I Like Him

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Youngest Not To Be
Found At Home

"Oh, Harabeoji?"

(Harabeoji/할아버지: Grandfather)

"Jungkook-ah, do you have time tonight?"

"Why?" Jungkook put down the large spoon that he was using to mash up the ingredients as he decided to help his mother, just like any other morning, making his dad's favorite healthy meals. "Mom, I'm taking a phone call. I'll be back."

"Okay, honey."

He went to sit in the tiny living room on the sofa, leaning his back against the sofa's body and not forgetting to cross his legs, sitting like a prince as it was one of his habits had been. "Tonight?" he asked, gazing at the outside of the window with his eyes moving, pointing at the moving clouds in the clear sky.

"Yes. I need you to come with me to have dinner with one of my friends if it is okay with you."

"Why it must be needed? Can't you just go without having to drag me?" He couldn't hide the heavy tone of laziness in his voice, a low sigh came afterward finishing his line.

"Of course, I can't. That's why I give you a call and ask if you can join me."

He decided to agree, not having any other options to just go with it. As for the response to the old man's appeal, he hummed because he didn't want his grandfather to be upset and eventually gave in. "Okay. I'll be there. Send the location to me."

"Okay. Don't be late."

"Alright. I will try it." Jungkook finished the phone call and put his phone back down at the corner of the table. "Mom, is there a plan for you tonight? I mean, do you want me to do anything to help you with that?" he asked as he walked towards his mother. He picked up the spoon he had used earlier and went on to complete the thing he was doing.

She asked, "Tonight?" Her hands stopped moving when her eyes moved to look at him. "Think I don't. Why?"

Jungkook hummed and shook his head, "Nothing. It's just ... Harabeoji wants me to go somewhere with him later."

"Oh, really? Then you should go. Maybe it's important, probably related to work."

"Wait," Jungkook turned around and looked down at his mother as he recalled something, "Didn't you say you wanted me to help you with something tonight?"

"Forget it. Later on, we can do it. Just go and do your job and once you've done, you can come back."

"But—"

"Don't worry, Jungkook-ah. Go get your father and tell him breakfast is ready."

Jungkook sighed, knowing so well that he had no chance of winning over his mother, "Okay."

***

"Where is this brat? He wasn't even at home since last night?" Mr. Park asked as he howled loudly in frustration, reflecting his anger around the big house when he found out that Jimin hadn't returned home again just like the other nights before which his rage burned even more.

"Ah, Dad. Can't you just let him be? He's a grown-up man now. Just by thinking about him, you're going to stress yourself out." Yoongi advised, even though he knew how worried his parents would be at such a time like this since Jimin wasn't the same as him or any of his other siblings.

Jimin might seem to be an arrogant, clever, dominant, cold guy. But the fact was far different from that.

Jimin didn't even know how to protect himself from anything and if you asked, he was the clumsiest creature on earth. He didn't care to believe what was ahead that might happen to him in the future, and all he knew at his young age was skillfully wasting his money on drinking and socializing and that's when he eventually crossed the line where he shouldn't be.  And not only were his parents concerned about him but his four big brothers were the same, too.

Every time they got to know that Jimin went to the club, they were all very worried about Jimin, and obviously, the younger one would be wasted.

A tantrum will be revealed when Jimin is drunken.

"I'm not sure where he is," Namjoon said. "I've called him more than 10 times already but he's not picking it up."

"Should I go to the club and look for him?" Seokjin asked. "He's got to be at the regular night club, huh?"

"No, Hyung. You don't have to." Yoongi responded, shaking his head. "He's probably no longer at the bar. It's already morning, Hyung. Maybe he's sleeping on someone's bed right now."

"What?!" Mr. Park's eyes widened, "What did you say?" After hearing Yoongi's random saying, his red ears had both twitched.

"No! Dad, calm down! It's not even true. I don't know. I was just saying."

"Hyung, if you really don't know about it, don't say anything then. You're just going to make him get his ass kicked by Dad for something that he didn't do later. Maybe he's staying at JungHoon's house." Hoseok said.

"Ha," Mr. Park turned his sharp gaze this time to look at Hoseok, raising his pointed finger to shoot the flustered face of the boy, "You're a kind of problem here, too, Seok-ah."

"Huh? Me? W-Why? What've I been doing?"

"You still protect him even though you know he made a mistake."

"He just made a mistake, and you also know that he did not, on purpose, get himself into that trouble."

"What do you mean it wasn't on purpose? If he didn't act like that, he's not going to get into that trouble."

"Who the hell wants to get in trouble on purpose?" Hoseok almost raised his tone, but Namjoon was quick to pull him upstairs before things got fires between them, while Seokjin and Yoongi tried to calm their father's anger down.

"That little," Mr.Jeon sighed, "What did he get for defending that brat?"

"Uh, you know. Jimin is our little precious brother." Seokjin said, "It's kind of difficult for us not to—"

"Not what?! Are you trying to protect him, too now?!"

"Yah, Park PilWoo-ssi. Can you calm down?" Yoongi said as he could feel the stress almost growing up to the brink. "Let's wait a little longer, he'll still be home. Where else will he go without a shower?"

Then Yoongi went upstairs, and not long after, Seokjin followed him from behind, leaving only the old man sitting on the couch waiting for the return of his youngest son.