#as soon as my Hyun fic is complete

[minhosimthings]

This is how Jay would look at you in class, when you answer a question no one else could. Like you're his smart baby and he adores how cute you are when the teacher praises you about your wit. Later on, he'll buy you ice cream as a reward, heart eyes still on you, as you explain how you got to the answer of that question, connecting dots from a beluga whale to the Mayan empire.

This is how Jay would look at when you both were handed the job of cleaning out old files from the school and he watches as you attempt to carry a hundred of them at once, eventually succeeding and doing a little happy dance with your fists clenched and lips parted, revealing your beautiful smile.

This is how Jay looks at you, on the day you both graduate, top of your class. He watches as you run to your family, all smiles and sunshine, and that's when he decides to wait just two more years to marry you in college, looking at you with those same eyes every time

[writtenwhalien]

a lover's redemption | chapter 3

chapter 3. the new normal

pairing ↠ mafia leader!park jimin x reader

genre ↠ mafia AU — romance/action (angst, fluff, smut)

summary ↠ Blood, business and betrayal is all that Park Jimin has ever known, but when you cross paths again, the stakes are raised even higher and he finds himself battling his conscience, and his heart.

word count ↠ 13.3k

18+ | warnings ↠ drinking, explicit sexual content, violence, all sorts of crime (please see the series masterlist for a complete list of warnings).

taglist is open – dm/comment/send an ask to be added <3

notes ↠ please enjoy and shareeeee xxoxoxox and pls share your thoughts w me as we get into it ;) also in case its not clear, jimin's birth year in the fic is 1995, same as real life, and Y/N is 2 years younger than him. I always put the year for any flashbacks so you can work out how old they are :) any confusion, please let me know (i might make a mistake!) thanks angels! <3

17th July 2009

The heavy scent of cigar smoke lingered in the room, curling around the dark oak furniture. Jimin sat quietly beside his father, his small legs barely brushing the floor. Across from them, Lee Han-Jae exhaled a long puff of his cigar, looking tired.

“They confirmed the crash?” Jihoon asked, his tone devoid of warmth.

Jimin did not know what accident his uncle and father had planned but he knew that his father had been on edge all day because of it.

Han-Jae nodded. “Mostly. But he's gone.” He downed what was left of his drink. “Did we take care of the family?”

Jihoon swirls his glass. “We’ll let them go, they have no one.”

“Except Kija and Min-Baek-hyun,” Han-jae counters.

“They mean nothing to us.”

“But they were loyal to Sehun.”

Upon hearing this, Jimin went still, realising what’s happened. 

“Their loyalty was not just to Sehun but the entire Han family. They will protect them at all costs and they’ve been in this long enough to know not to retaliate if they want to keep themselves safe.”

Han-Jae said nothing else of the matter but his face did little to mask his disapproval. He took another puff of his cigar before he spoke again. “The other two men survived. Escaped before the flames could finish the job. They’re digging through the wreckage, but the police are sniffing around."It seems dental records are proving... inconvenient.”

Jihoon’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. “Inconvenient?” he echoed. “The detectives are a problem?”

Han-Jae waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Funny,” Jihoon said, leaning forward slightly. “You said the same thing about the last case they opened. And now I hear whispers about them building something bigger — trafficking charges. Another detective’s on the case, isn’t he?” His tone sharpened. “You’ve been careless, Han-Jae.”

The room tensed, the air thick with unsaid threats. Han-Jae stiffened, his smirk faltering for the briefest moment. “Watch your tongue, Jihoon.”

Jihoon’s lip curled. “You’ve been playing dirty, using our resources to fund your side business."

Han-Jae remained indifferent. "You'll be asking for a share soon. All the pieces are almost complete and this detective is nothing more than a bump in the road. I'll deal with it."

"That's besides the point. I trusted you and you're acting foolishly."

"Foolishly?"

"Is it not?" Jihoon asked, patronising.

Jimin watched as Han-Jae got up wordlessly and walked over to his cabinet. He picked up the decanter and generously poured himself some whiskey.

“I’ve given you more than enough leash,” Jihoon continued, his voice rising. “But if you think I’ll let you drag my name down with yours, think again.”

Han-Jae emptied his glass before he turned, his face a mask of fury. “We’ll talk about this later,” he spat. “We have somewhere to be.”

Jihoon didn’t bother responding. Instead, he turned his attention to Jimin, his gaze cold and commanding. “Get a gun.”

Jimin froze, his blood turning to ice. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Now,” Jihoon snapped, his tone sharp enough to cut. "Then meet me by the car."

Jihoon left the room and Jimin followed, his legs moving before his mind could catch up. He went towards the basement, down the stairs and past the training floor, all the way to the locked room at the back. Some of his father's men watched as he walked, but none said a word. Hands trembling, he pressed his thumb to the scanner and waited for the door to unlock, revealing an entire array of weapons lining the walls.

Jimin didn't think. He picked up the first handgun he saw, checked it was loaded and then walked out with the cold metal feeling alien in his grasp, the weight far heavier than he anticipated.

Without realising it, his feet carried him to the kitchen, where his mother stood slicing vegetables. She turned at the sound of his shaky breathing, her eyes immediately softening when she saw the gun in his hands.

“Jimin,” she whispered, crossing the room in an instant. She crouched down in front of him, pulling him into a gentle hug. The faint scent of lavender filled his nose, momentarily drowning out the suffocating reality around him.

“I can’t,” he mumbled against her shoulder. “I can’t do it.”

His mother’s embrace tightened. “I never wanted this for you, Jimin,” she murmured, her voice thick with regret. “I’m so sorry.” She pulled back, brushing his hair from his face with trembling fingers. “But this is your life now. Your father won’t wait. If you don’t go back, he’ll only get angrier.”

Jimin shook his head. “Why do you let him—” His voice broke off and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"I'm so sorry." Her face crumpled, but she quickly composed herself and closed his fingers around the gun. “You have to go now, before he comes looking for you.”

Reluctantly, he nodded, his small frame trembling as she kissed his forehead and guided him toward the door.

The container yard smelled of damp concrete and iron, the air thick and stifling. As Jimin stepped out of the car, he immediately spotted Kwan and Duri ahead of them. 

Jihoon and Han-Jae walked ahead while Taemin and Jimin followed behind. As they went further into the yard, around a dark corner, Jimin glanced at Taemin, hoping for some kind of answer. Taemin, barely older than Jimin, gave a reassuring smile of sorts when Jimin glanced his way, but it did little to make him feel better. Jimin figured he knew where they were going since he and his dad spoke often.

Duri pulled the heavy door of one of the containers open as they approached and both fathers stopped short outside of the container. Han-Jae laughed mirthlessly and they both stepped aside for Jimin and Taemin to see.

Two detectives knelt on the floor, their faces bloodied and swollen, their hands tied tightly behind their backs.

Suddenly, the dead weight of the gun in his hand felt heavy again.

Jihoon glanced over his shoulder. “Stay here,” he ordered both boys.

Taemin, barely older than Jimin, gave a solemn nod but said nothing.

Jihoon stepped into the container, and crouched in front of one of the detectives, his voice low but menacing. “I warned you to stay out of my business. But now, you’re here. What do you have to say for yourself?”

The detective spat at Jihoon’s feet, earning himself a sharp backhand. Jihoon stood, motioning to Jimin. “Come here.”

Jimin hesitated, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Now, Jimin."

Taemin looked between them and gently nudged Jimin forward. "Go on," he whispered.

Reluctantly, Jimin got closer, his eyes glued to the ground.

"This man is a threat to us,” Jihoon said, calmly. “End him.”

Jimin’s breath hitched. “I-I can’t—”

Jihoon’s hand lashed out, striking him hard enough to send him stumbling. “You’re weak,” he snarled, stepping close to Jimin and speaking low in his ear. “Your mother’s made you soft.”

Jimin’s head snapped up and he ignored the harsh stinging sensation on his cheek. “Is that why you always send her away?” he asked, teeth gritted. “To keep her away from me?”

Jihoon froze, his face darkening. For a moment, Jimin thought he might strike him again. But instead, Jihoon looked right at Jimin and spoke, his voice icy. “She chooses to leave. Every time she walks out that door, it’s her choice. And it’s time you grew up and realised that.”

Jimin’s grip on the gun tightened, his knuckles white. He didn't look at the man before him but raised his arm, finger closing around the trigger. "You're right," Jimin said, voice low. "It is time I grew up."

The gunshot echoed through the warehouse, the sound ringing in Jimin’s ears long after the man’s body hit the floor.

Jihoon’s voice cut through the haze. “Finally.”

But Jimin didn’t hear him. All he could see was the blood, pooling and spreading across the cold concrete. All he could feel was the weight of his father’s shadow, pressing down on him, suffocating him.

Jihoon glanced at Han-Jae, his lip curling in irritation. “You deal with the other one.”

Han-Jae smiled thinly, his hand settling on Taemin’s shoulder. “Go on, son.”

Taemin hesitated, his youthful face pale under the dim light of the yard's lights. He glanced at Jimin, whose expression was frozen in a mix of horror and detachment, and then back at his father.

Han-Jae’s smile faded. “Do you want to disappoint me?”

The weight of that question hung heavy in the air, and Taemin swallowed hard, but slowly, he stepped forward.

The second detective, bloodied and trembling, began to plead incoherently, his words dissolving into a sob.

Jimin’s stomach churned violently. He couldn’t bear to watch as Taemin raised the gun with far steadier hands than his own, nor could he endure the suffocating tension of the warehouse any longer. His voice was hoarse as he muttered, “I’m going to the car.”

Jihoon turned his head slightly but didn’t object. “Fine. Go.”

The indifference in his father’s voice stung more than any reprimand. Jimin moved toward the exit, his legs unsteady but quickening with each step.

The sound of the gunshot rang out just as he stepped out of the container, the echo chasing him into the night.

The air outside was still warm despite it being well past midnight. Jimin usually loved late summer nights like this but not today. As he walked around the bend, he felt more hot, and the humidity worsened the thick, suffocating tension inside.

He made it only a few steps further before his stomach betrayed him. Rushing over towards a stack of crates, he retched violently. The contents of his dinner surged upwards and all Jimin could hope was that he was far away enough from his dad.

His throat burned, and his body trembled as he leaned a hand against the cold metal for support.

When the heaving subsided, the silence around him felt deafening. His mind was a storm of guilt and revulsion. He could still see the detective’s lifeless eyes in his mind, and worse, as he still held the gun now, he kept imagining his finger was still around the trigger.

“This is your life now,” his mother’s voice echoed in his head, her words a hollow comfort against the growing ache in his chest.

His throat tightened, and for a brief moment, he felt the urge to cry. But the tears didn’t come. They couldn’t — not here, not now. He took a deep breath, forcing air into his lungs until the sharpness of it dulled his emotions. He repeated the motion over and over, steadying himself, quieting the chaos within.

Jimin wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and straightened up. His legs felt heavier than before as he trudged toward the car, but by the time he reached it, his breaths had evened out, and his face was expressionless once more.

Sliding into the back seat, he leaned his head against the window and the chill of the glass grounded him.

As he sat there in silence, the weight of his actions settled like stones in his chest, and he knew this wouldn't be the last time.

Present day

It takes you a while to come to your senses, your fuzzy mind drifting in and out of sleep, telling yourself that you’re dreaming every time your eyes half open to see the surroundings of a room which isn’t yours. Your head sinks back into the feather filled pillow, your breathing is slow and steady and you remain completely still as you wait to wake up in your own bed, in your own home.

But it doesn’t happen. 

As you start to focus on the feeling of your chest rising and falling with each breath, your eyes flutter open fully and everything comes rushing back to you. Seojun lying helplessly on your kitchen floor, Minjun and the men flooding your kitchen, Dani and Siho dying to protect you. And Jimin.

The thought of it all hurts your head, and you push the thoughts down, focusing on something else for now. You have many questions and you’ll make sure to get answers, but right now, one thing you’re sure of, is that you’re safe. 

Looking around the room you’re in, you faintly recognise the large wooden doors and particular coving style on the walls. You spent more than a few days running around the halls of this estate, hiding and playing in the rooms belonging to the boy you were once friends with — now the man who saved your life…

It hasn’t escaped you, that had Jimin and his men not walked in when they did, Minjun would’ve killed you after he got whatever information he needed from you. 

You’ve never forgotten him, and now it seems like an odd sort of fate that you’ve ended up entangled in some kind of mess with him, thanks to Seojun. 

There’s definitely something going on, because there must’ve been a reason why Seojun was in your house, why he spent those late evenings at the cafe just trying to have a conversation with you. 

Looking next to you on the nightstand, you see your phone and purse, as well as a few of the other items you had in your pocket and your first thought is to call Yoongi. Whatever’s going on, you need to tell him and he might know something too. 

There’s also a small bowl of fresh fruit on the nightstand and a bottle of water — a small reminder that you’re safe here. 

As you reach for your phone, you feel a mild throbbing pain in your wrist. You almost forgot that Minjun cut you, but the wound is neatly bandaged now. Pushing the sheets back, you look down at your thigh to see it’s also been bandaged and you’re almost certain you’ll find stitches under there. You’re also wearing clothes that aren’t yours — a loose tee and baggy basketball shorts. You don’t remember anything since falling unconscious but you’re sure one of the housemaids must’ve dressed you.

Reaching for your phone again, you expect to see a call from your grandma since she normally calls you every morning, but your home screen shows no notifications except the many security camera notifications which you’re sure must show the events that took place at your home – you might be able to use it to identify a few of the men who were there, Yoongi certainly would be able to help you with that. 

Unlocking your phone, you open up your contacts and scroll through to find Yoongi’s name. Just before you can press call, there’s a knock at the door. Pausing, you look up and a few seconds later, the handle turns slowly. 

A slim man enters the room, dressed sharply head to toe in a suit… Your eyes widen, and suddenly, everything makes sense.

“Yoongi.” 

He smiles, though somewhat apologetically.”Y/N.” Walking over to your bed, he doesn’t hesitate to pull up the chair that sits in front of the dressing table and bring it beside your bed. While your thoughts race, Yoongi sits quietly and waits.

He’s been working for Jimin, of course he has – his dad was close with yours and Jimin, and after your father’s death, his dad, Min Baek-hyun, stayed close with your grandparents and still resides close to your grandma in Namwon, while Yoongi stayed in Seoul. All these years, you’ve stayed close friends with Yoongi, not knowing he was so close with Jimin too – someone you once considered a best friend.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” you ask finally.

“I didn’t want to complicate things,” he murmurs, looking up. As soon as you meet his gaze, you know what he means by that… 

You still remember that night, a few months ago, when Yoongi asked you to take out the Cheong men at the warehouse holding the drugs. For the first time, you asked for something in return – for him to help you find who killed your dad. It was the fact that he looked away as soon as you said the words that told you he already knew. 

 “I need something in return.”

Yoongi lifted his head calmly. “Is everything okay?”

You nodded, placing the key down on the table. “Just, promise me you’ll do it first.”

At this, Yoongi’s expression changed to one of concern and he hesitated. 

Meeting his gaze, you said his name. “Please.”

“Alright.” Yoongi shifted, keeping his eyes on you. “I promise.”

There was a moment of silence as you mulled the words over in your head. It had been on your mind for a while, something you’d been considering often for the last few months, since you passed what would’ve been your father’s fifty fifth birthday. Not a day had gone by that you didn't miss him, and you’d known since his death that the last place he was called to, wasn’t a timely coincidence. You may have only been 12 at the time of his death, but your father always taught you to be aware of everything, and you’d noticed the tension between him and his friends for months before that night. Even the fact that you hadn’t seen Jimin in years, and the way Jihoon always disregarded your presence – that is before your father limited their visits to your family home. He was trying to protect you from them.

“I want to know who killed my dad.” 

The words felt strange on your tongue – though your dad’s murder wasn’t a secret to you, you didn’t often speak about it so forwardly, especially not to Yoongi. 

Concern returned to the lines in his face, brows furrowing as he shook his head and reached for your hand. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

You moved your hand from the table before he could hold it. “You know.”

He paused, eyes flitting down to where your hand was. Releasing a slow sigh, he closed his eyes. “And I think you already know.”

The anger and frustration you’d been holding on to for years began to surface.“It was them, wasn’t it?”

Yoongi looked up. “Y/N–”

“Lee Han-jae? And Park Jihoon?”

Yoongi gave the smallest of nods, and your fist curled in your lap. 

“Do you know why?”

“Y/N, please, don’t–”

“You promised, Yoongi.”

Meeting your gaze, Yoongi sighed. “Alright, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

“Everything.”

So he did…

Na Doyun was a corrupt prosecutor who worked for the Lee’s, keeping them out of trouble as long as they paid her well enough. It was the perfect deal until some of the DA became suspicious of Doyun’s intentions and motivations, and she panicked, demanding more money, as well as a way for her to launder all the funds she was receiving. 

The Lee’s had no choice but to comply since she had enough dirt on them to put them away for life, (as well as a supposed contingency plan that would expose them should they try anything to harm her), and so Han-jae developed a nightclub under his name and added Doyun as a majority shareholder, as well as a few others under his influence. It became one of the most popular nightclubs in all of Seoul and the perfect place for any illicit activity,

“The one that closed down months ago?” you asked, vaguely remembering. You were sure you'd followed more than a few unsuspecting victims of Yoongi’s from there on one of your errands for him..

“Yes. They have a few all over Seoul but none as big as that one. And you remember Taemin?”

“Lee’s son?”

“Yes.”

You barely saw Lee Taemin growing up. Though he was close in age to Jimin and you, his father had sent him to school in the United States. There were a few occasions where you were there together but unlike Jimin, he barely spared you more than a glance. 

“Closing the club was intentional on their part. Han-jae wanted Taemin to replace it with something much bigger and better.”

“The Benitoite.”

Yoongi nodded. “A clever move on his part. The nightclub was becoming a hot spot and that was risky for them. After years of illegal trading, predatory lending and more, they had to find a way to get rid of any liabilities who used to frequent the club for their own gain, and with the Benitoite, they got the DA off their backs while attracting a whole new world, as well as another way to make their money clean again.” Looking up, Yoongi carried on. “Once that was done, Doyun had nothing left to hold over them.”

“They killed her?”

Another nod.

Your hand tightened around the fob. You couldn’t say you felt bad for the woman, she was corrupt after all and served men doing worse than herself, but it still didn’t make any of this easier to hear.

Yoongi sighed, his hand moving towards yours. “You okay?”

“Fine. Tell me.”

“When that nightclub before the Benitoite first opened, your dad wasn’t opposed to it so he never said anything. But, Jihoon or Han-jae weren’t just abiding by what Doyun wanted, they both saw an opportunity and wanted to run part of the nightclub as a secret brothel for invited guests only, those who would pay enough.”

Yoongi looked up apprehensively, but he saw your expression and continued.

“They knew anyone who knew of them, or had any kind of business with them, feared them, so they used that. If there was anyone who had done them wrong, or owed them money, they offered them a way out.  Hundreds and millions worth of debt in exchange for years of service, and they didn’t care who it was. 

“A mother, father, son, daughter, brother or sister. Any relation to the person who owed them was good enough and as you can imagine, none of the actual offenders offered themselves so it was all innocent family members being taken in. They would kidnap them and coerce them into working there doing whatever it was that needed to be done too. The whole thing was set up as a way for them to earn honest money to pay back whatever was owed.”

You looked up, repulsed. These are the men you once regarded as your uncles, seeing them as your dad’s friends you thought of them as family while growing up. It’s true that as you got older, you started to feel a certain way towards Jihoon because of how cold he was, especially with Jimin, but this was still beyond anything you would’ve expected of them.

“So that’s why they killed my dad?” 

Yoongi shook his head. “Not exactly.” Pausing, he studied your expression for a few seconds before he leaned over the table to grasp your hand. After a gentle squeeze, he let go. “There was a lot happening around that time, I don’t know the details but the way Han-jae and Jihoon saw it, is that your dad became soft. When he first found out about the nightclub he was angry and threatened both of them.”

Your stomach curled.

“They wanted to appease him so they said they would reconsider.”

“But they didn’t.”

“No. And truthfully I don’t think your dad ever believed them anyway.”

It went quiet, the distant humming of car engines along a nearby busy road carried the sound of your thoughts as they ran endlessly. 

Yoongi took another sip of his milk, watching you carefully. “Y/N,” he spoke softly. “I can tell you the rest another time.”

You looked across at home, taking a slow breath. You do feel like you’ve heard enough, but you need to know. “What more is there? They killed him after that, no?”

Traces of a grimace appeared on Yoongi’s face. “Not quite.” He paused, waiting. 

Wordlessly, you nodded for him to continue. 

“Did you know Han-jae was married twice?”

Nodding, you remembered his step-daughter, Jiyoung. She looked after you occasionally, but like Taemin, she wasn’t always there. “Yeah, his first wife passed away but Jiyoung was from her, right?”

“Not exactly, Jiyoung wasn’t Han-jae’s daughter.” 

Now, this was news to you. 

“And her mom wasn’t a huge fan of Han-jae, their marriage was arranged after her first husband died, and she had plenty of reasons to dislike the man and he felt the same, except she always threatened to expose him.” 

The arranged marriage wasn’t a surprise to you, as it was common amongst many of your father’s affluent friends, including your own parents, but you hadn’t known that Han-jae’s first wife despised him. 

“After she died, Jiyoung got older, she looked more like her mother, acted more like her, and Han-jae didn’t like her just as much as she didn’t like him, so…  he saw an opportunity to get rid of her.”

Eyes widening, you asked, “The nightclub?”

Yoongi nodded, looking down. “But your dad saved her.”

Despite the warm evening breeze, you feel your skin go cold.

Yoongi continues. “He knew something was going on and he happened to be there the night she was being taken. He killed the men and took her away to a safe place, out of the country.”

And just like that, it all made sense. “So that’s why they killed him.”

Taking your hand again, Yoongi nodded silently. “It was a means to an end for them,” he murmured. “Han-jae and Jihoon had changed. They weren’t who your dad befriended and their morals and ambitions were far from the same.”

Yoongi’s words were said to comfort you, but they only fueled your anger… your dad’s closest friends, the men who he regarded as brothers, were the ones who killed him.

That conversation felt like a lifetime ago, and as you see Yoongi sitting in front of you now, you understand why he chose not to tell you, but you can’t help but feel a tiny bit betrayed.

“Still could’ve told me,” you mumble, looking away from him.

“Would it have made a difference to anything?” he asks, leaning forward with a playful smile. 

Realising he’s right, you frown indignantly. “Might’ve stopped this,” you say, knowing it’s a weak point.

Yoongi’s expression darkens. Shaking his head slowly, he meets your gaze. “Nothing could’ve stopped this.”

Seojun is the first person that comes to your mind, and you feel your stomach coil. 

Reaching to hold your leg over the covers, Yoongi says your name. “You need to tell me everything you know.”

Nodding, you push the mental image of Seojun out of your mind. “I don’t actually know much,” you start, “Seojun had been coming into the cafe around once a week and would talk to me, just small talk. He must’ve known who I was but I didn’t realise until the last time. He seemed worried about something and kept asking me about grandma, and when she called, he’d left and there was a note on the table.” Looking towards the night stand where your belongings are, you see the note you pocketed then, and the drive is there too. You take them both, handing the note to Yoongi.  “This is what it said.” 

Yoongi takes a few seconds to read the simple words, She’s the only family you have left. You should stay with her. Frowning, Yoongi lowers it to the bed. “He must’ve known, but I don’t know how.” Looking up, he asks, “you never told him anything about your grandma?” 

“No,” you shake your head. “He just knew.” Thinking of this, you suddenly remember all those conversations you had with Seojun… he had a girlfriend. “Yoongi?” You meet his gaze with worried eyes. “He had a girlfriend.”

Yoongi’s expression softens, lips pursing. “Yeona. She knows. She lives here with us, she moved in with Seojun a year ago.”

Nodding your head slowly, you look away. You don’t bother asking how she’s doing, that would be a pointless question – you could tell how much Seojun loved her and from the stories he told you, you’re certain she loved him just as much, she must be heartbroken. The thought of it reminds you of the night your dad passed away… you’d never seen your mom in so much pain. 

As your emotions begin to swirl heavily again, you look up at Yoongi. “Did he not say anything at all about what he’d been doing?”

Yoongi shakes his head. “We knew he was up to something, but Jimin told us to let him be.” Again, Yoongi’s expression looks pained. 

“Why?”

“A few weeks back, Jimin had one of their clubs raided by the police on the same night they were receiving a weapons shipment and there’s since been a good few detectives on their case. Taemin’s uncle got some time in prison for it and even though he’s out, they still wanted to send a message to Jimin, a way to get back at him… so they killed Seojun’s mom.”  

The words wound the knot in your stomach even tighter. “So Seojun wanted to get back at them?”

Nodding, Yoongi shakes his head. “Jimin warned him not to, he promised they’d work it out together and end things for once, but Seojun was angry. Once we figured out he was up to something, Jimin told us to leave him and once Seojun had a plan, we’d join in on it.” Releasing a shaky breath, Yoongi looks down. “We never got to find out what it was, and each week we’d see him less and less. Everyone here knows how to look after themselves, but now I wish we’d taken more care.” 

Seojun was a friend to everyone here, Yoongi included, you realise. You know you ought to comfort him but you don’t think you know how. “I’m sorry, Yoongi,” you murmur. 

He gives a small smile. “Finish telling me what happened.”

Sitting back into the cushions again, you recall the events from that night. “I left work as normal, came home and when I went upstairs, something felt off. So I went back down, and then I saw him in my kitchen, he was bleeding, barely conscious on the floor and I ran over to him. I tried to help him but he kept apologising, and then he gave me this.” Looking down, you hand the drive to Yoongi.

Confused, Yoongi turns it over in his hand. “Did he say what’s on it?”

“No,” you shake your head. “And it’s probably protected too since the Lee’s wanted it as well. But he told me to take it and find Jimin.” At this, Yoongi looks up and meets your gaze. “He kept saying he’d keep me safe and that I should leave him and go.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I couldn’t. He needed help, but it was too late. When I was about to get out, Minjun and some of his men came in. Seojun tried to help me but in the end…” you trail off, looking down. “In the end it was Minjun questioning me, asking me who I am. I lied, of course.” You finish telling Yoongi the rest of what happened, up until when Jimin and his men came in. 

When you’re done, Yoongi is cursing under his breath. “Minjun was a fucking psychopath.”

“Yeah, he seems like it,.” You remember the way he laughed when Jimin was punching him. 

“He has a brother, Kwan, he’s just as crazy, if not worse.”

The thought of it leaves you shuddering. Minjun was ruthless and you can’t imagine how much worse his brother is. You hope you never have to meet him, although luck hasn’t really been on your side recently.

“Hey,” Yoongi says quietly, moving from his seat to the bed. “You okay?”

“Mhm,” you nod. 

He smiles softly. “Your wrist should be better in a few days, but your leg might take two or three weeks to heal well. I got you some crutches in case you wanna use them.” 

“Thanks, I probably won’t use them though.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”

Smiling at him, you push the sheets back to look at your bound leg. “It’s not deep is it?”

Yoongi shakes his head. “You got lucky. Only an inch or so. Ah, also,” he looks up at you apologetically, “you’ll need to stay here for a while until your house gets fixed.” 

“Oh.” You remember how the windows were smashed in as Minjun attacked, and you’re sure there’s more damage to the property that you’re not even aware of. 

“Jimin is making all the arrangements,” Yoongi continues, “but he’s trying to keep things quiet so I don’t know exactly when things will be sorted.”

“He doesn’t have to, I can do it myself.”

“He wants to,” Yoongi responds. “He blames himself for what’s happened, so just let him please.” His words appear to carry more meaning, and you can’t imagine how he must feel after seeing Seojun dead. You still remember the look on his face when he saw the body.

“Why?”

“He blames himself for a lot of things,” Yoongi murmurs with a soft sigh. “This hasn’t helped.”

Even though it’s been years since you were close with Jimin, you still find yourself feeling a familiar twinge in your chest – ever since you’ve known him, Jimin has had to suffer so much hurt, you couldn’t even count on your hand the amount of times you saw him looking so defeated and terrified in front of his father. He seemed to prefer the company of Lee Han-jae over his own father, although you don’t know how much better Han-jae was as a father since his son, Taemin, was in America most of the time to study. All you know is how he treated Jiyoung.

Now, curiosity (or care) gets the better of you, and you ask, “What happened between them? Han-jae and Jihoon?”

Yoongi looks up, grimacing. “It started with money. Han-jae got greedy and wanted the Benitoite to be only his, but Jihoon insisted it belong to them both since the nightclub was half his effort, though he never really cared for the extra money, he just needed the front. Han-jae reluctantly agreed but it was clear he wasn’t happy. 

“And then Jihoon found out that Han-jae planned on going behind his back and he got angry. Han-jae was drunk one night and started threatening Jihoon, which only made him more angry. But before he could do anything, Taemin stepped in and shot him.”

“Taemin?!” you ask, surprised..

Yoongi nods. “He knew of his dad's plan for the Benitoite and he wasn’t fond of Jihoon, so he did what he had to to protect his dad. But Jimin was there.” His expression darkens. “He watched his best friend shoot his dad, who was bleeding out in front of him. I’m so grateful we were with him that day…” He trails off, exhaling as he looks down.

He doesn’t need to say anymore for you to know what he means – Taemin was going to have Jimin killed too. 

Your head lowers too. You don’t allow your thoughts to wonder what would’ve happened if Jimin had been alone, you’re just glad he got out. Though you can’t imagine what he must’ve felt given his relationship with Jihoon.

“Did he get to have a funeral for his dad?”

“Yeah,’ Yoongi answers. “Han-jae had just lost another one of his friends and the blood was on his hands, so he sent the body back to Jimin and tried to make amends, but Jimin wasn’t having it. He was already against everything they were doing and now that his dad had gone and he’d lost Taemin as a friend, he had no reason to keep ties with them.”

Leaning back into the cushions, you mull over everything he’s just said. For years, you stayed away from these families who were such a big part of your life growing up, and now you learn that they’ve fallen apart as well. 

After a moment, Yoongi speaks again. “I was surprised when they brought you in.” You look up at him as he continues. “I thought he might’ve recognised you, but he said nothing.”

“Do you think he does?” you ask, remembering the look on his face when he first saw you. “But he’s just not saying it?”

Yoongi shrugs. “Might be. If he does remember you though, he’ll say something.”

“Are you going to tell them?” you ask, looking at him.

“Only if you want me to.”

After a few quiet seconds, you shake your head. “At least not yet.”

Yoongi nods and it goes quiet again. You close your eyes, leaning against the headboard as you think back on everything that’s happened, and then it comes to you.

“Dani and Siho,” you say, opening your eyes again as a heavy weight settles on your chest. “Did you get them out?”

Solemnly, Yoongi nods. “I sent them back to their families and have offered to make all the necessary arrangements for anything else they need.”

“Thank you,” you murmur. “Let me know what they say, I’ll sort it out for them..”

Yoongi nods again, pursing his lips as this time he reaches forward to take your hand and comfort you. “They knew the risks, Y/N,  better than anyone else.”

“I know,” you sigh. “But it’s different, they were there because of me.”

“Yeah, but they made that choice, they wanted to fight for you,” Yoongi says, shifting on the bed. When you look at him, he winces slightly. “Sorry if this isn’t helping, you know I’m shit at comforting people.”

You smile. “I know.”

“Hey, you’re not any better though,” he says defensively, “you didn’t even hug me properly when my mom passed away.”

“What?” you chuckle. “I tried to, but I know you don’t like hugs.”

Yoongi shrugs. “Not normally, but then I would've liked it.”

“Oh…” Now you feel bad. “Really?”

He nods, only looking up at you when you fail to respond. Seeing your face, he smiles. “It’s okay though, I got lots of hugs from the guys here.”

Scoffing, you absentmindedly pull the covers over your legs again, feeling cold from the aircon. “Yeah, you’re telling me Park Jimin was giving out hugs?” It comes out sarcastically and without much thought.

“Yes, actually,” Yoongi answers simply. 

Pausing, you realise what you said and his response. You don’t know why you feel surprised when the Jimin you knew was nothing but caring and considerate towards others, oftentimes more than he was towards himself. 

As though he can read your mind, Yoongi smiles. “Surprised?”

“Kind of.”

“You knew him though,” he says, as though that makes it so obvious.

“Knew,” you repeat. “I didn’t expect him to still be the same.”

Yoongi hums in agreement. “I wouldn’t say he’s changed, but I wouldn't exactly say he’s the same either…” looking up, he smiles again. “I guess you’ll get to see for yourself now.”

“I guess so,” you say, reaching for an apple from the bowl beside you. Seeing Jimin again has been weird, but you can’t ignore the part of you that is ready to welcome a part of your old life back, someone familiar, someone you liked very much. Like Yoongi said though, you’ll get to see for yourself if he’s anything like you remember him. Although you were both younger then, you don’t think he would’ve changed much from what Yoongi has told you so far.

“D’you want something a bit more filling than that?” Yoongi asks, nodding to the apple you’ve just bitten into. “Dinner is just about to be served so you can come down to eat or I can bring it up for you?”

“Oh, yeah, actually,” you answer, hearing your stomach growl after receiving a tiny morsel of food. “I am quite hungry, so I think I'll come down.”

“Sure,” Yoongi chuckles, “you must be hungry, you’ve been sleeping for almost three days.”

You look up at him with wide eyes. “Three days?!” When he nods, you immediately reach for your phone. “I need to call Moni, she’s probably wo–”

“I already have,” Yoongi says, interrupting you quietly.

Fingers freezing over her name, you look up at Yoongi. “What?”

“I already called her.”

A frown settles on your face. “What did you say?”

Yoongi has always been aware of your wish to keep everything hidden from your grandma, so he hesitates now, knowing this would be your response when he told you he called her. “Everything, but Y/N, she needed to know.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make.”

“I know,” Yoongi sighs. “Sorry.”

For a moment, it goes quiet and you lower your phone to the covers. Yoongi is right, she did need to know about this, and it’s not like she’s a stranger to this kind of stuff. Besides, what happened wasn’t related to any of the stuff you’ve been doing for Yoongi, which is what you always wanted to keep from her, and what’s happening now does seem to involve you, and therefore her.

“Sorry,” you say. “You’re right, I just didn’t…” you sigh, trailing off as you think about how worried she must be. Your grandma is a strong woman and you’re everything to her, just as she has been yours. 

“I know,” Yoongi says, understanding what you mean without you saying it; he knows your grandma well enough too.

“What did she say?” 

“First, she just wanted to know if you were safe,” Yoongi answers. “After that, she didn’t say much except that she’ll come as soon as she can.”

You nod. Knowing she’s coming brings a smile to your face, you’ve missed her a lot. Before you can respond, your stomach growls again. 

“Come on,” Yoongi says smiling, getting up and pushing the covers back, “let’s get you some food.”

“You still remember it?” Yoongi asks, a tone of surprise in his voice.

Taking another step, you shrug. “I wasn’t that little when I was last here, I must’ve been, what, eleven? Twelve?” 

“Hm, Yoongi hums. “Still impressive.” He keeps a hand hovering around you should you need him, but you’re doing just fine, walking slowly down the hall you recognise as being the third floor.

The Park Estate isn’t much different from what you remember. The estate sprawled across acres, is a masterfully designed blend of elegance and practicality. The entrance opens to a grand foyer, splitting into two distinct wings. The East Wing houses the biggest office which used to belong to Jihoon, and now you assume it would be Jimin’s. It’s flanked by a suite of offices, all of which are bathed in polished woods and leather tones, belonging to his closest men. The West Wing, larger and more personal, feels more like a home. It rises three floors (taking the space above the East Wing) to accommodate the family’s quarter’s on the top most floor, a lounge and other rooms on the second, and downstairs is a dining room, a sleek kitchen caters to formal gatherings and another lounge. 

Yoongi points out his room as you pass it, as well as naming some of the other guys whose names you try to pay attention to as you ignore the mild pain that spreads through your leg. 

As you approach the stairwell, you notice another dimly lit corridor leading off the main hallway. You can’t see anything down the corridor as you pass, only a wall with light coming from the left and you assume it continues on. 

“Jimin’s room is down there,” he says, answering your unspoken question.

“Ah,” you nod, carrying on. It makes sense for his room to be separate from the rest.

The second floor has a few extra guest bedrooms which are rarely used, and a private lounge which is different to what you remember, with a huge balcony that overlooks the gardens and the furniture has changed from mostly dark colours to a much warmer colour palette.

Downstairs, the split between the East Wing, and the West Wing is much more noticeable. The entrance to the West Wing from the grand foyer is always guarded and behind is a much more private hallway with more guards at the end for extra security, and the only way to go upstairs is from the two staircases within the West Wing. The staircase you’re approaching now takes you downstairs where the kitchen is. 

As you approach the stairwell, you freeze, your eyes landing on a painting hung up on the wall at the far end of the hall. Yoongi says your name as you begin to walk towards it, but you don’t respond as an old memory suddenly returns to your mind, from the night your father was murdered.

“Lightning…  is it a storm?” you asked, standing next to your dad in front of the easel. 

“Yes,” he said, ruffling your hair with his elbow as his hands were smudged with paint. 

“What does it mean?”

“Sometimes it can mean power,” he answered, turning back to the canvas in front of him. “But sometimes it can also mean punishment.”

You looked up, frowning.

He smiled. “Sometimes, too much power isn’t a good thing. If you’re not a good person, then it can be dangerous.”

“Oh…” You looked back at the canvas, admiring the deep shades of blue and black and grey he’d used to paint the night sky.  In the centre, a spear of light struck the violent waves of the sea below. “Who is it for?” you asked.

Your dad’s smile disappeared as he looked back at the canvas. “An old friend.”

The painting is just as vivid as you remember, and seeing it now brings tears to your eyes as you feel a bout of nostalgia. 

“My dad painted this,” you say quietly as Yoongi joins you in front of the huge canvas. 

He doesn’t say anything, but instead looks up at the painting, admiring it in its entirety as though he’s never seen it before. “It’s beautiful.”

Nodding, you blink a few times to get rid of the stinging sensation in your eyes.. You realise now that Park Jihoon was the old friend your dad mentioned; realising he called him an ‘old friend’, you know your father must’ve known in those months leading up to his death that he couldn’t trust Han-jae and Jihoon.

Just then, Yoongi’s phone vibrates in his pocket. Reading a text, he quickly excuses himself. “Come down if you can, or I’ll ask someone to come up,” he calls out as he’s already walking off towards the stairwell.

“Okay,” you answer absentmindedly, still looking at the painting.

It’s not often you allow yourself to dwell on the past, but it’s also not often that you find yourself face to face with things that remind you so much of the past. There’s a reason your grandma decided to leave Seoul all those years ago and it’s a decision you agreed with. Even when you moved back to Seoul, you knew you couldn’t return to your old home, not when all you had there was fond memories of a life that was so unfamiliar to you now. But now, standing in front of your father’s own hand painted work, a flood of memories return and you find it harder to fight the lump that settles stubbornly in your throat.

You don’t realise you’re standing there for long until you hear someone approaching behind you. Turning around, you recognise the man approaching you as one of the ones who were with Jimin that night at your home. He smiles as he comes to a stop beside you.

“Admiring the art?” he asks. 

“Mhm,” you hum, still watching his face – you didn’t realise then but now you see just how handsome he is, you feel like you can’t stop staring. 

He chuckles, glancing at the painting. “You know I was talking about the painting, not me?”

Shaking out of your daze, you smile. “Yes, sorry. I just recognised you from the other night.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry we had to meet in such a way,” he nods, still smiling. “I’m Seokjin, but call me Jin.” He extends his hand which you shake.

“Y/N, and it’s okay, not your fault.”

“How’s the wrist?” he asks, pointing to your wrist.

“Oh, it’s okay,” you answer, lifting your arm for him to see. You can still move your fingers fine, just the occasional stretch or twist of your wrist hurts. 

“Good. And the leg?”

“It’s mostly fine,” you nod.

He smiles again. “That’s good. Your wrist will heal fast, the leg might take a few weeks but it’s looking good so far. I didn’t expect you to be up so soon though,” he adds, raising a brow as though impressed.

You shrug.

 “I take it this isn’t your first time getting hurt like this?” Seokjin says casually.

 “What makes you think that?”

“You didn’t flinch that night, when we all aimed our guns at you. And the way you handled your own gun…” he shakes his head, smiling. “It definitely wasn’t your first time, and no normal person would point their gun at a mafioso at that.”

Chuckling, you turn back towards the painting again.  “I guess I like getting shot at.”

“Just like everyone else here,” he laughs. “Well, you must be hungry, Yoongi asked me to walk down with you.”

“Sure,” you nod, turning away from the painting. You can return to it later. “So what about you?” you ask Seokjin as you approach the stairwell. 

He watches carefully as you descend the first few steps. “What about me?” 

“This definitely isn’t your first time stitching someone up,” you remark. 

“Ah,” he nods. “Definitely not.”

You have to pause, reaching out for the banister to continue on. “So you’re a doctor?” 

He snorts, stepping along beside you. “No, but I should be. I’ve done this kind of stuff enough times.”

Smiling, you know his statement is true enough. Injuries like yours must be a regular occurrence in the Park household. Stepping onto the landing, you take a breather and sit on the bottom step for a moment before you continue on. At the same time, you hear hurried footsteps running towards you and Seokjin. 

“Jin hyung!” A bubbly voice sounds from down the corridor. You look towards the source and see two men who you recognise from that night – the man bun guy and the slender brown haired one behind him. They can’t see you sitting on the bottom step but as they get closer, Jin nods in your direction, turning their attention to you. 

They both smile warmly when they see you, bowing their heads. 

“Oh, miss L/N,” the first one comes forward, extending a hand. “I’m Jungkook, nice to meet you.” He has an adorable bunny smile and you can’t help but return it with one of your own. 

“Nice to meet you Jungkook,” you reply, shaking his hand. “And you can call me Y/N.”

“Y/N, got it,” he nods, taking a step back so his other friend can greet you properly. 

“Hi, Y/N,  I’m Hoseok, Hobi for short,” he grins, shaking your hand. 

“Hey.” You return his handshake, feeling slightly taken aback by how relaxed these guys are compared to their stoic looks from when you first saw them. Jungkook looks like a bunny rabbit in human form, and Hoseok beams like a ray of sunshine. 

“How are you feeling?” Hoseok asks, motioning towards your leg. 

“Um, it’s okay,” you smile. “I can still walk at least.”

He smiles with you, helping you as you start to get up. “Will you be joining us for dinner?”

You hum in response, allowing Seokjin to continue walking beside you as Jungkook walks ahead, leading you to the extensive lounge. 

Distractedly, you look around the familiar room. The coffee table you’re sitting at is still the same as it was when you used to have extra helpings of dessert with Jimin, secretly given to you by the housemaid who had a soft spot for Jimin. Being here reminds you so much of your father too, and knowing how much of a huge part of his life this family was makes you miss him dearly. 

Before any of the guys notice you’re not tuned into the conversation, you return your attention to what they’re saying. It hasn’t escaped you that none of them have said anything about your identity, and you reckon it must be because Jimin hasn’t recognised you – if he did, surely he would’ve told these guys since they were there too. You’re not sure if they know anything at all about you – perhaps you should’ve asked Yoongi about that before you came down. 

Whether they know anything or not though, they keep the conversation away from anything that would involve you from sharing too much, and you realise now, how their warm smiles and easy conversation is a stark contrast to the tense memory you have of first meeting them the other day. However, there’s some missing.

“Are there more of you?” 

Jin, in the middle of swallowing a big sip of water, nods and hums. 

Hoseok answers for him. “There’s Yoongi, who you saw already, and Taehyung, Namjoon and Jimin.”

“They were there the other day,” Jungkook says, his tone dimming slightly. 

“Namjoon and Taehyung will be joining us,” Jin adds, ignoring the last comment and keeping up his chipper attitude. “We always eat together whenever we can and they’re about somewhere.” 

It doesn’t escape you that he didn’t mention Jimin’s name though.

“Taehyung is probably in the wine cellar,” Hoseok says.

“Ah, yes, Taehyung loves to pick out the wine for dinner.”

Jungkook snorts. “He thinks he’s a sommelier.”

You smile. “Well, does he make a good choice?”

“I can never tell,” Jungkook shrugs.

Hoseok jerks a thumb in his direction. “He’s not matured enough.”

“Hey!” Jungkook starts, but is interrupted by Jin, glancing toward the doorway.

“Ah, speak of the devil!” 

You look up and see two more men entering. One has dark curls and sharp features, his posture relaxed but his gaze calculating as it sweeps over the room. The other one has dark grey hair and broad shoulders, wearing glasses that give him a sophisticated air. You recognise both of them from the other day.

“Yoongi said you’d come down,” the man with dark curls remarks as he approaches. His tone is calm, and a slight smile plays on his lips. “I’m Taehyung. Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

“Hi, Taehyung,” you reply, shaking his hand. His grip is firm but not overbearing. He’s undeniably striking, and there’s something about his presence that feels both inviting and enigmatic.

The broad man steps closer, adjusting his glasses as he nods at you. “I’m Namjoon. I handle most of the boring work around here.” His smile is disarming, and his voice carries a hint of dry humour. “Finances, logistics, making sure this place doesn’t fall apart.”

“Nice to meet you, Namjoon,” you say, shaking his hand. His words make you curious about just how much he handles behind the scenes.

Namjoon takes a seat in the armchair across from you and sinks into it comfortably. “How are you? I imagine this isn’t how you thought your day would go.”

You smile wryly, keeping your responses guarded. “Not exactly, no.”

Taehyung sits down next to Jungkook and returns his attention to you immediately. “Yeah, you put up quite the fight. Most people would’ve frozen in your position.”

“Not the first time I’ve had to defend myself,” you reply simply, not offering much else.

There’s a beat of silence as they all exchange glances, clearly intrigued but not pressing further. You appreciate the lack of prying.

“So,” Hoseok pipes up with an ever-cheerful tone. “Yoongi mentioned you might like spicy food. We had the chef prepare something special just in case.”

“Spicy works for me,” you say, grateful for the change in subject.

Jungkook claps his hands together. “Great! That makes two of us. The food here is amazing – you’ll love it.”

As the conversation shifts to lighter topics, you glance around the room again. The faces around the table are new, but the setting is steeped in nostalgia. Flashes of your childhood in this house flit through your mind – running down these halls, playing games late into the night, and the quiet presence of your father when he was here.

You force yourself to focus, tuning back into the conversation just as Seokjin asks, “So, Y/N, what’s your impression of the estate so far?”

“It’s... different,” you reply honestly, but keep your tone light. “Bigger than I remember.”

Seokjin tilts his head. “You’ve been here before?”

You curse yourself for slipping up but recover quickly. “Not this one exactly. Just a similar setup.”

Namjoon raises a brow but doesn’t say anything else, and you’re thankful for the reprieve.

The door from the far end of the room opens, and an older woman with an apron tied around her waist steps in, carrying a pitcher of water. Her hair is neatly pinned back, and her face is composed but kind. You immediately recognize her – Ara, one of the housemaids from your childhood.

Your eyes meet for a brief moment, and something flickers in her expression. She knows who you are. You’re certain of it. But to your surprise, she doesn’t say a word. Instead, she places the pitcher on the coffee table and begins pouring water into the glasses.

“Thanks, Ara,” Jungkook says warmly, and she nods with a small smile.

When she reaches you, she hesitates ever so slightly before pouring the water, her gaze lingering on you. You hold her gaze for a beat, searching her face for any sign that she might say something, but she doesn’t. Instead, she finishes and steps back, her expression carefully neutral.

“If you need anything, let me know,” Ara says softly, glancing at the rest of the table before leaving the room.

Namjoon watches her leave, then turns back to you with a faint smile. “She’s been here for a long time. Reliable, like everyone else here.”

You nod, trying to mask the unease and nostalgia that her presence has stirred up.

On the opposite side of the room, Yoongi comes in from the corridor you came through. With a smile at you, he then nods at everyone. “Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat before Jungkook inhales the entire table.”

Jungkook laughs, not bothering to deny the accusation. Everyone rises from their seats, and Yoongi gestures for you to follow them to the adjoining dining room.

"Taeheyung, did you choose a bottle for dinner then?" Hoseok asks.

"Of course. It’s spicy food so I brought up a Riesling."

"Nice one," Yoongi murmurs in approval.

"I want a beer," Jungkook says, with no regards to Taehyung's expression.

"More for us then."

As you walk, Namjoon falls into step beside you. “You’ll find this place can be both a refuge and a maze,” he says softly. “It’s easy to get lost, but it has its charms.”

You glance at him, wondering if there’s a deeper meaning to his words. “I’ll try not to get lost, then.”

He smiles faintly. “If you do, just call out. Someone will find you.”

Returning the smile, you find that any uneasiness you'd been feeling, begins to dissipate. It’s clear these men, while different in personality, share a bond that goes beyond mere loyalty to Jimin. You can see why they’ve been by his side for so long – they feel like a family in their own right.

Once everyone is seated at the table, conversation flows more freely and the atmosphere is surprisingly warm. Jin sits at one end of the table, serving himself a generous helping of the roasted chicken and rice dish.

“Jin-hyung, don’t hog all the drumsticks,” Jungkook whines as he watches Jin’s plate pile up.

“Then grab faster,” Jin quips with a smirk, not slowing his pace.

Taehyung leans back with an amused grin, observing the chaos. “I’m telling you, Jungkook, he does this every time. You should know better by now.”

“Should I?” Jungkook huffs dramatically. “Maybe next time I’ll just take the whole plate first.”

“Do it, and I’ll poison your portion,” Jin deadpans, but with a twinkle in his eye.

Hoseok chuckles as he passes you the salad bowl. “Don’t worry, Y/N. They act like this every meal. You get used to it.”

You smile faintly, watching them banter. It’s strange to see these men, who just days ago were all sharp glares and deadly precision, behaving like siblings teasing each other.

“Y/N,” Taehyung’s deep voice pulls you out of your thoughts. “Do you always eat so quietly? Or are you just plotting something?”

You blink at him, caught off guard. His face is serious, but his lips twitch with suppressed amusement.

“Maybe I’m just afraid to get between Jin and his drumsticks,” you reply lightly.

Laughter ripples around the table, and Taehyung raises his glass in salute. “Smart answer.”

Jungkook grins at you between bites of food. “Yeah, but next time, you should at least try to grab a piece before Jin wipes out the whole plate.”

“I heard that,” Jin retorts, mock-offended. “I’m ensuring quality control.”

“You’re ensuring there’s nothing left for the rest of us,” Hoseok counters, sipping his water.

As the banter continues, you allow yourself to relax a little. It’s a stark contrast to what you expected when you first woke up in the Park estate. 

“By the way, hyung,” Namjoon says, turning to Jin. “Have you checked the medical inventory reports? They were due yesterday.”

“Oh, are we doing shop talk at the table now?” Jin sighs dramatically. “Can’t a guy just eat in peace?”

“It’s your own fault for procrastinating,” Namjoon replies smoothly, adjusting his glasses.

“Don’t drag me into your world of schedules,” Jin retorts. “I’m a free spirit.”

“You’re just lazy,” Jungkook interjects, earning a flick of a bread roll from Jin.

“Enough guys,” Hoseok says, raising his hands in mock exasperation.

Namjoon’s phone buzzes on the table, followed immediately by Hoseok’s. They both glance at their screens, and their smiles fade slightly. Exchanging a look, they nod in unison before standing up.

“Sorry, something’s come up,” Namjoon says, sliding his phone into his pocket. “We’ll catch up later.”

“Don’t eat all the dessert without us,” Hoseok adds with a wink as they head out.

“Like we’d wait for you,” Jin calls after them before turning his attention back to the table.

“Do they always leave like that?” you ask, genuinely curious.

“Pretty much,” Taehyung replies, leaning back in his chair. “They’ve got the busiest jobs out of all of us. It’s a miracle they even sit down for meals sometimes.”

“Or they just like to be mysterious,” Jin adds, rolling his eyes. “Half the time, it’s probably nothing.”

You smile, but you feel the weight behind it all. These men might act carefree, but there’s no denying the underlying layers to their lives.

After a while, another two housemaids quietly enter to clear some of the empty dishes.

“You okay?” Taehyung asks, drawing your attention back to the table. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

You nod, brushing it off. “Just tired, I guess.”

“Understandable,” Jin says, rising from his seat. “You should rest. Recovering from an injury takes time.”

The others murmur in agreement as they begin to disperse, leaving you with a mix of gratitude and uncertainty. The warmth of their camaraderie is undeniable, but beneath it all, you can’t shake the feeling of what’s happened, and what is undoubtedly yet to come. 

Only Yoongi remains at the table. He sits across from you and smiles. “It’s bringing back memories, huh?” He asks, seeing right through you. 

“Yep.” You look around. “Loads. I don’t know how this might sound, but it feels like I missed it.” You look across at Yoongi, expecting to see a puzzled expression but he just smiles.

“I think it’s normal. You were young when you came here and I don’t think you have many bad memories associated with the place. Only good ones, right?”

He’s right. Back then, coming here usually meant evenings filled with laughter, hiding in closets with Jimin, and Jiyoung’s occasional teasing if she was here. Your dad was still alive, and this house, in a strange way, felt like an extension of home. Now, it’s like walking through a memory you can’t decide if you’re grateful for or aching to forget.

You smile softly at Yoongi and nod, letting the silence stretch as you stand. He doesn’t press you further, only watching as you cross the room to the wide, cushioned window seat at the far end. The large pane of glass offered a view of the front of the house. Settling into the seat, you lean against the frame, your gaze drifting outward.

Outside, the estate is alive with movement. Men are stationed around the house, their presence a constant reminder of the life you’re now steeped in. From the East Wing, you spot four men climbing into a sleek black Escalade. Then your attention shifts to the house’s front steps, where Namjoon and Hoseok emerge, walking with purpose.

Behind them, another figure appears and you recognise him instantly. 

Jimin, dressed sharply from head to toe, walks across the front drive. He pauses briefly in front of his Porsche, glancing back toward Hoseok, who says something you couldn’t hear. A moment later, Hoseok and Jin climb into the car, and Jimin gets into the driver’s seat. The engine roars softly to life, and within moments, his Porsche is gliding down the private lane, the Escalade following closely behind.

Your gaze lingers on the lane until the cars disappear into the distance. Though you can’t see the estate’s gate from here, you can picture it clearly in your mind – a familiar marker from years ago.

“Where are they going?” you ask without turning, your voice quiet but curious.

“Something’s wrong with one of the shipments we received from the Takahashis. They’ve been a bit of a pain these past few months. Jimin reckons they’re now involved with the Lees and are trying to keep us distracted.”

You hum in response, saying nothing more, but your eyes stay fixed on the far-off trees that bordered the estate. Centred in front of the west wing, a fountain catches your attention, its centrepiece intricate and elegant. It reminds you of the one in Jimin’s mother’s garden and absently, you wonder if that fountain was still there.

As you shift, a sharp pang shoots through your leg, where the knife wound throbs dully. Your wrist isn’t much better, but the pain in your leg is what makes you wince audibly.

Yoongi notices immediately, his gaze darting toward you. “I think you’re due for your meds again.”

You exhale softly, nodding. “Yeah, I think so.”

“You wanna stay here or go back up?”

You push yourself to stand, biting back a groan as the strain makes your voice tight. “Mm, I know I slept for days, but I’m actually still exhausted.”

Yoongi chuckles, rising to help steady you. “That’s to be expected. Don’t worry.” He gestures toward the far end of the room. “We’ll go up, but this time we’re taking the lift.”

You can’t help but smile faintly at his consideration. “Appreciate that,” you murmur as he slides a steadying arm under yours.

The dim light of the ensuite glows behind you as you step into the bedroom, a towel draped over your head. You had just woken up after another long nap, your internal clock utterly thrown off by the days of rest. It's late now, just past midnight and the night is quiet, broken only by the faint rustle of fabric and the soft padding of your feet on the carpet.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you absentmindedly rub the towel through your damp hair.

Your gaze drifts to the shelves by the dresser table, now stocked with an array of skin and hair care products. A small smile tugs at your lips as you stand to examine them, fingers lightly trailing over the meticulously arranged items. Appreciatively, you sit and carry out a full skin and hair care routine – after three days without it, you definitely need it. You wonder if it was Ara who must have put them here. You're certain she recognised you at dinner and when you think about it now, you think it would be nice to speak with someone familiar.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the buzz of your phone on the bed. Turning, you see the screen light up with an incoming FaceTime call. The name on the screen sends a swell of emotion through you.

“Moni?” you answer, settling back on the bed as your grandmother’s face appeared.

The sight of her brings a pang of guilt and relief all at once. Her tired eyes search your face and you can tell she must have been worrying nonstop. “Y/N,” she says softly, her voice warm. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” you reassure her quickly, though your heart aches knowing she must have been so anxious. “Really.”

She gives you a sharp look, the kind only she can manage, and her tone turns brisk. “Good. Stay safe there, you hear me? We're figuring out what's going on and Yoongi will tell you more when he can."

You nod, knowing better than to argue. Her expression softened just a little as she continued. “Tell me about Jimin.”

“He hasn’t said anything.”

“About recognizing you?” she asks, her brow lifting slightly.

You nod. “Nothing.”

She sighs, a mixture of fondness and exasperation crossing her features. “I don’t imagine he would. But I have no doubt he does. You haven’t changed much. He, however... he’s different.”

Her words hang in the air, and you find yourself looking up, your thoughts turning to Jimin.

“Life hasn’t been kind to him,” she continues, her voice tinged with melancholy. “When I last saw him, I didn’t see the same little boy I knew.”

A bittersweet smile crosses your lips. “Life hasn’t been kind to any of us.”

Your grandmother purses her lips, acknowledging the truth of your words. “Do you remember his father?”

“Of course I do,” you say without hesitation. “It’s hard to forget a man as cold as him.”

“And Mr. Lee?” she asks, her tone cautious.

You nod, already anticipating where this was headed. “I know, Moni,” you say quietly, cutting her off.

She looks up at you, her expression briefly surprised, but it fades just as quickly. "Of course, I should have expected you would piece it together."

“I know it was them,” you say, the words tasting bitter on your tongue. “They did it. They killed Dad.”

She lets out a slow breath, her gaze steady on yours. “They were his best friends,” she says softly. “And then, all of a sudden…” She trails off.

You nod. You can only imagine that the sting of betrayal is still fresh even after all these years. Your grandmother's gaze remains on you, sharp and searching. “You’re there now, though… so, do you trust Jimin?”

You pause, memories of the night at your house flashing through your mind -- seeing Jimin in your kitchen with your gun aimed at him and he didn't retaliate in the slightest.

“I didn’t, at first,” you admit. “But I think I do. Besides, I trust Yoongi, and Yoongi trusts him."

She exhales slowly, relief evident on her face and a small smilw touches her lips. “You’re safe there, Y/N.”

You tilt your head slightly, meeting her gaze. “You trust Jimin?”

“I do,” she says without hesitation. “I trust him with you, and you’re my everything.”

The words wrap around your heart, and you wish you could reach through the screen to hug her. Instead, you nod and smile.

“You need to rest,” she instructs, her tone turning firm again. “I’ll call you later. Baek-hyun and I might come to see you. I think he wanted to see Yoongi too.”

Your lips quirk up at the thought. “That would be nice.”

"Good," she nods, and you eventually exchange goodbyes.

As the screen goes dark, you set the phone down, feeling a renewed sense of comfort. The thought of her visiting makes you smile softly as you sit in the quiet of the room.

Still restless though, you wander to the window, gazing out at the sprawling grounds bathed in the moonlight. You spot three men stationed at the back of the house, conversing together as they keep watch. The gardens stretch endlessly, just as you remembered. You can’t see the part of the grounds where Jimin’s mother’s garden would have been as it's hidden beyond the trees, but it would be nice to visit it tomorrow when the light returned.

As you shift, you feel your leg still aches, but it's different this time, more like the dull stiffness of inactivity than pain. Restless energy courses through you, and you decide a walk would do you good. The house is big enough and you need to keep your legs moving.

Stepping out of your room, you close the door quietly behind yourself and hear the faint hum of distant voices and sounds that tells you that not everyone is asleep yet.

As you move through the corridors, memories of Jimin filtered into your mind -- moments you hadn’t thought of in years now rising to the surface with startling clarity and they give you a strange sense of familiarity.

Eventually, your wandering brings you to your dad's painting again. You stop in front of it, the vivid strokes of lightning and sea send a wave of nostalgia over you, gratitude mingling with sadness. You remember you have a few of your father's paintings hanging up at home too and you make a mental note to ensure they're safely retrieved.

“Can’t you sleep, little bear?”

The voice, familiar and gentle, pulls you from your reverie. You turn to see Jimin standing a few feet away.

Dressed casually now, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top and his sleeves rolled up, he looks markedly different from the composed figure you saw earlier.

There’s a softness to him now, something that reminds you of the boy you once knew. His smile, small and tentative, feels as though it might disappear if the silence breaks too loudly.

You smile back, and the corners of his lips lift a little more.

Realising what he just said, his words stop you short – it’s the name of the book you gave to him the first time you met him, so many years ago.

Jimin steps closer, the lamp’s dim light casting soft shadows on his features.

As he nears, the subtle scent of his cologne reaches you – a delicate blend of cedarwood and something faintly sweet, familiar yet grounding. It lingers in the air between you, quietly drawing your attention to his presence.

Despite the weariness evident in his eyes, there’s a steadiness about him, a calmness that feels both reassuring and disarming.

“Y/N,” he says, your name leaving his lips quietly, as though testing how it feels after all these years. “Did you think I wouldn’t recognise you?”

“I wasn’t counting on it,” you admit, your voice soft. “I’m surprised you remember the book.”

Jimin’s smile grows, faint but genuine. “How could I not? I never got to thank you for it properly.”

“Thank me?” you ask, tilting your head slightly.

He nods, shifting as if the memory is a tender one. “It was a comfort to me for a long time. I wasn’t allowed picture books of my own, so… thank you.”

You remember then how he once told you about his father’s strict rules. A cold man, his father likely saw no value in picture books – if they didn’t teach something useful, they weren’t worth having.

“You’re welcome,” you say softly.

Jimin’s gaze lingers on your face, and you feel a warmth creeping into your cheeks. Turning back to the painting, you focus on the familiar strokes of your father’s work.

“He was talented,” Jimin says quietly, standing beside you.

You smile faintly. “He was.”

After a moment, he adds, “I can have it moved to your room, if you like.”

You shake your head. “No, no. It’s okay. This is where it belongs.”

Jimin laughs softly, the sound low and soothing. “It’s actually covering up a stain we couldn’t remove. You might remember it since it was you who put it there.”

“Me?” you ask, eyebrows rising in surprise as you look at him.

He nods, a playful glint in his eyes. “Yep. One of the nights our fathers were away, and you had to stay over. Jiyoung was babysitting us, and we were painting. When it was time for bed, you didn’t want to sleep, so you ran away from her – with all the paints.”

As he speaks, the memory surfaces, vivid and sheepishly embarrassing. “Oh gosh, I remember. I tripped, and the paint went everywhere.”

Jimin smiles wider now, clearly suppressing a laugh. “We tried to paint over it a few times, but the colours were too bright. Eventually, my dad decided to put this up.”

You shake your head, laughing softly, though you still feel a twinge of embarrassment. “I can’t believe that’s still here.”

Jimin’s smile lingers, and the space between you feels quieter, weighted by an unspoken familiarity. His eyes flicker back to the painting, then to you. “It’s been a long time since then,” he says, his voice gentle, almost reflective.

You glance at him, catching the subtle shift in his tone, something deeper beneath the surface. “Yes,” you reply, turning your gaze back to the painting. “Though being here again… it almost feels like no time at all.”

Jimin studies you for a moment, his expression softening. “I imagine it feels different,” he says, “without your father?”

“Exactly,” you answer, the memory stirring a pang of longing. “It felt safe wherever he was.”

“And now?” His question is soft, careful, as though he’s weighing each word before speaking.

You hesitate before answering, meeting his gaze. “I want to say yes,” you admit honestly, “but experience tells me not to feel safe anywhere.”

Jimin nods, his expression contemplative, and something about his calm presence makes your honesty feel less vulnerable. “You’ve learned not to trust anyone,” he says, his voice carrying a quiet understanding.

You look at him, searching his face, but his steady gaze gives nothing away except an openness that feels disarming.

“You’re right to think that,” he continues, his tone neither judgmental nor apologetic, as if he understands the walls you’ve built all too well.

The words sit between you for a moment before you ask, carefully, “Can I trust you?”

His eyes meet yours, and for a moment, silence fills the space between you.

“Yes,” he says, his voice quiet but certain. “But you’ll make that decision on your own.”

You nod slowly, his answer settling something inside you. There’s no urgency in his response, just a quiet assurance that feels like a small but solid anchor. It’s not a promise – it’s an invitation.

“Until then,” he continues, his voice softening, “please, make yourself at home. You’re safe here.”

Jimin doesn’t say anything else, but you catch the way he watches you, something unspoken but soft in his expression. You feel it yourself too – after so many years there is so much to say, to ask, but for now you take the peaceful quiet for what it is.

His presence feels closer now and you find yourself smiling faintly, glancing back at the painting.

It occurs to you now, how strange it is, that this time, there is something familiar that Jimin’s presence stirs in you – a reminder of what it feels like to trust, even if only a little.

note. thank you all so much for reading! please don’t be a silent reader :’) this fic takes me forever to write and I’d love for you to share your thoughts w me -- i really wanna know what you guys think! and rb toooo <3333

[astraystayyh]

nights with hyunjin <3

little fluffy hyunjin fic inspired by the fact he sends good night msgs on bubble at the latest hours. lowercase intended.

2 am

"where do you see yourself in twenty years?" you whisper, buried under the thick white covers with Hyunjin. You can't see his face, but your nose brushes against his and his warm hand is on your back, keeping you close.

"where will you be in twenty years?" he replies instantly and you feel your cheeks heat up at his words.

"hyune, just answer the question," you whine after a few silent beats and he giggles slightly, "i am. doesn't matter where I'll be, as long as you're there."

you draw in a deep breath, suddenly feeling as if his words were keeping you at his mercy, completely unarmed. "you mean it?" you ask, grabbing onto his arm tightly.

"i do," he reassures, bopping his nose softly against yours, "you are my present and future, angel."

3 am

"what are you drawing?" you ask as you enter hyunjin's art studio, two cups of chamomile tea in your hands. you place them down and stand behind hyunjin, who leans his back onto your chest, melting into your touch. you wrap your arms around his shoulders in response, softly kissing the top of his hair. he smells like your shampoo.

"a house," he replies. his left hand wraps around your thigh, grazing up and down the exposed skin. "our house, i hope," he adds quietly and you feel your heart skip a beat.

"ours?"

"mm. wanna buy you a house. with a little garden and a view of the beach."

"i'll plant lots and lots of flowers for us there." you smile, admiring the pastel colors blending seamlessly in his painting.

"just make sure they won't die," he teases and you fake a gasp, "are you underestimating my gardening capabilities?"

hyunjin blindly grabs your arm, spinning you around so you'd sit on his lap.

"nonsense, you are my little florist," he grins cheekily and you touch his cheeks softly.

"these are cute," you tell him, referencing to his now apparent dimples. little pools for you to drown in.

"you are cuter."

"I'm still not over your flowers comment."

"I will kiss you for every flower you plant."

"that's a lot of kisses."

"i know," he smiles at you, his eyes turning into moon crescents. yours.

5 am

"can't believe she still likes him," hyunjin huffs loudly and you laugh, your hand softly threading through his hair.

"it's just a show baby."

"i know but listen," he stands up from between your legs, eyes wide looking into yours, "he just told her he doesn't find her beautiful. who says that to their lover?"

"he's stupid, she's clearly out of his league and he's threatened by that."

"right!" he claps in agreement, "she deserves better."

"she does," you giggle as he lays down again, face now buried in your chest.

"you do know i find you the most beautiful person in the world?" he whispers and your eyes soften at him.

"you tell me."

"but do you know it?"

"i do."

"good, because if you didn't then I'm a horrible boyfriend too," he shudders and you giggle at the horrified look on his face.

"you aren't, my love."

later on that night, while you are brushing your teeth, hyunjin pops his head into the bathroom. "baby," he calls out and you hum in reply.

"you are beautiful," he says and you raise an eyebrow in question at him, mouth full of toothpaste.

"just making sure you don't forget it."

4 am

"I'm getting sleepy," you say quietly. it was nearing four am and hyunjin has been playing with your hair for what felt like an eternity. braiding small sections of it, only to open them once again.

"me too."

"let's try to sleep."

"don't want to," he mumbles against your hair and you chuckle. "why?"

"if we go to sleep then it will be morning really soon which means i have to leave you."

his words make your heart clench in your chest. nights with hyunjin were your favorite parts of your existence. there was no pressure, no expectations on the both of you. you could just be two humans in love, under the kind gaze of the moon.

"okay, baby. what do you want to do?"

"i just want to look at you," he says quietly and you nod, getting away from his hold. you lay your head on your pillow and he does the same, this way you're both facing each other.

you feel yourself relax completely under hyunjin's gaze, because it's filled with love. for you. his pointer finger traces over your features, delicately, as if he was grazing a porcelain vase. and you let him. his touch is so soft it makes something warm stir within your stomach. it wasn't untamed butterflies, fluttering their wings to escape. it was something comfortable and safe, finding its home within you.

"you are so pretty," he whispers and you smile softly at his words.

"so are you." your right hand rises gently to rest on top of his cheek, and you swipe your thumb slowly across it. hyunjin's eyes flutter closed at the contact and you feel a wave of fondness flood within you.

you'd do anything to preserve this serene look on his face.

"try to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." you finally say.

"you promise me?"

"i promise."

[introverted-scribblings]

The RFA w/ MC who loves sewing

What? A post? From me? You're crazy, there's no way that's happening.

I'm trying to get back into writing for this blog and recently started replaying Mystic Messenger because I want poor sleep 💕 Basically I'm letting my fixation fuel my writing because... the sentence ends there.

Enjoy these headcanons! I thought they turned out really cute~

(FYI: I used fem!MC for these headcanons; girlfriend/wife/etc.)

Yoosung:

He found out in the RFA chatroom when the two of you were talking about games and hobbies.

Yoosung had been excitedly telling you about the armor set he had gotten in his latest LOLOL binge, sending a picture and saying how he wishes he could wear cool armor in real life.

“I can make it for you”

“MC… what???”

And this is where he discovered your passion for sewing and your side-hobby of cosplay

He had a little experience with sewing, he could sew on a button and fix small tears thanks to his high school “home ec” classes, but you’re talking about making entire outfits and costumes from scratch.

THAT’S. SO. COOL.

He is amazed and thoroughly impressed by your talents, even moreso after you send some pictures of your completed works.

It’s amazing that you can make your own clothes, but he’s definitely super impressed with your cosplays. They’re insanely detailed, matching perfectly with the source material. He often says that your cosplays look better than the source material. They’re true works of art in his eyes.

Praises your talents nonstop.

Talks about it all the time to everyone. Every one of his friends knows how skilled his girlfriend is. And the other RFA members know tenfold.

After hearing you talk about your projects, Yoosung decided to join the sewing club at school in the hopes that he could help you with your amazing work! (Not that you need help, he really just wants to participate in something you love)

What ends up happening though is him sitting beside you at the sewing machine and getting lost in your working rhythm. (“Yoosung, are you paying attention? I thought you wanted me to give you tips?” “S-sorry, MC!! You’re just… really good at this… Like magic!”)

There’s no way he’ll be able to catch up with your skill anytime soon, so you compromise with him. You’ll make the costumes, but he has to cosplay with you~

(I have a short fic continuation of this! You can read it here)

Zen:

He found out just before one of his performances.

The costume he was wearing was a bit snug but worked fine in all the dress rehearsals, so he didn’t think much of it at the time.

You were backstage with him before opening night, ready to tell him to break a leg and give the audience a show to remember, when you saw the rip in his jacket.

It was a seam rip behind his left shoulder. Not the worst, but clearly noticeable.

Curtain was in ten minutes.

“Hyun, take off your costume.”

“Jagyia, I know I’m irresistible, but can you wait until after the show?”

“Not like that!!!” >////<

You pulled a flat black case from your purse and opened it, revealing a small sewing kit. You had everything you needed for a sewing emergency. Pins, buttons, snaps, scissors, an assortment of colored thread. And needles, of course.

You fixed the rip and strengthened the seam with four minutes to spare.

Zen asks you about it after the show (which went perfectly, thanks to you) and you explain your sewing hobby to him. Mentioning that you always have your little sewing kit with you for emergencies like tonight.

You show him pictures of the projects you’ve made and entire outfits you’ve designed and created from scratch. A good chunk of your wardrobe are pieces you’ve made yourself.

Of course he supports you! He’s so impressed and is constantly gushing about how talented you are in the chatroom.

Though nothing could prepare him for the moment you said you wanted to make something for him. Looking up at him with big hopeful eyes as you asked if he’d let you design him an outfit. His heart nearly burst.

You poured hours of time and effort into these pieces for him, determined to make this your best project yet. Your magnum opus. (You also sent concept sketches and fabric swatches to Jaehee for her “professional fan opinion”)

When he put it on for the first time, he was speechless. Everything fit perfectly, there wasn’t a part of the outfit that was uncomfortable in the slightest.

And he may be a bit of a narcissist, but he swore that the clothes you crafted made him more handsome than he thought possible. He looked good but never this good.

Your heart was filled with sunshine and warmth when he decided to wear it to an interview.

“My outfit? It’s custom-made. My girlfriend is a very talented seamstress and this was a gift from her~”

Jaehee:

She found out when she called you to complain about the c-fur she was still cleaning up around her apartment.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Jaehee. I know how bad that can get. I took care of my friend’s cat for a weekend once and I spent an entire month cleaning fur off all my fabric.”

Your fabric?? “What fabric, MC?”

The fabric for your projects of course! Once she got you started, you happily explained your passion to her and how you’ve been making your own clothes for a while now too.

She is also very impressed with your skill and also impressed with how handy it is. You very generously offered to mend her favorite blazer when one of the seams split. You also fixed the two loose buttons you found.

When you two open up the cafe together, you made Jaehee a custom apron to wear. Even going so far as to embroider her name on it along with some decorative coffee beans.

It’s her favorite apron and the one she wears the most while working. (until it has to be cleaned, but then it’s right back in the cafe for her to use)

It gets a lot of compliments too and you’ve actually had a few customers commission you from Jaehee’s (unintentional) promoting.

You since made more clothes for her, even an entire sundress similar to one she had been looking at while you both were out shopping. (You didn’t think the one sold was her color, so you made one yourself that would highlight her best~)

The only issue is the thread and fabric scraps that tend to scatter just as bad as the c-fur… but hey, at lease the end result is more useful! And she can always count on you to tidy your mess when you’re finished~

Jumin:

You mentioned it offhand. Simply mentioning the stitching quality on one of his ties and how you hadn’t made a tie before.

He followed up asking why you would want to make a tie, to which you explained that you often made your own clothes but would love to give yourself a little challenge with something you hadn’t done before.

Initially, he didn’t quite understand. He could easily have any outfit you desired tailored specifically for you, there wasn’t the need to go through all the hassle of making it.

You had to explain that it was your hobby. That, while time consuming and occasionally tedious, you truly enjoyed making your own clothes, and showed him some examples from your closet.

“I’m quite impressed, MC. I’ve only seen this kind of quality come out of trained professionals.”

“I’ll take that compliment. Thank you, love~”

He gives you an entire studio for your projects. While you insist that he doesn’t need to give you so many elaborate gifts, you have to admit that the space is very nice. Much better than working in cramped conditions or on the floor.

While Jumin doesn’t have an interest in joining your craftiness, your husband is more than willing to encourage your hobby monetarily with machine repairs and high quality materials.

Whatever you want, you can have. You’re his darling wife after all.

He even gifted you an antique sewing machine, a vintage 1902 Singer Treadle. You don’t “use” it, but you learned how to just for fun. It’s a lovely decoration of your hobby at the least.

And, yes, you did make a tie for him. Two actually, but you only gave him the second one, insisting that the first was practice only.

It quickly becomes his favorite and he always wears it to important meetings. It’s like having you right there with him for support.

It also becomes quite the talking piece at one of the RFA parties when a member of the Cultured Citizens asks about the brand and price.

“This tie was handmade by my wife and is certainly priceless.”

707:

He already knew because of course he did.

He would often send you (jokingly) ridiculous “orders” with impossible time frames, including:

An iridescent “Statue of Liberty” costume - 3 days

Twenty-seven onesies for ducks - 4 days

A prom dress made of pasta - 3 days

An overnight yeti costume

The two of you would banter about it in the chatroom until someone told you guys to knock it off, it was never not fun.

Whenever you finished a new piece or outfit for yourself, you would try it on and call him while standing in front of the camera in the apartment, asking for his opinion.

The cat-themed overall skirt was the one that broke him. You were just so cute with all the decorated pockets~! And the buttons looked like little cats too! You’re just too precious~

After the dust of the first party settled and Saeyoung had his brother back, you took it upon yourself to make Saeran some new clothes. He was going to be your brother-in-law, after all, you wanted to make him feel welcome.

Of course, it then turned into making both boys some new clothes as you kept thinking of new ideas. Not that you minded, this was your passion after all.

I think Saeyoung would also give you your own room/studio in the bunker. A place where you could spread out without worry. (Vanderwood was just grateful he didn’t have to keep cleaning up thread)

Saeyoung was also happy to help with any repairs your sewing machine needed, or he’d just make you a new one… or three… with some—interesting—added features.

“Saeyoung, dear, I don’t think my machine needs a Ph.D Pepper dispenser.”

“But what if my honey gets thirsty while she works?!”

“...But won’t the sewing shake up all the carbonation? It would explode on my pretty clothes T^T”

“OMG! I’m so sorry!! I’ll take it out right away!!”

This kind of conversation happens regularly.

Eventually, there was one top-secret project that you were working on… one that you made Saeyoung swear not to snoop through. Even going so far as to have Saeran keep an eye out to make sure his brother stayed true to his word. (He did but he whined about it)

The project took a long time and you had to have Saeran help you order the materials in secret.

Saeyoung didn’t like being kept in the dark, it made him uneasy. You assured him it was okay and that you just didn’t want the surprise to be ruined.

He was still uneasy, but he trusted you.

And it was all worth it in the end…

When you walked down the aisle in your handmade wedding dress, glittering and shining like stars in the night sky you both loved so much.

[leeknow-thoughts]

Hey can I pls request a fic where reader goes to pick up hyunjin from practice because he’s sick and when she arrives she gets her period and even though he’s sick he still helps her cover it up and takes her to buy pads etc. And it’s all cute because they’re BOTH worried about each other yk?🥹

SSICK

rating : sfw !

tw(s) : implied fem!reader, implied relationship, fluffy asl, periods, afab!reade, members of skz cameo

"Okay I'll be there in like ten minutes!" you say into your phone.

"Okay I'll see you soon," Hyunjin's voice comes over your phone speakers.

You hang up the call and rush to slip on your shoes and grab your keys so you can pick up your sick boyfriend from his dance practice. You throw on your shoes, not caring if you look like a wreck.

Luckily his company wasn't that far away from your apartment, only a ten minute walk. It was freezing outside, no wonder he was feeling sick, he probably had a cold.

You walked on and on, knowing the route to the company like the back of your hand. You knew there was a drug store nearby. You figured you may as well pop in to buy him something over the counter while you were there.

You step into the store, the heat inside warms you up instantly. You make a b-line to the section for cough medicine and cold medicine. You grabbed the best, and most expensive, ones on the shelf before going to the cashier to purchase them.

You quickly leave the store and continue walking to the building with your bags and hefty receipts in your hand.

You finally get into the building, taking the elevator to the third floor. Walking into the dance practice room.

"y/n!" everyone in the room sighs happily.

"Thank God you're here! He's been feeling terrible!" Chris smiles.

Hyunjin was sitting on the couch, looking tired as ever. He was paler than usual, he definitely looked sick. "Oh my..." you hear Felix say from behind you.

"What?" you ask.

"did you sit in like a puddle of wine or..?" Felix questions.

"No?"

"Well uhm I think you may be on your period, you kinda bled through your sweatpants," he squeaks out.

You feel all the blood in your body rush straight to your face.

And just as if he was feeling completely normal, Hyunjin sat up, grabbed his jumper. He crossed the space between you two and wrapped his jumper around your waist, covering where you could see the blood stain. "Lets go to the corner store and get you some pads," he smiles.

"Hyune you're sick," you reason.

He scoffs, "I'm fine honey, c'mon lets go and get you some pads!"

[leverage-ot3]

What are your k drama recommendations??!? I need new ones

omg my time has come thank you anon for giving me the opportunity to ramble about shows

I ended up talking WAY too long so I'm putting everything after the first one under the cut

all of us are dead- show about high schoolers as a zombie apocalypse starts. very funny and relatable, literally they call the police and are like 'have you seen train to busan?' bffrrn. has a lot of social commentary and there are references to the sinking of mc sewol (a cruise that sunk where the captain deserted it and left a large amount of high schoolers to drown). commentary about how adults save themselves first/leave youth to fend for themselves. one of my comfort shows and although they didn't intend for more seasons, it was received so well that they have been renewed! I am also an ot4 truther and sometimes talk about them on my international shows sideblog: @nam-on-jo

sweet home- (disclaimer: I am not caught up and have not yet seen s2 which came out a little while ago) honestly I have no idea how to explain this so I'm gonna copy-paste the blurb: as humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbours fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity. basically people turn into monsters for [redacted] reasons and everyone in his large apartment building is stuck inside trying to fend for their lives.

my name- I'm just going to paste the blurbs going forward because it's easier: Following her father's murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss -- and enters the force under his direction. bro some of these twists I expected but others caught me off guard. I love the main character and am a little gay for her but I think that's valid because she's a bamf. there was a plot point at the end of the second to last episode that I really didn't like and made me very upset. narratively I get why they did it but it made me sad so I'm still pissy. might get around to writing a fix-it fic one day when motivation strikes because my girl deserves better things.

the guest- a detective, a catholic priest, and a psychic join forces to fight crime caused by supernatural forces. not to say they are my ot3 but they kinda are. (other ppl interpret it is a lesbian and her two bi/gay bffs which I also accept but. ot3 tho). LOVED every twist and turn and how the three of them go from not trusting one another to being family. genuinely one of my favorites from all the kdramas I've watched over the years and I want to rewatch it again soon

happiness (tvn)- The residents of a high-rise apartment fight for their lives against a deadly infectious disease while Sae-bom and Yi-hyun try to find the person because of whom the virus spread. bro I adored this. some characters annoyed me (which means they were written effectively) but it has so much. fake dating/marriage (they wanted a better apartment lmao). annoyances to lovers. mean/rude woman soft for sunshine man. what you will do for the people you love. morals and humanity during a catastrophy. *smacks show* you can fit so much into this. no but seriously, I thought this was a really interesting take on the zombie virus! so some of the time you come off completely asymptomatic and 'normal', so people can get away with acting normal and hiding the disease around other people, so the paranoia and mystery is REALLY amped up. had me guessing a LOT. sae-bom and yi-hyun are both cops/detectives and you find out really early (ep 1/2?) that sae-bom is immune which gives a really interesting dynamic that leaves her (to yi-hyun's exasperation and heightened blood pressure levels) to be kinda reckless in the pursuit of truth and salvation. I'm rambling now because this is making me watch to rewatch but yeah as a zombie/dystopia/apocalypse lover this was a good watch. it's more story-focused than violence-heavy which was a cool and refreshing twist

alice in borderland- okay y'all I am aware people had mixed feelings about s2 but overall I did enjoy the series. 'Obsessed gamer Arisu suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive.' what can I say, I love a dystopian-esque setting.

the silent sea- imma be real, I only watched it for loml bae doona from sense8. 'During a perilous 24-hour mission on the moon, space explorers try to retrieve samples from an abandoned research facility steeped in classified secrets.' basically earth is in severe crisis mode as they run out of water to drink. water has recently been found on the moon, and although there was a mysterious tragedy that happened previously to researchers looking for water in a base on the moon, they have reached a level of desperation where they have another mission to look for moon water. mystery, paranoia, a couple of good twists ensue. I thought it was pretty good even though I have some mixed feelings about the open ending.

semantic error- yes I am sliding a bl into this list. bitch you thought. of course my bl-loving self would mention this (I forgot about it until I looked up good kdramas to remind myself of stuff I have watched). 'A strict, rule-abiding computer science major must work together with an artist with a polar-opposite personality to his.' confident cool boy meets bitch boy. it's great.

and of course...

leverage con artists- I would be fired from running this blog if I didn't mention the beloved korean spinoff of leverage. 'The series follows the story of Lee Tae-joon, a former insurance investigator who forms a team of thieves and con artists to target the rich and wealthy. The team was also formed to avenge Tae-joon's son's death.' I've posted about it before so I won't go super into it but it's VERY camp, a good time, and the ot3 is alive and well. debatable more overt than their predecessor!

other mentionables:

I tried watching kingdom (again for bae doona) but couldn't really get into it. might try again later because it's critically acclaimed (I think) and has even gotten a spinoff series

my roommate really liked mr queen. I didn't really pay attention when we were in the same room and they were watching it but it's fruity

the island on amazon prime was good! interesting plot but not in my top 10 or anything. worth a watch if you're looking for a kdrama to watch in your spare time. features girlboss businesswoman being thrown into a world of the supernatural because [redacted]. supernatural black horse man keeps her safe while keeping a life-changing secret.

let's fight ghost was a thai show that I saw and loved that was adapted into a kdrama called bring it on ghost, but honestly I couldn't get through it because I liked the thai one better.

train to busan is technically a movie but it's iconic and well-known and I highly suggest watching it if you like zombie/apocalypse movies. disclaimer: kdramas do not have the slow 'walker' zombies. they are fucking fast and the stuff of my nightmares. would probably just jump off a bridge if this actually happened ngl

I did think that extraordinary attorney woo was cute. I never finished it and know that there are VERY valid criticisms about the perpetuation of media portraying people with autism in the stereotypical savant ways. however, I liked how the love interest accepted her for who she was, loved her because of who she was and made efforts to accommodate and learn how to comfort her in ways that would work for her

business proposal was pretty decent if you like lighthearted romance- I didn't finish it but would like to at some point

tale of the nine tailed was another one that my roommate and I started watching but never finished. it was alright! just lost interest

shows on my watchlist:

black knight (netflix)- 'In a dystopian future devastated by air pollution, the survival of humanity depends on a group of deliverymen known as the Black Knights who navigate the wastelands using unconventional means.'

copycat killer-

hellbound (netflix)-

shop for killers (hulu)- 'A nephew who lost his parents and grew up in the hands of an uncle who runs a shopping mall faces a new truth after his uncle's sudden death.'

the legend of the blue sea (viki + hulu)- 'A magistrate's plan to release mermaids into the ocean backfires when they're caught by fishermen.' (legit I just miss mermaid media)

gyeongseong creature (netflix)- 'In the city of Gyeongseong in 1945, a group of young people thinking only of their own survival encounter a monster born of human greed and ask themselves what humanity is.'

dark hole (viki)- 'A mysterious black fog from a petrochemical factory's sinkhole turns people into bizarre figures; people who are not infected try to survive in this middle of pandemonium.'

the cursed (multiple)- 'An enthusiastic social issues reporter, fighting against the evil hidden behind an IT conglomerate, meets a teen-age girl who is possessed by a spirit and has special abilities.'

blood (multiple)- 'Dr Park Ji Sang believes in the sanctity of human life, and struggles to treat terminally ill cancer patients and save lives while at the same time being a vampire.'

the ghost detective (viki)- 'In this horror thriller drama, a detective who catches ghosts tries to solve the case of his younger sibling's death with the help of his assistant.'

possessed (netflix)- 'A smart-mouthed detective and a reclusive psychic medium join together to get rid of the ghost of a murder who was executed 20 years ago.'

connect (hulu)- 'A man is kidnapped and one of his eyes removed by a gang of organ hunters; his eyes was transplanted into body of a serial killer; the unwilling donor now has terrible visions as he witnesses terrifying attacks on the residents of Seoul.'

and now just because so many of these only have het romances, I looked up k-dramas with lgbtq representation... (some of these recommendations were from articles from screenrant, movieweb, this subreddit, herzindagi (bl-focused), allkpop)

schoolgirl detectives (viki)- 'Five teenage girls join together to investigate mysterious incidents that occur at their school, as well as help classmate deal with bullying, depression and other crises.'

be melodramatic (netflix, viki)- 'Three 30-year-old best friends, Jinju, Eun-jung and Hanju each pursue different paths in both career and love. Despite life's difficulties, the three friends can always return home at the end of the day and support each other.'

lily fever (available w/subtitles on youtube)- 'The story revolves around the budding relationship between Kim Kyung Ju and Jang Se Rang who meet when Kyung Ju can't find her passport and has to go to her friend's house to try and find it.'

love alarm (netflix)- 'In a world in which an app alerts people if someone in the vicinity likes them, Kim Jojo experiences young love while coping with personal adversities.'

nevertheless (netflix)- 'The story of a romance between a man who is annoyed with relationships but likes to flirt and a woman who wants to date but does not believe in love.' (wlw side couple romance)

[sungvis]

Can I request a fic Where Hyunjin has a bad migraine while on tour and y/n takes care of him

Hwang hyunjin x Reader ♡

📨: thank you for requesting! :)) (Not proofread)

Hyunjin has been on tour for a bit and while he was at your he call you every night or when he got time and you always made sure he was okay because you know being an idol is pretty stressing but this afternoon he called saying he an headache but worse then he had before, he'd been stressed out lately that could be why?

"what do I do?, It hurts pretty bad.." his text popped up, he coming back to Korea since tour was over so he'll be home soon so he can let you take care of him he didn't have any pill and couldn't buy any since they were already in the plane so he just had to wait till got home

"try to take a nap or something..?"

"Babbyy, your not helping my headache hurts to bad for me to sleep"

"well I'm not there if I was it would be easier for me to take care of you, jinnie" you sighed..you couldn't wait for him to come home.

"stay laying down okay?, I need to get you a coth" hyunjin just groaned from the pain in his head, you went down stairs to get water after you went to grab a coth, you turned on the water on letting the cold water fall on the coth, you wringed out the coth so no water was on it. You went upstairs opening the door to hyunjin just in his own world dozing off, you walked up to hyunjin calling him

"hyun, you need to drink this real quick then you can lay down so I can place this on your head okay?" Hyunjin nodded sitting up "slowly" you mentioned once he sat up completely you opened the water and grabbed the medicine giving it to him, has he drunk the water and took the pills you kissed his head massaging it softly, you grabbed the water out of his hand once he was finished it " lay down so I can put this on your head" hyunjin placed himself back on the shared bed, you placed the cold coth on his head letting him relax "Coldd" hyunjin complained "it has to be cold so it could soothe you ache bibi" hyunjin whined "drama queen" "I am" you laughed lightly "and you need to take a nap" hyunjin take messing with your hand "no I wanna see you the whole day" he complained "baby, please I wanna get you better I don't want you feeling like this the whole day" you kissed his cheek "...okay" "I love you" you said "love you too" hyunjin slightly smiled, he fell asleep finally so he could feel better

You walked to you side of the bed lifting the blanket letting yourself in you laid down on your stomach looking at hyunjin hopefully he's better by the time he woke up.

A/n; sorry if it isn't really good but once again thank you for the request <3

[borahae-777]

The Truth Untold -- Chapter 25: I Wanted To Become Your Comfort And Move Your Heart

Pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook, Yoongi x Jimin

Word Count: Fic in progress, 230k so far. 3k-5k per chapter

Chapter Summary:

Yoongi is lying on the floor of his studio staring at the ceiling. He hasn’t been able to sit still all day, he knows Namjoon had his meeting with Bang this morning. He came right to the building when he woke up, leaving Jimin asleep in his bed. He’d felt the younger man crawl in with him in the middle of the night and tuck his face against his neck, leaving wet tear tracks against his skin. He should have told him that he was awake, but he couldn’t find the words and simply stayed still until they both drifted off.

Warnings: Eventual Smut, BDSM, 18+, MxM

Namjoon is back in a BigHit conference room with Bang, Dae-Hyun, and Bon-Hwa. Now that everything has come to a head, they all have a lot to discuss. The public response has been completely different than expected. The backlash has been worse than he imagined it would be, but there is a huge wave of support and love from ARMY. Comment sections are full of fights between those who have turned against the group and those who have rallied around them.

“Alright everyone, thank you for coming into the office to talk. Dae-Hyun and I met yesterday and we now know what company has come after the band. The CEO and his executives over at SM cooked up this plan to try and push us out of the way so that their artists could shine. Luckily, judging by the success of Fake Love, this new album is going to explode right in their faces. Namjoon, how are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. There’s a mix of emotions that seem to fight for purchase. I’m relieved that we have answers and that the plan was a success. I’m hurt at the response to the story and worried about how many people we may have alienated. I’m touched at the response from a lot of international ARMYs and some of the ones close to home. Bon-Hwa, are you okay?”

“More than okay, Namjoon-ah. Don’t worry about me. This whole thing has given me a sense of purpose I wasn’t expecting.”

“Glad to hear it. I suppose it’s time to release the debunking evidence, PD-nim?”

“Not quite yet, but soon. I want Dae-Hyun in their good graces for a little longer while I secure everything we need to sue Dispatch and hopefully put the executives over at SM behind bars for blackmail. Are you willing to hold out a little longer, Dae-Hyun?”

“As long as you all need me to. I’m grateful for the chance to fix my mistakes and for the help you’ve provided for my mother. She’s responding well to treatment and I’ll never be able to express how thankful I am.”

“Good. The company holds no ill will against you, you’ve more than paid your dues. Your job here is secure and you have a clean slate. Namjoon, how are the guys doing?”

“They’re mostly worried about me and having trouble keeping themselves out of the comment sections. I think they’re putting themselves in my shoes and imagining how people would react if it was them who went public.”

“Try and reassure them. We will protect Taehyung and Jungkook in every possible way. Keep working hard and keep your head down for now. I need a week or so to get everything together and then we’ll make a statement to the press and clear your name. Not everyone will believe your innocence, are you prepared for that?”

“I’d rather not think of it as innocence, sir. There’s nothing inherently guilty about the scandal. My family knows that it isn’t true, so does Bon-Hwa’s. They’re supporting each other through it. That’s all that matters.”

“Alright gentlemen. Dismissed.”

The three men stand up and bow to the CEO before exiting the room. Namjoon hugs Bon-Hwa and promises to give him a call when he has any news, sending his friend home. Dae-Hyun hangs back and awkwardly looks at Namjoon, trying to say something but failing. Namjoon gives him a warm smile and tries to reassure him.

“Dae-Hyun, if there’s something you want to talk about you can. Don’t worry, I won’t bite.”

“I guess I was wondering if you think that the guys would talk with me again. I’ve been wanting to reach out to the maknaes in particular to try and see if we can renew the bonds we were making, but I know I don’t deserve another chance. I won’t forgive myself if I don’t at least try.”

“I wouldn’t say you don’t deserve it. You made a very grave error, a bigger one than some people can forgive, but we are a more forgiving group of people than you think. You didn’t just show remorse, you worked hard and put your life on the line to make it up to us. Let me talk to everyone and I’ll give you a call. Is there anything specific you want me to say?”

“No, I trust you to present it well. Maybe just ask Jimin if he’d be comfortable reaching out individually? I owe him more apologies than anyone, but only if Yoongi-hyung is comfortable with us speaking. I respect him too much to bypass him.”

“I’ll talk to everyone tonight. Go be with your mother, she needs you right now. I hope she knows what an amazing son she has and what he has risked for her.”

Dae-Hyun’s eyes grow misty and he launches himself at Namjoon before pulling away and hurrying down the hallway with his head down. Namjoon can’t help but smile at his retreating back, he expected to feel cold towards the man, but he finds himself thinking that he still is a good person at heart. Everyone makes mistakes and he deserves a second chance. He pulls out his phone to send a group text about a family meeting and turns in the opposite direction to go to his studio. He needs to be alone to process what’s going to happen next.

********

Yoongi is lying on the floor of his studio staring at the ceiling. He hasn’t been able to sit still all day, he knows Namjoon had his meeting with Bang this morning. He came right to the building when he woke up, leaving Jimin asleep in his bed. He’d felt the younger man crawl in with him in the middle of the night and tuck his face against his neck, leaving wet tear tracks against his skin. He should have told him that he was awake, but he couldn’t find the words and simply stayed still until they both drifted off.

Since he got here this morning, he’d tried to mix songs and failed. He’d tried to nap and failed. He’d tried to read, tried to write, tried to play games. That’s how he found himself on his back on the floor, lost in his thoughts. His goal for today is to not return to any of the comment sections about Namjoon and Bon-Hwa. Once he starts reading he finds himself lost down the rabbit hole for hours. It’s not all bad, there are countless ARMYs standing up for the couple.

On the other hand, there are comments from ARMYs who claim to have been fans from the start who are now leaving them behind. The media is slandering Namjoon left and right and by extension, the rest of them. People are questioning whether the popular ships are real, whether Namjin was ever true and if Namjoon has left Jin behind. Whether Yoonmin is more than just speculation. Most of the questions are about Taekook, Yoongi has watched some of their ship videos and even he has to admit that the two are the least subtle. He worries for them, and considers telling him to back off for a while until the heat around Namjoon dies down. He has no idea how long the company is going to wait to take legal action and debunk the story.

He is about to sit up and see if he can choke down some food when he hears a soft knock on his door. His stomach drops a little, thinking it might be Jimin coming to confront him about their relationship. He feels guilty, knows what he’s doing isn’t right, but he just can’t handle that kind of emotional labor right now. He ignores the knock and it grows stronger as he hears a voice that isn’t Jimin’s calling his name through the door.

“Yoongi-hyung, I know you’re in there. Please open the door.”

He stands up and hurries to the door, feeling bad that he ignored it in the first place. His shaking hands fumble with the lock, proof that he needs to eat something before his body gives out on him. He opens the door to Jungkook looking nervous and ushers him in.

“Hey Kook-ah. Is everything okay? You look unsettled.”

“I was hoping I could talk to you about something, but now that I’m here I’m a little bit hesitant.”

“You can talk to me about anything, Jungkookie. I know it’s been awhile since we’ve done this, but our lives have been kind of crazy, hm?”

“I guess I was worried that our bond wouldn’t be as strong anymore or that you’d be upset with me for kind of leaning towards Jimin when everything went bad. Taehyung came to you and Jimin needed someone.”

“I would never hold that against you. It’s not taking sides. Jimin needed help and I’m glad you took care of him when I couldn’t. I promise I did the same for Taehyung in your absence.”

“I know, hyung. I’ve heard a lot about the connection you built with each other and it makes me happy. Thank you for helping him.”

“No need to thank me. Now what’s up? Come sit with me on the couch, don’t be nervous.”

He grabs Jungkook by the hand and can tell the maknae is shocked at the physical contact. He’s not one to be touchy, but he wants to put him at ease and could kind of use the grounding touch himself. He walks them over to the couch where they sit facing each other, Jungkook hesitantly lacing their fingers together and leaving them together. It feels nice and for once Yoongi doesn’t feel the urge to pull away.

“Hyung…please tell me what’s going on with you. We can all tell you’re not okay. You might think you’re being subtle, but you’re not.”

“W-what? Are you all sitting around talking about me?”

“No, no. It’s not like we’ve had some sort of meeting behind your back, but sometimes you’ll say something or a look will cross your face and everyone’s eyes will meet. We acknowledge it. Tae has told me that he’s worried though and he’s a little hurt that you haven’t gone to him. Jimin hasn’t talked to either of us, but we can see the life draining out of him. He’s becoming a ghost and we assume you had a big fight.”

“We didn’t have a fight.”

“That’s all you can say to me right now? You can’t rot away in this studio by yourself. You don’t have to tell everyone, but talk to someone. Talk to me.”

“Aish, Kook. I’m your hyung and you’re the maknae, I’m not supposed to lean on you.”

“Screw age ranks and honorifics. I’m your friend and brother first.”

“I don’t know how to explain. Something in me is wrong. I don’t feel anything anymore. I’m dead inside and out. I’ve gone through something similar before, before we debuted. It was before most of the group was even cast. It was just me, Joon, and Hobi. I handled it alone then and I can handle it alone now. It just takes time.”

“The difference between then and now is that now you don’t have to do it alone. We’re your family, back then all you had was strangers in a strange city. What do you mean you don’t feel anything?”

“Everything is muted. Colors aren’t as bright, the sun isn’t as warm. I’m not hungry, I’m not motivated, I can’t bring myself to be affectionate with Jimin, I don’t even feel excited about the album release.”

“I’ll be honest with you because you’ve been honest with me, that scares me a bit. If your emotions were just on hiatus for a while, I could wrap my head around that, but you’re not even able to care about your music? You’ve worked harder on the Love Yourself albums than anyone.”

“I know. I love the songs, I do. Somewhere deep down I know I’m excited to see the world respond to what we’ve created, especially The Truth Untold and Serendipity. I just can’t bring it to the surface.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything for a long while, staring at their joined hands and stroking the back of Yoongi’s softly. His brow is furrowed, thinking hard. Yoongi has to admit he does feel a little bit lighter having gotten some of it off his chest. He knows he can’t confide in Jungkook about the commenter and the backlash against Namjoon, he doesn’t want to turn the younger’s attention to that hatred.

“Hyung, would you consider talking to us about all of this at the family meeting tonight? You don’t have to and I won’t say a word to anyone if that’s what you want. I just think it would help you and everyone else to have it out in the open. No one will force anything on you, they just want to know what’s in your head.”

“You’re welcome to talk to Taehyung about this if you’d like to, tell him my door is open and I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings with my silence. I just need to know neither of you will go to Jimin. I know it’ll be hard, but I’m not ready to talk to him yet.”

“Alright, hyung. We won’t. What about the meeting?”

“I’ll think about it, Jungkook. I’m tired. I think the meeting is going to be about much more important things.”

********

“He wants me to do what?!”

“Hear him out, Jimin-ah. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Jimin is staring at Namjoon agape. The leader had come back at lunchtime and knocked on Jimin’s door, asking to talk. He explained that the meeting tonight was going to be about the scandal and about Dae-Hyun, but wanted to discuss it with Jimin first. That’s when he dropped the bombshell of the jerk wanting to talk to him directly as well.

“Namjoon-hyung, how can he think I’d want to talk to him?”

“Jimin, he was a desperate man backed into a corner. He’s done far more than he needed to in order to fix this for us. You have no idea the sacrifices he’s made. By coming clean to us he risked his mother’s cancer treatment! You cared about him once and I know that a part of you still does. You’re the kindest and most forgiving person I’ve ever met. Think about it.”

“Aish, how am I supposed to say no when you compliment me like that?”

Namjoon chuckles and wraps an arm around his shoulders, winking before walking out the door. Jimin sits on his bed and thinks about his hyung’s words. He makes some good points and he can’t pretend he doesn’t understand to an extent. What would he have done if he was in Dae-Hyun’s shoes? He’d like to think he wouldn’t have made the same choices, but he can’t say that for sure. He thinks about his mother and feels such a rush of love that he finds himself picking up his phone. He unblocks the contact and hits the call button, listening to the ring.

“Jimin-ssi?”

“Hi.”

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. I assume Namjoon somehow already made it to you?”

“He did. Is there something you wanted to say to me?”

“I don’t know where to begin. I’m deeply sorry for everything I’ve done. Not just to the group, but to you specifically. I should have never kissed you without your consent, I disrespected you and I disrespected Yoongi-hyung. I don’t expect you to ever forgive me for that or for my role in what happened to Taehyung and Jungkook. I just wanted the chance to say that to you directly.”

“I’m not sure if I can ever forgive you, but I think at the meeting tonight the group will agree to hear you out. What Namjoon is doing for us has inspired everyone to be a little more selfless like him. If everyone else is willing to give you a second chance, I think I could too. It’ll depend on how the conversation goes. Namjoon hasn’t told us the extent of what your role in his plan was, but I have a feeling it runs deeper than we think.”

“I understand completely. Thank you for listening, Jimin-ssi. I should have never taken your friendship for granted.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Have a good rest of your day, Dae-Hyun.”

Jimin hangs up the phone and flops backwards onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He does miss their friendship, he hadn’t connected with someone outside of the group like that in a long time. His nature makes him want to put it all behind them, but he needs to be sure first. Trust isn’t rebuilt overnight. He knows he should get up and go find Hobi in the studio to practice, but curls himself under his covers instead. He skips lunch and dinner, laying in the dark until it’s time for the meeting.

********

Taehyung is the first to arrive in the living room, sitting on the couch and fidgeting while he waits. These meetings have become a source of anxiety for him, nothing good has come out of them in almost a year. It really hits him that they’re closing in on a year since Jungkook first kissed him at Home Party. He wishes that they could celebrate it together like an anniversary, but it brought nothing but chaos to everyone. He can’t even remember the date that he and Jungkook came back together, everything has been lost in the shuffle.

He’s worried about Jimin more than anything. He poked his head into his room earlier to offer him meals, but both times he was unresponsive. He’d walked over to the bed and wrapped his arms around the sleeping man, placing a kiss on his temple. Nothing is okay with Jimin. Not their soulmate bond, not his relationship with Yoongi, not his eating habits. Taehyung doesn’t want a repeat of debut-era Jimin where his mental health collapsed and he refused food altogether.

On the flip side, he’s worried about Yoongi too. He’s not sure who is feeding off of who, but it’s clear that something to do with each other is part of the problem. They barely even sit together anymore, let alone show any affection. He finds Jimin in his own bed almost every night and he wonders if they’re even speaking. He knows that Yoongi’s brain works a lot like his own and wishes that he could comfort his hyung, but he doesn’t want to pry unless he approaches him directly.

He hears a noise and snaps out of his train of thought, watching Namjoon and Yoongi walk in the front door. They’re not talking to each other, both looking lost in their thoughts when they look up and flash small smiles at Taehyung. Yoongi comes over and sits directly next to him while Namjoon heads down the hall and starts knocking on doors.

“Hey Tae.”

“Hi hyung.”

Yoongi reaches out and laces their fingers together, giving his hand a soft squeeze and looking at him with hopeful eyes. He smiles and squeezes back, looking down at their joined hands in relief. It feels like a small thread of hope. They don’t say anything, they don’t have to. A throat clears behind Taehyung and he sees Jimin standing there, staring at their hands and looking forlorn before sitting in an armchair. He starts to pull away from Yoongi and opens his mouth to say something when he’s interrupted by the rest of the crowd entering the room. He decides he’ll seek Jimin out after and keeps his hand in Yoongi’s. Jungkook sits on his other side, smiling at their display of affection and squeezing the back of his neck.

“Okay, now that we’re all here I want to start by checking in on everyone. How are you all doing with the story breaking? Thoughts? Feelings?”

He looks around the room, meeting all of their eyes one by one. No one seems to want to speak first, seemingly hesitating when addressing the elephant in the room. The silence drags on until Namjoon gets frustrated and speaks again.

“Come on, guys. I know you all have a take on the situation. I’ll start, maybe hearing something from me will help us start. I’m okay, really I am. Some of the responses have been hurtful and scary, I won’t pretend they haven’t. However, I’m impressed and touched by the ARMYs that have stuck by us and started to fight back in our stead. I’ve also heard a little buzz about this boosting us even further in America, you know they have endless LGBT icons there.”

Jimin speaks up softly, as if he’s afraid of the response.

“I’m worried about the attention on us leading to the rest of us being outed somehow.”

“That’s a completely valid fear, Jiminie. We’re going to be under scrutiny for a while, there’s no doubt about that. Even once the story is debunked, there are bound to be people who believe it’s true. We have to be careful about what we show on camera for a little while.”

“No! Hyung, please, we can’t go through that again.”

“Deep breaths, Kook. I don’t mean a separation like before, just a little caution. Tear drops in a few weeks and Answer won’t be far behind. We have an extremely busy comeback season this year. The Billboard Awards, appearances on American talk shows, concerts in several countries, constant promotions. We’re going to be watched closely.”

“Sorry, hyung. I’m just tired of the fear.”

“We all are, but this will all be worth it when we come out the other side. I promise you that. We can get through anything.”

Something is stuck in Taehyung’s head and decides to speak up.

“You said you wanted to start by checking in, Namjoon-hyung. Does that mean that this wasn’t the reason for the meeting?”

“Yes, Tae, I called you here for something else. I was at the office this morning with Bang, Bon-Hwa, and Dae-Hyun. The company is putting the finishing touches on our plans so they can take official legal action against Dispatch and the blackmailers.”

“Does that mean we know who it is that’s behind all of this?”

“We do. It’s SM.”

The room erupts in chatter, Taehyung has a hard time picking out any particular voices, but from what he gathers no one is all that surprised. They’ve all had idol friends who are signed under SM and heard about their shady practices. They bury their internal scandals better than any other company and keep their idols from speaking out about the cruel way they’re treated. He wants more information, though.

“So what happens next?”

“Bang said he needs about a week to get everything in order and then he’ll go to the press with the evidence to debunk the story. Dae-Hyun is going to stay ‘undercover’ just that little while longer to make sure that he can prove that it is indeed SM beyond a shadow of a doubt. Which brings me to the main reason for talking to you as a group instead of talking to you individually, Dae-Hyun was hoping he could sit and talk to you all again. I fully support him and would like you to consider agreeing. Before anyone says anything, can we do a preliminary vote to gauge where we’re all at? Can everyone willing to hear him out please raise a hand?”

Three hands go up: Namjoon, Jin, and Hobi. Taehyung looks at Jungkook, Yoongi, and Jimin next. He knows that they’d be the ones more likely to be hard on the man. Jimin’s eyes are darting back and forth between his hyungs before he nods to himself and also raises his hand. Taehyung’s eyes widen in shock, he didn’t expect Jimin to ever agree to this. If Jimin can be the bigger person here, so can he. He raises his hand as well. He feels Jungkook and Yoongi’s stares, but looks straight ahead at their leader.

“Okay, thank you. I’m glad to see that the majority of us are together on this. Who’d like to make their argument first? Jungkook?”

“Age before beauty, hyung!”

“Aish, you brat. Okay, I have no problem speaking first. I think this is bullshit. What would ever make any of you think this man deserves a chance to speak to us? He could have ruined our lives and in more extreme cases gotten some of us physically hurt. If there’s anyone in the world who doesn't deserve a second chance, it’s Dae-Hyun. Are you forgetting he kissed Jimin?”

“Yoongi-hyung, I understand all of that. No one has forgotten what he’s done to us, but Jimin and Taehyung have found it within themselves to hear him out. Can’t you do the same? Arguably they’ve both been more hurt by him than you have.”

“He’s right, Yoongi-hyung. If Tae and Chim are okay with this, I guess I am too. I’ll vote in favor.”

“Really, Kook-ah? You’re okay with sitting in front of that man and listening to him justify almost blackmailing you?”

“Namjoon-hyung isn’t asking us to forgive him, just to listen. We can do that. You can do that.”

A look passes between Jungkook and Yoongi that seems to have more weight behind it than it should and it leaves Taehyung confused. He makes a mental note to talk to Jungkook after the meeting and see what’s going on. He watches as messages pass between their eyes and Yoongi’s shoulders slump in defeat.

“Fine. If everyone else is sure, then fine. Expect me to rub it in your faces when I’m proven right.”

Namjoon rolls his eyes and starts suggesting dates for Dae-Hyun to come by the dorm. Everyone still seems hesitant and the leader starts to discuss what the other man’s role in the situation has been since he first came clean. Slowly, Taehyung starts to feel more open to the idea that he can forgive. None of them really understood the scope of the situation on the inside, Namjoon has kept a lot of the details close to his chest. He feels a squeeze from Yoongi and looks over to see him leaning into his ear.

“Can we take a walk and chat after?”

Taehyung’s face breaks into a blinding smile and he feels part of his stress lift away. He’s leaned on Yoongi far too much and hasn’t been able to get a word out of the other about his own struggles. Maybe he’s finally coming around. He nods and squeezes back, but catches Jimin staring at them out of the corner of his eye. He frowns to himself and leans over to Jungkook.

“Kookie, Yoongi-hyung wants to talk to me after the meeting, but I’m worried about Jiminie. Can you take him back to your room and check on him? Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can and the three of us can spend the night together.”

Jungkook smiles at him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and running a hand along his cheek. He knows Jimin will be in good hands.

********

“Hyung, let’s go back to my room and snuggle.”

“I don’t know, Kookie. I just want to go to sleep.”

“You’ve been sleeping all day, come on!”

Jungkook doesn’t give Jimin a choice, dragging him by the wrist down the hall. He’ll pick him up and carry him if he has to. He knows how low he’s getting and he’s determined to help whether Jimin accepts it or not. They get to his room and he closes the door behind him, nudging the other man onto his bed and tossing a banana at him.

“Eat something. I’m serious. Taehyung is going to be here soon and we’re going to spend the night together, all three of us like old times.”

Jimin begrudgingly tears open the fruit, nibbling a small bite and then placing it in his lap. He does seem to perk up a bit at the idea of a maknae sleepover. Jungkook sits down, his back against the headboard and reaches out a hand.

“Come on, Jiminie. Eat your banana and lay with me. Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to do, Jungkook. I’m losing him.”

“What’s going on with you two? You’re both barely floating through the day.”

“I have no idea. He just slowly started to drift and now he’s so far away that I can’t even catch a glimpse of him on the horizon. We barely spend any time together. I sneak into his room sometimes when he’s already asleep and curl up there, but he’s always gone when I wake up.”

“You know how Yoongi-hyung is. He’s not the most expressive person and he tends to retreat into himself.”

“I know, but he’s not supposed to be that way with me. I love him more than he can even imagine, I just want to be his safe space. I thought that’s what was happening, he was starting to be vulnerable around me and wear his heart on his sleeve. Then it seemed to become the opposite overnight. I feel like I’ve tried everything to get through to him.”

“Hmm, what if I said I had a plan that could help you get past his walls? It’s not a guarantee, but I think it would reach him at least a little bit.”

“I guess it depends on what it is. I can barely function right now.”

“I know, Jimin-ah, but maybe this will breathe life into you as well. Actually, now that I think about it, I think Dae-Hyun would be the perfect person to help us with this. The timing on this could be absolutely perfect.”

“Dae-Hyun?!”

“Yes, after hearing Namjoon talk about him tonight, I’m more than willing to meet with him, but if he still feels like he owes us a little…this could be the last boost he needs to reach forgiveness. Keep an open mind, okay?”

Jimin sits up and stares at him, waiting. Jungkook launches into the details of his idea and watches understanding dawn on the other man’s face. It’s a bit half-baked, but he’s hoping Jimin will want to fill in the blanks with him. It only just occurred to him when the meeting came to a close, but he thinks it will work. Jimin starts to make small suggestions and Jungkook feels an overwhelming sense of relief.

They need to get started first thing tomorrow morning.

[amethystina]

OMG THE LAST CHAPTER WAS SO GOOD.

Please don't let anxiety eat you because after this last chapter you really don't have to prove anything to anyone.

They are together again!!!

I'm so glad you liked it! <3

I try not to feel too anxious, but it comes and goes. It's not about proving something or trying to impress as much as not wanting to disappoint. Like, everyone seems to love the fic so much that I can't help fearing that I'll ruin it at some point. Especially since we're not even close to done. I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold everyone's attention until the very end >_>

But I'll try and, for what it's worth, I'm stubborn as all hell so I'm not going to give up anytime soon xD I might just stumble sometimes, because writing a fic this long is and always will be both exhausting and pretty daunting.

So this past week I've completely ignored Who Holds the Devil in favour of writing a completely different fic. I felt a little discouraged and like I'd lost my grip on the world and characters, so I found a new project to (hopefully) get my groove back. It's finished but unedited and currently stands at 20k.

The basic premise is: What if Ga On had pressed Soo Hyun to tell the truth about who sent her to save him at Hyeongsan-dong?

... the answer is kissing. Lots of kissing. But not with Soo Hyun, if I put it like that ;)

I know I said I wouldn't write that fic but I'm a fickle bitch and I wanted to try writing Yo Han when he's a little darker (still Ga On's POV, though, because I'm not THAT reckless yet). I'm usually an advocate for stable and healthy relationships but, every once in a while, I'll look the other way.

So that's something to look forward to, for those of you who are interested. I'll hopefully be able to post it in a week or two.

And will now try to return to Who Holds the Devil and keep working on the next chapter. I know exactly what's going to happen, I just need to write it.

Thank you so much for your kind ask, nonnie <3

[raplinesmoon]

Autumn Leaves (JHS x F! Reader) - Part 2.

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Female Reader

Genres: ANGST, some minor moments of fluff, romance

AUs: historical/period!AU, aristocrat!AU (OC comes from a rich family)

Word count: 6.2k for this final part

Tags/trigger warnings: the reader is sick with tuberculosis (no graphic details of sickness, just coughing and wheezing), mentions of injections, mentions of blood, physical fight scenes (running away, punching, pushing, pulling, etc)., mentions of guns and gunshot wounds, mentions of stealing and crime, betrayal, deceit, minor character deaths, MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH (pls don’t read if this makes you uncomfortable, your well-being is valued and important).

Ratings: R

Summary: An unfortunate meeting leads young archaeologist Jin Han-Jae to fall in love with the daughter of a wealthy noble. Unbeknownst to her, he harbours a secret that could drive the both of them apart.

A/N: Ugh, why do I write things that make me cry? This piece is based on the Bollywood film Lootera, which is one of my favourite movies ever. I loved this movie so much, and I wanted to see Hoseok in this role so bad, that I made a whole mood board for it before I ever even considered sitting down to write this story. I hope you enjoy the ending, I’m sorry it’s so sad, but I also wanted to convey hope amongst the sadness. PS. Thank you to Val @kookdiaries for the beautiful banner!! PSPSPS: In this fic, Hoseok goes by an alter ego known as Jin Han-Jae (it’ll make sense when you read). The characters who don’t know he’s Hoseok refer to him as Han-Jae only when addressing him and thinking of him → hopefully that clears up any confusion! Lots of love, Isi 💜

Disclaimer: this is highly unedited, I’m so sorry but I just sort of sat down and wrote the whole thing at once. I’ll maybe go back and edit sometime soon though!

Crossposted to AO3 here.

One year later

The musicality of the birds chirping outside your window grates on your nerves as you sit down at your desk, pen in hand. The pollen from the air is irritating your already fragile lungs, but you suppress the urge to cough in fear of another attack. Rustling amongst the crumpled up papers that surround you, a deep groan escapes your throat. Rubbing at your temples, you look out the window to see that the once beautiful blue skies have darkened considerably, branches whipping in the wind.

“Madam ___? Dinner is ready,” your maid Joo-hyun implores you to venture out of your room and join her in the kitchen. Her faint footsteps echo behind you as she reaches down to pick up the mass of paper that litters the floor.

“Do you need anything else before I head home for the night, Madam ___?” she inquires.

“No Joo-hyun, thank you. You may go home,” you address her, but your eyes stare straight ahead, peering out into the distance. You hear the door click behind you, but pay it no mind as your eyes focus on the storm brewing in the background. Letting out another sigh, your finger trail over the switch of your lamp, flicking it once and bathing the room in darkness. You flick it again.

On. Flick. Off. Flick. On. Off. On-off, on-off, on-off.

A year later, and you muse that moving to your mountain estate has done nothing for your peace of mind. While the air may be fresh and the winds calm, the sound of them whistling through the trees serves to remind you of the fact that you are completely and utterly alone.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Emerging from the forest after your daily walk around the estate, you notice a figure waiting for you at the end of the path.

“My name is Inspector Kim Taehyung,” he reaches out a hand for you to shake, flashing his badge. “May I come inside, ma’am?”

His black shiny boots soon take up residence in the drawing-room while Joo-hyun prepares a cup of tea for you both. You’re embarrassed to have him sit there, knowing it’s gathering dust from your disuse and disregard for the state of the place.

“Madam ___,” Taehyung begins, “You know very well why I’m here. You knew Han-Jae better than anyone. The more information we get from you, the closer we are to catching them. And if we don’t catch them, they’ll rob again. And again. And more innocent victims like your father will die at their hands.”

“My father didn’t die because he got robbed,” a look of annoyance crosses your face at his insinuation. “He died because he was heartbroken. He trusted Han-Jae with his whole life.”

“I did too,” you whisper, looking down at the floor.

Taehyung lays an arm on your shoulder. “Your father would want Han-Jae to pay, right? For what he did to the family.”

“I don’t want revenge against Han-Jae, Inspector Kim,” you remark, eyes becoming listless and glazed over from having this conversation one too many times. “I just want to forget him.”

Taehyung stands to take his leave, shaking the dust from his coat and rattling the doorknob.

“If you ever feel like talking, Madam ___, or you ever need anything from me, you know where to find me.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

“What are you writing?” Han-jae’s voice echoes in your head, memories flooding your senses from the night you confessed your love. “Is it a story?”

“Mmm-hmm,” you mumble, bent over his writing desk.

“What story is it?” He asks, eyes melting as he takes in your tired figure.

“Just a story,” you try to quell his suspicions, not wanting him to know what lies in your heart.

“Is there a boy in the story?”

“Yes.”

“And a girl?”

“Yup.”

“Do they love each other?” Han-Jae’s voice cracks as he asks the question, his lies spreading venom all over his tongue as his heart sinks in his chest.

“No,” your response is resolute, and his breath hitches.

“Are they about to fall in love?” he probes, inching himself closer to you.

You roll your eyes at his antics. “I don’t know.”

Wrapping a hand around your waist, he kneels beside your sitting figure. “The boy wants to know what the girl is thinking, but she’s not answering him. Is she angry?”

“Yes,” you croak, thinking of how he may have to leave one day.

“Because he has to go?” he asks, his thoughts melding with your own.

“No, because he’s asking too many questions,” you playfully flick his shoulder, not wanting to cause him worry.

His arm reaches for your, lifting you up from the chair and wrapping around you as you both tumble onto the bed, face-to-face and bodies intertwined.

“Has the boy told the girl that she’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen? And has the girl told the boy she loves him more than anything in the world?”

“Not yet,” you whisper, eyes flickering towards his lips as you both lean in.

“When will they tell each other? When?” Han-Jae breathes the last word before his lips close over yours.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Rage overcomes you as you’re blinded by the memory. You throw your pen on the floor, followed by a book, followed by a glass photo frame that shatters as you stomp towards the living room, eyes focused on the telephone that sits in the corner.

Hastily dialing the number for the local police station, you ask to be put through to Inspector Kim Taehyung.

“Inspector Kim speaking,” his deep voice thunders over the phone.

“Han-Jae told me once when we were talking that-, that one day, he’d like to run away and live in the mountains outside of Busan. Maybe one day, his target will be here, in this very town, or even somewhere nearby.”

“Thank you,” Taehyung answers, voice filled with gratitude. He knows how tough the decision must have been for you.

Choosing not to respond, you cut the line dead. Tip-toeing back to your room, guilt washes over you when you peer at the photo that’s slipped out of the broken frame, your father’s face smiling back at you.

Not even days later, the sign goes up outside your front gate, as you look on through the window, under the shadow of the large tree that looms in your backyard.

“Guesthouse for rent.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

“Famous artifacts to be moved to a museum outside Busan,” the headline reads. Hoseok stares at it, and then stares again at the photo he’d taken out of his breast pocket. It’s the one of you two from that day you’d begged him to try out the new camera together. He stares at the way the two of you sit on opposite sides of the sofa, keeping a respectable distance from one another even though he knows now the distance between you two is anything but.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Lungs wheezing as coughs wrack your frame, you remark at how even the fresh air can no longer keep your sickness at bay. The palm of your hand glistens with fresh, ruby-red blood.

Tuberculosis, the doctor had said. He’d suggested moving somewhere else, somewhere warmer, in the hopes of living a longer and healthier life. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that you’d given up on living long ago.

With the leaves falling around you, you’re reminded of your father’s story - the one he’d told long ago, about the king who stored his life in a parrot. Glancing at the tree above, you close your eyes and will your spirit to imbue itself within the colorful leaves, their falling a metaphor for your dwindling life force.

Joo-hyun shakes you out of your reverie, a grim look on her face.

“There’s two men at the gate. For the guesthouse. What should I do?”

“Show it to them,” you tell her, not daring to look over your shoulder at the visitors. You know he’s arrived.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Hoseok and Jimin follow the maid down the slope towards the guesthouse. Her name was Joo-hyun, or something like that. Hoseok can’t be bothered to remember. He’s much more interested in the mysterious inhabitant of the main house on the property.

“Who lives up there?” Hoseok asks, craning his neck towards the large house.

“The lady of the house,” Joo-hyun replies stiffly. “She hasn’t been well these days, she mostly keeps to herself.”

…

It’s a done deal, Hoseok thinks. This is the perfect place for them to stay. Giving the main house a last look before he and Jimin return to the hotel, he sees a shadow through the window. Could it be?

No, it couldn’t, he thinks to himself. He’d lost the right to be in your life a long time ago.

Peering at him through the windowpanes, your breathing becomes shallow as you fumble for the ringing phone.

“Inspector Kim speaking. Madam ___, we’ve arrested the gang’s leader, Han-jae’s uncle. He confessed to us that Han-jae and Jimin are in the town as we speak. I’ve gotten a call from the local museum curator that he met with them today, and they were masquerading as docents for the National Museum. We’ve blocked off all the potential places they could stay in the town, meaning that they’ll find their way to you somehow. I hope you’re ready.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

“That’s funny, I thought Uncle would at least answer the phone,” Jimin remarks as he and Hoseok make their way from the phone booth through the winding town streets.

“It’s not like him,” Hoseok quips, grating his teeth together. This whole town put him on edge. It felt wildly unsafe here. He notices that someone has begun to walk behind them.

“Listen,” he says to Jimin. “Pass me a cigarette, will you?”

Stopping, he glances at the man behind them. “We’re being followed. You go left, I’ll go right. I’ll meet you back here in fifteen minutes.”

“Alright,” Jimin responds. The two of them trust each other with their lives, even now when they’re on the line.

Breaking out into a run, the two of them split along the path, disappearing from sight as the policemen hidden in the shadows make themselves known and follow swiftly.

Hoseok’s lungs threaten to burst out of his chest, sprinting as fast as his legs can take him. Out of nowhere, he’s tackled to the ground by a man in uniform, crumpling as the man snakes a hand around his neck. Giving a swift kick to the man’s chest, he topples over and Hoseok makes his escape, stumbling as he gasps for air.

Hoseok swoops down stairwells and scampers down slopes, twisting and turning, his agile legs no match for the older men that chase after. That is, until he hears the gunshots. Slipping into an abandoned house, he takes a moment to catch his breath, finally free of the pursuit.

Until he hears breathing coming from outside. His eyes dart to the window, seeing the imposing figure of a tall man shuffle past, the “Inspector Kim” of his badge glinting along with the pistol he carries in his hands. Hoseok swallows as the door to the house creaks open, and he springs into action.

Taehyung is tackled before he even knows it, gun slipping from his grasp, as the two men exchange blows back and forth. Taehyung is strong, Hoseok knows, but he lacks speed and agility. Years of being a thief have taught Hoseok to slip out from anyone’s grasp. He lands a blow to Taehyung’s stomach, incapacitating him as the Inspector is knocked over, heaving as he watches Hoseok take his pistol and escape.

Taehyung’s men come from behind him, shooting at the intruder, but missing until he slips from their sight.

….

Groaning, Hoseok blinks up at the light escaping from the one window illuminating the abandoned basement he now seeks refuge in. He knows that he’s been hurt somehow, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins is keeping his mind from fixating on the pain. Climbing up on his arms and slipping his head out the window, the coast is now clear.

Hoseok makes his way down the alleyway, completely devoid of another human soul as the fog closes in on him. Peeking around the corner, he lets out a silent groan as he catches eyes with one of the police’s men, staring straight back towards him with a rifle aimed at his head.

Standing his ground, Hoseok engages the man in a stare off, his own pistol pointed straight for the heart. Suddenly, the man backs away, claiming defeat. Hoseok lets his arm down for a split second, but sees the rifle glint out of the corner of his eye.

He doesn’t even hesitate before the man is on the ground, bleeding out. Out of the corner of his eye, Hoseok spots another intruder making his way through the fog. Yet another shot rings out and Hoseok finds himself alone, surrounded by bodies on either side.

The mid-afternoon sunlight begins to peek through the fog, and Hoseok gets a good look at the other intruder. His face blanches. Jimin. He sees the younger lying in a pool of blood on the ground, clutching his chest before coming to a still.

Frantic, Hoseok runs towards his friend, tears spilling out of his eyes, stopping in front of his lifeless body. Jimin’s eyes are open, turned towards the sky, the sunlight now spilling into the alley and illuminating his golden hair.

A shot rings out in the distance, and Hoseok sees the police approaching from above. Hurt, and unable to grieve, he wipes the last of his tears and does what he does best. He leaves.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Choking back sobs as he ducks into another corner, Hoseok untucks his shirt, now stained with red, as the tell-tale sign of a bullet mark makes itself known in his chest. Struggling to breathe, he closes his eyes and begins to hyperventilate. Soon, his senses are awoken by the light touch of something cold against his face. Snowflakes.

Reaching into his chest, he bites back a scream as his fingers close in on the bullet and yank it out. More tears spill out, pain mixed with relief.

He knows come morning, the police will have posters of him everywhere, calling him what he is: a thief and a murderer. And yet, he’s not ready to be turned in, to die. So he’ll keep running, even if nowhere here is safe for him now.

Nowhere here is safe for him now. The streets of the town flash in his mind, and then, one place outside of it.

The snowflakes cling to his hair as he limps towards the guesthouse with the mysterious owner.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Hands shaking, you reach for the medicine stocked in your drawer as another coughing fit hits you. The air is cold and a draft has found its way into the house with the onset of the snowstorm.

You’re distracted by the faint glow of a lantern outside your door. The glow makes it's way closer and closer, almost as if someone is making their way down the path towards you. Coughing, you brace your arms around yourself and prepare for your impending doom as the door is rammed open.

A wild Han-Jae appears before you, hair disheveled and eyes red with anger and grief. Making his way towards you, he grabs you in his arms, caging you in as you desperately try to break free from his grasp.

“It was you, wasn’t it? I knew it had to be you, ___. My eyes weren’t deceiving me. You told them, didn’t you? You told the police where I was,” he roars, shaking you back and forth.

Unable to fight him any longer, you clutch at your throat, eyes fluttering as everything around you fades to black.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Waking with a start, you gasp and frantically look around your room, searching for any signs that your nightmare had not come true last night. Wrapping your shawl around yourself, you gingerly make your way out of bed, gently stepping towards the kitchen to heat up the kettle.

Your suspicions are proven correct when you spot the lone figure of Han-Jae bent over the countertop, head sunken low as if in mourning. Taking him, you marvel at how so much has changed, but his beauty remains the same. His hair may be a bit longer, and his figure a bit more lean, but there’s no mistaking the sharp cut of his jaw and the curve of his lips. You feel your breath catch in your throat at the sight of him after so long.

“My friend died because of you,” he whispers, so low that you almost can’t hear him over the wind blowing outside. “He died because of you. You think I’d let you go that easily?”

“I didn’t know you had a shred of emotion left in you,” you sneer.

“There’s a lot you still don’t know about me, ____. I need a place to hide,” Han-Jae rolls up his sleeves, stepping around you and making his way to the cupboards.

“You won’t find it here,” you decree defiantly. “Now please leave or I’ll call the police.

He looks towards you, the ghost of a heart-shaped smile making its way onto his lips.

“You won’t call them.”

Face scrunched up in anger, you brush past him as your legs charge towards the telephone in the other room. His hand stops yours before you can grab it, painfully twisting your arm behind your head as you struggle against him. The door clicks, and the two of you look towards the threshold to see Joo-hyun standing there, hands held up to her ears.

“Close the door,” Han-Jae commands, turning his head towards Joo-Hyun. “Fucking close it!”

Joo-Hyun jumps, arms trembling as she locks the bolt into place. Han-jae reaches into his pocket and pulls out his pistol, pointing it at Joo-hyun threateningly.

“What have you heard from outside? What are they saying?” he seethes. “And don’t even think about lying to me.”

“Your photos are up everywhere,” Joo-Hyun gulps. “You’re accused of killing a police constable.”

She looks towards you before continuing: “They also say you killed your own friend. There are shoot-on-sight orders for you.”

“You killed Jimin?” you sob, turning away. You’re unable to believe what you’re hearing.

“Wh-who are you?” Joo-hyun stutters, her voice taking a protective tone once she recognizes you seem familiar with each other.

“Who isn’t he?” you scream. “Mr. Jin Han-jae, actor extraordinaire! Man of a thousand faces, all of them used to lie and cheat and trick the hearts of the innocent!”

Hoseok barges towards you, jaw clenched as he grabs your arm.

“I didn’t kill Jimin on purpose, or that police constable. I fired back out of self-defense!”

“I don’t believe you!” you sob. “How can I believe you?”

“It’s the truth!” he bellows.

“The truth!” you screech back. “If only you had told the truth back then, huh? Maybe then we wouldn’t be in this mess?”

“I couldn’t abandon Jimin and my uncle! They were like family to me, do you even understand that? How could I have just betrayed them and left?”

Breathing heavily, your next words are a whisper.

“But you could betray me, right? You could betray my trust, betray my love?”

Hoseok lets out a deep sigh, pointing an accusing finger in your direction.

“You’ll never understand,” he says, turning on his heel. “ You haven’t seen the world, you’ve lived in the lap of luxury your whole life.”

He’s met with Joo-hyun holding a pistol to his chest. Her hands shake, flinching as he snatches it from her hands and pulls back on the trigger, demonstrating that’s it’s empty, nothing but a threatening decoy.

Making his way past her, he slams the door shut with a close, his groan audible from outside as you see him clutch his chest.

“Sh-should I calll the police?” Joo-hyun asks, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You don’t respond to her, staring off into space against her desperate pleas asking why you’re so interested in saving him.

The door opens, Han-jae dragging the cold in with him as he fumbles with the telephone, dialing a number.

“H-hello? RM? It’s me, J-Hope. I’ll be on my way tomorrow morning.”

He hangs up, looking towards you again. “I’ll have to spend the night here. If you decide at any point between now and tomorrow you want to call the police, I won’t stop you.”

Glancing over your writing desk, his eyes stop on a photo frame with the glass inside missing.

“Your father, is he-”

“He’s dead.”

“How?”

“You killed him. Just like you killed Jimin. It wasn’t your fault. But they’re dead all the same.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Hoseok sits on the porch, watching snow fall as your sobs echo from the house behind him.

Joo-hyun makes her way outside, bidding him good-bye.

“I’m going home. For Madam ___’s sake, I won’t tell the police anything.”

…

I came here to run away from my past,

To forget everything,

Why did you come back to my life?

Why did I let you back in?

Why don’t I just kill you?

It must give you so much joy to see me like this,

You see that tree?

I stare at it, day and night,

As if it’s a parrot with my life inside it.

I stare at its leaves that fall.

The day that the last leaf falls,

Is the day I will breathe my last.

This is what you have brought me to.

I hope you’re ashamed of living like this.

But I know you don’t care at all.

All you do is hide.

The pen scratches along the paper as you force yourself to write word upon word, falling asleep at the desk as the wick of your candle burns through the night.

Hoseok’s fingers brush over the parchment, taking in every word as he gazes fondly at your sleeping figure. The words he had to say to you would never make it past his lips, let alone onto the page. He couldn’t hurt you any more than he already had.

Shrugging his jacket on, he slings his pack over his shoulders and retreats from the room, stepping out once again into the cold unknown. Looking up at the tree you wrote about, he sees it nearly stripped bare, the last few colorful leaves hanging from the branches.

Clutching his side, he makes his way down the snowy path as the house becomes smaller and smaller in the distance. He can see Namjoon’s figure waiting at the end of the road, and he lets out a deep breath, ready to leave this all behind.

As he takes in Namjoon’s waving arms, his heart freezes in his chest as he thinks of you. Dying, and all alone in that house. All because of him. Tears sting his eyes, throat tightening as he sobs at how lucky he was to find you again, and how easily he was about to let you go one more time.

Turning away, he makes his way back down the path, Namjoon’s yells echoing in the distance, wondering what could have caused the man to change his mind.

Stirring from your sleep, you awaken to find Han-jae stomping his boots free of snow at the front door. You shoot him a questioning glance.

“It’s still not safe outside,” he explains, a solemn look on his face.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Carrying the steaming mug in his hands, Hoseok sets it beside you, seeing you staring out the window at the tree again.

“I made tea,” he says softly, turning to head back towards the kitchen.

The sound of the mug flying and shattering into a thousand pieces stops him in his tracks.

“I don’t want your tea,” you snarl.

Saying nothing, Hoseok quietly kneels and begins to pick up the shards, taking care not to cut himself.

“What are you even trying to prove?” you beg him.

“Nothing. When I should have stayed, I ran away. I know.” Hoseok responds, his eyes remaining on the floor, too afraid to look up into your own.

“Once wasn’t enough for you, was it? You just had to come back and break my heart a second time,” you cry, tears clouding your vision.

Hoseok’s face stiffens as he shoots upward, meeting your gaze.

“___…” he begins.

“Don’t say my name like that! Like you still care!” the last word ends on a cough, another fit overcoming you.

Hoseok clucks his tongue, fretting over you as he reaches for the medicine you keep in the drawer.

Fury overcomes you at the thought that he’s still here, acting like nothing has changed, that he can worm his way back into your heart so easily. As he reaches for your arm, you pull it away from him, pushing him away with the other and running towards the living room.

His long legs catch up with you in no time, cornering your lashing figure as he attempts to inject the medicine. Your teeth sink down on his shoulder as he lets out a howl, your struggle interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.

Hoseok’s pupils dilate as he sees you start towards the phone. He pins you against the wall, rolling up your sleeve and injecting the syringe until your wheezing calms, the air filled with endless rings and the sound of your labored breathing. Disgusted, you push him away, watching as he lands with a thump on his back against the cold hardwood floor. Wincing, he lifts his shirt to see red coloring the bandage he’d put on the first day he got here. He gingerly extends a hand to help you up.

Slapping it away, you storm into the bedroom and collapse onto your bed, body tired from always fighting him and losing.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

“Sometimes I feel like strangling you, I hate you so much. But I don’t have the strength anymore. I just want to be free, Han-Jae. From you, from myself, from this life.”

Your words echo in Hoseok’s mind, the ax splitting the wood with a loud crack. Huffing, the cold air creating clouds around his face, he looks up at the tree. The one you’d always look at. The last leaf clutching on tightly by a mere stalk, ready to be swept away by the wind at any moment.

An idea strikes him, pack dragging along behind him as he makes his way to the guesthouse. Spilling the contents onto the table there, the familiar worn pages and gold lettering of the “How to Paint” book greet him, a smile lighting up his face as he closes his eyes, reveling in the moment.

The time had come for his masterpiece.

...

You wake in the morning to the sound of heavy breathing, looking to see Han-jae shivering as he huddles up next to the fireplace, hair soaking wet and clothes dampened. Paying him no mind, you make your way to the window, ready to check on your tree. Closing your eyes, you prepare yourself for the last leaf to fall, to tell you that your time is up, that it’s okay to let go. What you see, however, leaves you in shock. The leaf hangs on, drooping slightly, but giving you another day to live. A silent prayer escapes your lips, whispering thank you to whatever power there is above. You weren’t ready to go. Not yet.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

The nights begin to blur for Hoseok. What was supposed to be one night had now turned into weeks spent shivering in the cold each night, making his way to the guesthouse and painting as you slumbered away. He’d return chilled to the bone, shivering while he checked in on you with a thermometer and a warm towel. In the daylight, he labored away in the kitchen, preparing every single soup, stew, or dish he knew of, always beckoning for you to join him at the dining table. But you never did.

Hoseok didn’t mind. He knew he had no right to ask anything of you, to force himself back into your life. His heart was at ease knowing you awoke every day to find that the last leaf hadn’t fallen, and he could keep you close to him for a little while longer.

….

The coughs grew louder, harsher, and more frequent. Every day, you felt as though you were knocking on death’s door, ready to pass on. And every day, the sight of the brightly colored leaf stopped you, keeping you tethered to this house. To Han-Jae.

He’d remained steadfast in his attention to you: changing out your sheets, offering you food and tea, checking your temperature. Each night, he’d sit next to you, the two of you listening in silence as the phone continued to ring, Inspector Kim’s calls becoming more and more frequent. Each night, his eyes met yours, sorrow contain within as he’d duck his head in silent defeat, telling you it was okay to pick up, to tell the Inspector the truth. And yet, somehow, you never did.

You never asked him where he’d disappear to at night, and why he’d always come back cold and shivering. The only clue you had was a faint smudge of paint that had littered his cheek one time, causing you to smile later on when you thought of it, happy that he was painting the masterpiece he always said he would.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

One day, the bell to the front gate rings. You look at Han-Jae in fear, frozen as you contemplate what to do. Shaking his head, he tells you to answer it, that he’ll find a way to hide.

The long, lean figure of Inspector Kim clad in a black duster greets you at your doorstep.

“May I come in?” his deep voice rumbles, the question sounding like an accusation. He’d been wondering why you hadn’t responded to his calls, what you had to hide. “I hope everything’s been well, and that you haven’t been too sick.”

He walks towards you, his tall figure leaning over yours, casting a long shadow against the dim glow of the fireplace.

“Have you seen him?” he whispers. “Han-Jae?”

“No,” you reply resoundingly. “I know you said he might come, but I haven’t seen him anywhere. The guesthouse is still empty.”

His eyes sparkle with a dangerous gleam. He doesn’t believe you.

“May I take a look around?”

“Do you have a warrant?” you stop him.

“A warrant? No, but I can get one tomorrow,” he replies sharply.

“Then please come tomorrow,” you declare.

“Why are you trying to protect him?” Taehyung asks through clenched teeth.

He sees your downcast eyes, staring at the floor, and clears his throat.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be here with the warrant. I’ll bring ten of my best men with me, and they’ll be waiting along the path. If he tries to escape, we’ll shoot him on sight.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Hoseok lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, coming out from under your bed to find you sitting there, eyes sparkling with tears as you take him in.

The bed dips as he takes a seat next to you, his arm coming up to gently rest on your shoulder.

“Do you know my real name?” he blurts out, your eyes widening with shock.

“My name is Hoseok. Jung Hoseok,” he says with a grin, the weight of his hidden identity finally being lifted off his shoulders as he lets you in.

“Hoseok,” you try the name on your tongue, your smile mirroring his own. “It suits you.”

For a few quiet moments, the air is filled with nothing but the sound of your quiet laughter. Eventually, it subsides and makes way for a grim silence, your eyes flitting about nervously.

“Inspector Kim is going to kill you,” the sad revelation escapes you, as a few tears leak out along with it.

“Do you know what Jimin would have said to that?” Hoseok replies gently. “There’s no one out there who can wipe a smile off of Jung Hoseok’s face.”

“Don’t worry,” he brushes a strand of hair from your face and brings your head down to rest on his shoulder. “He won’t be able to touch me, I’ve escaped from much worse. I’ll leave tonight before he comes in the morning.”

Your face contorts into a grimace, unable to look at him as the tears begin to fall.

“Hey,” he says. “Look at me ___. Please.”

He kneels on the floor in front of you, clutching your cold hands in his warm ones.

“I know you don’t believe a word I say, but I’m telling you the truth right now. I’ve never been able to forgive myself for what I did to you. I hate myself and will hate myself for as long as I live knowing I broke your heart.”

Red eyes meet his warm brown ones as you stutter over the words you’ve been wanting to say to him for so long.

“Did you ever love me, Hoseok?”

“I did,” he breathes out, voice cracking. “I still do. You were my only chance to lead a better life, a different life. And I threw you away. All everyone has ever done in my life is used me. Only you loved me, and I couldn’t even love you back properly.”

Hoseok clears his throat, hands coming up to cup your face. “The life you have right now isn’t the one you should be living. Depending on that last leaf to fall isn’t right. It’s not the parrot from the story, it shouldn’t mean anything to you.”

“What if it falls?” you sob. “I don’t know what I should do.”

Hoseok’s face straightens, his wet eyes becoming solemn. “It won’t fall. I promise you.”

Throwing your arms around him, your sobs become louder as his hands come to rest on your waist. Neither of you says anything. He holds you until the tears stop until you’re so tired, your eyes can no longer stay open long enough to cry anymore. And then, he lets go.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Pressing one final kiss to your forehead, the sunrise greets Hoseok, letting him know it’s time to leave. Reaching into his breast pocket, he slips out the photo he’d been carrying for so long, leaving it behind on the desk for you to find when you awoke.

Stepping out into the cold mountain air, he takes one last look, noticing that the tree is now bare, its last leaf carried away by the wind. Reaching into his pack, he shuffles around the numerous brushes and jars of paint to find his masterpiece. A leaf, much like the ones that had fallen from the tree, painted in stunning hues of burnt umber and rich ochre, tied to a white string. He runs his fingers over the veins, smiling to himself as he imagines the sight of you waking up to the sign of hope he’d been leaving for you the past couple of weeks.

Climbing onto the tree, he clings to the branches that sway in the wind, reaching higher and higher until he finally makes it to the top. Fetching the leaf from his pocket, he ties the string around the skinniest branch running his finger underneath to make sure it’s on there tight.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocks Hoseok off his feet, his body meeting air as he falls, the thick layer of snowing cushioning him. Groaning, he winces, favoring his side as he limps out onto the path, met with the sight of Inspector Kim and at least ten other men, all with their guns pointed towards him.

The smile on his face never falters as he greets death in the eye, the shot ringing out as he thinks about the leaf floating in the wind, your smile when you’d learned his name, and the life he’d just saved.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

A gasp escapes your lips as your eyes shoot open, jumping out of your bed to find Hoseok. Silence greets you as the wind whooshes outside, all traces of his existence completely removed from within the house.

Your face falls at his departure, and you take a step to retreat back into your room when the picturesque scene of falling snow from the window greets you from outside. For the first time in a long time, you venture out onto the porch, getting a first-hand look at your tree.

Noticing something strange about the last leaf that hangs on, you take a step out into the yard, drawing closer and closer, a memory springs into your head.

“I just struggle with drawing leaves. Care to show me?”

“Leaves? Leaves are easy. Let me show you.”

“These are your leaves?”

“Hey, it’s modern art.”

Taking a look at the squiggly veins on the leaf, you note how they were made by someone with an unsteady hand. The colors of the leaf are too garishly bright, appearing unnatural against the pure white backdrop of the falling snow.

“I’d live in the mountains, practising my painting each day until I paint a masterpiece. Nothing but the air and the trees around me, with no people as far as I can see, and not a sound to be heard.”

“No sound at all?”

“None.”

A/N pt. 2: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this! This is now the longest story I've written and I'm very proud of it. If some of you guessed the basis for the story (and the movie) while reading as O. Henry's The Last Leaf, you're right! Hoseok to me signifies hope, of course, which can be found in even the darkest of moments. As always, any feedback or comments are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway.

[mysmegrace]

Hi! I’d love a short fic of Zen with a shy yet bubbly MC in a Christmas Fake Dating scenario <33 Hopefully with some anxious pining and a love confession at the end if that’s okay! I’ve been musing over this sweet scenario for a pretty long time and wanted to make my small dream come true

hey hey hey~ (ew im sounding like my old math teacher lol). i'd love to write that for you! sorry this came out a little late, i've been offline and working on other things. i hope i did this justice! 

summary: GD entertainment, the company zen works with, is throwing a christmas party. giving many of the actors special benefits, one of which is a free 2021 computer model for people who had brought in their significant others. zen could really use the upgrade, hence why he asked you to pretend to be his girlfriend for the night. he also asked you because he had feelings for you and figured that tonight would be the perfect night.

topics: christmas time, pretending to date, love confessions, romantic pinning, fluff.

words: 2k

For the Night, Or a Lifetime - Zen x MC

---

"are you sure this is alright to do zen..? i mean, what if rumors start to spread or they think badly of us?" you responded briskly. you were worried this would take a hit to his career, not to mention your anxious thoughts building up around the fact that you may have to speak with his boss and co-workers.

when zen had initially showed up 15 minutes prior, you were dumbfounded. last time you had spoke to him on the messenger, he had told you about some work he needed to finish up. yet an hour later, he was at your front door asking for you to act as his girlfriend tomorrow for the companies christmas party.once he had explained why to clear up your confusion, you weren't sure how to react. of course you would like to help him, but what if things didn't go as planned? what if you ended up ruining the night? you weren't secure in your acting abilities either.

"it'd be fine, i promise. we'll just act like a normal couple throughout the night and no one will suspect a thing" you heard him say, breaking your train of thought. looking up to meet his gaze, you quickly broke eye contact to contemplate your next action.

you knew zen could use the new computer, you’ve seen how old his current one was. but the fear of denting his career wouldn’t go away. you look up to meet him again, looking for a sign of reassurance or dismay. 

god those puppy eyes you gave to you. how could you say no? giving it another minutes, you eventually give in, saying “alright, but if something starts to happen we have to come clean”.

a breath he was unaware of holding came free as he heard your confirmation. a weight had been lifted off his shoulders because unbeknownst to you, he was planning to come clean about his feelings for you tomorrow night. so far, the plan was going just the way he was hoping for. 

“thank you babe, i’ll repay you back for this one day!” he said, giving his gratitude. “i’ll call when i come to pick you up” he adds, before turning to leave. it had already gotten late and he knew better than to stay with you for any longer while the moon was tempting him. no, that stuff would have to wait until the time was right.

watching as he left, the click of the door confirming it, your mind had completely gone blank on you. did that really just happen, you thought. you could hardly contain your excitement once he proposed the plan.

but you knew how the industry and his fans were. sure many were great, but many also say zen as a trophy they could reserve to themselves. a romantic partner could damage his career as allegations and opinions started floating around.

at the same time, it was difficult to hide. you had felt something for him that was so unfamiliar to you. something you could only identify as love. but what if he didn’t feel this same? what if...

enough, you told yourself. it was too late to get emotional and curious about what might happen. perhaps it would be better to rest and let your mind heal it’s anxiety for the time being. so that you did, drifting off while fantasying about the future, though you would never admit that.

a knock at the door caught your attention, allowing you to briefly look up from your phone. the sky had changed as christmas had arrived. everything was ready for your night as you had prepared once he had alerted you of his travel. 

opening the door, you gave a smile to greet him. one he returned promptly, pulling you into a friendly embrace. your heart skipped a beat, so anxious that you might do something he wouldn’t like. your body wouldn’t even offer you peace of mind to enjoy the closeness.

eventually letting go, you pulled your jacket on in a swift motion as you followed zen’s footsteps. being led to his motorcycle, a helmet was presented to you. “don’t worry, i’ll be safe. can’t damage precious cargo” he reassured you. 

god, was he trying to embarrass you, you thought as you felt yourself heating up. slowly gathering the courage to meet his eyesight again, you found him with a grin plastered across his lower face.

the nerve, though you’d have to let it slide for now. hoping on the ride, you heard the engine rear up as you went on your. wind hitting your face from all angles, moving your hair in whichever way it desired. 

pulling up to the event, you fixed your hair the best you could with your fingers with little time to spare. feeling your hand being grabbed, you looked towards zen, expressing a confident smile. in reality, you couldn’t believe what you had gotten yourself into.

taking the lead, zen greeted the people at the entrance in a polite yet swift manner. in your luck, they managed to find the time to question zen about your role to him. “she’s my girlfriend” he answered, before gesturing for the two of you to walk in.

the room was full of traditional christmas decorations with the occasional piece related to acting and performance. you quite liked it if you were honest. your attention was quickly redirected to the co-worker approaching the two of you.

oh no, you thought. what would you say to leave a good impression for zen and yourself as a pretend couple? remembering zen’s past words of advice, being confident and positive, you decided to adopt that attitude for the remainder of the evening.

“hyun, who’s this?” the person asked, leaving an eyebrow subtly raised. zen flashed a quick glance at you before responding “ah, she’s my girlfriend”. now was your time to shine. don’t mess this up, you told yourself.

“hello~ i’m mc. gorgeous event right?” you said with the nicest expression you could muster up. now you were left to hope you didn’t come across as too obnoxious or nervous.

“hello mc, pleasure to meet you” the co-worker greeted, reaching out a hand in your direction. slightly taken aback, you met his hand as you were involved in the handshake. that wasn’t so bad, right? maybe tonight would be easier than expected.

leading you to make a mental note of the three things you wanted to portray yourself as this evening. that being energetic, respectful, and adding in a tad of humor.

this formula seemed to be going well. an hour had already passed and nobody seemed to have a problem with you, openly at least. yet things started going down hill when you had a couple down further in the area whisper “things aren’t adding up with those two”.

a males voice added onto that, saying “i doubt they’re a real couple. look at them, neither one of them has shown the other any form of affection since they’ve gotten here”. you couldn’t find the words to say as you stood in slight horror.

how were they able to catch on? you thought you were doing good all night, making the environment relaxed and laid back. little to your knowledge, zen had heard the couple as well.

without giving it much thought, he knew he had to prove their thoughts wrong. hence why you suddenly felt yourself taken by the hands, pinned against the wall behind you. looking up in shock, you were met with zen’s face going in a kiss. of course, you couldn’t push him away. 

kissing him back, he found himself not wanting to stop. his rational mind took over quickly, pulling away. staring at you face to face, you could read the shock in his eyes. as if he was surprised by his actions. 

shock was something evident in your mind at the time too. you didn’t know what to think, what to feel. too many emotions were present for you to ever make sense of.

releasing your hands, he subtly went back to your side the same way he was before. almost as if it didn’t happen. yet you promptly heard his voice whisper “can we talk about this later?”.

without giving it much thought, you nodded in reply. you had so many new things to think about, you needed time. but in a good turn of events, the couple were no longer questioning your relationship status.

time passed in a slow motion, though reality reminded you that only an hour had passed once you looked at the clock. people were beginning to say their goodbyes, being given many gifts by the hosts. you and zen included as the computer was given for your leave.

returning to the motorcycle, you put on your helmet once again, as did zen. he would drive as you held onto the gifts in the back. this time, the wind wasn’t a bother to you. it had cooled off the heat from your face, deriving from the sudden actions of zen.

reaching your apartment complex, you got off the vehicle. looking nowhere but down as your feet carried you to your apartment, zen following behind you. as soon as your entered the familiar room, the fatigue from todays events had caught up to you.

now you were left with zen to discuss all that occurred. yet it took you a second to collect yourself for the conversation. you had no idea where this would go, you only hoped it would result in something good.

you heard the males voice begin to speak, “i’m sorry about doing that tonight, i should’ve asked first. i didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable”. your thoughts paused for a quick second as something new entered. you didn’t want him to feel bad about anything, he didn’t deserve it.

“no no, you didn’t make me uncomfortable, i enjoyed it to be honest” you replied in a haste. your face changed as you really started to take in what you had just told him. you hadn’t meant to let that last part slide.

on second thought, perhaps it was a good thing to get it out there. you couldn’t hide your feelings forever. now it was zen’s time to become a visible shade of pink. were you serious...?

god that made him so happy. the last thing he wanted was to make you uncomfortable and hate him. worried thoughts filled his head for a split second before you came in to save this sanity, as you always did.

“i’m.. glad to hear that. i was worried you would be upset. look, i have something to confess” he started, deciding now was the time. he observed as your eyes became a tad bit bigger as your mouth opened slightly in a curious form.

continuing, he said “i’ve had feelings for you ever since you joined the rfa. i couldn’t understand them at first, thinking i was juust lonely and desperate. but as time goes on, i can understand why”.

“mc, you’ve made my life change for the better. i can’t imagine life without you. so, will you go out with me? we don’t have to play pretend anymore” he finishes, lightening up the mood ever so slightly during the end. 

to say you were ecstatic was an understatement. finally your prayers were being answered. you could feel as your cheeks flushed before you gave your answer.

“yes, of course i will” you responded softly, as if speaking any louder would make this go away. standing in comfortable silence, zen was content with your answer. offering his gorgeous smile for your eyes only.

“thank you, ha you’ve gotten me so stocked. i have to prepare for practice so i’ll see you tomorrow.” he says, the tone of his voice raising noticeably. you give him a nod of approval, but become flustered at the words he said before leaving through the door.

“merry christmas, sleep well love” he sang out, before closing the door behind him. how did he expect you to sleep once he’s gotten you all worked up, you thought. giggling to yourself, you felt as the fatigue became even more present now that you were home.

laying down to rest, you were grateful for the best christmas gift you had received this year. the one that would be stuck with you for a long, long time.

---

15:43 AST - 07/28/21

[astraystayyh]

I hope I’m getting the timing right on this, but happy birthday baby!!! Hehe I really enjoy being your star anon and being it for a year has been beyond awesome. Truly, your posts bring me such a sense of joy whether it’s a new fic or just you rambling about whatever is happening in your life. I love hearing your SKZ thoughts, your life thoughts, your random midnight thoughts, all of it! I feel like getting to know you through this little blog is such a neat thing. I hope this year treats you gently and that you have a beautiful time completing another rotation on this mess we call Earth. I hope you get all the blessings you want and even more than that because you deserve it 🫶

(Also y r u literally SKZ’s favorite hello???? Rockstar came out a few days before your bday last year, you got GIANT a few days ago too, and now we have a whole comeback (which might be the special album) JUST before ur bday??? Hyunjin maybe on ur doorstep soon methinks)

-💫

EEEEE MY LOVELY STAR ANON I LOVE YOUUUU 🥹🥹🥹🥹 thank you sooo much ur presence on this blog has been such a light for me :,)) i love you beyond words, truly, thank u for brightening up my life and always coming to talk to me,,, i appreciate it and YOU!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ also AKJDJDBDJ DID U SEE they love me so much 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ manifesting a hyune live today 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[babiesdreams]

hellooo~~~ ^-^ •✩.-*-✭ you're writing is really good!!!! it's so fun to read your works. and your aesthetic just *chefs kiss*.

can i request a blurb (or short fic, whatever you want)— jaehyun + breeding kink, but fucking in a library?

I’m doing a doble request about this one cause I had two Jaehyun x Breeding kink hahah.

Silence please +18 Jung Jaehyun 

Warnings: Agsty (little bit), unprotected, cumplay, public sex

It was around the end of the semester. The flirty boy always made you lose the count of the days, and you definitely hated how your mind allowed your heart to fall for the fuck boy so fast. You’ve always been centred on your studies, getting the best grades possible and avoiding distractions, like this one.

Yet who could resist to his perfect looking features as he walks by like nothing? And the worst part was his attitude. He joined you in your job at the library weeks ago. Like if he ever read a book... But anyways, he always acted like he was a nice and sweet boy around you, for no reason whatsoever. Like who was he trying to fool?

It’s 5:34 PM and you’re both lonely in the quiet library. Your hands hold heavy old looking books while your brain analyzes the label they’re marked with. You keep quiet as you organize the different books skillfully. “Take these to the forth corridor” You whisper to Jaehyun pushing the card full of books slightly.

The metal card hits Jaehyun’s foot as he ars a brow. “Why are you whispering? Nobody is here” He says out loud. “Shhhh. People can come in anytime and our job is to keep the place quiet and organized” You loud whisper to the boy, who simply rolls his eyes, pushing the card through the corridors.

The jingle sounds of the card’s wheels sliding against the wood flooring is the only thing that can be heard in the room. You sit down, finally having some time alone, thinking about this and that while your hand moves around an empty piece of paper, drawing meaningless sketches in it. 

“So” Jaehyun’s voice whispers in your ear. You turn, startle at his sudden presence. “Do you wanna come to my house later?” He says backing up slightly. You roll your eyes back, and turn your back to him. “I’m busy” You simply whisper to him. 

“It’s fine, I just heard how much you liked cakes and I was planning on making one today” The boy whispers as he sits down comfortably on the chair right next to yours. “Why are you acting like this?” You ask him genuently curious. 

“What do you mean?” The boy replies relaxing his expression. “You act like you’re a nice guy around me but I know you’re a fuck boy, I’ve heard a lot of things about you” You spit out, but as you keep talking you can see changes on his expression, getting sadder as you speak.

“I’m not like that okay? I just can’t open up to everyone, I get that I have a reputation, but do I need to be defined by it?” The tone of his voice sounds genuine, though your mind can’t fully trust him.

“I’m trying to open up more lately, that’s why I got this job, you seemed different” His words have that power to make you feel somehow guilty of your assumptions. “I didn’t mean to judge you Jae...” Your voice drowns in the silence of the room.

“I like you” He says, after a long silence that feels like ages, his voice makes your cheeks blush uncontrollably. “W-what?” You say, backing up as you escape from his figure getting closer and closer to you. His lips brush yours as soon as your body collides with a bookshelf behind you.

Your hands try to push him away, but his fingers trap your wrists faster. “I’m not a playdate” You say angrily to him, finally able to pull off his kiss. His eyes look at you confused, analyzing your whole figure from head to toe.

“I’m not playing date” He screams, making you tremble out of the sudden loud noise. “Are you scared?” He says with a lower tone, getting closer to you, but you step back, getting farther from the boy.

He punches the bookshelf, making it fall over. Again loud noises get into your ears. “Fuck” He shouts. You fall over, as you panic, due to the given situation. But the boy starts crying to himself, kneeling down as he keeps his cries louder and louder.

“Jae-Jaehyun?” You call him, getting closer to his figure. Your fingertips touch his hair, caressing it slowly. “Am I a monster?” He whispers in between loud cries. You can’t help but pity the crying boy. “You’re not, I was just scared” You try to explain yourself.

“Scared of me?” His teary eyes shine down the bright lights, as he looks into your eyes. “Scared of the sound, God Jaehyun, you can’t just kiss me like that...” You say trying to make him understand. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry... I thought... I just like you and I don’t want to fuck things up but I don’t know how to make this right” He says, calming down slightly. “Why don’t we start by cleaning this mess up?” You tell him, getting some books from the floor and putting them on the table next to you.

“Are you not gonna help me?” You ask him as you keep getting books from the floor. He chuckles getting slowly up. His strong arms take the bookshelf back to its place, before he helps you get the books in place.

Hours pass as you keep on making jokes while cleaning the mess up. After a couple of hours you’re finally done with the job, so you both sit down, taking a break from the hard work.

“So what now?” Jaehyun asks, sipping on his milkshake. “Now we have to wait an hour until this is close. It’s not like you’re new..” You say rolling your eyes back.

“I meant what do we do to not die from boredom?” He says still sipping on his drink as his head rests over his arms. “I don’t know...” You say copying his pose. “We could make out” He says like nothing, and this time you decide to get his game back. 

“Sure” You say confidently. His eyes widen, not expecting your answer at all. He gets slowly closer to you “Really?” He asks genuiently confused. You go closer to him brushing his soft lips with yours.

You expected the kiss to last a few seconds and make the boy more flustered, but it didn’t. Instead, you found yourself falling into a deep and heated kiss. You lose conscious of time and space, as your brain gets lost in the feeling of his hands cupping your cheeks while you kissed him.

You don’t even realize how heated everything gets while you’re still in the library. Something’s really gotten into you, while you allow his hands to travel your body as you moan inside his mouth, making his bulge grow with every little sound.

Reality suddenly hits as a loud slam door noise can be heard in the distance. You hide your half-naked body behind the big desk and Jaehyun sits on his chair, acting all normal.

You finally get a chance to look at how hard he’s gotten since the kiss you gave him. Your eyes get darker at the sudden mesmerizing view. Your hands move without any orders from your brain, unzipping his pants and taking them down along with his boxers.

His hand hits yours slightly, asking you to stop as he deals with the angry man. But you don’t really care about that as you keep going. Your tongue passes around his length, slowly, tasting every drop of precum that was surrounding the boy’s dick. 

You can hear a tiny hint of satisfaction as his voice cracks while saying “I don’t know where she went” A smile grows on your face as your mind gets filled with anticipation. You let your lips surround his tip, slowly going down the hard length, your moves quickly speed up, making the boy more and more flustered.

You can hear footsteps in the distance as the man goes away, realizing just what was about to come. His fingertips trap your hair, making you look up His face slowly appears as he makes the chair go back. “You’re so dead” He whispers, still looking at the man, who slams the door close.

“What the fuck was that?” He whispers louder. Your hand, still on his dick, moves slightly, making his eyes roll back. His big arms grab your body, taking you to another part of the library, more hidden from the entrance.

“I thought you weren’t this dirty” He whispers in your ear as his hands get your clothes off. “Fucking in a library is quite kinky” His voice ton lowers and you feel the urge to feel him inside of you. Your hand travels to his length, getting it worked out again. 

“Fuck” He moans out letting his body fall over yours. His movements are rushed, as his lust grows. You feel his fingertips, getting your hand off his dick, as his tip slowly enters you.

It feels so nice to finally get some pleasure after all of that heated game you both had been playing for hours now. His veiny length stretches your walls fastly as his breaths fill the silence of the room. 

“Fuck Jae-h-hyun” You manage to moan out. It sounds so loud compared to the set atmosphere that the boy covers your mouth. “Quiet, this is a library” You hum against his palm, making him smirk harder as he keeps going faster and deeper into you.

“Silence please” He whispers teasingly, making you blush like crazy. His empty hand gets to your clit, drawing circles over it as he does. Your eyes roll back out of pleasure. “Are you gonna cum?” The teasy tone on his voice brings you back.

You simply nod, wanting to feel relieved after such a teasy game. “Only when I say so” Cumming on command wasn’t something you were good at, but you didn’t want a second round so you tried your best. Your legs squeeze together, trying to control the sensation, but his hands spread them up again.

You protest against his palm, which is pretty much useless as he completely ignores it. He holds like that for a whole another minute, before he says “Now” 

His words finally allow you to let go, making a mess out of yourself. You get to a point where you thank the boy to be covering your mouth as you would have made embarassing loud noises, making a fool out of yourself.

Your cheeks blush anyway, at the thought of the noises you would’ve made. You don’t even notice when the boy cums inside of you, making a big white puddle on the floor.

“Fuck” Is the only thing you hear before a loud noise makes you both turn around.

------------------------------------------------------------------

hehehhe Hope you enjoyed :)

Masterlist –requests open– How to request?  Check out your score.

[rosekim]

intro — looking for mutuals☆

aaaa, i realized i've been here for a week now but i haven't introduced myself properly yet, though it's not really necessary but lemme haha. for everyone who's been following this sideblog of mine, hello there! you can call me zi or rose. asian, filipina. i've been watching kdrama for almost four years now but i've only completed around 22 dramas, i guess? since i'm mostly busy with life. but i think i have much time now to spend my leisure times slacking off and scrolling, interacting on tumblr and twitter.

i'm also a fan of the following:

BinJin

Hyun Bin

Son Ye Jin

NamLee

HyunJi

Lee Jong Suk

Crash Landing On You

Psycho But It's Okay/It's Okay to not be Okay

Weightlifting Fairy

Day6

EXO

Mamamoo (slight)

Taylor Swift

Halsey

Ed Sheeran

Lorde

besides being a part time k-drama addict, i also write original fiction. mostly are written in filipino but now i'm attempting to write english ones, thus the purpose of my main writeblr (lumierezi).

also, about the story that i told you where Seo Yea Ji and Kim Soo Hyun are the main cast, i'm still doing some prepping. i want to make the story as proper and great as possible coz, shame on me for using HyunJi and making some crappy stories. i'll be posting the details, summary, etc on my writeblr but i will certainly reblog it here so you could check it out, too if you're interested♡

lastly, i just want to say thank you for those who have been following this blog, reblogging and liking my edits, you guys are making my journey fun. please, please, don't hesitate to talk to me or send me an ask and share your thoughts about the dramas you're watching or anything. i always love interacting and making friends esp if we share the same interest. i'm friendly i don't bite😆

expect me to post more contents soon, such as film and drama reviews, edits, icons, fic, etc. not just about PBIO/IONTBO but also about other things that i fangirl. thank you so much! have a nice day, y'all ☆

[goodnightkisseu]

Hwang Minhyun - Homebody

Requested By: anonny​ (“ I hope this isn't too late...I just saw your post about requests closing ^^; But I wanted to request a Min Hyun fic (I can't believe there aren't any requests for him yet???????). But something along the lines of a vacation or casual weekend hangout. Wish I had that for this Labor Weekend, but I'm just stuck studying.....Thanks in advanced and I can't wait to see what you'll produce :) ”)

Genre: Fluff

Note: Anonny, I’m finishing this request extremely late, but I hope that you like it! ;A; I’m sorry that you were stuck indoors on Labor Day Weekend, but I hope that this will make you feel a little better in the long run! ^^ I hope you all enjoy this, and as always, please feel free to let me know what you think of it :3

Enjoy~

Because of the situation with tumblr links, please check my bio for links to my masterlist~

- goodnightkisseu’s admin / ashley <3

Your home was a tranquil sanctuary for you. It had everything you could have possibly needed. It was a space where you felt like you could safely relax, be yourself, unlike at your place of work, where you often hid behind a happy mask to please your coworkers. As such, you liked being at home. Your ideal weekend involved lazing around the house in your pajamas before curling up in your blanket with a beautiful book. You were the definition of a homebody, the embodiment of a homebody, so being on the beach near sunset after such a long day was really outside of your comfort zone. Getting to spend the day with Minhyun however, well, that may have made up for it.

This weekend was the first one that Minhyun had off in a long while. With all of the exciting things going on at work, it was tough for him to not work during the weekend. With everything now wrapped up and handed to the right people, the two of you had initially planned for a lazy weekend in. One, because you enjoyed lounging around the house together, and two, because Minhyun probably would have liked a break from his fast-paced life. However, your lazy weekend never became a reality. A few hours before noon, Aron sent you a message, asking if you could take care of Noah for the day while he took his new dog out for her checkups. Knowing how much Minhyun loved his friend’s dog, you brought it up with him, and your boyfriend jumped at the chance. Watching the way that Minhyun’s face lit up as you mentioned Noah was enough for you to agree. In moments, your once lazy day at home was filled with talks of places where you could go with a dog in tow.

It was a beautiful and sunny Saturday, so your options were endless. You both decided on a lovely brunch at a small little café that had outdoor seating. This allowed Aron to join you for food before he had to head off. It was nice catching up with him again. After you had switched to a new company and into a new role, you didn’t see each other as often as you used to. Minhyun still saw him from time to time at business gatherings, but it was an excellent opportunity for you to talk with him directly, and not use Minhyun as a proxy. It was good to hear that he was doing well, that the work that the company was doing was picking up again. It seemed that work was going well and he even had enough time to get another cute little ball of fur to keep Noah company while he was at work.

After your meal, you parted ways with Aron. The two of you had talked about different places you could go for the day, do your usual run at the farmer’s market, things like that. Yet as you were getting into the car, helping Noah into the back, Minhyun suggested something completely different. There was a dog beach, not too far away that he had heard about from some coworkers. Minhyun thought that it might be a good chance for Noah to go running around on a beach, experience something new, as he was aware that Aron’s schedule didn’t really allow him to take his dog out to do so. There were also cute little eateries that were dog-friendly so the two of you could stop for some food when you got hungry.

You had to admit that it did sound like a lot of fun. Even though the beach wasn't your favorite place to go, it could still be a lot of fun. It had been a while since you had been to one. Plus, even if you stayed at home, the two of you would still have to get up and walk Noah anyway. Not only that but it was a suggestion from Minhyun. This being his first weekend off, you wanted to make sure that he got to spend it the way he wanted. And if going to a dog beach was what he had in mind, well, you’d go along with it. So, not needed any persuasion, you agreed, and the three of you were off.

The drive was a bit long, probably about an hour and a half, but what surprised you most was how quiet Noah had been. It seemed as though being out at the café earlier had worn the small pup out, and now he was asleep in the backseat. Minhyun took the quiet opportunity to talk with you. He brought up work, as was natural for him to do so. Minhyun realized that in the last month you had stopped talking about it altogether. He knew that you didn't hate it, and instead you were trying to be courteous to him. With all he had going on, he knew that you didn't want to pile on your own problems. Still, he didn't get much out of you. Just that you were doing well and that the team was friendly, yet had some organizational problems. He let it die at that. He became aware that you were trying to keep talk of work short. After all, it was his first weekend away from it.

Trying to veer away from it, Minhyun instead asked about the next time the two of you could take an extended time off together. Minhyun often traveled for business while you usually just remained within the city. So the next time you had some time off, he wanted to take you out of the country, to explore a place you had never been to. Neither of you knew exactly where that destination was, as you both had a list of places you wanted to go to together, but it was a pleasant conversation. It distracted your brain from deadlines, from future contracts and a slew of other things. Minhyun was always so good at this. At diverting you. And it was honestly something you appreciated about him. You often got hung up on the finer details so having him there to avert your attention away from that, put your mind at ease.

Eventually, the beach came into view, sun and sand clearly visible as Minhyun parked the car. You stepped out, stretching your body out after the long trip, greeted by the fresh ocean air. Once you were refreshed, you opened the backdoor to let Noah out shortly after. He was excited to be out, probably having regenerated all of his energy after his nap. He looked up at you happily, but when he saw the beach... well, you had never seen the pup so confused before. This reaffirmed to you that your friend hadn't taken his dog to the beach yet. So, slowly, you and Minhyun urged the pup forward, his steps reluctant as he approached the soft grainy sand. However, as strange as it was between his paws, he got used to it quickly and was soon running along on the leash, playing with the other dogs.

Minhyun was quick to take the leash from you, knowing that Noah was likely to be a bit too rambunctious for you now that he had a new found love for the sand. He was not ready for the puppy to drag you away and get loose from the two of you. You giggled as you observed Minhyun trying to control the energetic puppy, having issues when he started running full speed ahead to play with some of the other dogs. Your small little buddy eventually led you both to where the ocean water met the sand. He was quick to run around, enjoying the water.

Taking the opportunity, you bent down to feel how cold the water was, not wanting to stay too long if your furry little companion could get a bit of a shock from it. What you weren't expecting in your new crouched position was for Noah to notice you... and to take the opportunity to run up to you and cover you in wet kisses. His tongue licking your face knocked you off balance, and you soon found yourself covered in sand, saltwater, and puppy licks. As you were laughing softly, trying to get the excited dog off of you, you realized that someone was laughing even louder. Next to you was your boyfriend, holding onto Noah's leach and exploding in a fit of guffaws, in your opinion, far more amused than he should have been.

Once Noah let up on his onslaught of love and affection, you managed to get back onto your feet. As you walked the rest of the beach, you would try to brush off as much sand as you could, but knew that it was a lost cause. When Noah's steps slowed, signifying that he was getting tired, the three of you headed into a small restaurant on the edge of the beach, hoping to get something for yourselves and your exhausted furry companion. It was a well-deserved rest and a tasty meal.

As the sun started to set, you saw Noah getting a bit antsy, just lying there while you and Minhyun conversed amongst yourselves over the tea and the coffee you had bought. Hearing his restless little noises signaled that it was time for another short walk before the three of you headed back to the city. From the small pastry shop, you made your way back onto the sand, knowing that the pup had enjoyed his earlier walk on the soft surface. You had his leash firmly in one hand, while your other arm was looped around Minhyun's arm. Your pace was dictated by the puppy in front of you, but it was still a pleasant and leisurely stroll, the beach now cast in warm orange and pink.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Minhyun asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of you.

"What, getting covered in saltwater and sand?" you inquired jokingly.

Minhyun tried to stifle his laughter, though his inability to do so earned him a glare. "For the record, that was still hilarious. But, what I meant was walking like this, and the beautiful scenery."

Well, it was an attempt at a save, even if it was a poor one. "You know, I'm going to find a way to get back at you somehow... I just don't know how or with what yet..." you mumbled to yourself. Minhyun through his arm around your shoulder, pulling you to his form as a way of trying to soothe your anger. It kind of worked.

Your steps slowed as Noah stopped momentarily to smell something interesting he had found. "I mean, wet clothes and sand aside, this was really fun. I've never been a big fan of beaches, but this was really beautiful and... calming?" you admitted, trying to search for the right words. Minhyun looked down at your, a smile forming on his lips. Ah, there was that smile of his. It was the one that always won you over, even when you were pressed about his teasing.

"You know, there are a handful of pretty places like this overseas. I've only ever seen them from the hotel room or heard about them from the locals, but we could try going there for our first trip together," he suggested. Honestly, he had known that going to the beach wasn't your favorite thing to do, but he had recommended it today because he wanted to know more about what you liked. He wanted to be able to make the right decision when it was time for this vacation, and staying inside all day wasn't going to help that. He already knew you didn't like things like clubs, so places with a heavy emphasis on nightlife probably wasn't for you. But he knew that you did like nature, so maybe something like this would be up your alley? Truthfully, he wasn't even sure if you were going to agree to a dog beach today, but he was glad that you did. He liked being out with you like this, just the two of you. Well, and Noah.

"One trip to the beach and you're already suggesting more beaches," you teased gently, feeling Noah tugging on the leash a bit. "Is this your way of hinting that you want to see me in a bikini?"

Minhyun shook his head at your teasing. "No, not unless you want to," he replied, earning him a roll of the eyes from you. "But I had initially brought it up because a lot of small towns usually get built around places like this. They all have their own little culture. I know that you don't enjoy the bustling city nightlife, so I thought this would be more of your speed," he explained. Honestly the more he thought about it, the more he realized it might not have been such a bad idea. It would be good for the two of you, a place to go and unplug, to really get away. He liked it.

"You do have a point. I'm not about the nightlife. A quaint little town to explore does seem more tempting..." you said slowly. "We'll put it on the list of possible places," you told Minhyun happily. He gave you another smile as the two of you finished up the rest of your walked and headed back towards the car. Sure, you were a homebody through and through, but it was nice being out too. Mostly when it was with Minhyun...

[borahae-777]

The Truth Untold -- Chapter 16: Wherever There's Hope, There's a Trial

Pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook, Yoongi x Jimin

Word Count: Fic in progress, 180k so far. 3k-5k per chapter

Chapter Summary:

Namjoon is relaxing in bed practicing his English when he’s startled by an endless knocking. If someone’s trying to get to him this frantically it can’t be good. He feels a headache starting behind his eyes. It seems like the problems in their lives never end. He stands up and hurries to the door, needing the panicked sound to stop and starting to feel a worried twist in his gut. He turns the doorknob and opens the door a crack to see who it is. He sees a shaky Jungkook with tears rolling down his face and swings the door open, bringing the maknae into the room and locking it behind them. He pulls him into a bear hug and can feel how hard he’s shaking.

Warnings: Eventual Smut, BDSM, 18+, MxM

The following week finds the group in Taiwan preparing for another pair of back-to-back shows. Everyone is in the dressing room goofing off and laughing as their noonas prepare their hair and makeup. Jimin, however, can’t focus. He keeps sneaking looks at Yoongi in the mirror. They may all be trying on similar clothes: basic black or white t-shirts with jackets or button-up shirts draped over them, but he’s convinced no one could look better in such a plain outfit. The jeans Yoongi is wearing are hugging his hips and legs in a way that makes Jimin blush and look away.

The worst part of his distraction is that he hasn’t noticed Yoongi looking at him once. He wants nothing more than to run to him, he just wants to be sure first. He’s not positive that he can get past the things that he’s done, not just the woman he used but the entire saga from the start. Yoongi hasn’t treated him fairly at a single moment and he’s trying not to let two very, very intense makeout sessions distract him from that. He knows what he deserves from a partner and it’s not avoidance and fear.

“Jimin-ssi!”

A loud yell pulls him out of his own head and he feels a weight crash into him a moment later, making his makeup noona jump back and shriek in surprise. Soon all three of them are laughing as he pushes Dae-hyun back and scolds him for interrupting his noona. She smiles at him in gratitude and gets back to work as he watches his friend lean back against the counter to chat. They really have so much fun together and Jimin is glad to be around someone who isn’t so intimately connected with all his current problems.

“Are you excited? You guys are going to do so well!”

“Of course we are, silly. Don’t ever doubt us! Do you want to come have a drink with me after the show?”

“I’d have loved to, but Jungkook-ssi actually asked me the same thing! I figured it would be a good time to really get to know him, especially after my dinner with Taehyung went so well.”

“That’s so exciting, Dae-hyun! I’m so glad that you’re not just being accepted into the family, but welcomed!”

“I am…except with Yoongi-hyung. He barely says a word to me and always looks a bit irritated when I’m around.”

Jimin looks up into the mirror, knowing exactly where Yoongi is placed within it. He’s been sneaking glances all night, after all. This time, the elder is looking directly back at him. Has he only been looking since Dae-hyun has come over? Jimin feels the familiar annoyance for how poorly Yoongi has handled this whole thing and it helps him shake off any residual gloom.

“Don’t worry about hyung, he just takes awhile to warm up. He’s shy and introverted until he’s comfortable. Starting with Taetae and Kookie was a good choice, they’ll take you under their wing.”

“You talk about them like they’re one person.”

“Sometimes it seems like they are!”

Jimin can’t help but giggle when he and Daehyun both look over to where Taehyung and Jungkook are sitting together on the couch. They’re completely stage-ready and the maknae’s head is in the other’s lap as they scroll through their phones and show each other something every few seconds. They each seem to laugh at every single thing shown to them and Jimin wonders again if somehow they have the same brain.

“Dae-hyun? Do you think I could talk to you for a second?”

Jimin snaps his head to the right to see Yoongi standing on the opposite side of him from Dae-hyun. He tenses up, wondering what this could possibly be about? What if Yoongi is rude to him again? He looks over at Dae-hyun to make sure he’s comfortable. He searches Jimin’s eyes, looking a bit nervous, but then nods.

“Sure, let’s take a walk down the hall.”

Jimin watches the two walk out the door together and can’t help but be filled with nerves.

********

Taehyung glances up and sees Yoongi walking out the door with Dae-hyun and frowns. That seems like it can’t be good. He glances over at Jimin, who’s looking right at him. They have a silent conversation with their eyes and facial expressions. They’re experts on each other by now. Jimin is nervous, but trying to stay hopeful. He decides it’s best to just leave it alone and see how it plays out.

He turns his head back to his lap and watches Jungkook’s face from above. The smooth skin, the way he’s nibbling on his lower lip as he scrolls through his phone, the slight furrow in his brow. There can’t be anyone more attractive walking this earth. He feels overwhelmed at the surge of love that washes through him.

Don’t forget, he said he loves you.

He shakes the pestering thought from his head. He’s been trying to avoid thinking about it ever since the night he took Jungkook’s virginity. There is no way on earth that that was a real ‘I love you’. It was an extremely poignant and intimate moment in his life and people often get overwhelmed with emotions. He said it as he orgasmed, he was just carried away. Taehyung has spent the entire last week pretending it never happened, for both their sakes. Jungkook hasn’t brought it up either, so he figures he’s making the right choice.

“Taehyungie, I can tell you’re staring! Cut it out!”

“Can you really blame me for staring? Noona did such a good job on your makeup!”

He purposely says that loud enough for Jungkook’s makeup noona to hear and he can see her across the room look up at him and smile. They’re so lucky that they’ve had such amazing staff all these years, they try very hard to show their gratitude and affection for them whenever possible. They’re very aware that they would have never gotten to this point without the incredible people behind the scenes.

“Hey Kookie, want to go directly back to my room after the show? We can worry about taking off our makeup and washing off the sweat there instead of here…”

Taehyung leans down to whisper quietly to Jungkook, but as his sentence trails off he slips his tongue along the shell of the maknae’s ear. The answering shudder automatically makes his pants significantly tighter and he knows he’s not the only one who notices. Jungkook wriggles his back along Taehyung’s lap. To anyone else, it would look like he’s just rearranging to get comfortable, but his intentions are far more sinister.

“Mmm, Tae. You can’t do that to me here. I’d love that, but I’m actually having drinks with Dae-hyun after the show. I thought it might make Jiminie happy if I get to know him too.”

“That’s a great idea Kook, you’re the sweetest. No problem, I’ve been meaning to catch up with Yoongi-hyung and see how everything with Jimin is going from his end. I’ll see if he wants to hang out. Come to my room when you get back?”

“Of course. If you think I’m not going to take advantage of us being in a private hotel room where no one else can hear us, you’re crazy.”

Taehyung’s breath catches in his throat at the suggestive tone in Jungkook’s voice. He swallows hard and flicks his eyes down, seeing that the maknae has noticed his reaction. He smirks and turns his head back to his phone, leaving Taehyung to wonder who really has the upper hand here. He runs his hand through the younger man’s hair, pulling tight for just a brief second and smiling when he sees that sharp jaw clench with tension.

I will always win, Jungkookie. Just you wait til you see what I have in store for you…

********

Yoongi is walking down the hallway with Dae-hyun and finds himself unable to start the conversation. The silence is incredibly awkward and he keeps seeing the younger man glancing over him nervously. He knows he needs to apologize and try to find a common ground, Dae-hyun is becoming important to Jimin which means he needs to be able to connect with Yoongi too.

“Thanks for walking with me. I guess I just want to apologize for the attitude I’ve had around you here and in Osaka. I’ve been dealing with a lot and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m very sorry that I treated you the way I did in Osaka. I wanted to make more of an effort with you when you came to the dorm, but I have trouble finding something to say to new people.”

“I understand, Yoongi-ssi. Not everyone is going to get along, especially at first. I never imagined I’d get along with all of you. When Jimin and I became friends, I just assumed we’d be friends and leave it there. He seems to be insistent on integrating me with you guys, which I’m all for, but he also needs to realize that there may be personality clashes.”

“Well I’d like to at least try, Jimin is important to me. He’s important to all of us. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d like to become your friend.”

“I definitely understand that. I assume that that’s why Jungkook asked me to have a drink with him after the concert tonight. After I had dinner with Taehyung, he seemed very interested in getting to know me.”

Ha, if only he knew that he’d been out with Jungkook’s boyfriend. I wonder if that has anything to do with the sudden interest in becoming friends.

“Oh you’ll have a great time. Jungkookie never fails to make us laugh. You seemed to fit in very well at game night, I think you’re going to be a great addition to our group.”

“Thank you, Yoongi-ssi. To be honest, I’m a little conflicted. Is it okay to get close to you guys when I work for the company? I feel like I’m being pulled in so many different directions. Just meeting Jimin was one thing, but all of you?”

Yoongi pauses and doesn’t say anything as they continue to walk. He realizes they’re following some sort of loop that will eventually bring them back to the dressing room. He assumes that Dae-hyun knew this and wanted to make things as easy as possible. He appreciates the forethought, but he’s confused as to why there would be any uncertainty about becoming friends.

“I’m not sure I understand, Dae-hyun. Why would getting to know us give you any sort of anxiety? The company is more laid back than you think, we’ve gotten very close to our different managers and Run PDs over the years.”

“I’m not worried about the company so much. I’m worried about other people. I’ve never really been involved in this industry before and since I started I’ve gotten a little lost on the internet and seen all the backlash people get just from being seen with idols.”

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. It’s not dissimilar to how I felt about the potential of our intimate relationships being outed. This industry is harsh and some of the sasaengs are so overzealous. Say something to make him feel better. Say something. Anything.

“I can relate a little bit. Not in exactly the same way, but I understand how our industry can treat people. The best advice I can give you is to ignore everyone. Do what you want to do, what feels right for you. At the end of the day, you’re the one that has to live with yourself. Those outside people, they’re fleeting.”

“Wow, thank you. That was very wise and gives me a lot to think about. I can see why the others hold such great respect for you. As quiet as you seem, you appear to be very caring. I appreciate your apology and this talk. I have some decisions to make.”

“You’re welcome. As you’ll learn with time, I know that I’m great.”

Yoongi winks and Dae-hyun bursts into a high-pitched peal of laughter that reminds him a lot of Jimin’s. His jealousy has faded away bit by bit as they walked, this is just a genuinely good guy that Jimin befriended. He needs to leave it alone and start being a lot nicer.

“Do you need to talk through the decisions you feel you have to make? I know we don’t know each other well, but I’m willing to listen if you need.”

He sees the younger man’s eyes widen and they both stop walking. Neither of them says anything for a moment and Dae-hyun seems uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“That’s so nice of you. Thank you. But. Um. I. I think I need to figure this out for myself. Anyway, you’re getting close to needing to be up on stage so I’ll let you go. Thank you for this, genuinely. It really helped.”

Dae-hyun turned on his heel and started walking in the other direction without waiting for Yoongi to answer. He wonders if he tried to pry into the younger man’s life too quickly. Social situations are not his forte and he’s really trying to learn how to connect with people the way the others do.

Maybe he just needs to accept that he’ll never be like them and that’s okay. He’s him and that’s all he needs to be. At least he’s trying to change.

********

Jungkook is sitting in his hotel room after the show waiting for Dae-hyun to arrive. He’s already showered and changed, pulled different bottles out of the minibar and laid everything out on the table in his tiny living area. Jimin deserves a new friend and he wants to put in some effort. Plus, Taehyung spoke so highly of Dae-hyun that he thinks they’ll get along famously. Game night was a blast and he thinks everyone would enjoy another one soon.

He’s considering calling room service to ask for a wider selection of alcohol when he hears a soft knock at the door. He hops up and hurries to the door, swinging it open to see Dae-hyun’s smiling face. He gives him a hug and then ushers him inside.

“Come in! I put out everything to make drinks on the table, help yourself!”

“Thanks, Jungkook-ssi. I’m glad we’re doing this. The show went very well by the way. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching the way your fans love you all so much. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“We are incredibly lucky, we try our best to give them everything that they give us.”

“I’m sorry to change the subject so abruptly, but I was wondering if you’d noticed anything off about Jimin lately. He’s acting the way he always does, but something’s missing. It’s like his heart isn’t in it. I’m a bit worried. Did something happen?”

Jungkook pauses, looking down into his glass. He knows exactly why Jimin isn’t alright, but it’s not his place to talk about. He doesn’t want to lie, but also doesn’t want to worry Dae-hyun or make it seem like there’s something he should ask Jimin about. The only idea he can come up with is to plead ignorance.

“Hmm, I don’t know! It’s hard to read all of us sometimes. Between having to keep up our stage personas, being mobbed by fans in public, having cameras in our faces all the time, and the constant exhaustion…our moods and demeanors change on an hourly basis.”

“That’s a good point. I don’t know how you all manage it, I could never live your lives.”

“Honestly, fame was never our goal. We don’t care so much about the accolades or the celebrity status. We just all love music so much and we want to live our lives performing and making people happy. It doesn’t matter if it’s in front of a hundred people or a million.”

“Wow. How is it possible that all of you are impressing me in completely different ways? Jimin’s inner joy that shines through even in his dark moments, Taehyung’s social intelligence and empathy, your humbleness and kindness. I can’t wait to see what everyone else is like over time.”

“Aish, thank you.”

Jungkook gets bashful, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and scrunching up his nose. He’s never known how to comfortably take praise from unfamiliar people. Dae-Hyun is so nice and seems to genuinely want to learn about them as individuals, not idols or coworkers. It’s refreshing.

They continue to chat, Jungkook learning about Dae-hyun’s family back in Gwangju and what he has in mind for his future. It turns out they’re both adrenaline junkies who want to try extreme sports like bungee jumping and skydiving. They bond over the most exciting things they’ve done and talk about maybe crossing some things off their lists together someday.

Hours pass by without either of them noticing the time until they realize that they’re both fairly drunk. Jungkook knows he needs to get to Taehyung’s room before it gets too late, they have another long day tomorrow after all. He offers to walk Dae-hyun back to the staff floor to make sure he’s okay and he gladly accepts. They both grab their things and head out the door, Dae-hyun in front. As Jungkook closes his room door behind them he sees a piece of paper taped underneath the peephole. He peels it off the door and turns around to face the other man so that he can’t read over his shoulder.

It’s the note Taehyung left under his pillow the first time they hooked up, the morning of Namjoon’s announcement of lifting the ban. Jungkook’s skin crawls and his blood runs cold. This is supposed to be pinned on his cork board at home.

“Jungkook-ssi? Are you okay?”

“Daehyung, was this note here when you walked to my room earlier?”

“No, when I walked up the door was bare.”

“I’m sorry, I have to go. Please text me that you got back safely.”

Jungkook turns and runs to the last door in the hallway next to the elevators and starts frantically knocking.

********

Namjoon is relaxing in bed practicing his English when he’s startled by an endless knocking. If someone’s trying to get to him this frantically it can’t be good. He feels a headache starting behind his eyes. It seems like the problems in their lives never end. He stands up and hurries to the door, needing the panicked sound to stop and starting to feel a worried twist in his gut. He turns the doorknob and opens the door a crack to see who it is. He sees a shaky Jungkook with tears rolling down his face and swings the door open, bringing the maknae into the room and locking it behind them. He pulls him into a bear hug and can feel how hard he’s shaking.

“Jungkookie, oh my god. What’s wrong? What happened? Come here, sit on the bed and take some deep breaths. I’m going to get you a glass of water, you reek of alcohol.”

“I’m-I’m so sorry, hyung.”

“For what, Kook?”

Jungkook hands him a slip of paper with a piece of tape on it and his eyes scan it quickly. He cringes a little, realizing it’s some sort of love note to Jungkook from Taehyung. He really doesn’t need this kind of detailed look into their relationship.

“What is this?”

“The morning you lifted the separation on everyone, obviously you saw that Tae and I took off right away. We spent some time together and then I fell asleep and he left to get some things done. He left this note under my pillow.”

“Okay…I still don’t understand. You need to tell me what’s going on.”

“I put this on my corkboard in my room at the dorm. I didn’t remove it. I just left to walk Dae-hyun to his room after we had drinks together and this was taped to my door.”

Jungkook bursts into tears and Namjoon doesn’t have the wherewithal to comfort him at first. His headache is growing and he can feel his heart pounding. This is dangerous. Luckily they’ve reserved the whole floor so no one could’ve seen it except members or staff, but if any of the staff had seen it they could have caused trouble. He needs to be more proactive about this, he should’ve focused on damage control from the second he decided to defy the company. Right now though, he needs to help Jungkook.

“Deep breaths, Kookie. It’s going to be okay. Hyung will take care of it. I don’t want you to dwell on this. Focus on Taehyung, spend some time together. Focus on the show tomorrow, being on stage always makes you feel better.”

“I don’t know if I can go and see Tae right now, do I tell him about this? You know how afraid he is of being caught and outed. It’s what made him run away from me the first time. I can’t lose him again. Not now.”

“For right now, keep the note between us. When we get back to Korea I’m going to set a meeting at the company and tell them that I lifted the ban and negotiate privacy for you and Taehyung. We’re all signing new contracts in a few months and I think this should be a stipulation of that.”

“You’d do that for us? What if you end up taking most of the heat?”

“I would move mountains for each and every one of you. You’re my family. I’m also the group’s leader, it’s my job to keep us all happy and safe. I’ve got this. If you don’t want to see Taehyung tonight, go back to your room and drink some water before you get some sleep. We need to be on top of our game tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much, hyung. I’ll do my best to shut my brain off and get some rest.”

Namjoon walks Jungkook to the door, giving him a tight hug before he leaves. He walks back to his bed after and fiddles with the piece of paper. This is going to be messy, how can they ever figure out who left the note? Whoever it is is clearly trying to send Jungkook a message, otherwise it would have already hit the media. His head starts to pound and he turns off the light before laying down.

Heavy hangs the head that wears the crown.