V has been sweating buckets as he stood beside Jin, Heasung's oldest brother, the poor lifeless fish in his skilled hands. Jin threw the body of into the pot of stew and V could only watch as it's mangled body sink into the bottom of the searing, boiling water. Jin looked happy, humming a tune while stirring the stew. The scared boy was barely controlling his emotions when a choked sob sounded. He couldn't watch another minute of this. He just couldn't stand there as his friend suffered in Jin's hands.

"You are the worst!" V startled Jin when he suddenly yelled and ran out of the kitchen without any reason.

Jimin bumped into V in the hallway, seeing him crying and bawling his eyes out. Jin and Jimin watched as V entered Haesung's room, then they looked at each other. "What happened to him?"

Jin shrugged his shoulders innocently, "Don't ask me because I have no clue either. He just stormed out on me."

"You did something bad to him. He wouldn't be that upset if you didn't do anything." Jimin shook his head in disappointment. "You fucked him up, hyung."

🐳

"Haesung!" V rushed into my room and held onto the sleeve of my pajamas while I was doing my homework. "Jin hyung was so mean. He killed my friend!"

"What're you talking about?" I pryed his hands from tightly grasping my clothes. I got him a tissue when I saw how ridiculously big his tears were. His eyes were filled with it and I kinda pitied him until I saw one roll down his cheeks and drop on the floor. His tear made a sound as it hit the floor, a dull thud. I didn't know that tears could make a sound like that so I looked down and found a diamond as big as a pea next to my feet.

"Jin hyung killed my fish friend. He was smiling and whistling after he cooked my friend. He's so mean, Haesung!" V babbled but I was busy gawking at his tears as it fell as diamonds on the floor. "I hate him!"

"V!" I grabbed his shoulders and he stopped sobbing. He looked into my eyes, his lips still quivering. I showed him a diamond that I picked up from the floor, "Do you know what this is?"

"Y-Yeah. It's my tears. Why?" V replied in a matter of factly manner. He looked at me weirdly, "Haven't you seen tears before? Humans cry all the time. I saw a lot of them crying in dramas."

"No, V. This isn't a normal thing. This doesn't happen to humans." I told him, making V furrow his brows in confusion.

"Humans don't cry?" V asked, forgetting what had happened to his friend in the kitchen. "Then what do you do when you're sad?"

"No, I mean, humans don't cry and make freaking diamonds." I said with such emphasis as I gathered V's diamond tears that scattered before us. "This does not happen when we cry."

"Almonds? What are you talking about? Why will humans makes almonds when they cry? You sound crazy, Haesung. You're scaring me." V just made me face palm myself. I rubbed my face and tried to think of a way to hide it. I kept everything in a jar and hid it deep in my closet. "Haesung, what are you doing?"

"Your tears are diamonds not almonds." I turned to V, kneeling beside him as I carefully explained. I rested my hands on his shoulders and told him in a serious tone. "Never tell this to anyone. Don't let others see you cry. Even my brothers. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes.. but why?" He stared at my face. "I don't know why you're being like this. Haesung, it's just tears. I do that all the time."

This clueless boy has no fucking idea how much his tears are worth. I told him to come closer so I can whisper in his ears. Cupping both of my hands over his ear, I spoke in a very low voice, "Diamonds are worth a lot of money in the human world."

V gasped as he pulled away, a hands over his mouth, "Really?"

I nodded at him. "You can buy a billion packs of rice with one diamond."

"Oh my god!" V's eyes widened in realization. I thought he finally understood what I was telling him because he was suddenly quiet, deep in thought, and then he looked up at me, "So if I cry, I can buy all the rice I want?"

"I give up." I hung my head down in surrender. V peeked at my face, "Haesung?"

V is my friend and I wouldn't want people to take advantage of him. He's literally a diamond maker so I was scared of people knowing and using him. I grabbed both of his hands with a determined look on my face. "V, promise me you won't say this to anyone and you won't cry in front of anyone ever again. Look at me and tell me. I'm doing this because I'm your friend. I want you to be safe from bad people."

"I'm.. your friend?" V's voice softened and he was becoming teary eyed again but he stopped himself and put on a brave front. He strongly nodded his head at me. "I promise I won't."

The door of my bedroom opened and we slowly turned our heads towards it finding my older brother there. Yoongi was looking at us with a blank face. I came to realize the awkward situation we are in; V and I are kneeling in front of each other, our hands on top of each other with serious looks on our faces while we whisper to each other. Yoongi stood there and judged us silently. He was about to say something as he opened his mouth but closed it again. "No, actually, I don't want to know what kind of ritual you two are doing. Come out, dinner is ready."

V and I stood up slowly from the floor. Yoongi turned his back to us then mumbled exhaustedly under his breath, "I'm so done with this family."

🐳

Jin was worried that V didn't eat last night. He thought it was because of him. V was clearly upset with him last night but he had no idea why. Was it because he scolded him but he also lectured Haesung. They were both wrong and they deserved that. Jin would never do that to someone who did nothing wrong yet he still felt guilty about V so he made him a special breakfast while hiding behind the pretense that the kids are having their final exams.

V ate well as expected and that made the motherly figure happy. Meanwhile, all morning, Jimin has been giving off a really energetic vibe. He absolutely does not stay still. He talked and talked nonstop while the others just nod their head at him in hopes that he'd stop soon. "Hey, Jungkook, why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?"

"What's a pterodactyl?" Jungkook's eyebrows furrowed, "Is it a gardening tool?"

"Nevermind you're too stupid." Jimin deadpanned before he turned to Haesung who was eating beside him quietly. "How about you, sis? Can you guess why?"

"Gee, I don't know the answer, Jimin." Haesung was forced to give a response because Jimin wouldn't stop nudging her side. "Why?"

"Because it's silent pee!" Jimin loudly laughed at his own joke, "Get it? Silent P. Because when you pronounce it it's silent P?"

"Nobody gets the freaking joke, kid, now shut up and pass me the mackerel." Yoongi killed Jimin's vibe and burnt it to ashes in seconds.

"Cause ya'll stupid. You can't even spell mackerel." Jimin countered bitterly, obviously hurt by the older one's remark.

"I want to go to school too." V frowned as he said this.

"You can't. We don't have money." Jungkook told V as he got himself another fill of rice.

"Jungkook, you eat too much! Next thing you know we're running out of food again." Jimin pointed out and he was right.

Sometimes, they run out of food in the middle of the month which should not be happening because we are on a tight budget but Jungkook eats a lot. By a lot, it means three servings per meal.

"I'm hungry." Jungkook whined. "Just because you're on a stupid diet doesn't mean I can't eat the way I want to. The truth is you're just bitter 'cause I can eat the food you like."

"I'm not bitter, you dumbass." Jimin spewed back and soon they're bickering across the table, making Jin sigh deeply again.

"I want to go to school!" V joined in, puckering his lips because none of the adults are paying him attention.

"I told you we don't have money, V!" Jungkook raises his voice at V and he was startled.

"Hey!" Hoseok put a stop to Jimin and Jungkook's fight while Haesung just silently munch away beside her older brother, "If you're not going to stop fighting then go to your rooms."

"He started it." Jungkook pointed a finger at Jimin and Jimin threw him a dirty look. "I was just eating but some people just can't mind their own business."

Jimin's ears grew red very fast and his small figure almost lunged at Jungkook if it weren't for Namjoon's fast intervention. "Who are you to say that to me? I was born before you. I'm fucking older than you deepshit!"

"Jimin your language please!" Jin finally said something as Jimin and Jungkook glared at each other. "Both of you are grounded for fighting during dinner."

"Fuck it." Jimin slammed down his chopsticks against the table, making V jump on his seat. "Who needs dinner anyway? Jungkook can eat my food since he's such a pig."

V watched Jimin leave the table and entered the room which he shared with Yoongi who is currently having his meal in silence since he has no energy left to handle family problems after working double shifts. V held onto Haesung's arm and scooted closer to her and away from a fuming Jungkook, "Haesung, I'm scared."

That night, V insisted on sleeping at Haesung's room again because he began to have nightmares from Jin cutting off his friend's head the other day. He shared the bed with Haesung, cooped next to her in the dark while he lied there awake. Haesung wasn't making any sound and he wondered if she's already asleep, "Haesung?" He squeaked.

Hawsung made a faint humming sound and V was thankful she was still awake. "What?"

"I really want to go to school." He said, frowning in the dark.

"Go to sleep, V." She mumbled tiredly. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

"But if I cry and make almonds, I can go to school, right? I can sell it and then we'll have money, right?" V rambled on by himself as Haesung slept soundly beside him. He only realized that he was talking to himself when he asked her a question which she didn't answer. "Oh you're asleep already... goodnight Haesung,"