Taehyung staggered as the looming figure of Jungkook hurled himself onto his now fatigued body. The younger one was more broadly built and Taehyung groaned as he buckled under the crushing force. He managed to partly subvert the weight by pushing the younger one to the side. Jungkook now stood directly above him, his hands busy grappling Taehyung's shirt. Taehyung felt his body lift up from the ground and his jaws shuddered from the other's punch. He was going in for another one but Taehyung blocked it, using the grip to drive the other one away. He grabbed Jungkook by the throat and pushed him harshly onto the wall. The young one let out a howl of anguish as punches rained on him.

They were both spent. Blood smeared all over their bodies, fresh cuts opening with each new act of assault. What started out as a misunderstanding eventually grew into an argument which later evolved into a full-blown fist fight. The few men who were in the building knew better than to interfere. They had seen this coming; they've been witnessing the seeds of resentment being sown into the younger one for weeks and they were sure it'd sprout up into this exact moment. All it took was a small disagreement.

They were both at each other's throat now; blindly throwing and taking punches from one another. Taehyung panted hard, his eyes gleaming dangerously with spite. He knew he couldn't hold much longer. He was strong but Jungkook was stronger. Just as he fisted his fingers, a booming voice filled the room.

"Enough." Said M.

The duo breathed hard, staring intensely at each other while their hands fisted each other's shirt.

"You swore it wouldn't meddle with the trade." Jungkook seethed through his front teeth.

"You swore you'd break it off as soon as it started affecting this." He yelled, his voice resonating across the room.

"And I did." Taehyung replied; his words raspy from the physical exertion.

"What?"

"I broke it off with her." Taehyung spat out.

Jungkook's gaze wavered as if suddenly breaking out of a trance. His grip loosened and he stumbled a little as Taehyung let go of him with force.

"It's over now."

Taehyung gulped, his eyes darting back and forth between Jungkook and M. He watched as the older man walked over to him. He stood utterly still as M held him in a light embrace, his hands patting his rigid back. Taehyung grit his teeth, eyes closing in his attempt of self-restraint.

"You did the right thing." M murmured.

***

Kira unlocked her phone for the umpteenth time, hoping that it would somehow magically start ringing. She tapped open the chat box and saw her pile of messages left unread. She switched it off, only to open them again in a few minutes. It had been three days and all her desperate attempts at contact seemed futile. She realised that the only thing she could do now was to wait. If she couldn't get him on phone maybe she could catch him walking at work. She sighed and switched the lights off.

_

Kira took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door before opening it. He always got to their workplace before her and she was hoping he would be inside, smiling as though none of it ever happened.

"Taehyung?" she called out.

She expected his rich deep voice to reply but instead she was greeted by an unfamiliar nasal one.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Kim has currently shifted back to the head-office. I'm Choi Jinsu and I've been put in charge here. I'll be dealing with the remaining joint projects hereafter."

"I- I see." Kira stuttered. She greeted him back and politely walked out of the door.

She leaned against the leather of her chair and contemplated on how far it has gone. Her hopes of it being just an argument were slowly starting to fade.

_

It'd been three weeks since she last met Taehyung and it was safe to say her concerns were growing. She received no calls back, her messages that were once unseen were now seen but without replies. She had stopped trying to reach him after a week hoping that giving him space would settle things down. Her only knowledge of his safe existence was the occasional ink of signatures on documents.

Her bizarre self, had at times thought of talking it out with him face to face. But each time, she was replied to by her rational self, reminding her that he needed time.

"And if you ever need space, I'll gladly give it to you because your happiness is what's more important to me."

His words ringed in her ears. He deserved the same from her; she chanted it, hoping to etch it deep within herself. It helped her but each time she hushed down the harshness of his words, the etching seared threateningly within her.

_

Kira had been sitting still for a while now. She stared at the blank patterns on her wall and scowled at nothingness. She was leaning against the hard wood of her bed; her body somehow numb to the cold linoleum. She was unaware of what time it was and stared idly at the closed drapes. This, in her defence was a show of protest. She'd been busying herself with work so much that Jin and Hoseok had put her under house arrest.

"You're not going anywhere today." They'd said before she could attack them with a barrage of complaints. It had been a while since she'd properly slept and yet, the cosy bed seemed uninviting. Her body simply refused to sleep and she went along with the stubbornness of her body.

It wasn't until her door opened with a blinding light that she acknowledged the darkness that filled her room.

"Jesus, Kira. How long have you been in here?"

Kira held her palm to her face in an attempt to block the light out. She groaned as the figure finally entered and shut the door. She was relieved to find that it was neither of her roommates. Namjoon's tall figure strode across the room and tugged the strings hard, forcing the blinds to withdraw. It wasn't as bright as she had expected it to be.

"You're missing out on a lovely weather." He said, touching his fingertips to the glassed window. "Look, the city is about to witness it's first rain of the year."

"I don't buy it. First rain my foot." She scoffed.

"Well, it's going to rain and that's all that matters." He sat close to her, his long legs extending longer than hers.

She remained silent and rested her chin on her knees. He seemed to be quiet too and after a while the silence felt suffocating.

"I thought they locked the door. How did you get in?"

Namjoon groped around his pocket until he jingled the key with its keychain at her. "I went down to the office and they told me you were here. I came here to check upon you. They were hoping you'd rest, ya know? Have food and maybe sleep..." he paused. "But that's clearly not working, is it?"

Kira looked at him and shook her head.

"I see." He thought for a while and smiled at her. "The door is open now; we could go out."

Kira shook her head again.

"I see." Namjoon repeated. "Staring at the wall it is, then." Kira looked away, her gaze meditating diligently back on the wall. "Do you... want to talk about what happened?" He tried slowly.

Kira shook her head again.

"Alright." He replied, joining her in her pursuit of silence.

It had been three months now. Three months and she had no idea where he was or what he was up to. Her calls still remained unanswered and her messages still remained reply less. She had distracted herself with work, pouring out all her energy and time into it. Locking her up in an empty room was perhaps one of the worst decisions; because now, she was forced to let her thoughts flow.

She tried thinking about a lot of other things but no matter how much she let her mind wander, it always seemed adamant on coming back to this particular one. At one point, she had given up trying to control it and gave into what it had in store. The debate in her mind was fierce. The hushed voices had grown stronger with time and with each passing minute, her rational voice grew weaker. There was an unpleasant pang in her chest and she knew it to be trouble. She'd always pent up her emotions and now, with her energy fully focused on suppressing this, a greater threat posed before her. The last thing she wanted now was a breakdown.

Recent year's events had forced her to believe that the next time she broke down, she would have someone to lean onto. His warm embrace had promised to be there if she ever felt like letting her dam break. With that stripped away, it had only strengthened the voices in her head. And now, she pleaded desperately for it to stop. She felt dangerously drained and her heart quivered at the thought of the endless list of hostile possibilities.

Thunder rumbled outside her window and she jumped as though a jolt of lightning physically went through her. For a split second, she had thought it was the voice of her insides tearing apart and she held her breath to confirm. She unwillingly listened as the soft murmur of drizzle filled the room. It grew intense with every passing minute and Kira felt herself gasping for air. Soon, fat rain drops hammered onto her window and she helplessly watched as her lips quivered. A dangerous hurricane brewed within herself.

No. Please. Not now. She thought. But it was already too late.

She hugged herself closer as tears rolled down her cheeks uninvited. She shook her head in a desperate act of damage-control but it was in vain. Her throat hurt as sobs tunnelled them and her eyes rained, competing with the clouds outside. Her whole body shuddered and she seemed physically mortified of her own cries. She let it flow as it easily overpowered her will and soul. She felt broken.

She struggled to breathe and she harshly tried to wipe her tears away. Suddenly, she felt her arms stop; they seemed to be out of her control and stood unmoving under a strong grasp. The strong arms proceeded to envelope her whole body, pulling her closer to something bigger than herself. Long fingers drew soothing circles on her back and a comfortable chest pillowed her face. Her tears soaked the light fabric and her body shook uncontrollably but the body didn't seem to mind.

Namjoon sat, his taller figure tenderly holding her smaller frame. His chin rested atop her scalp and she clutched his body closer. He was silent, uttering not a single word. But unlike before, it wasn't suffocating. Unlike before, it comforted her. When her body had trembled similarly years ago, she had hoped to cry into this same reassuring chest. Now, even with everything that had changed so drastically, she felt herself finding comfort in the same shelter she had sought back then.

With him to shield her, she let herself drown in her tears.

_

It was pouring rain outside. Raindrops would occasionally seep through the small gap in between the sliding glass and its attached window pane, wetting the wall beneath. Kira lay on her bed, scrolling randomly through her phone gallery. She smiled knowing that weekend was finally coming to an end. She could go back to the comfort of her office the next day. With the start of a new exciting project, she was hoping that her weekends would be taken care of too.

She swiped through the colour filled pictures she'd taken at Jimin's vacation home and sighed at how relaxed she had been back then. The colours abruptly came to an end as it suddenly stopped on a dark thumbnail with the video icon beckoning to be played on top. She curiously tapped on it. It started out dark with trivial noises playing in the background. Probably one of those accidental videos, she thought. She saw the sudden movement of her hand: an indication that she was indeed covering the camera intentionally. The noise seemed to have stopped, somehow morphing into an uncalled-for silence. And then she heard it. His velvety deep voice hummed a sweet tune. She could hear her own stifled laughs in between.

She could barely catch a few words from the flowing lyrics as he glided through them.

"How much longing has to fall like snow for the spring days to come..."

Present day Kira bit her lips, trying hard not to think too much about the lyrics. She remembered what the video was now. She wanted to stop; she knew she probably should but she couldn't. The melody stopped abruptly, just as she expected.

"Oh, you're recording me?" His voice accused.

"Of course not!" she heard her own voice squeal back.

"Mhm, sure. Show me your phone and I'll believe you."

The darkness in the screen was suddenly disturbed as the camera whizzed past a blurry hand. She should have used a voice recorder but capturing a video had somehow made sense to her back then. It now viewed a part of his crossed legs and the rest of white bed spreads.

"It's a video? Stupid Minjee." He chuckled teasingly. The camera panned upwards to show her sitting across him on the bed with a pillow in hand. It zoomed onto her face and she made goofy faces at it.

"Alright, you can record me singing. You can watch it and think of me when I go away on trips. Don't kiss the screen too much, okay?"

"Right." Kira said, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Because I've nothing better to do."

The phone was handed back to her and it now had passing frames of him leaning against the headboard. His dark hair was tousled and he smiled charmingly at the camera before closing his eyes. He crooned once again, his body swaying gently in its rhythm.

"I miss you... how long do I have to wait and how many sleepless nights do I have to spend to see you?"

Kira exhaled slowly, daring not to blink. She had always got so lost in his voice that at times, she barely even noticed what he sang. But now, as she scoured through the words, she felt like a hungry scavenger, ready to savour everything that came before her. The more she listened to it, the more suggestive it got.

"..... you left me but I never stopped thinking about you, not even a day honestly, I miss you."

The video seemed to blur and she scowled looking away. She realised that it was her eyes and not the video that was blurry as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She swore under her breath. Ever since her incident with Namjoon she had been unstable. The most trivial things would set her off like an unauthorised fire and the worst part was she couldn't even control it. The only way to prevent it was to distract her mind with work. Jin and Hoseok knew this perfectly; and so, they had let her stay late at nights, sometimes even letting her stay in the empty building alone.

Slowly, step by step, they had helped her get through it. Friday off with weekends had been a long stretch. She had survived three days of worklessness successfully. Now as tears ran in rivulets across her cheeks, she clenched her fingers into a fist and drove it mercilessly onto the wall in hopes of making it go away. It worked rather contradictory to her expectations and she closed her eyes in defeat.

She missed him. She could deny it as much as she wanted but she knew that deep down, there was a void left unattended. She missed him sorely. She had tried suppressing it but that didn't stop it from hitting her every once in a while. She missed his comical remarks in their serious conference room; unplanned surprise trips on the weekends; his soft snuffles as they watched an emotional documentary on walruses; his voice murmuring sweet nothings into her ear; his unenthusiastic scowls on losing a game; scandalous secret kisses on their office hallways; their hysterical laughter upon Jungkook's miseries; his sensuous touches that arose goosebumps on her skin; his comforting cuddles...

The video continued to show him but his words now drowned into nothingness. She pressed her phone shut and rested her cheeks on the pillow as her chest went numb with pain.

_

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

Kira looked up from her pile of papers, expecting to see more. But instead, Min Yoongi stood at her and Jin's shared office room with a large packing in hand. She raised her eyes in suspicion.

"Since you won't go out to have lunch, I decided to bring the lunch to you." He said, casually stacking away her horde of papers and replacing them with food boxes. Hoseok joined them with three glasses of water carefully balanced on his hand.

"But I am not done." Kira groaned.

"and we honestly don't care." Yoongi said, opening several of the boxes to reveal heavenly aroma of food. "Grandma made these especially for you and said she'd be very hurt if you don't eat well."

Kira smiled, suddenly overwhelmed by the gesture of affection. "You got me there." She chuckled. They dug into their respective boxes and Kira enjoyed it to its last bit.

"I'm serious. If I have any more, my stomach will explode." Kira protested.

"Good." Yoongi replied. "If you don't eat healthy, I'll make grandma prepare food every day. I'll even bring her here to see to it that you eat right."

"Message received well and clear. I'll eat well." Kira laughed, warmness spreading through her body.

"Whoa, he's good." Hoseok chimed in, pointing wildly at Yoongi. "We should make you stay at his place. He clearly does a better job of threatening you."

"Don't you dare." Kira whispered, feeling betrayed.

At that, Yoongi and Hoseok looked at each other as if to devise a devilish plan.

_

Taehyung sucked in the night air as he stood in front of the building. It was an hour past midnight and most of the rooms were unilluminated. He went past the front desk and into his acquainted old temporary office. The heels of his polished shoes clattered mildly against the tiled floor and he walked briskly, hoping to avoid any possible confrontations.

He walked past achingly familiar rooms and clicked open the door to Choi Jinsu's office. He found the items he was looking for: an important key and an old pen-drive. He rummaged through the unused shelf at the far corner of the room and found a rectangular strip of paper that he folded neatly into his pocket. He looked around the office one last time and switched the lights off.

He strode towards the elevator and paused as he noticed something he hadn't before. The seemingly empty floor wasn't empty after all. He peeked through the small strip of gap that divided the door from its frame. Inside, he saw the silhouette of the one person he was hoping he wouldn't bump into.

He moved closer and observed the soft city glow as it flicked lazily on her. The lights in the office were dimmed low and it highlighted her tired eyelids. Her shoulders heaved with each breath while her hair was messily sprawled over the papers. He impulsively walked into the room, his hand picking up the coat in muscle memory. He winced lightly as the AC spewed icy blasts of wind and he searched for the remote, turning it into a comfortable digit. Her half-sleeved blouse exposed her arms and it took everything in him to not hug her to warmth.

He lightly placed the spread coat over her and restricted his urge to pin the loose strands of hair that lay uncomfortably over her face. He had stood similarly in the room months ago and it hurt to think how quickly it had all changed. Minjee was never a deep sleeper, her instincts always prepared her for potential threats. But now, as he watched her peacefully sleep despite his presence, he could tell that she was overexerting herself. Her lips were slightly parted, there were dark circles under her eyes and her normally fit body seemed weak. His gaze suddenly shifted to something he had never seen on the table before: a keychain. He realised it wasn't any keychain but that it held a distinct memory in his brain. It was the small corny heart keychain he had won her on their second date. He smiled at the thought of her handing him a giant blue teddy that still sat protruding on his nightstand. His smile vanished as he noticed her scarred wrists, desperately praying that he wouldn't see fresh ones.

"I'll protect you." His own voice echoed within him. He felt his cheeks tickling and touched them, only to find it wet. He tip-toed his way out of the room and leaned against the elevator walls. He closed his eyes and let the tears flow mercilessly. His chest hurt and he clutched it, trying desperately to stop the pain.

All the while, his mind chanted the only mantra that could keep him going: "I will protect you. And that's a promise."