When Jungkook withdraws his money from the ATM, he determinedly tells himself that he will use the money to pay for the rent, even though it's still far from being enough. But, it's the last of his money and if he uses it all up for the rent, what's he going to use for food? He can't live without food. Even as he walks away from the ATM his stomach starts to growl as if he hasn't eaten for a whole year.

Is he actually ready to join the homeless community? Initially he doesn't think it's all too bad. There's a spot in the park that he's checked is clean. None of the homeless people has chosen to stay there yet. He may as well become the first ever resident of the bench in the park.

Yet, after such a deep thought, Jungkook realizes that he's not prepared for a life in the streets when he finds himself pacing in front of the door that can lead him to the only help he will ever get at this point in his life; Min Yoongi, the infamous loan shark in the city.

According to his neighbor who has the experience of dealing with Yoongi, borrowing money from Yoongi is the easiest. "Just get inside, introduce yourself, tell him why you want to borrow his money and state the amount and voila! You get the money."

Just as he is about to walk back towards The Agust's Tavern after sitting in the dark alleyway as he contemplates on his options, Jungkook's steps are halted when a woman stumbles her way into the alleyway he's in, letting out an angry cry as she shouts at her phone.

His brows are drawn as he looks at the girl, obviously drunk as she slumps down to the ground, wailing like someone just died, except that she's actually cursing. Jungkook doesn't need to care what she's up to, because he has no idea who she is. He has more important things to do at the moment. He cannot give up on his home yet. Being homeless isn't really something he'd like to achieve at the time being.

But when he takes a step forward and at the same time, a group of drunk men appear from the corner and one of them notices her, he doesn't feel right. And the upsetting feeling just grows larger when the men's attentions are all on her.

With nothing else in mind, Jungkook takes long strides and reaches her immediately.

*

Chaeyoung is really in no mood for any of the conversation that takes place. The main topic is basically Chanyeol's upcoming wedding. Taehyung and Jimin discussing what they should be wearing. Jisoo and Lisa arguing over some game because Jisoo was the only one who was not paying attention to Lisa describing how cute, weird, and lovable her boyfriend was in front of her family when they'd gone back to Thailand together.

"You lectured me on the etiquette of having a conversation yet you're the one who doesn't listen to me!" Lisa argues and threatens to take Jisoo's phone away.

"I was listening, I was just not looking at you," Jisoo defends herself.

"You guys are so noisy," Taehyung whines. "We have more important things to discuss right now. Chanyeol's wedding is soon and we haven't decided what we are going to wear!"

Jisoo finally looks up from her phone, keeps it in her tote. "There's something more important than that." She looks at Chaeyoung. "Are you going to Chanyeol's wedding?"

Chaeyoung nods, tries hard to keep her composure, to not show her friends her real emotion, to show them that it's nothing.

"Who are you going to bring as a date?"

"Do I have to bring someone?" Her forehead creases.

"You don't," Taehyung says. "But it helps you to stay sane if you have a company. Takes your mind off from everything about Chanyeol since you'll be watching him exchanging vows with another girl."

Chaeyoung's ears redden. "I'll be fine on my own."

"That's not what Jennie said," Jimin replies.

Her eyes enlarge. "What did Jennie say?" she asks, annoyance slowly filling her up.

"That you haven't moved on from him."

"Excuse me," Chaeyoung scoffs. "False accusation is not acceptable in this table. I've moved on like ages ago."

"That's not how it looks like," Jisoo adds.

"Have you guys heard of the phrase that says, 'looks can be deceiving'?" Chaeyoung responds with a forced, wide smile because she definitely feels so exposed and attacked that her friends seem to know her so well and this is one of those times where she wishes that she is friendless.

"Besides, how can someone still can't get over a relationship that has been over for two years?" Chaeyoung laughs. "Sounds ridiculous to me."

Lisa snickers. "Tell that to yourself."

Chaeyoung prays to God that her patience extends a little longer. "Guys, please, it may not seem like it, but trust me, I'm happy that he found someone and is ready to settle down. For real!"

She feels her nose burns a little, like the time when she thinks she's going to shed a tear. Her eyes definitely sting but she screams in her head to not let herself go. Not because her friends are all silently staring at her with the most unimpressed look on each of their faces, but they are in public, sitting outside of their favorite café. It's peak hours and people are everywhere and the last thing she wants to experience is people staring at her crying in broad daylight.

"How convincing," Taehyung deadpans.

"I need to pee," she says quickly, because she really feels like a big fat tear is about to drop anytime soon.

"Oh shit, she's going to cry," Lisa says, already readies herself to get up from her seat.

"No," Chaeyoung laughs. "What makes you think I'm going to cry? I just want to pee because I've been drinking a lot while you guys were busy talking about whatever and I-" she pauses when she notices her friends' attentions fall on her untouched drink on the table. "I actually want to pee for real," she further tells them the failed lie.

She turns around quickly so she can really free herself from their scrutinizing eyes before she really cries like a loser she is, and she pretends that she's deaf when she hears her friends calling her name in a collective voice and-

Chaeyoung hears a muffled groan of her own, realizing that she has tripped over her own sandals that she has worn for God knows how long ever since she first received them as a gift from Chanyeol. She can practically hear Jennie in her head, nagging and telling her for the 110th time with the same old thing; "I did tell you to get rid of that stupid, ugly looking, worn out sandals, didn't I?"

Falling face-first to the ground in the middle of the city with people everywhere is probably the plan B the universe has to embarrass her in front of everyone when the plan A, which is of her crying in broad daylight, has failed the moment she decided to cry alone in the restroom.

She figures that at this point in her life, she should have been immunized with embarrassment and from today onwards, she should live as a shameless person if the number of embarrassing things she has to face is this much.

Stay cool, just act like nothing happened, act like it's nothing, this is nothing, she advices herself. If she acts any different, people are going to stare longer. So, first, she really needs to stay calm and get up from this hard, warm ground and walk away from the scene like it's nothing.

But it's not nothing because apparently, the hard and warm ground is not a hard and warm ground.

It's a chest.

A freaking chest of a man that is hard and warm and feels slightly like a magnet because she finds her hands that were initially on the ground are now planted to the planes of his chest after lifting her head up. Her hands are not frozen but are unconsciously, slightly, a tiny little bit moving and feeling the well-built chest that is both hard and warm.

Chaeyoung thinks she is wheezing.

"Holy shit," she hears Jimin from behind her and she blinks, very slowly before she remembers that she is actually straddling a man in the eye of the whole world and if she stays sitting on him, it's just going to be more awkward than it already is.

"Oh god," she finally manages and scrambles to get up, but not before subconsciously clutching onto the man's shirt and lets it go a second later. There are take-outs spilled on the pavement and for a second, she feels absolutely devastated that the food has literally become one with the dirt and forgets about the man who is lying on his back. "I'm sorry, oh my god. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have- oh my god. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

The man stays silent apart from the soft grunt he lets out as he tries to sit. Then, "Is that my food?" he asks.

Chaeyoung nods apologetically, her own eyes still staring at the man's food. "Yes, I'm sorry."

Silence. It's a slightly longer silence before the man gasps very loudly, scrambling to kneel on the ground in front of the food. "Is this really my food??" The man's fists clenched as his head lowers, his bucket hat almost falling off his head.

"That's a bit dramatic," Chaeyoung hears Jisoo comments at the back, and Chaeyoung rolls her eyes. She understands the man's feelings.

"I'm really sorry," she apologizes again sincerely. "I'll buy you some new food."

"Well, you gotta," he says bitterly, shoulders sagged as he rubs his face with his hands. "Because that was really the last thing I could eat before I'd be scraping off the street like some stray animals."

"I'd say, a lot dramatic," Taehyung says.

Chaeyoung ignores the thought of how the man's voice, bitter but gentle, sounds a bit familiar. She offers her hand to him who's still sitting down. "I'll get you anything you want," she says. "But first let me help you up."

He stares at her hand momentarily and Chaeyoung feels her gut twists the longer she stares at him. She is convinced that it's a guilty twist, but it really isn't. It's a pleasant twist.

"I can get up on my own," he says, and Chaeyoung is about to retract her hand in embarrassment when he suddenly takes it. "But yeah, you should help me."

She tries not to think that his calloused hand is warm and weirdly, nice to hold to as she pulls him up without effort because he's actually getting up on his own. His hand is still enveloping hers a couple seconds after he's standing straight. And she knows she should be looking away, but he finally looks at her and is staring at her intensely and she can't help but stare back into his big eyes.

"This really looks like a scene straight out of romcom dramas," Lisa says a little too loud and Chaeyoung snaps back into reality, pulling her hand from his hold a little too quick as though she is electrified.

The man tilts his head at her, his frown earlier is replaced with an expression that seems to describe curiosity before she notices a hint of smile on his face. "Oh... it's you."

"Where's the lie?" Jimin takes his turn to slip in a comment. "This is a real-life drama right here unfolding just in front of us."

A smile slowly pulls up on his face until the smile becomes so wide that his eyes turn into crescents. "I know you."