Glow

That's What He Said!

'So that's what you said?' I ask.

'Yeah, sorry about that.' Yoongi rubs the back of his neck embarrassed.

'But, that's not even that bad...' I say, puzzled.

'What do you mean? It's pretty bad from my experience.' He looks up, curious.

'I mean, you sing the Tony Montana song, so I figure you've probably watched the movie too, right?' I ask.

'Yeah, but it was a while ago, so I really only remember the story line, not the spoken script.' Yoongi settles down in a chair at the kitchen island.

'Okay, but that movie was in the eighties, before even Seokjin was born. It was graphic, to be sure, for its time, but that's still over a decade before Eminem even released his first album, and you know his work is much more... explicit.' Yoongi nods, listening. 'It's now the mid 2020s and you're telling me that... you cursing the guys out is bad??' I shake my head, not sure how to equate this guy with the rapper who gets up on stage.

'It's not that I don't know worse words, phrases, even in a few different languages, but it's different. Doing it on stage to blow off an industry standard that suppresses talent is one thing, doing it to my family, to my brothers, to people I care about... that's another.' Yoongi says.

'So, casual roasting isn't a thing here?' I ask.

'Roasting?' Yoongi repeats, unsure.

'Hmm.... It's kinda like poking a hole in a friend's big ego, letting it deflate some, so that they still feel humble. If done correctly it even reinforces your relationship, making it stronger.' I try to qualify for him.

'I mean, between siblings, when mom and dad aren't looking, maybe. Otherwise, it's really hard to get that idea into the social hierarchy that Korea has. Being polite is almost more important than what needs to be said... in almost every situation.' He frowns, considering his words. 'Age is a big thing here, both in language well as in actions. We honor our elders like a lot of Asian cultures do, and it's been reinforced even to older classmates in school.'

'Wow, that's...' I'm not even sure how to respond to that.

'It can be taken advantage of, and when it is those people tend to get caught. But it's not an easy thing to break. I'm not even sure anyone wants to.' He says, staring at me.

'I guess when in Rome, or in this case, Seoul...' I say, shrugging.

****

'Did you realize our conversation was almost entirely in Korean?' Yoongi asks as he makes coffee.

I look at him, mildly surprised. 'No I didn't. I mean, I knew when we switched to English for a few words, but I was more focused on listening to you.'

'You're getting better at this. It's been what, two, three months now?' He asks.

Thinking about the timing I started thinking aloud. 'Well, it was 2 months on the tour, about a month since then... wait, the winter holidays are coming up!' Eyes wide I turn back to him. 'Do you guys celebrate Christmas? I mean, besides in front of a camera??'

Looking at the calendar on his phone, Yoongi's face changes to a grimace as he groans. 'We missed the traditional kimchi-making this year, and Christmas is almost upon us. Heck, Dongji is this weekend...' my raised eyebrows at his list makes him pause. 'Hold on, I don't know the right words to change that into English.' A deep breath and he yells for Namjoon... who doesn't respond.

Instead he stomps over to the door I have come to equate to Namjoon's music cave, or as he calls it: Rkive. Knocking on the door, politely even, it opens and the deep voice that comes from that room is definitely Namjoon... or is it Taehyung? Suddenly I am not sure.

'Winter Solstice or equinox!' Yoongi raises his voice to tell me, not leaving the doorway that he's talking at. I shrug and head over, figuring the conversation is changing locations and I should move.

'Does anyone still need to do holiday shopping?' The deep voice coming from within the room asks.

'Dunno. I'll go text everyone and ask. We have a few days left, so it should be okay.' Yoongi replies.

'Hey Y/N. Are you doing okay in your Hangul lessons?' Taehyung asks from behind Namjoon, who stands holding the door to his studio open.

'Yeah, my lessons seem to be improving my understanding of what is said, though the tongue twisters that the words are sometimes are still beyond my reach...' I smile and reply back.

Turning to Namjoon I nod politely, making him smile. 'I still need to do shopping for Christmas, and other celebrations.' I say.

'My birthday is coming up!' Taehyung adds in.

Nodding thoughtfully, Namjoon reaches into his pocket, coming up with only a handful of pens and pencils.

'I've got her this time.' Yoongi says, laying a calming hand on Namjoon's forearm as he frowns at his writing utensils. 'I'll make sure she can find and buy what she needs for now.'

'Another thing we need to add to the questions. When does her account become unfrozen or available to her?' Namjoon mutters, heading over to a pile of notebooks on a table next to the couch in his room. Shuffling through them until he finds the right one he mutters his question until he has it in writing in the book.

I look at Yoongi as he sighs, watching Taehyung's humor at Namjoon and his focus on getting everything down in writing that needs to be addressed.

'At least he can't break notebooks like he can almost everything else!' Taehyung says, amused.

The ripping sound from Namjoon's hands belies that statement.