Homeless, Not Hopeless (JiKook)

11.

"Have a good year," Mahi hugged Jungkook lightly as her son closed the car trunk. She didn't spare Hoseok a glance as she went back inside.

Jungkook almost said something, but Hoseok's expression told him to stay quiet. So Kook pulled his keys from his pocket and moved to the driver's side door.

"Jungkookie," Hoseok cautiously called to him as he sat in the passenger seat.

"Yeah baby?"

"What you said to Jimin this morning-"

"It was the truth, hyung. He needed to hear it. He needs to wake up. A guy like that doesn't want just a housekeeper."

"Jungkook," Hoseok sighed, "I barely know Jimin, but he doesn't seem the type to sleep around."

"Yeah, well....he does. He's different when you get to know him. Trust me."

"You're different," Hoseok crossed his arms and sat back in his seat.

"How?"

"Because my Jungkook would never call his brother a whore. He would never yell in front of his mother and he certainly wouldn't make his mother cry. I don't know what's eating you, but it better get fixed before we get back home."

Jung grumbled something of an apology and put the key into the ignition.

∆∆∆∆∆

"Jungkook-ah," his mother sang into the phone as he answered, "When's the next vacation you have?"

"Um....Thanksgiving. But Hoseok hyung already asked me to go meet his parents then. After that I get some time off before Christmas. Why?"

"Well, Jimin is engaged to Jonghyun-ah."

∆∆∆∆∆

"Eomma!" Jungkook pushed into the house, anger spread over his features as he peered into the living room.

"Yes sweety?" His mother slinked around the kitchen doorframe in front of him, twirling her hair on her finger.

"What do you mean Jimin's engaged?!"

"Oh? You came all the way down here to ask that? Guess it really was easy for you to come. All these years...who knew?"

Jungkook swallowed, shifting uncomfortably under his mother's gaze.

"Relax," she dropped her hands to her side and started back to the kitchen, "He's not engaged."

"Then why would you tell me he was?!" Kook followed her, wanting to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but she was mad at him so he saw it useless to try.

"I wanted to know if you cared, Jungkook."

"Of course I care!"

"Well, it doesn't seem like it," she shook her head and took a seat at the table, "Especially not when you degrade us....especially when you avoid us and lie to us and blatantly ignore us."

Jungkook's anger left him and he moved to stand beside her chair, "Eomma..."

"Jimin is a good kid. He isn't stupid and he isn't a whore. I believe that he'll be very faithful to whoever he ends up with, because that's Jimin."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I want you to apologize to him," she glanced at her child, hesitantly holding his hand and sighing, "Even after everything you said to him...how you've treated him...he still wanted to drive up on your birthday and surprise you in Ilsan. I told him not to, because with how you are now there's no telling what you'd say to him."