Taehyung's POV

"Th-this is so cruel!" Petal repeated for what was probably the twelfth time. Yes, it was indeed cruel.

We were gathered in the dorm's hall after a long and tiring day full of practice sessions and other stuff like interviews. Following the sudden popularity after the release of DNA and the other songs in the Her album, it has been endless practice and extremely lengthy schedules for us. It has been hard for all of us, but especially on Jungkook.

The boy's been trying hard to cope with the rejection, but, even with that, at the end of the day, he's just over 18! Even though it's been like 2 weeks since the incident, it takes time for even complete adults to deal with stuff like this! He pretends to be his usual self in front of the cams, but even ARMY is suspicious that something is going on with him!

Today was when he finally broke down. As soon as we reached home, he started crying, and I and Petal had to take him upstairs to calm him down. He had just fallen asleep, and the rest of us had decided to start a quick and quiet house meeting.

"We know it is, Mi," Namjoon hyung sighed out, exhaustion seeping into his voice, "But it isn't like we can do anything about it! The Company doesn't and can't know about that- that incident with Sarang!"

Jin hyung nodded in agreement, "Joon's right, Mi. They'll just scold him or something if they find out. That's gonna break him even more."

I turned to Petal when I heard her sigh of frustration as she buried her face into her arms.

"It-it's too cruel. He can't even- even cry properly for fear of losing his voice! The way he is suppressing all his hurt is gonna have a bad impact on him too!" Jimin exclaimed, with Mi nodding her assent.

"Can't you talk to Sarang, kid?" Yoongi hyung asked quietly.

"I can't, Oppa. It's unfair to her if I do that. I can't take anyone's side on this! It's Ari's choice who she dates; Kook's heartbroken, and Seungmin -" She paused, "Seungmin is possibly more broken than he shows."

"I don't think so," Hobi hyung mused, "He was probably just trying his luck on-"

"None of you will speak of him like that," Mi hissed, startling all of us, "You don't know what he's been through! He'd never do that to someone! He- he's not like that!"

"What is it, Mi?" Jin hyung looked amused, "Do you have a crush on him or something?"

I witnessed Petal choke on air before turning to our eldest hyung with a furious expression, "What the hell, Oppa?! He and Jungkook are like my own brothers! I consider both of them equally as my little brothers just because this snob," she pointed at Yoongi hyung, "is my older brother and I can't baby him and-"

"Whoa whoa stop it," Yoongi hyung chuckled, "You baby Tae enough but that's beside the point. And Jin hyung knows who you do have a crush on; he's just teasing! And I'm not a snob; I am superior to all of you."

We snorted unanimously before my mind replayed something hyung said.

And Jin hyung knows who you do have a crush on.

"Who do you have a crush on, bear?"I accidentally emphasized the last word in my sudden burst of jealousy, causing the hyung line to chuckle softly.

I noticed that Mi was blushing and I felt my heart tighten.

Who could it be?

She exhaled deeply, trying to compose herself before turning to me, "They're just making fun of me, TaeTae. I don't have a crush on anyone."

That was a blatant lie but I acted like I was convinced.

Could it be me?

I checked the time on my phone, before turning back to the guys.

Maybe. Just maybe.

"Do you think Ari will accept either of them? Not now, but later on?" Jiminie queried, eyes soft with worry for the maknae.

"I don't think so," Hobi hyung spoke, not looking as hopeful as always, "It is, like Mi said, her choice. Even if there's a chance, it's gonna be small."

We all sighed, the exhaustion beginning to kick in.

"The Company's being a bit too hard on us, don't you think?" I rubbed my sore muscles, feeling a headache set in.

Next to me, Petal nodded, "Yeah. Usually practicing comes with lots of adrenaline and excitement and all that stuff, but now... everything just hurts. It's like they're pushing us to breaking point."

"Don't say that," Joonie hyung said, "We were the ones who settled on this lifestyle, guys. Nevertheless, should I ask for a break? A week perhaps?"

We stared at each other for a few seconds before erupting into cheers and wrapping our leader in a group hug, muttering things such as 'you're the best leader ever!', 'we love you so much', etc.

"What's going on- wait, I don't even wanna know," Jungkook, who had just come down the stairs, said, looking weirded out at us practically choking Namjoon hyung to death.

"Ooh, Jungkookie," Petal stood up, an innocent expression on her face.

She's up to something.

"Are you gonna get your 'nana milk, Koo?"

Jungkook's face flushed at this, "I'm not a baby; stop treating me like one!"

"But you are a baby, Kook," Jiminie argued, and we all chuckled when the maknae rolled his eyes and headed towards the kitchen without another word.

At least he's okay.

After a few minutes, a loud crash was heard from the kitchen, followed by an 'oh shoot' from Kook.

"What's wrong, Kookie?" Petal started, "Did you drop something?"

"Uh... yeah," Jungkook yelled back.

"What is it? Your banana milk?" Jimin asked, standing up.

But banana milk isn't that heavy!

"N-no. Uh... Mi noona's jjajangmyeon."

There was a few moments of silence, with everyone staring at Mi in slight fear.

"JEON JUNGKOOK!"

A/N: Hope you guys like the chapter. Stream Drunk-Dazed by EN- and, the teaser for Sleep made me cry! Well, anyway, bye. Love yourself and stay happy. Borahae!