All eyes fly to the front door as Jungkook pushes it open quickly.

"Where have you been? The police has been searching for you since last night!" Yoongi asked furiously.

"I saw Y/N."

"And?" Hoseok’s eyes lit up.

"And I can't tell you where she is or who she's with but I need to talk to Jimin and Mark right now."

"Why?"

"It's family business and they would know the truth."

"The hall?" He asks and the three of them head outside.

"What's wrong?"

"Y/N has seriously ed herself over. I don't even think she notices. I can't tell you specifics, but there's someone there she's... working for. And he's got complete control over her. Even scarier, she doesn't mind. She's happy."

"Who was it?"

"I can't say."

"Ugh.." he rubbed his head, trying to remember. "When she called, some people said some names. It was Taehyung and... uh, Namjoon."

"Namjoon?" Mark looks at Jimin. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, why?" He asks back, and Jungkook nods in confirmation.

"He's Y/N's childhood friend. Mom never really knew him, so she would've easily forgotten his name- so he's behind this?" He frowns.

"You should talk to Yoongi. Tell him what you know. Every bit helps."

"I should get going. If the police was looking for me, that's means my mom is pissed."

"We'll see you around, okay?"

"Wish me luck. I'm going to need it."

~~~~~~

I don't wear the bracelet the next day. Taehyung suggests it to me repeatedly, trying to be casual, but I constantly turn him down. We received an assignment we're leaving for tomorrow. My first time leaving the base since I got here. I'll be escorted by my team, but I'm still leading us. I've been told by Woozi that we might even get lucky and I'll get to break in through a window.

We're done our last bit of exercising for the day, fresh out of the showers when I take his arm and stop him.

"Tae, can we talk?"

"What's wrong?"

"You and I don't exactly have the most reliable relationship at the moment." I say.

"I swear on my life, I will always be by your side. Even if you hate me. I love you too much to give you up."

"I want to believe you. I need someone to rely on at all times."

"I promise you can."

"Then I need you to prove yourself to me."

"I'll do anything, Y/N."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"I need you to tell me what happened in Namjoon's office last night."

He bites his lip, his brain sending all sorts of emotions through. He wants to pick me- I know he does. All he has to do is say it.

"We can't do this here." He says softly, looking around. "Follow me."

He leads me to a rooftop garden, something I didn't think we had since the majority of the compound is underground.

We sit. He's silent for the first few minutes, before pulling my head onto his lap so I can lie down and watch the stars. It hurts me as it reminds me of Jimin.

While I stare up above he looks down at me, twirling my hair between his fingertips.

"V- Taehyung." I say softly.

"Yes?" He murmurs in reply.

"I know that I love being here. I know that I love the people here. Why did I leave?"

"It's a long story." He says gently.

"I have the time."

"Your head is going to hurt."

"I'll build a bridge and get over it. Tae, please. It means so much to me."

"Okay. Here's your story, start to finish."

~~~~~~~~~

I met Namjoon through school. We were friends, but when his father pulled him out to join the A.S.C. full time, I refused to lose him. He ended up convincing his father to hire me as an agent so we could stay together.

I met my team right as I arrived, got their names and code names and positions on the team.

I was promoted unusually fast, but not because I was Namjoon's favourite. I earned my spot by working harder and pushing myself harder than anyone else.

I was his favourite though.

His father had been sick for his entire life, only managing to pull through for work and his son. His wife had died when Namjoon was only a baby.

We had been on break- a measly hour for lunch, not nearly enough to get in and out of the compound or to do anything fun, but far too much time to simply eat.

We're all sitting in the break room, laughing away as guards come in.

"Namjoon, we have some news about your father."

He glances at me. We both know of his illness, and this can only be bad.

"Y/N, would you mind accompanying me into the hallway?" He asks me and the mood falls still.

"Of course." I stand at his side and take his hand as we and the guards exit into the hall.

"Your father's condition spiked this afternoon. He's been placed in the medical ward, but they're not sure how much longer he'll be with us."

"Is he allowed visitors?" I speak on Namjoon's behalf, knowing he's barely holding back tears in front of the guards.

"Family only."

"Come on Y/N." He pulls me along by the hand, and I do my best to keep up. We arrive, and he's about to pull me in when a nurse stops us.

"Go on in, honey." She tells Namjoon turns to me. "You wait here."

"Y/N is family too. Let her in." Namjoon says, and the nurse sighs and leaves it. She knows we're a lot easier to deal with if you let us be.

Doctors are fussing with Namjoon's father as I sit and hold his hand. They give him different injections and medicines to keep him alive, saying things that Namjoon and I are too young to understand.

I speak softly to him to calm him, at first trying to sooth him but then replacing the topic with different things to keep him distracted. He doesn't say much, but through his gentle squeezes I know I'm doing the right thing.

When the heart monitor stops, we're kicked out of the room before we can understand what's going on. We're both in shock. One of us eventually had the sense to realize crying in the hallway would attract attention, and we end up on the roof.

The night was a blur of tears and I love you's. It was initially as friends, but Namjoon admitted to me he never really saw me as just that.

Tears, I love you's, and moonlight kisses.

~~~~~~~~

"You came to me, a crying mess. Your best friend. You just saw your boyfriend and other best friend cheating on you, and it left only you and I. I helped you escape the compound that night, and I gave you some Bangtanorphlax I had saved."

"I remember." Tears roll down my cheeks as I look at him. "Tae, I think I finally understand what you said to me in the car. The villains aren't the ones the most easily depicted. You weren't talking about yourself, but rather Namjoon."

"You've always been such a smart cookie." He brushes hair off my face. "Never a day has gone bye I haven't thought so."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"He dated CL for about a month after you left, but never stopped looking for you. She broke up with him because she couldn't take his unwillingness to dedicate himself solely to her. No one except for CL, myself and Namjoon know what happened that night. Everyone else thinks you ran off... which is why some of the abductors were so aggressive. They thought you betrayed us."

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Shoot."

"The file that was stolen. Who-"

"GD and CL stole it together. Namjoon wrote the thank-you ahead of time so they could give it to you. He was hoping it would spike some memories, not all of them."

"The stage. Who did that?"

"... it wasn't a part of the plan. We weren't supposed to attack then. But I got jealous, and... I didn't want you and Kookie doing anything I didn't approve of."

"The guys who attacked me in the alley?"

"Guys from the G squad. They weren't supposed to capture you, just scare you a little. To make you trust me more, so you'd be less scared by me taking you somewhere strange. And that's everything."

I shut my eyes and cover my face with my hands. "Tae, I think I owe you an apology."

He removes the hands off my face, leaving his smiling face beaming down at me.

"I'm the person who knows you best. I was never mad. I always knew that once you knew the truth, you'd love me again."

"I've been so mean to you-"

"You didn't understand. And that's okay. Because you know the truth now. And it's up to you to make a decision now."

"Well, the only thing I know for sure is that I'm not as comfortable around him as I was before." I wipe my tears and rub my eyes. "I definitely don't want to remember 'who's woman I am.' And I'm certainly not ready for a relationship with him."

"Can I tell you what I would do?" He asks.

I look at him curiously, urging him to do so.

"Forget him entirely. Move on. The saying goes, there are other fish in the sea. And you definitely have better, more reliable fish that would treat you a million times better than he does."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying you should forget him and date me instead, Y/N."

"Tae... I..."

"I've always been there for you when he couldn't be. I'd never abandon you. He may have spent six years without you, but you can't forget that I did too. I had to be punished for something that wasn't my fault, and I know that I never want to live through that again."

He leans forwards, and gently presses his lips to mine. "You're everything I need. You're my perfect match." The moment he's done with his words, his lips return to mine. It's as if he's struggling for air, and the only way he can live is through me.

And even scarier, I want to let him. I want to let him continue to play with my mind until it disintegrates into nothingness. I want my stomach to turn to butterflies and fly away.

I want to be with him.

Is this how I felt with Namjoon?

"Y/N... say something. Please. You're just staring at me." He says when he pulls away for a few seconds for air.

"I... I can't do this." I sit up, off his lap. I wrap my arms around myself, cold despite the pleasantly warm night.

"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you how HE did." He takes my hands off myself and holds them.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. I can't be your perfect girl." I look at him, my eyes starting to fill with tears out of confusion and sadness.

"Don't cry, Y/N. You already are." He wipes the tears. "I love you."

"No, I'm not. Because I can't, not now, tell you that I love you too."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know, okay!" I move away from him and stand, moving to look out into the forest. "All I've ever wanted is for life to make sense. And it doesn't, and I need to figure me out before I can even contemplate adding another person to my life." The tears start to drip faster, and I wipe them with the back of my hand.

"I can try and help you figure it out-" he steps forward to try and help me.

"Actually, I think I need time alone." I walk past him.

I had to get out of there.

If I stayed any longer, I would've said yes.