by mang_a_art

With a too dry voice, I asked my brother to hand me the phone. Of all people who could have called me on a bloody Friday afternoon, I hoped it was Sookie or Shop-dude. What I didn't hope for was that he had been speaking to the police, or a social worker, or even worse, like Mr Yu or any one of that sort. Gosh, what if he had been on the phone with the idiot Mike?

Jimin nodded. "I give you to Yoongles-hyungie now. But don't shout at him, please."

That was a rather ominous warning. I sighed and braced myself for the worst. The number on display was unknown and I cleared my throat awkwardly before answering, "Min Yoongi speaking."

"Good Afternoon, Mr Min," came a not quite unfamiliar voice that was attached to an odd accent, which took me a moment to place it properly. 

"Good Afternoon, Ms…." Shit, what was her surname again?

"This is Hannah Winter from BigHit Motors." She introduced herself, and I made sure to write this down. Although, with a sinking heart I realised that I most likely never needed to use it again. 

"Good Afternoon, Ms Winter," I repeated. "Thank you for your call. I'm sorry I had not been able to take it in time."

"No need to worry, Mr Min. I heard you were outside, walking what I assume is a dog, to cure…a little headache." Ms Winter sounded amused. 

"Umm, well…" I guess there wasn't any need to sugarcoat. "I had a few rough days, and I may have overdone it a little bit. I'm sorry." Why did I even apologise to this woman? She most likely called to let me off… or, if for some miracle, she had wanted to offer me the job—she probably changed her mind the moment Jimin had mentioned soju for breakfast. As much as I adored my brother's antics, he didn't paint me in the best possible light for a potential new employer. 

"No need to feel sorry, Mr Min. I think your brother—Jimin, wasn't it?—has filled me in on a few details. I'm sure the last days haven't been easy. Anyway, the reason I'm calling is regarding your recent interview with us…"

Despite holding my breath in anticipation of a negative answer, my heart started to beat a little louder and faster than necessary. I'm sure Ms… —darn, I had just written it down a second ago—could hear it through the line. "Yes?" My voice sounded hoarse.

"Well, I'm calling with a little proposal, so to speak. And after having heard your brother's story, I think it may actually suit you quite well."

I gulped. A proposal? A stupid zero-hours contract, so they could call me whenever they needed someone, but without having to pay me when they didn't need me for two months in a row, perhaps? And worse, I wasn't even in a position to slam down the phone on that.

"Due to the pandemic, we decided to close our factory midtown," she continued. No surprise there, I supposed. I had a feeling a lot of companies used the pandemic for a little spring cleaning.  

"…but instead have acquired a new production plant in the outskirts of Busan. We thought it a safer option, as the area is rather rural and therefore offers a more adequate environment for social distancing. In addition, workers wouldn't need to commute on packed trains. Ideally, we would like to offer you a job there."

They what? They wanted to offer me a job? I… wow… I was at a loss for words. 

"Now, as we are asking about five-hundred employees to relocate, BigHit Motors has obtained several building blocks close to the factory. By no means are those flats big or fancy, but if you accept the job, my colleague from HR would be more than happy to talk you through the details."

A job offer that included accommodation? What the actual fuck? "Of course I accept. Thank you for giving me a chance. I know I fucked up the interview in the worst way possible, but I promise I'll do my best." Well, they said not to look a gifted horse in the mouth. 

"My pleasure," Ms Winter said curtly, and I realised that she wasn't one to carry her emotions on her sleeve. Which was fine by me. I mean, I wasn't any different myself. At least I thought so. 

"Thank you so much. Should I speak to HR directly?"

"No need. I will advise Ms Bak of our conversation, and she will be reaching out to you with the contract and accommodation details. Welcome to BigHit Motors, Mr Min."

"Thank you. Thank you very much."

Even after Ms Winter had hung up the phone, I kept on staring at it in disbelief. I had a job—and a new place to live it. Just how drunk was Karma these days? Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed Jimin and pulled him into the biggest bearhug. 

"Yooooooongles" he complained between giggles. "Can't breathe!" 

"I don't care," I pulled him tighter. "You're the best!" I told him.

"I know. Do I get Bangtan Bar now?"

I ruffled my brother's hair. "Humbleness isn't your strong suit, is it?" I laughed. 

Jimin shook his head. "Bangtan Bars are better than humbles."

"If you say so. But only a very teensy little piece." 

Jimin followed me into the kitchen, where the remains of a Bangtan Bar were waiting in the fridge. I would need to stock up soon, otherwise my brother's temper could become unbearable.

"I like Ms Hannah." Jimin declared as he munched open-mouthed, allowing some chocolate to drool down to his chin. 

I reached for a kitchen towel and wiped some of the mess away, "who?" 

"The lady living in your phone." Jimin pointed to said device in my hand. 

"You mean Ms Winter?" 

"I say Ms Hannah. Is easier. She nice." 

"She is very nice," I agreed. After all, she had given me a job.

"She has two cats." Jimin informed me and held up the number with his fingers to ensure I understood correctly. "One is Suga and one is Agust D. And they sleep a lot."

"Strange names." I shook my head.

"Poor lil' meow meows," Jimin agreed.

I gulped down a glass of water, and my eyes flew to the clock on the microwave. The time was five fifty-seven pm. "I need to call Sookie quickly," I told Jimin. "I'll be in the living room."

"Okay." Jimin's trotted behind me and sat down on the couch. His attention was back on the stupid TV show that was still blaring at too loud volume. "Ms Hannah like watching In the Soop too. Maybe we watch together."

I made a mental note to take Jimin with me whenever I went for a job interview next. 

My phone vibrated, and I unlocked the screen to check my message. Hi mate, got us seats for Jaxx's show. Don't be late. Smell ya later. D-dawg's text read. Shit! I completely forgot to cancel on him. I turned to my brother, "Jimin? Would you mind going out this evening? Meeting some friends of mine?"

Jimin cocked his head. 

"We are going to watch a show. There is this rapper called Jaxx, and he is performing some songs tonight?"

"You performing too?"

"No, I have not rapped in…" well, not since your accident. "Almost a year."

"Why?"

"Because…" because of you, "Because I had more important things to do."

"Like what?"

Making sure you're well, but utterly failing at everything. Trying to become a better person but ending up worse. "Life got in the way."

"Okaaaay," Jimin drew the word out as if he didn't really believe me. He bit his lip, looked at his hands, and wiggled his fingers. "Because my accident." He nodded.

Well, I guess there was no beating around the bush. "Yes, because of your accident."

"I faulty now."

"You're NOT faulty. Stop staying that. You're…different. It's okay to be different. And you're great. You're kind and you're thoughtful and you care about others. A lot of people lack those qualities, you know."

"Like Mr Weasel-ski." Jimin pulled a face and made choo-choo noises. 

"Yes, like Mr Weselsky, who is an utter twat."

"We go back to house with Mr Weasel-ski in it?"

I shook my head. "No, Jimin, we won't. We are going to live somewhere else."

"Where?"

"I don't know yet." It was true. Ms W had mentioned the outskirts of town, but not the exact location. And I was too excited by the prospect to ask what was probably one of the most vital questions. Although, in all honesty, I didn't really care. I would relocate to the moon if I had to. "The woman you spoke to on the phone—Ms W…Hannah—has offered me a new job. And this means we have to move closer to my new workplace. But nothing changes, okay. It's still going to be you and me."

"Okay," Jimin nodded. "You and me," he parroted. "Green convenience store lights at new place?"

"I don't know yet. We will see."

"Convenience stores with green lights are the bestestest. Do you know why, hyungie?"

"Hmm… let me guess…" I pretended to think for a moment and wrinkled my nose and scratched my temple. "Maybe because they sell Downy laundry detergent?" 

Jimin giggled. "Noooo, hyungie."

I pretended to think harder, "because you like their house brand of butter?"

"Hotter, Sweeter, Cooler, Butter," Jimin performed their commercial including the dance routine on top of his lungs, but shook his head. "Think harderer."

I thought harder. "Hmmm…You like their iced coffee selection?" For some reason unknown to mankind, the store brand had decided to feature the In the Soop cast on their coffee granules. And not only that, they called it a special edition and raised the prices. I had changed to a different brand. Bon Voyage coffee was just as good. 

"Noooo," Jimin giggled "you gotta really, really, really think really, really, really hard, hyungie. With your brain!"

"I'm not sure that thing is working these days," I grumbled, but I pretended to think even harder. "I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with chocolate," I finally concluded. "Considering how much you hate that stuff."

Jimin jumped up and glared at me with an expression similar to a kid that just found out Santa didn't really exist. Utter betrayal was dripping from all pores. Laughter exploded from my belly. "I-I'm just k-kidding, b-but you sh-should have s-seen your f-face," I stuttered between guffaws.

But Jimin seemingly didn't get the joke. He broke out into tears. 

"Shit, Jimin! I wasn't serious. I'm sorry," I apologised immediately, all humour drained in an instant. Jimin looked up with a miserable expression on his face. "You really, really sorry?"

"I'm really, really, really sorry."

"I got you! I got you! I got you!" My brother burst out laughing while falling off the couch. 

"So you were playing me! How dare you!" I jumped on top of him, wrangling him onto his back, then attacked him with tickles from all sides. 

Jimin wound himself, laughing, howling, and sputtering. "Hyyyiii, stooooo…" He tried to voice between squeals. 

"Never!" I told him. "I'm going to tickle you into the new year."

"Nooooo, hyuuiiiiiiiiiiiii," Jimin's face flushed red and his laughs raised by an octave or two. 

"Oh yes, I will."

"You not allowwwwed," Jimin squirmed like a worm.

"Oh, yeah? And what will you do about it?"

The only answer I got was another round of giggles. Then my trousers started to feel warm and wet. "Jimin?" I stopped my tickling attack. 

Jimin sat up and looked from his wet crotch to me. "Your fault," he said matter-of-factly.

I guess he wasn't wrong. 

"Okay. Well… Best you have a shower, and I see what I can borrow of Joon's for you."

"No shower." Jimin protested. "I shower this morning." 

"But you soiled your pants. You need another one."

Jimin shook his head. 

"Fine, then come with me. Let's pull apart Joon's wardrobe together."

I had always thought of Joon as a very neat and organised guy. His uniforms were always properly pressed, his casual clothes neatly ironed, and his flat was usually tidy and inviting. That impression immediately changed upon opening his closet when a wall of clothes came tumbling my way. Jeans and socks and shirts and undergarments had just been thrown inside in a wild array, it seemed, with no sense of organisation or logic to be found. In the middle of this chaos were also a used and greasy sauce pan (why, Joon, why?) a broken keyboard, and a mouldy-looking Luis Vuitton suitcase, the latter catching my brother's attention immediately.

He bent to retrieve it from the chaos and I grabbed his wrist. "Let's leave this thing. It may be designer, but it looks disgusting." 

"But this mine," Jimin protested. "Look. My sticker." He pointed at a little Red-Telephone-Box sticker that was attached to the suitcase. 

"I bet they sell those in every single tourist shop in the UK," I said, despite growing a little suspicious myself. As far as I knew, Joon had never been to the UK, and as far as I knew him, he didn't seem to have a thing for overpriced suitcases either. But how? Why? There must be another explanation. 

"But look, hyungie, look." Jimin moaned and reached for the suitcase again. There was a little luggage tag at the handle, and with a pounding heart, I turned it around. 

Jimin Park

13 Crescent Close

London, UK

Just what the actual fuck? 

I pulled my earlobe. How had the suitcase ended up at Joon's? And why hadn't he told me any of this? 

Again, Jimin reached for the handle and tried to pull the thing towards him. Technically, it looked like this really was his suitcase, but something in my gut told me to stop him. Something in my gut told me to speak to Joon first. I quickly reached for a pair of Ernie and Bert pyjamas and handed them to my brother. "Here! You like Sesame Street monsters, don't you? Why don't you wear those for now? The stuff in the suitcase surely needs washing first."

Jimin took the pyjamas and hell, was I grateful for his short attention span. 

I put Jimin's trousers in the washer and contemplated. Why indeed did Joon have Jimin's suitcase? How did he acquire it, and when? I wanted to open the thing and sift through it, but more than that, I needed answers from my friend. But by the looks of it, they would have to wait. My phone vibrated, indicating a new message. 

Seems like you forgot about me, it read, followed by a crying-face emoji. Shit. Sookie. I had forgotten to call her after all the Jimin mess. My finger hovered over the dial button and I bit my lip. I needed to soften the blow and I knew exactly how to do it. "Jimin?" I called, but there was no answer. Instead, there was some shuffling coming from Joon's bedroom. I peeked inside to find my brother in front of the re-opened closet, in the midst of a mountain of clothes, the greasy sauce pan, trying to open the battered suitcase. 

He sprung up and looked at me with widened eyes as if I had caught him with his hand in a cookie jar. "Is mine, hyungie." I said, crossing his arms and cocking his head. 

I bit my lip. "I know. And I'm just as curious as you to find out why it's in Joon's closet."

Jimin nodded. "Help me open?" Jimin pointed at the padlock that was attached to the zippers. 

"You'll need to punch in your number code." I told him. "Do you remember what it is?"

Jimin shook his head. 

"Then I'll need my toolbox to open the thing."

"Why?"

"Because I'll need a pair of pliers."

"Joon? Joon no pliers?"

"Hell, I hope not. Something like this in Joon's hand is a health hazard for everyone." I realised that I was talking about a dude who was wearing a gun to work every day. 

Jimin nodded as if in understanding. "Joon tried to cut onion earlier," he shook his head. "Poor onion."

I grinned. "I can imagine."

"And Joon confused salt and sugar," Jimin added. 

"No surprise there."

"And I put an egg on my head."

I looked at my brother who was wearing the proudest look on his face. "And why would you do such a thing?"

"Because Ms Kim said egg is for eating. But I don't like."

"Why didn't you just tell Ms Kim that you don't like to eat eggs?" 

Jimin looked down to his sock-clad feet, he started to hum, than rock back and forth. 

"Jimin? Is everything okay?" 

The rocking intensified. 

"What has happened?"

Ms Kim seemed to be a nice lady, and Joon was with them? I'm sure he would have intervened if that lady said anything inappropriate to my brother.

"I say no eggs, and lady says eggs are good for me, and I say but chocolate is better, and lady says no, you need to eat eggs because I know better, and Joon says eggs is better breakfast than chocolate." Jimin gulped. "But I don't like eggs, because eggs are sticky yellow stuff and I don't like sticky yellow stuff."

"Maybe next time you simply tell her that you don't like sticky yellow stuff and leave out the chocolate part, okay?"

"But I like chocolate." 

"I kinda noticed."

Jimin pointed at his suitcase. "You think chocolate is in there?"

"I don't know what you packed in your suitcase. Don't you remember? You would have packed it before flying home."

Jimin wrinkled his nose and seemed to think for a moment, but then shook his head. "My head hurts now. Can I sleep?"

Without waiting for any response, Jimin crawled into Joon's bed and pulled the blanket all the way up to his ears. I sat down next to him, brushed some strands of hair from his forehead. He did indeed feel clammy and I wondered whether he might be coming down with something after his ordeal. "Stupid fucking police," I muttered, then opened my phone and dialled Sookie's number. 

"Yoongi." Her voice was flat. Emotionless. And I didn't know what to make of it. 

"Hi Sookie," I mumbled in return. "I'm sorry I'm calling so late, I…"

"You, you, you," she huffed in a voice so cold it would make ice cubes jealous. "It's always about you? Isn't it?"

"It's not." I barked back and pinched my forehead. "But Jimin got arrested and…"

"Jimin what? Why? Just now?"

"On Wednesday night. This is why I hadn't called. Its… it's one big fucking mess. So much has happened. I'm sorry. How is your mum?"

I squinted my eyes, moved the phone away from my ear in preparation for a shouting tirade. 

"Shit, Yoongi. How is he doing? That must have been devastating. I can call Dr Choi if you like. The MOTS house psychologist."

"He's actually doing okay," I shrugged. "It seemed having a dog to play was exactly the therapy Jimin needed. He got out of his shell the second a large wet tongue started attacking his face." I ran through the highlights of the last two days, only leaving out Red Beret and her friends. Somehow, thinking of them made me feel a little uncomfortable still.

Sookie remained quiet for a moment. "The little fellow is more resilient than I thought," she said. 

"The little fellow is a head taller than you," I protested. Jimin and I were the same height. 

"Technicalities," Sookie huffed. "Anyway, where exactly will you be moving to? And what will this mean for Jimin? I don't know how far MOTS house's admission zone stretches when it comes to work placements."

"You mean…me, getting a job might cause my brother to lose his?" I summed up.

"I can't really say anything without knowing a postcode, but potentially yes."

"Great." 

"Don't sound so dejected. I'll ask Ms Eli about similar work placements once you've spoken to HR. And in all fairness, your full-time pay and a roof over your head are definitely more important now. We'll find something for Jimin, don't you worry."

I nodded, although Sookie couldn't see me. "I may have a question for you though."

"Sure, shoot."

"Well, it's kind of a Nurse Kang question really. Jimin seems to be coming down with something. Like he seems to have a temperature, he's complaining about headaches."

Sookie went quiet for a moment. "Did you have him tested?"

"Tested? For what?"

"For what? We're in the middle of a pandemic, idiot! For Covid."

Oh. "Oh."

Sookie sighed, "Where are you staying at the moment? I'll have a test sent over."

"Sent over? I was hoping to… You know… see you?"

"Yoongi, as much as I'd love to do just that, but if Jimin comes back positive, then the two… or rather three of you… will need to quarantine for two weeks. And I'm a nurse. I can't really afford to do that. I'm a front line worker."

"I thought you took some time off. For your mum. How is she, by the way?"

"Improving. But still in hospital, and I'm not allowed to see her. Restrictions, I believe you're most familiar with yourself."

"I'm sorry to hear."

"She'll be fine. We're talking on the phone daily. Shall I extend your well-wishes?"

"Yes, please do so." I paused, biting my lip. "Erm… I was supposed to go to my old place this afternoon to clear out my studio. But if I need to… you know…"

"I'll ask my brothers to help me move the stuff. I think there's space in my mother's garage."

"Thanks, that's really awesome."

"Sure, and I make sure the test will be with you soon. I'll send one for yourself and your friend, too, just to be sure."

I said my goodbyes to Sookie, then ended the call. I felt Jimin's forehead again and hoped this was nothing but a common flu. 

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