“Yes.” he answered. I was stunned. The voice I seldom heard yet recognized by my ears quickly, it was Jb. I didn’t recognize him with his looks, he’s just wearing slippers and his shirt is all dusty. “Thank you.” he said after we passed the cart on the high road. I looked at him walking with the cart ‘till he turned left and my eyes can’t see him anymore.
I continued riding my bike around the town with Jb’s image in my brain. He said thank you but I didn't feel the sincerity on it.
“Hey!” I grip on my bike’s break when two younger male blocked my way.
“Excuse me?” I said.
“Yugyeom, his bicycle looks pretty cool!” the smaller one said, eying on my bike.
“Yeah man! I actually like it.” the taller one added.
“Then you should buy your own. And if you’ll excuse me I need to go home so can you please both step aside?” I said, still trying to be nice though this two seems not interested in the word.
“But we don’t have money to buy a bike like yours...”
“So Bambam... if we take the bike how are we going to divide it?”
“Tsk! How are we going to ride it if we divide it?! Man think!”
“What I mean is how are we going to share it?”
“Hmmm... mwf? ttss?”
“I think it’s not fair. Four days over three?”
While the two talking nonsense, I stepped on my pedal and turn to the side but the taller one who I suppose is named Yugyeom grabbed the hem of my shirt that caused me to fall.
“No running away man!” he said, pulling me away from my bike. I resisted but the one named Bambam pushed me again. Bambam is taking my bike while Yugyeom is gripping on my arms. “Hey! Give it back!”
“Kids....” Bambam stopped taking a step, Yugyeom losses his grip on me. I looked at Jb with his empty cart.
“Hyung!” the two said in unison. “I told you it’s not good to take someone else’s possession right?”
“Uh...hyung, we just want to try his bike.” Bambam who’s acting like an obedient child. He knows how to act! Tsk!
“We haven’t try riding a bike like that hyung... we just want to borrow.” even the tall Yugyeom is acting like an obedient child to his father. Great actors huh!
“But what I saw is not like you’re borrowing the bike from him...” the two looked down on their feet. “Apologize to him Bambam and Yugyeom.”
“I’m sorry man...” the two said in unison again.
“Sorry for their actions...” Jb said, I nodded my head. He told Bambam to give me back my bike and the younger quickly obeyed.
I get on my bike and was ready to go when I heard Bambam asked Jb. “Do you know him hyung?”
“I’m curious too hyung. He looks at you like he knows you.” Yugyeom added. I slowed my movement, I feel like I want to hear more from their conversation. He's going to deny me!
“Yes. He’s my classmate... and a good friend.”
“Ah really hyung?!”
“So we should call him hyung too, not man!”
That was a short conversation but a never ending part in my memory. Good friend? Since when?? But I admit, I was pretty surprised with that and the way he treat those youngsters.
After that day, I decided to gather a full tank of courage within me and talk to Jb though I still have no idea what to talk about or will he even talk to me in the first place?
I was ready. But the day never happened.
I’ve never seen Jb at school after that day. My classmates’ happy days without his presence continued but it became emptiness to me. I felt like he doesn’t deserve every hate thrown at him though I still don’t know the reasons why he’s done those things in the past.
I feel like I should have tried harder to get to know him rather than hate him.
“Do you have any idea where is Jb? Or where he lives?” I get back to my senses when Youngjae sit on Jackson’s chair beside me.
“No. Hmm why do you ask?”
He shrugged his shoulder. “I just want to thank him...”
“Thank him? For what?” I suddenly become curious.
“For saving me from the bad guys during my first day here. I really admire him for being strong and brave. He fought with the three bad guys when he saw them taking my wallet and cellphone.” after Youngjae’s story, I feel like I’m no better with those guys who bullied him. He clearly helped him and not bullied him like how I thought it was.
I ride my bike around the town again hoping that I’ll see him, we’re not friends yet but I have a lot to say to him and he even called me friend before.
“Oh! hyung!” I stopped my bike when two familiar voices called me though I’m not really sure if I was the one they’re calling. Hyung?
“Hyung!” Bambam said and tap me on my shoulder. “Why did you go out just now?”
“Ayt! We’re the ones who just getting out now. Did you forget your father locked you in your house for a week and my mother brought me to my grandmother?”
“Ah yeah... almost forgot!” I noticed something on Bambam's arm. I think it's a bruise. Did they fight? I guess no, they're too close to fight each other.
“So you’re not siblings?”
“No...”
“Ah... I thought you’re siblings and Jb is your older brother.”
“No hyung. Ah yes hyung!” I got confused by Bambam’s answer.
“No because we’re not blood related. Yes because Jb hyung treats us like his real younger brothers. He saves us from bullies and even feed us when our parents can’t buy us food.” The way they described Jb and talked happy things about him makes my heart so soft. I was wrong. I judged him by what my eyes have seen without knowing about the whole situation.
I feel so guilty. How can I hate someone who's a better human being than me?
“Do you know where I can find him? He’s been absent in school for two weeks now.”
“The last thing he said before he left was he’s finally going to meet his mother...”
“But he didn’t tell us where because he’s not still sure, someone just told him about his mother then he left in a rush.”
“Do you want to ride my bike?” I asked the two and they nodded excitingly. I watched them happily riding my bike around and I didn’t know this kind of simple sight can bring so much contentment to my heart.
Months had passed and we still have no news about Jb. Riding my bike around the town and meeting Yugyeom and Bambam to the place where we first met becomes my habit. I bring them food whenever there’s something in our fridge and play with them.
And yes, months passed by yet I still can't stop thinking about him and I'm ready to apologize. I looked up and stared at the clear blue sky.
How was it meeting your mom? Are you happy? Will you not scare people again when you come back like how you used to?
