JUNGKOOK
451210

I press firmly on my pencil tip as I meticulously shade the wooden bridge, reaching into a clear lake. I note which areas would look best shaded darker or lighter depending on the direction of the light. I set down my pad for a moment to stretch out my fingers. I’m careful not to smudge the water with unwanted shading from my lead-stained thumb. I cross my legs and lean into my drawing, scanning it for imperfections. A scowl grows on my face.

Dull.

I pick up the pad with one hand and a pencil in the other. I debate whether to decorate the background with snow-capped mountains or tall pine trees of different sizes or blue tint the sky or even draw a little island with a palm tree at the center or maybe a castle…with a Dragon?

Now I’m just being stupid. I should just stick true to what is real.

I glance to my left and peer through the window and past the bright cherry blossoms near the house. My eyes meet with the dense, thick forest I’ve known throughout my entire childhood. The forest me and all my siblings spent our free time playing tag and hide and seek.

That’s what we mostly do and enjoy.

But one day, I had ventured far into the forest, when no one was watching. I had found the lake at the edge Papa talked about. I had seen the real bridge for myself- out of selfish urgency. The same bridge Papa had warned everyone not to go near. It was not nearly as pretty as the one I drew. It was mossy, wet, with chipped edges. It creaked every time a gust of wind blew from the east, frightening me even more.

I had stood in front of the moaning creature for several minutes, daring myself to cross it. But every time I willed my feet to move forward, my body was stricken motionless by the sight of it– standing right at the end of the bridge. The thing responsible for hiding the potentially beautiful scenery away from my drawings. The thing responsible for keeping me away from the beautiful ventures the books in the library talked about. Or… Like Papa says, it’s the thing responsible for protecting us from what’s outside.

A 30-meter-tall fortress, with a thick-steeled bar medieval gate closed deep into the earth.

Do not go near the gate.

“It’s dangerous,” he had said.

I sketch out the moss on the bridge.

That’s exactly what I did. Not got near it. I wasn’t brave enough to cross the scary ugly bridge. So to make up for it, I’ll draw myself crossing it instead.

“You’re really talented.” A charming voice rings my ears. I abruptly close my notepad and press my back against the window, my heart pounding roughly against my chest. Jimin bends his knees, coming face to face with me.

My shoulders tense. “G-Good morning,” I mumble looking down.

“You always act like I’m a stranger,” Jimin breaks into a calm laugh before feigning a frown, “That makes me sad you know?” He sits on the ledge, next to me. Crossing one leg over the other and setting his book on his knee. Jimin shoots me another playful glance. I stare into his warm eyes. The tension on my shoulders lessens. A bashful grin grows on my face.

Jimin always plays around with us younger kids. He’s everyone’s favorite older brother since he’s the one that’s always willing to play with us, read us books, and help us with our classes. If there’s ever a problem, he’s the first one we call. But even so, this is the first time he’s directly come to spend time with me.

Also, no one comes to the library in the morning, especially the hour before breakfast. So, it’s definitely unusual to see someone like him here. How did he even find me here?

I watch him skim through his book of choice, a children’s book with a giraffe on the cover. He’s probably looking for more stories to read for the younger ones for tonight.

I open my notepad slightly, being careful not to reveal the drawing of the bridge. If Jimin sees it, he’ll suspect I was snooping around where I wasn’t supposed to, and he’ll get worried. My fingers flip through the pages of my notepad. Maybe…I could show him something I drew last month. He’s here after all.

The sound of plates crashing against the floor downstairs reverberates through the walls. Jimin and I raise our heads. Jackson’s angry screams leaks through the wooden cracks of the house. The sheer laughter of my younger siblings echo afterwards. I could tell from Jimin’s leaned posture he felt the need to rush downstairs to check if everyone was alright. In fact, usually he’s the one setting the plates in the morning and serving breakfast with Papa and the older siblings.

But he doesn’t move.

“I-Is there something wrong?” My question catches him by surprise. He tilts his head gently, leveling his eyes with mine. His lips part but before he can answer we hear Papa’s soothing voice swoop the air, calling for reunion at the Dining Room.

Breakfast is ready.

Jimin pouts unconsciously. He sighs behind a smile. He closes his book with a cheerful clap. He stretches his arm towards me, opening his large hand for me to take. My eyes widen at his gesture. I shove the notepad under one arm and wrap my fingers around his. He helps me down the ledge and walks me down the stairs of the small second floor of the library- holding my hand firmly. I look up at him while Jimin faces forward- his slim figure towering over my small one.

We walk out of the library and head to the left down the hall that leads us near the Sleeping Room- where all siblings rest after 8:00pm and rise at 8:00am. Two little girls rush out of the Sleeping Room in front of us.  Before they dash off to the main stairs for the breakfast call, they both turn around to face us. Jackie and Ashley’s face light up and run towards us. My hand slips away from Jimin’s. I step behind him.

“Wey quitate!” Ashley pushes Jackie.

Jackie flips her hair. “She saaaaid.”

Jimin has to kneel down to break the two six year old’s fight over who gets to hug his right leg first. I roll my eyes. I forgot to mention all the girls in the House are obsessed with him.

Why are girls weird?

“Jimin I like your shoes.” Jackie blushes.

“Ey!” Ashley pulls her hair.

“You guys are cute.” Jimin laughs. Ashley and Jackie squeak. He pacifies them by given them a tight hug first before breaking his kneel and standing up. “Let’s go. Papa is waiting.” Jimin offers his right hand to both of the girls. Ashley and Jackie fight each other for hand surface area. Jimin glances over his shoulder. He extends his left hand to me. The six-year olds hiss at me in the background.

“I’m good.” I whisper.

Jimin grins while snatching my hand and pulling me closer. “We’re all family here,” he glances down at me. I grip his hand firmly. He pulls us with him as we head down the stairs. I try to hide my smile. We’re technically not family. All of us 28 siblings are not blood related.

But besides Papa, Jimin makes us all feel like we really are.

**

  The Dining Room is packed by my white, uniformed younger and older siblings by the time we get there. A shower of good mornings hit us as we walk into the lit room. Jimin lets go of both me and the six year olds’ hands. He gives us a grin of acknowledgement before walking towards a small, cute girl at the center of the room. Becky, who’s two years older than me, runs to hug Jimin.

It’s Adoption Day today. And tonight, Becky is the one who’ll be leaving us to venture into the outside world with a new family of her own. It’s always sad to watch someone you grew up with go, but it’s exciting to think that one day I’ll get the opportunity to have a family of my own too.

The two long tables in the center are readied with served pancakes and decorated with pink covers, Becky’s favorite color and breakfast. It’s tradition that we celebrate birthdays and Adoption Days always- like this. It’s Becky’s Day- basically.

I reluctantly sit down at the edge of the long table on the left. I always sit at the end to avoid conflict with the other kids who have friends and want to all sit together. The only ones who sit next to me are Jonathan, Claudia, and Vicky, who are a little older than me. They mostly keep to themselves, so I don’t talk to them that often even though we’ve been sitting next to each other for years. Either way, they’re cool cause they don’t bother me.

On the other long table in front of us, usually the “Big Siblings” sit- reserved for anyone who’s older than 12, past the age when most orphans get adopted.

Jackson is the youngest of the Big Siblings. He’s very funny and loud. He’s the admiration for all the troublemakers, as he tends to get on Papa’s bad side very often. He’s very competitive, always trying to do better than everyone else on exams or physical activities. Although he has temper issues, he’s very patient and caring with the younger ones.

Namjoon is too smart for me. He’s the most mature sibling of the House. He and Papa always have very interesting philosophical conversations. I like listening to them discuss. Namjoon rarely spends time playing with the younger siblings, mostly because he’s scared he’s going to hurt one of us if he’s too rough. Because of that, I don’t know much about him other than he loves coffee.

Taehyung is a jack of all trades. He’s very clumsy and likes goofing around with everyone. He’s always learning new things every week. You’d think he’s dumb by the way he acts sometimes, but on the contrary Taehyung is one of the most intelligent ones of the family. He’s always hanging around with Jimin. They are a cheerful duo.

Jimin is the most level-headed. He’s always soft spoken, well-mannered, selfless, and kind-hearted. There’s never a need for him to raise his voice. Everyone loves and respects him. He’s smart too, like Namjoon, and is the most athletic.

Hoseok is the most energetic. When we were smaller, Papa used to prank us very often. We all think Hoseok picked up Papa’s bad sense of humor. He and Jackson lead the pranks in the House now. I’m a little scared of him.

Lastly, the eldest of the siblings, who also happens to not be here at this moment, is Yoongi. He gets perfect scores every week on exams. Other than that, I don’t know anything about him. I see him often in the library, but we’ve only talked once. He tends to be absent during breakfast a lot of the times. Papa says it’s because of puberty, whatever that means. Sometimes he joins us during free time to play tag though, but it’s only because Papa tells him to.

“Where’s Papa!?” Becky hollers.

“We can’t eat without him,” Taemin picks his nose.

Jackie eyes Taemin. “That’s disgusting.”

“You’re disgusting,” he says.

“Papa is in the kitchen.” Taehyung stands up from his chair. “I’ll go get him!”

Hoseok snatches his wrist before he takes off. “Just sit down,” he says. “He’ll be here soo-.” The door of the kitchen sweeps open.

We all raise our heads to catch a glimpse of him. He has a well-kept haircut and face, broad shoulders and a strong physique. At first glance, he’s intimidating, but he’s twice as caring and sweeter than anyone else here.

Papa.

He’s not our biological father. We’re all orphans after all, born and raised here. He’s our caretaker and teacher. He’s the ones who mends our wounds, feeds us delicious food every day, gives us an education, makes us laugh when we’re sad, and makes us feel safe and loved. Everything we know, is because of him.

He raised each of us as his own. And for that, he’s our father.

The tall man, carrying one bottle of honey in his hands, walks quietly towards the center of the room. We all observe him closely. An evil smirk grows on his face. “There’s only enough for half of you.” He lets out an evil laugh. “Only the strongest will get to savor their pancakes with honey,” he raises the bottle of honey in the air.

“IT’S ON!” Jackson stands up with his fists clenched.

“That’s not fair!” Alma bangs the table.

Vicky shrugs and splatters ketchup on her plate. She starts eating her pancakes.

“Cut the joke pops,” Hoseok yawns. “I saw you hiding the honey bottles under the sink this morning.”

“Why do you always have to ruin the joke!?” Papa scowls at him. Hoseok smirks. The rest of the children laugh. Papa is silly most of the times, but he’s stern when he has to be. He always reminds us to be respectful with each other. As long as we follow that principle and his House Rules, we’ll be on Santa’s list for Christmas.

“Alright children,” Papa clears his throat loudly to settle us down. His cheeks are flushed red from his failed joke, but his composure still stands strong. “Before we start eating, I’d like to officially announce,” he glances at Becky who’s attentively listening, “that today, as you all well know, is the last day that our lovely Becky will be spending with us.” The younger children moan quietly at the announcement. Becky presses her lips to keep herself from crying. Papa’s smile disappears for a moment. His gentle eyes settle on Becky. “As we always do, we’ll make sure Becky spends her last day well before she heads off with her new family.”

Becky rushes to hug Papa, showering his usual long-sleeve collared button up with tears. Papa caresses the back of her head dotingly. She shuts her eyes tight. “I’m g-going to miss you all!”

“You b-better w-write us letters!” Taehyung wipes his tears with his white sleeve.

“You’re crying more than her.”  Jackson laughs him.

“I w-will!” Becky forces a smile through her tears. “I promise!”

“Just don’t forget.” Jimin holds up his little finger. “You can’t break promises.”

Papa smiles and rests his hands on Becky’s shoulders. “Let’s all enjoy this day together, shall we?”

“Thank you for the food!” We all say our prayers.

**

My eyes fix on the 138 written in ink on the box next to my name. Just below me, is Becky with a 102. We’re always competing for last and second to last places… it’s embarrassing. This happens every week.

 

CLASS B
Rose	8	289
Ashley	6	272
Soobin	7	270
Jackie	6	265
Jisoo	8	264
Yeonjun	7	226
Taemin	9	224
Jennie	8	216
Evelin	6	212
Jungkook	7	138
Becky	9	102

 

 

CLASS A
Jimin	14	300
Yoongi	15	299
Namjoon	13	291
Taehyung	13	288
Jonathan	10	285
Vicky	10	262
Alma	11	254
Jackson	12	238
Claudia	10	231
Hoseok	14	201

I hear chatter to my right. The older siblings, in exception for Yoongi, are standing a few feet next to us reviewing their own scores. I hope they don’t come over here to check ours… I don’t want them to see I’m at the bottom again

Everyone who’s below 10 get schooled together and scored together, while the ones who are 10 and above have class and scores separate from us. It’s Papa’s way to assess who’s struggling or excelling in class. Papa says that education is important, that way when we go out into the real world we don’t fall behind. It’s party of our weekly routine.

“Wow friend!” Jennie crosses her arms. “You scored at the top again!”

Rose smirks. “Of course I did.”

“You cheated,” Yeonjun pouts.

Jisoo pushes him. “You’re just mad cause you’re dumb.”

The meanest trio of the House stand their ground against the biggest bully of all- Yeonjun. The three eight-year olds glare him down.

“At least he’s not as dumb as this one.” Soobin, Yeonjun’s best friend, points at me. Yeonjun and Soobin cackle out loud. My cheeks heat in anger. My hands curl into a fist.

“GUYS, JIMIN BROKE YOONGI’S STREAK!” Alma announces.

Ashley sighs loudly, “Guapo y inteligente.”

All of us turn around to face the older sibling in amazement. Nobody has beaten Yoongi ever. He’s always the top scorer. Jimin stands in front of the posted paper, with an opened mouth and widened eyes. Taehyung gives him a round of applause. Jimin tries to settle him down, not wanting any attention.

“I don’t even know how,” Jimin laughs, “Namjoon and Yoongi are always beating me by far.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Namjoon grins at him.

Jackson grabs Jimin by the shirt. “I’m beating you next time!”

Claudia squeals at their interaction.

Hoseok laughs, “There’s like six people with higher scores in between you and Jimin, genius.”

“I wanna drop out,” Vicky says.

“Same,” Jonathan says.

“Fine,” Jackson lets go of Jimin’s shirt. “Then I challenge you to a game of tag!”

Our faces light up at the mention of tag, the traditional game of the House. During our free time, Papa allows us to play outside through the vastly huge acres of land. A couple of miles from the House, begins the forest that hides all sorts of little rivers, wildlife like rabbits and squirrels, huge boulders jump off from, wide bushes to hide under, and tall trees to climb.

It’s the dense thick forest we’ve all known since we were little, like the back of our hands.

“Deal,” Jimin’s eyebrows furrow.

**

“10, 9.”

I jump over a fallen tree trunk.

“8, 7.”

I trip over my shoelaces. Taehyung helps me stand up quickly.

“6, 5.”

I run past Vicky who’s standing still, pretending to be a tree.

“4, 3.”

Taehyung decides to split ways with me and heads off towards the riverside.

“2, 1.”

I pick up my pace. Jimin should be done counting by now. The rules of tag are simple. The one who is it gives us 30 seconds to run. Once the countdown is done, that person has 30 minutes to “capture” everyone- and I mean everyone as in the 24 siblings playing this round. If 30 minutes are over and there’s at least one person remaining from the opposite team- the person who is it loses.

The forest surrounds the House on all four sides- a beautiful garden that stretches far and wide. Despite all of the vast terrain that’s free to our disposal, there’s two places in particular that we’re told never to go near. The Gate in the far north and the fences marking the boundaries of the forest. As long as we maintain Papa’s house rules, we have a whole world to ourselves to play in.

Those are the rules.

Tag is hell whenever Jimin and Yoongi are it. Especially with Jimin. He’s the fastest and most agile from everyone. His best score is 14 minutes.

I halt once I reach one of the small rivers running across the forest. It’s not deep, so I’m not scared of slipping off the steppingstones. I hop across the river. And head uphill while being careful not to get caught by the overgrown tree roots. My legs are aching from the effort. I can hear distant yells and giggles. I keep running while ducking stray tree branches in the way. I run past a group of 4-year-old hiding under bushes. Maybe I should pick a spot to hide in too, I’ve been running east for a while now.

“Hey!” I hear a whisper. I stop to listen. “Above you!”

I tilt my head upwards. Becky, Hoseok, Jonathan, and Claudia wave at me from behind the thick tree branches. I hesitate before climbing. Is it a good hiding spot?

“Hurry up before he sees you!” Hoseok says.

My heart races. I make sure I have a secured footing before my arms pull my body up the broad trunk. My hands scrape against the rough surface. Hoseok lends me a hand and drags me up.

“You’re heavier than you look,” he whines.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

Becky and I make sudden eye contact. Becky chuckles lightly. My eyes flick to the side. Jonathan and Claudia sit idly on their own branches. Hoseok keeps turning his head in all directions, on the lookout for any movement. The five us listen to each other steady our breaths, recovering from solid minutes of sprinting. We hear footsteps incoming. Soobin and Yeonjun suddenly dash under our tree and head off deeper into the forest.

I wonder how many of us Jimin has captured on the first 5 minutes already. Usually the 4-year olds are the first ones to get caught. They’re too scared to run deep into the forest, so they stay in the edges. All you have to do is call their name and they’ll come running to you. They’re cute.

I wish I could last as long as Taehyung and Namjoon though. They’re not fast but they know how to hide. They’re both playing this round so we might just win.

Claudia suddenly squeals. We panic thinking it was Jimin, but we calm down after we realize she got scared of the centipede crawling near her foot. Jonathan suppresses his chuckle.

“I wish I could have spent more time with you all.” Becky whispers under her breath. We all turn to look at her. Becky’s eyes were filled with tears.

Hoseok rests his cheek against his knuckle, “You’re spending time with us now.”

“I wish I had more time…” Becky wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “To get to know everyone more…” Jonathan and Claudia look concerned, but both of them don’t know how to respond to her request. I cross my legs quietly. Hoseok looks away. The feeling of leaving the House must be a confusing one. I think I’d be happy to know I matched with a family and that I’d be able to step into the world I’ve read so much about in class and in books. But I’d be sad to leave all the memories of my first family behind as well.

“That’s why…” I force myself to speak. Becky and the others glance at me. “You’ll write us letters…like Taehyung said. That way you don’t feel like you’re leaving us behind.”

Becky grins at me.

All of our past siblings who have said their goodbyes have not written back. We all think its cause they’re having too much fun living a different life. But Becky is different though. She’s too attached. Writing back should soothe her until she gets used to the Outside.

“You’ve been so worried about us this whole time,” Hoseok laughs lightly, “Have you even thought of what you plan on doing on your first day in the real world?”

Becky gasps. His question had intrigued her. She probably never did think about it before. The Outside world that is. Becky sits up against the bark of the three, pondering for a moment. She suddenly giggles. “Attend a big concert!” Becky smiles. “And you guys? What would you do on your first day outside?”

“Wear anything other than this,” Jonathan points at his dirty white uniform. We all laugh, agreeing quietly. Wearing the same thing every day definitely gets boring.

“I’d like to ride a plane,” Hoseok smirks.

“I’d like to watch a movie,” Jimin giggles.

“And you Jungkook?” Becky asks.

Wait.

Jonathan and Claudia get snatched by Jimin instantly. Becky is too shocked to even try to move. Hoseok jumps off the tree. I slide off my branch and dash right behind Hoseok. We run side by side with wild grins slapped on our faces and adrenaline driving our legs. We hear Jimin’s footsteps right behind us. Hoseok, who’s way older, picks up speed quickly. I glance behind my shoulder. Jimin’s hand is inches away from my back.

“Split up!” Hoseok yells at me.

I take a sharp turn to my right. I keep my sight forward, not wanting to check if Jimin had gone after Hoseok or if he was right behind me. Suddenly, my foot loses its footing of the ground. My body weight inclines forward. I tumble down the hill roughly, colliding against the muddy grass and trees. I grip my ankle tightly and grit my teeth. Tears swell in the corners of my eyes. I think I might have sprained it. I force myself to sit up after the ruthless rolling. A jolting pain freezes my left arm. My white sleeve got torn, revealing the inked numbers 41203 on my forearm. I touch the rash on my arm softly.

Where am I?

I look to the sides.

I look behind me. My jaw clenches. I stagger upwards. I wince in pain from my ankle.

A gust of wind swoops from the south, rustling the 5-foot oxidized fence in front me. My body feels heavy, just like it did the day I ventured off to the north- in search of the Gate. The fence runs to both my right and left, as far into the distance as I could see- marking the indefinite boundary of my world. Across the fence, was just a deeper part of the woods that no one from the House had ever walked before. Just like that gate. Keeping me away from discoveries.

You shouldn’t be here. I scold myself. I step backwards. This is the second time I’ve broken Papa’s rule. Don’t go near the gate. Don’t go near the fence. But why? Why can’t I? What exactly is it protecting me from?

I take a step forward. My fingers slip through the squared shaped openings of the fence. It feels cold.

“Hey.”

A deep voice behind me pierces my ears. Before I could turn around, a harsh jerk on my hair strips my hands away from the fence. My back slams against the ground. I clutch my chest, gasping for air. My eyes shoot open. Standing above me, is a tall, slim black-haired boy. He kneels, resting his left knee on my stomach- adding his weight on my body. He leans forward, coming closer to my face. His dark eyes halt a few inches away from mine.

“You must’ve hit your head on the way down the hill,” Yoongi says.