Jin's eyes traced the enormous fish tank to his left, admiring the diversity of tropical fish swimming in the water. That was the reason this table was his favorite in the whole restaurant – he could marvel at the underwater creatures all he wanted and his mind could get immersed at the sight the delicate colorful animals.

"Thank you." Jin's head swung to look at the waitress that had just brought his delicious looking steak, flashing her a charming smile. Flushed by his handsomeness, she scurried off with haste, stumbling on her own feet.

A little smile crept up on Jin's lips. He found it amusing how he made most women feel shy in his presence, yet it kind of made him bitter. Most girls felt intimidated by his appearance and dreaded to approach him, afraid that he'd reject them. But he wasn't that person. Despite his flawless looks, he was never arrogant or rude. He welcomed anyone who made an attempt at having a conversation with him, but people rarely saw past his exterior.

Deep in thought, Jin barely noticed when his right hand lost control of the knife he used to cut his steak. In a matter of seconds, the utensil mysteriously managed to rotate around his forefinger and the sharp blade landed on his left hand, leaving a deep cut in the skin of his thumb.

"Tsssk," Jin sucked in on his teeth, wincing from the immediate pain. Blood started coming out from the small wound, it appeared to be deep. His hand shot to grab a napkin, using it to apply pressure on the area and stop the bleeding. He chastised himself internally. He had always been clumsy, but no to the point of hurting himself.

Still pressing on the cut, Jin's attention was caught by movement at the door. A tall, slim red-haired man panned into view, a man Jin thought he wouldn't see any time soon.

"Hey-," Jin's words got caught in his throat when he tried raising his left arm to wave down at the man, but remembered about the wound. However, when he lifted the napkin, he noticed that the skin was perfectly intact. It was like there had never been as much as a scratch there. That was weird. The lesion was still vivid in his mind, it happened almost a minute ago. There was no way he was imagining it. The pain was still very present.

Jin realized he didn't have much time to dwell on that now when he noticed that the man was walking towards a back door behind the bar counter. "Hey, Hoseok! Hey!" Jin hollered, stretching out his arm as much as he could and waving energetically so that Hoseok would see him.

Slowly, Hoseok turned around, moving his eyes like they were heavy and it took him enormous effort to do so. His expression blank, not a single emotion painted over it at the sight of his long-time friend.

As Hoseok approached him, Jin couldn't help but notice how different he seemed with his sunken eyes and pale complexion, the red color of his hair only enhancing his worn-out look. A sense of deja-vu washed over him as his heart sank. This version of Hoseok seemed like a phantom copy of him in comparison to his previous vibrant and lively self.

"Hey, Jin." Hoseok mumbled, empty eyes staring back at Jin as if someone had dowsed their fire with ice cold water.

"How are you, buddy?" Jin beamed, taking Hoseok's hand to shake it and taking notice of how limp it felt in his. He gestured to the chair next to him, urging Hoseok to take a seat. "I didn't except to see you here."

"You didn't expect to see the restaurant manager at his own restaurant?" Hoseok let out dryly in an emotionless voice.

"No, um," Jin stammered, unsure of what to say next. "I meant, I didn't expect to see you here, in town. I thought you were..." he trailed off, growing aware of the delicate subject he had brought up.

"Where? In rehab?" Hoseok scoffed.

Jin gave a cowardly nod before dropping his gaze to his plate, instantly regretting having started that conversation. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just let Hoseok pass him by, he was both glad and surprised to see him again. But it seemed like this Hoseok was a completely different person from who he used to be.

"Oh, relax, Jin," Hoseok waved his hand in a dismissive manner and there was a small flicker of his old self in his demeanor. "I don't intend on keeping any skeletons in my closet. Almost everyone knows where I've been for the last six months. It's not like I was in jail."

Jin peered at him from under his ebony bangs, relief washing over him. "You've changed your hair," he grinned, looking at the brilliant red color. It was flamingly red with a tinge of orange.

"Yea," Hoseok shrugged, running his fingers through the hot red strands. "I just felt like it. You know, new beginnings and all."

Jin nodded in understanding. "How long has it been?"

"Six months sober." Hoseok gave a weak, but sad smile.

"I'm very proud of you, Hobi." Jin's breath got caught in his throat. He hadn't called Hoseok by his childhood nickname in years. It just rolled off his tongue, without him putting too much thought in it.

However, Hoseok didn't seem the least bit fazed by Jin getting sentimental all of a sudden. He exuded a coldness that contrasted immensely with the scarlet color of his hair.

"So, why are you here in the middle of the afternoon?" Hoseok asked, his finger drawing patterns on the napkin in front of him.

Jin chewed on the inside of his cheek anxiously. He wasn't sure how long had Hoseok been back for and how much exactly did he know of the recent events around here. "I'm here waiting for my father."

"Oh," Hoseok exclaimed softly. "Is the announcement of the autopsy statement today?"

"You know about... Lee Dongho?" Jin furrowed his eyebrows.

"Mhm," Hoseok simply shrugged before pausing for a second. "My sister told me immediately about Aera's uncle passing away. It's only the news of the century."

Jin gave a slight frown. He didn't approve of the idea of turning tragedies into tabloid sensations.

"Is that why they're having this big gathering in the conference room today?" Hoseok questioned, rubbing his chin with his forefinger. "So that everyone will hear what the cause of death was?"

"Yea," Jin nodded begrudgingly. "Hyukjae wanted this. I don't see the point of holding a whole meeting for this though. Neither does my father, but he agreed to do it regardless."

Jin stole a brief glance from Hoseok, waiting for his reaction. He wasn't certain what Hoseok's relationship with his former friends was now that he was back from rehab. He used to hang out all the time with Yoongi and Hyukjae, which Jin used to scowl at. They were a bad influence on Hoseok, but Jin couldn't allow himself to lecture him or patronize his friend. Nonetheless, he was fairly certain this part of Hoseok's life had played a big role in building up to his alcohol addiction and it made him sad that things had gone downhill for his friend.

Hoseok's gaze drifted somewhere over Jin's shoulder as he remained lost in thought. "I'll see you around then," he finally uttered, standing up abruptly.

"Are you back for good?" Jin asked.

"Yes," a little smile crept up on Hoseok's lips. "I can't leave my incompetent sister to look after the family business anymore." He said sarcastically.

"We should hang out sometimes," Jin beamed, a tinge of hopefulness in his voice. "You know, catch up."

"Sure." Hoseok let out with minor enthusiasm before spinning on his heel and walking to the back door of the restaurant, wearing his usual blank expression.

Jin fell deep in thought as he watched his retreating form disappear behind the door. It pained Jin to see Hoseok like this, like someone had sucked the soul out of his body. It was evident his friend had changed but he wondered whether that change would be for the better or not.

His gaze dropped to his steak again. He had suddenly lost his appetite. His eyes drifted to the spot on his hand where the knife had notched into the skin.

If it hadn't been for the stain of blood on the napkin, Jin would have sworn that his mind was playing tricks on him.