"Not your fault if other people are idiots. Don't apologise for stuff you aren't to blame for." Some wise words to live by. Yoongi looked at the kid, trying to figure out what was familiar about him. He frowned, then finally figured he might as well give it a try. "Kookie?"
Worst thing would be that the kid wasn't Kookie, but what was he going to do, tell on him? Whatever. He did look similar to the little boy he remembered and age-wise it seemed to fit. So much time had passed.
Oh. He knew him? Jungkook paused mid-scrub and turned his head, eyes slightly wide. Then he smiled, small and tentative, unsure if it was a good thing to be remembered or not. He was kind of an annoying kid. He literally just wanted to be Yoongi, he followed him everywhere. That had been a long time ago though.
"Min Yoongi, sir! Yes, I am. I'm Jungkook." He shrugged his shoulders and gestured down at his clothes, his work clothes, mostly janitorial stuff but he supposed it saved his jeans from getting trashed. "Not wearing the same clothes as you today. Bet that feels good, huh? Not that I could afford what you wear these days, sir."
"You should have seen me a week ago, I didn't own anything without holes in it." Had been a lot more comfortable than his current clothing. Yoongi was definitely planning on changing his fashion up gradually, one could be rich and still comfortable, rappers did it all the time. He wanted to tell the boy to call him Yoongi and he wanted to pull him into a hug, but he knew he shouldn't, so he just nodded his head.
"Good to see you. You've grown a lot." Well, duh. Smart. Real boss material there. "Call me hyung, that's fine. How old are you now?"
"Oh yeah, my father says I'm shooting up, much taller than him. I don't think he likes it." With a playful smile, he bowed to Yoongi, unsure what to make of the offer but it was still nice. Formalities were always tricky, he didn't know how respectful to go with Yoongi. "I'm fifteen, hyung. But I work here full time, I stopped school about a month ago."
He had to focus on the business and making money. He'd been all but asked to quit school when it got in the way of his job so he didn't think twice. "I'm a good cleaner, si-- hyung. I'll work quietly, I won't disturb you." Even if he had like five million different questions for him right now.
"...the hell? You stopped school? To do what, clean floors?" Who the hell had had that wise idea? Because he didn't believe for a moment that this was something Jungkook had decided by himself. "Screw that. You are going back to school."
Yoongi had been home-schooled himself, leading to early graduation and subsequently getting kicked out, but he wasn't going to let Jungkook just be relegated to grunt duty for life. "You were always a bright kid, I remember. You still got good grades, right?"
He shook his head in disbelief at this mismanagement. "You want to finish school, Jungkook?"
"Oh, no, please. Hyung, I need to keep this up!" With his father not so well right now, he was the main provider and besides, he was told if he wanted to be in this job, he had to devote himself to it. The clan had to be everything to him. The most important thing. And it was. "Being here is so important to me. I want to do this. My father can't do it any more, he got sick and I-- I want to do this."
He also wanted to go to school but they weren't exactly able to make this decision. Besides, what did he need an education for?
Min Yoongi was a tiger, he was a dog. That was how it worked. Dogs served and tigers reigned. "I still study sometimes. In my own time. I get long breaks so... It's okay, sir. I'm happy."
"Relax. You are part of the clan, so the clan will take care of you. And your family." Things used to be better than this, they had to have been, he remembered it differently. Or perhaps it was a matter of what had been preached compared to how it actually was. How did he resolve this?
Yoongi texted Namjoon that he was going somewhere and that they could meet up later, then he put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "I have a task for you, you are going to come with me. I need you help. You'll be paid for that, three times whatever this floor cleaning gig is getting you."
Seriously, what the hell? That was such a waste of talent. "Go and get whoever of those idiots from before you hate the most and tell him to take over for you for now. My orders. Then change and meet me outside, we're taking a car."
"Seriously?" Was he kidding? Was this a joke? Jungkook smiled like a total idiot and looked at Yoongi for way too long before nodding and bowing so much, he almost tipped forward. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir! I'm going right now!" And oh boy, was it ever fun to go into the back room, hand the brush to the biggest dickhead in the room and waltz back out like he had something special to do.
Which he might just. God, this was the coolest day ever.
He changed into his clothes, wishing he had something more presentable to follow Yoongi in but his jeans were fairly new, that made it work. He left his stuff in his pocket, besides his phone, and texted his dad excitedly as he hurried outside. "Hello, hyung! Sorry I took so long." He literally took minutes. "What is my task?"
"I need your opinion and input. You look like you've got your head on straight, I need someone who'll talk to me. Everyone else is just worried I'll blow their brains out." Which, well. He couldn't entirely fault them for, given that he had shot his father and quite a few others not long ago, but still. Not helpful.
He knew that Jungkook had likely never been asked for his opinion before, not by a boss, but whatever. He was the boss, he could do whatever he wanted. Yoongi walked ahead of Jungkook out the building and to the car, getting in and waiting for Jungkook to sit next to him.
"I've been gone a while." Obviously. "I'm still getting a hang of things, honestly." Yoongi smiled for just a moment, allowing that mask to crack. No one could know how out of his depth he was, so this was just a momentary lapse, but he felt he needed to get through to Jungkook.
"I want to help, hyung. Whatever I can help with." And he meant it, sincere and earnest. The clan may not always treat him well but he still loved being a part of it, he belonged here and it was his life. He wanted to be valued and appreciated in his own way, to make his father proud and show those around him what he could do. Even in the smallest ways. "I won't bullshit you. If you want to ask me anything or whatever, you can. I dunno how good my input is though."
Why the hell did a boss what a cleaner's opinion? Maybe it was just nostalgia. They had played together, on and off, a lot as kids. Yeah, he was an annoying kid back then but he thought they got on well.
Of course, he also thought wearing Yoongi's clothes was cool. "I guess it's weird, huh? You were gone for so long." He missed him a lot.
"Yeah. Been a few years." And Yoongi missed it already. He wished there had been any other choice. But his father hadn't given him one and there was no way for him to leave without creating a power vacuum that people like Jungkook were very unlikely to survive. "Whatever. I'm here now. Back."
Only he wasn't really back, he was in his father's place. He was on top. "I need people I can trust. I know I can trust you, so I want you close to me. No more cleaning hallways and you will go back to school, I mean it. I want you to at the very least have graduated high school."
Got that out of the way. "Could you give me a list of who you think is loyal and who you think might not be? No one is getting killed, I just want a head start. Namjoon and I are trying to feel people out. I have everyone breathing down my neck from the outside, I don't want issues within my family."
"With all due respect, hyung. If I finish school, I work less shifts. And then I don't have any income to cover expenses." His father was getting by on the pathetic sick pay they got and Jungkook supplied the income, it was just the two of them these days so if he wanted to get the bus, get food or enjoy himself ever, he really needed that kind of money. "I can do whatever you wish but it may get a little tricky for me."
Maybe he could skip the bus and walk to school. And he didn't have to eat every meal, he could just steal food from the bar. They always had snacks!
With a small frown, he nodded his head and contemplated who he knew was a problem. "I know a few guys already questioning you and some who are just glad for the change. I can write down the names. I'm loyal, hyung, but I'm sure you know that. I was hoping you'd come back and rule." He couldn't help it now, he straight up beamed. "You're going to be a great leader."
"I'll try to be good, at least." Right now he felt like opening his wallet and throwing money at Jungkook, just so he'd stop bringing up his shifts and income and whatever else for half a minute, but he had a distinct feeling that wouldn't really help with anything. "You and your family will be provided for. I am not letting any of my people go without education so they can keep from starving. That's pointless. Even if their job actually is to clean the floors."
They had to go over the books together, but clearly something wasn't adding up right where salary was concerned. Yoongi already suspected it might be dis-proportionally going to the higher ups, which meant he had another huge mess to resolve. They had expected that. He turned his hand and took his watch off, handing it to Jungkook.
"You are with me. That can be a symbol of that. I take care of my people."
"Woah, hyung! I'm not a stripper." Holy shit, he was throwing money at him. He had to laugh, it was so weird. It wasn't even offensive or scary, just funny. He caught a few bills and collected them, setting them aside and honestly, he wasn't sure what to do with them. It seemed rude to just take the money when he knew he could earn it but the idea of going back to school was tempting.
"Your watch? No, hyung, no, I couldn't accept such a gift. Please." That was important, that was such an expensive watch and so far, all he'd done was clean a wall.
If he turned up with that suddenly on his wrist, it would not go well for him. "People will think I stole it or something, it'd attract negative attention. I insist, you should keep it." As cool as it was and as much as he wanted it, he couldn't accept something that nice.
"Accept it. You can just start wearing it when you feel you are ready." Yoongi sighed and leaned back in the seat, trying to figure out where to even begin with this. Jungkook had been cute as a kid, definitely still respectful in his own way, but different than this. Not surprising, given what he knew of his family standing he supposed he had been pretty much treated like a dog for years now.
He felt an odd sense of guilt, but he knew it wasn't really his fault. Responsibility, that's what he had now.
For a moment only he thought about what Jimin would say to that and then he thought about Jimin stroking his hair and he had to push the thought away, because he could not cry in front of Jungkook. This boy had literally devoted his life to him. He couldn't let him down by showing weakness.
"I need to do some shopping. You can tell me what looks proper enough that I can get away with it. But only if you let me buy you an outfit too. I want you by my side sometimes from now on, you have to look the part."
"You're so kind, hyung." He took the watch and looked it over, noting how expensive it was. Damn, it was a wind up too, that was impressive. He wondered how the mechanics worked, probably so damn fancy inside. He pocketed the watch nervously, intent on hiding it away and hoping no one thought he was a thief. It was a lot of money to suddenly have.
Looking at Yoongi with a baffled expression, he tried to wrap his head around everything. Clothes? By his side? That was a lot to get at once.
"I'm cool with you buying me new threads, hyung. All my stuff has seen better days but me by your side? I'm just a kid." He didn't want to fail or embarrass them, he knew he had a lot of work to do before he was ready for something like that. "If you insist, I will try my absolute best to be worthwhile to you. I just hope I don't mess up."
He rarely did. He was a frustrating perfectionist, even as a child. All his blocks were perfectly colour co-ordinated.
"According to most of the people going against me, I am just a kid too. Ask me if I give a fuck." He certainly did not. He wasn't going to back down. "Your loyalty is worth a lot more than a couple years more or less. Stop letting people push you around just because they are older. Older doesn't mean better. Doesn't mean wiser. Definitely doesn't mean they are harder to kill."
Maybe not exactly the right lessons to install in the kid, but whatever. Yoongi was determined to earn the respect he deserved, but he wasn't going to do that by playing by someone else's rules. "You've never messed anything up your whole life, I doubt you're going to start now. You won't let me down."
"You talk some dangerous talk, hyung." Jungkook had to laugh, it was insane really. Not only their culture but their clan, his father, everyone drummed into him the food chain of how this world worked and who to respect when and where. It was so weird to hear someone saying to just fuck that system. "Still the rebel, still the coolest guy I know. You didn't change much, did you? I like that."
It made him feel a lot more relaxed around him. This was the Yoongi he knew. The cool rebel kid who led him astray. "Fuck it, I'm in. I'll do whatever you want. I won't let you down, I wouldn't dream of it. I'd sooner die."
"Changed a lot in some ways, but I guess not so much in that." Yoongi smiled, glad that he seemed to be getting through to Jungkook, even if it had taken a while. Good, he liked that. He needed some people around him that actually knew what he was aiming at, that he could trust and that he could be himself around. Well. A much more composed version of himself, but still.
"You'll meet Namjoon. I think you'll get along. He's from outside, but he's catching on quick. He's smart." Yoongi wasn't sure what, if anything, Kookie would know about everything that had happened involving Namjoon, so either way, an introduction couldn't hurt. "Now. Do you think I can get away with not wearing a suit?"
"Probably if you go more gangster. A lot of the guys do that now. If they're not in a suit, they look like they're probably street gangsters, you know? Go all in or you'll look like you're just lazy though." Jungkook advised, not sure who Namjoon was so he decided to sidestep that for now. He would meet him later, get a good feel for him. He didn't get to know much about the business, obvious.
He just cleaned the floors and handled whatever grunt work was sent his way. "You could also go inform what the suit, I guess. You'd have to look cool though. Like maybe a shirt and a waistcoat, some gold all over it. That'd be swanky as fuck."
"Yeah? Sure, sounds swanky." Yoongi got his phone out to quickly answer some messages, realising that he needed to change the screensaver, which was still a picture of a sleeping Jimin from behind. Really, he should probably delete all pictures he had of Jimin out of respect for him, but he wasn't sure if he could make himself do that.
Damn it. Whatever. Yoongi figured he might as well, opening up his phone and navigating around, then showing Jungkook a few pictures of himself. "That's how I walked around for a couple years now. What do you think?"
Honestly, he just wanted to test Jungkook's resolve of trying to be respectful. It wasn't as if he looked bad by any means, not really. But poor? Oh yeah.
"Woah, I thought I was the one trying to look like you. Now you're trying to look like me." Jungkook had to laugh, a lot more at ease with Yoongi now he knew the other held some fondness for him. He looked at the pictures and then had a bit of a laughing fit over the hat that just said 'zzz' on the top.
That always was his favourite hobby. "I wouldn't advise going out around here dressed like that, hyung. You're a tiger! You don't want to be treated like a dog."
He passed the phone back, smiling playfully at him. "I like the hat a lot though. It's cute."
"Yeah, my b-- Someone bought it for me. Said it's all that's on my mind anyway." Yoongi looked at the picture with fondness for a moment before putting the phone away. That was kind of symbolic, wasn't it? No, he couldn't get away with wearing any of the clothes that he'd worn while he'd been with Jimin. Suga really was dead. He had always known that, but he couldn't have predicted how much it'd hurt. He wondered how long it would be until the pain died down.
"I'll go for something a lot less cheap and slightly less casual. And you will stop dressing like a dog too. You know that's not what you are, don't you? Can you shoot a gun yet, Kookie?"
"I know I'm not, I don't care what they say about me. They can mock me all they want. I work hard and I do my job, I will be rewarded as long as I do that. I'm happy, I love my dad and I do like my job. People suck but they always suck." He really wasn't all that heart broken over it all, he didn't think of himself as a dog, he just knew that people came to expect certain things from people. Men like Yoongi had to be their best and men like him had to just keep out of the way.
"No one ever showed me how to handle a gun, hyung. My dad taught me a few things with his but I've never really had my own gun. I just clean stuff and fetch things." All the things a guy like Jungkook was expected to do.
"I'm a good shot though, I used to do archery at school. I won a few medals in that so I'm hoping I can translate those skills."
"Then come to the shooting range with me tomorrow. I need to show Namjoon how to handle a gun, I might as well show you too. You'll probably do better than him even with your eyes closed." He loved Namjoon, but he'd be very surprised if he turned out to be a natural with a gun. He wouldn't even give him one, but he couldn't risk him staying in the business without those skills.
"You got medals for archery, yeah? That's impressive. I can't believe they made you drop out of school. Make sure to tell me what school you went to, I'll make a call. Or would you rather go to a different school? Or I can pay for homeschooling, whatever."
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Worst thing would be that the kid wasn't Kookie, but what was he going to do, tell on him? Whatever. He did look similar to the little boy he remembered and age-wise it seemed to fit. So much time had passed.
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"Min Yoongi, sir! Yes, I am. I'm Jungkook." He shrugged his shoulders and gestured down at his clothes, his work clothes, mostly janitorial stuff but he supposed it saved his jeans from getting trashed. "Not wearing the same clothes as you today. Bet that feels good, huh? Not that I could afford what you wear these days, sir."
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"Good to see you. You've grown a lot." Well, duh. Smart. Real boss material there. "Call me hyung, that's fine. How old are you now?"
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He had to focus on the business and making money. He'd been all but asked to quit school when it got in the way of his job so he didn't think twice. "I'm a good cleaner, si-- hyung. I'll work quietly, I won't disturb you." Even if he had like five million different questions for him right now.
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Yoongi had been home-schooled himself, leading to early graduation and subsequently getting kicked out, but he wasn't going to let Jungkook just be relegated to grunt duty for life. "You were always a bright kid, I remember. You still got good grades, right?"
He shook his head in disbelief at this mismanagement. "You want to finish school, Jungkook?"
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He also wanted to go to school but they weren't exactly able to make this decision. Besides, what did he need an education for?
Min Yoongi was a tiger, he was a dog. That was how it worked. Dogs served and tigers reigned. "I still study sometimes. In my own time. I get long breaks so... It's okay, sir. I'm happy."
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Yoongi texted Namjoon that he was going somewhere and that they could meet up later, then he put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "I have a task for you, you are going to come with me. I need you help. You'll be paid for that, three times whatever this floor cleaning gig is getting you."
Seriously, what the hell? That was such a waste of talent. "Go and get whoever of those idiots from before you hate the most and tell him to take over for you for now. My orders. Then change and meet me outside, we're taking a car."
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Which he might just. God, this was the coolest day ever.
He changed into his clothes, wishing he had something more presentable to follow Yoongi in but his jeans were fairly new, that made it work. He left his stuff in his pocket, besides his phone, and texted his dad excitedly as he hurried outside. "Hello, hyung! Sorry I took so long." He literally took minutes. "What is my task?"
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He knew that Jungkook had likely never been asked for his opinion before, not by a boss, but whatever. He was the boss, he could do whatever he wanted. Yoongi walked ahead of Jungkook out the building and to the car, getting in and waiting for Jungkook to sit next to him.
"I've been gone a while." Obviously. "I'm still getting a hang of things, honestly." Yoongi smiled for just a moment, allowing that mask to crack. No one could know how out of his depth he was, so this was just a momentary lapse, but he felt he needed to get through to Jungkook.
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Why the hell did a boss what a cleaner's opinion? Maybe it was just nostalgia. They had played together, on and off, a lot as kids. Yeah, he was an annoying kid back then but he thought they got on well.
Of course, he also thought wearing Yoongi's clothes was cool. "I guess it's weird, huh? You were gone for so long." He missed him a lot.
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Only he wasn't really back, he was in his father's place. He was on top. "I need people I can trust. I know I can trust you, so I want you close to me. No more cleaning hallways and you will go back to school, I mean it. I want you to at the very least have graduated high school."
Got that out of the way. "Could you give me a list of who you think is loyal and who you think might not be? No one is getting killed, I just want a head start. Namjoon and I are trying to feel people out. I have everyone breathing down my neck from the outside, I don't want issues within my family."
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Maybe he could skip the bus and walk to school. And he didn't have to eat every meal, he could just steal food from the bar. They always had snacks!
With a small frown, he nodded his head and contemplated who he knew was a problem. "I know a few guys already questioning you and some who are just glad for the change. I can write down the names. I'm loyal, hyung, but I'm sure you know that. I was hoping you'd come back and rule." He couldn't help it now, he straight up beamed. "You're going to be a great leader."
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They had to go over the books together, but clearly something wasn't adding up right where salary was concerned. Yoongi already suspected it might be dis-proportionally going to the higher ups, which meant he had another huge mess to resolve. They had expected that. He turned his hand and took his watch off, handing it to Jungkook.
"You are with me. That can be a symbol of that. I take care of my people."
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"Your watch? No, hyung, no, I couldn't accept such a gift. Please." That was important, that was such an expensive watch and so far, all he'd done was clean a wall.
If he turned up with that suddenly on his wrist, it would not go well for him. "People will think I stole it or something, it'd attract negative attention. I insist, you should keep it." As cool as it was and as much as he wanted it, he couldn't accept something that nice.
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He felt an odd sense of guilt, but he knew it wasn't really his fault. Responsibility, that's what he had now.
For a moment only he thought about what Jimin would say to that and then he thought about Jimin stroking his hair and he had to push the thought away, because he could not cry in front of Jungkook. This boy had literally devoted his life to him. He couldn't let him down by showing weakness.
"I need to do some shopping. You can tell me what looks proper enough that I can get away with it. But only if you let me buy you an outfit too. I want you by my side sometimes from now on, you have to look the part."
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Looking at Yoongi with a baffled expression, he tried to wrap his head around everything. Clothes? By his side? That was a lot to get at once.
"I'm cool with you buying me new threads, hyung. All my stuff has seen better days but me by your side? I'm just a kid." He didn't want to fail or embarrass them, he knew he had a lot of work to do before he was ready for something like that. "If you insist, I will try my absolute best to be worthwhile to you. I just hope I don't mess up."
He rarely did. He was a frustrating perfectionist, even as a child. All his blocks were perfectly colour co-ordinated.
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Maybe not exactly the right lessons to install in the kid, but whatever. Yoongi was determined to earn the respect he deserved, but he wasn't going to do that by playing by someone else's rules. "You've never messed anything up your whole life, I doubt you're going to start now. You won't let me down."
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It made him feel a lot more relaxed around him. This was the Yoongi he knew. The cool rebel kid who led him astray. "Fuck it, I'm in. I'll do whatever you want. I won't let you down, I wouldn't dream of it. I'd sooner die."
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"You'll meet Namjoon. I think you'll get along. He's from outside, but he's catching on quick. He's smart." Yoongi wasn't sure what, if anything, Kookie would know about everything that had happened involving Namjoon, so either way, an introduction couldn't hurt. "Now. Do you think I can get away with not wearing a suit?"
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He just cleaned the floors and handled whatever grunt work was sent his way. "You could also go inform what the suit, I guess. You'd have to look cool though. Like maybe a shirt and a waistcoat, some gold all over it. That'd be swanky as fuck."
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Damn it. Whatever. Yoongi figured he might as well, opening up his phone and navigating around, then showing Jungkook a few pictures of himself. "That's how I walked around for a couple years now. What do you think?"
Honestly, he just wanted to test Jungkook's resolve of trying to be respectful. It wasn't as if he looked bad by any means, not really. But poor? Oh yeah.
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That always was his favourite hobby. "I wouldn't advise going out around here dressed like that, hyung. You're a tiger! You don't want to be treated like a dog."
He passed the phone back, smiling playfully at him. "I like the hat a lot though. It's cute."
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"I'll go for something a lot less cheap and slightly less casual. And you will stop dressing like a dog too. You know that's not what you are, don't you? Can you shoot a gun yet, Kookie?"
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"No one ever showed me how to handle a gun, hyung. My dad taught me a few things with his but I've never really had my own gun. I just clean stuff and fetch things." All the things a guy like Jungkook was expected to do.
"I'm a good shot though, I used to do archery at school. I won a few medals in that so I'm hoping I can translate those skills."
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"You got medals for archery, yeah? That's impressive. I can't believe they made you drop out of school. Make sure to tell me what school you went to, I'll make a call. Or would you rather go to a different school? Or I can pay for homeschooling, whatever."
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