Jimin was done with everything, so done.

As he was lying in the hotel bed, he had been staring at the curtains that were drawn, but the light started filtering through the gap, shimmering smoothly over his brown iris. A knock on the door didn't stir his concentration, but when the sound turned urgent with continuous bangs, he blinked and the tear fell astray over the pillow to be absorbed by the cotton, leaving a perfectly round fleck over it.

"Go away!" Jimin's voice wavered as he flipped and turned his body skyward.

"Jimin, please open the door," the voice of Hoseok came out calculated and careful. The tone was polite but also desperate.

"No, Hoseok Hyung... I don't feel like doing anything. I will call you later!" Jimin gushed to only resonate panic in Hoseok further.

"That's the more reason you let me in, Jimin-ah. I promise I will be a good company. I need to make sure you are okay and once I have ensured that, you can do whatever you-"

Hoseok jumped a little as the door opened and Jimin stared intently, possessing the older male with his gaze that was unwavering. "I am okay," he stated plainly, sniffling at once to not let the tears make their presence again. "I am all okay. I didn't let my mind slip into derogatory thoughts, I am perfectly capable of walking, I am breathing. This is okay, right? Are you satisfied now?"

The older looked at the knuckles of the younger man who had firmly held onto the door that turned white. His words were sarcastic, but Hoseok didn't care to think of the bashing he was receiving, he needed Jimin to pour everything out because contrary to his words, he knew Jimin was all but okay.

Hoseok carefully moved ahead, reaching to take the hand in his palm when Jimin's head dipped down and he chuckled out sourly right before breaking into tears. The older didn't say another word and wrapped his arm around the bronde, patting the soft mop on his head with his other arm. "Am I-"

"Don't." Hoseok voiced out sternly, not letting Jimin doubt himself even for a second.

"But why has it always been me, Hyung? I tried so hard to make it work. People exploit the virtue. It's not ideal, but then I know there has to be something else. I am not enough, Hyung."

"Shh," Hoseok ran his fingers along the spine of the man's crumpled white shirt. "You are the most beautiful man I've seen inside and out. Please don't think for a second that you aren't enough or less." As he began to breathe with Jimin, the latter seemed to have regained composure after a few seconds.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, Jimin detangled himself away from the older. "You have to give me his number. Please give me something. I need to go see him."

"Jimin," Hoseok looked through his pained eyes. He felt a pang in his chest because he recognized this determination and this voice. Jimin wasn't going to stop unless he had something proved. If it was for Jimin, Hoseok would be happiest to help his friend, but he knew that whatever Jimin was going to do wasn't for himself, was to prove a point because of someone else's actions. "Please."

"Please, Hyung, I have to go see him. You were trained by him so why can't I?"

"He doesn't train people like us anymore, Jimin-ah," Hoseok's voice held annoyance partly, but mostly it was worry. "I have unfollowed the club a long time ago. Even if I wanted, I couldn't help."

"I will find him myself, then." Jimin pushed Hosoek back gently and turned his feet around to trudge towards the bed. He picked up his coat that was lying beside the pillow and dug out a ring from the pocket. Hoseok saw as Jimin inched closer and kept the shining thing in his hand. "Please get rid of this for me."

The taller held the smaller's arm and turned him around. "Where are you going?"

"You said you don't know anything about his whereabouts...so I have to start scouring from somewhere." Hoseok gulped at the accusatory tone and tore his gaze down. "But thank you, Hyung. Trust me, I am okay." The younger assuredly patted Hoseok's forearm twice before prying his hand away.

"He is in Seoul," Jimin heard from the door so he turned. "But trust me, you don't want him. He doesn't care if you have had a bad day or if you have just cremated your mother. If you want, I will take you to him tomorrow, but take a breather for now." Hoseok informed, warning Jimin that with his sensitive headspace, he shouldn't talk to the man who was ruthless when it came to his new clients.

Jimin turned around to smile falsely at the man. "Are you driving or should I? If my memory serves me right, I was so severely vetted by you on how unsafe was it to drive after having a break-up."

Hoseok didn't like the way the bronde's eyes were dark or how his shoulders were sagging as he attempted to showcase faux confidence that he knew would be crushed in a matter of seconds if he met Jungkook. "Jimin-ah, think about it. We can sleep on it tonight and pick it up later."

"Come on, Hyung. I think we can make it in time if we start now. That is if you help me as you are the one amongst the two of us who knows where I am going." As the bronde tapped over his wristwatch, Hoseok sighed and began to lurk towards the adamant younger.

***

Jimin looked down with keen sense from the glass-walled elevator that carried them to the fourth floor of the building. The pricey construction and the dainty makeover brought a sense of firm promise to the bronde. It was all about the first impression that took merely three seconds to build. This was a world of attractive people and reflections as far as Jimin's eyes could scramble. The glass floor-to-ceiling windows, the tiled floors, the random flat surfaces, or the ceilings, everything was reflecting the images of the dwellers.

There was a moment when Jimin felt a sense of insecurity in his mind too. What if Hoseok was right and he made a mistake out of impulse by coming here? But now that he was here, how thought how bad could it be? Surely enough, nothing could beat ending the ten-year-old relationship like it was nothing.

The big door with black expensive leather casing over it was opened by a guard as the two finally stood in front of a headquarters that had a black and white billboard saying Mikrokosmos. Hoseok glanced at Jimin one last time before the younger made an effort to enter through the ajar gap. He followed closely behind and the surroundings suddenly made him nostalgic.

There was glass installation all around the space that was made to serve little to no privacy to the members. Jimin could as he stalked in see a few attractive backs working on a few pieces of equipment in one section which seemed to him like any typical gym, but this place wasn't just a gym, it was so much more as he had heard from Hoseok from all those years ago.

When the older was bullied in school for his appearance, he was brought to Mikrokosmos, which at that time, helped build the confidence, body, and image of people. Once the popularity took off, they changed the concept of the transformation. It wasn't limited to just weight reduction, it was about a healthy lifestyle, mind and body sync and control, and more importantly, self-care, which made all the difference.

Jimin admired Hoseok's confidence since he returned as an entirely new person. They worked on Hoseok's physical appearance, not that there was anything wrong with it, to begin with, but they transformed the way Hoseok carried himself or looked at life.

Jimin's girlfriend, Kim-Bee, was his first love, and even though he did know that it was toxic love, he couldn't imagine himself living his life without her. Over the years, they broke apart many times. He found himself wandering in the darkest recesses of his mind, and so he felt the need for help and brought his interest to Hoseok's attention about this place, but for some reason, his friend never really prompted him in this direction.

He was here now, finally.

Hoseok flashed his card through the glass door to let an employee see and open the glass door for them. "We are here for Jeon Jungkook. I have a membership and we don't have an appointment as we were in a hurry."

The man scrutinized both of them and picked up his iPad. "Name?" He asked wryly.

"Jung Hoseok."

"Wait in the lobby and I will call you once he is ready to see you." The man addressed Hoseok and beckoned the two towards the relatively darker area in comparison to the bright, big studio that they saw right beyond the reception.

As the door to the lobby closed, Jimin found that the voices blocked out so he heard relatively softer music as compared to what he heard outside, the turmoil of electric beats. He sat down over the beige leather couch and spotted the jittery Hoseok. "What's wrong?" The bronde asked, feeling a bit of anxiety kicking in now.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea." Hoseok sighed, his hands wringing.

"He would say no to me, what else? I am sure I can face one more rejection from someone who matters to be worth a dime. Don't worry." Jimin soothed, standing up and walking over to the man.

A door from another end of the lobby opened and a woman lurked her head inside. The similarity was the uniform that the staff was wearing, the orange jerseys, and the dark blue track pants. "Mr. Jeon will see you now."

Hoseok grabbed Jimin's palm and walked towards the office. Jimin couldn't pay any attention from this moment to what was in the surroundings as the two were led by the attractive woman into a big space that almost looked like a corporeal office. Jimin's eyes batted as they fell on the face. He had seen his fair share of appealing faces, but none ever captured him into mesmerization, especially of a man.

He didn't know he was in a daze of fascination when Hoseok introduced himself. "And he is-"

It was at this moment that the man sitting on the leather chair across the table stood up. "Can't he speak? Is he mute?"

Jimin's wonder bubble popped at this moment. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, you can. I am sorry I assumed you were mute. Whom am I talking to?" Jungkook made a point to sound as casual as he could as he padded around the table.

"Park Jimin."

"Hmm," the man sighed, a thumb going to his chin, scratching it and the elbow of the same arm resting over his other arm that snugged horizontally across his abdomen. "Mr. Park, what do you want?"

The question was direct, but Jimin seemed to have no answer to it. He spared a glance at Hoseok who didn't say anything, knowing how much Jungkook hated when someone talked out of their turn. "I am not in good shape as I have just broken off my 10-year-old relationship-"

"Flabby face, puffy eyes, your kidneys must hate you for that, by the way," Jungkook pointed towards the man's abdomen. Jimin's jaw dropped, he didn't mention being in a bad physical form rather his mental health. "But the good thing is, you seem to have worked out before."

"I have abs," Jimin wanted to clarify that he was utterly satisfied by the way he looked, he needed to enroll in rather a mental program.

"Well congratulations to you," Jungkook smiled now and Jimin hesitantly glanced at Hoseok again who had his brows arched and palm to his mouth. "Now what do I do with this information? It still doesn't change my analysis about you."

8 Mar 2022