Yerin watched from afar, hand clutching her pained shoulder as she remained sat upon the ground, the cold concrete seeping into her quivering body.

"I'll kill you."

Taehyung's voice held no mercy in it. Quietly, Yerin gulped. She knew full well who had fronted, to save both her and Dot from this incident. And although V could make anyone feel safe during a fight, as long as he was on their side; she wasn't quite sure if it was the right timing for him to be conscious.

"I'll fucking kill you." Taehyung repeated in a growl, making predatory steps as he approached the Acre man laying on the ground.

The hooded man began to tremble, realizing now that he might as well just have dug his own grave, by angering a wild tiger in his own territory. A mistake that could prove to cost him his very life.

"L-Listen m-man.." He spoke up in pathetic stutters, desperate to calm the situation he had landed himself in. "I-I was only sent to beat a warning into y-you guys. T-To relay the message that you should g-give us back our captain. T-That's it, alright? I don't w-want any more trouble, I swear!"

Yerin gave an inaudible breath, eyes shutting in a blink. And the next time she opened her eyes, Taehyung was grabbing the man by his collar and landing impactful swings at him. Within two punches, the guy was spurting blood beside him, and Yerin couldn't bare to watch any longer.

"That's enough, V!" She called out, scrambling to her feet and running towards the two men. She hastily wrapped her arms around Taehyung's waist from behind, pulled him back a few feet to get him away from the other male. She could hear his beating heart pumping loudly even from his back, ragged exhales leaving him in angered breaths that were slowly but surely beginning to soothe itself. "This bastard ain't worth our time.." She whispered beside his ear, "Just leave him there to find his own way home. He can barely even move now..."

Taehyung grunted out a string of curses, then pulled himself away from Yerin's grasp to turn and face her. He quickly grabbed onto her arm. "Are you alright?"

Yerin looked down as Taehyung rolled her sleeves up, revealing a medium-sized bruise on her bicep, scrapes of light blood seeping from the skin. The man gritted his teeth together.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him.." he uttered, turning back to the man, only to see that he had passed out on the floor.

Yerin let out a quiet laugh. "You sure he's not already dead?"

A light smirk sprawled over Taehyung's lips. "What a pathetic fuck." He felt his wrist being grabbed, and Yerin pulled him closer, her eyes focusing on the bruising on his face.

"You got hurt, too, you know.." she whispered. "Though Dot took more of the blows. My poor baby..." Taehyung watched her in silence, raised a single finger to wipe blood from his lips. "Come with me back to Hoseok and I's apartment, yeah? We've got a first aid kit we can use."

Taehyung gave a firm nod, reaching his hand out for her to grab.

Yerin scoffed out another laugh and turned to walk on ahead. "I'm not holding your hand, you big baby."

The man's smirk returned to his face.

"Well, it was worth a shot."

※ ※

"I'm home~!" Yerin sang as the two stepped into her brightly lit apartment. "Baby, where are you?"

There was a shuffling sound from the kitchen, and a flash of red hair peeked out from the hall.

"Oh, welcome back, babe," Hoseok greeted her with a smile, then took notice of the tall man following behind her. "Hey Taehyung."

"Hey," the male simply responded, then Hoseok's head tilted to the right once he got a closer look at him. More particularly, his wounded face.

"What the fuck, did Acre attack you again?"

Taehyung moved to plop himself down over the couch. "Those fuckers are really starting to get on my last nerves."

"Shit, man.." Hoseok grabbed a towel and began to dry his wet hands, a bowl of salad in-the-making placed over the kitchen counter. "Did they say anything?"

The man brought a leg up to rest over his knee, a sly grin forming on his lips. "They said... 'give us back our captain'..."

Hoseok froze from where he stood.

Taehyung continued. "Know what that means?"

The older nodded. "We're not just holding any old Acre member hostage..."

"We've got an Acre captain in our hands," Taehyung concluded for him. "This shit is revolutionary."

"Shit.." Hoseok laughed softly. "That means we have the advantage... This shit gives us so much leverage."

"Seokie, can you help me with the first aid kit?" Yerin's voice called from the master bedroom, and Hoseok's head snapped toward its direction.

"You got hurt too?! Why didn't you say so earlier?" The man jogged hurriedly down the hall towards the bedroom, where Jeon Jeongguk happened to be sitting over his desk, looking curiously as Yerin rummaged to find the first aid kit.

"Ggukie, Taehyung's hurt too," she continued. "Can you help him out a little? He's in the living room on the couch."

Jeongguk felt his heart stop for a second or two.

Taehyung... He was here?

"M'almost done with the salad, Gguk. Sorry it's taking so long," Hoseok spoke while he joined Yerin by the window, unclasping the first aid kit box open.

Jeongguk shook his head. "It's okay.. I got a lot of studying done, so..." He slowly rose from the chair. "Um. Are you alright, noona?"

Yerin nodded and gave a big smile. "Of course I am! Taehyung's way more beat up than I am. Obviously. Since I'm stronger and all."

The boy chuckled softly, grabbing the extra kit that was left on the mattress, and he retreated to leave the bedroom. "That's good. I'll b-be right back, then."

"Patch him up good!"

Jeongguk turned away and proceeded down the hall, his stomach churning in all possible directions.

What were the chances Taehyung would show up here, at Hoseok's apartment, precisely when he had begged his hyung to come over to study?

Surely fate was terrible at keeping them apart, that much he'd come to learn.

And despite him making peace with the man's rejection, at least, as much as he could anyway; he couldn't help the nerves that were slowly consuming him the more he walked towards the very couch that Kim Taehyung sat upon, his dark eyes settled at the window beside him.

"H-Hey.." Jeongguk spoke quietly, making timid steps to sit a considerable distance away from the man over the soft cushions.

Taehyung turned his head, eyes slightly widening as he came to realize just who it was sitting beside him.

"Oh. Jeon. Hi."

The boy looked down at the first aid kit, opened it carefully and began to look for the disinfecting spray. "I was told to help you out... with the bleeding."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks."

Jeongguk gave a short nod and grabbed a cloth pad. Silence fell between the two. And then the older spoke up again.

"I didn't know you were here."

A grin twitched over Jeongguk's lips.

"Same."

More silence. This time Jeongguk continued.

"Heard things are getting bad with the gang war."

Taehyung scoffed.

"We're not at war."

"Yeah. Not yet."

They looked each other in the eyes.

Taehyung gave an amused smirk. "Not yet.." He repeated the boy's words to himself, and watched as Jeongguk scooted closer and began to lightly dab over the injuries on his face.

"Does... that sting?"

"Not really."

Jeongguk nodded in silence, lowered the cotton below the man's lips, and let his stare linger over them.

Those dangerous lips of his. Jeongguk knew their temptation. Knew it all too well, that there was no escaping them once they've claimed their prey. But Jeongguk wouldn't let himself fall into their enticement so easily. No, not again. Not like always.

He gave a quiet sigh, looked down to redab a ball of cotton in disinfectant. And when he scooted just a little closer to resume his job, he took notice of the way Taehyung's eyes shut, head slumping forward a bit abruptly. Jeongguk's eyes widened.

"You alright..?" He placed a gentle hand below the man's chin. "Does it hurt that badly?"

Taehyung's head rolled to the side slightly, before he suddenly snapped up, blinking repeatedly at the younger. Jeongguk gazed back at him in lingering confusion, finding it rather odd how the usual darkness in the older's eyes had seemed to clear.

"Tae..?" he whispered.

The man gave a tilted smile. "I'm alright." He looked down at the cotton hovering his cheek. "You can keep going, Ggukie."

Jeongguk's lips parted, heart jolting at the nickname he had been addressed in. He couldn't remember the last time Taehyung had ever referred to him as 'Ggukie', if at all. Usually it was some pet name, or just 'Jeon'. So for some reason, it had shocked him to hear it more than he had expected.

"What's wrong?" Taehyung's voice broke him from his state of frenzy, and he realized he'd been sitting there staring at the man in immobile silence.

"Oh, um.. N-Nothing. Look this way..." He pointed toward the television with his thumb, and Taehyung turned his head in that direction, giving the boy easier access to clean up the other side of his face.

"I've been... wanting to talk to you for days now.." Taehyung then spoke those sudden words, shooting an unexpected shock of static into Jeongguk's veins. "But... Yeah. You know... I didn't know how to."

Jeongguk kept quiet, giving only a small hum in response, afraid to look him in the eyes because if he did, he'd only fall right back in.

"I thought," The older continued, "That you wouldn't want to talk to me again." His gaze wandered across the room. "But I... understood why you'd feel that way. So I didn't intrude."

Jeongguk caught his bottom lip between his teeth, listening to the older's earnest words and letting them palpitate his heart. In truth, he hadn't expected Taehyung to actually sound so... apologetic. Thought that he didn't have any regrets about rejecting him, even if it meant heartbreak.

"You must be mad at me."

The words made Jeongguk's hand come to a halt, eyes finding their way into Taehyung's.

"I'm not mad at you, hyung."

There was a gentle, upward smile on his lips. Jeongguk stared at it.

"You must be really.. frustrated with me."

Jeongguk exhaled quietly, returned the smile with a shake of his head.

"I'm not. I understand, so... It's okay, you know. Rejecting me is okay." The boy continued his careful dabbing over the bleeding skin. "I can't force you to love me."

"But, I..." Taehyung paused, mouth halfway open as he stopped mid-sentence. He slowly let his lips press together again, a contracting pulse in his chest.

Jeongguk always spoke so gently with him. Understood him without asking many questions, was very patient with him. And not just with him, but with all of him. That's what he liked so much about the boy. That's why he knew they could all be happy with Jeongguk; somehow, someway, by their own means.

Taehyung may have passed up the opportunity for them, but he wasn't about to make the same mistake.

So again, he spoke up.

"Thank you... for doing this."

Jeongguk perked a brow. "For cleaning you up?"

"Yeah.." A quiet whisper. "For taking care of us."

"Hm?"

"Of me... Taking care of me." His hands clasped together. "I'd like to thank you."

"Thank me?" Jeongguk gave a fond chuckle. "You don't need to do that."

"I want to."

The boy's cheeks felt warm. He'd hoped they didn't seem too red just now. But nevertheless he continued his gentle taps and rubs and caresses over Taehyung's skin. Until the man's handsome face seemed better, and Jeongguk pushed a cluster of hair strands up, lifting the male's bangs from his forehead. He placed a bandage below his hairline, then let the hair cascade back down to cover it.

"All done," Jeongguk gave an endearing smile, one in which Taehyung was quickly absorbed in, his hand mindlessly reached to grab onto Jeongguk's.

"Let me treat you to dinner," Taehyung said quietly, thumb brushing over the boy's arm.

Jeongguk looked down at their linked hands, letting the raw feeling consume him. "I.. It's alright. Hoseokie-hyung is making us a salad."

"Let the two lovebirds enjoy their boring salad then." Taehyung gave a boxy grin. "I'll treat you to meat and spices and desserts—anything you'd like."

Jeongguk cracked a smile. "Anything?"

Taehyung nodded eagerly, his bright curious eyes watching the boy with intensity. Jeongguk wasn't yet used to him being quite so vibrant.

"Hm..." He tapped his chin. "It's not quite dinner, but... I think I know the perfect place."

※ ※

"Where exactly are we going?" Taehyung's breaths came out puffed into frozen particles in the air. Jeongguk, who treaded along beside him, continued down the sidewalk with bouncy steps.

"When I was a kid, my mom used to come to Seoul during the weekends and visit a childhood friend," Jeongguk told, cheeks cold from the chilling weather. "She'd take me along most of the time, and we'd get corn dogs from this place she was obsessed with."

"Yeah?" Taehyung hummed, gazing down at the boy with adoring eyes.

"Mhm. It's been so long since I've had it, despite it being not too far from the school. I guess I was thinking I'd feel guilty if I went without my mom." He laughed softly. "But I miss her, and now I have someone to share the corn dogs with. It's a perfect time to stop by, don't you think?"

Taehyung nodded furiously, then looked on ahead down the street they walked down. A mischievous grin formed on his face. "Mm... If you miss her so much, should I pretend to be your mother?" He cleared his throat, voice suddenly becoming strict. "You better wash those fucking dishes when we get home, Jeon Jeongguk!!"

The boy burst out into sudden laughter, head falling back as his hands gripped onto Taehyung's arm, as to not stumble down the pavement. Taehyung watched him in amusement, while tears began to decorate the younger's eyelids.

"Stooop!" He whined between cackles. "My mom does not talk like that!"

"Mmn, no?" Taehyung snickered. "How about, um.." He spoke in a high pitched tone, "Do your homework, sweetheart~ Mommy will give you extra kisses if you do~"

Jeongguk scrunched up his nose, quiet giggles still leaving him from his previous outburst. "That's more accurate, but somehow a little off.."

"Hm. Mm. Hm. Then how about—"

"No more!" Jeongguk quickly tugged down on Taehyung's arm to stop him. "You'll ruin the memory I have of her in my head."

Taehyung laughed loudly, reached a hand to ruffle the younger's hair, a gesture that Jeongguk had whined about for a few seconds, though the two were back to walking casually side by side until they finally reached the corn dog place.

They consulted the menu, reached a conclusion on what they wanted to order, and when they did the clerk gave them both a small square-shaped piece of paper, along with a miniature pencil.

"Mm? What's this for?" Taehyung blinked down at the sheet while Jeongguk turned to write something down on his own.

"Well, if you come here with someone else, this place lets you write a message that they'll copy to your friend's corn dog, using ketchup," Jeongguk explained with somewhat of an eager smile. "I used to draw hearts, so that my mom's corn dog will have ketchup hearts all over them! She really loved it."

Taehyung glanced between the boy and the piece of paper. "So whatever I write here is a message to you?"

Jeongguk nodded. "Yep!"

The man scratched the side of his head and faced away from him, jotting down something on the paper before folding it. Then the two handed them back to the employee, and proceeded to stand on the side for their order.

Jeongguk bit down on his lip, heart loud inside his chest while they waited in silence. Soon enough, their order number was called, and the two collected their corn dogs at the front.

"Mm, let's see here.." Taehyung began to examine his corn dog, stopping when he saw the Korean characters written vertically in ketchup.

' I've missed talking to you like this. '

He read it over and over in his head, about a million times, the smile on his lips only growing wider. He then peeked toward Jeongguk, who was staring at his corn dog with his big, sparkling eyes.

When he didn't say a word for a few long seconds, Taehyung gave a soft laugh.

"Was it too forward?" he asked, blinking at the boy patiently.

Jeongguk slowly shook his head. "No, it's... really, really nice. No one's ever said that to me before.."

"Well, I really mean it." The older reached the corn dog to his lips and took a bite from it. "I'm glad I met you."

Jeongguk continued to gaze at the letters over his meal, a swarm of butterflies filling the lining in his stomach.

"Actually, would you maybe like to... meet my little brother?"

The younger's eyes widened at the sudden offer, head snapping to look at Taehyung. "Your brother..? Hyukjae?"

"Mhm."

"Isn't he staying with Yoongi? At least, that's what you told me..."

"Yeah, he is," Taehyung continued to munch on the corn dog. "He was away at a school trip to Jeju island, but... He's back now. So if you'd like, I want to introduce you guys.."

Jeongguk gaped at the man with parted lips. "I-I'd love to..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I really, really would."

Taehyung gave him a warm smile, to which Jeongguk ignored the fire in his veins. He slowly looked back down at his corn dog, reading over Taehyung's message for him one last time before finally taking them into his tongue.

' Out of 7 billion people in this world, I'm really glad it was you who came into my life. '

※ ※

Taehyung led the boy towards the elevator, situated at the far back of the the elegant-looking lobby. Jeongguk couldn't help but stare at his surroundings, noting two doormen near the entrance, the clean marble floor, and warm lighting above their heads.

He breathed out in awe. "Yoongi's place is really nice.."

"Yeah, it is," Taehyung chuckled. "You can see now why I'd prefer for Hyukjae to live with him, right?"

Jeongguk gave a short giggle in response, and the two mounted the elevator towards the fifth floor, where they proceeded down a long corridor until finally, they reached the very last door.

Taehyung rang the doorbell and stuffed his hands to his pockets. They didn't wait too long before the door swung open, revealing Yoongi's curious face.

"Oh good, you're home," Taehyung greeted, casually stepping inside the apartment and slipping his shoes off.

"H-Hey hyung," Jeongguk bowed rather timidly, then followed after Taehyung and copied the older's actions.

"Ah hey, um... Jeongguk.." Yoongi spoke slowly, his brows rising up in clear uncertainty. As the younger politely made his way into the living room, Yoongi was quick to pull Taehyung aside.

"Yo.. What the hell is he doing here?" He lowered his voice.

Taehyung glanced at the male. "Gguk? I invited him here, to meet Hyukjae."

Yoongi's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "What?!" he whisper-yelled, chest puffing up before he forced himself to calm down. "Why the fuck would you do that? I thought we agreed that no one gets to just meet him."

"It's fine, hyung.." Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Jeongguk's an exception. He's a good guy."

"That's not the issue here, Vante..." Yoongi grunted in frustration before taking a pause to himself, and shaking his head sideways. "No. No way, get the boy outta here."

"Hyung, you're overreacting."

"So, where's the little rascal?" Jeongguk called out from the living room, an adorable smile on his face. "I can't wait to see how much he looks like you."

Taehyung pulled away from Yoongi and looked up at Jeongguk. "He's much more handsome than I am," he chuckled. "I'll go get him." With that, Taehyung stepped down the hall and called out in a fond tone. "Hyukjae, where are you, buddy? A friend's here to meet you~"

Jeongguk watched the man disappear to one of the bedrooms, then he turned to see Yoongi looking at him with a fearfully worried expression on his face.

"Wait, Jeongguk, don't—"

Yoongi's words went by unnoticed by the younger as he followed after Taehyung, already halfway down the hall. "Hyukjae-ya, come out here~ I'm excited to meet you!"

The older watched in horror as Jeongguk proceeded to the guest bedroom, where Taehyung could be heard talking to his younger brother.

"Yeah, his name's Jeonggukie! I met him at school—you'll really really love him." Jeongguk heard the male's deep voice coming from the room, and he walked past the doorframe, ready to greet the small Kim with a warm hug.

But when he stepped inside, he saw Taehyung crouching down beside a kid's chair, next to a small desk area with all sorts of children's toys scattered over it, while he spoke lovingly to his little brother. Except, Hyukjae himself was nowhere to be found, and Jeongguk watched as Taehyung spoke to thin air.

He was talking, but there was no one there. As though Taehyung was pretending there was a child sitting on the chair. But there wasn't.

When Taehyung had noticed Jeongguk's presence in the room, he looked up and gave him a smile.

"Ah, here he is. Hyukjae, meet my friend Jeonggukie. Jeongguk, meet my little brother Hyukjae." He signaled towards the empty chair, and Jeongguk stood there, frozen; processing what was going on in front of him, because, what was Taehyung doing? Where was Hyukjae, and why was Taehyung talking like he had some kind of imaginary friend?

"Shit..." Yoongi uttered under his breath, showing up a few feet away from Jeongguk inside the bedroom, while the boy finally came to an eerie realization.

That, this whole time, Taehyung's little brother was not a real kid, but rather a figment of his imagination.

✱