Taehyung was genuinely good to Seokjin, no worse than Jungkook. His love for Seokjin was straightforward.

He bought Seokjin sparklers. He designed a cat tree for his cat and chose materials himself to make it. He even cleared some space in his yard and built a garden for Seokjin to grow flowers.

Taehyung's efforts were slightly paid off. He even had managed to claim another half of Seokjin's bed. Though he had to bring his own bedding and quite a big gap was kept between them.

Taehyung opened the bedroom door quietly. Small, heartwarming, orange light was illuminating the room. He walked to Seokjin while he was reading a book leaning on the headboard.

"What are you reading?" Taehyung reclined in the bed, slightly turned his head towards Seokjin.

Seokjin smiled, showed the page to him, "Wildflowers, written by Na Tae-Joo."

Tae moved closer to him and leaning his head on Seokjin's shoulder, speaking in an abstractedly low voice, "I had a nightmare last night."

"I wonder why I was wakened up by you last night. You were crying even in your sleep." Seokjin didn't push Taehyung away.

Tae froze for a little moment. "I am useless, aren’t I?" He didn't want Seokjin to know that in his dream, Seokjin was leaving him bit by bit until this man was totally out of reach, eventually turned into a cloud in the sky.

The latter closed the book and tried to cheer him up, "Dreams are opposite to the real life."

"Jin, I have contacted with my old classmate in New York. We go there and have your cancer treated, okay?" Taehyung tried to persuade him.

To Seokjin, it seemed to be such an abrupt turn of their conversation. He had no idea that all Taehyung did was just a setup.

Seokjin's tone cooled down. "No. I don’t want to."

Taehyung suddenly raised his head and looked into his eyes. "Don't give your own body a hard time!" He said.

"You are a doctor. Do you really sure you can cure my incurable illness?" the latter avoided the eye contact with Tae by slightly turning his head away.

"You never know…we can try." Taehyung mumbled as a burst of heartache struck him.

Seokjin reached out his hand, his fingertip gently stroked on Taehyung's cheek from top to bottom. "If you do care about me, stop pushing me. Chemotherapy is really painful. Medicine is corrosive. The pain will start from blood vessels. And it has lots of side-effects. Bone marrow aspiration is also very painful, so does hemodialysis. Do you honestly want me to live the last days of my life in misery? To see the hospital turn me into a freak before I die?" His eyes were so gentle when he said that.

Taehyung was aware of everything he said, but it felt much heavier to hear the one he cared the most speak out the truth word by word. As if his words had cut him into pieces, Tae was in great agony, his heart was bleeding. However, his emotional suffering was nothing compared to what Seokjin was going through. You wouldn't know how painful the needle tip could be if it wasn't on you.

"If we do nothing, you will suffer anyway." Taehyung shook his head with teeth gnashed, trying to hold his tears in.

"I didn't suffer when you and I climbed the mountain, when I walked Tan by the Jinyang Lake, and when the kitten snored in my arms." Jin gave Tae a little hug. "So please spoil me for the last moment."

"I can't..." Tae was crushedz he couldn't even speak out of sorrow.

"Must you force me to go to the hospital? To do chemotherapy? To take the medicine? To see me covered with tubes and eventually die in pain?" These words didn't sound like what the usual Seokjin would say as they hurt.

Throughout Seokjin's entire life, he acted self-willed twice. He estranged from his parents and abandoned his home the first time, and now this was the second time where he gave up on himself.

"I love you." Tae put his head on Seokjin's neck.

Seokjin could feel the warm fluids burning his skin, which made him feel so sorry.

"If I had a second life, I'd like to be a girl and wait for you, only you." Seokjin started to calm him.

Taehyung didn't move. He was panting like a little animal. "I want you as you are. I wouldn't mind if you were a man." He said in a weak voice.

"Two men are too bitter together." Seokjin sighed.

Tae held Seokjin in his arms, they lay in the bed together. "Let me be your wife in our next life. I'd be in charge of housework and labor. And I’d give birth to our baby." He turned off the light. Tears burst out as he knew deep inside that he was bound to lose Seokjin.

Their hug lasted for the rest of the night.

Tae got up early the next morning. He felt empty inside as he saw Seokjin's languishing face. He fled out of the bedroom in a hurry. For the first time in his life, he blamed himself for being helpless.

He sat in the living room, having no idea where his mind was wandering. He was thinking where they could go for a trip together, where to enjoy the last moment of Jin's life. Taehyung sat on the couch facing the ceiling with his hands on his forehead. His heart was aching.

Someone was at the door making a noise that sounded impatient and rushed. Taehyung got up and went for a check, but caught Namjoon entering the house.

Namjoon was wearing a black businessman suit. His hair was properly slicked back, a sharp look emanated through the gold-rimmed spectacles on his high-bridged nose. There was a cold curl on the man's face, and surprisingly it was his pissed-off expression.

"Hyung, how come you are here? Why didn't you call me and I would pick you up?" Taehyung stepped closer but unexpectedly got a hard smack on his face.

"You've got some fucking nerves, huh?"  Normally, he loved his baby brother but when the little brat pissed him off, he wouldn't give a second thought to batter him as their father would.

Taehyung was absolutely confused, he neither dodged nor resisted. "What did I do?" he asked.

"Who was the person you brought home a few days ago?" Namjoon asked back in a cold voice.

Tae didn't have a clue about what the hell was going on. His brother knew exactly what he did and he had been covering him up all the time. "The one I love." He answered.

"Should I praise you for that?! You took Jeon Jungkook's precious away. Did you know that?! That crazy man couldn't find you so he just took it out on me and he won't get off my back. Do you know how much money I've lost recently?"

Taehyung started to get a bit irritated. "Goddammit, you told me Jungkook was having affairs everywhere." He said.

Namjoon had a bossier personality than his brother did. He raised his voice dramatically, "Do you just blindly take my word for it? I haven't worked with him for long, how was I supposed to know that person was most cherished by him?! You idiot! I've spoiled you, haven't I?

"Lower your voice, you'll wake him up. He hasn't slept well recently." Taehyung frowned and said.

The older got angrier. "I don't mind you looking for fun, I've got your back anyway. But can you keep it simple? At least not a secondhand one, okay? He's been with him for more than a decade. His hole's already loosened!"

The moment Taehyung heard this, rage filled in his bloodshot eyes. He suddenly got up and gave his brother an unexpected punch.

Namjoon never expected that his own brother would fight him over someone outside their family. And when the two men fought, they fought hard. This younger brother had been looked after all the time by him since they were little, but now Taehyung had the guts to fight him back, which absolutely broke his heart.

"You little piece of shit! You had fun, but did you know how much money I've lost these days? Only three days! Twenty fucking million! Would it cost you so much to have an affair with an artist? If I hadn't been protecting you, Jungkook would come after me! If I hadn't been doting on you, it would be our dad beating up your ass today!"

A farce.

Taehyung panted heavily, he even ignored his brother's surrender in those words. He had been feeling unsettled since last night. While he was in fear and agitation, his brother groundlessly got involved.

Namjoon just went too far. He cruelly abused and defamed the one Tae valued and loved the most. No matter how bad Seokjin was, still, he was the one Tae cared the most in his heart, the unattainable moonlight he longed for. Namjoon had the punches coming.

We all had things that we were embarrassed about but couldn't let go of. Taehyung never put it on the table but he did mind that another man had pampered Seokjin for more than a decade, which made what his brother said more hurtful, almost like a nail in the foot.

Tae had a bad feeling as he suddenly saw his brother’s look behind him in a brief daze.

Seokjin was standing behind the silkwood folding screen. The room was cold, inside the heavy coat, he was only wearing his pajama. He looked pale, his slightly drooped eyelids hid his emotion from Taehyung. No one knew how long he had been standing there.

"And you are?" Namjoon frowned and straightened up his outfit. He felt a bit awkward.

Taehyung was totally panicked. He stepped close to Seokjin but stopped halfway. "Seokjin?" He called him softly.

The latter slightly raised his head, his eyes somehow empty. "Tae, I was looking out of the window, the plants in the garden have come into large clusters of leaves." This was the first time he called the doctor’s name, but it made Taehyung almost cry.

Namjoon was a bit shocked. He didn't expect that this was Kim Seokjin. He thought the man that took Jungkook's heart away and captivated his younger brother would have the prettiest face and be a dirty, horny bitch in bed. But there he was, sad and lonely. He looked pale and gave the vibes of blandness, which could even be described as sexual apathy. Namjoon always had a good memory, something his brother once had said suddenly occurred to him that Jungkook's lover was taking medical treatment at his brother’s hospital. But didn't his brother... specialize in leukemia?

Namjoon found it absurd. This was the first time for him. He was a businessman, he would carefully do the calculations about expenses and profits so he just didn't understand what was in it for his brother. Taehyung made so many efforts mentally and physically to take Seokjin home but couldn't touch him. Even his cancer was unlikely to be cured.

Namjoon couldn't figure Jungkook out either. The man had his respect because he made tough moves in business and he was a sophisticated playboy. It turned out he already had someone at home. Not until his precious went missing, he start to worry. He just went crazy on everyone he was after. Vicious competition was but a double-edged sword. But, in this matter, Jungkook had lost more than Namjoon did.

Taehyung couldn't care less about what was on his brother's mind at the moment, all he cared about was Seokjin. He rushed at him step by step. "Let's go and check if the dog wakes up," he said gently, "If he's not, we'll wake him up and take him to climb the mountain with us."

Seokjin dramatically turned his head away as it was a reflex to conceal the tears that he couldn't hold. This love scared him. If he failed to resist the temptation, it would be a bad ending for everyone.

So he had to control himself. He turned his heart into a stone, put on a cold face and walked away. No hesitation, no looking back.

"Tae, go back to Seoul with me." Namjoon frowned and shouted. He couldn't see his brother suffer and distressed for a hopeless future anyhow.

Taehyung didn't listen; instead, he ran to Seokjin and held him tightly, "Don't leave me."

"You are better off without me," Seokjin patted on Tae's shoulder, smiled and said, "Go home."

"Tae, take him with you. At least, I could help you take care of him," Namjoon softened his tone completely, "Plus, you know more experts in Seoul."

Taehyung didn't loosen his arms. "I promised him to stay in Busan. He doesn't like the hospital. He doesn't like the wind and snow in Seoul." Tae’s vague voice came from behind Seokjin's neck.

Why must the mild southern breeze endure the rigorous cold in the north?