“I don’t see why we have to help them move.” Jimin groused as he tied a flannel around his waist. “Namjoon can afford movers. Hell, Ji Eun can afford movers. Why are we their movers?”

I snickered under my breath, slipping into a pair of beat-up old jeans.

“Why are you laughing?” He asked sharply. He threw a pair of socks at my head.

“Because you’re so grumpy. It’s amusing.” I grinned at him.

Jimin tsked. “You little snotch. These are your friends I’m helping out.”

I rolled my eyes, then reached across him to grab a shirt out of the closet. “Namjoon is like a brother to you. You’ve known him for over ten years. And I’ve been friends with Ji Eun for almost fifteen, so just stop complaining.”

“It’s just dumb.” He muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed. He moodily scratched behind Yukon’s ears.

“You’re just mad because TaeTae is sad, but let’s face it. We all knew they weren’t going to last. Ji Eun and Namjoon are just drawn together like magnets.”

“Taehyungie is sad.” Jimin said with a pout. “I don’t like when he’s sad.”

I stifled sigh. “I swear to God, sometimes I feel like you should have married Taehyung instead of me.”

Jimin threw a pillow at me. “I should have! Tae is way nicer to me than you are.”

I hummed in agreement as I donned my Justin Bieber shirt. Jimin let out an indignant squawk.

“That ing shirt! I’m going to burn it when you’re asleep one of these days.” He pulled down his eyebrows and twisted his lips into his fiercest, most adorable pout.

I couldn’t keep myself from giggling. “Jimin, you’re so cute.”

“I’m ing precious.” He muttered angrily. “You’re not cute.”

It had been two weeks since Jimin and I had decided to reconcile. It had been awkward between us at first, neither of us really knowing how to talk to each other, touch each other. We both wanted to close the distance between us, but the pain we’d caused each other had made it difficult.

One night, Taehyung offered to babysit for us and Jimin and I went out to explore the nightlife of Hongdae. It was something I’d wanted to do since we first moved to the neighborhood, but with everything going on, it hadn’t happened.

We went to see a show, got mildly tipsy, and ended up making out on a stained velvet couch in the seedy upper level of a nightclub. It felt so nice to just get out and have fun with my husband again. I’d really missed him.

“Babe, seriously, where is my wedding ring?” Jimin asked, pulling me back to the present. “Is it gone forever?”

“Maybe Yukon ate it.” I suggested. “You know his deep love for shiny things. Honestly, we should probably take him to the vet for an ultrasound. Who even knows how many pairs of my earrings he’s eaten?”

Yukon looked up at me with a guilty expression, ears pinned back to his head and tail tucked between his legs. I patted his head reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, bud. We’re not going to the vet.”

His tail immediately started to wag and he smiled, letting his tongue hang out.

“No, we should take him.” Jimin shot him an interested glance. “He really might have eaten it.”

“Haru might have it.” I said easily. “Probably wanted to use it as a princess crown for one of her dolls.”

“Don’t be so glib about my wedding ring.” He scolded. “And I’ve asked Haru and she said she didn’t have it.”

“Haru doesn’t know what a wedding ring is. Besides, she could be lying. She’s been mad at you since you told her Jin wasn’t coming to her birthday party.”

“Precious Uncle Jin.” Jimin said bitterly. “Ruining my relationships with everyone in my family.”

“Not Sun Jae.” I grinned at him, trying to hide the twinge I felt inside at his words.

Haru’s birthday was in two days. She had been extremely excited about it and had worn the tiara Jin had given her for her third birthday for five days straight until Jimin had hidden it. I thought it was kind of petty of him, but I understood his feelings.

The real problem had come up a couple of days ago, when Haru innocently asked if Jimin could help her write a personal invitation to Jin.

“Daddy, I haven’t seen Uncle Jin in a while. I think I’m going to make him a ca’d, cause he can come to my birthday party. But I don’t know how to write!” She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “’Cept for my name. I can sign the ca’d!”

“Little love, Uncle Jin isn’t coming to your birthday party.” Jimin had said gently. He squatted down and patted her head. “I’m sorry.”

Haru stared at him for a moment. “Can he come another day?”

“No, sweetheart.” Jimin folded her into his arms. “Uncle Jin isn’t going to come any other days.”

I had watched the scene play out from the couch, trying to hide the couple of tears I’d shed from Jimin. Haru denied him this courtesy and promptly burst into tears.

“Un-Uncle J-Jin isn’t comin’?” She sobbed into Jimin’s shoulder. “He doesn’t want to…want to c-celebate with me?”

“Of course he wants to celebrate with you. Uncle Jin loves you so, so much.” Jimin said softly, rubbing her back. “He just can’t come this time.”

“Another time?” Haru pleaded. “Can he come another time?”

Jimin shot me a helpless look. I quickly cast my eyes down to the floor.

Jin wasn’t invited to Haru’s birthday party and it was kind of breaking my heart.

I mean, I didn’t even think of inviting him. Not after everything. But Haru was so sad, and he was, too. I knew this because he’d sent a package along with Taehyung a few days before, with a card addressed to “Princess Haru.”

Not for the first time, I wished he’d never confessed to me.

“Baby?” Jimin called softly, tugging on the hem of my shirt. “Stop thinking about it. You look sad and it’s making me feel bad.”

“Sorry.” I said hastily. “It’s not what you think. I just feel like a bad mother for destroying Haru’s first love.”

“Had to end sometime.” Jimin sighed heavily. “Better now than later.”

I had a feeling his words pertained more to me than Haru.

I quietly changed out of my Justin Forever shirt into the shirt Jimin had made me, the one emblazoned with the slogan “Jimin’s Forever.” The pleased smile and soft, squeaky giggle I received in return made the slight embarrassment at wearing such a shirt so worth it.

Everyone except Jin was at Namjoon and Taehyung’s apartment, helping to pack away belongings that the lazy couple had left to the last minute. Even Taehyung was there, looking bright and energetic. I couldn’t help but feel surprised; Jimin had confessed to me that Taehyung wasn’t handling the situation well.

I wondered if Jin had purposely been left out of the invitation because of me. Was this the way things would be from now on? It was almost like Jin and I had been through a bad breakup instead of just…well, whatever it was.

I didn’t know what it was, didn’t even really know how I felt about him. I missed him, but Jimin’s sunshiney smiles and soft caresses had eclipsed any lingering feelings I felt for Jin. I felt happy again, finally, but it had been achieved at a cost.

“Where are the babes?” Taehyung asked.

“We left them with Isabel.” Jimin said, throwing an arm around Tae’s shoulders. “Thanks, man. You really saved us a lot of trouble.”

Isabel was our new nanny. Possibly. Taehyung had introduced us to her and we were using the move as a trail run to test out her abilities.

I thought I would have been fine leaving for the day, but Jimin had to take Sun Jae from my arms and hand him to Isabel. He’d had a hard time leaving our children with a stranger, too, but was taking it in stride. I did notice that he kept checking his phone and sending Isabel little bits of advice in our group chat.

“Glad I could help.” Taehyung flashed us a grin. “Hey…would you guys mind if I uh…hooked up with her again?”

“Sure, go ahead.” I said as Jimin practically shouted “No!”

We exchanged surprised glances.

“Babe, he can’t sleep with our nanny. That’s, like, a conflict of interest or something. What if they break up and she tries to blackmail us?”

“What kind of do you guys get up to that your nanny could blackmail you?” Hoseok asked with distaste.

“Yeah, seriously.” I agreed with Taehyung. “We don’t do anything that could get us in trouble.”

“Umm…not to be a , but you did kind of have an affair with Seokjin.” Jungkook said quietly. “That’s certainly blackmail material.”

I looked up and met his eyes. He flushed, but didn’t look away.

“Not like a physical affair, but there was that whole incident with the reporter.”

“Jungkook!” Jimin said sharply, casting a quick glance at me.

My stomach knotted in anxiety. “What…what reporter?”

Everyone turned to look at me, their expressions varying from surprise to annoyance.

“You don’t know?” Yoongi asked quietly.

Jimin sighed next to me. “No. I didn’t think it was necessary for her to know.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “What reporter? What happened?”

Namjoon stepped forward. He locked eyes with Jimin for a few moments, then Jimin sighed and nodded his head.

“You and Jin met at a café a couple of weeks ago, right?” Namjoon addressed me.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah…we didn’t have plans, we just met there. It wasn’t like, a date or anything. I was there and he just showed up.” I looked at Jimin, who looked away from me.

“Well, regardless of what it was, a reporter caught a picture of you two kissing.”

“What!” I cried. My face flushed as everyone stared at me. Ji Eun looked sympathetic, but Jungkook was clearly disgusted with me. “We never kissed. I swear to you, we were not kissing.”

“On the cheek.” Namjoon amended. “And then a couple of pictures of Jin your hair and his arm around your shoulders. It looked very romantic.”

“It wasn’t very romantic. I was telling him we couldn’t talk anymore, and then I kissed his cheek and said thanks for being such a good friend to us in the past.”

Jungkook shook his head at me. “You shouldn’t have let that happen. Why were you being affectionate with Seokjin in public? Did you forget that he’s famous? That you’re married to a famous person? Do you have any idea the scandal you’ve caused? Not to mention the hurt that you’ve caused both Jimin and Seokjin?”

“Don’t talk to her that way.” Jimin said quietly. He took my hand and squeezed it. “It’s our business, Kookie.”

“I’m just saying. Seokjin is hurt and you’ve been unhappy for like a year.” Jungkook muttered.

“Kookie, don’t get involved.” Namjoon murmured. “It’s their business.”

“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “Because you have the best track record of keeping your affairs discreet.”

“Kook, Kook, Kook, shh.” Yoongi patted his shoulders. “I know you’re upset, but you need to tone it down a notch. We’re all adults here. Let people live their own lives.”

Jungkook huffed and started packing up boxes. He wouldn’t even look at me.

“So…what happened with the reporter?” I asked tentatively.

“We hushed it up.” Namjoon said. “Paid the guy off, but Jin’s on suspension from activities for a while.”

“But why? He hasn’t done anything wrong! No one found out!” I exclaimed. “Why is he on suspension?”

Hoseok shrugged unhappily. “He breached the conditions of his contract. He’s can’t have indiscreet affairs in public. This is terrible publicity for us.”

“But no one knows.”

“Yeah, but we have to keep paying the reporter so she doesn’t let the story slip.”

“There’s no story!” I cried. “I didn’t have an affair with Seokjin!”

“Not a physical one.” Jungkook said again. “But you guys had an affair. Just admit it.”

“Jungkook, leave it.” Hoseok said sharply. “It’s not your business.”

“No! It’s not fair! Jin is crushed by her rejection, Anjali is breaking up with him, and his career might be ruined.” Jungkook glared at me. “You broke his heart.”

“Kook, we’re married. Jin’s heart was bound to be broken either way.” Jimin said gently.

“Yeah, so why did she have to lead him on?!”

“People make mistakes.” Ji Eun came up from behind Namjoon and held his hand. He looked down at her with a fond smile. “And sometimes love is confusing.”

“You broke Jimin’s heart, too.” Jungkook stubbornly continued. “I thought you were cool, sunshine. I thought you had Jimin’s back, but you didn’t. You don’t support his work, you complain about taking care of the kids, and you’re falling in love with people you shouldn’t be falling in love with. Jin’s more than just a member, he’s like our brother. He practically raised me, and now he can’t be with us. Because of you.”

“Jungkook.” Hoseok said softly. “Seokjin knew what he was doing. She’s not the only one to blame. He shouldn’t have tried to seduce a married woman, especially when he knew they were having a tough time. It’s his fault, too.”

Jungkook scowled at all of us, then stormed from the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

No one spoke for a few seconds, but they kept glancing at me, then looking away. Jimin still held my hand, but he wouldn’t look at me. Everyone else couldn’t stop staring, but my husband wouldn’t look at me.

My face was flushed and I was on the verge of tears, but I didn’t want to cry in front of them. I knew I deserved Jungkook’s anger, and all of their anger. He was right. It was only fair that I reaped the consequences of my actions.

“I’m gonna go.” I bit my lower lip hard to keep from crying.

“Mm, trying to get out of helping them move, I see.” Taehyung tried to joke. I threw him a shaky smile, then pulled my hand from Jimin’s.

“I’ll come with you.” Jimin’s voice was quiet as he stared at his shoes. “I’m sorry, Namjoon.”

“No, you stay.” I insisted with a thick, tear-blocked throat. “I, uh, need to be alone for a bit.”

“Okay.” Jimin agreed. “Call me if you need me.”

I felt a little better when I stepped outside and felt the sting of a cold winter breeze. Jungkook loitered on the stoop of the apartment building, hands stuffed into his pockets and a sullen expression on his face.

“Hey.” I called out quietly to him. “Can we talk?”

He looked up and spotted me, his scowl deepening. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

I ignored this and leaned against the stairway railing. “Jungkook, I’m sorry.”

“Jin is the sweetest person I’ve ever met. He’s stupidly loved you for so many years, and I’ve had to watch him suffer because of it. Why couldn’t you just quietly reject him and let him move on with his life? Why’d you have to lead him on? He genuinely thought he had a chance with you.”

“Why did he think that? He knows how much I love Jimin.” I reached into my pocket for a tissue and blew my stuffed nose.

“Do you? Do you love Jimin?” He questioned. “Because he’s been in so much pain this year. Can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him smile or laugh the way he used to. You guys have a new baby and you both look miserable. Why don’t you just end it?”

“Jimin doesn’t want a divorce.” I looked down at my hands as I spoke. “He said he forgives me and he wants to be together.”

Jungkook stood in front of me, extending his hand to offer me another his handkerchief.

“Can you do me a favor?” He swept my hair back from my face and straightened my coat. “Can you make yourself look presentable and come with me to see Seokjin?”

My mouth fell open slightly in surprise. “What?”

“Let’s go talk to him. He needs to talk to you.”

I shook my head and held my hands up in protest. “No, no. Jungkook, no. I can’t see him.”

“You need to tell him you don’t have feelings for him and you don’t want to be with him. It’s the only way he can move on. He’s still somehow waiting for you.”

“Kook, I can’t do that.” I dabbed my eyes with the handkerchief and handed it back to him.

“Why not? Why can’t you just do this one thing for him?” Jungkook demanded impatiently.

“Well, for one thing, I have feelings for Jin. And another, I’m not secretly going to see Jin and secretly is the only way I’ll go because I’m not lying to Jimin about anything else. I’m done with this, Jungkook. I don’t want to see Jin again.”

Jungkook grabbed my hand and pulled me down the steps. I stumbled after him as he dragged me down the street, walking in the direction of Jin’s apartment. At our old apartment, we used to live a five minute walking distance of Jin, but since we moved to Hongdae, the walk was at least a half hour. I’d done it before with Haru strapped to my back, but not since Jin confessed to me.

“Jungkook, no!” I stopped short and tried to yank my hand out of his, but he only tugged at me impatiently.

“Just do this for me.” He insisted. “I’ve done a lot of things for you, do it for me.”

“Stop pulling me! This is seriously uncool!”

“If I let go, you’ll run away.” Jungkook turned to grin mischievously at me.

“This isn’t a joke, Jungkook! Let me go and I’ll walk next to you, jeez.”

“Fine.” He let go and I immediately shoved my hands into my coat pockets.

“Stop walking so fast.” I ordered. “Your legs are too long. I can’t keep up with you.”

Jungkook slowed and I managed to keep pace with him. We walked in stony silence to Jin’s apartment.

Jin answered the door wearing a pair of the softest looking sweatpants and a pink sweatshirt with “Radical Feminist” on the front. I fell half in love with him just at the sight of it.

“Uh, hi?” He greeted us uncertainly. “What are you guys doing here?”

Jungkook placed his hand on the small of my back and pushed me forward. I stumbled into Jin’s arms; he caught me and held me for just a little too long. I caught the sound of his rapid heartbeat before I pushed out of his arms and backtracked into the hallway, hiding behind Jungkook.

“I told you I didn’t want to come here.” I whisper-scolded him, pinching his arm. He yelped and grabbed my wrist, shoving past Jin to drag me into the apartment.

“Ah, I have company!” Jin called out behind us. “, I didn’t invite you in, Jungkook.”

Anjali sat on the couch, wearing a long t-shirt of Jin’s as a dress. She looked unpleasantly surprised to see me.

I felt my cheeks flushing bright red, so I stared down at my mud-covered shoes on Jin’s pristine white carpet. I quickly took them off, stuttering out an apology.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jin leaned against the wall, eyeing us. His blonde hair fell into his face; he pushed it back with a quick flick of his wrist, a gesture that set my heart racing.

“Jungkook forced me to come.” I mumbled.

“I didn’t realize you had company, Seokjin.” Jungkook said apologetically. “Can we talk somewhere in…private?” He glanced meaningfully at Anjali.

Jin also looked towards Anjali, who shrugged.

“You know the deal, Seokjin.”

“I know, baby.” He smiled at her, then led us towards his bedroom.

“What’s the deal?” Jungkook whispered.

“None of your business.” Jin replied, gently smacking the back of his head. “Why’d you come here, you little fool?”

“She has to tell you something.” Jungkook pointed accusingly at me. I opened my mouth in indignation, prepared to fight back, but Jin took my hand and gently pulled me into his bedroom.

He moved me to sit on the bed, then sat down next to me. Jungkook stood, facing the two of us. I felt like we were kids about to get scolded by our dad.

Jungkook crossed his arms and pouted down at us.

“Why are you here, Kook?” Jin asked, sounding a trifle amused.

I cleared my throat and Jin turned to me. He looked so soft and snuggly; I could feel my eyes softening from looking at him.

“I’m sorry you were suspended from activities.” I murmured, staring into his big brown eyes. , I needed to leave immediately.

“Ah.” A brief cloud passed over Jin’s face. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry for leading you on.” I continued, abruptly on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry for…for everything, Jin. I’m sorry you loved me and I’m sorry we had a close friendship all these years, because I think our relationship did nothing but hurt you.”

Jin placed a gentle hand on my head. “Hey, hey.” He said soothingly. “I wouldn’t have been friends with you if I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m a big boy, sunshine. I knew what I was getting into. I tried to confuse you on purpose, too. Did you think I didn’t want to steal you away? I knew what I was doing. I’m sorry for hurting you. I knew you would never leave Jimin for me, but I made it harder for you, anyway.”

He swiped his thumb across my cheeks, wiping away tears. Jin leaned in and I caught a whiff of his cologne. My eyes fluttered shut as he pressed his soft, pouty lips against my forehead. I wanted to kiss him, wanted to kiss him so bad.

“Okay, well, good luck with everything.” I said, pushing him away and fleeing the room. I heard Jin and Jungkook talking in lowered voices as I ran down the hallway into the living room, hastily wiping away tears.

Anjali caught a glimpse of my tear-streaked face as I struggled to put on my shoes. She threw a couch pillow at me.

“Just stay away from him! Stop hurting him.” She hissed in a low voice. “Just leave him alone, god.”

“Anjali!” Jin scolded as he strode into the living room, followed by Jungkook. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

She glowered, looking like she’d like to throw another pillow at me. “Of course you’re going to take her side.” She muttered.

My hands shook so badly that I couldn’t tie my laces. Jungkook noticed my plight and bent over to tie them for me. He patted my head with a sad, sympathetic smile. I looked away from him and wiped my nose on my sleeve, feeling pathetic and foolish.

Jin didn’t even look at me as we left.

Jungkook held my hand on the way back to Namjoon’s place, gently this time. I couldn’t stop crying, so he pulled me into a side street so I could have some privacy.

I slumped against the brick wall of a building, sliding down until I made contact with the dirty, wet ground. I hugged my knees to my chest and wept freely. Jungkook stood by helplessly, like he always did when a girl cried.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have made you see him.”

I glared up at him through my tears. “You say that n-now? After the damage has already been done?”

Jungkook crouched down next to me and patted my face with his handkerchief. “You love him?”

“I have feelings for him, Jungkook, you know that.” I fumbled with shaking fingers to take my phone out of my coat pocket. When I finally got it, I threw it to Jungkook. “Call Jimin. I need him.”

“What’s your passcode?”

“Jimin’s birthday.” I took a deep breath, smoothing my hair back from my face. “. I don’t want Jimin to see me like this; I need, like, some makeup or something.”

Jungkook fished around in his pockets and handed me a tube of BB cream. I used the camera on my phone to apply it under my eyes and across my red nose and cheeks.

“Hey, it’s Jungkook.” He spoke into the phone. “Can you come here? Ah…” He peered around into the street. “On 4^th. Yeah, there’s a coffee shop across the street, we can meet there. Oh, you know it?”

Jimin said something into the phone. Jungkook bit his lip and looked down at me. “Yeah, near Jin’s place.” He said quietly, sounding a little ashamed of himself. “Yeah, we went. Listen, it was my fault, Jimin. I dragged her there.”

I blinked rapidly to stem the sudden return of tears. “Let me talk to him.”

Jungkook reluctantly passed the phone to me. Jimin was yelling into it.

“Why the would you make her go there? Do you want her to leave me?”

“Hey, it’s me.” I said quickly.

“Oh.”

“Can you come?” My voice cracked and I pushed my hand against my mouth to try and keep in the sob that wanted to escape.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there, baby.” Jimin said gently. “Don’t cry, okay?”

Jungkook sat with me while we waited for Jimin to arrive. He tried to coax me into the coffee shop, but I couldn’t totally stop crying.

“Do you love him?” He asked again.

I sniffled and blew my nose into his handkerchief. “It’s not that simple.”

“So, you do love him.”

I glanced over at the street, hoping for Jimin’s approach. I could see the coffee shop from here, but no sign of Jimin.

“I don’t know what it is.” I said tiredly. “I just know that whenever I see him, I feel flustered and excited and sad all at the same time. I hate hurting him, but I want him to keep wanting me. He’s beautiful, in a distracting way that I never had enough room in my heart to notice before. But I’m noticing now, and it’s hard to look away from his big brown eyes when he has so much love in them.”

“You love Jimin less?” Jungkook guessed.

I shook my head. “It’s not so much that as that it’s just been terrible between us for most of this past year. He’s just been so wishy-washy about everything. He says one thing with his mouth, but then he does another. I’ve been trying to let things go, but I’m the type to hold a grudge and my trust in him has been worn. I know all of you think I’m selfish, but it feels like this advancement in his career has led to a constant rejection of me. Of our life together. I mean, I got hit by a car and the next day he was doing a show with you guys. I had like an emotional breakdown before he had to leave for a tour, and he just left. I get it, I get that your career means everything to you guys, but I just feel like Jimin loves me less, and it hurts. Like, it really hurts to watch the person you love the most fall out of love with you.”

Jungkook patted my head. “You think he doesn’t love you anymore?”

“I think he loves me less.” I admitted quietly.

“And you love him less?”

I shrugged.

“Well, maybe you can just fall back in love with each other. We’ve got a long break now since Jin is suspended from activities. Our comeback will get delayed, so maybe we’ll rest up before promotions. You guys can take some time to remember why you fell in love in the first place.”

My phone buzzed with a call from Jimin.

“Hey, sorry, we’re not at the coffee shop. We’re across the street.”

“Across the street, where?”

“In a little alley? That side street next to the Indian restaurant.”

“Ah, okay.”

I had just enough time to wipe my eyes before Jimin found us.

“Hey, thanks Jungkook. I can take it from here if you wanna go. Ah, I got you a coffee.” Jimin passed a steaming paper cup to Jungkook.

“Thanks. Hey...sorry about all this.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s my fault. Don’t be too hard on her.”

He patted Jimin on the back, then left.

Jimin crouched down in front of me and ruffled my bangs. “Hey, don’t you know it’s cold outside? It’s not a place for tears.”

He flashed me a small smile. I reached out for him and he folded me into his embrace, falling back onto the wet pavement with a muffled thud. His pretty new coat would have mud stains on it, and it was all my fault.

I sat on his thighs, my arms wrapped around his neck, my nose buried in his hair. I took in deep breaths of his familiar, steadying smell. His small, warms hands traced comforting circles against my back.

“I’ve ruined everything.” I whispered into his hair. “Jimin, I’ve ruined everything.”

“It’s okay, my love. It’ll be alright.” Jimin held me tightly in his arms.

“No, it won’t, Jimin. I have feelings for someone else, someone who’s not you. Nothing is okay.” I hid my face in the crook of his neck, dropping wet tears against his skin.

“But you love me more, right?” Jimin crushed me to him. “You love me the most.”

“I don’t want it to be like this. I want it to be just us, always. I want to go back in time and just…fix everything.”

He my hair. “Baby, things have already happened like this. We’ve just got to move on.”

“I don’t know how to move on.” I confessed in a whisper. “Jimin, I don’t know what to do.”

“Just look at me.” He advised quietly. “What do you love about me? Hmm? Think about that stuff. Tell me about that stuff. Here, I’ll start. I love…hmm, I love my bubbly personality.”

I snorted a laugh, still kind of crying. Jimin giggled and squeezed me.

“What do you love about me?” He asked, his voice soft and sweet.

“Um…everything.” I mumbled into his neck.

He laughed. “I know that’s not true.”

“Ah, it is. When we fight, I still admire the parts of you that frustrate me. Like your stubbornness. Your ability to deliver cutting retorts at the drop of a hat.”

Jimin hummed, sounding pleased.

“I love your thighs.” I continued, sniffling. I wiped my nose on the shoulder of Jimin’s coat. “And I love your eyebrows. I love how sweet you are with the kids. You’re such a great dad and I feel so blessed that you’re the father of my children.”

“That’s cute.”

“I love your little lisp.” I turned and kissed his cheek, feeling him smile. “Love your babyish sense of humor. Like your little crooked tooth.”

“My snaggletooth.” Jimin said disparagingly.

“It’s pretty.” I disagreed. “Mmm…what else do I like? Ah, your voice. It’s so soft and gentle sometimes. I love that.”

“Mmm.” He turned his head to rub his nose against mine. “Can we go back now? I left in the middle of helping them move.”

His voice was low and rough, probably from the cold. Maybe I would make him a scarf for Christmas.

Someone cleared their throat near us. We both looked over to see Jin and Anjali holding hands and cups of coffee.

“What are you guys doing out here in the cold? The ground is wet. You’ll get sick.” Jin looked at Jimin. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Namjoon move?”

“We were just going back.”

While they talked, I stood and dusted myself off, actively avoiding Anjali’s disdainful stare. I had so wanted to be friends with her in the beginning, but that was definitely impossible now.

“We’re going, too.” Jin said. “Is it…is it better for us not to go?” He snuck a quick glance at me. When we met eyes, he immediately looked away.

“Ah, if you’re invited, you should go.” Jimin said reluctantly. He turned to me. “Babe, we should go. My dad’s truck is a bit tricky to drive. Namjoon might have a hard time.”

“Let’s walk together since it’s already like this.” Anjali sullenly suggested. “Let’s go.”

Jimin held my hand while we trailed behind Jin and Anjali. I kept sneaking glances at Jin’s broad back, and Jimin kept catching me.

Anjali and Jin chatted happily in front of us. He would occasionally turn to kiss her nose, a gesture that I found overwhelmingly sweet.

Jimin used to do that to me, not too long ago. It felt like forever ago, but maybe that was just my skewed perception.

“Should we call Isabel? Check on the kids?” Jimin said in my ear.

“Yeah, sure.”

Jimin put in the call, but I felt distracted by the sight in front of me. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Jin, especially not for several more hours. I kind of wanted to ask Jimin if we could just go home, but I didn’t want to cause any problems.

“Ah, baby, she has a question about the milk.” Jimin nudged me.

“What about it?”

“How to heat it.”

“You would know more about that than me. I don’t ever feed him bottles.”

Jimin shot me a slightly offended glance, but answered the question. He hung up a little while after that, but seemed a bit sullen. We walked in silence for a while and Jimin let go of my hand.

“Did it seem to be going well? Is she having a tough time?” I asked after a bit.

“She sent pictures of her and Haru making a pillow fort. Haru seemed to be happy and well taken care of.”

“What about Sun Jae? I wonder if he’ll give her a hard time for eating. He’s never been with a stranger before; I’m a bit nervous about it.”

Jimin took my hand again. “Ah, me too. I think it’ll be okay, though. We’ll be home soon enough.”

Jin leaned in close to Anjali to whisper something in her ear. He smiled, a soft, pleased smile and I suddenly realized that he didn’t enjoy loving me. He never smiled like that after he flirted with me or tried to win me over. He always looked kind of sad and resigned. I had felt confusion at his current flirty and affectionate attitude with Anjali, but maybe he was just trying to chase after his happiness.

Maybe I was ruining it for him.

“I should take my coat to the cleaners’.” Jimin was saying while I spaced out. “Mm, my schedule is a bit busy this week. Do you have time to take it for me?”

“Your schedule is busy this week?” I asked in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, just some photoshoots. Jin!” He called. “Just photoshoots this week, right?”

“Did you forget that we have the reality show filming?” Jin asked in amusement. “Jimin, where’s your head these days?”

“Huh? I thought we weren’t doing that.”

“Ah, that’s right. You skipped the meeting that time.” He nodded. “President decided to do it. We’re starting tomorrow. Didn’t your manager tell you this?”

“No, she didn’t.” Jimin whipped out his phone and angrily punched in the number. “Ah, yeah. Reality tv show? How come I didn’t hear about that?”

“Honey, be nice.” I whispered.

“That’s tomorrow? A film crew is going to be at my house tomorrow and you didn’t tell me anything about it? What’s happening? My house isn’t even clean! I have kids, are they supposed to be in this? How could you not tell me?”

I touched his arm. “Jimin, calm down. It’s okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“Your job performance has seriously dropped this past year. Let’s meet to talk.” He abruptly hung up the phone, then sent a quick text message. “Seokjin, can you tell Namjoon sorry for us? We’ve got to go home and clean.”

“Sure, Jimin. Sorry you had to find out this way.” Jin flashed him a sympathetic smile. “It’s not live, so I’m sure it’ll be edited to make you guys look good.”

“Are you going to be in it?” Jimin asked quietly. He gestured. “I mean, after everything with this one over here?”

Jin ran his fingers through his hair. “You have to know that that was nothing. We’re not…we never did anything.”

Anjali placed her hand on Jin’s shoulder. “This is all very awkward for us to talk about because my boyfriend’s in love with your wife, but I think it’s good to get it out in the open. They never slept together, and that’s the end of it. I don’t know how this will affect your friendship of many years, but I hope that your professional relationship will continue to be as good as it always has been.”

“Of course.” Jimin agreed. “This has nothing to do with our professional relationship.”

Anjali smiled. “Great, because there’s an episode where Jin will come over and hang out with you guys, to dispel the rumors and show everyone that you’re as good of friends as you always have been.”

“Great.” He echoed sarcastically. “Just great.”

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i made a new story featuring jin, so hopefully all of my jin feels will be in that story and not this one, lolllllll.

guys, i just really love jin, okay.