Jimin sighs as he clocks out of work, he hated his job and it was starting to make him miserable at this point. He didn't have many options despite having a degree in the culinary arts. Maybe he was just in the wrong part of town.

    "I'm leaving." He tells his boss as he walks towards the exit. "Mrs. Kwon's order is ready, it's on the bottom shelf of the cooler."

    "Did you clean the kitchen up before you clocked out?" His boss asks without looking up from the magazine he was looking through.

Jimin wants to curse at him and tell him to do it his damn self but he refrains. "I didn't get to it, I'm in a hurry."

    "I'll be in a hurry making next week's schedule then." The man says closing the magazine and taking it with him to the back.

    "Asshole." Jimin mumbles before leaving the bakery, that man was the laziest son of a bitch he's ever met in his life.

    "Hey,"

Jimin startles, looking up from his phone and finding a guy walking towards him. He's dressed in all black, his hair styled messily on his head. Jimin's first instinct is to back away.

    "Don't run off, I don't bite." The guy chuckles as he stops in front of him. "Are you Jimin?"

    "Who's asking?" Jimin asks looking up at the guy towering over him. "Who the hell are you?"

    "Walk with me, Jimin." The guy says putting his arm over Jimin's shoulder and leading him in the opposite direction of his car.

    "Who the fuck are you, man?" Jimin says pushing him away. "What's your deal just walking up to people~"

    "I'm Chiwon." The guy says. "I'm Taehyung's...ex-boyfriend, I guess."

    "Chiwon? I thought~"

    "Joohyuk's not my real name." Chiwon says. "It's a long story."

    "Look, I don't know what the fuck it is that you want, but you've got the wrong guy. I don't even talk to Taehyung anymore." Jimin says. "If you want to get in contact with him call one of his friends."

    "No, Jimin, you're exactly who I'm looking for." Chiwon says with an unreadable smile. "Talk to me for a second, I'm not gonna do anything to you."

"I already told you that I don't talk to Taehyung anymore~"

"And I already told you that I'm not looking for Taehyung. I already know where he is, I'm looking for you." Chiwon says. "Are you gonna listen or not?"

"What do you want with me?" Jimin asks, still eyeing Chiwon uneasily.

    "Why don't you talk to Taehyung anymore? What's the reason?" The taller male asks crossing his arms.

    "I don't know. Things were strained between us and I just got tired of trying to force a friendship with him." Jimin says honestly. "It's tiring having to force friendships with him, Namjoon, and Seokjin."

    "Why were things strained?"

    "Why do you care?"

Chiwon shrugs, glancing off in thought. "It just seems like there's something you're holding against Taehyung."

    "I'm not holding anything against him...it's not his fault everyone chooses him over me." Jimin says looking down, it was the first time he was actually voicing his feelings about Taehyung. Since they met in high school it was like everyone chose Taehyung, or preferred him over Jimin. 

    "I don't see why anyone would choose him over you, Jimin." Chiwon says. "You seem like a nice guy."

"Thanks, well this nice guy has to go." Jimin says turning to walk away.

Chiwon grabs his arm. "Wait, baby, let me talk to you for a second."

"Excuse me." Jimin says snatching his arm away. "We've been talking and so far all you've done was waste my time. If you're trying to get in touch with Taehyung~"

"I'm not, I'm done with him. I actually need your help with something else." Chiwon says crossing his arms. "If you help me I'll help you, simple."

"And what could you possibly help me with?" Jimin asks in annoyance. "You don't even know me."

"I know that you're a twenty-something year old, probably pushing thirty, still working for minimum wage at a mom and pop bakery~"

"I'm only twenty-five~"

"Either way I know you're sick of living like this." Chiwon says gesturing to him. "That's your piece of shit impala over isn't it?"

"My car isn't shit." Jimin says with an offended expression.

"One check and all your worries disappear." Chiwon says shrugging nonchalantly. "You just have to agree to help me."

"Help you do what?"

"Say you'll do it first."

Jimin narrows his eyes. "You think I'm an idiot?"

"You just have to trust me, baby." Chiwon chuckles. He holds his hand out and raises an eyebrow. "Trust me, I have no reason to hurt you."

Jimin continues to stare at Chiwon cautiously. He did say that he was done with Taehyung, so what was the harm in agreeing to help him out? "Fine." He says rolling his eyes. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't need the money.

He was barely keeping his head above the water working full time, maybe this was the break he needed.

He'd help Chiwon out and that would be the end of all this.

Simple.

~Jeongguk's house...~

"I can't believe you tricked me into staying here."

"I didn't trick you."

Taehyung rolls his eyes in fake annoyance. It was starting to get dark outside and Jeongguk knew he wouldn't want to disturb the twins by getting them all ready to take him home.

The day was strange in a lot of ways. Jeongguk was being unusually...clingy? First he showed up at Taehyung's parents house and begged him to hang out. Then he begged him to come to his to spend time with the boys. And now he wanted him to stay since 'it was getting pretty late.' If eight-thirty is pretty late to you.

Taehyung kept trying to brush it off as nothing but Jeongguk was just too persistent about keeping him close.

"Jeongguk?" The brunette says following Jeongguk to the kitchen where he was cleaning up the boys' dinner.

"Yep?" He asks kicking the refrigerator closed as he turns to him. "What's up?"

"Is everything okay?" Taehyung asks taking a seat at one of the stools by the island.

"Why do you keep asking me that? Am I acting weird?" Jeongguk laughs, leaning on the island across from Taehyung.

"Yes, you are. And you're lying." Taehyung says with a serious expression.

"I'm lying?" Jeongguk asks in shock. "What'd I lie about?"

"Every time I ask what's wrong you either evade the question or you say it's nothing. Then you do that stupid lip thing." The brunette says in frustration.

"I don't know what you mean." Jeongguk says pursing his lips absentmindedly.

"You just did it." Taehyung deadpans.

"Stop reading me, I don't point out when you're lying I just let you lie."

"When I lie it's nothing serious. It's always something serious with you. So what is it?"

"I..." Jeongguk sighs, he couldn't tell Taehyung that Chiwon knew where he was it'd send him into a panic. So he pulls from the many straws of things that were currently bothering him. "Fine, do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't." Taehyung says folding his hands on the counter and waiting.

"I wanna know why you're still wearing that ring." The ravenette asks nodding towards it. "I can't help but notice."

"I'm not buying that~"

"I just want to know. Nothing's off limits, right?"

Taehyung falls silent, looking down at the ring on his finger. He couldn't explain why he was still wearing it after weeks of being free from Chiwon. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?" Jeongguk presses insensitively. "Do you miss him?"

"No."

"Do you still love him?"

"I never loved him, Jeongguk."

"Then why are you wearing it?"

Taehyung shakes his head as if he himself didn't know the answer. And honestly, he didn't. The only thing keeping him from taking it off was his irrational fear of Chiwon finding him. He felt like if Chiwon found him he wouldn't be that angry if he saw he was still wearing the ring. He might think Taehyung was always planning to return to him, or that he never lost feelings...it was stupid.

"You can tell me, Taehyung." Jeongguk says when he sees the internal struggle happening behind Taehyung's eyes. "I won't judge, I just don't understand."

"Things...bad things happened last time I took it off." Taehyung says, it wasn't a lie. Chiwon did hurt him horribly last time he took it off. That sounds more believable than saying he was keeping it on to protect himself if Chiwon suddenly found him.

"He can't~"

"Yes he can, Jeongguk." The brunette snaps. "You keeping saying he can't but he can if he wants to. You aren't invincible you know?"

"I want him to fucking try." Jeongguk says. "He's not getting to you, I don't care what happens."

"Don't forget about what happened last time you tried to save everyone." Taehyung says glaring at Jeongguk before standing to leave the kitchen.

"I'm not trying to save anyone." Jeongguk calls after him. "I'm protecting what's mine, like I'm supposed to."

"Whatever, Jeongguk."

"Hey," The ravenette calls. "Seokjin and Namjoon are coming over for breakfast, we do that on Wednesday's now. Hoseok and Yoongi are coming too so be awake."

"I'll be awake when I want to be awake." Taehyung calls back, disappearing up the stairs to the guest bedroom.

Jeongguk sighs, he knew Taehyung still had a lot to heal from mentally and emotionally. And it wasn't his place to pry, but it was hard not to when he kept everything in all the time.

He just wanted to give him every opportunity to express himself in hopes that one day he actually would