by mang_a_art

"You have a biological brother, you told me yourself." Sookie huffed into her phone.

"Pssst! Don't shout. Someone might hear you." I closed the windows to make sure and then checked on my brother. Jimin was still sleeping. Good.

"So what? What if someone hears me? It's not like this is classified information?"

"It is for me. I hardly ever tell anyone I'm adopted, nor that I kinda have a biological older brother. So please. Keep it to yourself."

"So you rather have the entire world think you're dead?"

I shrugged and grimaced. 

There was some huffing coming from the other end of the line and a sigh. "I don't understand you."

That made two of us. I didn't understand myself either. But first and foremost, there was no proof that the body found was indeed a relative of mine and secondly,… I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and balled my fists. I kinda wanted my parents to see this picture. I wanted them to think this was me and I wanted them to feel guilty about the way they've been treating me. Was I petty? Perhaps. But I didn't care. And of course Sookie wouldn't understand. She didn't know my family situation. As someone brought up by loving parents, she would never fully understand. I should be calling Shop-dude. He would high-five me and clap my back. 

"Don't do that?"

"Doing what?"

"Shutting me out," Sookie said. "Since we've started video calling every night, I feel I've learned so much more about you. I feel like you have really opened up. But now you're almost retreating back into your shell. 

"What do you want me to say? This is not a topic I want to talk about. And why would I get involved? It doesn't affect me. This is the life story of a complete stranger. It has nothing to do with me whatsoever."

"Let me just sum it up then. Someone who looks like you was found murdered at the scene of a crime investigation…" Sookie started, but I shushed her. 

"No one knows there is a crime investigation. It's top secret. I told you in confidence what Joon told me in confidence. Keep it to yourself, please." I reminded her. 

"Fine." 

Apparently, I had managed to annoy her again. What was wrong with wanting to be left alone on occasion?

"Fine," I huffed back. "I need to go to bed now. Goodnight."

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

"I have an odd schedule these days."

"You're self-isolating. You don't have a schedule at all."

"I don't notice much of an isolation here," I muttered, but Sookie heard me anyway, and slammed down the receiver.

I got out of bed, trying not to disturb my brother and went to the kitchen for some coffee. Joon's coffeemaker was twenty-million times better than my usual dose of instant coffee, and the thing I enjoyed most about quarantining at his place. Bet you got a shitty kettle in our hotel room, traitor. I told Joon's kitchen appliances as I prepared myself a strong cup of americano. 

My phone started to ring and at first I thought Sookie was calling me back. I felt relieved to see instead Shop-dude's name on the display. 

"Yo, fucker. Sorry to say, but I'm still alive."

"I kinda expected as much. Although you've gone AWOL for so long, I started to wonder."

"So you haven't seen the news and want to ask any silly questions?"

"I had not, but I'm gonna check them now."

"Please don't," I groaned. "It's a nice change to speak to someone oblivious for a change."

Shop-dude laughed. "Why is that? Girlfriend trouble?"

"How about we send my girlfriend to Germany in exchange for yours?"

"Uh oh, I wanna hear all about that. How about we meet for drinks on Wednesday?"

"I wish," I whined. "My brother is down with that blasted virus and we're quarantining." 

"Everyone is quarantining," Shop-dude huffed, as if this was my goddamn fault. "The guy who was helping me in the shop part time is quarantining, too and I'm left with the full workload by myself. I really, really need a drink. I might die otherwise."

"Sorry mate. I wish I could. But even if it weren't for the stupid quarantine I'm at the other end of town at a friend's house. Temporary accommodation so to speak. I'm moving for good next week."

"You are? Where?"

"That's a good question. Somewhere in the outskirts. The new BigHit Motors factory."

"Oh them, they bought out Dope Motors didn't they?"

I shrugged. "No clue. I'm not particularly interested in automobile politics. All I want is a monthly payslip and I'm happy." 

"Oh yeah, you got a job with them, haven't you? We still need to celebrate that."

"And we will. In exactly nine days. I kid you not."

"Where did your brother catch the virus?" Shop-dude asked. "School?"

I wasn't in the mood to mention the P-word in front of Jimin, who had just traipsed into the kitchen and was paying attention to every word I said. Earlier he had asked me whether he was on house arrest because he was a former prison bad boy now. 

Currently, he was attached to a bottle of liquid food, having refused any solid meals for the last two days. 

"I thought schools were closed these days? Isn't everyone homeschooling?"

That was a good question. I had no idea. "I think that's the rich schools. My brother's has no internet connection whatsoever. Heck, I don't have a particularly good internet connection myself. I don't think my modem would survive five minutes on zoom." I'm not sure why I kept up the pretence that my brother was underage. It simply became a habit I slipped into. I guess it was refreshing in a way to have a friend who didn't know every single one of my constant fuck-ups and just treated me like I was an average dude.  

I glanced around Joon's apartment in search of my coffee mug, which somehow always ended up where I expected it least. 

"BigHit had sent me pictures and a floor plan of the place," I told Shop-dude. And a contract that confirmed my starting date on November nine. Originally, it was supposed to be on the second, but due to the quarantine mess I had to push back by a week. Darn, they must be sick of me before I even started. 

"Awesome. What's the place like?" Shop-dude pulled me out of my own fucking head.

"Nothing special," I opened my email account and looked  for the email HR had sent me the other day. Ms W had been right when she said the area wasn't anything spectacular. The entire block looked cheap and rundown, a row of identical-looking, square and grey buildings that didn't look any better on the inside.

Mine would be in the building at the very end of a cul-de-sac. It was the biggest complex, but came with a lift, a recreational area and was considered family friendly, which I interpreted as loud and dirty. I didn't complain though. I rather lived next door to screaming three-year-olds than having Jimin go through any trouble again. Perhaps the family friendly environment was what he needed. 

BigHit didn't own the whole building complex, but only the lower three floors, and the proposed apartment was on level three. Based on the floor plan, it did look rather similar to Joon's place. "It's a tiny bedroom with just enough space for a single bed. An even tinier living room, which I won't use as a living room, but as bedroom for my brother, and a crammed kitchen nook and a bathroom. On the upside it has a washing machine in the kitchen, so I'll no longer have to run to the basement to do my laundry." Or collect my brother from the basement's broom cupboard.  

"What's the deposit situation?" Shop-dude asked. "That's what's always killing me. This place was originally asking for three whole months upfront, can you imagine? I managed to negotiate it down to two, but it's still a fucking lot."

I skimmed the email. "Rent will be deducted from my wages," I read. That was great. I wouldn't have to worry about making payments in time, and there was no more electricity that I needed to manually top up via a metre. That was an advantage because I tended to forget doing this in time. "It doesn't mention anything about a deposit. I guess that's because I'm renting from my employer."

"Hmmm…"

"What are you hmmming about?"

"Even employers ask for deposits, hyung. Better check carefully, not that you end up with an awful surprise when they deduct ninety percent off your first payslip for this."

I kinda feared the same thing, and hearing it from Shop-dude's mouth didn't make it any better. "They don't state any concrete figures though." That's what frustrated me most. There were lots of tables with lots of numbers on how to calculate one's exact rent. Some of it depended on the income, some on the square meters, some on the number of rooms. That was all fine. But then there were allowances made for families with minors and such and I wondered whether I—or rather Jimin would fall into any of those categories. 

But there was no mentioning of my deposit. Or any deposit cost. I had emailed HR and asked about it, but I had yet to hear back.

"I guess I'll see. Either way, I won't be able to do anything about it." I was fucking broke, but worrying about the red figures in my bank account wouldn't change this either way. The address itself was not too bad, the postcode implied reasonable public transportation. It actually wasn't too far away from the airport. So I had this advantage going for me. All in all, not bad. Now, only Jimin needed to get better. 

"True," Shop-dude agreed. "Worrying never helps. It always only leads to rash decisions one starts to regret three days later."

There was a slight notion of defeat in voice. "Is there anything you regret?" I asked carefully.

"YOONGI, HYUUUUUUNG!" 

Shop-dude had said something but I couldn't hear him over Jimin's wail. I ran from the kitchen to check who was currently murdering my brother, but found him proudly standing in the bathroom, my coffee mug in his hands. "Found it for you!"

"Thanks mate."

"Thank you for what?" Shop-dude sounded as confused as I felt.

"Huh? Oh? Sorry man. I was speaking to my brother. He… found my coffee cup for me," I explained.

"That's great," Shop-dude sounded displeased. What the fuck had I done now? I furrowed my brown, trying to recall what we just talked about, but my brain was a slice of Swiss cheese: lots of holes and very little substance. 

"Done," Jimin announced and before I realised what he meant, he began to unscrew the bottle from his feeding tube. I hated how self-sufficient he had become with that thing. A feeding tube belonged to a comatose person in a hospital bed. Not to a slightly feverish young man who simply decided he didn't want to eat while his taste-buds weren't working. But Jimin was more stubborn than a herd of mules, and not even chocolate could persuade him to open his mouth for a bite.

"You're an idiot, you know."

"I know," Shop-dude wailed through the phone.

"You're not allowed to say that," Jimin huffed and crossed his arms. "YOU said everyone calling me idiot is an idiot."

"I'm an idiot," I agreed. There was no protest coming from my side or through the phone. 

"So, drinks once you're done quarantining." Shop-dude confirmed, "I see you then."

"You know you can call me in the meantime. I'm fucking bored sitting around all day."

"Don't rub it in. I'm running around like a headless chicken all day. You don't know anyone looking for a barista job by any chance? I don't know why I thought adding a stupid cafe was a great idea. It's impossible to run a store and froth milk for a latte simultaneously."

"I guess it's because you didn't think you'd end up doing both by yourself. Why don't you put up an ad online?"

"I did. The only application I got was yours."

"Oh."

"And I clicked on reject right away. I had the debatable pleasure of tasting your coffee, hyung. I barely survived."

I vaguely remembered having applied for a part-time barista job. "I hadn't known it was your place. Thank god! It would have been a nightmare having you as my boss."

"I'm an awesome boss."

"Who says so? You're non-existing employees?"

"Go and fuck yourself."

"Every day with pleasure."

"Perv."

"Always."

"Well, as much as I appreciate those meaningful convos with you, I guess I gotta head off. There are thirty-two boxes that need unpacking, which will require me most of the night."

"Sorry to hear. I wish there was something I could do."

"Not to worry. Drinks next week though. I really need at least one thing to look forward to."

"Me too," I agreed. "I definitely should celebrate the end of this stupid quarantine with a good drink."

"Deal."

"How old is your brother by the way?"

"Why do you ask?" And what would I say?

"I was just wondering. A lot of teens work as baristas on weekends or after school."

"You've tasted my coffee and complained, and now you want to offer a barista job to my brother you never met?"

"I just figured it couldn't get any worse."

I hung up on Shop-dude. 

Jimin stood next to me, wearing an eager expression. "I can make coffee, hyung. Look."

He took the coffee powder and added half a spoonful to two litres of water. 

"That's great." At least I could have twenty cups without having to fear a heart attack. 

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