hey, everyone, another update for you. Okay, so this won't be too long, since I haven't been exactly writing too much lately, but I hope you like it, nonetheless! Ignore typos... I am too lazy to look back at them. So yeah. There's quite a bit of feels in this chapter, but mostly I've been lazy T.T anyway, cheers!

"So Jungkook bailed because-?"
"English project..." Junghwa rolled her eyes, before giving Hoseok an apologetic shrug.
"Fun." He chuckled, before falling quiet once more.

Junghwa glanced over at him, sighing inwardly as they turned into the road her building was on. Ever since she had found out about his depression, he had never left her side. At first, she wondered whether it was because he was afraid his secret would get out, but when she asked him about it, he would shake his head, saying that it's not the case.

"Junghwa, it's not that I don't trust you," Hoseok finally murmured. "I do. A lot. Just as much as the other guys."

"It's tiresome, you know? Pretending to be all happy and cheerful because you're everyone's 'Hope'?" He whispered. "You're the only one I can be my complete and honest self around, and even though it's not a good thing, it's somewhat relieving, you feel?"

Junghwa understood him completely. Sure, she might have seemed like she was becoming better... but at the same time, it didn't feel like it either. Hoseok was the only one she could be herself with, too. It was the same with Yoongi... but she ended up a crying mess in front of him most of the time. And she didn't find any solace in that fact. Crying never really helped you. It only makes you feel better, gives you temporary relief. It doesn't help things move forward. That was something she'd have to do on your own, and crying definitely wouldn't help her.

But she didn't have the power to move forward. No matter what, Junghwa always found herself wallowing in her own misery. Sure, not as much, now, since she had to try and keep herself up for Hoseok whenever he was around, but usually, her favourite pastime would be to lie on her bed, stare at the ceiling, and think. About what? About things that pulled her down even further.

It felt pathetic. She felt pathetic, for being like this, but at the same time, Junghwa did not want to talk to anyone about how she felt. She felt as if she wasn't worthy of help and didn't deserve it; she always failed to understand why her friends tried so hard to be by her side, and help her through this. She felt even worse, knowing that she was intentionally rejecting all the help that was coming her way. All of it.

Junghwa sighed, this time more audibly. Just why was she so goddamn helpless?

Hoseok glanced over at her, his lips pursing into a pout before his eyes shifted back to the other buildings. He would never admit it to her, but he found great solace in the fact that he had someone to confide into about his situation. Though it felt selfish on his part to feel that way, given her situation, it was comforting, nonetheless.

It had been a week since she had known of his circumstances, and he had slowly grown to opening up a tiny bit. Sometimes, he would tell himself to stop using his medicine. Those were the days he ended up calling her, shaking all over and unable to so much as even think straight. Hoseok felt guilty, and very much so, because he did not want to bother her with his own problems, not when she was dealing with enough of her own.

But he felt slightly glad, relieved even, that he could confide in her.

“Hey, Hoseok, we’re here.” Junghwa murmured, as she held onto his sweater to stop him from walking further. He blinked, before shaking his head.

“Sorry, I was out of it for a bit-”
“I can see that.” Junghwa chuckled, before smiling at him wryly. “Hey, so I guess you’ll be keeping me company tomorrow, huh?”
“Count on it, Junghwa.” Hoseok smiled, again, and Junghwa was somewhat relieved to see that it was genuine. She nodded again, before asking, “Why would you go this far just to see me off? You live on the other side of town...”
“Selfish as it may sound, I’m doing it for me. And plus,” Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. “Who else is going to keep you company when Minswag has basketball practice?”
“Ay, Hoseok, you know I’ll manage!” Junghwa pouted, before murmuring, "Thanks, Hobie. See you tomorrow."

Hoseok smiled, ruffling her hair gently, before he began walking back where he came from. Junghwa stood there until she watched his figure disappear around the corner, before turning back around to walk to her door.

"Boo."
"Jesus ing Christ, Taehyung!" Junghwa snapped as she stumbled back on her own two feet, nearly falling down. Taehyung grabbed her hand in time, and quickly pulled her towards him. She crashed into him with an "Oof!", and looked up at him apologetically as he winced.

"Sorry, Tae..." She whispered, and he shook his head, pinching her cheeks as he said,
"Don't worry about it."
"All right, Tae?"
"Yeah, you?" He grinned as they walked through the doors of her building. "Sorry for scaring you."
"Ah, no worries..."

Junghwa shrugged, drifting off into silence as they looked at the elevator. Thankfully, it was working today, and they wouldn't have to walk up five floors. Unless it got stuck. That would be quite something to experience.

"Hey, so I saw Hoseok with you today!" Taehyung piped up, just as they walked into the elevator. "He's been keeping you company a lot."
"Well, I guess it has to do with the 'Hello, I'm your hope, J-Hope' factor." Junghwa lied effortlessly.
"Ah, yeah, that guy literally pukes out optimism wherever he goes." Taehyung snorted, and Junghwa managed to force a smile. That's not the case, Taehyung.

"So, how have you been? How's school and stuff? Man, it feels like we haven't spoken in ages!" Taehyung blabbered, and for once, Junghwa was glad to have the company. He didn't ask how she was coping with everything, he just asked her how she was. And though she wasn't exactly in the best of moods, lately, the simple question was just enough to cheer her up a little bit.

"Yeah, good, I guess." She shrugged, as they reached her floor, and then sighed; for some reason she couldn't bring herself to lie to a few people, and Taehyung was one of them. "Well, today was one of the better days."
"Ah, right." Taehyung nodded, showing that he understood. "I get it. Some days are better than most, right?"
"Uh huh." Junghwa nodded, as they stopped in front of her door. "Sorry... I must be really frustrating right now."
"No you're not." Taehyung shook his head. "Not to me."
"Yeah, sure. I annoy my own psychiatrist."
"Well, I'm not your psychiatrist, I'm your friend. And I'm sure psychiatrist isn't annoyed, she just wants to help you. She's used to this, it is a part of her job, right?"
"Yeah, but still, Tae..."
"Junghwa, if you're going to feel bad about it, maybe you should just let her help you." He began. "No, don't give me that look. We can all see it. You're becoming better, but only just."

Junghwa looked up at Taehyung, nodding at him to continue.

"Junghwa... I know things like this take time, but... at the same time, it feels like you're rejecting help. It's almost like-"
"Like I'm not worthy of it, I don't deserve it." She finished, giving him a wistful smile. "I don't. I brought my family so much pain, and I just-"

She felt choked up with emotion, making it hard for her to speak. Junghwa looked up at Taehyung, suddenly feeling helpless as the tears shot up to her eyes. He sighed, before cupping her face in his palms.

"Listen, nothing I say might change anything to a great degree. But, you've got to stop putting up these walls, you know? We just want to help you. And as for your family," Taehyung paused to think and reconsider his words, before finally saying, "The same thing could have happened any other time, even if you hadn't had rehab."

He was right, and painfully so. It could have happened to them even if she hadn’t done drugs, even if she didn’t go to rehab a third time. Why did she keep connecting these two incidents together, when they didn’t need to be? Junghwa did not know. She didn’t know why she did it… but she refused to see the possibility that she was not to blame for it.

Everything was just her fault… wasn’t it?

“Hey, look at me.” Taehyung lifted her face, before sighing. “I don’t know how long it’ll take the seven of us to get through to you, but we will, and I’m going to see to it that we do, okay?”
“I’m sorry-” Junghwa sniffled, wiping her tears away. “I just- I don’t deserve any of this. You guys being so nice to me, and I don’t deserve it. I’ve worried you, brought my family to the state of having to fend for their own because we have no parents-”
“Hwa, please.” Taehyung pleaded. “It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. Please.”

Junghwa sighed, before looking away. Her chest began to hurt with all the restrained emotions, and she wanted to let them out - but she couldn’t, not in front of anyone. Because once she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Hey… how long has it been since you’ve had some proper sleep?”

Junghwa looked back at him, shrugging nonchalantly; in fact, it had been a long while since she had had a proper night’s sleep. It would show on her face, and probably in her demeanour too. Taehyung sighed, before taking her hand in his, and much to her surprise, began pulling her to the other end of the corridor.

Junghwa blinked with surprise, but didn’t protest, allowing him to lead her down the hallway. Once they reached the wall, Taehyung sat down against it, looking up at Junghwa with a small smile.
“Sit down.” He nodded, and Junghwa, with much deliberation, sat down next to him. However, she wasn’t expecting it when Taehyung suddenly pushed her forward, making her rest her head on his thigh.

“Tae-?!”
“Shh. Get some sleep, eh?” He nodded, gently patting her hair. “I think you need it.”
“Tae…” Junghwa looked up at him, her eyes b with tears. It was as if all that was left of her resolve had shattered in that very moment.

Taehyung’s heart ached at the sight of her misery, and it was all he did in his power to lean forward and give her a soft kiss, and tell her that everything would be okay, that he was always going to be there for her. He wanted to tell her everything he had been feeling for the past few weeks, and just how much he-

No. It wasn’t a good time. Right now, all she needed was a good friend, someone to listen. Not someone to make matters a whole lot worse.

“I’ll be patient one more month,” Taehyung hummed, as he gently patted her head. “You’ll wrap your fingers around my thumb.”

Junghwa looked up at Taehyung, finding a new sense of calmness in her upon hearing his voice. For a moment, she forgot why she was so miserable, as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be lost in his wonderful voice.

“Times are changing, I know, but who am I if I'm the person you become if I’m still growing up, up, up, up-” Taehyung gently caressed her hair, as he continued to sing, and before he knew it, Junghwa was fast asleep, gently snoring against his shirt.

“Well, that went well.” Taehyung whispered to himself, unable to stop himself from gently running his thumb along her lower lip, his heart beating in his chest like a piston ...why?

Junghwa soon woke up - was it because of sleeping on the hard ground? - and found herself looking up at… not Taehyung?

“Sorry if you were expecting someone else.” Yoongi looked down at her, a wide grin forming on his face as she rubbed her eyes. She gave him a small smile, before sitting up. “When did you get here?”
“An hour ago, maybe?” He ruffled her hair, and Junghwa noticed that he was still in the clothes he wore for practice. Yoongi shrugged, before saying, “Taehyung had a vocal lesson and he asked me to look after you when he saw me.”
“Ah, alright-” Junghwa stretched her arms out, yawning slowly. “Ah, I did sleep pretty well though.”
“Yeah? How long has it been since you’ve slept properly?” Yoongi raised his brow, the smile on his face slowly becoming more faint. Junghwa, deciding it would be best to not lie, shrugged as she admitted that it had been a while.

“Hey, that won’t do.” Yoongi shook his head, patting her head with a heavy sigh.
“Hey, no sighing.” Junghwa shot back, before nudging him with her elbow. “Practice what you preach, Min.”
“Alright, lady.” Yoongi jumped to his feet, before crossing his arms across his chest. “You’re going to go home, eat some and get some sleep, okay?”
“Oh, and why should I listen to you?” Junghwa stood up, looking at him incredulously.
“Because… Yongguk asked about you today, and I told him you’d be coming for track the day after tomorrow.”

Junghwa’s eyes widened, and her face suddenly went pale, as she murmured, “What? No. I can’t-”
“Hey, you can, and you will.” Yoongi shook his head, not taking no for an answer. “He misses his best runner, you know? Plus they’ve been sort of worried about you, the whole team. Mostly Himchan and Yongguk, but still-”
“You’ve made your point…” Junghwa murmured, looking up at Yoongi uncertainly. “I- I’ll go.”
“Good girl.” Yoongi grinned. “Now let’s get you home.”
“I live right here. I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, yeah-”

“Alright, folks,” The dance teacher clapped her hands to gather the attention of the students from class 3-D to 3-F. “The reason we’re doing your classes together for the next few weeks is because your term two assessments will be done together.”
“Why did I even choose Dance as one of my subjects-?” Yoongi muttered under his breath as he listened to his teacher. Dancing was definitely not one of his strong suits, but he needed to take an extra subject to get more credit for university. And at the time, dancing did not seem like such a bad idea but what could he do about it now? Just stick it through… right?

“Alright, everyone, find yourself a partner, since this is a joint assessment.” The teacher nodded, and at once, the class began to walk around, trying to find themselves partners they wanted to work together with. Yoongi’s eyes flickered around for a partner. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew he had to pair up with at least someone for it. He didn’t want to be alone – dancing wasn’t something he was particularly good at, and even the teacher knew that.

He looked over at Junghwa, and was dismayed to see that she was approached by Jimin. He shook his head, before looking around for someone more familiar. Just then, someone tapped Yoongi’s shoulder. He slowly turned around, and found himself facing May, who was giving him a pleading look as she cast a sideward glance towards Jungkook.

“Be my partner.” She hissed pleadingly. “Jungkook and I fought over our English project. And now, I’m mad at him and he’s trying to make it up to me somehow. And I don’t want him to just yet, so play along!”

Yoongi glanced at Jungkook, who was taking quick strides over to the pair.

“Be my partner, Yoongi?” May put on a sappy voice as she grinned at the taller male hopefully.
“Sure.” Yoongi smiled, as he fell into character, secretly glad that he didn’t have to worry about dancing with someone he wasn’t on familiar terms with.

Jungkook abruptly stopped where he was, his mouth agape as he watched the pair shake hands, before glaring at Yoongi darkly. He stomped off towards one of the other boys from his class, muttering loudly.

“Thanks, Min.” May grinned sheepishly.
“No, thank you. You’ve saved me from being partner-less.” Yoongi grinned back. May winked, before turning back to look at Jungkook, who had managed to get Taehyung as his partner.

“Poor Jungkook, doesn’t look too happy, does he?” May laughed, before glancing back at Yoongi.
“You didn’t fight over English homework, did you?” Yoongi arched his brow curiously, and May sighed, shaking her head.

“Of course not. But don’t worry, nothing I can’t handle.” May shrugged. “He’ll come around. He always does, anyway.”
“Yeah, it’s not like Jungkook to get stubborn. He’ll be back to normal before you know it.”
“But even so… might mess around with him a bit, you know?”

Yoongi smirked, nodding slowly as he mumbled, “Yeah. I know.”

Jungkook was eyeing the exchange, feeling extremely embittered by the fact that May had asked Yoongi, of all people, to partner with her. Really? All because of a stupid argument?

However, Jungkook wasn’t the only one in such a grouchy mood; Taehyung glanced over at Junghwa and Jimin, who were already discussing what they should dance to animatedly. He did not know why he felt such strong jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach when he looked at Jimin and Junghwa.

I shouldn’t be feeling so jealous, though, Taehyung sighed inwardly. Jimin and Junghwa happening just doesn’t add up. But why am I so… uneasy about it?

Taehyung shook his head, trying to put the thought out of his mind. It’s just a dance assessment. Nothing else. Don’t worry so much, Taehyung.

However, a part of him was still secretly glad that she hadn’t partnered with Yoongi. Because even though the older male did say that he wasn’t interested in the girl… there was something about Yoongi that made Taehyung unsure each and every single time he saw him with Junghwa.

And that's the end of chapter 26! So Junghwa and Jimin are paired up, as are Yoongi and May. Jungkook and Taehyung are not too pleased about that xD The next chapter might be very interesting, so stay tuned! And thank you wonderful peeps for 184 subscribers and 14 upvotes, it really really means a lot to me, the support Ephemeral is getting. I look forward to your comments! <3