Jiah was resting her head on Jungkook's back as he drove the two of them home on his motorcycle.

Hoseok had asked them both if they wanted to join him and his brother when they left the city, but neither one of them had said yes. For Jiah, her mind just went back to her brother and her home. Her parents wanted them to grow up there, living with their remains, despite everything they had done and said to them. While she didn't realise it, she wouldn't let herself leave all that behind. Especially when her brother had already built a life there.

And for Jungkook, it was simple. He had only one family, and she wasn't leaving, neither was he.

They arrived at their home, trudging in only to find Ji Young sitting a the kitchen bench, eating the last of his dinner.

"Hyung! Noona!" his tone was unusually bright, and Jiah raised an eyebrow, watching as Jungkook ran over to him, wrapping an arm around his neck in a headlock and ruffling his hair.

"Hey little man, I've missed you!"

"How was work?" he asked, looking over at his sister. Jiah forced a smile, walking to the fridge and pulling out a can of beer.

"Same same," she shrugged, "Boring."

"You work at that huge company now right? World?"

She nodded, cracking the beer open and starting to sip from it, taking a seat in front of Ji Young.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, I was wondering if you could maybe get me a basketball from their sports shop? Then I wouldn't have to keep waiting on the other boys to play with them," there was a flash of misery in his expression before he was cheery again, "And I would love to keep practicing because I want to try out for the team this year."

"Yeah, of course," she leaned in on her elbows, "How is everything, by the way? With those guys who were... annoying you?"

His smile fell, and he raised his eyes to look at her properly.

"Oh my God, if they're still harassing you I swe-,"

Ji Young shook his head, chuckling, "No, noona, it's okay," he smiled, brighter than usual, "I'm not used to seeing you like that."

"Oh," she closed her mouth, "But anyway, how is everything?"

"It could be better," he shrugged, "I mean, I don't go looking for trouble, I guess they just have nothing better to do with their lives."

Jiah sighed, taking another swig of her bottle, "I'm sorry, Ji Young," her voice was barely above a whisper, but he definitely heard because he shook his head.

"It's okay, it's not your fault," he smiled a little, "Besides, I found a new hobby because of them."

"Really?" she slightly perked up, "What is it?"

"Oh I can't tell you, you'll get mad."

She rolled her eyes, looking to the ceiling, "If you think I'm gonna get mad at you, why do you even do it oh my God."

"I promise you it's all in good fun," he prefaced, "It's like these little street fights, in a little place called Angels and-"

"Devils?" Jiah finished for him, and his eyes widened.

"You know that place?"

"Ji Young, you stop going there," her eyes grew dark, and while she wouldn't know it yet, Taehyung was right about them blackening when she was angry.

"I told you, it's all in good fu-"

"Ji Young, you listen to me right now," standing up, she started walking back to her room. "You never step foot in that place again, you got me?"

With a swift turn around, she looked him in the eye. Ten years of images flashed before her. Blood pouring from her head, arms, legs, going to school with so many bruises and getting bullied for them so often it made her stop attending in the first place and having to always look over her shoulder since the first day she stepped into that ring.

For the first time, she wished she could take it all back.

Only because she never wanted her little brother to go through what she did.

No matter how much she loved feeling the exhilaration through every part of her body, she knew it all came with a price.

A price she didn't want Ji Young to ever have to pay.

--

It was finally Monday again, and Jiah was sitting at her desk waiting for Taehyung to come in. The thought of calling in sick because of what had happened between them did cross her mind, but she wasn't about to do that.

She got a text, and her eyes flickered down to her phone, thinking it was going to be him for the fifteenth time that weekend. He had, of course, been texting and calling her non-stop since it happened. While she just wanted to forget she even did what she did, he was not going to let it go.

But, upon seeing Hoseok's name on the screen, she lunged forward to open it.

It was as if she was walking on eggshells ever since he told her he was going to leave, feeling like every text or call he sent was going to be his goodbye. As if he was going to be packed and gone any minute.

Hoseok: Live a little today, sunshine! I know you don't do that often, and you'll probably hit me over the head for saying this, but remember we don't get long to live on this earth, it wouldn't hurt to smile.

Jiah's lips twitched. Yes, it was much like Hoseok to say things like this, but it really wasn't something he would text out of the blue.

Before she could pick her phone up to reply, she heard loud footsteps coming from the elevator.

Standing up, she made eye contact with Taehyung when he walked past her desk, "Good mo-"

However, he didn't stop to let her finish her greeting, opening his office doors and slamming them immediately.

Jiah grabbed her clipboard and rushed inside behind him.

"Good morning, sir," she cleared her throat as he hung up his coat on the rail, his back still facing her. "Today you have a meeting at eleven and then lunch scheduled with the president of Samsung, and lastly you're speaking at the technology conference at three. You need to send over the last of the documents from the Microsoft deal and-"

"Are you serious?" he finally turned around, narrowing his eyes at her, "Are you kidding me right now?"

"You- Sorry?"

"I had to have sent you at least ten texts," he took a few steps closer to her, "Is your phone broken?"

"No, I-"

"Are you really the type to kiss someone like that and not make anything of it?"

"Like what?" her mind and her heart were not agreeing with what she should be saying in this conversation. Her heart was taking over.

"That was the best thing to have happened to me this whole week, Jiah," his voice was getting ten times lower, and she didn't like it.

She hadn't realised how he was taking giant steps closer to her until he was only one foot away.

Her eyes widened, and she coughed awkwardly at that, "It was a mi-"

"No," he shook his head, "It was too good to be a mistake."

"I don't-"

"C'mon Jiah," he sighed, "Tell me you don't feel something right here," looking deep into her eyes, he finished, "between us."

She cursed under her breath because she wanted to deny it so bad.

She wanted to say it to his face that she didn't admire him at all.

Save for his ability to capture a room just by walking into it, his hair which looked like it needed her fingers to be running through it all day long, his hands - which her own fingers itched to touch - and finally, his damn eyes that would captivate you in just a millisecond and would never let you go.

"N-"

"Don't even lie," his breathing was hoarse, and she was so close to pushing him back and running out of the door... but she was even closer to wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips onto hers.

There was her chest aching again, her heart being pushed against the cage where she had pushed it deep down underneath years of misery.

Live a little today, sunshine!

Hoseok's smile came to mind then, and maybe he was right.

"What if I do?" she asked, lifting her eyes to meet his, "What if I do feel-"

Without letting her finish her sentence, Taehyung rested his hand on her cheek, the other hand taking the clipboard from her grasp and throwing it on the sofa before resting it on her other cheek. This was so different to their first kiss, it was gentler, it was softer, it was as if he was trying to prove to her that this moment right now was everything he could have asked for.

"Are you sure it was a mistake?" his voice was hoarse, and the feeling of his breath against her lips made her grab a fistful of his shirt and pull him even closer, she wanted more, she wanted so, so much more.

"I was never sure it was a mistake," she replied before kissing him again. And slowly but surely, her heart was breaking into a million pieces, all to the sound of his name.