Two days. That's how long it has been since Taehyung last spoke with Jungkook. Jungkook's shooting schedule was adjusted again to give him a break, mostly because the press has been lurking near the shooting area, asking for a response to the news. Which, understandably, Jungkook's agency opted not to give.

They neither confirmed nor denied. They couldn't confirm the news without giving out details as people would assume the worst case scenarios. And they couldn't very well deny it when there are pictures to back it up. So no response was issued from Jungkook's side, hoping that the news will die down in a few days. Celebrity scandals are known only till the next big news happens.

So Jungkook has been held up at home, staying away from the public eye.

Taehyung didn't dare to go to Jungkook's apartment, after that little blowout they had. He knew he had handled the situation rather poorly, but he was just so angry and blind with worry. Taehyung had repeatedly told Jungkook not to have any contact with Kai as the man had proved himself to be a huge headache for Jungkook.

Taehyung was in his trailer, getting his makeup done, when Jimin came in. The manager came with Taehyung actually, but had excused himself once Yoongi finished giving pointers of today's shoot.

Jimin sat down on the armchair and was scrolling through his phone when Taehyung cleared his throat. He gave a pointed look to the makeup artist, who nodded in response and went out of the trailer. Taehyung waited till the door was fully closed, before speaking up.

"Can you do something for me, Jimin?"

Jimin locked his phone and kept it on the small table. "Sure, what is it?"

"If I remember correctly, you have a relative who's a detective, right?"

"Sort of, yeah. My cousin is a police officer and he does a little private detective work on the side too. But it's not an official thing."

Taehyung hummed in acknowledgement. That was even better. The last thing he wanted was the media getting a whiff of him getting involved in Jungkook's private matters.

"That's cool. Can you ask him to look into someone? But I'd like it if we can keep my name out of this."

"Uhh.. sure. He will not ask many questions. Who's the person?"

"Uhhh.. it's the guy in the photos with Jungkook. His name is Kim Jong-in, but he mostly goes as kai. Last I knew, he lived in Busan. I want to know what he's been up to lately. And people who had met him and if possible, for what purpose."

"Oh.."

Jimin looked like he had 100 questions to ask and Taehyung honestly appreciated the fact that he didn't voice any. And also, he knew that he needed to give some background on the matter. He trusted Jimin to finally let him in on things.

"Yeah, the guy has been pestering Jungkook for a long time now. It's mostly for money but there had been few instances where he asked for other favors. I want to find something that can permanently remove him from Jungkook's life. A leverage, if you get what I mean."

"Say no more. I'll take care of it."

Taehyung gave a small nod. "Thank you, Jimin."

"So.." Jimin gave a tentative look to Taehyung. "You and Jungkook huh?"

"Yeah." Taehyung's reply came as a sigh.

Jungkook and him.. even with all the issues they were having, that single line felt as the most right thing in the world. It'll always be Jungkook and him, petty fights be damned.

"Hoseok hyung said that you guys were schoolmates."

"Hmm.. yeah, we knew each other since high-school."

"Wow! That's actually unbelievable." Jimin's face was full of awe. "How come nobody knew about it for so many years?"

"Both of us are very private people, when it comes to our personal lives. It's nobody's business but ours. And besides, we had a reputation to keep. Times have improved a bit from when we started but this industry is still not that kind to people opposing the norm."

Jimin gave a nod in understanding. He had seen too many people losing their careers over matters like this to argue with Taehyung. The world is still not welcoming of ideas that don't match with their own beliefs.

Jimin sighed. He wished Taehyung and Jungkook never had to face such issues, when they eventually decide to come out.



__________________________________

Kai looked at the message from the unknown number. He had a few calls too but he didn't answer them. That's when the message came.

"The news about the money didn't catch on. We need something else. Answer the call."

If there ever was a time when Kai regretted his decisions, it would be this. He had made that call, agreeing to give the information as long as his identity remained anonymous. He thought they held up their part of the bargain when his face in the photos were blurred.

It was an impulsive decision to call the reporter when Jungkook went to get the money from the bank. He wanted to get back at Jungkook cause he was pissed off but still didn't want to get into trouble with the idol either. Jungkook's threat to destroy Kai's life was a very feasible one and Kai knew it.

Next time the phone rang, Kai answered it. "Hello."

"Mr Kim, you're a hard man to get a hold of. It took us some time to find you."

"Who are you?" Kai tried to sound intimidating. "What do you want with me?"

"You know who we are, Mr Kim. After all, you contacted us. But unfortunately, the information you gave out did not have the impact we expected. So how about you give us something more?"

"More?"

"Yeah. For example, the reason for the money? Why did Jeon Jungkook give you money?"

"That's-" Kai paused,Jungkook's warning ringing in his ear. "That's none of your business. We had a deal, and it's done. Don't contact me again-"

"-I'd think again about cutting the line, if I were you."

Kai's finger was hovering over the little icon to cut the call, but stopped when he heard the warning tone. "Excuse me?!"

"We also would have loved to stop it at this but his agency managed to downplay it. So we want you to give us more details. Something even bigger."

"And what if I refused?"

A mocking laugh came through the other line. "Well, then, I don't think we have another choice other than to reveal your identity. I mean, that's not as big of a news as we want but a family member blackmailing an idol is quite interesting too."

Kai felt the blood drain from his face. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh trust us, we most certainly would."

"Jungkook will destroy us both. He has the power."

"Not when it's the truth. We have photos to prove it, thanks to you. It's not just baseless gossip. And besides, Jungkook would be the least of your problems."

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine his thousands and thousands of fans knowing what you did to him." The voice from the other end chuckled humorlessly. "You'd be buried alive and no one would even know."

Kai knows enough to accept that he's screwed. Totally, royally, screwed. It was a thousand times better to stay anonymous and face Jungkook's wreath than to be at the mercy of his fans. As he recalled, Jungkook has very protective and sort of diehard fans too. At Least some of them would not think twice about killing him, even at the risk of going to jail.

"Okay." He breathed in a defeated manner. "I'll tell you what you want."



_________________________________

The world was in for a shock, when a new article dropped next day morning..

~~The cat is out of the bag now! And it's not the only thing that's out too. Reliable sources speaks out regarding the reason for the Top idol Jeon Jungkook's mysterious 'money drop' is as a payoff to keep a secret..

Nations Top idol and the dream man of countless women.... is GAY!!"

Find out all about his love adventures in high-school..~~