➵ jimin
i laid on my back, staring up at the white ceiling. music, most likely kehlani or justin bieber, played softly in the background, although i was barely listening.
"jimin hyung? are you busy?" i lifted my head to see my younger brother jihyun standing in the doorway. he looked troubled, which concerned me.
"not really, no. what do you need?" i sat up, stretching my back.
jihyun shuffled into the room. "well, um, mom and dad are fighting. c-can you take me somewhere? please?" he asked, eyes shining. "i don't wanna stay here."
i slid off the bed, picking my phone up off the nightstand and grabbing my denim jacket off my desk chair. "of course, come on." i stuck my phone in my jacket pocket and slung my arm around my brother.
i grabbed my keys from the rack by the door and we went out the back door, to avoid being seen by my parents, who i could now hear arguing in the kitchen with tense, raised voices. jihyun and i got into my car and i quietly pulled out of the driveway.
"so. how... how often has this been happening?" i asked after a while of silence.
"uh, well it's been a lot more recently, but i think they mostly do it when you're at work or with jungkook-ssi." jihyun replied watching out of the window.
"so i don't hear."
jihyun sighed. "most likely."
"it's about me then." i said, my voice quiet. my brother didn't say anything, and i took that as a confirmation. my mind was racing, questions swirling round my brain.
why would my parents be fighting about me?
i hadn't done anything wrong. i had a good job, had gotten good grades at school, graduated almost top of my class, didn't do any sort of drugs, overall i was a pretty decent kid. i couldn't figure out what i'd done that had caused my parents to start arguing.
"hey, where are we going?" jihyun spoke up, looking at me pointedly.
"you'll see." i replied teasingly. "mind putting on some music?"
"would i mind? i've been going crazy in this silence! i thought you'd never ask!" he laughed, opening my glove box to reveal a compartment full of cd's. he thumbed through them for a while before letting out a soft 'aha' and pulled out a disc. "here we go," he said as he put it in the stereo. he pressed the 'shuffle' button, and sat back in his seat with a proud smile.
immediately i recognized the song, and a grin spread across my face. "i love you so much, jihyun." i exclaimed. the familiar beats of kehlani 'the way' filled the car, and both of us were soon singing along without a care in the world.
a few songs later, i pulled into a parking lot. "are you sure we're allowed here?" jihyun asked cautiously. there were few cars, and it was quiet all around.
"relax, it's fine." i swiftly parked and shut off the car. jihyun sluggishly got out of the car, slamming the door shut. "hey, watch it! that car didn't do anything to you."
my brother just gave me a look that said 'stop talking, jimin' and started walking.
"wait, i know this place!" jihyun exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.
i just smiled, heading towards one of the paths to the side of the parking lot. "come on, slowpoke. the sun's about to set." my brother scrambled after me, quietly complaining about getting his white shoes dirty.
"here we are," i announced, looking out at the city in front of us. the sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, tinting the sky a gorgeous peach colour. jihyun stood beside me, staring in awe.
i sat down among the tall grass, spreading my legs out. "sit." i patted the space next to me, looking up at my brother with a raised eyebrow. he rolled his eyes before taking the spot, resting his head on my arm.
"what am i gonna do when you leave?" jihyun murmured, leaning his head against my shoulder. i wasn't sure if he meant to think that in his head or if he was actually asking me, but i answered anyway. running my hand through his hair, i hummed.
"you have to be strong. don't let anyone tear you down or tell you to change anything about yourself. be genuine. get lost, but also find yourself. it's a big big world out there, jihyun, and you can't let anyone take it away from you."
