(Jin's road)

He woke up in a room surrounded by strong noises. Sound of keyboards and ringing could be heard around him. He strengthened his arm and loudly yawned.

“Chef, do you sleep at home?”

Jin got surprised that someone spoke to him in a foreign language. He was sure to live in Korea, but his brain recognized the English language. While searching his words, he noticed a flag proudly hanged on the wall, with an inscription at the corner. America. At this moment, he remembered that he arrived four months ago, alone with all his luggage.

Wasn’t I living with Namjoon?

“Thanks for your concern, but I sleep perfectly Andrew.” he answered in a perfect English. The man travelled his stare on Jin’s face, surely searching for a clue about his real state, and came back at his seat.

They were nine in this room, all paired up by two, Jin being the left one. He looked at his screen and saw a series of number more complicated than the previous one. On his desk, there was nothing familiar except a picture with Namjoon and him on it. The picture was neat and framed with an mode in Korean “내 작은 별” [nae jag-eun byeol]. The translation in English would be “My little star”, though Jin. He wiped his tears and saw that he was hiding his blurry eyes. In fact, he was silently crying, his huge desk hiding his face from his colleagues.

What happened? I just... don’t understand…

Jin got dragged back a few months before and saw himself at his apartment. Namjoon was behind him while he was taking his coat. The atmosphere was uncomfortable and heavy, the ticking of the clock sounding through the room. Namjoon broke the silence, panicked. “Jin, I have a boyfriend… I mean it’s-”

Jin felt his heart being numb and cut his sentence with a bitter voice. “Jackson, I know.” Jin finally understood who was that Jackson. A summary with all his encounter with him passed in front of his eyes made him understood why Namjoon choose Jackson over him.

, of course.

Namjoon suddenly stopped Jin from opening the door by firmly retaining his arm. “Don’t misunderstand-” he said in hurry. Jin felt anger building in his body and exploded. He turned his back, now facing Namjoon and yelled.

“Don’t misunderstand what?? That you played with me the whole time?”

He felt hurt and Namjoon's lost and wide eyes wasn’t helping him in any way. He had strong feeling toward him, something deeper than a simple friendship. Jin had never been good to revealed his feelings to the person who counted the most to him.

“You should break that mental barrier.” said his inner voice. It wasn’t the first time that he heard it. It was the same voice that explained to him the definition of a “sugar daddy”. Unfortunately, his body violently reacted on his own and buried against his will this voice, who only wanted his good. He escaped his arm from Namjoon’s strong embrace and said his last sentence before leaving the apartment.

“It was a mistake. All of this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have encountered you.”

Confused and angry, Jin was upset against Namjoon. He didn’t want to see him anymore. This souvenir had reopened old scars in his heart. Disoriented, he mistaken a road for another one. He deeply wished to never see Namjoon. The worst had happened. Jin wanted to forget everything.

(Namjoon's road)

“No, we don’t go out with each other…

-But, you live with him and both have sentiment for each other. I’m not blind!!”

Namjoon sighed in front of his friend Jackson, who were drinking his juice. They were sat in a coffee situated next to their University. Namjoon didn’t know when his souvenirs appeared but there he was, eating a piece of cake, a little annoyed. Near his friend, there was some books and his student card on the corner of the table: “WANG Jackson. University of Seoul. Art [section hip-hop dance]”

Namjoon noticed his and understood that they were in the same University. He was studying medicine but he didn’t have any current dream. His own voice woke him up from his thought and watched the scene. “Even if I had feeling, it doesn’t mean that Jin feel the same for me.”

Jackson stop drinking and put his head on his hands while shaking his head. He didn’t look convince by Namjoon’s words and told him with a strong stare. “You’re literally eating each other with your eyes.”

Namjoon choke on his cake and coldly stared at him. Jackson smiled and winked at him, before declaring: “As your best friend, I advise you to make the first move.”

Namjoon felt his cheek becoming hot and got embarrassed. He wasn’t fully confident about himself, so making a move on someone for the first time was a little too much. Jackson took his hands and he felt himself thrown a few weeks later.

He saw the same scene, him in front of his best friend, both wearing a sad look. He showed him his best smile and Namjoon laughed bitterly.

“You’re my last chance, Jackson.”

*

“He left me, Jackson.”

Namjoon was having a paper on his hands but his blurry vision couldn’t allow him to read the content. His heart was burning and Jackson wasn’t making him better. He had done everything but still, Jin left him alone.

“I’m okay Jackson. I don’t want to see him ever again.”

He cried, his sorrow escaping his body with his tears. He forgot where and who he was, only feeling his chest tightening. Pain was the only feeling that he had.

Maybe, it’s best like this… I should stop speaking with him.

(Jimin's road)

.

.

“Jimin, read me a book. I’m feeling tired right now.”

Jimin stood up from his chair and took a book from the huge bookcase. He took the last book that he read to her, a story about a girl who was free about her movement and decisions, and came near her. She turned her face toward him and closed her eyes.

“Read.”

Jimin adjusted his voice and read several pages before she slept. He put the book down and went downstairs. There, he noticed her parents in the living room making calls, and decided to not disturb them. Unfortunately for him, her mother saw him and called his name.

“Kitchen now.”

Jimin lowered his head and answered with a low “Yes, ma’am.” In the kitchen, tons of dishes were waiting for him. He rolled up his sleeves and put his hands on the cold water and started scrubbing.

‘I’m doing this for the University…’

Finished, he cooked a meal and set the table. Not a stare or a word, he was part of the decoration. He was feeling uneasy and stressed, each of his movement done with cautions. If he was making a mistake, he got minutes of reprimand. His self-esteem was at his lowest level but still he continued to come every day to get his huge pay checks at the end of the month.

Jimin lied about his second shift, he always had one. He couldn’t tell them that he was working as a servant. He wasn’t ashamed of the job itself, it was a work after all; but the way he was treated was destroying each day, the confidence that he took so long to build.