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“Jungkookie, dear, could you do your Mama a favour?”
“Sure, Mama, what do you want?”
“Your cousin Nana is coming home from the hospital today, and I just made a big batch of cookies for the shop, but there’s some left over. Could you take some over to her?”
“Okay!” Jungkook replied brightly, slipping into his scarlet waterproof coat as it looked like it would rain soon.
Taking the paper bag his mother handed him as he passed the kitchen, Jungkook couldn’t help but grin excitedly at the prospect of visiting his cousin in his brand new coat. He couldn’t wait to see her surprised face!
He closed the shop door carefully, before stepping out onto the street.
It was busy, far busier than it usually was on Fridays, and the sky was thick with clouds, meaning the bright headlights of the cars that rushed by made the street look like a glittering river of red and white. It wasn’t far to his cousin’s house, but to little Jungkook, it seemed like it was an almost impenetrable wilderness. The chaotic business of hundreds of strangers milling about the wide pavements were the wild animals, the towering skyscrapers were the lofty trees, and Jungkook, he was the little child sent to take freshly baked goodies to Nana.
Usually, when his mother took him to Nana’s house, she went the long way round the quieter streets, but Jungkook knew that if he went down the main road and through the mall, it would be a lot quicker. Besides, he wasn’t sure he could remember the longer way by himself.
Jungkook set off with the paper bag containing the cookies grasped not-too-tightly in his little fists, and he drew the hood of his brilliant red coat over his fluffy brown hair- just in case it started raining before he got inside again.
As he walked down the street, he imagined he was doing his favourite thing- going on an adventure, just like all the characters in his favourite cartoons did.
First, he was on a top-secret mission, taking important classified files to the headquarters of a spy agency, making sure no one saw his precious cargo. Then he was a prince, riding on his pure white stallion named Hope, on his way to rescue a princess who was asleep in a castle surrounded by a forest of thorns and brambles.
Midway through his brave conquest, Jungkook had to cross the road to get to the mall, so he pretended he was a big, bold grown up man with a briefcase for a short while, looking down his nose at the little boys crossing the road along with him. But as soon as he was safely sheltered by the mall just beyond the traffic lights, he resumed his thrilling adventure with his trusty steed by his side.
That is, until he ran into a Wolf.
That wasn’t really the kind of thrilling he was hoping for.
“Hello, Red. What are you doing here?”
Jungkook blinked owlishly. His name wasn’t ‘Red’. And how did the Wolf know him, the brave, strong Prince Jungkook?
“I’m visiting Nana. What are you doing here?”
“My mum is buying me lots of food,” the Wolf boasted proudly, “it’s my birthday tomorrow, and she’s going to spend lots and lots!”
Jungkook frowned. What was so good about spending money on lots and lots of food? His mother made delicious food at home, and she sold what Jungkook couldn’t eat. Why would he be jealous of the other boy?
“Well, my Mama makes yummy cookies, and I’m taking a whole bag of them to Nana’s house, so there!” retorted Jungkook, brandishing the now slightly crumpled paper bag.
And with that, he left the somewhat dumbfounded Wolf behind, and carried on to his cousin’s house.
On his way, Jungkook slayed a total of five angry dragons with the help of his horse, Hope, and his handsome servant Taehyung, (who he’d rescued from the dark dungeons of a mysterious castle during his travels) and he rescued seven beautiful princesses (Although once he had, he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He couldn’t marry all of them, and neither could Taehyung. Eventually he settled for sending them back to their families).
After a while, he finally reached the apartment where Nana lived, and he stretched on tiptoes to try and reach the doorbell. But it was just too high up, and Jungkook was about to walk away in disappointment, when a taller boy arrived. The boy looked down at Jungkook, then squatted down to his level.
“Hello, kid. Are you visiting Seokjin-hyung?”
Jungkook shook his head furiously. He barely knew Nana’s big brother; he’d only seen him around a couple of times.
“Or are you visiting Nana, perhaps?” the bigger boy tilted his head slightly with a little smile pulling at his lips. Jungkook nodded slowly, taking in the pale skin and dark hair, and wondering if the boy was good at fighting pirates.
“Hmm, I’m alright, but I prefer casting spells and disappearing in my invisibility cloak.”
Jungkook widened his eyes in awe- he thought he hadn’t asked that aloud. The boy laughed, a gummy smile spreading over his face as he ruffled Jungkook’s hair fondly.
“I’m Yoongi, Seokjin’s best friend. Are you Nana’s friend?”
Jungkook nodded his head, then changed his mind and shook it.
“Nana is my cousin,” he whispered shyly, “And I came to give her some cookies.”
He lifted up the paper bag filled with cookies, then continued,
“Yoongi-hyung, will you be my friend? I’ve never met a magician before.”
Yoongi grinned back in affirmation and ruffled his hair again as the door opened. Seokjin and Nana both stood in the doorway, inviting their guests in, so Jungkook and Yoongi stepped in, and greeted them.
“Kookie-ah, Nana is having a Getting-Better Party, do you want to join in?” Seokjin offered, looking down at the small boy, with a beautiful smile that made him look like an angel.
Jungkook smiled back, nodding, before suddenly remembering his mission.
“Nana, these are for you. Mama made them.” he thrust the bag eagerly at the little girl, who took them with a smile, before handing them to her brother.
“Thank you Kookie-oppa! I can’t eat them yet though, because Mummy says I’m still too ill for sweet things-”
Jungkook’s smile fell slightly.
Then a boy rushed in from the living room, and dragged Nana back in, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence.
Jungkook’s smile disappeared instantly when he realised where he recognised the scruffy child from.
“Jungkook-ah, are you going to take your coat off?” asked Seokjin kindly, surprising him. He’d gotten distracted, watching the pair disappear into the crowd.
“What? No, I’m fine thank you.” Jungkook pulled his hood down since he was indoors now, and followed the two into the living room.
Instantly, he was confronted by the sight and noise of about twenty energetic children about his age, and for a moment, Jungkook felt overwhelmed.
But once recovered, he felt brave enough to make his way through the colourful crowd, to find his cousin.
However, the situation in which he found her was too close to that of one the fairy-tale princesses which he liked to read about. Nana was trapped in the corner of the room by the wild-looking Wolf-boy he’d met in the mall, and was being force-fed cupcakes, while the Wolf-boy watched with an animalistic grin on his face.
Nana was in need of a knight in shining armour, and Jungkook was happy to oblige.
Without further ado, he flung a fist into the Wolf’s face, and pushed the boy away from Nana roughly.
“Leave Nana alone!” Jungkook yelled angrily.
“Why should I? She’s my girlfriend!” retorted the Wolf. He followed this by a punch of his own to Jungkook’s nose, the resulting scream catching the attention of most of the party-goers.
“Nana can’t eat sweet things because she’s still ill, and you fed her lots, even though she didn’t want to! You’re mean!” Jungkook grabbed a fistful of the Wolf’s hair, and before he knew it, he was on the floor being pummelled by strong fists, surrounded by a shocked audience.
Then, as quickly as the fight had started, the weight on his chest disappeared, and Jungkook opened his eyes to see a small face framed by silvery hair looking back down at him, concern flooding his expression.
“Are you okay?”
“Who are you?” Jungkook asked, entranced by the boy’s unusual hair colour and dark coffee eyes.
“I’m the person who saved your life, Captain Park. I’m the King of the Pirates, and part-time lumber-jack, but you can call me Jimin. You’re now a prisoner on my pirate ship, but I’ll let you be a pirate, because I like your coat. It’s very red. Your nose is bleeding.”
Jimin fished out a tissue from a pocket in his dungarees and handed it to Jungkook, who took it gratefully as he sat up.
“Also, you’re getting a black eye. You might need an eyepatch for that, just like a real pirate.”