"Sumi? Sumi what are you doing here?" Sumi's mother, Mrs Bae, gasps as she opens the door to find her daughter, tears still streaming down her face.

"I... I had nowhere else to go," Sumi whispers gruffly, "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course, come in!" Mrs Bae ushers her daughter inside, frowning deeply. She leads her to the kitchen and pours a shot of hard liquor for Sumi and one for herself. Then, she leads Sumi into the lounge room. Her father is upstairs in bed as he starts work early tomorrow morning.

After encouraging Sumi to sit on the lounge, she sits opposite her, her drink in her hand.

"Cheers," Mrs Bae says gravely.

"Cheers," Sumi mumbles, downing the shot easily. Hard liquor burns more than soju or beer. But it hits the soul right where the pain is. Her mother knows the best medicine for emotional pain.

"Now," Mrs Bae clears her throat, "What happened?"

As fresh tears fall down Sumi's face, she starts explaining her predicament with Jungkook and how he keeps seeing his coworker that likes him. How he goes through her phone when he gets home from work and wants him to stop talking to Hoseok.

After she's finished explaining why she's there, her mother speaks.

"Has... has Jungkook ever cheated on you?" she asks.

"No," Sumi replies.

"Has he ever shown any inclination to cheat? Like in public or anything?"

"No..." Sumi whispers. She knows where her mother is going with this and she is not ready for it.

"Sumi... bub... I wouldn't be so sure of that... Does he always check your phone? Has he ever hurt you? Does he control anything else in your life?" Sumi's mum lists off, looking more and more concerned.

Sumi frowns, thinking her questions over.

"No, he's never hurt me," Sumi responds, ignoring the other questions. Sumi's mum frowns deeper.

"I'm glad," She murmurs finally, "Why do you let him check your phone like that?"

"Let him?? I don't let him!" Sumi scoffs.

"Then why does he check your phone?" Mrs Bae questions again.

"I..." Sumi sniffles, "I don't know..."

"Bub," She grabs Sumi's hands and turns her to face her, "This really doesn't sound healthy..."

"Mum, I'm not leaving him," Sumi states firmly, "I just need advice..."

Sumi's mum ponders this for a moment, before smiling gently.

"You need to sit down and talk to him. If he's not doing it intentionally, if he really loves you, you guys will find a way to sort out these issues," Mrs Bae glides her fingers over her daughter's wet cheeks, smiling sadly.

"And if it doesn't work?" Sumi mumbles.

"Well... then we have a much more serious problem here," Mrs Bae tuts but doesn't elaborate.

"Serious problem?" Sumi frowns.

Mrs Bae ignores her question and sighs.

"You know..." Mrs Bae frowns, looking for the right words, "If he ever hurts you... or you need to get out for whatever reason... you know I'll always be there for you right?"

Sumi nods, ignoring the rising guilt in the pit of her stomach. She knows what her mother is insinuating. She thinks Jungkook is abusive.

He's not... I know he's not!

Jungkook has never laid a finger on her. How could he possibly be abusive?

"What about you and Dad?" Sumi asks curiously, changing the topic quickly. Mrs Bae blushes a little, chuckling.

"Well," She starts, "Your father was very popular back in the day,"

Sumi recalls her father's balding head and tiny reading glasses and giggles.

"Right," Sumi says sarcastically.

"He really was!" Mrs Bae taps Sumi's knee playfully, "A lot of girls wanted to date him, but he chose me,"

"Why?" Sumi asks. Her mother shrugs.

"It was love, at first sight, I guess," She shakes her head wistfully, "Anyway when we first started dating he liked to keep these girls around. You know, to boost his confidence a little,"

"Eww," Sumi frowns.

"But I wasn't going to let him do that," Mrs bae continues as if Sumi never spoke, "So, we had a lot of arguments,"

"That's not good," Sumi chastises her mother.

"Well, back in my day, my mother's advice was this..." She clears her throat and recites Sumi's grandmother's words, "If he looks to another woman, you are not good enough,"

Sumi gasps.

"What? Grandma said that?"

"Well, women were only just getting rights when I was young," Mrs Bae nods solemnly, "But I didn't want to live like that. I didn't want to live in fear of losing him to a younger, prettier girl. So I told him! I said: 'I am not an object to keep and display. I am a human being! If you want me as your partner, not your object, then come see me',"

"You left him?" Sumi's eyes go wide with shock.

"Yep," Mrs Bae smiles proudly, "I told him I was going to be with a man of loyalty and love, not a man with so little personality and life that they need confidence from immoral actions,"

"Wow," Sumi smirks, "Good job, mum!"

"Thank you," Mrs Bae simpers, "Anyway, after that, he grew up very quickly, and look at us now!"

"So, how do you deal with your arguments now?" Sumi asks curiously.

"Well, we sit down and voice our opinions one at a time and find a middle ground," Mrs Bae shrugs again, "You have to put aside a lot of pride to have these sorts of conversations,"

Sumi looks at her mother's kind face and smiles. She's not sure if it's just wishful thinking, or if Sumi can see Jungkook doing this with her, but her mother's words have given her a little bit of hope.

"Alright, I'll try that," Sumi smiles and hugs her mother, "Thank you,"

"It's okay, Sumi," Mrs Bae whispers, "The guestroom is available if you still want to stay,"

"Yes, please," Sumi grins and pulls away, "You turned my room into a guest room?"

"Of course!" Mrs Bae beams.

"But you never have guests,"

"You're a guest!" Mrs Bae laughs. Sumi chuckles, content in this moment that maybe it'll be okay. She is a mature adult now. She can make this work. She'll try harder, no matter what, to make it happen.

She'll fix this.

. . . . .

1 week later...

"Where is she?" Jennie pouts, staring at the time on her phone, "I told her 5 pm, right?"

"Yeah," Namjoon frowns, "Maybe you should call her?"

Jennie nods, dialling Sumi's number. As Sumi answers, Jennie stands up and leaves the restaurant, leaving Namjoon and Yoongi alone.

"When's Hoseok getting here?" Yoongi asks, his gummy smile widening at the thought.

"Very soon," Namjoon checks his phone, "He told me he was on his way 10 minutes ago,"

Namjoon, Jennie and Yoongi are at their favourite Korean BBQ restaurant to see Hoseok. Jennie has seen Hoseok on his holidays, but Yoongi and Namjoon have been in America so this will be the first time they've seen him in over 3 years.

Hoseok didn't end up meeting up with Namjoon and Yoongi the night they got back, as he had mixed up the days when his holidays started. Sumi and Jungkook were invited, but when Jennie messaged Sumi about the celebration, she simply said that she'd have to ask Jungkook first. No one said anything when Jennie told them this, but Yoongi could tell that this wasn't sitting well with them.

A few minutes of awkward silence go by before a voice startles Namjoon and Yoongi from their thoughts.

"Guess who I ran into!" Namjoon and Yoongi look up to see Jennie dragging Hoseok behind her.

"Hobi!" Namjoon cheers, standing up to hug his friend, "It's been too long!"

"Hey, guys!" Hoseok beams at them all, "I thought this day would never come!"

Hoseok sits beside Yoongi, leaving Jennie and Namjoon to sit together. Hoseok doesn't mention Sumi and Jungkook's absence, so Jennie must have told him outside.

"What's happening with Sumi?" Yoongi asks Jennie quietly as soon as Namjoon and Hoseok strike up a conversation.

"She said they can't come," Jennie gives Yoongi a knowing look, "I'm not surprised,"

Before Yoongi can ask her to explain, Hoseok pulls them into their conversation.

"How was America, Yoongi?" Hoseok asks, "Where did you go? Did you get to see New York?"

"We pretty much studied the entire time," Yoongi shrugs, "But once a year we explored a bit. America is very big,"

"It is!" Hoseok groans, "I want to go to America one day,"

"Well, how's your English going?" Yoongi teases.

"I can speak English well! I have been studying for 3 years!" Hoseok replies in English with a thick Korean accent. Yoongi and Namjoon chuckle at his speaking voice before complimenting him.

"Your English is really good," Yoongi grins.

"Now you'll just need to master slang," Namjoon chimes in.

Hoseok playfully nudges Yoongi's shoulder as they laugh at his embarrassment.

"So, what are we ordering?" Hoseok asks, "I am so hungry!"

"I ordered a lot," Jennie replies, "I'm pretty hungry too,"

When the food arrives, the only thing that can be heard from the table is groans of appreciation.

"Ahh, so good," Hoseok murmurs.

"Who's grilling?" Yoongi asks.

"I'll grill. I'm pretty good at it," Jennie grabs the tongs and the scissors and starts working on the abundance of meat. Namjoon controls the other fryer, leaving Yoongi and Hoseok to watch in anticipation.

Before they can drool too much, Namjoon and Jennie have meat ready for them to eat. Hoseok and Yoongi pick up their chopsticks and take the cooked pieces straight from the BBQ and into their mouths.

"Ahh," Hoseok sighs. He takes another piece and dips it in some sauce. When he eats it, he groans with pleasure again.

"Please keep your groaning to yourself," Yoongi snaps, trying to control his laughter. Hoseok pouts, causing Jennie to come to his defence.

"It's not his fault," Jennie whines, "It's been a while since he's had freshly cooked meat,"

Hoseok groans again.

"You have no idea,"

They eat in silence, enjoying the delicious meal immensely. Occasionally, Jennie or Namjoon would pipe up and start talking about anything and everything, but Hoseok seems to be distracted by the missing friends.

"I miss the old days," Hoseok sighs.

"Old days?" Yoongi asks.

"When we'd meet up together and get drunk?" Jennie suggests. Hoseok nods. Suddenly, Namjoon turns to the server.

"4 bottles of Soju and beer, please!" he calls.

"Cass?" The server asks.

"Yeah," Namjoon nods, before turning back to his friends, "Well, I guess it's time to make new memories. Let's get drunk,"

"Alright!" Jennie cheers. Yoongi and Hoseok, however, still look a little crestfallen. Jennie and Namjoon pour them both a shot of soju, which they both down in unison.

"I just don't know what she sees in him," Hoseok mumbles. Yoongi looks at Hoseok so fast that his neck makes a little cracking sound. He ignores it, looking at Hoseok comically.

"Right?!" He demands, "Why on earth is she with him?"

"Oh boy," Hoseok chuckles, "You don't know half of it,"

"What do you mean?" Jennie leans forward, frowning, "You haven't seen them either, right?"

"I haven't seen them, no," Hoseok shrugs, "But I talk to Sumi all the time,"

Jennie looks a little sour at this news.

"And what's your take?" Namjoon leans in curiously as well.

"Well..." Hoseok looks to Yoongi and gulps.

"Just say it," Yoongi snaps.

"Well, they're more toxic than you two were," Hoseok says quite bluntly, thrown by Yoongi's insistence. Yoongi just simply stares at Hoseok. On one hand, he wants to punch him for saying their relationship was toxic, but on the other hand, he feels relieved to know that Jungkook and Sumi aren't happy.

"How so?" Namjoon asks.

"What happened?" Jennie insists.

"Well, a year ago I started calling Sumi once a week at least," Hoseok starts, "Because you were at work all the time," Hoseok looks to Jennie, who blushes.

"I'm sorry..." She pouts.

"It's fine," Hoseok waves his hand impatiently, "Anyway, Jungkook found out I was calling her often,"

"What did he say?" Yoongi asks.

"He told Sumi to never speak to me again," Hoseok explains, "She still calls me, but she clears her phone history so he can't find out,"

"Wow, that's some trust issues right there," Namjoon laughs weakly, "I didn't realize they were that bad,"

"I wish Sumi told me about this," Jennie laments, "I thought I was her best friend,"

Namjoon and Jennie go silent as Yoongi suddenly slams his fist onto the table.

"Why did she need to clear her history?" Yoongi demands, "Does he... does he check her phone?"

Hoseok nods sadly.

"Every day when he comes home from work," Hoseok explains, "It drives Sumi insane,"

"I bet it does," Yoongi scoffs, "I wouldn't have even dared to ask her if I could see her phone,"

"That's a huge invasion of privacy!" Namjoon says fiercely, "Why does she put up with it?"

"I don't think she sees the danger signs," Hoseok suggests, "Also, it's not like he's a constant asshole. He buys her things, takes her out, and makes her feel special,"

"But... I did... I did those things..." Yoongi pouts, murmuring into silence. The others ignore him, too worked up on the new gossip.

"I can see how that would happen," Jennie nods, "She probably feels guilty about questioning him,"

"Jennie," Namjoon turns to look Jennie in the eye, "I would never ask you to show me your messages, you know that right?"

Jennie laughs.

"If you tried, I'd break my phone over your head," Jennie chuckles, "No matter how nice you are to me,"

Everyone laughs, including Namjoon, who is trying to figure out if Jennie is kidding or not.

"Anyway," Hoseok sighs, "I'm not surprised she didn't come. They had an argument last week,"

"About what?" Yoongi asks excitedly.

"Yoongi, you are about to be banned from this conversation if you don't stop getting excited," Namjoon says firmly before looking back at Hoseok, "Continue,"

"Yeah, anyway," Hoseok smirks at Yoongi, humoured by his attitude in this, "She called me from her mother's house. They had an argument about Jungkook's coworker,"

"What happened?" Jennie enquires.

"Jungkook has been friendly to this female coworker of his,"

Namjoon makes a confused face, which causes Jennie to turn to him, eyebrows raised.

"Hold on," Jennie raises her hand, "What was that look?"

"What look?"

"You look confused,"

"Well..." Namjoon flushes, "I don't see... why... over a female... coworker..."

Jennie scoffs, giving Hoseok a knowing look.

"Why are they so dumb?" She asks.

"I don't know," Hoseok shakes his head.

"Hold on, hold on, let me explain," Namjoon stammers, "Just because she's female, doesn't mean she's a threat,"

"You haven't heard the worst part," Hoseok smirks, "This coworker has confessed to Jungkook numerous times. They hang out alone and he refuses to tell her that he is in a relationship! He also prevents Sumi from messaging the girl about it, saying 'it's weird'" Hoseok rolls his eyes.

Jennie starts pouring them all another shot.

"Cheers!" They call out as they down the shot easily.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Yoongi frowns, "He is hanging out with a girl who likes him, that he knows likes him, and doesn't see a problem with it?"

"Man..." Hoseok leans forward, causing the others to lean forward too, "I haven't even told you the worst part yet,"

"No!" Jennie gasps, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Did he sleep with her?" Namjoon blurts.

"DID HE?" Yoongi bellows.

"Sshh," Hoseok ushers them in, "No, he hasn't cheated on her, but he's walking a very fine line,"

"What did he do?" Namjoon asks.

Hoseok takes a moment to let Yoongi calm down before continuing.

"He took this coworker... out for dinner on Sumi's birthday last year," Hoseok says dramatically.

"No way!" Jennie exclaims.

"Did he really?" Namjoon looks dumbfounded.

"Shut the fuck up, he did that? To her?" Yoongi sits back, his fists clenched, and his teeth gritted.

Jennie and Namjoon look at each other, worried looks on their concerned faces.

"Yoongi," Jennie pours Yoongi another shot and passes it to him, "You can't do anything, okay?"

"Are you serious?" Yoongi fumes, "You expect me to sit here and watch as that piece of shit walks all over her?"

"She's not saying that we're going to do nothing about it," Namjoon argues, "But you can't get involved,"

"Why not?" Yoongi asks, astounded.

"Because you're her ex, Yoongi," Hoseok says firmly, "Anything you say will make matters worse,"

Yoongi looks around at them all, his anger building.

"I can't do nothing and just hope she comes walking into my arms!" Yoongi quips, "I want to help her!"

"How about this..." Hoseok bites his lip, pondering, "Try just becoming her friend first, okay?"

Yoongi takes in their grim expressions and words of warning, allowing it to sink in. Deep down he knows they're right. She's not going to listen to him because she'll think he's just jealous again. Not that he isn't jealous, but she won't believe he is just looking out for her.

Yoongi firmly believes that if Jungkook was a good boyfriend, he could eventually move on, especially after venting all his emotions into his last album. But knowing that she's in such an unhealthy relationship makes him feel sick to the stomach.

"Fine," Yoongi grumbles, "I'll just try to befriend her,"

"Yeah," Jennie nods, "And I'll see if I can get her to come over and talk through some stuff,"

"Honestly," Hoseok looks to Jennie, "I'm saddened to know that you two aren't really good friends anymore,"

"Jungkook pretty much pushed me away," Jennie flushes a little, "Which makes sense... I guess... given his... feelings... back then,"

"Jungkook liked you?" Hoseok frowns, "Now I am really confused,"

"Sumi pretty much comforted him and he started to fall for her instead," Jennie explains, "After that, I don't think Jungkook ever enjoyed seeing me,"

"I see..."

They sit in silence as Jennie once again pours them all a shot. They clink their glasses and drink them.

They spend the rest of the night avoiding this conversation. Yoongi and Namjoon talk about feeling like celebrities now, Jennie talks about how studying is too hard, and Hoseok talks about his training at the Police Academy. But, even after the conversation ended, it loomed over their heads like a metaphorical dark cloud, ruining the mood.

A few hours later, drunker than ever, they decide to call it a night.

"I'll walk you home, Hoseok," Jennie says drunkenly, "Namjoon and Yoongi are going the same way and I don't want to walk alone," She pouts.

"Aigoooo~" Namjoon murmurs, "Thank you for protecting my love, Hoseok!"

"Anytime!" Hoseok calls cheerfully. They start to make their way outside, muttering nonsense to each other. Yoongi alone is sober enough to make reasonable decisions.

"I've called you guys an Uber," Yoongi says, "So you won't have to walk in the dark,"

"So smart! So amazing!" Jennie yells, "Thank you, Suga~"

"Just be careful, okay?" Yoongi smirks. Watching his friends become drunk is one of his favourite things. Yes, he has to look after them, but they say the stupidest things.

After the Uber arrives and takes Hoseok and Jennie home, Namjoon and Yoongi begin trekking down the road. Their new apartment is not far from here.

"You've been really mature in all this, Yoongi," Namjoon slurs, trying to look at Yoongi, "I'm very proud of you,"

"I haven't been mature," Yoongi scoffs, "I got in a fight with Jungkook, almost lost our jobs, and then wanted to go to Sumi's house and run away with her,"

"Well..." Namjoon chuckles, "I don't think mature was the right word,"

"What is the right word, then?"

Namjoon ponders, swaying down the street at Yoongi's side.

"You're alive," Namjoon says after a moment. His words sound so sober that Yoongi looks at him. But Namjoon is just smiling like an idiot.

"You're not an alcoholic," Namjoon begins listing, "You're not suicidal, you haven't become reckless, and you still go to work every day like it doesn't kill you knowing she's in someone else's arms,"

"Thanks, Namjoon," Yoongi chuckles, "I didn't realize my bar was set so low,"

Namjoon continues to talk nonsense, mainly about his love for Jennie, all the way to their apartment, leaving Yoongi to think of a plan.

I've got to help her. I need to help her.

Wait for me, Sumi. 

(A/N) Just a little gossip chapter, now all her friends are up to date with Sumi's love life. 

See ya tomorrow 🫰🫰🫰