A MYSTERY TO ME | TAEKOOK

chapter two

The West Coast was nothing like the East Coast. There was a reason they were separated by thousands of miles and that was only one of many reasons that Jungkook had chosen it as home.

He loved the way that even on the coldest days, it was still warm. How the people were open, were different, they were a delight. In a way, being thrown out of his parents' house that night years ago had made him into something. Now he was a choreographer, working with groups of all sizes, teaching dance lessons at nursing homes on the weekend- he adored his life. It was filled with compassion for himself and for others.

He loved that each night he got to go home to his chosen family and share dinner with people who gave a damn about how his day was. They would sip microbrews on patios each weekend and celebrate Taco Tuesday like it was a weekly religious ritual- he had never had a taco before meeting them. On Sunday's they would get brunch, drink mimosas, and watch street performers. It was completely different than his childhood.

Jungkook would occasionally dream of home. He was always in a suit, stuffed up in that office that had his name engraved on the door, and he was miserable. His now tanned skin was pale in comparison, his hair tamed and stuffy just like he wore it all through his teen years. It wasn't so much a dream but a nightmare, one he was grateful that he wasn't really living.

On nights where his Mother, Father, and that summer day in Rhode Island would haunt him, he'd wake up in a panic, grateful to see his boyfriend sleeping next to him, their dog at the foot of the bed.

The rest of his apartment was scattered with imperfections. Cracks in the foundation led windows to have broken seals that let warm air and bugs sift in where they weren't welcome. Paint was peeled and chipped, the hallway reeked of cigarette smoke but it was charming in its own right. Old bones and walls that they covered with photos of their travels together, between the two of them, between groups of friends- his fondest memories were sprinkled all around. It was merely minutes from the studio where both him and his boyfriend worked. They'd walk together and stop at a close café for coffee beforehand.

It was a beautiful routine. One that Jungkook intended to keep for forever.

"Babe you got mail!"

Jungkook turned his head, long wavy locks pushed back behind his ears so that he could see his laptop screen better. He was currently reviewing a new routine he had prepared, trying to improve footwork and keep each member in sync- had you asked him five years ago if this would happen, he would have laughed in your face, "From who?"

The boy walked over with a gold envelope in hand, "I don't know but I want to find out! I am living for the gold envelope and the wax seal on the back."

"Wax seal? Sounds very pretenti-," He gulped, visibly, audibly, his eyes darting to the sender, "Oh..."

His boyfriends arm looped around him, gentle kisses being planted on his cheek, "What is it?"

"My sister!" Jungkook blurted it out a bit too quickly, visibly uncomfortable by the site of it, "You can just toss it." His hands were shaking.

"What do you mean?" The boy to his left was small but demanding. Eager, curious to a fault. His eyes narrowed, "At least open it! It could be important. Somebody might be dying."

Jungkook had shared very little of his family history with his friends yet Jimin knew everything. He had spilled the entire story, probably why the boy had taken such sympathy and taken him under his wing in every aspect. Probably how they ended up here- deeply, unapologetically in love, "I don't much care to know what she has to say..."

"But she didn't leave you Koo, she's always tried to stay in your life."

"But ultimately she chose them!" His eyes darted around the room, refusing to make eye contact with the older boy in case he started to cry, "She chose them over coming with me and now, she's just trying to rub whatever this is, in my face!"