Taehyung and Jungkook were not speaking to each other. In the past 8 years of being together, this is the first time they were genuinely upset to actively avoid each other's company. 

There were many things that Taehyung regretted about this whole thing, starting with keeping things a secret from Jungkook to losing his rational mind in their last conversation. He knew he should have handled things differently. Had he told Jungkook the truth about Sana, none of this would have happened. They may be of the same age but Jungkook had always been his baby. And instead of reassuring the latter, Taehyung made things even worse with his semi-intoxicated blabbering.

They were both at fault but Taehyung understood that his contribution to this mess is higher. He wanted to apologize but Jungkook was not giving him an opportunity. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself, but deep down, Taehyung knew that he wasn't making much sense with that claim. All he had to do was go to Jungkook's apartment.

Guess he's not yet ready for another confrontation.

Jungkook was feeling like shit too. He hated coming back to the empty apartment everyday. Taehyung's embrace was his biggest stress reliever and not having access to that was starting to take a toll on him. Not to mention all the additional work he has taken in. He was using work as a distraction, even though he doesn't have anything urgent scheduled for a while. 

Others at the set noticed the tension and the less than friendly air between the two male actors. They were hardly looking at each other, let alone speaking, unless they were shooting a scene.

Hoseok didn't ask and Jungkook didn't tell. As soon as shooting finishes for the day, Jungkook quickly walks to his trailer for a dress change and then leaves immediately. Everyone was wondering whether something happened between them but that's all they could do. Wonder. Cause neither of them were saying anything.

It looked as if HanSang and Min-Hyuk's feud spilled over to Taehyung and Jungkook.  

 
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"You have a variety show recording at 10.30am. I couldn't get it rescheduled so I talked with Yoongi and got your shoot pushed back to 3pm."

"Hmm…"

"They will have the 1st scene only. There won't be daylight for the other scene."

"Okay."

"I have contacted the studio regarding your outfit and I'm just waiting for the final-"

"-Hyung?"

Hoseok looked up from the tab he was reading and was startled to see Jungkook's unfocused gaze. "Yes, Kookie?"

"I had a fight with Taehyung." Jungkook's voice sounded strained. "It's.. bad."

Hoseok put the tablet on the table and gave his full attention to Jungkook. "Do you wanna talk about it? I'm here for you."

"We argued." Jungkook sighed as he slumped back into his chair. "It's mostly us being stupid. But.."

"But?"

"He said some things that really hurt me."

"Oh.." Hoseok gave an understanding smile. "Are you waiting for an apology?"

"Yes." Jungkook sighed. "And no."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I would appreciate it if he apologized but I haven't really given him a chance to do it either. And I feel like I should apologize too but I'll do that only when I mean honestly it."

"Well, talking things out is always good. Most of the time, we only see the actions and not the rationality behind them. Something that would seem ridiculous to me or you might have made sense to Taehyung. I know he  loves you. won't ever believe he would hurt you intentionally. "

Jungkook let his mind wonder. Yes, Taehyung loves him, there's no doubt about it. And Jungkook loves him too, so very much. But will love be enough?

  
  
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Jungkook was done for the day, almost out of his trailer to go back home, when his phone rang. An annoyed groan left his mouth when he saw the caller ID but he didn't have any choice other than answering it. God knows that this particular pest will not stop until he gets what he wants. 

"What the hell do you want, Kai?" Jungkook tried to tone down his annoyance but wasn't sure how successful it seemed. "I thought I told you not to call me ever again."

A chuckle could be heard from the other end. "Awww.. is that any way to talk to your big brother?"

"You're no brother of mine." Jungkook gritted through the phone. "You're nothing but a parasite that suckes blood out of other people."

"Yeah, well, this parasite got to live too. I heard you landed a big drama role. Your bank account won't even register the crumbs you throw my way."

"Money?! You're after money again?! I told you that the last time was it. I won't entertain your bullshit anymore. Don't call me again! Ever!!"

Jungkook's finger was almost touching the cut button when the person on the other end spoke up in an urgent tone. 

"You'll definitely regret it, if you cut my call now."

Jungkook pulled the phone near his ear again and hissed. "You're threatening me?!"

"Of course not. Let's just say I have some  valuable information that you might find interesting¹. And advice such as what will happen if you don't listen to me."

"Listen-"

"-You see, I saw Kwang the other day. You remember him? He was your friend in high-school right? Charming fella."

Jungkook suddenly felt a shiver go through his body. Something about the matter-of-fact tone Kai was having sounded dangerous. Kwang was his friend, a very close one. There aren't any skeletons in Jungkook's high-school closet but you could never know. Specially when it comes to an asshole like Kai.

"Kai, I swear to god-"

"-And he really has very loose lips when he has a few drinks in his belly. He told me something rather interesting about you."

Jungkook held his breath, waiting for whatever hell that's about to fall on him. Kai seemed to be waiting for Jungkook to snap back and found it very amusing when he didn't.

"Awww… won't you ask me what it is? No worries, I'll tell you. How about you come see me right now? We can discuss it in detail."

Jungkook took a deep breath to steady his voice. "And if I didn't come?"

"Well, I guess the entertainment industry would have a field day tomorrow, when they get to know that their most beloved idol bats for the same team."
  
   
   
  
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Jungkook was shaking with anger and worry, as he stepped into the dingy restaurant. He was clad in black from head to toe, with a face mask and bucket hat covering most of his face. Only his eyes could be seen. He would have covered that with sunglasses if not for the fact that it's the afternoon. Nothing getsvmore attention than a man wearing sunglasses when there is no sun.

He would have thought twice about coming because leeches like Kai won't go away easily. If you fold to their demands once, they are gonna come back for more and more, like sharks that have had a taste of blood. They will come back until there's nothing left for you to give. 

But while Jungkook might be willing to withstand a hit on his career, he can never do anything to jeopardize Taehyung's. Jungkook's father is a kind hearted and open minded person so Jungkook was not much afraid of his reaction. As a single father, Jeon Junghyun raised his only son with good values and morals. Jungkook knew that loving someone of the same gender would not fall under cardinal sins in his father's eyes. 

Taehyung's parents are a totally different case so Jungkook was pretty sure it would not go well for the other. And then there's the general disdain people have for actors who openly accept their different sexual orientations.

Jungkook's main source of income are his songs, Royalties and concerts. And while there will be a significant impact, Jungkook knows that he will still be famous. His success is mainly dependent on the fans and Jungkook is pretty sure that most of his fans are loyal and would accept him for who he is.

But Taehyung's career is more interconnected with others, such as directors or producers. Any negative impression on one of those people would mean bad news for him. He could literally lose his endorsement deals, new dramas or movies. 

Jungkook would do anything to prevent that from happening.

Kai wasn't hard to find, he was exactly where he said he would be. Twirling the straw of his drink and flirting with a waitress. Jungkook unceremoniously plopped on to the seat opposite the man, keeping his head lowered to avoid getting recognised. It's highly unlikely that anyone would even believe he would be at a place like this but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. 

"Well hello, cousin!" Kai raised his drink in a mock welcome. "Fancy of you to drop by. What wouldl you like to drink? Babe, would you get my brother's order please?"

"Cut the crap, Kai." Jungkook hissed in a low voice. "Tell me what you know, how you know and how much would it take to shut your mouth about it permanently."

"Ohhh.. straight to business. I like that! I like that very much." Kai leaned back on his chair, after smacking the waitress's back playfully, signaling her to go away. 

Both Jungkook and Kai waited till she walked away, after giving a flirtatious wink to Kai.

"Okay, What I know.. hmmm…I know that while you pretended to be all goody-goody, top class and brilliant, you had a little something going on in high-school with another boy. How I know.. well, your friend saw you making out with that guy behind a bookshelf in the library. He didn't tell you or anyone else as he figured it wasn't his business but like I said, too many drinks made him remember things. And I think 500 Million won would be enough to forget about hearing it. Permanently."

"What about the guy?"

Kai looked a little confused. "What about him?"

Jungkook gritted his teeth. "What did Kwang say about the boy I was kissing? Did he say a name?" 

"He didn't see who it was, they had their back to him." Kai scoffed. "What?! You don't even remember his name? Guess you're a bigger player than I thought!"

Jungkook leaned back on his chair and breathed in relief. As long as Taehyung's reputation isn't in danger, Jungkook knows how to handle his pest of a cousin. 

"Yeah, I suppose I was." Jungkook chuckled. "Those flings didn't last long enough for me to even remember them. I doubt they remember me either. So this is what we are gonna do."

Jungkook leaned forward, so that his words would be very clear to Kai. 

"I'll accept that you brought a good deal this time, but this information is not as harmful as I initially assumed it would be. Everyone experiments in high-school, it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure my fans would understand and support me. After all, I had a spotless record all these years. So I don't think this information is worth 500 million won. I would, however, give you 50 Million won, out of the goodness of my heart. And it's also the price to never show me your face, ever again."

"That's too little!" Kai yelled in disbelief. "I can sell this for a news channel for more than that!"

"Well, you can certainly try. And maybe there will be some small fry who would be stupid enough to take your offer. But Majority would decline. Cause you know why? They know that I have enough and more power at my disposal to make their company go bankrupt. Which I will. And I would also destroy whatever that's left of your pathetic life too. I will make sure you will not have a roof over your head or money to afford basic food in your belly. So take the damn money I'm gonna give you and get out of my life. Trust me, Kai, you don't want to mess with me. So far, you have only seen Jungkook, your soon-to-be no-relative cousin. You wouldn't survive JK."

Kai stared at Jungkook for about a half a minute, his mouth slightly opened in shock. Jungkook held his gaze steadily, his own mouth stretched into a smirk. 

After the staring match, Kai gave a short nod. He seemed disappointed but there's literally nothing else he could do. 

Jungkook went to the bank and got the money withdrawn. He didn't want to do it online because he didn't want to leave a paper trail. Luckily, the branch he went to was able to accommodate his request, even with such a short notice. 

Kai waited for him at the parking lot and Jungkook handed over the money bag to him, who opened it there to inspect what was inside. Kai even pulled out a bundle of money out of the bag, ignoring Jungkook's protests. Jungkook didn't accept the handshake Kai offered and walked straight to his car. 

Next day morning, Jungkook's phone was ringing nonstop, making him get up from his sleep.

"Hobi hyung, what's-"

"-Kookie, don't go outside the apartment today! And don't look at any social media sites too. We are working on getting the article down. It'll be done soon. Just stay put okay."

Jungkook sat on the bed, alarmed by the clear panic in Hoseok's voice. "What? What's going on, hyung?"

There was a few seconds pause and Jungkook knew that Hoseok was contemplating whether to tell him about the issue or not.

"There's-.. there's an article about you, Kookie. Not a good one. But you don't have to worry, we will-"

Jungkook quickly cut the call and opened his twitter account. And sure enough, his mentions were off the roof. Jungkook clicked on one where a fan had quoted the article in question and opened to see.

"Nation's top idol, Jeon Jungkook, was photographed paying a huge sum of money, to a mysterious man. What is the idol up to? Is this a money drop?"

And sure enough, there were pictures of him and Kai in that parking lot, giving the bag, Kai pulling out a bundle which clearly showed that it was money, and them walking back to their separate cars. Jungkook's face was not visible in any of those photos but there was one where he was sitting in the driver seat of his car, with his mast removed.

His face was clearly visible there..