"Hey, do you have anything planned for the day?" Jimin asks as Luna leaves her room. He is standing just inside the bathroom, his hair damp from the shower.

"Nope, why?" Luna responds sharply, causing Jimin to raise his eyebrows.

"No assessments?" He smirks.

"Nope, I only have one left to submit for the term, and a few exams this week and next week, but I am pretty confident," She shrugs.

"You were pretty confident for the last one too," He pinches his lips together, "What score did you get again?" She glares playfully at him while he snickers at her.

"That one had a trick question," She pouts, "Jerk,"

"Anyway, want to watch something? I am bored," He chuckles, stepping out of the bathroom and sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, sure,"

Luna follows Jimin into the living room. He flops onto to sofa and begins the process of picking something to watch. Luna prepares some snacks and drinks, bringing them into the living room. As soon as she does, her phone beeps.

She pulls it out, glaring down at the screen.

TAE: Hey, can we talk?

Jimin clears his throat, grabbing her attention.

"Who is it?"

"No one important," She snaps, sitting on the sofa beside him.

Jimin shrugs before gesturing to the screen.

"Do you want to watch this?" He asks.

On the TV is an old action romance drama, one that Luna used to watch a lot back when she was younger. She grins, nodding her head vigorously. He chuckles at her enthusiasm, playing the drama.

During the entire first episode, her phone chirps a few more times. Each time it vibrates, Jimin glances at her but doesn't say anything. At the end of the first episode, she checks her phone to find 4 messages from Taehyung. She groans with frustration and reads them.

TAE: Please don't ignore me.

TAE: Please?

TAE: We really need to talk.

TAE: I'm coming over.

The last message was sent 5 minutes ago. As she finishes reading it, she hears the front door open.

What? Why does he have the pin? How did he get in?

"Hey, guys!" Hoseok's voice rings through the house, "Look who I ran into,"

He moves into the living room, shouldering a backpack and covered in dirt, Taehyung right behind him. Jimin looks from Luna to Taehyung and back again. He appears to be gauging Luna's reaction, waiting for something to happen. Luna frowns and folds her arms, looking back at the TV.

"Hey Hobi," Luna mutters, "Want to play the next episode, Jimin?"

The living area is immediately covered in a blanket of electricity, the tension rising between them. Hoseok looks from Luna to Taehyung and back again. Taehyung is standing there firmly, his jaw tense and his eyes only on Luna.

"Uh... I am sensing that I have done something wrong..." Hoseok clears his throat, "So I am going to go have a shower," He quickly scurries across the living room and down to his bedroom, leaving Jimin, Luna and Taehyung to stew in the deafening silence.

Finally, Taehyung speaks up.

"What are you guys watching?" He asks, moving towards the sofa. Before he can sit down, Jimin stands and holds up his hands.

"I... uh... I don't think this is a good idea," Jimin says warily, "I think you guys should do this another time,"

Taehyung folds his arms and raises his eyebrows, lifting his chin so he can look down at Jimin.

"Why? I just want to join in, aren't we friends?" Taehyung demands.

"You're not here to watch the drama, Tae," Luna sighs, "I don't want to talk today,"

"Fine," Taehyung retorts, "Then we can just watch the drama, it looks interesting,"

"Just..." Luna grits her teeth, "Leave,"

"You stormed out yesterday and I want to talk it out," Taehyung says firmly, "You didn't even let me explain,"

"What is there to explain, Tae?" She snaps, standing up from the sofa. Jimin is standing between them, looking uncomfortable.

"It's realistic though!" Taehyung yells, "You would agree with me if you just listened!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Jimin chuckles, "What did you say?" He directs at Taehyung.

"He said that I shouldn't be working in the justice system, I shouldn't have bothered trying, and that I should have stayed in America!" Luna yells, "Then, yesterday when I told him how fucked up that is, he said that he doesn't regret it and that he thinks it's suspicious!"

Jimin's expression changes instantly, his eyes darkening as he turns his attention back to Taehyung.

"You said that to her? To Luna of all people?" Jimin scoffs, "If there is anyone who deserves a new life, it's her. She has been wanting to get out of this shit for years! She was born into it! She didn't have a choice! Now she is making her own choice and you're degrading her for it? For wanting to reform?"

"Stay out of this," Taehyung growls.

Luna sees Jimin's back tense up and knows exactly what is about to happen. Before he can charge forward, Luna manoeuvres around Jimin, putting her hands up in front of him.

"Jimin, don't," she says firmly. He glares down at her, his fists clenching and unclenching as he tries to control his anger.

"Don't what? You think this guy is going to do anything?" Taehyung scoffs. Jimin goes to move forward again, but Luna pushes him back.

"Jimin, don't!" She turns back to Taehyung, "Tae, shut your fucking mouth,"

"Why?" He smirks.

"Because he is trained, Tae. He will kill you," She rolls her eyes, "Now both of you stop with this stupid dick-measuring contest,"

"He started it," Jimin grumbles, averting his eyes.

"Sure," Taehyung scoffs, "but you guys never dated, huh? Acting like this? Yeah right,"

"All right, that's it!" Jimin growls, charging forward. Luna steps in his way, pushing at his chest.

"Stop it! It's not worth it," Luna snaps, shoving him hard. Taehyung grabs Luna, trying to move her out of the way.

"Taehyung, fuck off!" She pushes him back, but he just comes right back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Hoseok's voice booms loudly in the area.

Taehyung and Jimin look up to find Hoseok standing at the beginning of the hallway, pissed.

"How about you..." Taehyung starts but Luna shoves him.

"Are you really going to threaten the one who has a gun, Tae?" She grumbles. He goes pale, closing his mouth quickly.

"You need to leave," Hoseok says firmly, slowly walking towards them. Taehyung tenses, but he doesn't argue. He gives Luna a regretful look before storming out of the apartment.

"Are you okay?" Hoseok asks as the door slams behind him.

"I'm fine, of course I'm fine," Luna grumbles, flopping onto the sofa.

"Want to keep watching...?" Jimin asks uncertainly.

"Of course," Luna laughs. Jimin jumps onto the sofa beside her, picking up the remote. He glances at Hoseok and gestures to the spot beside him. Hoseok rolls his eyes and joins them.

. . . . .

Taehyung:

Taehyung storms into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. He moves into the living room, pacing angrily.

He doesn't understand why she is so mad at him. He understands why she was mad yesterday after that misunderstanding, but all this fuss over a fair observation? How is that wrong?

Isn't it realistic to be concerned about a criminal working in the justice system? Is it really so wrong of him to worry about that?

He doesn't disagree with reform. Everyone deserves the right to grow and change as a person. But an assassin wanting to be a lawyer? How does that make sense to her? She still has a plethora of connections to the criminal world, including Hoseok and Jimin. Someone could easily use her position to get away with anything. Sure, she wouldn't use her position to do anything horrible, but they could use her past as blackmail. All they would need is a few texts or digital proof. The higher up the justice system food chain she goes, the riskier it becomes. Doesn't it make more sense for her to study literally anything else?

Grumbling to himself, Taehyung moves into his room. His laptop is already set up at his desk, ready for a day of studying. He doesn't really want to study, but he's bored. He can't watch that drama without Luna, and he doesn't want to start something new, so this is all he can do.

He sits at the desk and slides his chair closer. Once he logs in, he notices an email from the admin of the university. Curious, he opens it.

To: Kim Taehyung 

From: Admin - SKY University

Subject: Scholarship application

Good morning, Kim Taehyung,

We are emailing you to inform you that you have been accepted into the international scholarship program in America.

If you accept this scholarship, you will receive additional certifications and graduate a year early. A law firm in America has also approved an internship at their firm.

If you still wish to study overseas and accept this scholarship, please fill out the documentation attached. There is also a list of requirements needed to attend.

The internship starts in 2 weeks, so please respond as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

SKY UNI admin

Taehyung blinks at the screen, reading the email over and over again. He checks the attachments and finds a checklist and a form for him to fill out. As he starts to accept that this is real, he beams.

"YES!" He cheers,

He types up a response and begins filling out the form digitally. Once he is done, he sends his response, the form, and a summary of what he has and needs from the checklist.

It doesn't take long for the admin staff to respond positively, promising to start the process on their end. Once he starts researching and looking into accommodation, a thought suddenly occurs to him.

Luna.

He's not sure why he hadn't considered her in all this. He must have been swept up by the excitement of it all. What will her response be? Will she be happy for him? Will she be angry?

She's already angry at me.

Taehyung sighs and slumps in his seat, no longer wanting to happily look into accommodation. If he tells her, she might tell him not to go. But, then again, she might not talk to him at all, considering he is meant to leave when the school holidays start in 2 weeks. He will be gone for a very long time, 5 years to be exact. By the time he comes back, she would have graduated and started working. What if she moves far away in that time? She has another 3 years of university before she graduates. She will be gone.

Will she keep in contact with him?

As all these thoughts swirl around in his head like a broken washing machine, he finds himself coming to one conclusion: He can't tell her. She will either get angry, or she will be happy for him. But one thing is certain, she won't keep in contact, and she won't visit.

Should he throw this entire relationship out of the window for his career, and hope fate brings them back together? Or try to make it work? But, most importantly, is it better to leave her heartbroken, or angry at him?

I don't know... I don't know.

. . . . .

Taehyung walks into school by himself today. He thought it might not be a good idea to see Jimin this morning. He looked really angry on the weekend.

I need to apologise to him.

As soon as he enters the grounds, he moves over to the café to grab a tea before class starts. He could do with something nice and sweet to start his week off well.

Once he reaches the little café, he finds Jimin standing off to the side, waiting for his own drink. Once Taehyung finishes making his order, they make eye contact.

Wow, he looks really angry.

Jimin watches him through his eyebrows, his arms folded defensively. Taehyung walks over casually, standing next to him. Jimin's order is called, and he goes to collect it. Then he returns to the position he was standing in, obviously waiting for Taehyung to receive his drink. He downs his drink quickly, throwing it into a bin. It's almost like he doesn't want it to hinder him.

Taehyung gulps involuntarily, waiting nervously.

"Taehyung?" The lady calls.

He scurries over, collecting his drink and rushing in the opposite direction. As he turns the corner of the building, he is shoved harshly into the brick wall. He manages to hold onto his drink, but barely. Jimin saunters closer to him, still glowering at him.

"You wanted to talk?" Jimin sneers, "Let's talk,"

"Do I... do I get to talk?" Taehyung asks nervously.

"Go on," Jimin motions, folding his arms.

"Okay, firstly, I'm sorry for how I acted on the weekend," Taehyung says quickly, "It was immature and reckless of me. I shouldn't have entered the house and acted like that,"

"And the stupid jealousy bull shit?" Jimin mutters.

"I don't know, I just saw how you were getting so protective of her, and I lost my mind," Taehyung mumbles, "I didn't mean it..."

Jimin nods smugly, gesturing for him to continue. He looks satisfied with Taehyung's apology.

"Secondly, I don't think what I said to Luna was wrong," Jimin cocks his eyebrow, "I think how I said it was the problem,"

"Explain," Jimin mutters.

"I am worried about her working in the justice system because I am worried people from her past will come in and blackmail her to do bad things again," Taehyung explains, "I think she should look into becoming something else,"

Jimin frowns at him, taking in his explanation.

"Wait, what?" He snaps, "If that was your reasoning, why didn't you lead with that?"

"I want to be a lawyer," Taehyung shrugs, "Lawyers start a conversation with their opening statement,"

"I don't think your emotional outburst at the hospital constitutes an opening statement," Jimin points out.

"No, you're right," Taehyung agrees, "That was all uncalled for on my part. But I apologised for all that, I just don't disagree with the part about her working as a lawyer,"

"Well, she thinks you're telling her she shouldn't be a lawyer because you think she's going to abuse her power," Jimin says.

"Well, I can see why she thinks that, and I realise that now," Taehyung explains, "I said I was suspicious of her working as a lawyer. But I didn't mean it like that!" Taehyung says quickly as Jimin takes a step forward.

"Okay, I see what has happened and understand where the misunderstanding occurred, now go apologise to her," Jimin gestures, smiling threateningly.

"I don't want to," Taehyung pouts. Jimin rolls his eyes and groans aloud.

"Why the fuck not? This can all be sorted right now before class even starts!" He snaps.

"She! Uh..." Taehyung pauses, trying to find a reason. But he can't. He doesn't want to talk to her because he's scared he's going to let the scholarship situation slip. He can't tell her. He's terrified of what will happen after that. He has decided he would rather her be angry at him than heartbroken.

"Exactly, you don't have an excuse, so let's go," Jimin grabs Taehyung's arm, ready to lead him away.

"I can't!" Taehyung yells, roughly pulling from Jimin's grip, sending his drink flying. It splatters on the ground nearby, rolling around uselessly. He sighs, moving over to put the empty cup in the bin.

"Why can't you?" Jimin asks, watching him, "You're hiding something. What is this about?"

Taehyung sighs, moving towards the wall. He leans against it and slides down, so he is sitting on the ground. Jimin follows him, a crease of concern between his eyebrows.

"I'm... leaving," Taehyung mutters.

"Leaving? Why?" Jimin demands.

"I got a scholarship... I'll be studying and interning in America for 5 years. I leave at the end of term," Taehyung explains, "I don't want to talk to her because I don't want to tell her,"

"Oh, congratulations," Jimin pats Taehyung's shoulder affectionately, "But... I don't understand,"

"I'll be in America, for 5 years," Taehyung repeats, "We are struggling to maintain a friendship now, how are we going to be able to keep in contact for that long? It's not like she can visit,"

"You could visit," Jimin suggests.

"With what money?" Taehyung scoffs, "It's not going to work... I'd rather her be angry at me than hurt,"

"Ah," Jimin nods, "I see,"

They sit in silence for a moment, Taehyung's mind wandering to all the possible options. This is the only solution he could come up with. Should he really make up with her, then spend two weeks with her, only to break her heart at the end?

No, it's better this way.

"You know..." Jimin clears his throat, "I can't keep a secret,"

Taehyung turns his gaze to Jimin, glaring at him.

"You better," Taehyung hisses, "She can't know! Leave her to hate me,"

"Why did you bother apologising to me then?" Jimin frowns.

"Because I didn't want you to kill me," Taehyung mumbles, "Plus, our friendship is different,"

"Fair enough," Jimin sighs, "Why did you want to talk to her then?"

"I found out after that," Taehyung replies, "At least she has a proper reason to hate me now,"

"You two are annoying," Jimin scoffs, "I think you should tell her anyway... let her make her own decision about it,"

"No," Taehyung says firmly, "It's better this way,"

Jimin sighs, but he doesn't push the subject.

It's better this way, right? 

(A/N) so many secrets, so little time. 

What do you think so far? Let me know x 

🫰🫰🫰