The time quickly passed into the evening, and everyone was preoccupied with too many thoughts.

The two girls sat at the table set in the corner of the room, while the three young men sat on the couch and sipped their drinks. Since they were facing each other, Jia and Bora could see the other three and vice versa.

The tension could be felt in the room. The three men were awkward around each other. Jimin was unaware that Yoongi and Hoseok were best friends. He came to the conclusion that they knew each other because of work and nothing else.

Jia fixed her gaze at Jimin every once in a while. She couldn't help but sense that something was wrong with him. Why would she feel that way, you might wonder. Actually, the only reason was that Jimin was dodging Jia's attention and would awkwardly turn to face Bora instead when she was engaged in conversation.

"Bora? Can I share something?" Finally, Jia made the choice to speak with the aforementioned female. Focusing on Jimin was hurting her too much and it only led her to overthink.

Bora gave her a quick glance before smiling and nodding.

"I think Jimin has changed. I feel something is bothering him or maybe he is hiding something from me." She cast a quick glance at Bora to decide whether to go on or not.

Once Bora gathered Jia's hands in her and gave her a tender look, it was a sign for Jia to continue. "You know; when I met him in California, he was really hurt. It took me almost a year to make him normal. I didn't ask him anything at that time because I hardly knew him. But once we began dating, I was afraid to ask because I didn't want my heart to get broken. I had fallen hard for him. What if her ex-girlfriend has returned? What if he doesn't want this marriage anymore? I'm scared."

Bora detested looking into her vulnerable eyes. She wanted to run away from there and never show her face to Jia again. But she couldn't. She felt more hurt on seeing Jia's teary eyes and it surely made her feel guilty even if she shouldn't.

Bora pulled Jia into a warm embrace as she tenderly stroked her head. "You don't need to overthink anything, sweetheart. Maybe returning back to Korea is a huge change for him and his work could be making him like this. Have you tried talking with him?"

Jia shook her head at the question but she didn't leave the hug. She admired Bora's gentleness. She cherished the feeling that someone was paying attention to her issues and that she was being made to understand rather than being dismissed. She yearned to be embraced by a woman.

After her parents divorced, her father went away from their lives and her mother started working long hours in order to support her family. Instead of moving on, she gave up her youth to raise her children. But, her entire struggle drove her children away from her. She got herself so immersed in her work that she forgot her kids.

Jia was unable to recall any instances where she and her mother had such a sweet moment together. Instead, her brother was more of a father figure to her. He always loved her and cherished her a lot.

Only if Yoongi Oppa marries Bora, I'll get a great sister-in-law.

"Are you scared?"

The question pulled her out of her thoughts as she finally broke the hug and nodded her head with a sigh.

"Give your relationship some time. You don't need to always be with him. Enjoy your time in Korea now that you're back as well, hmm?" Bora was too sweet for her own good. She suddenly felt so protective over the girl that she forgot she was talking to her ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend. How weird!

"But I don't have friends to enjoy and Oppa is always busy." Her lower lip jutted out cutely, making Bora chuckle. They might be of the same age but Bora was more mature than Jia. After all, she had faced a lot in her life.

Suddenly Jia remembered something and her lips turned upwards in a wide smile as her eyes shone. "Can we hang out?" She inquired innocently, looking at Bora with hopeful eyes.

With a little cough, Bora shifted in her seat. She knew that spending time with Jia would eventually become uncomfortable. She still hadn't moved on from her past and if she agreed to Jia, she'd have to constantly hear about Jimin. It would surely be hurtful for her. She nodded nonetheless.

"Yay! Okay then, let us go to the garden and get to know each other more. Now that we are staying here tonight, we can give some time to our friendship."

Before Bora could protest, Jia had already dragged her out. Guess the night was going to be long!

What Jia said was right, they had decided to stay there and the credit goes to Jia. Jimin had reluctantly agreed to Jia, unlike Bora and Yoongi. The two had a lot of work and Jia's constant whining was pissing them off.

When Bora tried to make her understand that her mother would get angry, Jia herself called her mother to take permission. Only after Bora assured Yoo-Jin that the vineyard for the wedding had been chosen and that Jia's outfit would be finalized within the following three days, did her boss finally give in.

Bora had to call her dad to inform him about her staying there at night. Not just her brother, but her father had grown possessive of her as well. He would always call her to make sure that his daughter was doing well.

They didn't want Bora to go through everything again. They had witnessed her unceasing sobbing in the past, and the sight had always been painful.

Bora was worried about her brother though. It was already nine pm and she knew he must be home. The first thing he would do was inquire about Bora. She was expecting a call from him with all the questions.

Just when Bora sat on the chair beside Jia after going out, her phone rang and she knew it was her brother. Though she was now sick of his overprotective behavior, she still loved him a lot. Glancing at his name displayed on the phone, a smile made its way onto her face.

Putting all her manners aside, she received the call without excusing herself and chirped happily, "Oppa!" The smile only grew on her face as she exclaimed.

"Honey, where are you? Appa said you won't be returning home. Is everything alright?"

Bora shook her head with a smile as she had anticipated those questions with the worried tone of her brother. She could imagine him tapping his feet while waiting for her response, as that was his habit.

"I'm fine! The drive back home was long and it was already late. So we decided to stay."

Bora had to wait for the other questions since she knew Taehyung wasn't someone to stop after just one or two questions. And she didn't mind at all.

After a little pause, she heard a sigh followed by some more questions. "Who are you with? Is there anyone who I know and is trustworthy?" His voice was getting impatient as if his heart wasn't at peace after learning about his sister not returning home even if it was just for one night.

A laugh irrupted out of Bora's mouth at the innocent query of her brother. He was treating her as a thirteen-year-old girl and not thirty.

"Oppa, you might not know but my boss' son, Yoongi is with me and also, we have a couple whose wedding we are planning. You don't need to worry much. There is a girl named Jia who is sweet and keeps me company. Oh, and just to let you know, Jia is Yoongi's sister. I hope you aren't worried after this."

Jia was already grinning at her with an amused expression when Bora cast a glance at her. Initially, she thought it must be Bora's boyfriend. But after listening more, she realized that it was her brother.

Jia placed her hand on Bora's, softly squeezing it, and smiled while blinking both of her eyes. Bora reciprocated the smile by beaming sweetly.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was in a dilemma about whether he should be concerned. Aera had obviously told him that their senior named Yoongi was whipped for Bora and she had even shown him the photos she had taken.

The pictures weren't that intimate. But, the manner Yoongi was holding Bora demonstrated his care and concern, and Taehyung could sense love in his eyes. He was a man himself, who loved Aera dearly. Taehyung knew the look of a man, particularly when he is in love.

For five years straight, he had witnessed Bora struggling as a result of Jimin. He loved her a little more than Aera and he would accept the fact without any shame. But he was aware that his affection was incomparable to that of a lover. Only a man who loved Bora romantically could fill the void in her heart, and he was aware of that fact.

Should he get to know Yoongi and check if he is worth his sister or not?

"Oppa?" And that sweet voice of his sister pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Okay! If you say so. Ask that senior of yours to drop you home tomorrow, safely." He emphasized the word "safely" and talked some more with Bora before they wished good night.

Bora was confused as to why Taehyung would ask Yoongi to drop her. He was protective of her all these years. Now she was wondering what made him change his mind. She wasn't aware of anything Aera had told Taehyung about Yoongi.

Of course, Aera was Bora's best friend first. But since she was her best friend, she cared about her and only wished the best for her.

"Was that your brother?" Jia finally inquired politely once she noticed the call was disconnected.

Bora instantly smiled at the mention of her brother and nodded her head in response.

"He seems really protective of you. Don't take me wrongly. Yoongi Oppa is protective too but not that much." She bit her lower lip out of nervousness. She was now scolding herself in her mind as to why she would say that. It was almost as if she was criticizing Bora's brother.

"I won't take it wrongly. And you're correct, he wasn't like this always. The thing is, five years back, my ex-boyfriend left me on the day of our wedding without any message. He was really close with my family and it not only broke my heart, but theirs too. Just imagine your family giving someone a chance for the sake of you and that guy breaks everyone's trust."

Jia's eyes began watering after hearing Bora. She would have never imagined her going through so much. If she was in Bora's shoes, she would be shattered all her life. She wouldn't even be able to smile.

Bora was caught off-guard when Jia pulled her into a bone-breaking hug. "I'm sorry you had to face all that." Bora just smiled weakly as she caressed Jia's head.

I hope you don't face my fate. I can see you are a kind girl. I would feel equally hurt if this happened to you. No one deserves to face this, not even you.

_________________________

So, I'm back as I promised. 

How are you all? I hope you all are happy and healthy.

I'm planning to continue giving you all new chapters every day as long as I'm not tired.

I almost slept while editing this chapter LOL. I apologize for any mistakes or typos in this chapter. I had 4 live classes today of which 2 were tests. And it was so tiring. 

Tomorrow is going to be equally hectic but can't help. I have my exams soon. So I need to endure everything. 

Anyways, enough with my ranting. How was this chapter? Finally, Taehyung is introduced after 8 long chapters. 

I wanted to introduce him before but didn't feel the need. But now I feel, so here he is.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you all soon with some more drama. Take care! <3