Warning: homophobic physical and verbal violence (2023 A/N : while rewriting, I deleted the insults that I had written in French, I found them so despicable that I didn't even want to read them)

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       Jin and Jungkook then proceeded to descend the hill and join the metro station to return to the hotel. In the subway, while their hands were still in each other, they sat down on a bench seat and Jungkook dozed off against Jin's left shoulder, and Jin did the same against Jungkook's head. The metro was gradually filling up, as the returning workers got on at each stop.

     Suddenly, a man who had entered a few minutes earlier shouted in french, pointing to them in disgust. Alerted by the harshness of his words which they did not understand but perceiving very well the animosity in this person's voice, Jin and Jungkook abruptly let go of their hands as they sat up straight in their seats. 

     The subway passengers, seeming accustomed to this kind of phenomenon the evenings, acted as if nothing had happened, contenting themselves with keeping their noses deep in their book or watching the scene with curiosity, without intervening.

     The angry man who gave the impression of being a drunk or a drug addict based on his general appearance continued to speak loudly to them, throwing them homophobic insults fixing them with his wicked eyes that seemed to want them all the harm in the world, and brandished his fist as he approached them sharply.

     Facing the threatening fist, Jin stood up, both palms outstretched, despite Jungkook, still seated, holding him firmly by the cloak to dissuade him from intervening. Jin wanted to reason with the man in his still rough and very slow English, sometimes accompanied by gestures:     

     "Please ...uh... we don't uh... want... any ... problem ... with ... you."

     He waited anxiously for the man to answer him or calm down, but he didn't seem ready to stop being homophobic at the words he barely understood and his disgusted look didn't go away either.

     Suddenly, he threw his fist into Jin's stomach, who doubled over and collapsed to the ground on his knees, his hands clasped tightly to his stomach, his breathing sharply cut off.

     "HYUNG!" Jungkook yelled as he rushed to the ground alongside Jin while this time, faced with this intolerable physical violence, several people stood up to grab the man and restrict his movements and others surrounded the two boys as a barrier, their faces worried or revolted at what they had just seen. 

     At the next station, the homophobe was pushed out of the metro train by three men and the rest of the metro passengers made sure he did not get back on that same metro. The doors closed, abandoning the man who was screaming like a madman on the platform of the metro station. The rest of the passengers clapped and hissed at the action.

     Jin had resumed his place on the bench seat, Jungkook by his side under the gaze of the other passengers. He was still struggling to catch his breath and did not answer Jungkook who kept asking him how he was like some other people at the same time but in French or in English.

     "I'm sorry for what happened to you," a woman told them in a conciliatory voice. "It's a shame, really."

     "France is not a homophobic country, but unfortunately there will always be hateful people." another said. 

     "Yes, there are morons everywhere," a man said with a kind smile.

     The boys smiled shyly at this sudden influx of support and kindness, but when they left the subway, Jin did not take the hand that Jungkook offered him and immediately started walking towards the exit to join the street.

     "Hyung, wait!"

     Jin stopped and when he turned around, Jungkook saw he had tears in his eyes.

     "Hyung are you-"

     "Is this the life that awaits us, JK?" Jin cut in. "Is this the life that awaits us once we have made our relationship public? Or just if someone sees us and spreads the information around the world?"

     "Hyung, we're in a foreign country, they're probably less tolerant here," Jungkook said, thinking of a way to calm Jin, worried about how this discussion would turn out.

     "No JK, you're wrong," Jin replied, "we are in a country that has allowed same-sex marriage and that some considers to be the country of human rights. Yet, you can still get mugged for being gay. Do you sincerely think it will be better in Korea? Or will we not instead have a man like Lee on every corner ready to beat us up because he considers us disgusting? Will we ever escape this violence if we move towards this future? If so, I don't want this life."

     Jungkook didn't answer. He had only thought of the anger of the fans when Jin told him that their love should remain hidden, he had not thought of the hatred of his society, as the difficulties of the present obscured a larger vision of the future. 

     Sure, he saw a future free from Lee, but suddenly Lee no longer appeared to be the only big obstacle to their happiness. Despite everything, should he give up his love? Shouldn't he fight no matter what for the one he loved, even if it meant opposing his society in addition to opposing his fans? Was he capable of it? Would he have the strength?

     "Hyung, I-" he began, ready to be convincing.

     "I don't want to talk about it here, Jungkook, let's go back to the hotel now before we are recognized and become again the victim of a manhunt," Jin thus ended this barely started conversation.

     Jungkook. Jin hadn't called him JK. The maknae could see the turmoil in the older's mind, and he felt he would have to turn things around asap before it got worse. He pulled the white golden chain from his sweater that hung the couple's ring he shared with Jin from his sweater and squeezed it firmly in his fist before following Jin to the hotel.

     That evening, Korean singers asked to taste the favorite winter dish of the French: the raclette. It was a convivial meal of Swiss origin which was taken around a special machine, the raclette machine and which consisted mainly of hot steamed potatoes accompanied by salad, various pieces of charcuterie and a special cheese, the raclette cheese, which was melted and browned in the machine. It then took on a very particular smoky taste and then had to be poured over the hot potatoes and the cold meats.

     It was also possible to grill sausages or vegetables at the same time on the plate above the appliance. Despite the surrounding cheese smell that immediately displeased Koreans' noses, the smell of grilled sausages gradually managed to cover that smell and they found the meal to be absolutely delicious. 

      They had fun looking around the machine for the simmering cheeses ready to be tasted, each wanting to be the first to grab the petri dish of processed cheese as soon as they saw it.

     At the start of the meal, the competitor Jungkook quickly grabbed the first ready cheese of the evening, lightly beating Hoseok's quick hand. Because with his injured hand, Jin could not enter the competition, Jungkook poured th first cheese delicately into Jin's plate. Jin thanked him with a smile but offered him to eat the first raclette fork handing him. Jungkook readily accepted it and swallowed it up:

     "Mmmmmmh! This is delicious! Hyung, you must taste this immediately!"

     Jin took a taste in turn, picking up a fork made up of a piece of potato, some ham, a sausage and melted cheese. When it all came to his mouth and he had barely chewed, he cried out with his mouth full:

     "Mmmmmmmmh! Delicious!!"

     Jungkook smiled, thinking that events earlier had taken neither Jin's appetite nor his enthusiasm. Jin called out to the waiter and began to comment on this dish enthusiastically in barely understandable English, making all the members laugh.

     Namjoon took pity and helped him with this difficult communication. Helped by his leader, Jin then began to talk about Korean culinary culture and explained that Koreans were fond of braised beef. 

     The waiter offered to taste the Bourguignon Beef which was a French specialty and Jin agreed to order this dish despite the already prodigious quantity of food that the raclette made them swallow.

    The heavy meal won over the whole group, but the digestion was going to take a long time. So the boys decided to go for a walk along the docks of the Seine before returning to the hotel for their last night before the concert.

     They took the stairs down to the cobbled bank. The docks were plunged into the darkness of this balmy winter evening and it brought back to Jungkook's mind his lonely evening on Hanagae beach. 

     The atmosphere was very different of course and the darkness was disturbed by the reflection of the street lamps which came from the street above and which also allowed to see the elegant reflection of a Renaissance castle from the XVIth century alongside buildings of Haussmannian architecture more recent, from the XIXth century.

     Even though the moon was not visible, the atmosphere was no less magical and Jungkook let his mind be filled with the lyrics of the song he had written for Jin on that famous evening. He had to keep them in mind. 

     That convinced him: he would not give up Jin, his Yeobo; he would not plunge back into a world without color or a life without any flavor.

     For Jungkook, the battle resumed.  

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Author's notes : I'm sorry for the beginning chapter but it was a necessary step for the rest of the story. I feel so sad for Jin and Jungkook and I was ashamed of myself writing it.

To end this chapter, here is a music clip in which you can also see what a Parisian cobbled quay looks like at night in winter and by the way, it's a beautiful love song about the soul mate whose translation I put below =)

https://youtu.be/d6BzCEkGd3I

Translation :

There were no pictures, there were no colors

There was no story, my soul mate.

There were no parties,

 I was not in the mood for anything

No smile, my soul mate

You know, the world didn't run smoothly

I had the words but not the song

You know love, you know passion.

Yes, it is meant to be, it was said.

Yes, that's life.

[Chorus]

Before you

I had nothing

Before you

I wasn't shown the way

I know God doesn't blame me

For laying eyes on you

Before you

I wasn't shown the way

There were no houses, there was no happiness

I had no reason, my soul mate.

There was no laughter, but there was no crying.

I was alone here, my soul mate.

You know, the world didn't run smoothly

I had the words but not the song

You know love in any ways

Yes, it is meant to be, it was said.

Yes, that's life.

[Chorus]

Before you 

I had nothing

Before you 

I wasn't shown the way

I know God doesn't blame me

For laying eyes on you

Before you

I wasn't shown the way

Before you

I had nothing

Before you

I wasn't shown the way

Before you

I had nothing

Before you

I wasn't shown the way

I know God doesn't blame me 

For laying eyes on you

Before you

I wasn't shown the way