Thursday, Y/n POV
I step out of the boutique feeling drained.
The Dior wedding dress that Jin's mom ordered for me was hideous. It was too tight, too revealing, too much. But I had to ooh & aah, pretending like it was my dream wedding dress.
"I can't believe I hurt my mom's feeling for that dress." I sigh.
"Why do you look so down on such a beautiful day?"
I turn around & my mood instantly worsens.
Oh God.

Jungkook POV
Seoul is such a small city, especially if you associate only with people from a certain level of the society.
I was sipping my espresso in one of the cafes in Gangnam, thinking about what I should do with Y/n, when I saw her stepping out of one of the boutiques across the street.
I quickly put some money on the table for my coffee & dash out the door. Somehow, I feel delighted to see her randomly like this, especially after what Jin told me last night.
"Why do you look so down on such a beautiful day?" I walk up to her & ask.
"You. Are you following me or something?" She clicks her tongue & frowns, obviously annoyed by my appearance.
"Why would I? I live in this neighborhood, so it's you who are trespassing into my territory." I tease her.
"You- Ugh.. I'm not in the mood to argue with you now. So just leave me alone." She rolls her eyes & walks away.
"What's wrong? You look mad. But then you always do, so-" I keep pestering her, despite knowing that it'll only make her even angrier.
"Ya! Jeon Jungkook! Why do you always get on my nerves? Just continue what you were doing & leave me the hell alone!"
Her flushed face causes me to chuckle inwardly.
She looks cute when she's mad. Oh God, what was I thinking? She's Jin hyung's fiancee!
"Alright alright, I'll stop teasing you. Tell me what happened."
"Why? So you can use it against me next time?" She glares at me suspiciously.
"I promise I won't say a word to anyone. So, tell me. Your frown was so deep that a fly could get lost in it, when you walked out of Dior. Ahhh, I remember now. Is it the wedding dress?"
"How do you know?!" Her eyes widen in surprise.
"I was there when Jin hyung's mother discussed it with you, remember?"
"Oh yeah, right. Damn, it was uglier than what I'd imagined & pointlessly expensive. No offense to the designer, but it's just totally not my style. Oh my God, I sound so much like a spoiled brat now." She covers her face with her palms & sighs.
"Just tell her that you don't want to wear it then. What's the big deal?" I shrug.
"Ya, didn't you hear? She told me that she specifically ordered it for our wedding present. If I reject it, she'll think that I'm waging a war against her & I won't ever see the end of it for years to come."
"So it's worth hurting your mother's feeling? Didn't you say that you were going to wear your mother's old wedding dress? Wouldn't she be disappointed?"
She stares at me & I can see tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"She was disappointed, although she tried really hard to cover it. I could hear it in her voice. Ugh.. I really don't know what to do. Why is getting married so complicated? I thought it would be sooo much simpler. All I want is a small party with our close friends & family, but now it has turned into a gigantic circus."
Listening to her confession, I look at her through newfound perspective.
She seems genuine, not a gold digger that I thought she was. I guess I was truly wrong about her.
Her sad expression makes me feel bad, so I scan around & search for something to distract her.
"Hey, look, that ajumma is selling ppopgi. I haven't had that in years. Let's go." I find a street vendor who's selling the old school candy & pull her towards it.
"Woah, I haven't had one in a long time as well. Which pattern do you want?" Her eyes light up in excitement.
"Does it matter? They all taste the same anw."
"Ya of course it matters! Choosing the pattern is where all the fun is. Ajumma, I want the heart one please." She smilingly says to the ajumma & grins even wider when she receives the candy.
Looking at her innocent reaction, I inadvertently smile as well.
"I'll have the star one then. Here's the money, just keep the change." I pay for our candies & walk side by side with her to a nearby bench.
"Should we sit down here? I don't want people to look at me funny. A grown man like me eating ppopgi is definitely not a common sight."
Actually, it's just an excuse so that I can spend a little more time with her, but of course I refuse to admit it.
"Uhm..." She seems a bit hesitant.
"Are you scared of me? Don't worry, I won't attack you in broad daylight." I smirk at her.
"I'm not scared!" She huffs & plops down beside me.
Happy that my strategy worked, I turn sideways to hide my triumphant smile from her.
"Can I ask you a question?" She suddenly asks.
"Yeah, shoot."
"What happened back then between your & Jin's parents? It's totally fine if you don't want to answer though." She quickly adds.
Her question brings back so many memories that I don't wish to recall, but somehow I want to tell her.
"Well, it wasn't exactly between hyung's parents & mine.." I begin to tell her the story.

Flashback, Jungkook POV
My mom used to work for one of Jin's parents' acquaintances, while my dad was a manager in Jin's family company.
We were a regular middle class family living among the richest of the riches.
My mom's boss was kind enough to enroll me in the same school as his son, which was the school that Jin attended as well, because he told her that my grades qualified me for a scholarship at the school.
My parents were very grateful for it of course.
Everything was great, although no one wanted to be my friend since I didn't come from their circle, but I didn't really mind.
Until one day, my mom's boss's true intention began to show.
He started to flirt with her, sending her provocative messages & insinuating that he wanted to have an affair with her. She was scared of losing her job & my scholarship, so she didn't do anything about it. He saw it as her agreeing to be his lover & his actions became even more brazen.
My mom couldn't take it anymore & told my dad about it. He suggested that she should tell her boss' wife about it, which turned out to be a wrong move.
Not only did she not help my mom, she defended her husband & told everyone that my mom was blackmailing her.
Long story short, my mom was fired from her job & my dad was branded as a blackmailer's husband, even though he wasn't fired.
How did that affect me?
Well, I started to get bullied by my classmates who initially didn't have any interest in me.
And Jin? He was one of the guys who bullied me, although he basically only followed what his friends did.
The teachers knew about it of course, but they wouldn't do anything about it. In that school, the wealthy students were the kings & my bullies came from the most powerful families there. I didn't want to burden my parents, so I didn't tell them anything either. Nor did I fight back, because I knew it would be pointless.
But everything changed that day.
I was hiding & tending to my wounds in an empty restroom at the school's abandoned wing after the guys beat me. I locked myself in one of the stalls, while keeping an ear for any approaching footsteps. Suddenly, I heard someone coming & locked the entrance to the restroom. My heart was beating fast & I held my breath without realizing. But all that followed was silence.
I cautiously climbed on top of the toilet & peeked out, trying to see what was going on. And the scene outside shocked me.
Jin was slouching on the dirty floor. His wrist was raw & blood was seeping through the multiple slits on it. I immediately jumped down & exited the stall.
"Hey, are you ok?" I asked him.
His eyes widened in shock as he saw me. He swiftly lowered his long sleeve to cover up the wounds on his wrist.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" He spat.
"You need to get it bandaged right away. They looked really ba-" Then, I saw the thin cutter in his other hand.
"Did you do it to yourself?" I snatched the cutter from his hand & stared at it in utter surprise.
"Give it back to me!" He stood up & tried to grab it from me, but I hid it behind my back.
"Why are you so nosy?! Just mind your own business!" He shouted at me, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Why are you doing this? You have everything! You're rich & smart & everyone wants to be your friend."
"Friend? They only befriend me because of my dad's money. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? Oh you don't, coz your parents don't have money." He scoffed.
"But that doesn't mean-"
"Do you know how tiring it is to blindly follow what your so-called friends do so that  you won't be a cast out? To constantly be perfect so that you won't disappoint your parents? You totally have no idea how stressful it is. We might have hurt you physically, but mentally I'm having it worse than you! So don't you dare judge me!" Tears streamed down his eyes, fogging his glasses.
I stared at him in silence, watching his chest going up & down with every breath. And suddenly, I felt pity for him. He looked so fragile, like he desperately needed someone to save him from the darkness inside his head.
"I'm not saying this to undermine your struggle, but I suffer mentally too you know. I have to hide the fact that I'm being bullied from my parents so that I won't add to their long list of worries. The physical pain, I don't mind so much, I can still endure it. But mentally, I'm having it hard as well. However, I'm not giving up. I believe that all of this will pass, I just need to stay strong & keep moving forward. You need to do that too." I put my hand on his shoulder & he glanced at it with a horrified expression on his face.
"Don't touch me. Who are you to tell me what to do? I warn you if you tell anyone a peep about this, I'll ask my dad to fire your father right away." He slapped my hand away, put on his jacket & dashed out of the restroom.
I looked at his cutter in my hand, his blood was still dripping from the tip of the blade. I sighed deeply, threw it into the garbage bin, grabbed my bag & walked out.
That, was the first time I talked to Kim Seokjin.

The following day
"Ya, how dare you ran away from us yesterday? We weren't done with you." Wooseok, the leader of the bullies, spat before kicking my stomach, while the others threw punches at me.
Jin was standing at the far end, watching the commotion, as if nothing happens.
"I-I'm sorry.. J-Just let me go.." I stuttered & glanced at Jin. Our eyes met briefly, but he didn't show any response.
"What? Let you go? Nahhh, we're going to teach you a proper lesson today."
Just as he was about to throw another punch at me, someone grabbed his hand from behind.
"그만해 (geumanhae=stop)." Jin says flatly to Wooseok.
"Have you forgotten what his parents did to mine? Blabbing their mouths & spreading false rumors. This kid here needs a beating so that he won't turn up like them." Wooseok shook his hand off Jin's grip & glared at him.
"Maybe those weren't false rumors.." Jin scoffed.
"뭐 (mwo=what)?! So are you saying that my parents lied?!" Wooseok clenched Jin's collar in his fist.
"때려 (ddaeryeo=hit me). Why don't hit me? Are you scared?" Jin pushed his body against Wooseok, challenging him.
"You-" Wooseok raised his fist ready to hit him.
"Wooseok ah, just stop. You don't want to get in trouble with him." His friend whispered & stopped him.
"Arghh! You better watch out Kim Seokjin." Wooseok punched the wall beside Jin's head & stomped furiously away.
"Thanks for your help." I hastily got up from the floor & thanked Jin.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I still don't like you. I only did it coz I thought he went too far. If something serious happened to you, it would look bad for me too." He coldly said & walked away.
"If you ever need to talk, I'll be here. Hyung." I shouted to his back.
He stopped in his track & then continued walking again without turning back.
I smiled to myself, without realizing that I had caused the bullseye to move from me to him.

A few days later
Jin hadn't talked to me at all since that day even when we passed each other in the corridor. Wooseok & his gang had stopped bothering me too, which made me feel very thankful towards Jin.
I was packing up my stuff, ready to go home, when I saw Wooseok & his gang dashing towards the abandoned wing.
Something's not right.
I quietly followed them from behind & saw them barging into the empty restroom.
Shit. Is Jin hyung in there?
Surely, a second after, I could hear loud noises coming out of there.
"Woah, Kim Seokjin, so this is what you've been doing after school all this time. Jeez, what a freak." Wooseok snickered & the rest of his gang responded in laughters.
"Get out!" Jin screamed.
"The only successor of Kim corporation likes to cut himself. Imagine if your parents find out, what will your they think? Or worse, if the press finds out, how will it affect your parents' reputation? Joonyoung ah, take a picture of him." Wooseok said to his friend.
I frantically rushed inside, taking them all by surprise.
"Stop it!" I stepped in front of Jin to block their views.
"Oho, you've got yourself a little bodyguard now. This will be fun." Wooseok chuckled viciously.
My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at the four big guys in front of me. I'd lose for sure if I had to fight them.
"Go before-"
"Before what? Before you beat our ass?" Wooseok laughed out loud at his own joke.
"Let's take a picture of you guys. Smile!" He said as he pointed his phone camera at us.
I might be smaller, but I was definitely faster. In a swift move, I snatched Wooseok's phone & threw it out the window.
"What the fuck?! You son of a b*tch! I'm going to kill you today!" Wooseok yelled in extreme fury.
They began to attack me with their fists. I didn't even have a chance to fight back, they were just too strong.
"Ow!" Suddenly, Wooseok's painful cry sliced through the air.
I looked up & found Seokjin holding the cutter in his hand tightly, blood dripping from its tip. A long deep cut slashed through Wooseok's right cheek.
"Kim Seokjin, are you crazy?!" Wooseok cried.
"I am. If you don't leave now, I'll kill you all." Jin smirked maniacally.
"Crazy jerk. I'll make you pay for it." Wooseok threatened before retreating out of the restroom with his friends.
Jin's & my heavy breaths filled the silence in the  now empty restroom.
"Thanks." Jin muttered quietly.
"No need to thank me. I didn't do anything." I replied.
"Next time, don't even bother. You can't win against them." He pulled down his sleeves & abruptly stood up.
"But what if they come at you again?" I asked.
"They won't." He smiled faintly at me & said.
Indeed, Wooseok & his friends were all expelled the following day because Jin told his parents that they had beaten him up.
I was definitely surprised, even more so when I found out that I was expelled too.

Present, Y/n POV
"What? Did Jin have something to do with it?" I exclaim.
"He did. I asked him a few years later when I met him in the US & he said that he did that to protect me. If I had stayed in that school, I would've gotten bullied by other group of people, so he said he did it for my own good." Jungkook shrugs.
"But still. That isn't right." I mutter.
How come Jungkook's story is so different from Jin's? Which one of them is lying?
"It doesn't really matter. My parents & I moved to the US right afterwards. We became free from all the pressures & happier too. So, it turned out for the best."
"Then, how did you guys become good friends? You didn't exactly end on good terms in high school."
"Well, we met again when he attended the same college as me in the US. He was the one who approached me first, we got talking & the rest was history. He was a completely different man though, more confident, more talkative, all around happier. But.." He stops & hesitates.
"But what?" I ask, my heart beating faster.
"I found him cutting himself a couple of times when he discovered that his girl friends only wanted him for his money or when something didn't go the way he wanted. That was why I couldn't leave him. He looked cheerful & tough on the outside, but actually he was very fragile. I felt like I needed to protect him & be his friend. He told me that he's been seeing a psychiatrist though, so he's gotten rid of that habit now, right?"
My mouth gapes in shock at his words.
How come Jin has never told me any of that?
"Because I wanted to be perfect in your eyes." Jin's words echoed in my ears.
"Wait.. You didn't know? Jin didn't tell you anything? Shit.." Jungkook curses to himself.
"I don't believe you. You're lying."
"Look, I'm sorry, I thought Jin hyung had told you about that. But I'm not lying! You guys are going to marry each other for goodness sake! How could you not know anything about him? And you say that you truly love him? I can't believe it." He exclaims.
"No. You're lying. If what you said is true, there's no way that he won't tell me about it. I'm leaving now." I abruptly rise from my seat & rush to the street to get a cab.
Jungkook's words keep repeating in my head.
"How could you not know anything about him?"
Is it possible that the person I love is nothing but a facade?