Bulletproof Soul

Let's Move on Together

The house was full of the most annoying people. My entire family was home today and there was no way of getting rid of them. I sulked in the hall, wondering if I should just leave. To make matters worse, two of my closest friends had moved in with us. Not that I didn't want them around, I loved those guys, but my parents were always trying to prove that everything was fine. Everything was not fine. My friends were being used as proof to the world that nothing was wrong with their marriage.

Tripping on my sister's junk, lying in the hall, I make my way to my shared room. Four bedrooms, one for my parents, one for my brother, one for my sister and I, and the fourth room was occupied by Taehyung and Jungguk.

One month ago, Taehyung, Jungguk and I finally graduated high school. The plan was for the three of us to pick a university to attend and drag Seokjin along. However, our plans quickly unravel right after the graduation ceremony. It first started with Seokjin's proud announcement that he had finally been accepted to Konkuk University in Gwangjin-gu, for acting, as a film major. While Seokjin loved the water, he believed that his good looks were the key to his future; and Konkuk University was the gate of passage.

The following day, Taehyung's parents announced that they were moving back to Busan...permanently. Neither Taehyung nor Jungguk wanted to go back to Busan. Yet, they had nowhere to stay. Both jobless and still attempting to enroll in the same university, I tried to not invite them to enter the nightmare I called home. Especially, since I wanted to leave too.

Entering my room, I found laundry scattered across my bed...and my sister's beds...and the floor. Our room was a disaster, like a tornado hit nearby and left the debris in our room. I walked across the room, careful to not trip on hidden shoes. Reaching the other side, I stand in front of the TV my sister was watching, arms folded cross my chest, ensuring she could see and hear me.

"Move please, I can't see." My sister waves her arm around in hopes that it would magically blow me away. I don't budge; instead I lean into her, getting nose to nose.

"Well?" I ask sternly.

"Well, what?" she sharpens her gaze, almost squinting. She was only a year younger than me, yet she behaved like a child. Since she was the youngest, she was the favorite. Her twin brother, being the only boy, was also the favorite. This left me sharing a room with a spoiled brat, whose idea of sorting laundry meant 'leave it for Nell.'

"Why are the clothes everywhere?" I tried my best to not yell at daddy's-little-princess.

"Mom asked me to sort the dirty laundry from the clean." She replied as she reached up from her bed and pushed me out of the way. Angrily, I interrogate her further, from behind.

"How is anyone supposed to know which is clean and which is dirty?" Fists clenched, I was ready to cause some pain. She always turned our room upside down. She could at least reserve her mess for her own side only. Yet, the mess spread like an infection that continuously returns.

Her response is simple and to the point. "Clean on the bed, dirty on the floor." She takes out a bag of shrimp flavored crackers from under her pillow and continues watching her drama. I feel the desire to eat shrimp flavored crackers too, yet I finished mine last night. Instead I walk over to my bed and begin folding my clean laundry. 'This is going to take forever.'

~20 minutes later~

"Knock, knock." Jungguk stands in the doorway of my room, charming smile as always. Today he was wearing a white tee under an open oversized jacket, blue jeans and backwards hat. He just started working at the Lotte mall, stocking product, and barely returned home from his shift. Without hesitation, I run over to him and jump into his arms. He holds me tightly for a few seconds and then puts me down.