Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The airport has always been a strange place, in its own corner situated in every part of the world, time seems to stop inside this magical capsule. Here, people are nobodies and yet everybody at the same time: it is a place that connects the globe we live on by the same purpose-- flying. Yet, at four in the morning on  a regular weekday, this specific corner of California managed to find its peace and quiet. Outside, the sky is grey and rain is softly pouring down the sides of the windows. There is a soft melodic tune playing through the speakers as ambiance noise, but no one is paying attention to it. People are walking back and forth to different places, getting to different gates, buying some products at the duty-free section, or rushing to catch their flights meanwhile others are waiting in the business rooms with headphones around their necks, a laptop on their laps, and fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard. Some are just sleeping with a face mask on while waiting for their flight to be called. 

“What are you doing?” The blond-haired scoots closer to the man with slender and pale fingers, to look at what he’s doing on his computer.

The latter shrugs and takes off his headphones. “Fixing the bass of this song. It sounded a little off so I adjusted it slightly.” He mumbles, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Let me check.” The blond takes one of the headphone strings and sticks one earbud in his own ear. His friend plays the recording and both of them listen to the track attentively. 

It does sound better than before.

“How much longer do we have to wait?” The latter asks once the song ends.

The blond looks at his phone, checking the time, and speaks up. “Forty-five minutes more.”

His friend rolls his eyes and lets out a loud sigh. It’s going to be a long day. 

Around them, everyone is quiet. Not many people are waiting at the spacious business section of the airport,, so they wouldn’t be bothering anyone if they just continued to work on their music without headphones.

However, laying down peacefully alone on one of the couches next to them, is the third part of their trio, with a black facemask, a black baseball cap, and a hoodie of the same color, hugging his backpack close to his chest, sleeping as best as he can. 

“At least some of us are using this time to catch up on some sleep.” The blond one chuckles.

His friend shakes his head. “Don’t say anything to him. He’s hungover. You wake up the beast and I am leaving you to deal with him alone.”

Both of them look at the younger one and smile. “He always goes too hard,  but what can you do? We raised him wrong.” One of them says, before going back to their music.

“Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new day at our weekly morning program, Good morning, Seoul! Thanks for tuning in today. If this is your first time, don’t worry, we have plenty of news to tell, first things first! We will have guests with us today to teach us how to cook amazing yet simple recipes anyone can make at home! Before we begin, we have a special announcement to make, that I’m sure will leave a smile on a lot of people’s faces…”

The speakers go off with the same voice they have heard way too many times: “Last call to all passengers of the flight to Incheon, South Korea. I repeat, last call to all passengers  boarding flight 217 to Incheon, South Korea.” 

“Shit, let’s go.” The two friends grab their things and quickly stuff them inside their backpacks.

The blond one sits up and walks towards the sleeping one, nudging him by shaking his shoulders a little. “Hey, wake up. We’re leaving, we are going to miss our flight, wake up.” He says with a soft voice.

“… The band Red Roses are coming back to Korea! If I’m not mistaken, they are catching a flight right now as we speak back to their homeland: Seoul, and will arrive in a couple of hours! It’s been a long while since they came back home, so I’m sure everyone is really excited to welcome them back with open arms!”

“Oh, do you know if they have any performances planned any time soon?”

“Well, as we all know, the three boys like to be unpredictable and drive their fans crazy, so they haven’t announced any concerts just yet. We need to let them rest though, so let’s just hope for them to get back home safely and have some relaxing time now that they left America.”

The sound of their footsteps against the tiles of the airport lets everyone know that they are finally leaving California and going back to their home country. 

People around them whip their heads around just to take a quick glimpse at the three tall men surrounded by two bodyguards. They look unbothered like they are used to all the attention they attract from others. 

“Oh, by the way… are the three members coming back?”

The black, mid-leg high boots come to a halt. The boy hands in his passport and takes off his baseball cap and his black facemask, letting everyone see his flawless tan skin, perfect jawline and high cheekbones. His black, curly hair falls on both sides of his face and his sharp eyebrows make his soft features tilt more to the intimidatingly handsome type of beauty.

“Reliable sources have told us that the three of them were at the airport this morning, so yeah! It’s been a while since the three of them came here, hasn’t it?”

The three of them board the plane and make their way to the first-class seats their manager got for them. The blond one opens a book and relaxes once the plane is in mid-air. The slender one with thin mint hair sits comfortably and looks through the window as the plane takes off, watching the rain pour down on the city they kissed Au revoir to. And the younger one just sits back, turns his music as loud as he can in his AirPods and closes his eyes, forgetting everything and everyone around him before closing his eyes and drifting off once more.

“Yeah! Some fans spotted RM and Suga back then, but there was no sight of Jeongguk anywhere. He does like to make his fans suffer, doesn’t he?”

“I think he was busy with a commercial and that is why he had to stay in California for a little longer than the rest.”

Once the plane is in the air, Jeongguk huffs and pushes the button to recline his seat as much as he can to sleep more comfortably.

“The sudden decision to come back to Korea without a reason why has left everyone asking many questions. Let’s see some tweets.”

Jeongguk changes the song because the one that starts playing annoys him a little.

“Fans say they saw Jeon Jeongguk partying last night at a famous club in Los Angeles, so why are they returning so soon? It’s the first time in three years that the youngest of the group steps foot in South Korea again. For some reason, he always refused to come home even when the older two would visit for the holidays.”

The air hostess walks down the aisle with a big cart of food and asks everyone if they’d like anything. Jeongguk pays for a bag of blueberries without saying much. She tries to make conversation with him, probably because she knows who he is, but Jeongguk politely makes it clear that he doesn’t want to talk to anyone. 

“He likes to party and have the rockstar life, you know? Isn’t it the main reason why he moved to America? To chase the American rockstar dream?”

“Wasn’t it because he won a contest?”

“Whatever it might be, Jeon Jeongguk and his two other teammates coming back is a shock that many fans still have to process. I can already hear the screams coming from their homes.”

Jeongguk pushes his mask down and eats the blueberries with wandering eyes looking out the window, as the sun begins to rise through the big chunks of white clouds and the world starts to wake up slowly. 

“Some pictures leaked, but Jeon Jeongguk didn’t seem too happy to be in the airport…”

“What did you expect? He was partying all night long, I’m sure he’s hungover, and combining that with the excessive amount of paparazzi flashing their cameras in his face, man I have a headache for him hahaha. I am telling you, everyone would look pissed if they had to give up sleep in order to catch an early flight after a crazy night out.”

“He sure does excel at looking and acting like an actual rockstar.”

“Have you seen his tattoos, too? I heard every fan of the Red Roses know Jeongguk’s tattoos by heart and all the meanings that they have.”

One blueberry, which is too ripe, drips down Jeongguk’s fingers and its juice lands on the tattoo of a red rose located on the inner part of his ring finger. He turns away from the pink sky for a moment and licks the purple liquid before it goes down any further and reaches his wrist. 

“Ah, that’s so cute. Our boys really know how to create a beautiful relationship between them and the fans.”

The news of the Red Roses coming back to Korea may have made all their Korean fans restless and vibrating with excitement, but the one who can’t stop his mind from going into turmoil and his body from shaking just to finally turn into chaos is none other than Jeon Jeongguk himself.

“Ah, Jimin!” The bed frame creaks and the headboard slams against the white walls. The sun is rising and the light illuminating the room is coming from the sun rays slipping through the cracks of the black-out curtains. Jimin is on all fours with his face pressed down on the pillows with his ass up in the air, as Minseok fucks him from behind at a rapid pace that makes him slide up and down the silk sheet covering the mattress. “Fuck, you’re so tight, it feels so good, I’m gonna come! Are you close?” Minseok shouts, quickening his pace, but not being able to tug any reaction from Jimin.

“Yeah.” Morning sex has never been Jimin’s favorite. Why start off the day sweaty and tired? He will never get it, and it’s even worse when he’s doing it with Minseok, so it is no surprise that Jimin’s voice sounds indifferent when he speaks. Jimin doesn’t even want to look over his shoulder to lock eyes with his boyfriend, the one who keeps pounding into him like an animal in rut but has no idea how to make its mate feel good.

“A-a-ah!” Minseok moans as he spills inside the condom with a couple more thrusts to ride out his orgasm. His body turns limp and he rolls off of Jimin to lie next to him before all his strength leaves his body and he ends up crushing the smaller man under his weight. “Whew.” He sighs, closing his eyes and smiling blissfully thanks to the orgasm he just had. “Oof, I’m spent.” He mumbles, completely breathless. 

Jimin looks at him with an unreadable and blank expression. 

Minseok opens his eyes slightly once again, reaches one hand to Jimin’s hair and strokes it gently. “Did you come?” He asks. 

And who actually asks this question? Shouldn’t you know if your partner came instead of asking?

Jimin doesn’t voice any of the thoughts running through his head and instead just sticks to answering the question. “Yeah. Yeah of course I did, you’re the best. ” He lies. Sometimes he wonders if Minseok has actual hearing problems or if he is just that selfish. Jimin didn’t even moan once, of course he didn’t come! He figures that Minseok is just so caught up in his own pleasure that he doesn’t give a fuck about the other person but then again, that’s not surprising.

Which, in fact, only makes him be a horrible sex partner. And that also adds to the long list of bad boyfriend traits that Jimin keeps in his mind.

“Cool.” Minseok sighs, closing his eyes again to try and drift off to sleep for a while.

Jimin can’t stand looking at his face anymore, so he gets out of bed and says: “I’m gonna clean up.” He lets the covers slide down his torso and legs as he stands up and gets out of bed. Once he’s standing up next to the mattress, he touches the small of his back and hisses in pain from how hard that fucker gripped him. He sees the beginning of some bruises that are sure to appear more prominent in a few hours. 

So not only did Minseok not give him the orgasm he deserves, but he also made him be in pain and left marks on his body?

Jimin really needs to break up with this dude.

“Can I join you?” Minseok’s interest suddenly perks and he sits up on the bed.

Jimin turns around and starts making his way towards the bathroom inside of the main bedroom. “No, I have to get to the studio quickly.” He declines.

Minseok huffs and Jimin rolls his eyes because he already knows the conversation that they are about to have. “Again?” Minseok asks.

Jimin chuckles bitterly. “What do you mean? Don’t you work every day?” He looks at Minseok over his shoulder and raises his eyebrows in a mocking way. However, just like everything else, Minseok doesn’t seem to get it.

“But you spend your life inside of that recording studio. If you’re not there, you’re at practice and if you’re not at practice then you’re at the gym, you are never home, Jimin” Minseok shrugs, reaching over to the bedside table and taking a cigarette out of the box sitting there.

Jimin has told him thousands of times not to smoke inside the house because he cannot stand the smell of it, but it seems like Minseok doesn’t give a fuck about what Jimin has to say, ever. “Well, that’s what happens when you have to work every day. Don’t you do the same thing?” Jimin says as he walks over to his boyfriend and takes the cigarette from his fingers, putting it back into its box.

Minseok frowns, but Jimin isn’t sure if he’s doing it because of the cigarette or because of what Jimin just said. Jimin hopes it’s both. “It’s not the same.” Minseok eventually says.

Jimin shrugs as he walks back towards the bathroom. “Why? Because you’re a teacher and I’m in a band?”

“Exactly.” Minseok doesn’t hesitate to reply, which only makes Jimin snort in a mix of irony, disbelief and bitterness. 

How fucking dare he.

Jimin brushes his hair out of his face and sighs deeply. “Okay. Just leave, Minseok.” He says, cold and distant as always. 

That seems to catch Minseok off guard. “Huh?” He frowns, looking like a lost puppy that just got abandoned. Jimin hates to admit it, but he likes that look on Minseok’s face. 

He doesn’t even know how the two of them started dating. The only thing Jimin is sure of is that it hasn’t been long and it was never good. Jimin said yes because he felt sorry for the guy, and he probably should have never done it in the first place. Things never go right when you decide to throw a bone out of pity.

Jimin just wanted a distraction, something that made him forget his hectic and busy life. But instead, he gave an opportunity to the guy who kept trying to win him over. And now, he’s stuck in an endless circle of exasperation whenever he remembers he has a boyfriend and he has to do couple stuff with him. 

“I have work to do and I can’t be late. I’m tired and I don’t want to argue with you first thing in the morning.” Jimin says, leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom and looking at Minseok from afar.

Minseok nods slowly and Jimin sees him gulp. “Right. Okay.”

Jimin nods and curtly says: “Thank you.”

He is about to turn around and close the door when he hears Minseok’s voice once again.  “Can’t I at least have a quick shower?” Jimin is grateful that at least he’s facing his back towards the guy because the eye roll that he does next couldn’t have been hidden otherwise.

Jimin stops but he doesn’t turn around. “You can shower at your place.” He replies, with the same tone as before. He’s tired of this conversation and he just wants Minseok to steer clear of him so he can jerk off in peace and have the orgasm that he wasn’t able to give Jimin.

“Shit,” Minseok says, followed by a bitter chuckle. “It wouldn’t kill you to be a little nicer to people, you know?” He gets up from the bed and starts gathering his clothes.

Finally.

“Yeah, yeah.” Minseok’s voice goes in one ear and out the other as Jimin turns the water on and the bathtub starts to fill with warm water. He prepares the shampoo and conditioner he always uses as Minseok walks inside the bathroom and stands behind Jimin.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Minseok says, grinning. Jimin freezes in his spot and turns around abruptly, seeing that the latter has already dressed himself. 

Jimin thinks it’s too soon to say those words to Minseok. Hell, he isn’t even sure if he likes Minseok, and the other one is already saying that shit to him. “Mhm.” Jimin hums. It’s obvious those are just empty words that he says so he can keep sticking his dick into Jimin.

Jimin seriously needs to break up with this dude.

“Give me a goodbye kiss.” Minseok says, puckering his lips and closing his eyes as he leans forward and places both hands on Jimin’s naked hips.

Jimin smacks his palm over Minseok’s mouth and with one hand on his chest, pushes him away slowly but firmly so he knows that this time, the shorter man is not playing around. “No. I’m running late. You should leave now.” He says with a sharp tone.

Minseok stops persisting and finally listens to what Jimin wants for once. “Fine.” He grumbles, and then leaves Jimin’s apartment, leaving the latter alone with his thoughts.

Jimin jerks himself off in the bathtub as he fingers himself open with two fingers, imagining it’s someone else who is touching him. He closes his eyes and moans loudly at the thought of tattooed hands, a bunch of piercings and daring, dark eyes.

When he finally gets out of the bathtub and applies many skincare products on his face, he gets a text message from Taehyung, the main vocalist of his band and also his best friend since the very first day they met. He’s saying that the driver will be by Jimin’s apartment in no time, so he should hurry up if he wants to make it. 

Jimin quickly throws a pair of ripped skinny jeans and an oversized brown hoodie on. He decides to go for a bucket hat and a black mask since he doesn’t have time to do his hair nor his make-up and to be quite honest, he doesn’t feel like dressing up today. At the end of the day, they’ll only be at the studio recording some vocals so it’s just going to be the producer and the members. Therefore, besides his friends and his driver, he shouldn’t meet anybody else.

He walks downstairs and waits for his car in front of the building. Thankfully, the paparazzi still haven’t found out where he moved, so he can go out of his apartment building without worrying too much about being recognized and mobbed.

It’s been one year since the popularity of his band, Hiraeth, skyrocketed after having released a song for the soundtrack of an action-packed drama. Everyone turned their eyes on the rising band and its four handsome members. In no time, they were booked for shows, having an exclusive practice room and studio, many brand deals and a hell of a lot of sponsorships.

Jimin would lie if he said he didn’t like the fame and the attention that he and his friends were getting, but sometimes it got too overwhelming. More often than not, Jimin only wants to go for a walk without anyone interrupting him, but now he constantly finds himself in the middle of a crowd of paparazzi, being asked questions that even himself doesn’t know the answer to. 

It is also especially hard when it comes to dating. Jimin and Minseok are dating but it doesn’t actually feel like it, but that has more to do with Jimin’s own feelings than the fact that the media is constantly pestering him and his members to know about their personal relationships. It’s no secret that all of them aren’t straight, And that, for some reason, leaves a lot of questions to the media. Jimin and his friends have learned how to avoid those questions and redirect the conversation because it really is no one’s business, so it’s all good for now.

A cold breeze blows and his bucket hat almost falls to the floor. Thankfully, Jimin has quick reflexes so it doesn’t go anywhere. Right after, a car with tinted windows parks in front of him and the driver rolls down the windows. 

“Good morning, Park Jimin.” He says. 

Jimin smiles under the mask and opens the door to the back seat. “Good morning.” He replies as he slides inside the car. 

There is music playing from the car’s speakers, but it’s soft and relaxing. It makes Jimin want to forget the awful way in which he woke up and the frustrating orgasm he had by himself in the bathtub.

I really should dump that douche.

“How are you feeling today, Jimin-ssi?” The driver asks. Jimin is grateful that he always does some small talk to make the drive to the studio as comfortable as possible.

“I’m quite excited, to be honest. We’ll be recording some vocals today.” Jimin explains, but his voice doesn’t show the excitement he says he’s feeling at all. 

The driver doesn’t think much of it, though. Since the very first day he met Jimin, he has always been very calm, relaxed and composed. He’s never had an emotional outburst nor has he ever gotten himself into a scandal. All in all, Jimin is a chill guy— at least to everyone’s eyes, except maybe the ones who know him best.

The car stops in front of a coffee shop and Jimin frowns, confused and looks at the driver for answers. “Your manager is in here. He’s buying coffee for you and the rest of the band members. He says you’ll need it for today’s schedule.” The driver explains, looking at Jimin through the rearview mirror.

“Ah, that’s nice.” Jimin nods, seeing how his manager, dressed in an orange suit from head to toe, walks out of the café with a carton carrier and six coffees. 

The manager quickly gets in and greets the two men inside the car. “Good morning, guys. Hey, Jimin, have you slept well?” He asks, handing the Mocca to Jimin. 

“I guess.” Jimin shrugs as he takes the coffee and takes a long sip afterward.

The manager looks at Jimin with a gentle smile and nods. “Are you ready for today?” And even if Jimin wasn’t, he wouldn’t be able to reply with something other than a ‘yes’.

He really likes his job, but sometimes it can get too overwhelming, especially when you have someone by your side who stresses you more than the job. “Surprise me.” Jimin chuckles, looking up at his manager and giving him a side-smile.

The manager sits back in the backseat comfortably as he takes out his iPad and opens Jimin’s schedule.  “Okay. The first three hours you will spend it in the studio room recording vocals.” Jimin nods as the man continues talking. “Then, you have a two-hour practice, a meeting for another brand deal which god knows how long it will last,” Jimin snorts at that. “- and then you have to take some pictures to post them on Twitter.”

Jimin sighs and looks out the window. It’s a sunny day outside, and it has been a while since it shone this bright. Jimin wonders if that has to do with how his day will be like. “Busy day.” He comments and in a smaller, almost whisper-like voice, he adds ‘’Like always.’’ Letting everyone know how little enthusiasm he has, taking into account he’ll spend a lot of time doing other things rather than practicing, which is what he likes to do the most.

The manager pats him on the back gently. “Yeah. But you can do it.”

Jimin thinks of all the moments he’s gone through to be where he is and smiles before taking another sip of his Mocca. “Of course I can.”

The car stops at a red light and Jimin observes the people walking down the busy streets of Seoul. It’s been ages since he moved here and yet he can’t seem to get used to the fast-paced life of the city. Here, everyone always seemed so busy, in a rush to get places and no one seemed to be able to stop for a second and contemplate the world around them. But then again, time doesn’t stop for anyone yet it catches up to everyone. Jimin remembers his high-school days, when they would try to skip school and get into clubs they weren’t old enough to enter yet. Seoul reminds him of sleepless nights, petty fights and heavy make-outs. 

He’s tried too hard to erase the make-outs from his brain, but being in Seoul makes all the memories come back, and he hates that. He hates that even after all these years, he’s still stuck in Seoul, with nowhere to call home.

Jimin’s mind snaps back to reality and he becomes aware of his surroundings again once the car starts moving. The driver turns the radio on and the voice of the woman speaking fills the silence inside the vehicle.

“… The band Red Roses are coming back to Korea!” Is the first thing that Jimin hears. He jerks up his lowered head. He must have heard wrong. There was no way this was happening. His whole body stops for a second and his hand tightens around his coffee cup. He looks down at his hands and sees the many rings decorating his fingers prettily, but he can only pay attention to the voice coming out of the speaker. “It’s been a long while since they came back home, so I’m sure everyone is really excited to welcome them back with open arms!” 

Jimin hopes that he’s dreaming or imagining things right now. Someone needs to wake him up from this goddamn nightmare before he loses it. 

“Wait, wait, wait— turn the volume up.” He says, gesturing at the driver to do what he’s saying. Jimin frowns and leans back on his seat, hands falling inside his legs and gripping the coffee cup even tighter than before. He bites the inside of his cheek and listens attentively to what the hosts are saying. 

And when a question goes through Jimin’s brain, it feels like the radio host read his mind, because she’s asking it as well. “… Are the three members coming back?”

Jimin hopes not.

“Sources have told us that the three of them were at the airport this morning, so yeah! It’s been a while since the three of them came here, hasn’t it?” The host says with a happy and excited tone, the opposite to what Jimin is feeling right now.

Jimin snorts. “What’s up with them, now?” He mumbles, looking out the window and seeing a big billboard with the three members of Red Roses’s faces plastered over it. Coming back after three years of radio silence is never something good, in Jimin’s opinion. Is it because they want to pick a fight with him and the rest of his band members? Do they feel threatened that Jimin and his friends are going to take over their spot as the most famous and successful rock band from South Korea?

The manager turns to Jimin and frowns. “Huh? Did you say something?” He politely asks. Jimin knows for a fact that his manager knows Jimin can’t stand the members of Red Roses, especially the main singer. He doesn’t know the reason why, but that’s not something he needs to know, in fact, that’s not something anyone needs to know. It’s a secret Jimin intends to bury with him. 

“It’s not important, don’t worry.” Jimin turns back to the window as the radio hosts keep talking about Jeon Jeongguk and his intimidating aura at the airport.

More like his jerk-like attitude towards the world.

“Oh, okay.” The manager says, letting Jimin talk only if he wants to.

Jimin chugs the rest of his coffee angrily and, once the cup is completely empty, he scrunches it in his hand. The minute the car finally gets in front of the agency building, Jimin hops out of it without caring about whether there’s paparazzi around or not and stomps his feet as he walks to the nearest trash can to throw the crumpled coffee cup in the trash.

His manager hurryingly follows him with a panicked look on his face as he notices a few paparazzi taking pictures of an angry Jimin. He yells at them to stop bothering Jimin as he finally gets a hold of the rockstar and walks with him towards the door to the building, sheltering him as much as possible from the prying eyes of the world.

Jimin feels his blood boiling when he gets inside the studio, walking with a frown that could be seen from outer space. He can’t believe things were going well for once and now these three annoying fuckers were coming back to Seoul to make Jimin’s life impossible. He technically doesn’t know the reason why they’re flying to Seoul, but Jimin knows it’s not something he is going to like.

Everyone inside the studio -- His bandmates, the lyricist and the producers-- all turn around when the door flies open and behind it comes a pissy Jimin with his jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed.

“Woah, sunshine. Good morning to you too.” Hoseok, the one in charge of the drums and the background vocals, says.

“What’s up?” Taehyung says, spinning his chair around and facing Jimin with a confused expression. His recently-dyed red hair shines with the lights of the studio above him.

“He probably fought with Minseok again.” Seokjin, the singer and guitarist says with a light chuckle. 

Taehyung snorts as Jimin grabs one chair and sits on it without saying a word. He can still feel his heart beating at an extreme pace in his chest, the air is barely traveling to his lungs and his mind is going at 100km an hour. He doesn’t know how to process everything that he just discovered, but he needs to tell his friends right away. However, he doesn’t want to come off as a paranoid, jealous bastard, so he doesn’t know what to say to them.

“But that’s almost every day.” Taehyung adds, glancing over to Jimin and seeing how his best friend rolls his eyes.

Hoseok sighs and taps Jimin’s shoulder encouragingly. “You should really dump him. I honestly don’t know what you’re waiting for Jimin, you’re clearly miserable in that relationship.” His heart-shaped smile and perfect teeth leave Jimin a little blind. It’s been ages since Jimin smiled like that, too, which saddens him a little.

Jimin tries to smile a little bit to somehow reassure his friends and then he replies. “I know, I know but anyway—” 

His words get cut off by their manager walking inside the studio with a magazine in his hands. He gives it to Seokjin at the same time as he announces what Jimin was about to say: “The boys from Red Roses are coming back.” 

That statement only seems to act as a catalyst because the playful air shifts into a cold one. Tension suddenly fills the four walls and hearing those words from the mouth of someone else just makes everything seem more real: Jimin didn’t dream it, it really is happening.  Everyone in the room suddenly loses their cool and starts asking questions while looking frantically at one another with eyes as wide as plates. If it were any other situation, Jimin would’ve actually found the scene a bit funny. 

“What?!” Taehyung yells, standing up from his chair so fast the poor furniture found itself on the floor. 

Seokjin gasps. “No way.”

“After all this time?” Hoseok frowns, utterly confused.

“The three of them?” Taehyung adds, looking over to Jimin and seeing how the latter avoids everyone’s gaze. He’s staring at his fingers full of rings and playing with a few of them. 

“Why?” One of the producers even asks.

Taehyung, who is the only one standing up, turns his whole body to Jimin and places both of his hands on either side of his waist. “Is this why you’re so angry?” He asks, addressing Jimin directly and not letting him look anywhere else.

Jimin looks up to give Taehyung a side smile like he always does whenever he’s angry at something but tries to mask it as much as possible. “Duh.” He shrugs.

The rest of the band members look at the interaction between the 95’ liners attentively. “Fuck. Is this true? You’re kidding, right? This isn’t funny Hyung, we aren’t April 1st.” Hoseok tells their manager.

Seokjin nods as he skims through the pages of the magazine and listens to what their manager has to say. “Yeah. It’s all in here: they were spotted at LAX. You know, the airport in Los Angeles. They were boarding the plane to Incheon.” He explains.

Taehyung picks up his chair from the ground before sitting back on it angrily. He clenches his jaw and frowns. “Why the fuck would they be coming back at a time like this?” He voices his own thoughts, but no one is capable of answering them.

“Are they going to announce any tours? Maybe they won’t stay long and will be in and out quickly” Hoseok wonders hopefully.

Taehyung scrunches his nose in a disgusted expression and clicks his tongue. Seokjin hands the magazine with the article talking about Red Roses in full display to Hoseok, but Jimin is faster to snatch it from his hands and read it carefully.

“They haven’t said anything publicly yet, but I may have found out something.” The manager says, peaking everyone’s interest. Even Jimin, who is busy reading all the praises and achievements the Red Roses are getting, looks up at him.

“What is it?” Hoseok asks. All eyes shift on the man standing and everyone waits expectantly for him to speak.

“Tomorrow they’ll be performing at the Octagon club.” He says, after feeling observed by all of them. The four friends can surely be intimidating when they have the same common goal. In this case, it’s to find out what the hell those three guys are doing here. “You know… I guess as a welcome home party?” He shrugs, smiling a little bit in hopes to lighten the mood up slightly, but no one returns it. In fact, all of them either roll their eyes or rest their backs against the chair. 

“They’re so annoying.” Taehyung says, looking extremely annoyed.

Seokjin frowns. “Why perform at a club when you can do it at a venue?” 

“Right?” Hoseok and Seokjin nod.

Taehyung looks at the older two and then he turns back to Jimin, since it’s been a little while that he has said something. He’s gripping the magazine tightly and his knuckles are turning white.

“Jimin, are you okay?” Taehyung asks, catching Jimin’s attention and making the latter drop the magazine on his lap rather abruptly.

Jimin looks up, confused. “Huh? Ah, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” It comes off a bit more aggressive and defensive than he means to but with his voice still shaking it wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

Taehyung has known Jimin for way too many years to know when his best friend is lying or not. That is why he insists a little bit more. “Are you sure?”

Jimin’s eyes widen slightly and he takes a few seconds to articulate the right words. “Yeah. I’m just pissed off, that’s it.” He says, acting nonchalantly about it. He even closes the magazine and throws it on the couch at the back of the room. Everyone has their eyes on Jimin as he continues to speak up his mind.  “Like, you can’t just leave for three whole years, become a celebrity in America, not acknowledge your home country once, and then come back like nothing ever happened.” He argues.

Taehyung snaps his fingers and nods, pointing at Jimin and his argument. “Right. Where is their Korean honor?” He opens his arms and his palms and shrugs almost comically. It succeeds at pulling a laugh out of almost everyone in the room, everyone except Jimin. 

“Bet they talk in English all the time, now. Do they even go by their Korean names anymore? I bet they changed it for something like Jason or Nathan.” Hoseok snorts.

“Maybe they even forgot what kimchi tastes like.” Jimin adds with a roll of his eyes and a lot of bitterness in his voice.

Seokjin sighs as he scrolls down his phone and sees all the articles that come up about them coming back with a simple Naver search. “Ah, man. Things were calmer when they weren’t in the picture. Now everyone seems to be talking about them.”

“I am telling you— they’ll be at the center of every music article for at least one week.” Hoseok says, leaning over to Seokjin and looking at his phone screen.

Taehyung sits down once again, but this time he does it on the couch. He grabs the magazine and turns the pages rather harshly until he gets to the article that talks about the Red Roses. “What do they even have that people like so much?” He wonders as he skims through the words.

Hoseok leans back on the chair and it even flexes a little backward, while spinning around. “I mean— there is no denying that those bastards are good at what they do.” He says, which earns him a glare from Jimin and another one from Taehyung. “Have you listened to their songs? Some of them are fire. Very addicting. If there is one thing in this world you cannot deny is talent, no matter who it is. ” He adds, even if he knows his friends aren’t so keen on complimenting the other rock band.

But Taehyung is having none of it. “Why the fuck are you giving them record plays? Do you have no sense of loyalty?” He yells jokingly, taking the magazine and throwing it at Hoseok’s face. 

The older yells in pain and stands up from the chair abruptly, walking towards Taehyung and replying: “I was just curious!” He sits down on top of Taehyung and they start wrestling like little kids, but none of the other men in the room are surprised at their antics anymore. This is their everyday life, it’s second nature to them. 

“You know what annoys me the most?” Seokjin speaks up, ignoring the wrestling match happening behind him. “The fact that I want to go to that club to see everything they got. Is that bad?” He asks, finally turning around.

Hoseok stops right then, holding Taehyung’s wrists with his hands and pinning them down the couch so the younger can’t move. Then, he looks up with innocent eyes. “Nah, it’s not. I’m intrigued, too.” He admits.

Seokjin looks at all his band members and shrugs. “Should we go?” He suggests, knowing he’s probably going to be met with a bad reaction. 

However, nothing really happens. Jimin looks away and takes his phone out of his pocket.

“If any reporter asks us a single question about them, I am leaving the building and not coming back.” He sighs and completely ignores Seokjin’s question, while the other two detach from one another and wait for Jimin to continue talking.” I won’t tolerate what happened to us at the beginning of our career.” He adds, having in mind all the times different interviewers brought up Jeongguk’s American and popular band in their conversation, causing Jimin to lose his temper every single time.

Taehyung grunts and visibly rolls his eyes. “God, I know. They were so annoying with the whole ‘oh, you’re both rock bands from South Korea! Is there any rivalry between you two?’ like— shut the fuck up, can’t we just be our own person?!” He exclaims, clenching his fists.

They continue to talk a bit more about this until ten minutes pass and one of the producers finally cuts them off. “Guys… we should get started with the vocals.” 

Hoseok’s eyes widen. “Oh, right.” He even blushes a little because they’ve been so caught up in their conversation that they totally forgot where they are.

“Let’s talk about this later.” Seokjin announces, making everyone leave their cell phones in their pockets and focus on work.

The first one to record the vocals of their new song is Taehyung, the main singer. Then, Hoseok does some back vocals and also redos one of Taehyung’s verses just to see which one sounds better. Seokjin is in charge of ad-libs and high notes, and he also records some harmonies with Taehyung’s voice.

It takes them hours to get them completely perfect so, eventually, Jimin starts getting hungry. There’s still a while to go until his turn comes, so he decides to leave the room to head to the cafeteria and get some snacks.

What he doesn’t notice is that Taehyung sees him leave and he follows right behind him. Once Jimin reaches the cafeteria and he’s debating with himself whether he should get a pastry or an idol sandwich, someone taps on his shoulder.

“Hey.” Taehyung says once Jimin turns around and sees him standing next to him.

Jimin smiles faintly and greets him. “Tae, hi.” He decides to go for the idol sandwich, so he takes it and offers a piece to Taehyung.

His best friend shakes his head and asks: “Are you sure you’re okay?” He insists.

Jimin rolls his eyes, but this time it’s in a playful tone. He knows Taehyung is just doing this to make sure, because Jimin would do the same in any other situation. “I am.” He replies, smiling faintly again.

Taehyung observes as Jimin takes a bite of the sandwich. “You know you can tell me the truth. I am your best friend, after all. We are closer than blood at this point. Hell, I’ve seen your dick way too many times for secrets to still be in between us.” He says, a little lower, in case someone is hearing their conversation. At the end of the day, the cafeteria of their agency building is not the best place to be talking about relationships and feelings.

Jimin snorts and covers his mouth with his hand as he chews and talks at the same time. “I am, I swear! I’m just angry.” He starts. Both of them walk to a table in a corner of the room, where they can look out the window and no one would notice they’re there at first glance. “Three years of ignoring me and now he’s coming back without telling anyone?” He snorts, but Taehyung knows he’s doing it to appear unaffected. “I mean, I wasn’t expecting much either. It's not like he was going to text me, but it still pisses me off.” He shrugs, picking small chunks of his sandwich and tossing them in his mouth.

“I get it.” Taehyung’s eyes look sad, and he rests his face in his palm before talking. “At least he could’ve called you to say he was coming back. Or me.” He mumbles, glancing at the window and seeing the sky tint the clouds a light pink color.

Jimin takes a big bite from the sandwich and Taehyung thinks he looks adorable right now, chewing with his mouth full. Jimin is always walking around with that frown and that clenched jaw of his, but it’s in moments like this when the real Jimin appears in front of Taehyung’s eyes. His Jimin, the one he grew up with, the one he got in trouble with, his best friend.

Right, so I could avoid his presence as much as I could.” Jimin says, which makes Taehyung frown and want to say that’s not true, but Jimin beats him to it. “Whatever, he probably didn’t call because he isn’t planning on seeing me anyway, so who cares at this point.” He takes another bite afterward and his cheeks puff out with all the food in his mouth.

“Jimin…” Taehyung trails. He isn’t sure of what to say because he doesn’t know where Jimin stands in terms of what he’s feeling right now. Three years ago it was easier to comfort him because he knew exactly what was going through his mind, but now everything was new and sudden, and Taehyung is only human.

Jimin feels an awkward shiver down his spine with the way Taehyung just spoke to him, so he wants to change the topic of conversation quickly. It reminded him of the same tone he used to comfort him after Jeongguk left for America and never called again. 

But it’s fine now— Jimin is over it. Everything he has left is anger and remorse. 

“Ah, you should go see their performance at that club if you want to.” Jimin acts as nonchalantly as possible. The last thing he wants is to worry his best friend when nothing is wrong. Really, he’s fine. He’ll just have to ignore everything related to Red Roses and its lead vocalist, just so he doesn’t start a war between them. “I’ll stay home. I really am not in the mood to see his face after all this time.” This is probably one of the few things that is actually true and that comes from the honesty in his heart.

Taehyung takes one last look at Jimin before nodding. “Okay. I’ll tell you all the details if we end up going, then.” He smiles faintly, but Jimin doesn’t return it.

Instead, he shakes his head and waves his hand to make it lose relevance. “Don’t bother. It’s better if I don’t know, anyway.” 

“Okay.” The two friends go back to the studio with Taehyung’s arm over Jimin’s shoulders. “Hey, if you need to vent at some point, I’m here.” He reminds him before taking the door handle and pushing the door open.

“Thank you. I know. ” Jimin replies and follows him inside.

Taehyung claps his hands and turns around with his signature boxy smile. “Let’s go, the owner of the angel voice is here to record!” He exclaims, causing Jimin to blush in embarrassment. 

“Shut up.” Jimin chuckles, closing the door to the studio behind him.

After a long day and a busy schedule, the boys from Hiraeth were finally heading out home for the day. Jimin and Hoseok stay behind to perfect the tempo of the song. At some point, Hoseok plays the drums faster than what he’s supposed to, and the sound of Jimin’s bass sounds off when it happens. Once they finally find out it’s because Hoseok’s score has an error, they finally get it right, and they can go home once and for all. It’s been a long day after all, one emotionally and draining day. The members all need some food in their system and a good scorching hot shower to wash the day off. 

After gathering all their things, they walk down the hallway and wait for the elevator. Two staff members come out of the nearest room to the elevator, but they don’t see Jimin and Hoseok, so they continue the conversation they were having inside.

“Woah, have you seen them?” The woman says. Her voice makes the two friends turn to her and they see she’s holding one copy of the same magazine they looked at before.

“They’re so tall.” The man says looking down at his feet, probably jealous of them.

“RM looks insanely handsome with that hair color.” The woman says before a light chuckle.

Another woman comes out of the room and intervenes. “You’ve always known I’m a goner for Suga.” She presses her hands to her chest, right where her heart is.

The man takes the magazine and stares at the cover photo. “I love Jeongguk. He is just so cool, you can feel his presence just from a picture, I don’t think I’d be able to handle meeting the man in person. I’d combust on the spot. Look how mysterious he seems. I wish I could know everything that goes through his head...”

Me too. Jimin thinks, but he acts as if he wasn’t paying attention to what they just said. The elevator finally reaches their floor with a loud bing and Hoseok and Jimin enter without saying a word.

It isn’t until the doors are closed that Hoseok speaks up. “Ugh, I hope this hype dies down soon because I won’t be able to stand this any longer.” 

Jimin couldn’t agree more.

When he finally gets home, a penthouse in the middle of Apujeong-dong located in the wealthiest neighborhood of Seoul, Jimin takes off his shoes and slides through the hallways until he reaches his couch and lies there. 

His couch is right in front of large floor-to-ceiling windows, which allow him to look at the skyline of the city whenever his mind is troubled. In a way, it’s therapeutic. Jimin used to feel so small in a city that seemed not to have a spot for him, but in his apartment, he feels like he rules the world. Here, there is no camera, there is no pretending and Jimin can just be Jimin without a care in the world. 

Anyone would say Jimin feels like the king of the world more often than not, being in a famous and talented band like his, but that’s not true. He does feel powerful whenever he’s on stage, singing with Taehyung and playing the bass like no other, but the lingering thought of a man on the other side of the world kept making him feel weak at the most inconvenient times. 

Jimin was never able to call Seoul his home, but at least this was the closest he could get to it. Now, his bedsheets smelled like him, and he had clothes in every corner of the penthouse until someone came to clean it up. He also hung paintings from his favorite artists and he had a wall dedicated to pictures of his closest friends and family. He made the best with what he had. And it’s not like Jimin regretted the life he’s lived, it’s just that there were moments where he wished he could just be a normal guy in his twenties. He wished he could go on walks without being mobbed by fans or eat dinner with a friend without it turning into some stupid scandal. 

He stands up from the couch and walks towards the glass windows, looking up at the sky. There are barely any stars visible due to the city lights and the pollution, but despite it all, Jimin can still see his favorite one, the north star. He thinks that no matter where he is in the world or no matter the time of the day, he’d be able to find that star even in the darkest of nights. 

Jimin regretted not grabbing a hoodie nor changing into long pants, even if his mother had warned him to change clothes because it would get cold once the sun set. He thought he knew better than that at only seventeen years old, but that situation taught him that mom always knows best no matter how old you get. 

The stars were finally appearing, and there were barely any clouds in the sky, so he could see them rather clearly. Jimin had been nervous the entire week because he was finally going on a date with his boyfriend after a week of stressful exams. He had planned a picnic date by the Han River, so they could see the spectacle of lights that happened once every month. He had barely seen his boyfriend these past few days and he didn’t exactly know why but it felt like the beginning of their relationship, where they would both get giddy at the simple thought of holding hands. Thank goodness it was cold otherwise he was sure that he would have been sweating through his shirt right then from excitement.  

“Are you cold?” Jeongguk asked as he took a sip of the banana milk Jimin bought for him at the convenience store on his way to the river. 

Jimin turns to look at his boyfriend — dressed in a black hoodie and grey shorts, looking at Jimin with big eyes behind his glasses, holding the banana milk container with slender fingers and veiny hands. 

Every time Jimin looked at him he felt like he lost his breath little by little. God, he is beautiful, he thought. 

“Just a bit.” Jimin replied, smiling softly at the boy in front of him. Jeongguk then scooted closer to Jimin without saying anything. They had been dating for a long while, and there were no more things to be shy about, no more taboos nor distances to keep. Jimin knew that, but he felt nervous like the first day whenever Jeongguk got close to him and hugged his tiny body tightly. He didn’t think that he would ever find out which country he saved in his last life to be able to call Jeongguk his in this lifetime. 

Jeongguk ran his hands up and down Jimin’s arms and back, trying to warm him up however he could. Jimin kept shaking, so Jeongguk quickly reached for the basket he brought with all the food they ate and took out a thin blanket in case they stained the one they were currently sitting on. Silently but with shiny eyes, Jeongguk wrapped the blanket around Jimin and he pulled him close once again. Then, he pressed a lingering kiss on Jimin’s temple and he let the latter get comfortable in his arms.

“Is it better now?” Jeongguk asked, voice almost a whisper. 

“Yeah.” Jimin replied with the same softness in his voice. Maybe he didn’t regret not bringing warmer clothing anymore if that meant that Jeongguk would take care of him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” Jeongguk said, pressing yet another kiss to his temple.

Jimin leaned his back on Jeongguk’s chest and the taller one held him close by the waist. It was quiet around them, with the only sound of the river’s current and some crickets hidden between the grass.

“The sky looks so pretty tonight.” Jimin said, resting the back of his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder and placing his hands on top of his larger ones.

Jeongguk hummed, locked their hands together and looked up as well. “It’s true. You can almost see all the stars.” 

Jimin spotted one that shone brighter than the rest, so he pointed at it, getting his arm from under the blanket only to put it back in afterward. “Look at that one. It shines a lot.”

“That’s the North Star,” Jeongguk said. “They say that if you ever get lost in life, you only have to look at the North Star to find home.” Jeongguk explained, which Jimin found so interesting he had to turn around to look at Jeongguk in the eyes. “Think of me as your North Star, as your home.” Jeongguk said while locking eyes with Jimin, cheeks blushing at the words that were coming from the bottom of his heart.

But how was he supposed to go back home if home was the one that left?

Jimin goes to bed with stars and picnics in his mind. He doesn’t think that he could’ve been asleep for more than a few hours when he gets woken up by the annoying sound of his alarm. Well, that’s what he thinks at first. 

He rolls around the mattress, stretching his arms and hiding under the covers for a second before picking up his phone from the nightstand and unlocking the incoming call. Jimin presses the phone to his ear, eyes still closed, and the second he registers whose voice it is, he already wants to hang up. He is too tired to deal with the same old bullshit again. 

“Hi, Jiminie.” It’s Minseok again, talking with the voice that gives him a headache when he listens to it too much.

“Hey.” Jimin replies, with little to no enthusiasm whatsoever.

“Were you asleep? Did I wake you up?” He asks.

Jimin rolls around until his back is against the mattress and he stares at the ceiling he’s looked at when they were having sex because he refused to lock eyes with Minseok. “Yeah.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Minseok’s voice doesn’t sound like he is sorry at all. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.” Jimin can hear a wicked smirk when he talks, knowing exactly what he’s referring to, but he acts like he doesn’t.

“How?” Jimin doesn’t want to hear it.

Tonight Jeongguk is performing with his band members at that club where Jimin has probably gone to twice in his lifetime.

“I’ll fuck you all night long.” Minseok whispers.

Jimin thinks he would have had goosebumps had it been someone else the one saying that, but it has no effect on him. Not even a little shiver nor a smirk can be found whenever Minseok talks to Jimin like that. 

What is the point of keeping someone around when their whole presence only causes you to be annoyed? At first, Minseok would help Jimin get over his stressful and hectic life, but now the one causing more stress to him is none other than Minseok himself. So why bother anymore? At this point Jimin is convinced that Minseok is his karma for some past acts. Maybe it’s because he threw his chewing gum out of the window, that one time, instead of waiting to find a trash can. 

He’s been thinking about dumping him for months already. 

“Minseok, we have to talk.” Jimin says, cutting whatever the other one was saying. 

“Oh, okay.” Minseok shrugs. Jimin doesn’t know if he’s just dumb or he really act like it. Jimin knows for a fact that the sentence ‘we have to talk’ is never good news, so why does Minseok act like it’s a good thing?

“Let’s meet after I get back from the studio.” Jimin says. It’s probably the first and last time Jimin suggested doing something instead of just going along with what Minseok wants. 

“Okay! I’ll come over to your place.” Minseok adds. “Let’s have a romantic dinner afterwards.” 

Jimin holds himself back from laughing at his face. He isn’t that heartless, after all. He would have dumped him right then, over a phone call where he is still half asleep, but decided not to. He wouldn’t have liked it if someone did it to him.

When his real alarm goes off, he gets out of bed and heads to the shower, scrubs every part of his body, washes his black hair and styles it by pushing it back with a bit of hair gel. He dresses in comfortable yet flattering clothes and walks out of his apartment before Minseok calls to bother him again. He doesn’t even know why he bothers answering anymore, it’s just going to ruin his mood. 

“Good morning, everyone!” Taehyung greets with a smile as he walks inside the building right behind Jimin. The shorter one turns around at the sound of his voice and greets him too. 

“Hey.” Jimin says, smiling faintly.

“Oh, that’s new. A smile this early in the morning? What happened?” Taehyung teases, pinching Jimin’s left cheek while he holds a cup of green tea on the other hand.

Jimin shakes his head and chuckles slightly. “I’m breaking up with Minseok this afternoon. I can’t stand him anymore.” He quickly explains, lowering his voice so only Taehyung hears.

However, he doesn’t notice Seokjin and Hoseok are right behind him, so they also hear it. “Wow, it was about time.” Seokjin laughs.

“I don’t know how you lasted so long.” Hoseok adds.

“Wasn’t the sex trash, too?” Seokjin laughs. 

“I shouldn’t have said anything to all of you.” Jimin glares at his three friends, which only provokes the opposite effect and they laugh harder.

“I bet all the lyrics you’ve been writing lately are about bad relationships and not being able to orgasm.” Hoseok teases a little more, earning a smack on the head by none other than Jimin.

“You might not be wrong.” Jimin mumbles, rolling his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at his friends.

Taehyung gets in between Jimin and Seokjin before they start smacking each other —playfully but harshly nonetheless— and speaks up. “Stop teasing Jimin, guys. Let’s go practice.” He grabs Hoseok and Seokjin by the arm and tugs them with him towards their practice room upstairs.

“Oh, I wrote something yesterday.” Seokjin announces, all of a sudden. He fidgets with his back pocket and takes out a crumpled piece of paper.

Hoseok snatches it from his hands. “Let me see.” He reads the lyrics two times and then adds. “I have a melody that’s been playing in my head since yesterday. Let’s see if your lyrics go with it.” 

Jimin looks at his three friends and smiles faintly.  Despite their loud ass voices and their bickering, he wouldn’t trade them for anything else in this world -- they’ve been here since day one; he doesn’t need anyone else to be happy. He’d go through every hardship, and every heartbreak all over again if it meant that he’d find them again. But then again, he’d never say that out loud nor would he ever tell them -- he loves them but he’s not stupid- If they hear that it’s over for Jimin, he’d never hear the end of it. 

Their band started from nothing — they were just a bunch of high school students, two of them who already graduated and were working horrible part-time jobs to pay rent in Seoul, and the other two who were about to graduate but without a single clue of what to do next.

“What if we start a band?” Taehyung suddenly said. It was a hot and sunny day outside. Classes were almost over, and Jimin and Taehyung only had to push through some final exams to finally be done with high school. None of them wanted to attend college, so they were left stranded with no plans in the future. 

Until Taehyung asked that question.

Seokjin and Hoseok, who were both sucking on their respective popsicles, looked up with a frown. “Huh?” They both said at the same time.

Jimin was eating some of his freshly picked blueberries, his favourite, but he stopped to back his best friend up. “I mean— we don’t need any contest to start one.” He put another blueberry in his mouth. He was referring to the contest that was held every single year for the senior students, and whoever won could travel abroad to get higher education in their field of art of their choice.

They didn’t win, though, so the four of them were still stuck in Seoul.

“But how? We don’t have money to even buy proper equipment.” Seokjin asked as his popsicle started to melt in his hand.

Taehyung replied quickly. “We all have our own instruments. Jimin can be the main vocalist.”

Everyone turned to look at Jimin and the boy got silent for a couple of seconds. “—No.” He replied.

Taehyung rolled his eyes and then said with a shrug: “Well, then I can.” He turned back to Hoseok and Seokjin and smiled. “And we can steal a microphone from school and that’s it.” He said, like it was the easiest thing to do in the world.

“That’s illegal. What if they catch you?” Hoseok asked, placing one of his hands on his hips.

“They won’t.” Taehyung rolled his eyes. “Besides, what’s the worst thing that can happen? They make me give it back or make me pay it?” He pointed at the older guys and smiled. "You’re working part-time jobs for a reason.”

Seokjin gasped. “I’m not doing it so you can steal shit and then pay for your felonies when you get caught!” He screamed, and Hoseok had to stop him from smacking Taehyung’s head.

“Aw, come on!” Taehyung whined. “We’ve always wanted to do something related to music, haven’t we? That’s why we moved here to study at a high school of arts!” He looked at Jimin for support and the latter only nodded his head while stuffing his mouth with more blueberries. “But after high school… what? I don’t want to work the night shifts of a convenience store, to be honest.” He huffed.

Hoseok was the one that gasped, then. “Do you think I’m doing it because I want to?!”

“Seriously!” Seokjin backed him up.

“Then just say yes!” Jimin exclaimed.

“ You cannot tell me that we peaked in high school. This cannot be the end of our youth, there is no way in hell that I am having a boring ass job until I die when life wasn’t made to be lived that way. Come on…” Taehyung mumbled, pulling his signature puppy eyes that were impossible to say no to.

Hoseok and Seokjin looked at each other, then back at their younger friends, and eventually sighed. “Okay.”

Taehyung notices Jimin has stopped following them, so he turns his head around and asks: “Jimin, are you coming?”

This brought Jimin back to reality and he nods, picks up his rhythm again and walks towards his friends. “Yeah.”

The sky is tinted shades of purple and yellow when Jimin waits in front of the company building. He texted Minseok to pick him up by the door so they could walk back to Jimin’s apartment and talk, not really sure if there was anything to say to begin with. However, and like always, Minseok was late, and Jimin’s patience was running out. The sound of the passerby cars only made Jimin’s head ache more, and that wasn’t good for him either. Only forty-eight hours passed with his mind running nonstop, but the last thing he needed was hearing the expensive cars driving down the highway as he waits for a guy he doesn’t even want to look at. 

“Hey, baby. I’m here.” Minseok’s voice finally catches Jimin’s attention. Jimin turns around and he’s surprised because today is the first time he actually feels something close to happiness when he sees him. But that happiness stems from the fact that seeing him means he’s going to get rid of him earlier.

Jimin wasn’t a cynical person… he was just not in love with Minseok or felt anything close to it. He just wanted a distraction, someone he could rely on — but sadly Minseok ended up being none of those things. He was just another worryin Jimin’s life, so it was better to just cut everything off.

“Hello.” Jimin replies, turning around and smiling faintly. His smile must have been way too apologetic, because Jimin sees how Minseok’s excited expression cracks a little. “Can we walk back to my apartment?” He asks, not really caring about what Minseok has to say. He just wants to get this over with so he can have a bit of sleep before his busy day tomorrow.

Like always, Minseok shrugs and smirks, acting coyly for some reason. Jimin never liked how he always tried to be cocky around everyone, it’s like he thought he was better than everyone else and that just rubbed Jimin the wrong way. “Sure.” He circles one arm around Jimin’s waist and the latter quickly slaps it away.

“What are you doing? We’re in public.” Jimin squints his eyes, looks around to make sure nobody saw, and then turns towards Minseok with a confused expression. “You know paparazzi might be looking as we speak.”

Minseok pouts but quickly lets go of the topic. “You’re mean. You never show me off to anyone.”

There is nothing to show off. I can’t even talk about sex in my songs because my sex life is depressing thanks to you, Jimin thinks. When was the last time Jimin came with someone else touching him? 

Without a reply, Jimin walks past him and heads home, knowing Minseok will follow right behind in a few seconds and will stand next to him. When he finally does it, Minseok speaks up again. 

“What did you want to talk about?”

Jimin dreads breaking up with people. He prefers it rather than someone else breaking up with him, but he has never been a fan of the conflict and the back and forth debate that happens afterwards. Why can’t people just accept it and go on with their lives? He is tired and he doesn’t have enough energy to deal with Minseok’s whines, either.

But he has to do it if he doesn’t want to be miserable forever. 

“About us.” Jimin simply says, not looking at Minseok’s eyes, but instead focusing more on the red and green lights around him.

“Oh, what is it?” Minseok shrugs. “Wait— today isn’t our anniversary, is it?”

Jimin wants to snort at the question. Minseok is really this stupid and self-centered, isn’t he?

“No, it’s not.” He simply replies.

“Ah. Are you doing something after going home? Can I come upstairs with you?” He changes the topic quickly as if he fears whatever Jimin has to say to him.

Jimin doesn’t say anything. The light turns green and Jimin crosses the street, with Minseok following right behind. His apartment is not very far away, so Jimin decides to drop the bomb at that moment. 

“No, you can’t, Minseok.” Jimin eventually replies. It takes a second for the other man to remember what he had said that would make Jimin say that, and then his face twists into a frown. 

“What?” 

“I want to break up.” Jimin says, staring at Minseok’s eyes, trying to convey how serious he actually is about this,  so there is no room for debate. Minseok tends to take everything lightly, so he wants to show how he isn’t kidding around. 

Minseok’s smile disappears from his lips and his feet stop abruptly. Jimin just wants to get home and not see his face again, but he isn’t an ass— at least not yet.

“Why?” Minseok’s voice is deep and he’s glaring at Jimin when the latter turns around. 

Jimin sighs and brushes one of his hands through his hair. “I don’t think we’re compatible. I’ve tried, but it’s just not working out.” He shrugs. 

Minseok’s face tells Jimin that he doesn’t like what Jimin just said. “What do you mean? Couldn’t you have talked to me instead of just dropping this bomb on me?” He asks, trying to act cool, like always, but disappointment seeps through his words and the expression he is making.

“Come on, you cannot be serious. Look me straight in the eyes and tell me that you actually thought it was all going well between us. I’ve been dropping hints for ages, do you really think that someone in love would act the way I do?” Jimin feels the frustration taking over his body. He truly hates breaking up with people. “There’s no way you’re that naïve. I thought you’d catch on eventually, but you just don’t seem to care about me nor my feelings at all. Are you seriously that self-centered?” Jimin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What? Are you seriously saying that I don’t care about you?” Minseok raises his voice and Jimin immediately regrets not telling him to meet in his apartment. Truth is, he didn’t want this guy around his personal space anymore but he also doesn’t want to make a scene in public.

“Yeah. How many times have you actually asked me if I like whatever it is we’re doing? You just assume shit about me and you never even take my feelings into consideration.” Jimin explains, but then rolls his eyes and adds: "Not that I had any towards you, but whatever.” He feels like he is being truthful for the first time, even if the words that slip out of his mouth are rather harsh and hurtful.

Minseok gasps. “I can’t believe you’re saying this shit to me. I’ve been nothing but a sweetheart to you!” He yells. Jimin really doesn’t want to cause a scene, so he grabs him by the wrist and pulls him behind a building. Minseok forcefully gets out of his grip, slapping Jimin’s hand away rather harshly. “Because you were such a fucking brat, and I had to wait months to finally fuck you! All because of what? You weren’t still over your ex?! I’ve been pretty fucking nice to you, actually.” Minseok is fuming.

What he just said doesn’t surprise Jimin, either. It was pretty clear what Minseok wanted out of this relationship from the beginning. Big hint: it wasn’t Jimin’s heart. “You just admitted that you didn’t like the fact that we didn’t have sex right away. Isn’t that why you wanted me, in the first place? It’s not like we ever did anything besides sex, either way.” In all honesty, Jimin wouldn’t have complained if the sex was at least good, but it felt like a song whose chorus that would never come or one where you’re waiting for a base that never drops.

“Well, maybe. It’s the only way I could have you close to me.” Minseok shrugs.

“That sounds like a you problem,” Jimin snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you think I would’ve warmed up to you if you were actually willing to listen to me? But you just wanted someone to talk dirty to and that’s it. You just needed something to wet your dick and nothing else.”

“That’s not true.” Minseok clenches his jaw and looks like fire is going to come out of his mouth.

Jimin wants to stop arguing with him. He just wanted to have a peaceful break-up, but it seems that Minseok can’t even grant him that wish. “Oh, it isn’t? Didn’t the fact that I’m in a rock band turn you on? Or that I am famous? Isn’t that the reason why you started pursuing me?” He smirks rather bitterly, trying to push Minseok’s buttons even though he knows everything he’s saying are just lies to make himself look better.

Minseok completely ignores the question and squints his eyes, back resting on the wall behind him and looking at Jimin while raising his chin. “Do you think you’re the shit just because you’re a rockstar?”

Jimin has to hold back the laugh that threatens to come out at the sight of Minseok trying to act intimidating. There is only one person in this world that has been able to cause Jimin to feel that way, and it’s definitely not him. “No. But you do sound like you think you’re the shit just because I gave you a chance and dated you. I guess you took me for granted.”

He doesn’t want to fight anymore. He now knows everything he needed to know, so there is no reason for him to be here. Jimin turns around and starts heading to the main street when Minseok grabs him by the wrist and makes him stop.

“How can you say that after everything I did for you?!” He whines, voice coming out rather desperate now.

Jimin is starting to get pissed off. He’s tired after working all day and having his mind occupied twenty four hours a day — he really doesn’t want to argue anymore, but Minseok keeps pushing him just like Jimin did. If Minseok knew how to do something, it was definitely making Jimin feel all of the ugly emotions that ever existed. " And what exactly did you do for me?” He replies through gritted teeth.

Minseok looks offended that Jimin has to ask. “I’ve— I’ve walked you home! And waited after your rehearsals! And bought you dinner!” He exclaims.

Jimin wants to laugh. “Oh, wow! The bare minimum.” He says, sarcastically, freeing himself from Minseok’s grip. “Am I supposed to be happy with that? Because guess what? My manager does all of that too; it really isn’t the flex you think it is.”

Minseok doesn’t know how to reply to that, so he adds something else to the list of bare minimum things that Jimin supposedly should feel grateful for. “I’ve fucked you good, too!” 

“Here we go, talking about sex again.” Jimin rolls his eyes. “Shouldn’t you make me come to consider it ‘good sex’?” 

Minseok blinks, completely taken aback. “What the—”

Jimin cuts him with a long and loud sigh. “Look. I can’t say it’s been nice while it lasted, because, in all honesty, I’ve been miserable. I felt nothing but used by you, like you only wanted me to brag about it to your friends. Because, even if I asked you to please keep it private from everyone else, I’m sure you told all of your bros. haven’t you?” Jimin says, fed up with all the childish stunts Minseok has pulled on him since the very first day they were together. 

Minseok’s mouth falls open but nothing comes out. His skin turns pale and his eyes frantically look into Jimin’s to find something to hold on to, something to convince him to take him back. But he knows it’s not going to happen, especially when his silence gives him away. 

“That’s what I thought.” Jimin pushes his hair back and looks to the main street. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading to my apartment. Thank you for these past few months, I guess they are going to be memorable.” Even if it’s in a bad way. 

Note to self: Never do this again.

Jimin walks towards the main street without sparing Minseok another glance. That is, until he hears him yell something that causes his blood to boil instantly. 

“You’re such a fucking bitch! And a whore! I didn’t even like you anyway! And your music fucking sucks!” 

Jimin stops in his tracks and decides to be the bigger person just for one day. He turns around one last time and speaks with a calm voice before walking towards his apartment. “Have a good life, Minseok. Delete my number from your phone.”

He slams the door to his penthouse and stops his feet as he takes large strides towards the bathroom connected to the main bedroom upstairs. Without uttering a single word, he looks at his own reflection as he proceeds to take off his clothes.

Bitch. Me? Yeah, sure. I’m the baddest bitch in this whole apartment building— scratch that. In all of Seoul. He thinks, as he steps in the shower and gets under the cold stream of water that pours down the shower head.

It’s not a secret that Jimin is hot. He knows it. When he walks around the street he knows he turns heads around, it doesn’t matter if it’s men or women, Jimin knows their eyes are on him, he can feel them. In fact, he gets reminded every time he opens any of his social media. He only has to look at the comments and there’s going to be people praising his plump lips or thirsting over his thighs, don’t get him started on the ones mentioning his ass. Jimin knows he looks good, especially when he looks at himself in the mirror.

Once he gets out of the shower and loosely wraps one towel around his hips, he swipes his hand over the mirror to wipe off the condensation, seeing his reflection a little distorted by the remaining water on the mirror. 

He decides to put on a pair of expensive boxers and the tightest pants he can find— those that make his ass look out of this world. He goes for a loose black shirt with vertical white lines and only buttons it halfway. His chest is exposed, even more when he leans forward a little. 

To top it off, he puts rings on his fingers and long earrings that match the necklace that falls right over the first button that’s actually buttoned. 

Whore? Yeah, in bed I can totally be one. What a shame you’re never going to see it. He continues to think as he looks at his reflection and notices his narrow waist. It’s been a long time since he dressed himself up so well without having a concert. 

By the time he finishes his make-up— going for a black and grey smokey eye, with glitter in the inner corner and a tinted gloss that makes his lips look even more kissable, it’s already dark outside. He wonders if his friends ended up going out like they had said the day before. 

My music sucks? What a fucking lie. Everyone wants to kiss me the minute I go up on stage. That’s just how fucking good my music is. 

Jimin checks himself out in the mirror once again. He doesn’t even know why he got dressed up so quickly, but there is something that keeps popping up in the back of his mind and he’s trying so hard to push it away. 

So why should I hide any of this to the world? I’m good as fuck, and I want to show this to everyone. I want to show how good I look and how good my music is. I am the best, and there is no one who will bring me down with their words.

Nor with their presence.

The guys from Red Roses are coming today? Who fucking cares? I can go right there and crash their party with my mere presence.

Jimin gets his keys as he dials his driver’s number. He doesn’t even bother to eat anything and just sticks to telling his driver to be there in five minutes. He puts a pair of rather high-heeled boots that make his legs look extra long and takes the elevator down to the first floor. He sees his car waiting for him and, without a word or glance, steps in the backseat.

I won’t let anyone else step over me ever again.

Be it Choi fucking Minseok or Jeon Jeongguk and his band.

“Where would you like to go, Park Jimin-ssi?” The driver asks, locking eyes with Jimin through the rearview mirror. 

Jimin averts his gaze when he speaks. “To Octagon, please.” He doesn’t want to see the surprised face from the driver nor wants to give any explanations.

He doesn’t even know what the hell he is doing. Was it because Minseok pushed his buttons so hard that now he is just looking for a distraction? Something to hate more than that bastard because he doesn’t even deserve that kind of attention from Jimin?

Or is it because he wants to prove something to the guy that’s going to be playing on the stage? 

“We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” The driver announces, but Jimin barely hears his voice with how loud his heart is beating against his ribcage. He is shaking his leg up and down unconsciously, biting on his lower lip and checking the time over and over again, as the lights from the city paint his face and disappear when the car drives past them. 

Once the car finally stops, Jimin looks up and he is met with the entrance of the club written in white neon lights and a font that reminds him of the shape of an octagon.

“We’re here.” The driver says, looking back at Jimin by twisting his body a little. “Will you need a bodyguard to walk with you?” He asks.

Jimin thinks it through but decides to say no. The club will be full of people and he probably won’t stand out at all, considering everyone will be busy drooling over the boys performing on the stage. 

End up here - 5SOS

Octagon is in the Gangnam district, and its clients are always part of the Korean elite. It’s a very exclusive club that doesn’t really allow any foreigners unless they pay stupid amounts of money. That is why it isn’t the first time Jimin heard someone famous was performing there. The entrance rates got higher every time someone performed, so only the ones who were able to spend that much money could get in. Jimin isn’t surprised to spot almost all the sons and daughters from chaebol families with their friends. 

You walked in, and everyone was asking for your name

You just smiled, and told them trouble

He’s recognised right away by the security guard by the door, so he is escorted inside the club through the back door. Inside the club, the music is loud and the flashing lights are constantly changing colours. When the back door closes behind him, Jimin feels his palms getting sweaty at the mere thought that he’s really here.

Alone. 

And he dressed up and he looks good as fuck. But right now, he can’t think about anything else but the honey voice coming out of the speakers. It’s a voice he’d recognise amongst thousands of others, after all.

It’s just like he remembers, and he gets a weird feeling in his stomach that he can’t really define. Is it dread? Hate? Longing? Pain? Excitement? Happiness? Maybe it’s a mixture of everything, or maybe Jimin is just slowly losing his mind. Either way, he feels like throwing up a little bit.

My head spins

I’m pressed against the wall 

just watching your every move

He immediately regrets coming here when he feels people pushing each other around to try to get closer to the stage. He hates when people get too close to his personal space. Thankfully, he doesn’t get approached by anyone, but he doesn’t know if that sits right with him or not.

You’re way too cool

And you’re coming this way, coming this way

Jimin makes his way through the crowd, muttering ‘excuse me’s and ‘sorry’s to everyone that he pushes away. He doesn’t want to be recognized, especially not by Jeon Jeongguk himself, but he can’t help feeling curious. 

The stage where the DJs normally are is replaced by the stage in which the three guys are performing. Red Roses is written in red neon lights with cursive letters above them, and it shines all over the place, along with the rest of the flashing lights. The taller man right in front of him finally moves, and Jimin gets a clear view of the stage. 

And he sees it.

He sees him.

After three years. 

How did we end up talking in the first place?

Jeon Jeongguk, right in the middle of the stage, smiling while singing along to the words of his own song, with sweat running down his forehead and the side of his temples, a million piercings adorning his ears, dangling with every move, every jump, every wink he throws to the people at the front row. His long, slightly curly hair is damp and it sticks to the back of his neck.

You said you liked my Cobain shirt

Now we’re walking back to your place

He’s wearing a sleeveless black tee-shirt, showing all his tattoos covering his right arm, all the way up from his shoulder down the tips of his fingers. Everyone around Jimin screams when Jeongguk pushes his hair back and some droplets of sweat fall down to the floor.

You’re telling me how you love that song about

Living on a prayer

He definitely looks buffier than three years ago, his cheeks are less full and his jaw is more defined— it’s something everyone could tell. Not that Jimin was aware of it, though. He refused to read any article or see any picture that involved him. If it was up to him, he would’ve erased Jeon Jungkook from his mind the second he left. He wanted to forget the man that had already forgotten him, maybe even before flying out to California. 

I’m pretty sure that we’re halfway there

When did he change so much? Why does he look like a completely different person? And why does it annoy Jimin so much that Jeongguk doesn’t look exactly like how he had expected? He definitely looks much more mature, with his black hair falling on both sides of his face, a sharp jawline and smirking once every two seconds.

And why does he get that fucking microphone so close to his mouth? Is it really necessary? Is that another thing he learnt in America? Is making out with mics cool now?

But when I wake up next to you I wonder how

How did we end up here?

And why does his voice cause Jimin’s skin to break out into goosebumps?

Jimin stands still in the middle of the crowd, glaring at the singer wandering around the stage, kneeling down and holding some of the chaebols’ hands, throwing water at the crowd despite it being fucking November and cold as hell at night. 

Next day out, everybody thought you were so insane

‘Cause you were so far out of my league

All of a sudden, Jimin remembers his friends and the fact that he didn’t tell anyone that he was coming here. Seriously, what was he thinking? All of this is just making him feel even worse than what happened with Minseok only a couple of hours ago.

My friends say I should lock you down

Before you figure me out and you run away

Seeing Jeongguk and his two band members — Suga and RM, playing the guitar and the drums respectively, only makes Jimin more curious about the three men in front of him. Which definitely shouldn’t happen. 

Why did they come back to Seoul? And why now?

Are they planning to stay? Where did they meet?

Why are those lyrics engraving themselves in Jimin’s brain like a prayer?

But you don’t,

And you won’t,

As you kiss me and you tell me that you’re here to stay

Jeongguk slides his tattooed hand down his sweaty neck, making everyone instantly lose their shit and start screaming like horn dogs. Jimin totally gets it, because whenever one of his band members does something similar, the crowd roars with excitement too.

But it’s Jeon Jeongguk, and Jimin can’t be attracted to that. Not after going through everything that happened between them. Jeon Jeongguk is nothing but a pain in the ass in the eyes of Park Jimin. No matter how much he’s still seeking for answers and how much he still appears in his dreams.

Park Jimin hates Jeon Jeongguk and everything that represents him. He hates roses, he hates tattoos and he hates skate parks along with every other thing that could be linked to the guy.

Call me lucky, ‘cause in the end

I’m a six, and he’s a ten

He’s so fit, I’m insecure

But he can’t stop looking. Not when he looks up and closes his eyes for a second, or when he licks his lips only to then bite them. 

But he keeps coming back for more

Or when their eyes lock as he reaches a long and rather high note. Jeongguk stays still as the rest of the crowd sings the chorus again with the help of Suga’s background vocals, but Jeongguk is petrified in the middle of the stage.

Just like Jimin is. He feels his heart tightening in his chest, his breathing starting to hitch. 

His knees feel weak. What a familiar sensation.

A couple hours ago, Jimin had thought that he could crash the party with his presence, but he forgot how weak those eyes made him feel whenever they locked with his. 

Even after three years of not knowing anything about him, there was something about Jeon Jeongguk that Jimin just— couldn’t quit. 

But he felt it was different this time. It wasn’t the same adoration he used to have back then. Now it was something much deeper, complex— much more… rotten.

Like a drug he couldn’t quit, instead of a piece of his favourite chocolate.

The lights were dimmed inside Jimin’s bedroom. There was soft music playing in the background that Jeongguk put in a playlist for times like this, when him and Jimin would get lost in each other. 

Jimin’s parents were out of the country for the weekend to celebrate their anniversary, so Jimin had the place for himself. Naturally, he did the only thing he had been enthusiastically waiting for: inviting his boyfriend to stay the weekend over at his place. 

And, of course, they had all the time in the world to explore each other’s bodies like they had done so many times already. 

“I love you.” Jeongguk whispered, brushing his lips against Jimin’s plump ones as he thrusted inside him. Jimin replied with a high-pitched moan that was swallowed by  one of Jeongguk’s hungry kisses. “God, Jimin. I love you so much.” He repeated, going slow but still tugging pretty moans out of the boy underneath him.

“I love you, too.” Jimin replied, hands sliding up on Jeongguk’s back and scratching a little when it felt way too good.

Jeongguk moaned at the slight pain and hid his face in the crook of Jimin’s neck, biting his earlobe afterwards. “God. I can’t believe you’re mine.” He chuckled, and then kissed the skin behind his ear. “How did we even end up here?” He continued, making Jimin break out into a fit of laughter.

“Stop it!” Jimin giggled, slapping Jeongguk’s chest gently, feeling his cheeks burning up due to the string of compliments and praises Jeongguk was giving him. 

But that reaction only made Jeongguk want to do it more. He cupped Jimin’s cheek with one hand while supporting his weight over him with the other, and caressed the skin with his thumb. “You’re the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen. You keep taking my breath away.”

Jimin’s eyes locked with his rolled to the back of his head and he bit his lip unconsciously. “Ah, Jeongguk, please.” He whisper-moaned.

“Yes, baby?” Jeongguk replied in the same tone, looking at Jimin’s bed eyes and wondering how is it possible for Jimin to get prettier every time Jeongguk sees him. He had an idea of what Jimin wanted, so he picked up his pace just slightly.

“Ah.” Jimin moaned louder; exactly the reaction Jeongguk had been searching for.

Jeongguk wanted to tease him just a little bit. It was the thing he liked doing the most whenever they were tangled between their sheets and no one was around to disturb them. “What is it?”

Jimin knew Jeongguk liked when he played hard to get, but at the same time, he also loved when he just pleaded. And he was loving every single second of that moment, so much so that he just wanted to give Jeongguk what he wanted. “Please— Make me— ah! Make me come.” He begged, with that voice of his that made Jeongguk go absolutely crazy. 

“I love you.” Jeongguk whispered once more, kissing Jimin deeply, with all the care in the world, before picking up his pace and fucking Jimin deeply and roughly, like they both loved. “I will never stop loving you.”

What a fucking lie.