The Seven Passengers (BTSxTitanic)

Chapter 3: Jungkook

 I like the wind blowing my hair, it's a nice change from being in a stale room made of gold. A cage is still a cage. 

Seokjin says I should be appreciative of what I have considering where I've come from. It's all a show he puts on, trying to be the big understanding brother he was never cut out to be. 

Then again, I was never cut out to be a shiny posh boy, but here we are.

I climb the rails that are scorching hot and sit down with my sketchbook and charcoal I swiped from below deck. I'm a bit too good when it comes to stealing. I've stolen small trinkets: necklaces, earrings, even wedding rings. After all, that's the secret of how I survived on the streets for so long.

I thought my drawings would suffice and that I would be the richest man in the world. I was a naive teenager who thought everything would fall into place for me, that the universe would pay me back. 

I've learned the universe is mischievous. It likes to give you new gifts that you have to adapt with.

I was just fourteen when Mr. Kim Nam-Jung happened to need a garden boy. I worked in the dirt for five years planting his flowers and trimming every grass blade to perfection. The job was tiring, but exhilarating. Looking at the final project where parties were held and guests were awed at my work left an impression on me.

I remember the exact flowers I was caring for—the peonies—when Mr. Kim Nam-Jung strolled up to me with a smile on his aging face. 

"Jungkook. How are those flowers treating you? They are quite lovely this time of year," he said with such certainty I would have mistaken him for a gardener himself, but that's just impossible to think.

"Yes, sir," I nodded. The small talk was the worst form of torture he could do on servants. I'd much rather starve than have to keep a dying conversation alive. His white shoes were already attracting dirt to the bottoms. I'd have to clean that later.

"I hear you're out on the streets by yourself," he said. I pressed my lips together. Hit me where it hurts, why don't you? "It must be terribly lonely. I've seen your drawings and I must say, I'm impressed. I'd like to give you a chance to show our guests some of your artwork," he raised a finger, "and in doing so, I will offer you a place to stay."

It started off pleasantly: I would draw until dawn and display my pieces while I hid in the shadows to watch their reactions. Apparently, rich people love a good erotic painting. I even had a request to design a table with sensual details. 

I was the star, which Kim Nam-Jung was not pleased about.

Ten days later, I was adopted into his household all in the name of his "good heart". Attention was, and still is, given to him all because a rich man bought a poor boy. I was dressed in the finest silks and given anything I desired at the snap of a finger.

 Still, the life of wealth is not for me.

I quickly sketch the passengers climbing on board. The charcoal colors my fingertips a dark black and leaves remnants on the railing. 

I look up and meet someone's dark eyes that look up at me. The man is no older than me, with messy black hair reaching his eyes. He's boarding with a friend beside him. They both are wearing silk shirts, with the shorter friend having his unbuttoned at the top for a subtle show of skin. 

The man pauses at my gaze. I should probably look away, it's been a bit too long since I've blinked. Instead, he smiles and waves gracefully.

I bring my sketchbook to my face. How long had it been since someone waved at me? 

I give it a few seconds before I peek over. The two are talking, though the man is pointed in my direction. His face is so sharp, the jawline defined and his eyes intense.

Before I understand what is happening, my hand starts to copy what I see. 

I'm working on his hair when I hear Seokjin calling me. I quickly shut my sketchbook and hop off the railing. Seokjin holds his hand up from the wind as if it will stop just for him. He frowns when his hair ultimately tangles.

"Father requests you at the dining room to meet Captain Smith," he reports. I hold in the sigh that forms in my head. It's bad enough I have to play a role I never asked for, but smiling in front of captains will be new. 

 I follow behind Seokjin. The man watches me carefully. I stare back. Something about him is intriguing enough for me to wonder if I'll be able to meet him again. Hopefully, I can find the man again before we arrive in New York.

We have five days anyways. That's plenty of time.