Petite footsteps stormed down the narrow hall, and beneath her breath Yerin let out a quiet sniffle.

She could hear the sound of Taehyung, or rather V's, own steps following behind her. Though at the very least the man was polite enough to remain at a courteous distance.

His lips parted, and he almost called her name. Almost. Except before the word could roll off his tongue, approaching footsteps began to clack over the distance, and Park Jimin was scurrying down the intersecting hall in front of them.

The blond didn't seem to take notice of the two as he disappeared to the other side, a distressed look evident all over his face. The speed of his stomps made it clear that he was fleeing from something, or someone, as his emotions have grasped the better of him. At the sight, Yerin slowed down, the back of her hand lifted to wipe at her damp eyes.

Then another set of footsteps neared them again, as though they had been chasing after Jimin. And the man who walked directly into their view was none other than Jung Hoseok.

Yerin stopped in her tracks now, her head lifted as she watched the sight of her boyfriend's sudden appearance in front of her.

"Seokie.." She uttered out, and the red haired man turned to look at her, suddenly halting right where he stood.

"Yerin.." He breathed, then glanced toward where Jimin had disappeared off to, teeth dug into his lip. It seemed he had been much too distracted by the smaller boy's anguished emotions to have noticed his girlfriend's own look of distress. "I'll be home late, okay? You head on back without me."

That was his response.

And Yerin, she almost called his name again. Almost said the words, 'Don't go,' or a, 'No. Let's go home together.'

But the words got stuck in her throat, and all she could do was watch as Hoseok's feet got started once again, hurrying after their friend.

Taehyung slowly reached where Yerin stood, and a silence fell down the air between them.

Without uttering a single word, the man gently tapped at Yerin's arm.

And together they walked off to the opposite direction.

※ ※

Jeongguk swung his legs beneath the tall stool he sat on, beside the same bar counter. Except now, Hiro had gone home and Seokjin was busy setting up at behind the blue tapestry.

So currently the boy was alone, his chin propped over his hand, staring down at his phone while his finger tapped aimlessly at the screen displaying a game. But his little gameplay was soon interrupted when he received a text message from Hoseok, who had updated him on Jimin.

'hey Gguk, i'm with Jimin near the bathrooms. he doesn't seem to be doing all that well. he and Yoongi broke up. officially.'

Jeongguk's body perked in worry, brows furrowing at the message. He let a quiet sigh leave his lips, and seconds later a deep voice spoke from behind him.

"Hey." The voice rumbled out, and Jeongguk slowly turned around to see Taehyung walking up to him, Yerin following a good distance behind. "Jeongguk. You alright?"

The boy blinked up at his boyfriend, eyes quickly glancing down to his phone. "Um, yeah, I... I'm good. Is the meeting all done?"

Taehyung's piercing gaze remained fixated on him while he gave a short nod. "Yes. But, well.. I told Yerin I'd take her home, so... Will you wait on me longer, darling?"

Jeongguk blinked slowly, watched how Taehyung's direct eyes were unwavering in his presence. Though, he had been unaware of the way the older was clutching his fists inside his pockets.

Because, yes, V was still currently in control. He was acting, posing as his host, pretending to be Taehyung. He figured it was easier that way, to speak to Jeongguk as what he presumed was the boy's favorite among the alters.

If Jeongguk were to know he was fronting, it would only put him on edge. Perhaps he wouldn't want to speak to him, or he may read too much into his intentions. Of him escorting Yerin home.

It was a hassle. So this was the optimal solution V had found.

Jeongguk. Darling. Those were words Taehyung often used on the boy. Maybe a smooch on the cheek may even seal the deal—really make his acting the most convincing.

But before the alter could ponder over which actions would suit Taehyung best, Jeongguk was already speaking his response.

"Yeah, of course.." The boy lowered himself from the stool. "I'll wait here. Make sure noona gets home safe, okay?"

Taehyung's brows slowly rose.

Was it... really that easy?

"Ah." The man cleared his throat. "Of course. I'll be back, then."

"Okay." Jeongguk gave a nod and waved the two off before turning down the hall, to where he knew his friend needed him. "I'm going to go use the bathroom now!"

Taehyung watched the boy scurry off, and Yerin slowly walked up to reach his side.

"You didn't have to pretend to be Taehyung." She scoffed, and the man merely walked off to the building's exit without uttering a response.

The moon was bright against the dark sky tonight, a glow around its edges. It must've been an hour past midnight now, the usually bustling streets of Seoul lay eerily quiet in their surrounding area. Yerin let her eyes wander down to the pair of feet moving beside her own, Taehyung's large manly figure present in her near proximity, a sight that could ease anyone's worries within a second.

Because, it was true. V's presence was a double edged sword. For some it could mean danger, uncertainty. And for others it could mean safety, being protected.

There were times where Yerin's heart could never stop racing around the man. Mostly at times he was in a bad mood and could have an outburst at any given second, from any unprovoked comment.

But right now, V seemed calm.

He was in one of his compliant moods. One that made it easier to communicate with him, where she wouldn't have to worry too much about sudden explosive behaviors. Back then, this was the kind of V she used to love the most. Whenever he was like this, they would share great times together. Calmer dates, peaceful moments alone. Whenever V was in this state of mind he often showed vulnerability, even. In his own way.

He'd talk more about what he was really feeling, which meant they'd have more affectionate moments. He'd even kiss her more often. Hug her more often.

Yerin had really cherished those times.

But they were fickle. Too unpredictable. She could never tell when he'd fall into those spiraling moods, nor when his calm states would hit. And she could never figure out a way to induce nor prevent them. His anger outbursts, too, were random. They'd happen more frequently than his sedated moods.

She thought that was really a shame.

Had V been more like his calmer, more playful self, things could've been very different for him. Different for everyone around him, too.

"Should I really be escorting some other guy's girlfriend home?" Taehyung's deep voice cut through the girl's thoughts. Yerin lowered her brows, fingers tugging down at her jacket.

"Jimin seemed really upset.." She spoke up slowly while their feet dragged across the pavement, the silence of the night persisting with the blowing breeze. "I'm... glad Hoseok went to check up on him."

Taehyung remained silent, his head tilted upward while he stared to the night sky.

"He gets really insecure sometimes.." Yerin continued. "Jimin, I mean. He doesn't think he's enough sometimes and that-.. That really worries me."

"Were you, though?" The man suddenly spoke, and Yerin lifted her head to look at him. "Were you really glad?"

"Wh-..." Yerin blinked slowly. "What..?"

"Well, you know," He shrugged. "Hoseok ran off after some guy, and left his girlfriend to be walked home by her ex."

Yerin gave a low scoff to mask the ache in her chest. "What are you talking about? He ran off after his friend, and now my gang mate and good friend is walking me home."

The man didn't give a response, and Yerin slipped her hands into her jacket's pockets to seek warmth from the chilly wind.

"That all I am to you now?" Eventually she heard his quiet voice. "A good friend?"

Yerin cracked a small smile. "Would you rather I brotherzone you?"

A low chuckle left Taehyung while he gently shoved the girl's shoulder. "Hm. I'll take the friendzone, then."

The girl giggled softly, a toothy grin on her face while they continued their stroll, under the subtle twinkling of dotted stars above them. And gradually, the girl's smile faded, a serious expression quick to replace it.

"You know I worry about you sometimes, V.."

The male turned his head toward her curiously.

"You don't seem to have moved on. And to be honest, I don't see that you've changed in the slightest.." She said softly. "I'm not sure what it is you're holding on hope for. If you think there's a chance we can be lovers again, you're greatly mistaken."

Taehyung listened in silence, hands in his pockets, his stagnant gaze remained at the radiant moon watching over them. He then lowered his head, bangs scattering over his eyes.

"You've got it all wrong." He finally uttered, the depth of his voice grasping the girl's full attention. "I'm completely aware I can't get you to love me again." He reached one hand to scratch at the side of his neck. "And I've made peace with the fact you're no longer mine."

He came to a full stop, and Yerin skid her feet over the ground to halt beside him. She turned to look at the man's darkened pupils, let the breeze sneak past between them. Dotted flakes of white began to float at the corners of her vision, and Taehyung's coarse voice once again demanded attention.

"But how must I explain to you... that you're still a very important part of me?"

Yerin's eyes glimmered, and specks of fresh snow began to cast down, surrounding the two while they scattered in the wind. The girl's lips slowly parted, unable to break free from the hold Taehyung's gaze had swept her in.

She bit down on her trembling lip, and then Taehyung continued.

"Or would you rather I sisterzone you?"

Yerin inhaled a breath, and then failed terribly in holding back her laughter, that had slipped out abruptly past her lips in a loud giggle.

"Pfft!! Shut up!" She cackled, and the man bit back the grin on his face. Yerin took a few seconds longer to recollect her composure, and once her laughter had died down she cleared her throat dramatically and looked back up at him. "Very well, then. I suppose I'll take the friendzone, too."

Taehyung's grin widened, and Yerin found herself returning the smirk. He reached his large hand up in front of her, and the girl nearly saw a gleam in his eyes.

"Friends?"

Yerin gave him a large, warm smile. The giggle that left her lips seeped into the man's chest, and fluttered past his heartbeat.

She reached her much smaller hand, took hold of his, shook their locked hands firmly. And for a moment she forgot those hidden worries that cornered at her thoughts late at night, whenever she was alone at the apartment for two.

"Yes.. Friends."

※ ※

At some point during their resumed walk, Yerin had the sudden urge to stop by a convenience store they had passed. For a drink, or something sweet, perhaps. Anything to soothe the mental exhaustion she seemed to have suffered from all day.

And much to her surprise she had found her favorite pack of gummies. Well, not just any preferred pack of gummies, but rather one that she and V used to eat all the time back when they were in high school.

The candy was much too nostalgic not to relive, and she ended up buying over five packs of it. Or rather, V had been the one that paid for it. Just for old time's sake.

The two then found a bench at the nearby park to sit down over, embrace the cool chilly night for what it was and sit under the light snow fall that had begun adorning the city so abruptly.

Yerin was quick to rip apart the top of one of the gummies bag, and a satisfied squeal left her once her taste buds had finally gotten to savor the sweets. Taehyung watched as the woman's legs swung happily beneath the bench, cheeks puffed as she chewed down on the candy.

"Want one? Say ahh.." She smirked teasefully, lifting a gummy up beside the man's lips. Their eyes met, though Yerin didn't shy away from those piercing inked eyes that taunted wherever they looked.

Taehyung opened his mouth, let the girl slip the candy past his teeth and chewed silently while he then turned to look down the path in front of them—past the lit streetlamps illuminating a short radius over the concrete.

He began to reach into his pocket, fingering the outline of his cigarette pack before pulling it out. And at some point, Yerin stopped her quiet humming and lowered her gaze to the faraway patch of grass.

"V.." She called softly, a tight feeling now forming at her stomach.

Truthfully, there was a topic she'd been meaning to discuss with the alter, but couldn't find the most ideal time to bring it up. Yet, here the man was now, seated beside her, a tranquil atmosphere lingering between them.

She figured it was now or never, and the words left her lips quietly.

"What do you really think about Jeongguk..?"

The male's long fingers pulled a cigarette from its box, propped it at his lips while he returned the pack to his pocket. And the next thing that had emerged from the pouch at his trousers was a metallic, glossed lighter. He stared down at it, over the brushed artwork across the front; the adorable bunny with black sunglasses.

A gift given to him, by Jeon Jeongguk. The only lighter he had grown accustomed to using every single time he needed a smoke. He'd pull it from his pockets, and the thought of the wide eyed boy would enter his head.

Yerin watched the man rub his finger over the metal casing before uttering his response.

"He's a good kid."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's it?"

Taehyung hummed before he flicked the top of the lighter up, switched the flame on and lit the tip of his blunt.

"Yes." His deep voice swept along the breeze. "That's it. He's good. And I'm not. So I've done things, to drive him away. As I usually do. But he..." A sigh left his lips, and a trail of smoke emerged between it. "He keeps coming back. Every fucking time. And I don't understand why."

A small smile pushed into Yerin's lips. "Jeongguk's not one to give up easily. Specially if it concerns the things he loves."

Taehyung scoffed out a breath, his back pressing against the bench. "Well, we can't give him a happy life—that's the sad reality." He pried the cigarette from his lips and stared off past the trees, legs parting in a manspreading position. "I've given that boy many reasons, excuses he could use to leave us. A chance to escape, before he winds up in a life that only hurts him. Yet, he's only found excuses to stay." A short silence. "What a stubborn, weird boy."

This time Yerin snorted out a laugh, her hand reaching to cover her face while she finished chewing another set of gummies. "Hm~" she hummed out, then swallowed before she lightly slapped at the man's shoulder. "I think you have a massive crush on him."

Taehyung's head snapped to look at her, his usual blank stare swirled with confusion at such an accusation.

"Me? A crush on a boy?" The man laughed loudly, feet skidding back over the floor before he took another drag of his cigarette.

Yerin popped another gummy to her mouth and rolled her eyes. "Laugh all you want, but... Matter of fact is if Ggukie was a girl you would've been head over heels by now. Obsessed with him."

"What are you on about.." Taehyung mumbled. "I can't fucking stand him."

"And why's that, hm? Because he's lovely and cares for all of you? Because you can't wrap your head around the fact he's too perfect and you're starting to feel like you're not enough?" Yerin huffed out, lowering the bag of gummies to her lap before looking down. "Don't you remember when we first met? Oh, you couldn't stand me either. I drove you absolutely insane. I genuinely think you hated my guts."

Taehyung remained silent.

"And then that one day I told you I'd protect you.." She continued. "But you were the one who always ended up protecting me instead. You showed me that you can be delicate, and... Well, once you show anyone that side of you it's quite impossible not to fall for you.."

The man slowly turned his head and gazed at her.

"And you're good at protecting everyone. You have the skills, the confidence.. But you've wired your brain in a wicked way and I can't blame you for it, because... Without doing so, you wouldn't have have survived everything you've been through. All you've ever done was survive."

A snowflake landed over his lap and melted into the fabric of his dark jeans, while the woman's words etched deep into his thoughts.

"But that's all over now, V. You've already woken up from that nightmare. It's time to live in a much brighter dream."

The man's eyes widened.

'You don't have to fight in a war that's already been won.'

Namjoon's words from that day ricochetted in his thoughts, his fists clenched beside him, a tug at his jaw.

"You and the other alters... will never find anyone nearly as perfect as Jeongguk is for all five of you."

Yerin turned to look at him when, suddenly, Taehyung stood up off his seat, a lulled expression over his face.

Her brows rose. "Where are you going..?"

His cigarette returned beside his lip as he started off down the path to their left. "That's enough. Let's go now, before it gets any colder."

Yerin opened her mouth to say something, but the man was already darting off past the concrete. She let a quiet breath leave her before lifting her hand, letting the light bits of snow accumulate into her palm, only to quickly defrost into droplets.

With another hefty sigh, she closed her hand into a fist and stood from the bench, heart pumping loudly. There was an odd feeling inside her chest, one that told her she needed to hurry—to subdue whatever distress had caused the man to run off all of a sudden.

So she dashed off, down the same path Taehyung had retreated, her curt panting pushing puffs of frozen air in front of her. The streetlamps standing at the sides showed her the dark track ahead, and Yerin was quick to find Taehyung's tall frame walking off nearby.

She sped up, and with a bounce in her step she finally reached the man, opened her arms out and wrapped them around him in a strong embrace. She pushed her cheek beside his shoulder while she hugged him from behind, clinging tightly to his body to get him to halt. And Taehyung stood there, hands beside him, listening to the quiet breaths the girl whispered as she recovered from her short jog.

"Don't let your asshole uncle win, V.." She spoke carefully, her gentle voice hugging at his ears. "That... homophobia he instilled in you at an early age, it's... all a big hoax. That's not what it means to be a real man—you know that already." Her squeeze on him tightened, almost protectively. "Namjoon was the one who taught you the true meaning of a man. And I know you understand exactly how to follow. You've always been keen on following his lead."

Taehyung's palms opened up, his cigarette dropping directly toward the concrete and putting out against the damp flakes piling above it.

"Take revenge on your uncle... and let yourself be happy."

His static eyes wavered. Tiny hands seeped warmth over his chest. All senses of his breaths, and his heartbeat and the quivering of his hands; he couldn't feel them anymore.

And ever so gently, a flake of snow kissed the tip of his nose.

✱