Jungkook lit a cigarette right beside the "smoking is injurious to health" poster, the smoke from 'death stick' rising up in the air like wisps of an old woman's hair.

The shopkeeper inside the shop was packing ramen in a polythene, the baritone voice of his colleague reverberating through the windy 47 street.

"You are smoking." Jung Hoseok said as he stepped out of the convenience store the packets of ramen hooked to his fingers.

"I am," Jeon Jungkook shrugged. "Are you done?"

"Yes." Hoseok held up the plastic bag.

Jungkook took the cigarette out of his lips and crushed it under the sole of his foot before swiftly moving it to a side beside the dustbin. "let's go."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

This was not how he was supposed to spend the day before 추석 (Chuseok) — eating packets of ramen with soda with his colleague (whom he unfortunately shared the apartment with).

"You are not going home this year?" His fellow colleague Min Yoongi asked, as he slurped the soup of the spicy noodles. Hoseok grumbled to himself about the lack of Kimchi in their household.

"No." Jungkook shook his head. "With how rapidly Corona is spreading I decided not to go back to Busan this year. My grandmother is coming over so I am extra cautious."

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Sleep." Hoseok piped.

Jungkook sighed. "And play Grand Theft Auto".

Would you believe that two grown up lawyers moping away?

"You can spend the day with us?" Yoongi offered, placing his pair of chopsticks in his bowl.

Hoseok's eyes immediately brightened but before the elder could agree, the younger man intervened. "I cannot, 형 (Hyung / older brother). I have to go over the Geumho-dong case, the next hearing is on the first."

"Come on, Jungkook," Yoongi urged. "Just spend the day with us. We prosecutors are not so bad, you know?"

This time, before the younger could refuse, Hoseok swiftly stepped in.

"Of course, we would love to." He agreed to the frost haired boy.

Min Yoongi flashed him a gummy smile.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

He had met Kim Taehyung in 추석 (Chuseok).

The autumn breeze and the white washed walls blended together when the Sakura Law Firm had taken interns out for dinner before the holidays.

He was the timid yet not-so timid young man working under the notorious Lawyer Oh.

He gave off the calm and composed vibe, mixing with his blank stare. Jeon Jungkook had co-incidentally ended up sitting beside him that night, amidst the swish of whiskey, clinking of glasses of cinnamon punch and the warm smell of Kimchi.

Somehow he had found himself mesmerised by the older man beside him, calmly dodging Lawyer Oh's sour tongue.

Somehow Kim Taehyung had helped him clean his dress shirt when an already drunk Jung Hoseok doused alcohol on him.

Somehow he had found himself underneath Kim Taehyung that night as the moon softly decorated the crevice of his neck.

Somehow.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

What was he doing here? The question haunted him as he stood outside Prosecutor Kim's expensive looking apartment door at ten in the morning.

Lifting the shirt cuff from his wrist he rechecked the time.

Jung Hoseok knocked on the door with a small sigh.

It was after a moment or two that the door opened revealing Min Yoongi in holiday attire.

"Good Morning," he greeted the prosecutor, "I hope we are not too early?"

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Kim Taehyung had deserted Jeon Jungkook. He had deserted him on the day of their one year anniversary when he went home to visit his parents and came back with a ring on his finger as his lover sat up all night with flowers in his hands.

Taehyung's parents wanted him to marry a girl and he swiftly agreed. He no longer wanted to be cast aside homosexual child who would gain nothing from his parents even though he was a third generation chaebol.

Kim Taehyung was a selfish bastard.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"It is sad that amusement parks are closed," Prosecutor Kim Seokjin lamented, "we would have had so much fun."

"Let me pour you a drink, Mister Lawyer". Kim Namjoon offered, lifting the bottle of rice liquor from the table.

Jungkook extended his glass, his insides hurt from the amount of smiling he was doing that day at precisely two in the afternoon.

It felt domestic. He felt as if he fit in their group like a puzzle piece; he was glad that Hoseok accepted the offer.

He laughed when Park Jimin narrated a high school story and clinked glasses with Min Yoongi.

Spending a day with prosecutors was not so bad (although the seniors in the law firm might disagree). How could these men with hearts of a child intimidate delinquents in the court?

Then again, this was exactly why he would never be a prosecutor.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

But it did not last long, at about four in the afternoon, it shattered.

"Jungkook, would you please open the door?" Yoongi asked lazily from the floor, feet propped up on Jimin's lap.

Murmuring in affirmation, he pushed himself off the floor and staggered towards the door.

Unhooking the chain and twisting the knob, he opened the apartment door.

"추석 잘 지내세요" (Chuseok jal ji nae sae yo / Have a wonderful Chuseok) the baritone voice greeted from the other side. His smile fell from his face.

-

Kim Taehyung removed the mask from his face and smiled warmly at his former lover, his hands holding a bouquet of flowers.

Lilacs. Jungkook had bought Lilacs for him that night too.

Hoseok's eyes widened once he saw the newcomer, his gaze flickered over to his friend.

Beneath Jungkook's recomposed persona, lies a crippled past as tragic as the rain that fell on a beloved's funeral.

"Here," Taehyung handed the host a fruit basket with a rectangular smile, "Sorry I got caught up with a phone call."

Jungkook reoccupied his seat beside Hoseok, feet tucked under his thighs, a distant look on his face.

"Meet Jungkook," Seokjin introduced. "He is the youngest here. He is a lawyer at Sakura Lawfirm."

"Hi, Jungkook." Taehyung bowed with a rectangular smile, Jungkook's heart broke a little.

Why was he acting like he did not know him, at all?

He felt Hoseok's hand firmly grasping his own, he removed his eyes from his former lover's and looked at the window behind Yoongi.

"Why were you so late?" Jimin asked, as he poured him a glass of 막걸리 (makgeolli / rice alcohol).

"Like I said, I got caught up with a phone call."

"That's okay," Yoongi dismissed. "Now that everyone is here, let's celebrate!"

The frost haired man clinked his glass with the past lover and turned to the side, to down his glass in a single gulp.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"형" (Hyung) Jungkook asked from beside Taehyung, their backs pressed against the train seats. Autumn was bittersweet outside.

Taehyung hummed in response. It was their second 추석 (Chuseok) together.

"Do you think my parents will accept you as my lover and not as my friend?" Jungkook's voice was laced with worry. It was a festive time, he did not want to disappoint either Taehyung or his own family.

"Of course they will! They are your family Jungkook. Family supports family."

"When will we go to meet yours?"

"Later." Taehyung smiled.

'Later' turned to 'never'.

---

His family very easily accepted them - maybe it was because there were guests present.

They laughed, played, ate and danced together.

추석 (Chuseok) was sweet, contrary to the bittersweet autumn.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Come on." Namjoon urged Jimin to sing.

"No." Jimin hit the elder's shoulder, embarrassed.

"Come on." Jin joined in the conversation. "We are too drunk to remember anything anyways!"

Jimin started softly, lulling them in a stupor of their thoughts.

Jungkook's eyes flickered over to Taehyung form, sitting poisedly. His insides bubbled with curiosity.

What was Kim Taehyung doing now?

He heard that he was a prosecutor, would he ever see him in one of the court hearings? (The chances were low).

Why had he not gone home yet?

What about his wife? Did they have children together?

Taehyung felt Jungkook's eyes on him, he tilted his face to return the latter's gaze.

The look in his eyes pierced Jungkook's soul. It was indecipherable. Taehyung smiled at his former lover.

Jungkook looked away. 추석 (Chuseok) was bittersweet this year, he concluded.

He downed another glass of alcohol.