"It's Jin the Midnight Club wanted but it's Jimin they got because of Namjoon," Hoseok said to Taehyung and Jimin. "He absolutely refused to let it be Jin because of the connection he had with your family. At least that's what he said."

"Then why did you send Jin there tonight?!" Jimin asked urgently.

"Because I didn't want you to go back there." 

"What?!" Jimin exclaimed, stunned. 

He didn't seem to understand Hoseok's gesture, unlike Teahyng who understood very well that it was further proof of Hoseok's budding friendship towards Jimin. However, this did not calm the anger that was brewing within him.

"Did you choose between Jin and Jimin? " he growled.

" Exact," Hoseok said staring at him defiantly. "The same way you always choose Jin over Jimin, I decided to choose Jimin, even though I felt sorry for our cute Jin."

Taehyung was about to pounce on Hoseok but Jimin stopped him.

"You should never have done that Hoseok," he said, a hint of animosity in his voice.before urgently telling Taehyung: "Taehyung, don't waste your time here : you need to go find Jin immediately. Your family is powerful enough that you can get him out of there, Namjoon's influence is proof enough."

"That's for sure because next year, when places become available, Taehyung will be invited to join the club alongside his brother," Hoseok said in a contemptuous tone. "At that time, we know that Jin will still be safe since he will still be protected by the Kims. But what about you, Jimin?"

Jimin looked at him seriously, finally understanding that his budding friendship with Hoseok was what earned him his concern but he couldn't accept that he would protect him by trading him for Jin.

"Hoseok, now is not the time-" he started.

"I will never join this group of shits, you have much more of a place there than me, you bastard!" Taehyung exploded, cutting Jimin off, his eyes flashing.

"Taehyung, let's talk later," Jimin tempered, "right now, you need to go find Jin. He is on the fifth floor of the dormitory. Go straight away, please!"

Taehyung was going to make a sharp remark, but he saw the glint of pleading in Jimin's eyes, begging him to go find their friend. Jimin had never wanted Seokjin to be hurt in this story, on the contrary he had done everything to keep him out of it. Then, the Kim heir understood that now was not the time to settle scores.

"I'll come back with him," he finally said.

Jimin nodded gratefully and plopped down on his bed as Taehyung rushed out of the room.

Taehyung didn't have to go very far. In the corridor, he saw a shadow appear and froze, thinking he saw Ra or one of the night supervisors appear but he was surprised to see Namjoon and Seokjin appear instead. Or rather Namjoon carrying Seokjin.

"Jin!" Taehyung shouted as he ran to meet them.

"Lower your voice idiot, do you want to wake up the whole dormitory?" Namjoon said with annoyance.

"What happened? Were you up there with him when it happened?" Taehyung asked, lowering his voice, not because Namjoon asked but because he didn't want the boys on the second floor to hear them and come out of their rooms to witness this strange scene.

"I wasn't there, Yoongi warned me," Namjoon explained quickly.

"That asshole knew where Jin was?!" Taehyung said, outraged.

"He suspected it when he received a weird message from Jin, and he asked me to go get him, reminding me that I owed him not one but two favors," Namjoon said darkly.

Stunned, Taehyung told himself that Yoongi had not finished surprising him. Wasn't he the one who threatened to hurt Seokjin that night? And now he was also the one who sent Namjoon, his enemy, to save Seokjin?

He stopped thinking about it when he heard Seokjin groaning in his troubled sleep.

" What happened to him, is he hurt?" he asked sharply, inspecting Seokjin.

"I hit him hard and he lost consciousness," Namjoon explained quickly.

"You hit...WHAT?!" his brother exclaimed, taken aback.

"It wouldn't have happened if you had watched him better," Namjoon replied sharply.

Angry, he pushed Seokjin against Taehyung, forcing him to take over and carry him instead. With his hands suddenly full, Taehyung couldn't try to hit his brother. He struggled for a few seconds not to make Seokjin fall and when he had stabilized his posture, he focused again on Namjoon.

"You sick bastard, what do you mean? That this is my fault?" he asked with anger.

"Exactly. I left him to you, he is your responsibility, don't you remember?! That means you were supposed to protect him from the crazy guy of this school."

"You mean against you too?" Taehyung retorted ironic.

"Yes, that's what I meant," Namjoon replied without any irony. "I'm just like them, I'm a danger to him."

Taehyung was disturbed. Namjoon's speech sounded like his own words, when he told Seokjin that he was a danger to him and that he was going to protect him from himself. So Namjoon, despite his behavior, still cared for Seokjin and that was why he stayed away from him? He should have known that. He felt terribly stupid.

"I will never understand you," he whispered, "why do you have to act so weird?"

"Because I'm the eldest Kim," Namjoon said, closing his eyes, as if he was suddenly tired of carrying this burden but didn't intend to share it with his little brother. "This is how I should be. And you have to take care of Jin, this is the only responsibility I left you. Or are you not capable of it, little brother?" he asked, opening his eyes and staring at Taehyung.

The one gritted his teeth before replying :

"Obviously I'm capable of protecting him!" 

 "Good," Namjoon said, "so tomorrow, you will go to Kang and threaten him by invoking the authority of our family name."

Taehyung widened his eyes.

"What?! You want me to threaten the director?!"

"Yes." 

"Why, I mean, it's not a problem for me, but why go to the manager when I can just go beat up the guys who beat up Jimin and now want to go after Jin?!" 

This was what he intended to do, what his whole being was screaming at him to do as quickly as possible as he was seething with terrible hatred towards them.

"No, you must not take it out on them or you will regret it," Namjoon refused. "They come from families as rich and influential as ours, there must be no dissension between us, especially Joonwoo's family, or our respective parents and companies would be impacted and the balance of economic and political forces could collapse."

"I don't care about-" Taehyung started.

"I know that you don't understand anything about it and I know that you don't care, that's why it's me who takes care of it and it's me who preserves the future of our family and not you !" Namjoon lost his temper.

Seeing his brother's anger calmed Taehyung slightly. He knew that his brother was carrying a burden on his shoulders that he himself did not want to carry.

"So for once, do as I tell you to do," Namjoon continued, calming down when he saw that Taehyung was ready to listen to him. "You'll go see Kang, okay? and you will tell him that the Midnight Club must take Jimin back and leave Jin alone," he added.

"No, I won't do that." Taehyung refused, his expression darkening.

Namjoon's face darkened just as much.

"Yes, you will if you want to protect Jin."

"I will not protect Jin over Jimin. I will protect them both," Taehyung replied with force.

"I thought you didn't care about Jimin?" Namjoon wondered.

"I thought so too," Taehyung admitted. "But I realized tonight that wasn't the case. Jimin is my friend and I care about him as much as I care baout Jin. I won't let him return to the Midnight Club."

Namjoon looked at his little brother and realized he was being sincere. It was a real change: he cared about someone other than Seokjin. He sighed.

"You have the art of making my life complicated, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," Taehyung replied, "but you were born with a brain for both of us so tell me what to do." 

Namjoon thought for a few seconds.

"It doesn't really change how you should act even if it may be more complicated, as you will remove not one but two prey from Kang's clutches. Use your name with confidence and arrogance, as you have done so well before. If necessary, promise him money, he loves it, that's why he clings to the richest students like a parasite. But once you manage to get what you want, stay away from him and the Club."

"Are you sure this will work?" Taehyung asked.

"Be Kim Taehyung and it will work," Namjoon said, without a shadow of a doubt. "That's the power of your name." 

Reassured and confident, Taehyun nodded. He had always trusted his name, using it without hesitation, knowing its power. It wouldn't be any different, except that this time, it wasn't for him but for his friends that he was going to use it. It was something new for him but it was strangely enjoyable.

"One more thing," Namjoon added, attracting his attention. "It's likely that another student will replace Jin and Jimin. Whoever it is, Jin must not get involved and neither should you, is that clear?"

"I don't intend to protect anyone else, don't worry," Taehyung assured. "I'll keep Jin away from the damn club."

"Perfect," Namjoon concluded before turning on his heel.

"So that's it?" Taehyung said eagerly. "You finally decide to act other than an asshole and then you leave?"

Namjoon turned around.

"Did you really expect us to suddenly become a normal family?" he asked with curiosity. 

Taken aback and blushing with shame, Taehyung retorted:

"No, I just wanted to ask if you wanted me to tell Jin what you did for him."

"Don't tell him, Jin needs to stay away from me. You just have to pretend it was you who saved him, he'll love you even more."

He didn't let his emotions show but Taehyung knew it was costing him. He knew that better than anyone. He was the one who should have been away from Seokjin because of what he had done to him, but Namjoon had decided that he was the one who would be away from Seokjin. 

He had sacrificed his friendship with Seokjin but in the shadows, he always took care of him, while also protecting the interests of his family. He was the only one capable of it, the only one mentally strong enough among their siblings to achieve this. Taehyung hated him for that: he felt stupid and incapable next to him.

He looked at Seokjin for a moment then looked back at his brother.

"I won't tell him anything: you'll still be an asshole in his eyes when he wakes up, since that's what you want."

Namjoon nodded and left.

"So frustrating..." Taehyung mumbled, before leaving as well.

He was wondering where he was going to take Seokjin, to his room or to Jimin's when the door to Jimin's room opened in front of him. Hoseok came out and said with a triumphant air:

"I finally know Namjoon's secret. He claims to despise the little beggar in his family, but in reality, he loves him dearly and protects him from his peers."

Taehyung then understood that in the darkness, he had held his door ajar to be able to listen to their exchange. He hated him even more, him and his odious habits of trying to know as much as possible about everyone in order to harm them.

"You won't say anything where I blow your face off," he replied.

"Easy, Kimchi," Hoseok calmed him, raising his hands in a sign of peace. "I didn't say I was going to say anything, just that I was finally going to be able to get rid of my debt to Namjoon."

"What are you talking about?" Taehyung asked with a frown. "what debt are you talking about?"

"I told you that I managed to leave the Midnight club even though it's difficult. I would never have been able to get through it alone with only the support of my family. Who do you think helped me get out of it?"

"Namjoon helped you?!" Taehyung was surprised, "I thought he hated you!"

Hoseok chuckled.

"It's not hatred that binds us, it's distrust," he contradicted Taehyung, "mutual distrust. I can boast of being almost as smart as Namjoon but unfortunately, he has something I would never have: a powerful family. He could have used it against me, but he was annoyingly noble and never fought me through it to make things fair between us." 

"So you won't use his secret against him, I don't need to break your teeth?" Taehyung growled.

"No, it's useless," Hoseok laughed. 

"You're the weirdest person I've ever met," Taehyung said.

"Your family is no less weird from the outside. I still have a lot of questions but I know I'll eventually find the answers," Hoseok affirmed. 

He  had a curious look that Taehyung didn't like, unwilling to see him delve further into his family's secrets. Was he going to use Jimin for this? He was going to have to keep Jimin away from him as much as possible.

"Okay, how about we treat Jin instead of continuing to chat?" Hoseok suddenly declared, pointing at Seokjin with his chin, "he has a nasty burn on his arm."

Taehyung quickly looked and actually saw the injury. He cursed.

"Oh, that's not pretty, luckily Jin didn't hear you, I should tell him when he wakes up, so he can express his disapproval to you, " Hoseok commented, earning a glare from Taehyung. "Put him in my bed, I'll go get something to treat him. Unless you want to take him to his room and involve Yoongi in this story of course."

He left in the direction of the infirmary, not bothering to know where Taehyung was going to take Seokjin, as if he knew with confidence that it would be where he expected it to be.

"So frustrating..." Taehyung muttered for the second time that night.