forty-six.

"Seolmi! We're here!" Seokjin shouts upon stepping inside the house. Seolmi, who was busy with her new coloring books, instantly perks up and runs towards the owner of the voice. She greets Seokjin with a wide smile on her face, which obviously made Jin squeal and embrace the child tightly.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much!" Jin whispers when Seolmi starts nuzzling her cheeks on his neck.

"I missed you too, baba Jin!"

"How about us, Seolmi? Don't you miss us?" Seolmi's head snaps up, only to see Jimin, Namjoon and Yoongi behind Jin. She jumps down from Jin's arms and rush towards the three, engulfing them into a small hug, trying so hard to clasp her arms around the three.

"Our little snowflake!" Yoongi coos which made Seolmi smile warmly.

"How is our little snowflake?" Jimin kneels to level his height with the child. She kisses Jimin's nose before answering.

"I'm okay now, uncle Chim! Daddy and dada are okay. You and baba Jinnie were right when you told me that they still love each other," Seolmi tells them, sighing dreamily afterwards. The four couldn't help but to be swooned by the child's adorable action.

"Who's with you right now, baby?" Namjoon asks her. Seolmi grabs his hands excitedly and drags him towards the kitchen.

"Grandma! They're here!" Grandma Yumi jolts because of Seolmi's shriek. She clutches her chest in shock as she turn towards the child.

"You scared me, Seolmi. Next time speak in a soft voice, okay? You almost gave me a heart attack," she says softly while massaging her chest slowly. Jin sighs and looks for a bottle of water for Grandma Yumi to consume.

"Grandma, drink this. It'll make you feel better," Jin offers. The old woman immediately drinks it until she feels at ease.

"Seolmi, apologize to Grandma Yumi," Jin says. Seolmi waddles her way to hug Grandma Yumi's legs.

"I'm sorry, grandma. Seolmi promise not to do it again," she pouts and all of them turn soft once more.

"You are forgiven, Seolmi. Now go play with your toys for now."

Seolmi did what she was told to do, but not before kissing everyone on the nose. The five just chuckle and settle themselves on the dining table.

"So, how's the trip boys?" Grandma asks, placing the newly made soup on the table.

"You didn't have to prepare us food, grandma. But thank you for this!" Jimin chirps. All of them starts digging in.

"You're cooking is delicious as always, grandma!" Yoongi praises Grandma Yumi.

"Who do you think I got my cooking skills from, Yoongi?" Jin boasts which makes the younger roll his eyes.

"I'll definitely fight you but I am restraining myself because you're carrying a baby," Yoongi says in a monotone voice wherein he earns a laugh from the others.

"I guess it's time for me to go home. Just knock on my door when you need something, okay?"

The group answers a 'yes' in chorus and bids the old woman goodbye. After she left, they start discussing about the very reason why they came to Daegu.

"So, what are we gonna do first?" Namjoon queries. They already stopped eating and concentrated on the plan.

"Okay, here's the thing. We will decorate the living room and backyard. Chim, you will be the one to decorate the living room, and Namjoon, in the backyard. Yoongi and I will be in charge of cooking. You two can ask Seolmi for help."

"Wait, why am I stuck with you?" Yoongi asks in terror. Jin gives him a cryptic smile, as he squishes Yoongi's cheeks together.

"Because I said so, Yoongi~"

Jimin and Namjoon stifles their laughter because of Yoongi's reaction. It is fun to watch them interact, especially when Jin becomes too clingy and Yoongi can't do anything except asking for help, but it is useless anyway. His own fiance will just look at him and laugh at his fate.

"But-"

"Now you don't want little jam to be sad, right? So come on and let's start cooking!" Jin beams in delight then drags Yoongi forcefully back inside the kitchen. Yoongi turns for help, but as expected, the two are already gone.

"Fuck this life."

〰️

"Jeon Jeongguk, I swear to God I will fucking castrate you once this ride is over!" Taehyung shouts exasperatedly when the younger forces him to buckle his safety belt. Taehyung can't remember how Jeongguk made him ride this lethal thing (for him at least).

"Hyung calm the fuck down! This is just a roller coaster!"

"Fuck you, Jeon!" Taehyung spats at him but Jeongguk didn't mind him and gets all giddy for the ride to start. Seeing the younger so happy, Taehyung sighs to himself and decides to just let this slip and just scream when he's scared.

"I couldn't believe you'll make me sacrifice my life for you," Taehyung mutters under his breath. Jeongguk looks at him in amusement before closing the gap between them, giving the older a peck on the lips.

"Hold my hand," Taehyung whines like a baby.

"I was about to."

Jeongguk grasps Taehyung's hands, intertwining it with his own, tight enough to assure the older that he'll be okay throughout the ride. Taehyung smiles, feeling fuzzy inside for the butterflies inside his stomach starts fluttering again, making him forget about the ride.

"Told you it was great, Taetae!" Jeongguk says after they got down from the ride. Taehyung, for the first time, didn't scream, faint nor vomit. He was just too focused on how Jeongguk's hands were perfectly wrapped in his own.

"Yeah, it was, Gukkie," Taehyung coos. The younger squeezes their hands which were still intertwined.

"You hungry, baby?"

"Glad you finally asked because that ride drained everything out of my system!" Taehyung starts grumbling. Jeongguk can't help but to show his adorable bunny smile and drags his lover inside a near fast food chain.

"Gukkie, you know what to get me~" Taehyung purrs adorably. Jeongguk smilingly nods and kisses the tip of his nose before making his way towards the counter. Taehyung searches for a vacant seat, and he luckily sees one not so long after. He sits down, placing his bag beside him as he waits for Jeongguk.

"I miss Seolmi," he mumbles, thinking about their daughter. He fishes out his phone but there are no notifications.

"I guess she's taking a nap or playing with grandma," he says to himself once again. He looks at the time and the device reads 2:33 PM.

Taehyung snaps back to reality when someone sits in front of him. He smiles, expecting that it is Jeongguk, but as he sees the person completely, his smile drops down when a stranger meets his face.

⚠️ Violence & Sexual harassment ⚠️

"Hey, sweetie," the stranger says in a voice Taehyung can already decipher. He looks at Taehyung like some piece of meat... so he knows what the stranger wants.

Taehyung shifts on his seat uncomfortably and fixes his attention on something else. Just looking at the stranger alone makes his body shiver in fear.

"What are you doing alone in this place, sweetcake?"

Taehyung wants to puke because of the endearments the stranger is giving him but still, he did not bother to talk to him.

"Are you mute, love?" The stranger smiles mockingly. He positions his arms on the table and leans his face towards Taehyung.

"If that's the case, then it's too bad. I wanted to hear you scream my name once I fuck the shit out of you," he smirks. Taehyung's ears perk up and he clenches his fist.

"What a pity... but I bet you'll still be a whiny little bitch-"

"Fucking stay away from my husband you fucker!"

"Shit!" The man hisses in pain when a punch hits him squarely on the jaw. He almost knock down the table but is able to support his weight.

"Taehyung come on! Let's get out of here!" Taehyung is already crying after he sees Jeongguk launch towards the man. It is the first time he sees the younger so angry, and it is also the first time he sees him engage in a fight.

Jeongguk grabs his wrist harshly, pulling him and his bag towards the exit, but they stop when Taehyung's other wrist is captured by the stranger.

"You going home, already, baby? I'm sure your 'husband' doesn't mind if I borrow you for the night, right?"

"I already warned you to stay away from my husband. But I guess you're too dumb to understand!"

Jeongguk loosens his grip on Taehyung's hands before saying, "Call the police, Tae. Go outside and don't look back."

Taehyung wants to stop Jeongguk from fighting with the man, or maybe from killing the man, but his voice can't come out from his mouth. Since it was no use in arguing, he nods his head and turns shakily towards the exit. People are now swarming over the two worked-up men, some are already calling the police.

"Hey, bitch! Come back he-"

"Don't you ever call my husband a bitch!"

That was his last straw before Jeongguk leaps on him, tackling him down the ground. Jeongguk clenches his fists so hard, punching the man's 'almost' perfect, face, though he is a jerk so he definitely deserves every punch Jeongguk throws at him.

The stranger was able to fight back, regaining his strength from the sudden blows, hitting Jeongguk on the cheeks hard. The younger's bottom lip pops, blood already gushing out, but not as brutal as what he did to the other.

"Is he that good in bed that you'll really fight me?" The stranger spats mockingly. Jeongguk's blood boiled and is so close to exploding, so he grabs the man's collar, his fist meeting the man's whole face in contact.

"You fucking don't know when to stop, do you?!"

The stranger can only cough out blood from the impact Jeongguk released. His lip ring flew off towards the floor, and his lips are now ripped badly.

"Fuck. I'm sorry! I'm fucking sorry!" He cries out in pain. Jeongguk's breathing still did not slow down from his anger. He still wants to punch the bastard in front of him. His fist still aches for something to punch, though it is already numbing in pain.

"Gukkie, it's time to stop. The police are here... these people are willing to testify about what happened. So, stop it already..." Taehyung says, his tears are still falling from his eyes. His hands tried unclenching Jeongguk's fists, and he is washed with relief when Jeongguk's hands softens, as well as his face.

"I love you," Taehyung whispers in his ear. And that was what it took for Jeongguk to face his lover, submerging him into his arms, securing him.

After the catastrophic scene that took place at the fast food chain, the policemen were kind enough to convoy them towards the hospital to get Jeongguk's wounds cleaned.

"Sir, thank you for your immediate response."

"It's our duty, Mr. Jeon. Besides, the one we just detained was on the run for almost 4 months now. Harassed a 14-year old girl and escaped. I guess today was not his lucky day."

The policemen bid goodbye once more and they soon entered the hospital. The nurses assisted Jeongguk and treated his wounds carefully. Taehyung is just standing beside his lover, guilt eating him.

Once everything is done, Jeongguk is ready to go. He holds Taehyung by the waist, resting his chin on the other's shoulder as they make their way back to the car. As soon as they buckle themselves, Jeongguk looks over the sobbing Taehyung with concern.

"Hey, baby. Why are you crying again? Are you hurt?" Taehyung did not look at him, instead, he scoots back, his side already sticking to the door.

"Baby, are you scared of me?" To say Jeongguk feels hurt, is an understatement. He feels beyond that, cursing himself because he almost killed someone just by punching uncontrollably.

"N-no... I just think everything's my fault... You were hurt because of me. I'm sorry," Taehyung manages to utter amidst his sobs. Jeongguk takes the older's seatbelt off of him, hoisting him up to make him sit on his lap. He caresses the older's face, soothing him with sweet words.

"Tae, look at me."

"W-what."

"It's not your fault, baby. It was that bastard's fault. Fuck, just thinking about him makes my fist itch. I'm sorry, you had to witness that gruesome scene back there. I was just so angry, baby. The bastard sexually harassed you. I don't want you to get hurt, or groped by some pervert. And I was thankful I beat the shit out of him because he raped a 14-year old girl! God knows what he would do to you when I was not around!"

"Gukkie, I'm okay... It's okay now. Thank you. I would not know what to do without you. I love you so much. Thank you for protecting me."

"I love you, as much as everything. You and Seolmi are my life now, Tae. I don't want to lose the two of you so I will definitely risk myself just to keep you two safe."

Taehyung wipes his face before smiling and kissing Jeongguk on the lips.