Jungkook finished walking out of an audition for the New York gang movie that would premier overseas, the super big Hollywood movie he'd been preparing for months to try for, with his hands still shaking.

The audition itself was fine, the casting director asked him to do multiple takes which was always a good sign in an audtion, but depsite how big of a fucking deal it was to aduition for a Hollywood film, something Hoseok probably had killed himself to get Jungkook the chance for, there was only one thing on his mind the entire time.

He was going to go to the market today. He couldn't explain it, but something told him that Namjoon would be there. Like a cute little trauma-sense or something. Spider-man, but make him take therapy.

It was time to face him and force Namjoon to see Jungkook in return. These past couple days Jungkook kept telling himself that he would go to the market but then the day would suddenly end and he was still sitting at home deciding whetehr or not to go.

But not today, today he was going to make it over. His gut was telling him it'd be his only chance.

* * *

"I don't know, Tae." Jimin said on the phone as he finished getting ready for dinner. It was nearly four in the afternoon, and he had reservation plans for six. Jimin looked amazing, first of all, his hair done almost as good as a stylist would, sweeping it around his eyes to show off his cheekbones and facial framing. He had light makeup that brought out his eyes and pump lips, and he wore a slightly slutty outfit of tight ripped pants and a sheer pastel yellow shirt.

Conscious of the media, Jimin made sure to buy out the entire top floor of Seoul's Lotte Tower Sky View Restaurant. The View, as some celebrities called it, was known for not only being incredibly delicious, but also discrete in celebrity relationships since it was always fifty-fifty how Korean Fans would react to dating news. He'd talked to Jungkook about going there all week, even if his head seemed to be in the clouds these days and sent a couple reminder texts to him this morning.

Thing was, Jungkook's audition was done around twelve - Jimin knew only because he'd run into Hoseok while grabbing breakfast this morning and Jungkook's manager filled him in on it - and Jungkook still hadn't replied.

Jimin tried to give Jungkook the benefit of doubt - not only was Jungkook's week packed with auditions and photo shoots now that their promotions were done for A Sprinkle of Love until the movie's premier in a couple months. He had to be busy and probably tired too - they'd only been dating for a bit so it was natural that both of them might experience some mental dips here and there from stress.

Plus, there was that night Jungkook had sobbed on Jimin's floor. Jimin frowned, adding a final touch of color to his lips. He'd tried talking to Jungkook about it, since it had to do with his ex-fiancé, but Jungkook made it clear that discussion was closed. It was weird how fast Jungkook had flipped from being okay the day after to complete distant the next. Anytime Jimin brought Namjoon's name up, Jungkook would get this cloudy look in his eyes and then the conversation would be lost entirely.

"Look, I know a lot has happened between us recently" Kim Taehyung's voice said over the phone "but Jimin you're still a close friend to me. Or at least we used to be. Honestly, I'm just thankful you picked up. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday is all, I hope you have an amazing year. I'm going out to some clubs tonight if you want to go and celebrate it together? Seokjin won't be there, I promise. But it's up to you."

"I don't know Tae; I don't know how long Jungkook and I will be at dinner or what we're doing after."

Taehyung went quiet on the other side of the phone for a while before replying. Jimin lingered on the other side too - surprised he was glad Taehyung called after months of distance between them. That was its own sort of fucked up, right? "The offer is there if you end up changing your mind. It's an olive branch, Jimin. Either way, have a good birthday Jimin. You deserve a good one this year."

Jimin ended the call then, staring down at his phone. Was the party the olive branch or was it recognizing last year's birthday as 'not the best?'

* * *

"Fuck, please don't say its closed." Jungkook said as he rushed into the traditional market across from Jimin's apartment. That little voice in the back of his mind was screaming - today would be his day to get everything out that he'd pent up for two full years. Then he could actually move on with his life.

Jungkook felt his phone buzz and something in his chest tightened in warning - but if it was warning against checking his phone or screaming for the opposite, Jungkook didn't know.

He reached for it anyway, hand brushing the top of his screen right before he spotted her and stopped.

Namjoon's wife.

She looked beautiful just as she always did, a bright kind smile lighting up her face and for a dark, twisted second, Jungkook hated her. She pulled her long grey trench coat closer to her figure before looking up from the flower booth she had stopped at as if some magnet pulled her focus towards Jungkook.

Her mouth dropped and Jungkook's world went silent. His chest hurt from how hard his heart was beating as he watched her approach him. She was almost running.

"You're Jungkook, right?" She said, out of breath as she stopped in front of him. He was surprised that she wasn't that much taller than him up close.

"I'm Celeste." She said and then bit her lip to steel her nerves. "I can't believe I ran into you; I thought I lost my shot in LA."

"LA?" Jungkook said, his head still spinning. Here she was. The woman Namjoon cheated on him with. In the flesh. "What were you doing in LA?"

"I was trying to get in contact with you! I was there for a financial presentation for UCLA and heard that you were filming a movie nearby, but I think that I got the wrong address when I tried to reach you. Did you get my letter? It was tied to a bouquet of flowers which looking back on it now is a little strange I guess." She laughed nervously and Jungkook's eyes widened.

"You sent those?" He asked, thinking of the flowers asking for a meeting in Jimin's trailer. God, that seemed like ages ago.

"Yes." She said, suddenly energized before she let out a disbelieving laugh. "I still can't believe this; I've been trying to contact you for months but it's even harder to get through to a celebrity then it is a CFO."

Jungkook frowned, shaking his head. "Why? Why did you want to meet me? Why do you know me?"

Her expression suddenly fell, and her eyes filled with pity. "I didn't know, if that makes it better. When Joonie and I were dating, I didn't know he was also dating you."

"He wasn't just "dating" me Celeste, he had already proposed."

Celeste's lips formed a thin line at that, only her eyes betraying any signal of shock at that information. Seems Namjoon had hidden some things from her, too. Jungkook would never admit it, but that small flicker of confusion in her eyes filled him with a sense of victory, no matter how petty it was.

"Still," she said, "He's really worked on himself and grown a lot since then. Jungkook, it's killing him what he did to you. Some days are good but some days - it's like I married a ghost."

Jungkook grimaced and an immediate wave of regret came over her as she realized her wording.

"Sorry." She said softly before continuing. "I was trying to find you so I could beg you to meet with him. He's lost himself in regret, Jungkook. He feels so guilty and it would do worlds for his health if he could just talk with you. So that he can apologize."

"And if I refuse?" Jungkook asked, suddenly breathless.

"Then I guess there's nothing I can do about that, is there?" She spoke. "But here, please give me a call after you think on it." She added as she handed a small card with her phone number on it to him.

"You once loved him." She said, rolling her shoulder's back. "If he was wasting himself away back when you were ... engaged... you'd be asking the same of me. Please."

Jungkook frowned, head spinning. As a reply got stuck in his throat, she gave him a small nod and turned on her heel back down the street. A storm of energy cracked into his chest after the encounter. Call it fate or luck or coincidence, but Jungkook couldn't believe that little initiation from this morning was right.

He looked down at the number scribbled on the back of a business card, staring at it as if it were written in a foreign language. There were seven layers of fucked up to the idea of Namjoon's now wife asking for Jungkook to meet with his ex in order to make Namjoon feel better about his own actions - but Jungkook wasn't sure where to even begin unpacking that.

So instead, he pulled out his phone to see two things. The first, was the thick white letters of "8:00" showing up on the top of his screen. He looked at that shocked - where had the time flown today? The second thing he noticed were a total of eight texts from Park Jimin.

Hey Jungkook, hope the audition went well!

12:02 pm

The reservation is at five. Want to come to my place after your audition and we can get ready together?

Sorry, it's at six!! Not five!! Lmao I had it in my calendar wrong

1:20 pm

Hey JK can you just give me a heads up when you'll be here so I can ring you in before I shower?

2:37 pm

Actually just call me and I'll ring you in

2:45 pm

Jungkook?

4:50 pm

Hey. A heads up would have been nice if you couldn't make it. This kinda sucks.

7:02 pm

Sorta messed up that Taehyung wished me happy birthday while my boyfriend is MIA. Hope you had a good night Jungkook with whatever you're doing.

7:50 pm

"Fuck." He said, heart dropping as for the first time all week the fog cleared his brain as he sprinted across the street to Jimin's apartment. "Fuck, fuck fuck." He repeated over and over again, too lost in his own shit to realize he had completely forgotten Jimin's birthday.

___________

A/N:

So I did wake up today and chose violence, is what I'm trying to say

- Vio