Dan Hwa : You and I–we?

In jitters, he figured, Jimin framed his sentences too carelessly. He blinked twice with a stunned and awkward smile and exclaimed the first word that popped up in his head.

JM : Sure!

Dan Hwa could read him pretty bare; maybe his pale expressions were selling him out then. Meanwhile, Jimin squinted his eyes feeling that exaggerated tone sounded too fake.

JM : I- I mean... well, why not?

Dan Hwa : All right then. Let's go there sometimes soon.

Her deliberate responses were making it harder for him to fuse the topic. He simply dropped the idea of loosening the atmosphere and sealed his lips before he messed it up further.

Dan Hwa, on the other side, had a very faint eye-smile as she focused on the road and remained quiet.

Could be the lulling warm weather outside, the calming laps of music curated by Dan Hwa, her swift and suave driving, or the lack of sleep the night before, that it caused Jimin's lids to gradually grow heavier until they closed to give him a peaceful and good rest.

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After the long commute to Seoul, they finally entered the restricted area. Dan Hwa already had a pass to show at the checkpoint, courtesy to her father and her family house situating around the same coordinates. Still in a deep slumber, Jimin remained oblivious.

However, unfamiliar with the changes and new settlements since the past five years, Dan Hwa found it hard to locate BTS's exact residence. She pulled the car over on a central street and rested back on the soft cushions of her seat.

Dan Hwa looked over to his side, now with a steady and calm gaze. His slow and relaxed breathing, his plump lips puckering, and his softly rested faced on the fastened seatbelt. His hair slightly ruffled, hung over his forhead carelessly. His arms crossed around his chest, the lock so light, a touch of feather was likely enough to unwind them.

It was simply endearing how snug and defenseless he appeared.

As if her human eyes zoomed in, a faintly pulsating vein on his neck caught her wandering sight. She followed its uneven trail, and dropped her sight at his torso—steadily rising and deflating at rhythmic intervals.

Maybe it was her piercing little gaze, Jimin started to nudge from his fixed stature. Dan Hwa whipped her head the other side almost immediately.

Jimin yawned satisfied and looked around to make sense of the surroundings.

JM : You should've woken me up~

And it hit Dan Hwa. Waking him up was the last thing that crossed her mind ever since she halted the car.

Dan Hwa : Which is your lane?

JM : Oh, it's that one. Six. Lane number six~

Another hazy yawn stretched his words while Dan Hwa was quick to follow. Jimin was hardly connecting two with two at that lethargic state. He was unaware of Dan Hwa's learned navigation around the area or her connections, and none of that seemed to raise any question in him.

A few minutes passed, and they finally arrived right outside their destination. Jimin exited the car first without a word, and stretched out of his drowsiness. But upon seeing him wait, Dan Hwa got off as well for the possible parting away ment.

JM : Thanks for the ride, Ms.Baek. You pulled on a lot for me, but my doze off stunt was not very polite. How can I pay it off?

Dan Hwa : Well, I have an appointment here, just three blocks away. So, I wasn't inconvenienced at all. It's okay.

JM : Still... I wouldn't feel very good, if I did nothing in return. It wasn't a small ride all the way from Sokcho.

Although Dan Hwa never minded him taking a rest in the ride, his insistence showcased his disposition. It pleased her.

Dan Hwa : All right, okay. Fill me your number then, I will give you a call when I am in the French mood.

JM : Wh-

Jimin's eyes had a subtle swell for a fleeting second before he realized what she meant.

Dan Hwa : The food kind, I mean.

JM : Oh, yes. Of course! I am so sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I spaced out for a moment.

Jimin was mortified at his racy cues to her words. And, wanting to hide away from it, he tapped in his personal contact in her cellphone without much thought or hesitation. Only after he handed it back to her, that it struck to him : Dan Hwa was fairly sleak in getting his contacts.

JM : Oh! That was smooth. Now, I hope I am safe.

Noticing Jimin's red ears and stunned face earlier, Dan Hwa wasn't slow to catch on his thoughts. Thus, an impish smile curved her lips, as she leaned closer to his ear at the next comment. It was so swift, Jimin remained mildly perplexed and couldn't move away.

Dan Hwa : Too late now.

Surprisingly, she enjoyed the flirtatious tease. And how easy it was to play along.

Dan Hwa pulled back to a straight posture, feeling flushed from inside. As if out of a pure reflex, that little roguish move was unexpected even to her.

She granted herself the permission to be offbeat if it was him. No promises made, no obligations inflicted, Dan Hwa simply believed the secrets she had been guarding from everyone else would be safe with Jimin, a celebrity himself. If it ever happens so, that she loses the heeds to conceal them from him.

Dan Hwa maintained her stoned composure, and did not let her fluster surface her unwavered features. From Jimin's perspective, she appeared as a confident and a feisty figure, who feared nothing. It tickled him.

Jimin remained motionless for a while before she drove out of his immediate sight.

JM : Tough competition, is she?

He shook his head, chuckling to himself as he casually saw himself inside the residence.

Jimin entered the seemingly calm and empty house, looking into his contact list to call his manager.

He had just clicked on the name, that he saw Taehyung inside as he opened the door to his room.

Jimin put his phone away while he tried to nudge the sculpture-like Taehyung, seated on his bed.

JM : Taehyung-ah... what's wrong? You don't seem good-

Jimin lightly gasped as he felt Taehyung's temperature by his palm.

JM : Ah, you must be here to look for a cold med. Wait, I will look it for you.

He was so engrossed searching for the medicines through his drawers that he failed to notice Taehyung's hands. Being himself, Jimin carried on a casual conversation as he actively ruffled through the crevices of the drawers. Still unaware of the entire situation.

JM : How long have you been feeling ill?

Taehyung let out a small sick cough, followed by a soft sniff. He looked down at his hands once again to make sure he read it all right in the sheet of paper he was holding.

Taehyung rested the paper beside him on the bed, finally drawing Jimin's attention to it.

At once, his eyes dilated. It was his psychiatry prescription, that Taehyung grabbed a hold of, despite Jimin's careful hide.

JM : How-?

He looked at Taehyung, matching the latter's dewy eyes.
Taehyung stayed quiet, looking straight into Jimin's scared and worried expressions.

JM : Taehyung-ah, about this-

TH : I thought we were not supposed to hide.

JM : I know, I am really sorry. But, you know how I am. If anything I hate to do, it is to worry you guys.

TH : Right. That implies I am a horrible person to share my feelings with you. It's because I wanna worry you-

JM : Hey, no! That's not what I meant.

Taehyung stood up from the rest, not willing to be persuaded by Jimin then.

TH : You know what? I don't have the energy for this now.

Taehyung casually walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him softly. Jimin, on the other side, did not want to force anything on him either. He wanted to give him time and space, to process and make room in his heart to forgive Jimin.

Jimin eventually found the medicines he was looking for in the kitchen drawers instead, and rushed over to Taehyung's. The latter had faced his back to the door. Thus, Jimin had no access to read his face and quietly walked in.

He placed a glass of water with the coaster atop of it and kept the medicine beside, on the nightstand.

JM : I know you are upset. But please give me a call if you need anything. I will be staying in today.

Taehyung's body remained almost immobile to Jimin's remarks as the latter exited the room. Trails of tears rivered out as Taehyung closed his eyes, clenching on his cold pillows. Maybe it was the cold, he felt more emotional then.

Later that night, as most of the members dined together for dinner, they could feel the tightness of air. Jin looked over to Taehyung, who was barely eating, and decided to break the silence.

J : Taehyung-ah, no appetite? It doesn't taste fine?

Taehyung coughed weakly before answering the elder in his hoarse broken voice.

TH : No, Hyung, it's fine. It's good.

J : And what about you? Why are you nibbling?

Jin shot his eyes at Jimin across the table. Namjoon, beside the former, nudged him to be easy on the two younger ones.

JK : Hyung! You returned today, right? How was your mini-vacation?

The youngest attempted to lighten the mood, the actual mood buster being absent at the dine.

Jimin barely tasted the soup and answered Jeongguk quite casually with a smile.

JM : Oh, it was great. I enjoyed myself.

TH : You know, you don't have to lie.

The curves of Jimin's lips flattened at Taehyung's retort. But, he kept his calm, respecting the ambience.

JM : I am not lying-

Taehyung slammed on the table as he furiously pulled up and walked to his room. There was a passive aggressive note in his body language. Jin was startled at his abrupt action and expressed it in his exclamation.

J : Gosh! What's gotten into him suddenly? Acting so weird and all. His fever's down though.

Before anyone else made a further comment, Jimin calmly rested his cutlery and excused himself.

JM : I will see him, please carry on your dinner, everyone.

Just as Jimin went to Taehyung's room, the air in the dining loosened down. And Yoongi came about with his minimalist comments.

YG : They seem like going through an ugly divorce.

While Jeongguk and Namjoon tried their best to keep their laughter down, Jin quite typically broke into a hysteria. Muffled however, that it didn't reach the two in the room, few walks away.

Inside the confines, Taehyung had his back faced to Jimin. None uttered a word. Or moved an inch. But then, having Taehyung's silence too suffocating, Jimin decided to speak up.

JM : Taetae-

Before he could continue, Taehyung rushed over to him and hugged him tight. Jimin was stunned at his sudden gesture.

But soon enough he brought his arms around Taehyung's back and caressed it. Little snivels could be heard from the latter.

Taehyung couldn't let Jimin free from his embrace as he spoke between tears.

JM : Taehyung-ah...

TH : I should've known be- before-

Just his raw sentiments filled Jimin's insides with heavy emotions and formed a sore taut in his heart. Verging close to tears himself.

TH : You must've been hurting- hurting so bad... all these time.

Taehyung's cries took on a little volume as he flashed all his core thoughts.

TH : All alone...

Jimin couldn't bottle himself further than that. His tears cascaded without a halt. For such endless times, he longed for such a voice. Such an acknowledgement. Something so torturous, suddenly seemed absolutely unbearable to him that moment. He could not form out any words.

Jimin clenched on his clothes, weeping into the other's body.

TH : I should've know, Jimin-ah... I am so sorry...

Taehyung made his embrace more secure, holding onto his friend with all his mights and strengths.

TH : For hanging on... for holding on... thanks for doing that, Jimin-ah.

For the next while, no words left their mouths. Simply unwinding those knots and tugs, tears streamed their faces in disheveled manner, nothing else mattered in that moment.

Jimin no longer had to turn the faucets on to conceal the woeful screams of his soul. There was a certain freedom in that vulnerability that he experienced with Taehyung, he resisted no tears. For once, he dropped all his guards down. And cried out his hearts.

Jimin's eyes shut tight effusing more untamed trails of tears. Taehyung stroked his back ever so slowly, letting him be weak and guardless.

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.

.

The two singers were now poised and calm, seated on adjacent sides of Taehyung's bed. They didn't realize, a lot of time had passed by then.

Both Jimin and Taehyung borrowed some more moments to organize their thoughts and processes before speaking.

JM : Taehyung-ah... I am in a much better position now. My doctor... he has helped me tremendously through the way.

Jimin took frequent breaks to breathe and let breathe.

JM : Hence, I don't want you to worry or contour yourself to my situation at all.

Taehyung softly sniffled. Still without words.

JM : If you cry like that, it makes me feel bad. Also the sorries... why would you be sorry?

TH : I- I am-

Taehyung could not speak without silent tears welling up his eyes. He wiped his warm and red nose, unable to shun the negatives away from his mind.

He was grateful to hear Jimin was receiving the needed guidance and help, yet he was unable to cross out the consequences if that was not the case. Having seen the horrible and frightening disasters in the industry, he was scared. Scared that Jimin might one day reach his threshold and he would fail to catch his fall.

Taehyung was terrified.

He was extremely frantic of losing him.

Few inches away, Jimin was feeling trapped by a sense of guilt. The more apologetic Taehyung appeared to him, the further trapped he felt. He never wanted those apologies from Taehyung; from anyone.

Countless sorries, yet so ineffective to aid his tribulation.

Jimin singled to not complicate Taehyung's thoughts further. He resigned from further digging on it.

JM : You are going to have a severe headache at this rate.

Jimin walked over to him and squatted down to have Taehyung look at him. The latter was still avoiding to do the same directly.

JM : Taehyung-ah, you have to trust me when I say this. Even if you didn't see it, all the moments I felt the lightest unease, you were magically there to hug me. To be by my side.

All those instances when Taehyung randomly appeared in the middle of the night and hugged him to sleep, flashed before his sight as he referenced them. Jimin's eyes had a solemn sparkle as he spoke ahead.

JM : And that comforted me. A lot.

Taehyung matched eyes with Jimin's now. While Taehyung could see the genuine words reflect from his eyes, Jimin picked that eye-contact as a cue that he grabbed his pacifying point.

JM : You were always there to remind me what really matters. And...

Taehyung maintained the eye-contact as he waited for Jimin to continue.

JM : I know, what you are fearing. But I promise...

Jimin did not break the mutual gaze to mirror his steady and resolute words.

JM : I promise I would never do that... to you. To my parents. Or to anybody who cares about me.

That simple reassurance comforted Taehyung's heart with a peculiar relief.

JM : And if you still don't believe me, then...

While Jimin gave it a quick thought, Taehyung anticipated his offer.

JM : Wherever I go, whatever I do, I will report everything to you. So you know exactly where my thoughts lie at.

At this point, Taehyung looked at it more objectively. He felt himself too overbearing to be seeking console from Jimin when he was the one more in need. Therefore, he let him have his way then.

TH : Will you be honest?

Jimin couldn't help but crack a smile at his response.

JM : Im. I will. On Army.

Taehyung reflected a faint resonance to his bargain, but it was enough for Jimin.

JM : Wash your face. I will order us something to eat.

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Few blocks away

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.

While the storms dialed down at the BTS residence, thunderbolts cracked over in full rage at the Baek family-house.

Dan Hwa felt resentful and indignant by the words spoken her way.

Dan Hwa : Appa... it's t . . . 

_____

Behind The Scenes : At BTS dormitory

Hoseok returned late, and was quiet with his movements. He was almost startled to see Jimin and Taehyung by the dining table with poor lighting.

HS : Turn on the lights, damn!

They were so lost in their little bubble, they barely noticed the only glaze was coming from the kitchen. Hoseok turned some warm lights and walked over.

HS : Why are you eating this late anyway?

Jimin had earlier ordered two bowls of porridge for both, that they were quietly savoring on.

HS : Is it porridge?

Jimin nodded to him with a goofy smile and offered him some.

HS : Oh, I already had dinner. But thanks. You two carry on.

Taking on the silence, Hoseok did not ask any further questions and took his leave upstairs. There he met his second round of jumpscare, to find three pairs of eyes ardently watching the duo by the dining table.

Hoseok followed their gaze and saw Jimin helping Taehyung with a few side dishes as they both smiled.

HS : Something happened here, didn't it?

Few eyes glanced at him before staring back down, and few remained unwavered.

JK : Yeah, seems like they are fine now though.

Watching them faintly bicker over the last bit of quail eggs, the four had contagious smiles. And without much words, each picked on their way to their respective rooms, only to find Yoongi's door open a little. All four stopped. Yoongi poked his head out and took a glance at their smiles and got the picture right away.

YG : Seems like we aren't having any divorces.

He casually closed his door back and the four resumed on their paths with light chuckles and smiles.

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