Just like every other day, Haein spent the evening cycling at Han River. With her parents' current situation, she preferred to stay outside as long as possible.

"Oy!" V called out as he got down from his bicycle. A smile immediately appeared on her face.

Haein and V had been bestfriends since they were kids. They were separated for a few years when Haein had to move away, but 2 years ago, they met again because V's family moved to the neighborhood she was living in and he went to the same college as she did.

"Here..." she passed him his drink. V took it and sat down beside her.

"Your parents are fighting again?" He asked.

"When did they ever stop?" She replied before taking a few gulps of her drink.

V patted her back. "Don't worry, they'll stop eventually."

Haein looked at him. "Are you okay? I heard from Jimin that you broke up with Jenny."

"There's no reason for me not to be okay. It's her loss, not mine," he calmly said. Haein snorted.

"You're always so full of yourself."

"You know I love myself, and you should love yourself too."

"I do love myself."

"Yeah, right..." V rolled up her sleeve and looked at the scar on her arm. "Then, what's this?"

Haein snatched her arm away. "This is a different story."

V let out a sigh. "Haein, you need to stop."

"I already did! But with the situation now, I often have the desire to do it again." She looked frustrated and depressed.

One year before she met V again, Haein was into self-harming. It's all because her parents' worsened relationship. It was V who managed to bring her out from the darkness. His bright and silly behaviours always made her smile.

"How's this? Whenever you feel like doing it again, just give me a call and order me around. You can tell me to bring you some food, or maybe become your assistant for a few hours, or maybe we can go out and do something fun!" He suggested.

Haein thought about it. A few moments later, she grinned. "Now, that sounds awesome! I can call you anytime I want, right?"

"Yup! Even if it's 4am, I'll get off from my bed and run to you "

"Aww... That's so sweet of you..." She gave him a hug. "Komawo, Taehyung-ah..."

"That's what friends are for." He threw the empty can into the dustbin. "Are you up for a race?"

Haein sprang to her feet. "Are you kidding me??? Of course!!!"

*

That night, when Haein was doing her homework, her parents began to fight again. This time, it was because of her. She moved closer to the door to hear them.

"You're the mother! You should take care of her!"

"She wouldn't even be here if you could control yourself that night! And now you want to blame me?"

"I am not bringing her into my new family!"

"Well, guess what? I don't give a damn what you want! If you want this divorce, you keep her!"

Haein could no longer take it. She took her phone and hid herself in her closet. She quickly dialled V's number.

{Hello, princess! What can I do for you?} He asked in a cheerful voice. When he heard Haein's cry, he began to feel worried. {Haein-ah, kwaenchana?}

"My parents... They hate me..." she sobbed. "They don't want to take care of me..."

{Haein-ah, listen to me. I'm going to get you, so don't do anything stupid, okay? Let's talk about something else. Do you remember when we first met?} He tried to keep her distracted so that she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Eo... You came to say 'hi' when I was playing on the swing." Her lips curved into a small smile.

{It was an insane day, wasn't it? We just ignored other kids and we played together until the sun was set. I remember my mom pulling my ear because I didn't want to go home. Remember our first prom together? I can still remember the dress you wore on that night. You really made the boys' heads turned towards you.}

"What are you talking about? They're not looking at me."

{Are you trying to say they looked at me? What are they? Gays? All of them? Seriously?} He joked. Haein burst into laughter. {Now that's the Haein I know, the one with a cheerful laugh.}

Haein was deeply touched by his words. "Thanks, buddy, for believing in me."

{Friends should believe in each other.} Then, the closet door was suddenly opened. V stood there with a grin. "Which is why I'm here now!" Haein couldn't believe her eyes. She jumped into his arms and clung onto him like a baby koala. V tightened his hold when she cried again. "Shh... It's okay, babe... I'm here now..."

Now that he's in her room, he too could hear what her parents were arguing about. His blood boiled, but he held in it for Haein's sake. He brought her to her bed. He tucked her in before climbing in next to her. He put his arm under her head and pulled her close. She snuggled closer to his chest.

"Thanks, for coming..."

"Nah, it's nothing." He softly her back. "Do you want to go anywhere tomorrow?"

Haein shook her head. "Let's just hang out at your house, or we can hang out with BTS."

"Jimin and Jungkook are going back to Busan to visit their parents. Rapmon, J-hope hyung and Suga hyung are going out together. Jin hyung will probably spend the day with sleeping."

"And you?"

"I'm spending time with my babe, of course. Is that even a question?"

Haein began to feel guilty. She sat up and looked at him. "Look, V... I really appreciate that you care about me, but I hate it when you didn't join BTS to take care of me. It feels like I'm stealing you from them," she expressed her worries.

V reached up and pinched her cheeks. "Aww... My babe is an angel... Don't worry, Haien-ah. You've been my friends longer than they have. And they already know how close we are and why you need me. They're more understanding than you thought," he explained. He then pulled her back next to him. "Now close your eyes and sleep. I'll be here until you've fall asleep."

"Good night, buddy," Haein bidded as she wrapped her arm around him. V kissed her forehead.

"Good night, babe."

*

A few days later, Haein came home with her parents waiting for her in the living room. Without being told, she took a seat on the couch.

"How's school today, Haein?" Her mother asked. Haein was taken aback by her question, but the girl remained calm.

"Good... My final exam is next month, so I'm going to be busier starting next week," she replied.

Her father looked at her. "Haein-ah, we've been talking and -"

"If you want me to choose whether to live with you or mom, then I choose neither. I'm not living with someone who doesn't want to take care of me," she interrupted.

"Honey, what are you talking about?" Her mother asked.

"I heard you, both of you. Neither you nor dad wants to take care of me. Both of you are too busy thinking about yourselves to think about me." Haein straightened up. "I'll help you out. I won't stay with any of you, but I have my conditions." She took out an A4 paper. "I already listed down the things that I want. Since I'm going to spend my youth on my own, I ask for your cooperation." She cleared . "Number one, both of you must buy me an apartment, a studio apartment would suffice. Number two, both of you must bank-in some money into my account every month. Those money is for my living expenses. Number three, in case if you got remarried, don't force me to know your new family. Number four, in case if I want to get married, none of you have the right to object. And the last one, please don't disturb me again after you go on with your lives." She put the paper in front of her parents. "I need you to sign that, both of you."

"Haein-ah!" Her mother exclaimed.

"I am not going to let my parents destroy my life just because they already destroyed theirs. Either sign the paper or watch me die a slow and painful death. You surely remembered what happened three years ago, don't you?" She threatened. With that, her parents had no other choice than to sign the paper. Haein took it and stood up. "Thanks, mom, dad. As soon as you manage to buy an apartment, I'll move out from the house immediately. Then, you can proceed with the divorce without having to worry about me."

She headed to the stairs, but her father called her. He walked towards her and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Haein. And thank you. I promise I'll pay you a visit once in a while," he said. Haein returned his hug.

"Thanks for taking care of me all these years, dad." He patted her back before letting her go. She gave him a smile and went to her room. She threw her bag onto the floor and jumped onto her bed.

"I'm proud of you, babe."

Haein was startled by the sudden voice. "Jeez! V, you scared the hell out of me!" She threw a pillow at him. He caught the pillow and went to sit down next to her.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"About what?"

"You living alone."

"Of course I'm sure. I don't want them to put any blame on me in the future."

The boy chuckled. "You are one impressive girl."

"Isn't that why you became my friend?"

"I thought you wanted to be my friend because I'm awesome."

"Well, I'm not the one who approached you," she pointed out.

"Fair enough." None of them said anything as they lay down next to each other. Then, V broke the silence. "Haein-ah..."

"Mmm?"

"What would you do if I am no longer your friend?"

Haein was quiet for a while. Tears were pooling in her eyes, threatening to fall. "I don't think I can go on like nothing happened. I might even start hurting myself again."

"I knew you'd say that." V held her hand. "Don't worry, Lee Haein. As long as I'm breathing, I will never stop being your friend." She smacked his chest with her free hand.

"What's the point of asking that if you already knew what I would say?" She scolded him.

"Because if you didn't say that, I feel like I'm no longer needed."

"Babo..." She mumbled. V ruffled her hair and held her close.

*

V was hanging out at J-hope and Jimin's dorm. Instead of focusing on the basketball game between the other two, he lay down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Seeing their troubled friend, J-hope and Jimin paused the game.

"Yah, Kim Taehyung... Are you okay?" J-hope asked him.

"You haven't talked that much since you arrived thirty minutes ago," Jimin said. V sat up and looked at them.

"How am I supposed to tell her that I love her? What if she hates me and refuses to be my friend?"

"Why would she hate you if she loves you?" J-hope questioned. V frowned.

"Hyung, what are you talking about?" Jimin asked.

J-hope let out a sigh. "Seriously, V? Are you that dumb? All of us, except Jimin of course, can clearly see that she likes you, and probably loves you. Which is why we kept making plans without involving you so you could spend more time with her. You really can't see that??" Both V and Jimin shook their heads. J-hope smacked his own forehead. "Why do I befriend these idiots?"

V grasped J-hope's shoulders. "Are you serious, hyung? Haein loves me? Really?"

"Yes, dummy! She loves you!" J-hope said exasperatedly. V cheered and gave him a hug.

"Thanks for telling me this, hyung! I love you!" The boy then left his friends' dorm and headed to Haein's house. When he was in the cab, he got a call from Haein. "What's up, babe? I'm on my way to your house," he said merrily. His bright face darkened when he heard her whimpered. "Haein-ah, kwaenchana?"

{Nope... Period pain...} she forced herself to say.

"Do you need anything? Do you have your pads?"

{Just come over... I need you...}

A small proud filled him. "Arasseo, I'll be there soon. Hang on, okay?" He hang up and looked at the shops outside. "Ajusshi, can you stop by at a coffee house for a while?"

"Sure..." The old man looked at him through the rear mirror. "Is that your girlfriend?" He asked. V couldn't stop the smile from forming.

"Ne... She's having a period pain..." he answered.

"It's good that you're taking care of her. If you marry her, make sure to keep doing that. Most men waste their money on romantic events and useless things like that when it's not what women really want. They don't realize that the small things like buying her sanitary pads, being with her when she's in pain and helping her with chores are the things that will make them happy. Those are the moments that will make her think her man is the best."

"Ahhh... So, that's the trick. Komawoyo, ajusshi, for telling me these. I'll make sure to remember them," V gratefully said.

*

Since her parents were still working, V entered through the front door. When he arrived at her room, he panicked a little when Haein was rolling around on the bed, groaning. He put the hot mocha and pastries on her bedside table and got onto the bed with her. He pulled her close to him and began to massage her lower belly.

"Where's your balm?" He asked. Haein pointed to her drawer. He opened the drawer and took out the balm. He lifted her t-shirt a bit, put the balm and continued to massage her softly. Her hand was tightly gripping his sleeve, enduring the pain. After a while, the pain soothed a little. V arranged the pillows and helped her sat up. He took the mocha and gave it to her.

"Komawo..." She slowly drank the mocha and let out a relief sigh. V her hair.

"Better?"

Haein smiled weakly and nodded. "A lot better..."

"Good... Now eat this." He took out a croissant and gave it to her. Haein began to eat it with a small smile on her face.

"Taehyungie jjang!" She praised him before munching on the croissant again. V watched her eat just like a father watched his little girl. When she was done, he took the mocha away from her, confusing the girl.

"Close your eyes, I have something for you," he told her. She gave him a suspiciously before complying. V leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Haein was shocked, but she pushed the thought aside and kissed him back. After a while, V broke the kiss. "I'm sorry if I took too long."

"But Jenny-"

"I dated her to make you jealous. Why else would I date a ?"

They were silent for a while. "So... What are we?" She finally asked.

"We are the most awesome couple ever," he answered with a happy tone. Haein chuckled, but immediately stopped because of the remaining pain. V looked straight into her eyes. "Saranghae, Haein-ah..."

Haein caressed his cheek. "Nado saranghae, Taehyung-ah..." They both shared a hug before V made her lay down on the bed and continued to give her a massage.