Jungkook stormed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He ran his hands through his hair, working on calming himself down. How had such a beautiful evening turned out this way? Had he done wrong by trying to help Namjoon? Was he doing too much? Should he have turned a blind eye to it and let Namjoon’s business shut down?

How was he to have kept still and not do anything when he could save it? The money was a lot for Namjoon but for Jungkook, it was snack money. Besides the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars he got as gifts from his parents’ friends, his distant relatives in Singapore who owned Islands, he also had money that he made from his books.

A huge part of it was tied down in various investments but there was still so much of it lying around in the bank. He never used his money stupidly. His father had thought him better. He knew better, but somehow Jin didn’t.

Jin’s words had hurt him. He’d been shocked to hear him speak that way because he had believed Jin saw him as more than just the son of wealthy parents, but he’d been wrong. And even though Jin had apologized and said he hadn’t meant it, it still hurt that the thought could even register in his head for a second.

He stood outside the office in the corridor for a couple of minutes, trying to calm himself before heading out there again. His phone phone rang in his pocket as he started to head back to the party. It halted his movement and he stepped outside to take the call.

It was his Bambam. “What’s up?" He said into the phone, the moment he answered it.

“I went to your room to look for you."

"Oh. I'm not home. I went for a party," he said, pushing his free hand into the front pocket of his jeans. It was so cold out, he felt chills all over.

"With... Jin?" Bambam asked.

"Yes. Why were you looking for me?"

The line went silent for a while. "I didn’t want to say anything the other night and I couldn't get myself to bring this up all these time but are you really in a relationship with him?"

Jungkook hadn't honest thought he had to spell it out for Bambam. It had been obvious that night they'd gone to rescue he and his sisters, when Jungkook had yelled to the paramedics that his boyfriend was in the house which Bambam had clearly heard.

Unless he hadn't actually heard it or he was in some kind of denial, which wouldn't shock Jungkook. Just because Jin's friends had calmly accpeted their relationship didn’t mean his friends would as well.

"We are," he said.

Again, the line went silent and Jungkook wondered what Bambam was doing during this silence. Was his mouth hanging from shock? Was his forehead creased in confusion? Was he cringing at the thought of Jungkook dating his enemy?

"Tell me this is some kind of joke? Or like an experiment?"

"What kind of experiment could I possibly be doing that involves me faking a relationship?" Jungkook asked. "It's not a joke, neither is it an experiment. Jin and I are dating. It's not a big deal, Bambam."

"It's not a big deal?" Bambam asked. "What are you saying? This is the same person who walks around with a scowl like a hired assasin. The same Jin who talks down to you and commands you to do stuff against your will. The same Jin who—"

"The same Jin drove me at 11pm to the safe house, prevented your dad from running away, stopped your mum from hurting herself and drove us all back home at 3am? He put his life at risk to save you and your sisters. Whatever anger or hate you had towards him ought to have evaporated completely. All you should feel towards him onwards is gratitude, Bambam, nothing else."

"I'm just not in support of this. I don't think I could ever be."

Jungkook shook his head in disappointment. "That's okay. You don't have to be in support of it. I'm not asking for your permission. Just be indifferent about it, and don't talk about him like you hold a special vendetta against him."

"There's no vendetta. I'm just concerned about you because from what I recall from a few months ago, you can't stand him. You hate him."

"I couldn't stand him, but I never hated him. And that was a few months ago. A lot can happen in a few months. A lot has happened, actually, and whatever you were made to believe I felt back then it wasn't the case. It definitely isn't the case now."

Why couldn't Bambam just take it like Jimin and Taehyung? They had taken it so well, it had shocked Jungkook. Jungkook had expected them to react just the way Bambam was reacting and in his heart, he'd always felt Bambam would be more accepting.

He wondered what Yoongi’s reaction would be when he found out. Yoongi was always more verbal about his dislike for Jin and his friends. There was no way his reaction would be any different from Bambam.

"Why were you looking for me? Is it something that can wait until I get back? We're about to leave." He said, looking around. People walked up and down the street, some making their way past him and into the club. If his mother knew he was here, standing outside by himself and open to threats, she would have someone’s head.

"I was going to borrow a book to read," Bambam said, his voice reduced to a solemn tone.

"There are books on my shelf. You can take whichever you like. My room is unlocked," he said.

"Okay," Bambam mumbled before ending the call.

Jungkook shut his eyes to the disappointment that had curled its way up his belly. He wished the conversation had gone differently. When Bambam hadn't said anything after that night at the safehouse, he'd imagined Bambam was okay with it.

But he'd thought Jungkook was experimenting with Jin? Sowing his oats or what? Even at the absurd thought, Jungkook couldn’t blame him. Denying his feelings for Jin all these years had made him utter so much arrogant and distasteful comments about Jin that anyone who heard he felt the exact opposite of the things he said wouldn't believe, especially Bambam and Yoongi who'd heard the words every single day. So, in the end it was his fault Bambam and Yoongi couldn't stand Jin.

He turned away from the road and walked back into the club. The party was still on full blast and tha dancefloor was full of sweaty, dancing bodies. Jungkook signaled to Liam that they would leave in five minutes.

A hand snaked around his neck, startling him. He spun and came face to face with Jimin. "Yo. Relax," Jimin laughed.

"Why'd you sneak up on me like that?" He asked, expelling a deep breath.

"Sorry. Jesus," Jimin said, nodding towards Liam who was glaring at him. "He doesn't look so pleased."

Right. "I doubt he is," Jungkook said.

"Anyway, where have you been? We're going to grab something to eat, want to come?"

"We're just about to leave."

Jimin frowned. "It's barely 10. The night is still young. You have your bodyguard here, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I really can't, I—"

"Dude, come on. It's just for an extra hour. It'll be fun." Jungkook opened his mouth to protest just as Jimin's name was yelled from across the room. It was Taehyung motioning him over with frantic hand gesture. "I'll be right back. Get Jin, so we can go together. Okay?"

Without giving him a chance to accept or refuse the offer, Jimin made his way through the crowd, meeting Taehyung at the door and slipping out of the club.

Jungkook looked around the room. He couldn’t find Namjoon or Hoseok anywhere and Jin still wasn't out from the office they had been in earlier. Suddenly, he felt so small and alone even though he was surrounded by people, albeit strangers.

He just wanted to go home but after Jimin's unconvincing suggestion, he decided staying an extra hour wouldn't be such a terrible thing. So, he headed to the office to get Jin, so they could go eat with his friends.

A line had formed at the end of the corridor where the bathroom was, unlike earlier when it had been empty. Although the hallway was clean, the air still felt stuffy and damp.

The door to the office was ajar as Jungkook approached it, but he stopped short when he heard voices from inside.

"Of all the boys in the whole fucking world," Hoseok's unmistakable voice said tightly. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"I thought you liked Jungkook." Jin.

Jungkook leaned away from view, pressing his back against the wall. They were talking about him. Why were they talking about him?

"And I thought you had common sense but obviously you do not. Do you realize you work for his family? You are their employee!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Does his parents know about this?"

There was a slight pause. A hesitation. "No."

"Then, that should be warning enough. If you have to hide it then it's wrong. What is the matter with you?! If his parents find out that you're dating their son, you’re a goner. Do you not care about your future?!"

"They're not going to find out."

"So, you intend hiding a relationship with their son for the rest of your life? That's your stupid plan? I honestly thought you were smarter than this."

"You can never be satisfied with anything I do, can you?" Jin asked, his voice laced with irritation. "When I was by myself, you told me to go out and make friends and mingle. Then I began to mingle and you got angry that I was going about having meaningless sex. Now, I'm in a relationship with one person and that still pisses you off!"

"Yes, Jin! Because you never make the right decisions!"

"Like how I made the worst decision by being friends with Namjoon?! You swore by whatever God you serve that he was such a terrible influence on me, but I'm not the one fucking him now, am I?!" Jin yelled.

Jungkook's heart raced in his chest as he listened, anxiety wrapping around him like a cloak.

"He served you alcohol! He still does and it still makes me angry! But yes, he is a good person and I judged him wrongly. But even you can see the glaring reality of this situation! His parents would never accept you, Jin! Do you not see it or are you pretending to not?!"

"When we get to that bridge—"

"There will be no bridge because you're going to end this. This is not the time to be stubborn! You are supposed to protect their son, not sleep with him! Jesus fucking Christ, do you have a death wish?! Do you know what would happen to you when they find out?! They would see this as a betrayal!"

"Jungkook—"

"He would not be able to save you! After what went wrong with the President's son, you honestly believe his parents would take lightly to you sleeping with their son!"

"This has nothing to do with sex. You keep mentioning 'sleeping with him', do I look like an insatiable sex animal to you? I have feelings. I have real feelings for him."

"No one would care about that. I know how these people are, Jin," Hoseok said, his voice now low, patronising. "When they act, no one would question them. You have to be sensible."

"I understand what you mean, hyung. But I can't break up with Jungkook. I can't... I can't do that to him. I can't do that to myself. My heart won't take it. I love him too much."

"You will overcome it. You'll get over it."

"Overcome what? Get over what? Why are you sounding this way? Do you think I just stumbled upon my feelings for Jungkook? That I just woke up one morning and found out I was in love with him? It took me weeks and months to get here. It took overthinking, heartaches and a lot of denial before I got here. I didn't want this as well. I didn't want to fall in love with Jungkook, but I did. I do. And I'm not going to throw it away just because it makes you uncomfortable."

"This is not about my discomfort. You know what I'm talking about."

"I'm not breaking up with him for whatever reason. If we ever break up, it's going to be solely our decision, not yours or his parents."

"Jin..." Hoseok's voice trailed, like he wanted to say more but was sure it wouldn't make a difference, because he could see Jin’s mind was made up. Jungkook could see Jin’s mind was made up.

Jin wasn't going to leave him for anything. Not when Hoseok had asked him to. Not because of fear for his parents. He was going to stay because he didn't want to break Jungkook's heart. Because he didn't want to break his own heart. Because he loved Jungkook.

Jungkook swallowed shakily, his vision blurred with tears.

Even though he loved Jin, he couldn't pretend he didn't see Hoseok's point. Jungkook knew his parents, he knew his mother and if she accidentally stumbled upon the information of their relationship, he wasn’t sure if Jin sticking by his side out of love would be worth it after all.