Another month later,

Seoul, South Korea. 

  Thump thump thump thump.. 

  Crazy steps leading upstairs. 

  A knock at the door, breathing deep, gilding with the bright rectangular smile Taehyung threw himself on his best friend when it opened and the other caught him immediately almost losing his balance, stumbling a few steps backwards. 

  "Hey," Holding his waist firmly in his bare arms, Jungkook pulled his head back to look at his face, "Planning to give me a heart attack or something?."

  Taehyung's smile immediately brightened to its full brilliance. Nodded his head and kissed his cheek, making his eyes widen like an anime character. 

  "What was that for?" 

  "Oh Bunny," Taehyung giggled to the point his eyes became teary. "I made it, bunny. I made it." 

  "No way."

  "Yes, yes yes."

  "I knew. I knew." Jungkook picked him up, spinning him away making him gasp and laugh. "And your face said it all."

  "Ohh!" holding him by his shoulder, Taehyung cried harder, couldn't stop laughing, "Put me down, bunny boy. You're making me dizzy. Gosh!"

  Jungkook did as said and immediately pulled him in a welcoming hug, "You deserved it. Totally. Nobody can look better than you on the screen, I told you." 

  "You're overpraising. You knew I was on the verge of losing my hope. If you weren't with me all this time, I-"  Might have crushed down—Taehyung couldn't say more, bruised his teary face on Jungkook's apron, took deep breaths to relax. Then it hit his nose, "Cooking some meat?" 

  "Oh shit!" Jungkook left him there and ran towards the stove, turned it off before the steak in the pan started to smell. "Shit, it was about to get burned."

  "Korean beef? Wow!" Taehyung came from behind, clinging on his back like a koala, observed how carefully he poured the big thick piece of well-cooked meat on a plate, with a kitchen knife very neatly cut it into halves  and laid them over the green lettuce bed he prepared beforehand. "Smelling so good. Must be expensive." 

  Smiling, Jungkook put the plates over the clean mattress of the newly purchased dining table, then beckoned him to visit the washroom first. 

  "Why? I’m starving. Feed me, nae Bunny. Please please please!" Taehyung whined, nudging Jungkook's arm. 

  "What are you, a baby?" Jungkook released his arm from his brace, twirled and lightly pushed him towards the bathroom, "Go wash yourself before it gets cold." He had a rule. Everything and everyone in his place had to be scrupulously clean.

  Taehyung side eyed the plates, the appetising aroma triggering more hydrochloric acids in his stomach, coating his tongue with excessive saliva, however he was well aware of Jungkook's obsession with cleanliness, so he rushed to the bathroom without wasting a moment and tidied up as quickly as his hands could. 

  "Wanna have some wine before?" 

  "Now wine?" The towel he was wiping his hands and face with was taken by Jungkook as he led him to the chair and told to have the food. His plate was alluring. His stomach growled again. Instead of holding the knife and stabbing the chunks with it he waited for Jungkook to finish up first. He propped his chin on one hand, watching how skillfully his friend pulled the foil up and twisted the seal to open a bottle of Merlot wine and filled their glasses with dark red liquor which he'd seen only in dramas. "Wow! Got this on a discount too? It had to be today? What a coincidence!"

  "Thought you were starving." Jungkook half smiled seeing him utterly surprised, and spoke in his deep, domestic voice, "What's with this look?" 

  "Spellbound."

  "Stop being dramatic."

  "Okay, but we need to talk first." 

  "Go on." 

  Taehyung bit his inner lip, studied his expression before speaking, careful not saying something odd to ruin their moment, "Ever since you got that gangster's role, you've been spending money too much on unnecessary things. We didn't need a dining table, the floor was perfect for the two of us, and that second-hand car, which doesn't look like the second-hand, you bought without asking me! Didn't we decide earlier to save until we buy a decent apartment first?" 

  "Of course." Jungkook nodded, smiling at his assumption about what Taehyung was going to say, "From tomorrow, we're going to do that. But today let's celebrate your success." He held his glass up for the toss.  "Cheers to actor Kim Taehyung." 

  "Cheers to Taekook." Taehyung smiled as they took the sip at the same time but his face twisted while gulping the liquor and it made the other boy laugh. 

  "You're such a baby." 

  "Look who's talking." Taehyung raised his eyebrows, but a grin crept over his mouth.  "Ummm," He took the first bite, pasused, savoring the flavors in his mouth, "It's too good. You're a genius."

  "It has come out well." Jungkook agreed. "Tell me what happened in the auditions."

  "Oh yes, the auditions!" Taehyung cleared his throat before speaking, "You know, I was a little nervous before my turn on the stage and was thinking of talking with you for a while. But you were at work, so I didn't want to disturb you." 

  "Why? You could have called me then. There wasn't much work today." Jungkook kept a straight face. Focusing on mincing the meat with the knife and then putting them into his mouth, seldom looking at his face, nodding. 

  "It was nothing new." Taehyung continued, "I was nervous like always. Shaking my feet, breathing deep, reverse counting, you know. Then a cute looking boy who came for the auditions approached me and asked me to have some talk so that we both can be out of tension." 

  "Really?" 

  "Yeah." Puffy-cheeked smile spread on his face when he recalled their meeting, "He had a very clean voice like a singer's. I came to know he's an ex trainee of an idol group, but didn't get selected because of in house politics. His acting skills are admirable. You won't believe he did a tremendous job in front of the judges and got selected for the second lead."

  "Wow." 

  "His name is Jimin Park." Taehyung smiled a little more, "He's so talkative, touchy, everything that makes me cringe but he's sweet and funny. Down to earth type."

  "I see."

  "Yeah. We shared contacts, social media IDs," Taehyung was going to say more but being aware of the other's lack of enthusiasm he halted, "Why are you giving monosyllabic replies? Wait, you're not jealous, ain't you?" 

  Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head, "No. Why would I? It's good that you're finally making friends outside. He seems like a fun guy. Bring him here someday. We'll hang out together."

  "Okay." Taehyung's heart sank. What was he expecting? That his best friend would go over possessive and ask him to stay away from strangers? Or tell him to maintain a professional distance with others and trust him and him only! 

  Suddenly the steak tasted blunt and he felt a loss of appetite. 

  A knock at the door. They glanced at each other. 

  "Uncle?"

  A knock again. This time louder. Taehyung got up. 

  "Must be uncle," He walked to the door thinking why wasn't his uncle calling him out by his name like everytime. When the door opened he frowned seeing two uniformed men holding guns looking directly at him and then at his back. "Excuse  me?"

  "Move." The first of the two men yelled, a bit harshly and before Taehyung could say a word he was being pushed off their way. "Hands over your head Jkay, and surrender." 

  "Jkay?" Taehyung turned abruptly, eyes widened when they captured the most improbable view of his life. A black thick revolver was in Jungkook's hand instead of the fork he was holding a moment ago. The tip was pointing at the incomers who had the same gesture as him. 

  "Drop the gun or else we'll have to shoot you." One of the uniformed men roared. " Right now."

  "Step back." Jungkook warned them as he took a step and stood beside Taehyung. There was nowhere he could go. In this small congested room everything was open, revealed.

  For a moment Taehyung couldn't recognize his best friend. There was something formidable in his eyes that he failed to understand. He didn't know where this deadly weapon came from. Was it inside his pocket all the time? Or in the kitchen drawer which he didn't notice in the morning while making breakfast? And the way Jungkook was holding it, it seemed like it wasn't his first time. 

  "I said surrender," A bang and the bullet riddled on the side, shattering the glass top of the table and the plates and the glasses filled with wine. The noise made Taehyung scream out his friend's name, covering his ears, panicking. 

  "Not a chance." Jungkook averted his gaze on Taehyung— he was scared, he would be more if he wouldn't pull an act. This may prove how good of an actor he was— only the timing would be wrong. With a sudden tug he held his waist from behind, pressing their bodies together, pressing the tip of the gun on his head and looked at the officers, "Let me go or else I will shove all the bullets inside this guy's skull. You don't want that, no?"

  Taehyung closed his eyes, the muscles in his neck tense and trembling. He trusted his friend but at this moment his brain stopped functioning.

  "You can't fool us anymore Jkay. He must be one of your acquaintances." The second man tilted his head in a certain way, a gesture that fueled Jungkook's anger. 

  "You're wrong. He's my subject for tonight. I was assigned to kill him." He voiced out roughly beside Taehyung's ear, and Taehyung thought if he could close his ears as well. 

  "He's lying." The second man, who seemed much younger, said. 

  "You'll know." Jungkook smirked as he slowly dragged the tip into Taehyung's ear, "Very soon." His fingers lightly caressed the trigger and could  feel the boy shivering under his touch, however this wasn't the time to notice such things as he knew his and his friend's life were swinging on a single pendulum. 

  "Wait," The second officer raised his hand, "This guy seems innocent. Don't let him get hurt." 

  "Let him go Jkay." The first man pulled out the handcuffs and unfold it before his eyes, "You can't escape from here anyway." 

  "That's what you think?" A murmur and a shot, right through the person's ribs making the other man startled and Taehyung scream. The gun dropped before his body on the mattress. 

  Screams mingled with the sounds of bullets as  the duel became obvious with the other man and Jungkook. The smoke seemed to thicken between the small space between them, though that didn't stop them firing their arms. 

  Jungkook pushed Taehyung aside, shot directly at the officer's head but he dodged, fired back and this time succeeded to hit the skin of Jungkook's arm.

  Drops of blood oozed from the torn vein.

  Pain wasn't a problem but Taehyung was, who seemed on the verge of losing his consciousness. 

  He'd to make it fast.

  One knee smashing onto the floor, Jungkook twirled, straightening his other leg which hit the man's ankle making him lose balance and his next tip missed.

  That was the chance. 

  A brutal punch by the younger boy right between the man's kidneys arched his spinal cord. His gun fell out. Jungkook got up, gripped his head and shoved his knee into his rib cage, sending a splinter of pain snapping through his whole body and he vomited blood, holding his chest. 

  No more struggle. 

  Two shots were fired back to back to his head making him slump noisily to the ground beside Taehyung's feet. 

  A breathless moment of silence followed. 

  The smell of gunsmoke drifting through the opened door. Slowly. Taehyung stood there unblinking, watching the dark blood as it began to pool beneath the officer's head. Hypnotized.

  When it finally penetrated that no one left to attack, Jungkook braced his back against the door and watched the blank expression on Taehyung's face. The gun on his hand hanging low. There was a narrow stream of blood flowing towards the tip of the gun and dropping on the worn out mattress silently. 

  "This is a nightmare." Taehyung tore his gaze from the floor and lingered it on him, "Tell me I'm not having a nightmare." 

  Jungkook didn't answer, instead walked to his cabinet, opened the locker with the keys inside his pocket and pulled out another revolver, thicker than the previous one, checked if it were loaded and shoved it inside his pocket. 

  "You," Taehyung's brain understood what was happening but failed to fill in the blanks that were left. He went near him, held him by his wrist, made him turn, "You can't be my Bunny. My Bunny can't even kill an insect. And there are humans laying down on the floor. Lifeless I guess!"

   Jungkook stared at his confused feared gaze. So many things he wanted to say but he said nothing. It was, his selfish self thought, better to stay silent and leave when he had to leave anyway. 

  It'd be too risky to stay here after the encounter.

  He brought down his duffle bag from the upper shelf of the cabinet and descented it onto the floor. His hand halted unfastening the zip. The bright, shiny memories of them running to catch the last train to Seoul, laughing heart out, holding hands, promises that they'd never ever leave each other's hand made him sigh. 

  Everything dies, nothing lasts even the promises. 

  He shoved some clothes inside hurriedly. Went to the bathroom to collect his toothbrush but again halted his hand seeing its pair which was kept right beside it. Green was Taehyung's favorite colour and his purple. Life and spirituality. He picked up the purple, leaving Life behind. 

  Taehyung was still in a daze. Seeing him packing his stuff, he got an uneasy feeling inside. He held his hand in between his, forcing him to look at him again. "You're bleeding." The voice came out thin. The screams had made his throat a bit sore. The other boy showed no reaction which made him raise his voice. "At least let me put on a bandage, dammit." 

  "Don't have time for that." Jungkook tugged his hand back, more blood gushed out of the wound but he didn't spare it a look, "People downstairs have heard all these or have called the police already. I can't stay here any longer."

  "The police are after you!" Breathless, Taehyung clutched his sleeve and shook it, "You've killed humans, do you know what it means?" 

  "I know," For the first time in his life Jungkook's voice rose over the madness. "I'm a fucking criminal is that what you were trying to imply? Listen—" Dark eyes over brown ones, "You're not good either. You're stupid, crazy and a fuken psycho." Crazed by  adrenaline, he spatted everything that came into his mouth,  "You fall in love with everything you see, try to get that by any means, but always overlook the reality behind it.  What made you think you'll get a job in this damn big city where every morning dreams are born to be scattered until midnight? If it weren't for your face, no one would notice you, hire you in the first place. You were just lucky. And I wasn't. I'm a failure, a big ass loser in every aspect." 

  "How could you say that?" Taehyung attempted to find a way like every time. He admitted he was stupid and stubborn and crazy, try to get hold of everything he fell in love with but also he was aware of the reality. "You're way more talented than I am. You just have to wait for the right opportunity." 

  "Opportunity!" Jungkook flashed him an are-you-sure look, "Where was it when I had to walk miles and miles to visit those production houses just for making myself a fool in front of those assistant directors? When you had to starve at that night because I didn't have a single penny in my pocket to buy you some bread? I couldn't see you, us like that." He shook his head, "I couldn't. I was tired of being so helpless."

  It spiked through Taehyung's heart. The flash of raw, naked reality they had to go through. 

  "I can guess," He said quietly, "You've chosen the wrong route to find a temporary solution. But it's not impossible to return back. I will hire a top class lawyer for you. You don't have to do these things. Whoever has lured you, must suffer for his dids. You're innocent, I believe it." 

  Innocent! Jungkook winced at this word, turned his head away and the very moment heard the sirens that were coming from the downstreets.

  "Shit!" Tension corded up into his neck. Too much time had passed already. He couldn’t afford to stay here any longer. He had to get down from the other side of this apartment first. He picked up the bag which had its one strap in the hands of Taehyung.

  "Don't leave me Bunny," Taehyung's grip tightening, refusing to let go, fearing he would never return. "Please take me with you. I can't live without you."

  "No." Jungkook forcefully released his bag from him, "We can't stay together after this."

  "Why?" Taehyung stared hopelessly at him. "You don't know how much I love you. Don't do this to me. Please."

  Jungkook turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps and looked back,  "What did you say?"

  "I love you. I love you, I love you." Taehyung's voice broke. His brown eyes were shimmered with tears, a sheen of wetness on his cheeks which was the last thing Jungkook wanted to see. "More than a friend. I desired you knowing that we're both boys. I'm sorry."

  A shiver clawed its way up Jungkook's spine. The sound of mixed voices coming from downstairs overlapped the distant sound of sirens but his legs seemed to jam on the floor.  "You shouldn't." An eroded whisper, he took a step back, "You shouldn't." 

  Although it couldn't make the other boy chase after him. Jungkook knew Taehyung didn't know  how to take no for an answer when it came to him. He knew it very well there was nothing he could do to stop him right now, he would be even chasing him till the chasm of darkness and Jungkook couldn't let it happen.

  All of his efforts would go in vain.

  "Stay back," He pulled out his gun and held it up to his forehead, "Or else I'll have to make you stop." His voice sounded as hollow as his chest felt. 

  "Never." Taehyung took a confident step closer, "Never gonna leave each other's hands, we promised." He reached for his hand and waited, ready for  anything, "Right?"

  Jungkook took a step back, hands wavered as he lowered it on the side of his waist, "Forget me," His voice broke in a raw whisper as he pulled the trigger,  "Forgive me.."

  '—Forgive me, my love. Our story ends here.'

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A/N: Please don't get confused by the last sentence, Jungkook loved Tae, and it started way before Tae could realise about his feelings, but his love was platonic where Tae's was romantic. 

See you next week, take care, borahae💜