, so he gives all of his inheritance." He acts like it should have been clear from what he was saying, but you don't care.

"Now you know. I always have to keep an eye out for him." You nod and suddenly, all the pressure, all the adrenaline is gone. Your eyes get really heavy and your head as well. You try to support it with your hand, but it's too heavy and you've got no strength left. "I should drive home." You yawn. Jungkook shakes his head: "No way. You're way too tired to drive. You're gonna sleep here." He gets up and before you know he lifts you up, bridal style, and takes you to his bedroom.