Chapter 2
Jimin’s Perspective
I’ve lived in Seoul for most of my life. My father said I was born in Busan, but I don’t remember much of that place. I must have been very young when we moved here. Mom and Dad met and married there, and had me. Those were probably the best days of their marriage, because I certainly don’t remember much else ever happening.
They divorced when I was six. I visit my mother in Busan occasionally, but even her visits to me have quieted down over the years. I really don’t know what my father ever saw in her. She’s an okay mother, though mostly absent, and as a woman, she and my father were simply never a good fit.
My father has been the absolute best! I miss him terribly. He left for a three-month training course in the U.S. last week, leaving me in the care of my *gomo*. She’s alright, but she’s a heavy smoker, so I usually avoid being home until late.
My new hangout has become the Kim household. Taehyung is usually left to his own devices, as his *appa* works insane hours. But he has a great cook, and that’s basically all a growing boy really needs—good food.
On the fifth day of hanging out at Taehyung’s, I met his father, Kim Seokjin. He’s a handsome man who doesn’t look his age at all. Kind of like my own father, who still looks like he could be eighteen.
“Good day, Mr. Kim. I’m Jimin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“Hello, Jimin. Please call me *ahjussi*. I’m so glad Taehyung has made a good friend like you already.”
Taehyung smirks from his position behind his father. I smile easily at his father’s words. I already like his well-mannered father. He seems like a good man.
“So what are you boys up to today?”
“Nothing special, *appa*. Jimin and I were just going to hang out and play some video games.”
“Homework, Taehyung,” Taehyung’s father warns.
“Aaah, *appa*, you know me. I’ve already done it,” Taehyung replies sheepishly.
I watch their cute interaction and miss my own father.
“Come on, Jimin. Let’s go to my room,” Taehyung says, and I follow him after bowing courteously to his father.
“Let’s play Overwatch, Jimin,” he suggests.
“Yeah. Cool!” I say, watching him set up the console.
“I really miss my dad. Your *appa* seems cool.”
“He’s pretty laid back, but strict about school stuff. It’s a good thing I like school, or we’d always be clashing.”
“Yeah, true. Thanks for having me over so often, TaeTae. You’re a good guy.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Jeon Jimin.”
Time skip to almost three months later.
“TaeTae! Guess what?”
“Hey! What’s up, Jimin? You look so excited.”
“My dad’s coming back tomorrow!”
“That’s fantastic, Jimin. I’m so happy for you.”
We were sitting in the school courtyard with Hobi and Yoongs when a thought suddenly took hold of me.
“Tae? Can we go for a walk?”
“Sure. Come on, let’s go check out the baseball field. I hope it’s ready now.”
We left the others behind and headed there at a slow walk. I peek at Taehyung through my peripheral vision, wondering how to broach the topic I’m so nervous to discuss.
“Tae? Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah. Go ahead, Jimin.”
“Do you like me?”
“I do, Jimin. I like you a lot. Do you like me?”
“I do. Tae, can we be brothers?”
“Really, Jimin? I would love that. I feel so close to you, like I haven’t felt with anyone other than my *appa*. I wish we were brothers.”
“I wish for the same thing. But how can we be? I mean, we both have dads. It’s not like we can set them up or anything.”
I think about what I just said, and we both look at each other at the same time.
“Or maybe we can!” We both exclaim in unison.
“But I don’t know if my *appa* likes guys though. He hasn’t been with anyone besides my *eomma*. And after she died, he never dated.”
“I’m sorry, TaeTae. But I know my dad likes both men and women. He’s been on several dates before, but never liked someone long enough to get serious with them.”
“Maybe I can find out if my *appa* will go out with a guy. But how do I do that?”
“Let’s check Google to see what questions you can ask him without him suspecting why you’re asking him.”
“Good idea.”
We scroll through Google on my phone and find a questionnaire of sorts. I download it to print at home later. I’m excited, and I hope our plan will work.
I haven’t known Taehyung long, but there’s something about him that instantly made me feel like he was family. These past three months we’ve been virtually inseparable. That’s strange for me because I have lots of friends and never once thought of them that way—like the way I feel about Taehyung. I sometimes get sad that we didn’t grow up together. I feel like I was robbed of a sibling’s love.
But when Taehyung moved here, everything changed. I feel so connected with him. It was almost instantaneous, and I know he feels the same about me. He too grew up alone, and he feels the same strange kinship with me. I really hope we can make this work, not only for ourselves but for our parents too.
Although my dad doesn’t say it, I know he feels lonely sometimes. Like me, he also needs companionship. I’m so excited for when he returns tomorrow. Taehyung and I need to come up with a plan to make them meet without them realizing our motives. If there’s anything I’ve learned about adults in general, it’s that they hate it when kids interfere in their lives. Doesn’t mean we still won’t try, though.