A tall, brawny man passed through the entrance of the enormous mansion, moving in a long-legged stride towards his boss’ office. His freshly shaved, oval face had sharp features, lines of aging meandering across his skin. His full brows were straightened, and his hair stood out in stylized, short spikes. 

He raised his shapely hand to knock on the door and waited until he was given permission to enter the extravagant office. Shuffling further inside, he bowed his head to an elegant figure that was seated in the armchair.

The woman’s midnight-black, straight hair hung like a dark river on her neck, the tips hugging the ends of her sharp jawline as her locks were tucked behind normal-long ears. Her rich bangs cascaded on her forehead, concealing one thin eyebrow. Mild wrinkles framed her sooty eyes and round lips, which wore a crimson shade of matte lipstick. 

A black dress enclosed her slim form, with thick dot-like diamonds adorning its border above her breasts and the narrow straps over her shoulders. A cigarette stood between her seamed fingers, her vibrant red nail polish sparkling at the touch of the golden sunlight pouring from the French doors behind her. 

“Report.” Her luscious, silvery voice carried the usual bland tone, tinted with presumptuousness around the edges. 

“Taehyung was kidnapped yesterday. They tried to kill him, but he escaped. He went to Jeon Jungkook’s house.”

Something dangerous sparked in her penetrating eyes. After a moment’s braising stillness, she sucked in the last drag of her cigarette and slammed it into the ashtray. Her form hid momentarily behind the thin veil of smoke floating around her at her exhalation. “Who is the scumbag who tried to take his life? Only I have the right to do that.”

“Wang Jianhao, a murderer who’s wanted in China. They already caught him.”

“Hmm.” She reclined, crossing one knee over the other. “How come Jin Mo didn’t put someone to kill him?”

“He did. But the police were already there and caught them too.”

Her chest instantly quivered with her burst of delighted cackles. “Ah, it’s so fun! I bet that angered him.”

“Should we make a move now that Taehyung is in a vulnerable position? Everything is ready. We have many people on our side now. We’re safe, even if Jin Mo does come out of his hideout and attacks us.”

“Don’t act rashly, Man Shik-ah,” Chae Yeon muttered in reproach. “We’re talking about killing Jin Mo’s best man. Our fortress isn’t ready yet, and you know it. If we get Joo Eon’s goods and his men... I get goosebumps just thinking about it. We’ll have everything then. And that’s when everything will be ready to block his attack.”

Man Shik nodded at her words, quickly realizing she was right. “Did Sa Rang find out anything about Joo Eon?”

“No. The police haven’t sniffed him out yet. And it better stays this way because we won’t be able to take his goods. You can stop monitoring Taehyung for a while. He won’t be able to go anywhere, anyway. Instead, focus on Joo Eon. You and Chul Soo. Find out everything about him.”

“Okay. Do you think Taehyung told Jin Mo that he found you?”

“Probably not. Wouldn’t he be here already to kill us if he knew where we are?”

“Yeah,” Man Shik sighed. “Why did you allow Taehyung to follow Sa Rang here? It put us in danger.”

Chae Yeon erupted in another round of high-pitched laughs. “It’s fun this way. Taehyung wants answers first. He won’t allow Jin Mo to kill us without getting these answers. And you, Chul Soo, and I are the only ones who know the truth.”

Man Shik’s eyes slid to the right corner of the room. “Are you one hundred percent sure that Jae Wook doesn’t know anything? He was... too calm when I went to talk to him months ago. While Taehyung was agitated when Chul Soo talked to him.”

“There’s no way he knows something. He was just a kid. He can’t know. He doesn’t. He would have said something to Taehyung by now if he did.” Her extensive reply was a tool to soothe the frightening speculation and reassure herself. 

“That’s true, but... what if he knows and he hasn’t said anything because he wants to protect him? Taehyung will suffer the moment he finds out the truth. He’d wish he had died along with his parents that night.”

“Aish. Shut your mouth about it already,” she growled. “Taehyung will die soon either way. By my hands.”

“My apologies, Chae Yeon-ssi. You’re right.” He bowed his head in remorse. “Did Sa Rang believe you, by the way? When you told her that Taehyung was lying?”

“Yes. What Taehyung said almost ruined everything, but I restored her belief that Jin Mo killed her son. She still thinks I want to help her lure Jin Mo out of his hideout to get him arrested, and that killing Taehyung is the only way to do that.” She chuckled mockingly and sighed a contented breath. “Otherwise, she won’t continue to be my informant.”

“Good. Everything is going according to the plan, then.”

“Exactly! If she doesn’t lose her cool again and doesn’t reveal to Jungkook Taehyung’s true identity as she promised, everything will be okay.”

🥀

The pain of Taehyung’s injury had diminished greatly, he observed, when he woke up. It still hurt, but not enough to need pills, thankfully. He always hated taking any medication. 

What didn’t lessen, though, was that annoying bubble of awkwardness in his stomach every time he reviewed yesterday’s events with Jungkook. 

He couldn’t drive from his mind Jungkook’s words. How desperate he became for him again. How he begged Jungkook to let him touch him. How could they act as if nothing happened? As if they didn’t get impossibly hard for one another? How could they laugh it off and joke about it? Taehyung certainly couldn’t do that. Because every time the flashbacks rushed to his head, he could only dig his face into his hands in absolute abashment. 

Maybe it felt just as awkward for Jungkook since he hadn’t called him to ask if he was even okay. 

Someone else, who should have called him at least by afternoon and hadn’t was Jin Mo. He seemed to have a lot to say yesterday, but he was nowhere to be found the whole day. 

And so, seated on the couch late in the afternoon, Taehyung called him instead. 

Unlike usual, it took a while for Jin Mo to pick up. “Taehyung.”

“Is your brain finally back in its place?”

A throaty sigh escaped him. “You’re in no position to lecture me.” 

“Damn right I am. I almost had a fucking heart attack with your drunk ass.”

“I wouldn’t be in that mess if you kept your mouth shut!” Jin Mo suddenly exclaimed in a ruthless tone. “Why the hell did you tell Jungkook about Soo Gun? Why? Just why?”

“I didn’t have a choice!” he lied peevishly. “How am I supposed to gain his trust if I don’t tell him anything?”

“And you decided to tell him about Soo Gun? I told you he was important!”

“Why? Why was he so important? Yesterday, you said Jungkook ruined your plans. What plans, Jin Mo? What are these plans that I don’t know about?”

A long silence ensued that near goaded Taehyung to fire more questions, but Jin Mo’s voice sounded again, with no traces of aggravation or strictness this time. “I didn’t tell you everything about him. I wanted Soo Gun to join me. He would become my best assassin. And I needed you to find out how he was operating, what his habits were, everything.”

A suffocating stranglehold of treachery coiled around Taehyung’s neck the more he listened to him. And that horrific suspicion he so much strove to push back yesterday crushed him entirely. “You knew who he really was.”

“Yes. But I didn’t know he could be that dangerous. If you just were good to him—”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Taehyung cried in a voice raw with fury and hurt. “You made me get close to a murderer! Are you insane?”

“Calm down. Everyone in this business is dangerous. And your other missions were just as dangerous. Don’t overreact.”

“He’s fucking wanted in China for multiple murders, and you didn’t think he could be that dangerous? Don’t compare him to others. You only sent me close to dealers, never to pure murderers.”

“Taehyung. You’re working for me. And you will do whatever I ask you. There will be no consequences this time since I’m at fault too. But I didn’t tell you who he really was because you’d be too cautious and he’d get suspicious. I have my reasons for the things I do. And you’ve been trained to escape from dangerous situations. Don’t bitch about it.”

His last remark ripped a disdainful huff out of Taehyung, but he found a good amount of righteousness in his overall speech. He was trained assiduously to escape any type of danger. Although he was upset that Jin Mo didn’t tell him the truth about Soo Gun, he couldn’t be too mad about it. He had lied to him too about why he told Jungkook about him. “Just be honest with me the next time, okay? Whoever the next target is, I want to know what I’m dealing with so I can act accordingly.”

“Yes, Tae. You’re right. And you shouldn’t share things with Jungkook without telling me first, okay?”

“Okay. Can I give him the location of your side hideout now?” 

“Yes. Everything is ready.”

“Okay.”

“Rest, Tae. Use these nine days as your break.”

“Thank you, Jin Mo-ssi. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Taehyung found Jungkook’s number when he hung up and tapped the message icon. His thumbs ghosted over the virtual keyboard as he chewed on his lower lip. 

Hey! You haven’t called yet... If it’s because of what happened yesterday, don’t worry about it, it’s alrea

Taehyung furiously shook his head as he erased everything he just typed. 

Hey! I’m a lot better today. I even did the laundry. You can come take your clothes anytime, and maybe we can h

A long exhalation burst out of him, deleting every word again. 

Jungkook. Are we okay? 

He stared at the screen as a blanket of gloom lay over his traits. He pressed delete. 

I can still feel how awkward it is between us. I can’t stand it

Another sigh, another deletion. 

I like you... And you got me acting like some thirteen-year-old with his first crush. But even a thirteen-year-old would have more courage than me to confess 

Taehyung smiled sadly to himself as he pressed delete, but an incoming call from Jimin prevented him from erasing the message completely. 

“Hey, Chim.” 

“Tae! How are you doing?”

“I’m better. And I didn’t take any medication today.”

“I’m so glad,” Jimin uttered, his relief apparent in his tone. “Yoongi says hi.”

“Hi, Yoon!”

Jimin giggled. “What happened with Soo Gun? Did Jungkook’s team find him?”

“Put me on speaker. Both of you should hear this.”

Jimin did as he was told, and Taehyung recounted all the horrifying revelations about Soo Gun and Jin Mo. Both were more than shocked that Jin Mo put Taehyung in such a dangerous situation and even hid the truth from him. 

And the moment he feared came when Yoongi asked if Jungkook visited him yesterday to check on him. God, how could he tell them what happened? How could he tell them how desperate he became because of Jungkook again? 

He attempted to leave out a couple of details and the outright embarrassing ending of their meeting, but his friends were shrewd enough to interpret his equivocation. And so he related everything in detail. 

Jimin was the first to lease his surprise at the spicy events. He scoffed with an eye roll. “What a jerk. He thought it’d be fun? Bullshit. He wanted to make you hard!”

“Now wait a minute,” Yoongi put in. “What if he indeed thought it’d be fun, but as he narrated the events, he relived everything too and got all hot about it?”

Taehyung pouted in consideration. “So you’re saying he really wasn’t intending to just get me hard. And I threw myself at him like some thirsty slut.” He slapped a hand over his face in sheer embarrassment. 

“Well, Yoongi could be right, but don’t blame yourself, Tae. He got you all horny and you just couldn’t resist him. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, yeah, but how do I face him now?” Taehyung’s whiny voice betrayed his frustration. “He hasn’t even called me. Do you think he’s too scared to come near me again?”

Yoongi snorted. “He’s a grown man. I’m sure he’s not scared to come near you just because you want to jump him.”

“And maybe he’s busy and that’s why he hasn’t called. Don’t assume the worst,” Jimin added. 

“You’re both right. Anyway, I’ll go wash again. I feel like I stink now that I can’t take a normal shower.”

Jimin giggled at his words. “Okay. Take care.”

“Bye, Tae,” Yoongi said as well. 

“Bye, guys.” Taehyung lowered the phone and tapped the red icon to end the call. Completely failing to remember the message he didn’t manage to fully delete before, he let his hand collapse onto his thigh, and his thumb accidentally touched the screen. 

A faint bleep slammed into Taehyung’s ears then, and his eyes flitted to his phone. Horror overtook each one of his senses as he stared at the unfinished message he just sent to Jungkook, goggle-eyed. 

Taehyung: I like you... And you got me acting like some th

“Oh my God, no,” he spluttered, his heart racing so hard it made him dizzy. No matter how long he stared at the screen, the message had been sent and he could do absolutely nothing to take it back. 

He put his phone on silent mode and locked it, then smacked it screen down on the table. He sat cross-legged on the couch and draped the blanket over his shoulders. His eyes were unfocused as he gazed at an empty spot in the air, and he stayed there for a long time, repeating the same words in his head. 

You’re so fucking stupid, Taehyung. 

He slithered out of his seat and washed instead, trying to take his mind off his stupidity. Although he starkly failed to do that, he at least returned to his seat as a freshly handwashed pile of mortification. 

It must have been over thirty minutes since he sent that text, and his chest itched with the need to check if he had replied. The whole point, of course, of putting his phone on silent mode and flipping it screen down was to obstruct himself for as long as possible from confronting the mess he created and conjuring excuses to fix it, but his curiosity reigned over anything else. 

He reached for the phone with a determined look. How bad could it be? Maybe he found it funny. He unlocked it with his fingerprint. The determination melted out of his face and the deepest of pouts took its place as he found no new message. He opened their conversation. 

And what made his chest feel heavy, as if being ruthlessly pressed down, was that Jungkook had read the message sixteen minutes ago. 

🥀

Jungkook rubbed his temples with palliative pressure once he returned to his desk after a four-hour interrogation. 

The pursuit of the suspect in relation to today’s shooting was exacting, and his unwillingness to talk only exhausted Jungkook mentally. 

“Good job, Kook,” Hoseok said, patting his back, and sat at his desk. “I didn’t think he would talk, but you cracked his silence.”

“My brain now feels baked,” he murmured as he propped his elbows on the desk and held his forehead, feeling the unnerving heat it bore. 

Namjoon eyed his weary condition, but he excused it by thinking it was normal given the physically and mentally strenuous day they had. “How’s Taehyung?”

A sort of nervousness stiffened Jungkook’s body. Because of the busy day, Taehyung almost, almost didn’t appear in his thoughts at all. Maybe he subconsciously dictated himself not to think of him because then yesterday’s events would come along with his remembrance. And he had succeeded. Until Namjoon asked about him. 

“Um, he’s probably okay.”

A frown burst onto Hoseok’s face. “What do you mean ‘probably’? You didn’t call him? Not even a text?” 

Jungkook reclined and shrank into his seat, keeping his head lowered. “No.”

“Why?” Seung Ho asked. 

“Because we were busy!” he let out defensively. “I didn’t have the time—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Namjoon scoffed. “It takes three seconds to unlock your phone, open your messages, and text him a ‘how are you’.”

“No, I really didn’t have the time,” Jungkook mumbled. 

“Then text him now,” Hoseok chirped. “You’re not busy now.”

“I am. I have to review the report to make sure everything—” Jungkook piped down once Namjoon’s snort reached his ears. “Ugh, whatever.” He folded one arm over his stomach and patted his cheek with the back of his hand. 

“Why do you keep touching your face? Are you not feeling well?” Namjoon asked worriedly as he extended a hand to check, but Jungkook jerked back. 

“I’m fine.”

“Yah, if you’re working while you have a fever again, I’ll handcuff you and carry you home.” A chilling warning coated Namjoon’s words. “Now let me check.”

“I’m just a little hot,” Jungkook murmured as he tilted his head towards him. “Doesn’t mean I have a fever.”

Namjoon’s eyes popped the moment he cupped his forehead. “That’s not a little hot. You’re burning!”

“Don’t overreact, hyung.” Jungkook pushed his hand away and reclined in his seat. To be honest, he felt weird since the moment he woke up, as if he could feel the looming cold stalk him. And after the prolonged pursuit, it apparently caught up with him and ruled him. 

Namjoon was about to scold him, but the buzz of Jungkook’s phone held his mouth closed. 

Jungkook pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. He swiped down the notification bar and his brows converged at once at the snippet of Taehyung’s text. With utter confusion and curiosity to read the rest of the text, he tapped it, but his attention shifted abruptly at the chief’s voice. 

“Everyone.”

Jungkook locked his phone and pocketed it, then rose to his feet as everyone else did. He observed his father’s drawn features, as if an unbearable sorrow had blanketed them. His downcast eyes and his stretched silence alarmed every detective of the violent crimes unit one and two. 

“Chief?” Namjoon called as he approached him. Everyone followed his lead and crowded around him. 

“I have some devastating news.”

Their apprehension mounted dangerously as they waited for him to continue. 

“Jeosun was found dead a few hours ago.”

The colossal shock dropped on their existence like a crippling bombshell, stealing their words and thoughts. The silence that engulfed them was deafening, stricken with devastation. 

“What are you talking about?” Jungkook forced his voice to come out poised, but couldn’t help the slight quiver. “We talked just yesterday. And he called Namjoon this fucking morning! He can’t be dead. He can’t.”

Seeing his son fight back his tears made his own fall in an instant. And everyone’s vision blurred upon watching their chief burst into tears. 

“Chief, what is going?” Jang Hyuk asked, his breathing a tad faster than normal. “Why would Jeosun die? Where is he?”

Seung Heon sniffed, brushing his tears away. “I sent him on a secret mission in Daegu. I thought the less that knew about it, the better. That’s why I didn’t tell your team. They called me a few minutes ago and said an officer was found dead and a simple search led them to our station. Someone crashed into his car. At first look it seemed like a hit-and-run accident, but... when they found the body a few meters away, they saw he was brutally stabbed to death.”

Seung Heon paused as a spate of fresh tears drowned his words. Endeavoring to control his ragged breaths, he wiped his wet cheeks. “I asked them to transfer all the evidence here and they’re on the way. I’ll go call his family.”

Despite Jungkook’s own suffering from the news, his father’s suppressed sobs as he wandered away obliterated his heart. He spurted forward, his own tears leaving hot, shimmering paths on his cheeks. He got hold of Seung Heon’s forearm before he could leave. He gently turned him around. Both broke into more tears once their wretched gazes locked. 

“Dad,” Jungkook released brokenly, the word feeling unfamiliar on his tongue. “Whatever his parents say, it’s not your fault. It was a mission. You did nothing wrong.”

“Jungkookie,” Seung Heon let out with a sob as he shut his tearful eyes. He desperately wrapped his arms around him, shaking mildly. “Thank you, son.”

Jungkook smoothed a comforting hand up and down his back as they cried in earnest in each other’s embrace. Everyone who worked at the station was like family, but how Jeosun died awoke the harrowing memories of Kang Ho’s death from within them. Maybe that was what truly led Jungkook to stop him, call him dad, and comfort him. 

. . .

It was insufferably agonizing to view his lifeless body and the numerous deep stab wounds to his stomach. The pathologist who performed Jeosun’s autopsy determined that the murder weapon was a ten-inch knife with a smooth blade. And he was stabbed thirteen times. 

That fact triggered a torturous alarm in Jungkook’s chest, though he didn’t share it with his team. The words couldn’t come out. His hyung was stabbed to death by a ten-inch knife with a smooth blade as well. He, too, had thirteen stab wounds to his stomach. It was absurd. How could he think it was the same killer? It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. 

With all the evidence the detectives in Daegu had collected already under examination, they could only wait for the results, hoping they would find someone’s DNA on them or on his body. 

By the time it was after eleven at night, most of the officers had returned home. Three officers who worked the night shift were already at their posts. And only the violent crimes unit one was still at their desks, with the chief and Seokjin, waiting for the results. 

It was silent. Excruciatingly silent. And everything was grave — from the stifling atmosphere, to their expressions and that aching feeling on their chests that would definitely take a long, long while to abate. 

Jungkook was still burning up by his exhausting fever, but he refused to go home. His team stole glances at him, watching him suffer silently. They didn’t even dare to suggest him to leave. They knew he wouldn’t. 

When Seung Heon picked up on his regular shivering, he wordlessly felt Jungkook’s forehead, and his drained eyes bristled with worry. He maintained his silence and brought him a blanket from the supply room, along with an aspirin. 

Jungkook didn’t have the strength to thank him, but internally, he did. Even after forty minutes, his fever barely subsided and his shivering didn’t cease. 

“Jungkook...” Seung Heon finally shattered that wrenching silence, his voice heavy with heartache. “There’s no point being here. You only torture yourself. We’ll call you when the results are out. You need to lie down.”

“I’m not leaving,” Jungkook uttered stubbornly and broke out in a series of coughs. He gulped some water down, feeling his throat burn at each swallow. 

No one spoke another word after that; they all drowned in their own thoughts. Until a new email popped up onto Jungkook’s computer. 

He immediately flung the blanket off and reached for the mouse with his trembling hand. Everyone hastened to gather around him and stared at the screen expectantly. The first document was the forensic analysis of the fingerprint that was found in Jeosun’s car. 

And the moment Jungkook clicked it open, he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. His brain couldn’t assimilate the name that was concluded as a match for that fingerprint. 

“What the hell is this?” Hoseok muttered in utmost shock. 

“Th—This can’t be right,” Namjoon stammered. “Right?”

Jungkook wrenched himself out of his full-blown bewilderment and clicked on the next document. It was the analysis of the blood samples they collected from the car. His frantic, dazed eyes glossed over the report, searching for that name again, and they eventually spotted it. That name was written there again. What was that name doing there? 

What was Seon Taehyung’s name doing there?

“This isn’t possible,” Jungkook spat out. “Taehyung was stabbed two days ago. He can barely walk.”

“Then what is his DNA doing there?” Seung Heon asked tensely. 

“I don’t know!” Jungkook growled, but he folded in half as hoarse coughs spewed from his mouth. Once the outburst quieted down, he rubbed soothing circles over his chest. “I don’t care what the results say. Taehyung wasn’t there. And I can prove it to you. Seokjin, check the CCTV outside of his apartment.”

Seokjin instantly obeyed as Jungkook opened the last document. It read that there was no DNA found on Jeosun’s body. 

Seokjin let the footage play in fast-forward since the previous night. He hit pause when he detected someone exit the building and his eyes slowly drifted to Seung Heon, who jolted closer to the screen. 

Seung Heon sent a probing glance at his son. “Why are you coming out of that building so late at night?”

“He’s my informant,” Jungkook answered shortly. “Play it, Seokjin.”

And he did. They all watched the footage, and Seokjin paused it every time someone exited the building to make sure it wasn’t Taehyung. And until this afternoon, Taehyung didn’t appear in the footage at all. 

“See?” Jungkook breathed out. “He didn’t leave his house. Taehyung wouldn’t kill anyone.”

“Then why is his DNA there?” Seung Ho asked in a muted voice, as his bemusement was too overwhelming. “Who planted it?”

“And why?” Namjoon added. 

They sank into silence as they dug into their thoughts in their attempt to conceive even a grain of reasoning behind the killer’s motive to do something like this. 

“Did they review the footage of the CCTV around the place where the car crash happened?” Jungkook asked. 

“It was a secluded road, so there was no CCTV around,” Seokjin said. 

Jungkook expelled a sigh. “What about the car that crashed into his?”

“They didn’t find another car there.”

Another frustrated sigh emitted from Jungkook at Seokjin’s reply. “Where was he going?” His voice was small and muffled, as if he were talking to himself. “Why did they kill him? What did he find?”

“We’ll investigate more tomorrow,” Seung Heon said as he squeezed his son’s shoulder. 

“We won’t find anything if we investigate from here.”

Jungkook’s words imposed a dreadful heaviness upon their existence, filling their eyes with worry. Especially Seung Heon’s eyes. “What are you saying, son? You don’t mean—”

“Yes. We need to find out what he was onto before he died. And we can’t do that from here.” He met his father’s gaze. “I’m going to Daegu tomorrow.”

“Jungkook!” Seung Heon snarled. “No. There’s no way I’ll let you do that. You saw what happened to Jeosun! Maybe we’re not supposed to find out what Jeosun tried to unearth. It’s a warning, son. Can’t you see it? They’ll kill you too.”

“I’m not afraid. I won’t die that easily. I’m going.”

“Jungkook,” Namjoon spoke this time. “For the time being, you’re sick. And we have other cases to deal with. I know finding Jeosun’s killer is our priority, but we can’t do that by risking our lives like they mean nothing. You can’t just go there blindly. And especially when you’re sick. We’ll try our best to investigate from here, okay? And then we’ll see.”

Jungkook meditated on his words. Of course, he was right. That churning of heartache and fury was what fueled his urge to go to Daegu — he wasn’t thinking clearly. It was reckless to just go there as if their fellow officer weren't just suddenly and brutally murdered. He needed to form a plan first, if their investigation from Seoul weren't successful. 

“Anyway. I’m leaving.”

“Let me drive you home,” Seung Heon offered. 

Jungkook dismissed him with a frail wave as he rose to his feet. “I’m not going home.”

“Where are you—” Namjoon started, but he figured out the answer on his own. He looked at him with saddened disapproval. “No, Kook. You should rest. And it’s late.”

A mild dizziness enveloped Jungkook’s senses as he grabbed his keys. “Just wanna check on him,” he mumbled, for a moment forgetting about his father’s presence. 

Namjoon espied his slightly staggering departure and rushed to stop him. It was easy to snatch the keys out of his hold by his enfeebled condition. “You can’t drive like this, Kook. At least let me drive you.” 

A glint of suspicion flared in Jungkook’s eyes. “If you drive me home instead, I’ll be furious.”

“I won’t trick you. Don’t worry.”

A mite reassured through his haze by Namjoon’s words, Jungkook dragged his feet towards the exit. 

“Where are you taking him, Namjoon?” Seung Heon asked. 

“Um, to a friend, I guess. I’ll make sure to drop him off home later. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

Namjoon bowed, took his coat and Jungkook’s, and said his goodnight before scuttling behind Jungkook, who hadn’t even reached the exit yet. “You’re barely standing, Kook. Are you sure you don’t want to go home? You can call him instead.”

Jungkook grabbed the coat Namjoon just passed him and wore it. “Uh-uh. It’s his time to take care of me.”

Namjoon’s head darted in his direction, fixing him with a startled gaze. “What are you even saying?”

“I’m sick. He has to take care of me.”

Namjoon mulled over his quiet words in silence until they reached his car. “Do you even hear yourself? I don’t know what’s more shocking. That you want someone to take care of you or that you want Taehyung to take care of you? I don’t know what to say.”

A faint smile painted over Jungkook’s weary face once he slipped into the car. He leaned his throbbing head against the seat and closed his eyes. “Taehyung will take care of me.”

Namjoon, seated as well, just stared at him. “You sound like you’re drunk.”

“I feel like I’m drunk.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Should I at least call him to warn him? Maybe he’s not in a position to take care of you. He’s still injured.”

“He doesn’t have to do anything,” Jungkook whispered. “He can just be there.”

Namjoon couldn’t generate a reply anymore to his baffling remarks. He started the engine. “Call him and put him on speaker.”

Jungkook kept his eyes closed until he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He went to his recent calls and tapped his number, then put it on speaker. 

It rang and rang and rang for so long Jungkook was worried he wouldn’t answer. But then his voice touched his ears. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Namjoon.”

“Oh. Hi. Where’s J-Jungkook?”

“M’here, Tae.”

Taehyung’s face warped into a frown in an instant. “Why are you talking like that? Are you drunk?”

“He’s not drunk, he’s sick. He has a nasty fever going on. And he wanted to come to your apartment, so I’m driving him. Is it okay with you?”

“Fever? Yes, of course it’s okay, but... why would he want to come here? Won’t he be more comfortable with you?”

Namjoon threw a glance at Jungkook, who suddenly turned rather quiet. “Kook? Do you want to answer him?” He observed no changes in Jungkook’s blank face and no movement, as if he had become a statue. “Will you tell him why you want to go to his apartment, or should I?”

“I want to check on you, that’s why,” Jungkook blurted out in a hurry, but winced at the snicker he heard from Namjoon. 

“That’s not what you kept saying a few minutes ago.”

“Wait, what was he saying a few minutes ago?” Taehyung asked eagerly. 

“He wants you to take care of him.” Namjoon expected Jungkook to lash out at him for revealing his words so casually, but he instead remained strangely... calm.

“M-Me?” Taehyung spluttered. “He wants me... to take care of him? Are you, like, sure that’s what he said?”

Namjoon nudged Jungkook’s shoulder. “Yah. Talk, man.”

Jungkook’s gaze regained focus. “Bye,” he tossed off and ended the call. He quickly tapped on the message icon and opened his conversation with Taehyung. He read his last message over and over again, drifting into his woozy thoughts. 

“Why did you hang up on him?”

Namjoon’s inquiry passed through his consciousness unnoticed. He continued to repeat every word of Taehyung’s last text in his head. 

“Hyung. What does it feel like to like someone?” The words seemed to roll off his tongue absently. 

“In what way?”

“Are there a lot of ways you can like someone?”

“Of course. You can like them in a friendly way, romantically, and sexually.”

Jungkook’s gaze stayed glued to the screen of his phone. “What does it feel like to like someone romantically?”

“Hmm, it’s different for everyone. Usually, you think about them a lot. You want to spend time together. You care about them. You want to touch them and use every chance to do so. You get a little nervous at times around them or when talking to them. Your heart can also beat faster when you’re close to them. And your stomach feels weird too. It’s the so-called butterflies.”

Jungkook stored the new information in his dopey head to review it later in depth — maybe even test it. “What about sexually?”

Namjoon’s lips quirked into a crooked smile. “You probably know better than me, Kook. I haven’t experienced it, but if I had to guess, I’d say you’re more attracted to their body than them as a person. The flirt is usually more daring and filled with innuendos. There’s no deeper connection, just lust.”

“Your heart doesn’t beat faster around them?” 

“Maybe it can, but it’s because of excitement. When you like someone romantically, it’s because you’re nervous. And when you like someone in all these ways, then you’re in love.”

Jungkook’s bafflement showed clearly on his face as he finally twisted to look at him. “How can you like someone in a friendly way, but romantically and sexually at the same time?”

“If you’re in love, you seek comfort in them, you feel safe with them, you’re comfortable to share everything with them, like you’d do with your best friend. You feel like they’re not just your lover, but your best friend too. When you’re in love, that person feels to you like... home. That person is everything, your friend, your partner, your lover, your safe place.” Namjoon, turning right at the intersection, glimpsed at him, taking in his unfocused look. “Have you ever felt this way before we met? Because I know you haven’t in the last five years.”

“No,” Jungkook whispered. “I only liked people sexually. I don’t think I’m capable of liking someone in any other way.”

“Yah. Why do you say that? Of course you’re capable.”

“But... I’m cold... and too selfish.”

Namjoon’s scowl smoothed out, and the smile returned to his lips, softer this time. “Ah. Something I forgot to mention. When you like someone or when you’re in love with that someone, you change, even without realizing it. If you change for the better, if they make you feel like you want to be the best version of yourself, then they’re the one for you.”

“You change,” fell from Jungkook’s lips in an indistinct murmur. “Have I changed?”

Namjoon drove in silence until he parked outside of Taehyung’s apartment building a few moments later. He laid his eyes on him, and his features gloomed at the recognition of Jungkook’s internal, chaotic contemplation. “Should I answer that for you?”

Jungkook wavered. He locked his phone and slid it back into his pocket when he perceived they arrived. “No. I haven’t... I haven’t...”

Namjoon released a nasal sigh, still observing him. “Ask yourself this again when you’re ready to admit it, Kook. There’s no need to rush.”

Jungkook unfastened his seat belt, blotting out Namjoon’s words. 

“Do you need help to walk?”

“No.”

“Will you stay here for the night?” 

Jungkook froze as he was about to open the door. Would he stay here for the night? Would Taehyung want him to? He wondered. “I don’t know.”

“Should I wait for you, then?”

“No. I’ll figure something out. Goodnight, hyung.”

“Alright. Goodnight.” Namjoon smiled as he watched him exit the car and then shuffle towards the building. As if Taehyung would let you leave in that condition, dork. He took his phone out of the phone holder and sent a quick message to Taehyung. 

───⭒───༺🌑༻───⭒───

Jungkook is in denial again😅 Don't judge too harshly what he'll do next. He's not in his right mind because of his fever 😊