Work Text:
Seoul, 2025.
Kim Taehyung is an ordinary teenage boy.
He was born and raised in Seoul, an innocent and bright eyed boy who was too kind for the roughness of the world around him.
But his parents died when he was twelve, leaving him in the care of his eldest brother, Seokjin, an aspiring artist, who was goofy with a large heart.
He didn’t even hesitate, just took his youngest brother in, giving him the largest bedroom in the loft, not even caring that it used to be his room.
No.
He just gave his old room to Taehyung, before he moved into the smallest room, which was located on the first floor, next to the bathroom and front door.
That was his first brother.
His second brother was Namjoon, a bright and intelligent young man who was eighteen when their parents died, the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Quite literally, might I add.
Due to his age, he was a legal adult in the eyes of the law, meaning that he could provide for himself, working three jobs throughout his school years, saving what he made.
So, when he got a scholarship to a prestigious school abroad, he didn’t hesitate to accept it, both of his brothers having his back, even during the long distance.
And that was what he liked about Namjoon.
Despite the different time zones, his second eldest brother never hesitated to call or text them, always keeping in touch no matter if it was morning or night.
Those were his brothers.
Now his best friend, on the other hand, was a rebellious and troubled boy, one who was born into a life of poverty.
Park Jimin and him met back in kindergarten, two boys who gravitated towards each other like two magnets that were attracted to each other.
And to say that the two boys were inseparable would be an understatement.
Because where one went, the other followed, the two boys the best of friends, brothers in all but blood.
They were soulmates through and through.
Unlike Taehyung, who was born into an upper class family, Jimin was born into poverty, raised by a single mother who would rather dance in clubs than raise her own son.
And he never knew his father, the boy claiming that he left them when he was young, a man from Italy who was only in Korea for work.
Yeah.
What his father had with his mother was a one time fling, the man freaked out when she announced her pregnancy, causing him to leave and never return.
He didn’t even pay child support, according to Jimin.
Which meant that he spent more time at Taehyung’s place than he did at his own house, the boy having a non-existent relationship with his mother.
If you know what I mean.
But when he wasn’t with Taehyung, he was with his boyfriend Min Yoongi, an underground rapper by the name of Agust D, a man who was older than them by five years.
Was this healthy?
No.
But Jimin loved the man, and his best friend knew that, which is why he tried his hardest to be supportive, even if he didn’t understand the appeal.
I mean, Yoongi wasn't just a rapper, but he was also a biker, rebel and smoker all rolled into one, the older man having quite the criminal record that he stacked up throughout the years.
Breaking and entering, assault, battery, and under age drinking just to name a few, the man the sort of person that a teenager shouldn’t be hanging out with.
But I digress.
His second best friend was a boy by the name of Jung Hoseok, one who lived across the hall from him and his brother, a boy who they saw frequently.
He was only a year older than him and Jimin, a boy with a bright and positive personality, one who was sunshine and rainbows in human form.
His father was a Korean Language teacher at the University of Korea, while his mother was the executive assistant to the CEO of a software company.
Fancy, I know.
So it wasn’t uncommon for the three boys to hang out together, both at school and afterwards, the three of them best friends, even though they didn’t get along at times.
Take Hoseok and Jimin, for example.
The two boys got off on the wrong foot, two boys who were from different worlds, one poor, one not.
The two friends were ten when the older boy first moved in across the hall, the two of them visiting Seokjin that day when they spotted the moving truck that was parked across the street, asking him about it.
“A new family is moving in across the hall,” the older man just explained to them, his tone of voice calm but his eyes never once looking away from the sculpture that he was building.
There were empty soda cans around him as he used them to build a giant robot, the man paying no attention to his younger brother or his friend, one leaning out the window and the other lying on the couch, slouching.
“Come on. Let’s introduce ourselves.”
It was Taehyung who spoke, a smile on his face as he looked at his best friend, the shorter boy frowning when he spoke, his eyes looking at him.
“I don’t know, Tae.”
But the younger boy didn’t wait for an answer, just dragged him out the door by the hand, the door across the hall wide open, giving them a good glance at the inside of the apartment.
And sitting crossed legged in the doorway was an older boy, one with chunky glasses and a bright yellow sweater, his finger turning the page of his book when the two boys stopped in front of him, their eyes staring at him.
“Hi!”
“Hello.”
He glanced at them briefly when he spoke, but paid them no attention afterwards as he focused on his book instead, his ears bright red from the encounter.
To say that Hoseok was shy was an understatement.
Or at least he was back then.
“I’m Taehyung and this is…”
“You’re a nerd.”
It was the other boy that spoke, the frown getting deeper on his face and his arms crossed over his chest as his words got the attention of the older boy.
“Goodbye.”
He didn’t even introduce himself, just slammed the door in their faces, leaving the two boys standing in the hallway, one shocked and the other bored.
So yes, that is what happened.
The next time they saw him was at school, the boy in the year above them, but that didn’t stop Taehyung from introducing himself once again, his efforts paying off this time.
Why?
Because he finally got a name.
It didn’t take long for Hoseok and Taehyung to become fast friends, the two of them waiting for the bus together, having lots in common.
For one, they were both the youngest in their families.
Secondly, the older boy was there for him after his parents died, giving him a shoulder to cry on and walking home with him, comforting him in the ways that Jimin couldn’t.
Besides, that was the year his best friend met Min Yoongi.
Which brings us to now.
It’s been four years since his parents died, and he moved in with Seokjin, four years since his entire world turned upside down.
It started with a motorcycle.
His brother was sitting on the couch when he got home, a frown on his face as he slammed a hammer into their laundry, a pile of clothes that he folded the evening before.
“Do I even want to know?”
His tone of voice was calm when he placed his backpack down onto the floor, closing the door behind him before he walked towards his brother, his words getting a grunt out of the older man.
“Someone stole my motorcycle.”
That explained the laundry at least.
“I got you that bike!”
And those words were true.
He knew that Seokjin had always wanted a motorcycle, which is why he saved up his allowance, working with Namjoon to pay for the bike, the two brothers proud of what they achieved.
Getting their eldest brother that bike wasn’t easy, after all.
“Did you call the police?”
The look that he got was the only answer that he needed, his eyes watching as his brother resumed beating the pile of laundry, a feeling of pity rushing through him.
Man.
He worked hard to fold that stack of clothes.
The knock on the door broke through the silence, the sound causing his brother to groan, before he put down the hammer, a frown on his face when he spoke again.
“Now what?”
He was pouring himself a glass of water when his brother answered the door, a police officer standing on their entranceway, a frown on his face as he looked at the man standing in front of him.
“Kim Seokjin?”
But it wasn’t the man that caught his attention.
No.
He was taking a sip of his drink when he noticed him, not the officer who spoke, but the teenager boy who was standing next to him.
Because that was the thing.
The officer's hand was holding the arm of a teen boy, one who was younger than him by two years, a boy with dark hair, doe eyes and crooked front teeth.
His hair was messy on top of his head, and he was wearing a red and black striped shirt underneath a black leather jacket, a choker around his neck and his jeans ripped overtop the converse high tops that he was wearing.
He was hot, that’s for sure.
“We found your bike.”
Speaking of which.
“We found him in the garage. He had these.”
The officer handed his brother his keys, his eyes watching as the older man took them, not saying anything, which caused the boy to speak this time, a smirk appearing on his face once their eyes met.
“I was returning it. All I did was take it for a joyride.”
God.
What a jerk.
“What about my joy!”
“Yeah. Look what he did to our laundry! I’m going to have to refold that.”
He couldn’t take it anymore, which is why he spoke up, placing his glass down onto the counter before he walked towards his brother, his arms crossed over his chest with every word that he said.
The teen just smirked even wider, though, the two boys stuck in a staring contest with each other when the officer spoke again, his words addressed towards his brother this time.
“Are you going to press charges?”
“Yes!”
But what happened next was unexpected.
“Let him go.”
What?
“You’re kidding.”
But his brother wasn’t, their eyes watching as the officer released him, his tone of voice calm when he addressed the boy, who didn’t look surprised in the slightest.
I wonder why.
“Your lucky kid. This could’ve been a lot worse.”
And yeah.
It could’ve been.
The officer left after that, the door wide open as the three of them continued standing there, the atmosphere a mixture of shocked disbelief and boredom.
“Can I use your bathroom?”
“Down the hall to the left.”
The two brothers were left alone after that, waiting for the door to close before the younger one spoke, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the older man, harshness in his tone of voice.
“I don’t believe this. He stole your bike!”
“He didn’t steal it. You heard the boy, Tae. All he wanted was to take it for a spin. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
How gullible could he be?
“He’s messing with you. Why else would he be using our fancy soap?”
The two brothers had different opinions on the matter.
One saw the good in people, while the other knew how mean children could be, especially young boys like Jimin and Yoongi.
You know the type: troubled, loud and rebellious, the boys who thought that the world was against them, the ones who only knew what heartbreak was.
If this kid was anything like those two, then he knew that he could only be nothing but trouble.
Unfortunately.
“That’s nice soap you have in the bathroom.”
“I knew it!”
The older man went forgotten as the two boys resumed their staring contest, one having a smile on his face while the other was frowning as hard as he could.
“I’m Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook. What’s your name, beautiful?"
Is he flirting with him?
“Nope, we’re not doing this. Have fun in jail.”
He pointed towards the door after that, thankful for the fact that the younger boy got the memo, and was making his way towards the door when Seokjin opened his mouth to speak again.
Of course he did.
“You’re still not off the hook.”
To his embarrassment, it was Seokjin who invited the kid to visit again, something about how he could use an assistant for a new sculpture that he was working on.
But that was just an act, wasn’t it?
It turned out that Jungkook was their new neighbor, a boy who lived four floors down from then, one who moved into the apartment building that same day.
In fact, it was Hoseok who informed him of that fact, the three of them sitting on the balcony that was attached to the third floor, a room that they turned into a movie studio.
They just got down filming a video for their YouTube channel, their feet hanging off the edge as they sat side by side, talking silently as they watched Jimin through popcorn at the people below.
“You’re not serious.”
But it turned out that Hoseok was, the older boy adamant of the fact that he saw a moving truck earlier that morning, a stack of boxes stacked outside 402.
And that was the last thing the building needed.
A delinquent.
“Yoongi and I ran into him this morning. He’s really not that bad.”
Both pairs of eyes turned towards Jimin when he spoke, the other boy having a smile on his face as he looked at them, the bowl of popcorn balancing on the railing next to him.
Of course he thought that.
Yoongi was a biker himself, meaning that he might’ve been in the same circles as Jungkook, maybe even have known him.
None of them would be surprised if he did.
“Say, what were your scores on the history test?”
It was Hobi who changed the subject, the youngest boy giving him a small smile in gratitude, the subject changing with those words, and causing his two friends to get into a mini argument about their teacher.
Which left Taehyung to embrace the moment, the boy watching his two best friends fondly, grateful that he had the two boys in his life.
And hey.
Maybe the whole thing with Jungkook was just a one time thing.
Oh, if only he knew how wrong he was.
Because for the next five days Jungkook was there when he got home from school, the boy ignoring it at first, never letting the younger boy's petty insults get to him.
Until one day.
Jimin was with him that day, the two boys having plans to study for an upcoming test, maybe even relax and have a sleepover.
Well that was the plan at first, because everything fell apart when the two boys stepped foot into the apartment, both Jungkook and Seokjin beating a block of metal with a hammer, the noise overwhelming.
“Can I talk to you?”
He just left the two boys in the living room as he dragged his older brother into the kitchen, glad that Jimin was enjoying himself as his eyes stared into Seokjin's matching ones.
“Why is he here?”
And they both knew there was only one person that he could be referring to.
Jungkook himself.
“Look, he needs a stable role model in his life, okay? I thought maybe if I took him under my wing he would change.”
“For five days in a row?”
“Do you have a better plan?”
Unfortunately he didn’t.
Both him and Jimin went upstairs to study after that, which left Jungkook alone with his brother, the two males continuing to dent the block of metal until the oldest came up with a better idea.
Before he knew it, he was leaving the apartment to go get smoothies, seeing nothing wrong with leaving three teenagers alone by themselves, especially since he’s done it before.
But he never expected to witness what he did as soon as he opened the door.
There were two things.
One: Sitting on the couch making out was Jungkook and Taehyung, their lips connected in a passionate embrace, niether of them noticing him yet.
Secondly: Sitting at the kitchen counter was Yoongi, the second oldest man dressed in a leather jacket and smoking a cigarette in an apartment that wasn’t even his.
Dear God.
“What the hell?”
It was his words that caused the two teens to break apart, one smirking at the scene and the other guilty, a look of panic on his face.
“I can explain, Seokjin.”
“Please do. And please tell me what he’s doing here.”
Those words got a wave from Yoongi, an action that caused the older man to frown even deeper, placing the smoothies down onto the coffee table before he spoke again.
“Out! Everyone out! And yes, Jimin, that includes you.”
“Hey! What did I do?”
It wasn’t until they were alone when he stared at the younger male, the smoothies going forgotten as the two brothers stared at each other, never backing again.
And eventually an explanation came.
“I don’t understand. How did…?”
A pause.
“When I left, you and Jungkook hated each other. How did you two go from that to kissing?”
He didn’t understand, to be honest.
“I did hate him, but he was playing his music too loud, and we got to talking and I soon realized that he wasn’t at all what I thought he was.”
“And Yoongi?”
Now that was what he really didn’t understand.
He may not have liked Jimin’s boyfriend, but he didn’t hate him either, just thought that it was weird that an adult male was hanging out with an underage teen.
If you know what I mean.
“He was in the area, and I invited him over to make Jimin happy. I didn’t think you’d mind, Seokjin.”
Well he thought wrong.
The silence got even tenser after that, and the man knew that there was only one thing left to do, even if it panned him in the process.
Oh, if only Namjoon was here.
He’d know what to do.
“You’re grounded for… until college!”
“Not for until college!”
“Until college and that’s final.”
Things only got harder from here.
As the days passed, Taehyung was forbidden from seeing Jungkook, and could only leave the apartment to go to school.
Other than that, he couldn’t leave without Seokjin himself, meaning that the front door remained locked at all times.
And not only was his cell phone taken away, but his brother also got an alarm installed, one that would tell him if his brother was leaving the house without supervision.
He couldn’t even hang out with his friends.
No.
For further notice, he was living his life by Seokjin's terms, only seeing his best friends at school, both Jimin and Hoseok promising to visit as often as they could.
Which would be hard, let’s just be honest.
But it wasn’t long before things would reach their breaking point.
It started with a movie night.
The two brothers were in the lobby when they ran into Jungkook, the young rebel pausing when he noticed them, a small smile on his face as he passed them, the older man thinking nothing of it.
“Taehyung.”
“Jungkook.”
The elevator doors closed before the two brothers were left alone, the older male wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he asked him what movie he wanted to see.
“Actually how about I rent a movie instead?”
“And?”
“And you could go to that Thai place that Joonie introduced us to, maybe bring something back?”
It didn’t take long for Jin to agree, the man disappearing around the corner, before the elevator doors opened and Jungkook himself appeared in the lobby, a smile on his face as he looked at him.
“Did he fall for it?”
Surprisingly he did.
The two boys kissed after that, before they left the building hand in hand, finding themselves watching a scary movie, and getting ice cream afterwards, smiles on their faces as they walked hand in hand.
“I had fun tonight.”
And those words were true.
He did.
“Me too.”
He just smiled shyly at Jungkook’s words, the elevator doors opening and announcing their arrival at the eighth floor, the two boys thinking nothing of it as they walked hand in hand towards his front door.
Only to pause.
Why?
Because standing in the entranceway was Seokjin himself, a smoothie in his hand and his teeth chewing on the straw as he glanced at his watch, his eyes narrowed once he noticed them.
“You’re right on time.”
And to say that he wasn’t happy would be an understatement.
Because he wasn’t.
Not at all.
“Is there something you two would like to tell me?“
That was the day that changed everything.
Because there was no denying what he saw that night.
His little brother was in love.
That was why he had no choice but to let Taehyung and Jungkook date, making it clear to the two boys that he may not have approved of the relationship, but that it wouldn’t stop him from letting his little brother be happy.
The months passed after that.
The third floor was silent that evening, the sounds of arguing in the air as Jimin play fought with Hoseok, his older boyfriend smoking on the balcony as he watched them with a small smile on his face.
As for Taehyung and Jungkook?
Well the two of them sat side by side as they watched their friends with smiles on their faces, the two of them content with their lives.
And they knew one thing.
No matter the hardships that they faced, or what the future had in store for them, their love would always be able to survive.
Forever.
The End.