Seokjin pushed open the door to the restaurant, the inviting aroma of food welcoming him inside. As he scanned the bustling room, a young hostess approached him with a starstruck smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can I help you?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm looking for my friends," he replied, his tone polite but distracted. Just as she was about to respond, he heard someone call his name loudly from across the room.

With a friendly smile, he nodded at the young woman, noting the soft sigh that escaped her as he turned away.

"Seokjin!" Hoseok exclaimed as he leaped to his feet, delivering an enthusiastic pat on the back that nearly knocked him off balance. "Hey, how are you?"

Seokjin shot his friend a playful glare as he slid into his seat beside Yoongi. "Did you have to yell so loudly? I think you scared the kitchen staff half to death."

Yoongi chuckled from the other side of the table. "Yeah, well, someone had to save that poor hostess. She looked like she might faint at the sight of your handsome face."

Hoseok grinned, clearly pleased with the effect his exuberance had on the room. 

"Oh, ha ha," Seokjin replied with a smirk. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips as he settled in, grateful to be surrounded by friends. "Speaking of chaos, how are you two managing with the wedding preparations? I hear Selina and Megan are tearing through plans at breakneck speed, dragging my poor Luisa along with them."

"The real question is how you're holding up," Yoongi drawled, arching an eyebrow. "You look like you're caught right in the eye of the storm."

As the waitress appeared at his side, Seokjin casually placed his drink order before turning back to his friends. The girl lingered a few seconds longer, staring at him before rushing away.

"I'm trying to stay out of the waves, actually," he admitted with a chuckle. "My approach has been to say yes to everything and just hand over my credit card."

Hoseok laughed, shaking his head. "I can see why you're the perfect husband."

They chatted comfortably for a while, their conversation flowing effortlessly as they placed their meal orders. With each passing drink, the tension of the day melted away, leaving them feeling incredibly relaxed and at ease in each other's company.

"I hear you'll be a perfect husband soon," Seokjin said with a grin, taking a sip of his beer.

"I don't know about 'soon'," Hoseok replied, chuckling, "but yeah." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I don't think I'll ever reach your level of perfection, bro."

Seokjin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Yoongi shook his head, a hint of admiration in his voice. "You're genuinely inspiring, Jin. You're a stand-up guy in every sense. Sel finally filled me in on what happened a few months back, and I'm glad to see you handled it so well."

Seokjin's brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened? What did I do?"

Hoseok quickly emptied his beer glass and signaled for another, focusing intently on Seokjin. "Man, I hope I can be as understanding as you if something like that ever happens. It wasn't like she betrayed you or anything, but still, it was really commendable that you didn't let it get to you."

Seokjin's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? What are you talking about?"

Hoseok turned to Yoongi, panic flashing across his face, and saw that he, too, looked taken aback.

"Hey, we don't have to discuss this," Yoongi said gently. "It really isn't our place to talk about it. I hope you don't hold it against Selina or Megan for mentioning it. Seriously, let's just forget about it."

The air grew heavy with tension as Seokjin tried to make sense of their words, the comfortable atmosphere of their evening now feeling uncertain.

After a moment of silence, Seokjin exhaled.

"Guys, I really don't know what you're talking about," he began. "Is it the spending for the wedding? I'm okay with that. I told Lu that as long as she doesn't bankrupt me, I'm fine with anything she wants. Why would I think that a betrayal? She's my wife."

The other two men exchanged another glance, and Seokjin knew that there was something else.

He squared his shoulders. "What is it? Tell me."

Hoseok cleared his throat. "Um, we know about the pregnancy scare. You don't have to pretend."

Seokjin leaned back on his chair with a relieved sigh. "Oh, that. Yeah, well, it wasn't meant to be, but it doesn't mean that I don't look forward to being a father. Soon, I hope."

"I hope so, too. How did you get over the fact that you might have ended up raising someone else's kid?" Yoongi asked, again his voice so soft that it could barely be heard above the restaurant chatter.

Hoseok shook his head slightly. "Yeah, when I heard I wasn't sure how I would've taken that, but you were so understanding and cool about it. I thought that you must be a saint. Hats off to you, Jin."

It took Seokjin a moment to process what they said. He looked down and to the side as if trying to figure out a mathematical equation. His eyes moved from one man to the other, trying to figure out if they were being serious. The looks on their faces indicated that this was no prank.

He swallowed hard, the weight of the revelation pressing on his chest. The thought of potentially raising someone else's child was staggering. He racked his brain, desperately trying to recall when something like that could have happened. Luisa wasn't the type to cheat—she was his wife, for heaven's sake. The scare had occurred just after their wedding; how could it possibly involve anyone else? Right before they tied the knot, she had been with...

As the silence stretched uncomfortably, his friends fidgeted, clearly growing more anxious.

Finally, Yoongi broke the tension. "Hey, Jin. We promise we won't bring it up again. This really isn't our business. It's a private matter between you two, and we'll make sure Sel and Meg don't mention it again, okay?"

Seokjin fixed a hard gaze on his friends. "You know who might have been the father," he rasped, a sense of betrayal igniting in his chest.

Hoseok inhaled sharply, his expression faltering. "Well, yes, but we're not going to discuss it any further. We understand it must have been difficult for you to come to terms with that possibility, but we admire the way you've handled everything. You have our respect."

Seokjin pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen as he pretended to read a message.

"Uh, sorry guys, I have to head back to the office," he said, his voice laced with feigned nonchalance.

"At this time? It's almost ten!" Hoseok exclaimed, disbelief creeping into his tone.

"Yeah, something must have gone wrong, and they reached out for help," Seokjin replied, leaving several large bills on the table despite his friends' protests.

"No, really, it's fine. My treat," he insisted, cutting them off. "You'll get it next time. I appreciate you both being here. I know I can count on you." He got to his feet swiftly. "I'll see you soon." With a nod, he hurried out of the restaurant.

Yoongi shook his head, concern etched on his face. "Damn. I guess he's not really okay with this."

"Who would be?" Hoseok replied. "Jin's a great guy, but we probably shouldn't have brought it up. He'd rather pretend it never happened. Who wants to be reminded that he almost raised his rival's child? I know it's not Luisa's fault—not entirely."

"Still, it takes a remarkable man to prioritize his love for a woman over something like this," Yoongi said thoughtfully. "He's loved Luisa for years, and nothing will change that. If nearly having to raise that jerk's kid didn't sway him, then nothing will. His love for her is unwavering."

As the two men settled back into their dinner, a solitary figure paced outside in the parking lot.

Seokjin ignored the curious glances from restaurant patrons as he made his way up and down the parking lot, focusing solely on slowing his racing heart.

How could Luisa have betrayed him like this? She might have been carrying Charlie's child without ever revealing the truth, letting him believe the baby was his. She had allowed him to envision fatherhood, had looked into his hopeful eyes and lied. How could she claim to love him while deceiving him so completely?

He needed to calm down—he was in no state to drive. After a deep, shaky breath, he walked to his car, his shoulders heavy with despair.

How could she have done this to him? Why lie?

He drove aimlessly for at least an hour, lost in a haze of disbelief and hurt. It was a while before he was able to compose himself. He stilled his mind and his breathing.

How could he love someone like her?