Seokjin's gaze remained fixed on Wheein, his jaws clenched and fists balled tightly. His knuckles turned white as he cracked them. "Don't tell me you're dating my sister out of pity," he said.

Wheein chuckled and replied, "And what if I am?"

He scoffed, "It would make you no better than that fucker."

"It doesn't make sense for you to say I'm no better when I know better than anyone what makes her happy. Being petty about sex? That's not who I am. I never ask for sex or force her. You can even ask her," she said. "She's happier when she's with me. Until you ruined it."

Gulping, he said, "I don't need to ask her. You probably manipulated her and forced her into drugs."

"Ah," she muttered, lifting an eyebrow. "Is it because you know about my past addiction that you were against our relationship?"

Silence hung in the air.

Shaking her head, she continued, "Seokjin, Kim Seokjin. I may not have the best social circumstances or be the best person you've ever met. But if I'm meant to be the one to give Jisoo hope in love, I'm not giving up on her. I understand that everything you're doing now is to protect her, and you love her," she paused, tilting her head. Her bangs slid to one side. "- but you've become one of those people who believe that love and suffering go hand in hand."

Seokjin was left speechless.

"It's a shame that you're her brother. Isn't love supposed to be warm?" she asked. "But as her brother, you haven't shown her any of that, especially after you found out about us. She has already suffered enough because of one man, and now you, as a man, are making her even more scared."

He gulped again.

"You act like you know everything about your sister. Sadly, you've done a shitty job at that," Wheein spat. She rolled her eyes and turned on her heels to walk away, ignoring the guilt that may have gripped him.

After taking a few steps away, she heard him say, "Take me to Jimin."

Turning around, she found Seokjin already facing her.

"Take me to Jimin," he repeated. Coldness laced his stare, sending shivers down Wheein's spine. She had never seen him like this before. There was darkness in his tone as he added, "I'm going to kill him."

**********

"Son of a bitch!" he bellowed, sending a punch crashing into Jimin's face. It was a hard blow, but it didn't release all his pent-up rage. The bruise forming at the corner of Jimin's eye wasn't enough!

Jimin grunted, feeling the throbbing pain on his face.

Seokjin was about to throw another punch, but Jiah wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him back. Despite his struggle to escape, he didn't want to hurt her. He grunted, "Let me go! I need to teach that fuck a lesson."

"But violence isn't the way, Seokjin!" Jiah cried out, her arms wrapped tightly around him, her head pressed against his back.

Hoseok, Jungkook, and Yoongi rushed to the scene. Yoongi exclaimed, "the fuck is going on?"

Seokjin's mind was consumed by anger, and he paid no attention to Yoongi's question. "I trusted you, Park Jimin... I trusted you. I fucking trusted you! Argh!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the beach. He ran his hand through his hair, attempting to find some semblance of calmness in the silence that followed, but he couldn't. Yoongi had to step in before his rage exploded once again.

"Let's go back so we can talk," Yoongi said calmly, his composed demeanor irritating Seokjin.

"I don't want to hear a single shit from his mouth when we get back," Seokjin replied through gritted teeth, pointing at Jimin on the ground. "You hurt my sister when you were in a relationship. You cheated on her, and that's not all. Did you force yourself on her, Park Jimin? Do you think I'll forgive that?"

All heads turned to Jimin, astounded, while Jisoo stood there silently, tears streaming down her face.

"What else did you do to my sister, Park Jimin? What in the fucking hell did you do to my sister?" he yelled.

Jiah slowly released her grip but kept her hands by his sides. She glanced at Jimin over his shoulder. Silence enveloped them once again, with only the sound of waves crashing and the gentle breeze offering no solace.

Jimin, with some hesitation, rose to his feet, looking timidly at Seokjin, wincing from the pain throbbing in the corner of his eye. Seeing him standing there provoked the temptation to beat him to a pulp, but he resisted. He knew Jiah would pull him back again.

Jimin spoke, "Hyung, I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? Hah!" Seokjin let out an exasperated laugh. "The damage has been done, Jimin. You've ruined my little sister," he stated, running his hand through his hair and gripping it tightly as he stared out at the sea. "You betrayed my trust. You fucked up everything." Shooting Jimin a murderous glare, he gritted his teeth and muttered, "Don't ever come near me again."

With long strides, he passed by Jimin, bumping his shoulder as he did. He grabbed his sister's wrist and forcefully pulled her away, leaving everyone else still in shock and disbelief.

**********

Everyone was supposed to gather in Hoseok's room that evening, but two were absent. Remembering the incident at the beach, no one bothered to ask. Seokjin was still furious, and he had been quieter than Hoseok and Yoongi.

No one dared to lighten the atmosphere, allowing Seokjin's chomping to be the only noise that shattered the coldness. Once they were done, Wheein offered to help clean the table but was stopped by Seokjin. He said, "You should return to your room with Jiah. I'll clean." His tone was weary, his eyes fixed on the table as his dominant hand flexed around it to wipe.

Wheein didn't want to fight, so she obeyed, walking out of the room with Jiah.

As they walked down the hallway, numerous thoughts plagued Wheein's mind. That was when she remembered her counselor used to tell her that she could talk to someone she trusted if something burdened her for so long.

Looking at Jiah, she knew she could trust her. After all, she had done a great job calming their boss, and the knowledge Jiah had gained when she was an intern was amazing to her.

"Unni." She usually called Jiah 'Jiah unni', but calling her only by the title suddenly felt important to her. Jiah didn't seem surprised by that.

The older woman turned her head and answered, "Yeah?"

"I would like to talk about something. It's been bugging me," Wheein said.

"Something related to this evening?"

She nodded in response.

"Let's get into our room and talk," Jiah said, smiling at her.

Once they reached their room, they washed up and sat on Wheein's bed, facing each other. Jiah clipped her hair into a loose bun and took a pillow onto her lap. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Wheein fiddled with her painted fingernails for a moment, thinking of a proper way to start. After a few moments of silence, she began, "I kind of regret telling Seokjin about what used to happen between Jisoo and Jimin. I thought Jisoo would feel the same as I do if her brother knows -" She paused. "Satisfaction at seeing Jimin get what he deserves. And then, seeing Jisoo cry there, I don't know. It seems I forgot Jisoo hasn't healed. I'm worried I might have triggered her memory and hurt her. I shouldn't have done that."

"Okay. Is that it?"

"That's not all I worry about."

Jiah nodded with pursed lips before asking, "What else?"

"Seokjin found out Jisoo and I are in a relationship."

Curving a soft smile, Jiah asked, "Are you worried he's against your relationship?"

Wheein looked baffled. "Oh, you knew?"

"Jisoo told me," the woman across from her said, smiling.

"Oh..."

"So, what about it?"

"I was an addict," Wheein said, peering at her friend who didn't seem surprised. "Don't tell me you know that too."

Jiah chuckled and replied, "I don't know that. Jisoo didn't tell me. But the fact that you used to be an addict isn't a big deal."

Wheein's eyelashes brushed against her bangs as she looked down. She asked, "You think so?"

"Yeah!"

Her shoulders slouched slowly. Staring at the ground with a pout, she said, "I wish Seokjin thinks the same."

"Did something

happen?" Jiah asked, raising her eyebrows.

Wheein muttered, "I assume Seokjin is against our relationship because I used to be an addict. Could it also be because we're the same sex? It certainly hurt me. I thought I had moved on from the past. I don't even remember when was the last time I took Ice or a cigarette." She hugged her knees, and remorse swept over her expression. "My past hit me hard the moment he said I might have dumped drugs in Jisoo's stuff. I started doubting if I'm worth being with someone like Jisoo and if I should have confessed."

Jiah stared at her, allowing a long silence to pass. She might be judging her. She might be thinking Seokjin could be right for disapproving of their relationship.

Furthermore, a same-sex relationship was often viewed as weird and disgusting by the majority of people. She would not be surprised if that was part of the reason Seokjin disapproved of their relationship. It also would not be a surprise if her colleagues looked at them with disgust after returning to Korea.

The bubble of thoughts burst when Jiah called her name, "Wheein... If you tell me you have forgotten when was the last time you took them, it's already enough proof you're working hard to be better. I can't blame Seokjin for not knowing, and I know that sometimes, he loves to jump to conclusions." She paused to smile. "I can't tell how long you and Jisoo have been dating, but I believe you deserve each other. You make Jisoo feel happy and safe. That's what she told me when we were chatting."

The thought of Jisoo feeling carefree around her created a butterfly sensation in her stomach. There was a sense of pride that came with it, and her lips formed a soft smile.

"Tell me, how does Jisoo make you feel?" Jiah asked.

Wheein's cheeks slowly shaded pink. She stammered, "W-well... I-I... I don't know. I just... Uhm. I thought I would date her out of pity. A few days after her breakup, when she laid her head on my shoulder, when she said she was happy to have me. She was drunk though... My heart started beating like crazy. I thought I was dying."

The older woman threw her head back and burst into laughter.

"And you know what? I still can't believe I act like her. Being goofy and playful. I never acted like this before."

With a knowing smile, Jiah hummed deeply, making a circle with her index finger as she moved closer to Wheein. She leaned back and clapped once. She said, "Jung Wheein is so cute when she's in love. Aww!"

Wheein's face turned even redder.

"Look at you, all blushing!" Jiah teased.

Wheein grabbed a pillow and covered her face. She exclaimed, "Ah, Jiah! You don't have to point that out!"

"Let me have a good look at you. You look cute when you're blushing. It's worth sending Jisoo a photo!"

"Ugh! Stop it," Wheein whined, and Jiah laughed out loud.

**********

Taehyung and Jungkook silently played with their phones. On the other side, Jimin had a bag of ice on the bruise at the corner of his eye, while his other hand held his phone.

None of them bothered to raise a question or strike up a conversation. Their breathing was the only noise that lingered in the air-conditioned room.

Taehyung shared a queen-sized bed with Jimin, lifted himself, and brought a pillow with him. Jimin looked up from his phone and asked, "Where are you going?"

Ignoring him, Taehyung put on his slippers and left the room.

Jungkook didn't want to be left alone in such an awkward atmosphere, so he decided to leave as well. He grabbed his phone and pillow, leaving behind some of his stuff in the room.

"Are you leaving too?" Jimin asked, bewildered.

Not wanting to be as mean as Taehyung, Jungkook answered without facing the older one, "Yeah."

"Where are you going?"

"To Yoongi."

"What about your things?"

"I'll come back to wash up tomorrow."

"Oh," Jimin murmured. "Okay."

He thought that was the end of their conversation. But then, he felt the need to tell Jimin something. He balled his fist and closed his eyes, contemplating whether he should let it out or not.

As if Jimin noticed his behavior, he asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I thought we were best friends." Jungkook flickered his eyes open. He turned around, looking stoic, and muttered, "You, Wheein, Taehyung, Jisoo, and I..." One by one, memories of them laughing and having fun together flooded his mind. "My father used to tell me it's normal to get disappointed with friends. I thought I was mentally ready for that, but it turns out I'm not." He paused to sigh. "I always looked up to you, hyung. I never thought you'd disappoint me like this. I never imagined you'd turn out to be the nastiest person I've ever met."

He was about to shove his feet into a pair of sandals when Jimin said, "Jungkook, I'm sor-"

"I'm not the one you should apologize to," the younger one said, shooting a sharp stare before turning around and leaving.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

BONUS

Hoseok and Yoongi were on their respective single beds. Yoongi lay on his side with his legs clasping his hand, while his other hand held his phone. Hoseok lay with his back against the headrest, playing an offline game on his phone.

Suddenly, there was a knock on their door. Both of them looked at each other. "Who's coming at this hour?" Yoongi muttered.

Hoseok slid off his bed and said, "I'll go get it." Setting down his phone on the bed, he walked to the door. As he opened it, he was greeted by two familiar smiling faces. "Hi, hyung," Taehyung said, lifting a hand and holding a pillow under his arm. Beside him was Jungkook, also with a pillow in his arm.

"What are you doing here?" Hoseok asked, bewildered.

"Can we sleep with you?" Taehyung asked.

"But you have your own room," Hoseok replied.

Their voices seemed to reach Yoongi, who approached the door. "Who's there?" he asked. "Oh, you kids."

"Hi, Yoongi hyung! Can we sleep with you?" Jungkook asked.

Yoongi stared at them for a moment before giving in. "Come in."

Hoseok became even more bewildered. "Is that okay?"

As the boys entered their rooms, Yoongi whispered, "They were in the same room as Jimin. Now you know why, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. B-but, it's just... our beds!"

"There's a couch," Yoongi said.

"Are you going to sleep on the couch?" Hoseok asked.

"Dunno."

Hoseok blinked multiple times and stuttered, "O-okay. But if one of them is going to sleep on the couch, then where will the other one sleep?"

Yoongi curved a lazy smile. "Anywhere. As long as it's not on our beds."

However, a few minutes later, after some conversation, Taehyung and Yoongi ended up sharing a bed. The older one didn't seem to be awkward about it and hugged himself like a shrimp. He even let Taehyung use the blanket while he covered himself with the towels.

Jungkook and Hoseok were supposed to share a bed, but Hoseok moved to the couch, feeling uncomfortable with the small space, and let the snoring youngest one use it.

Without a blanket and with the air conditioner not directly above him, there was no problem. But it was uncomfortable. He was sure to wake up with body aches the next day. "Fuck my life..."