Jungkook got up slowly from the bed and slipped on some dry clothes.

“I-It’s OK, I’ll deal with him.” He whispered. “You just stay here.”

Taehyung could hear the fear in his voice. “What does he want?”

“I don’t know, he’s probably just mad about something as usual.” Jungkook walked towards the door, running a hand through his damp hair.

“Will you be OK?”

He stopped in the doorway. “Yeah. I’ll just, I’ll just talk to him and maybe he’ll leave. I don’t think anything will happen.”

Taehyung’s stomach churned.

“No matter what though, don’t come downstairs. I-I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

He’d heard his words, but Taehyung felt guilty just sitting up there in hiding knowing how scared Jungkook was of Haneul. Taehyung knew what he was capable of, he didn’t want Jungkook to face his temper alone. But he didn’t want to upset him by putting himself in danger too. He didn’t know what to do.

Jungkook left the room then and Taehyung put on his clothes, listening carefully to the confrontation. He heard the door creak open and the immediate sound of yelling.

“You think you can keep hiding up here from me huh?” Haneul’s voice was sharp but slurred.

“I’m not hiding from you-”

“Where the is my money!”

It fell silent and Taehyung could only hear his heart in his ears.

“I-I told mom and dad like you asked me to, but if they didn’t give anything to you, then that’s not my problem.” Jungkook’s voice was eerily calm. “It’s their decision now what they choose to do, my influence obviously is no longer valid. I’m sorry I can’t be your little puppet anymore.”

Haneul chuckled. “You know, I’m really ing tired of you.”

“I don’t know what you want me to do.” He pressed. “Just leave me alone OK? I’m done Haneul, you need to start doing on your own-”

“You know for a fact that it’s not that ing easy! My own parents won’t even look me in the eye and it’s your ing fault!” He shouted. “So the least you could do is make things up to me by doing this one simple thing. If they don’t listen to you then make them listen to you, stupid piece of ! How much more useless can you get!”

“I’m useless?” Jungkook scoffed. “You’re a twenty-five year old man leeching off of your own brother to get charity from his parents! You don’t even have a ing job to support yourself because you’re so damn desperate and needy for someone to give you free funds! You’re blaming this twisted sickness on me when it’s really just you! Mom and dad have tried to get you help but you keep denying it-”

Taehyung jumped when he heard a loud slam.

“I don’t need any ing help!” Haneul hissed angrily.

“Y-You’re not fine, and you know it. That’s why mom and dad abandoned you in the first place, but you just keep denying it. You’re messed up Haneul, just accept it.”

“And you think you’re any better? Mom and dad think you’re so ing perfect, but I know you have some secrets Jungkook.” His voice sounded sinister. “As a matter of fact, I see that ing car parked outside of here and I know your little girlfriend is way too young to even drive; so who’s here huh? You cheating on that ?”

“No.”

They just promised each other that they wouldn’t hide, that they’d reveal their love to the world somehow together. So why was Taehyung hiding in his room? Why was he so scared that Haneul would find out he was there?

He felt trapped.

“Bull.” He heard footsteps.

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing-”

“If you’re not gonna introduce that to me, I’ll introduce myself. You think you’re so ing slick, I’d bet mom and dad would love to hear that you’ve been sleeping around with s. Then they’d treat you just like how they treat me.” He spit.

“Haneul, stop-”

Taehyung heard a loud slap.

“You know, you’re really ing pissing me off! You think you can command me? I’m your older brother, you listen to me! It was never the other way around!” He shouted and Taehyung heard Jungkook get hit again. “You have the audacity to come in my face and tell me I need help, make me feel like the piece of ? You’re nothing without mom and dad! You’re just as dead as I am!”

He couldn’t listen to it anymore. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing while Jungkook was getting hurt. Taehyung raced out of the room and suddenly came face to face with him. His heart stopped in his chest.

Haneul’s eyes turned a silver colour when he saw him.

“Taehyung,” Jungkook groaned, he was on the floor holding onto his stomach.

Haneul looked down. “What the is this?”

“H-He was just over, nothing happened-”

“You’re really going to ing lie to me right now?”

Jungkook hung his head, coughing loudly.

Haneul looked back at Taehyung. “So what is this? You’re a ing ?”

His heart plummeted. “D-Don’t call me that.”

He flinched when Haneul suddenly struck him, grabbing onto his shirt. He slammed Taehyung back into the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. “Do you think this is a joke or something?”

“Stop,” Jungkook struggled to stand up.

“Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? Or are you just too much of an idiot to understand?” He spit in his face.

Taehyung shook underneath his grip.

“Maybe you have these kind of dirty, sinful ways in your society, but if you ever rubbed this kind of off onto Jungkook, it would destroy him; do you understand? He isn’t like you. I’m not going to let your foolish fantasies ruin my family’s name or reputation.” He hissed. “I may ing hate these people, but I know better to stop something destructive before it starts. I’ve already looked like an embarrassment enough, I’m not letting it happen again!”

Jungkook hobbled over to him and pushed Haneul away. “He’s not doing anything to me! I want to be with Taehyung, I’m in love with him.”

A chill ran down his spine at Haneul’s ominous expression. “What the hell did you just say?”

“I’m in love with him.” Jungkook spoke firmly.

He burst out laughing suddenly. “Oh God, are you ing kidding me?”

“T-This isn’t a joke.”

Haneul’s smile disappeared quickly. “You, you do realize you can’t date him right? Mom and dad would never allow this.”

“I know,” Jungkook said, taking Taehyung’s hand in his. “But I don’t care what they say.”

“You don’t-are you idiotic? If they find out about this, they’ll just do the same to you as they did me.” He pressed. “Are you actually that stupid that you’d voluntarily throw everything away for some ?”

“Yes.” He whispered, “because if I keep giving a about what will happen or who will care about what I do; how the am I ever going to be happy?”

Haneul stared at him.

“He makes me happy, and that’s all that matters.”

Taehyung could barely feel his hand because Jungkook was squeezing it so hard, but he’d never seen him that strong before. It gave him so much hope.

“Selfish bastard,” Haneul seethed suddenly. “All you care about is yourself don’t you? You’re only thinking about yourself!”

“I-I know that-”

“No you don’t know that! You don’t know !” He yelled. “If you knew anything, you’d walk away from him right now for your own good! For everyone else’s good! If you stay with him, you’ll never, ever be safe!”

“I don’t care Haneul,” Jungkook’s voice was hard. “Hurt me, kill me, I don’t give a anymore. I’d rather die happy than alone.”

Haneul scoffed, putting a hand on his face. “Seriously, this must be a joke, what kind of drug are you on?”

Jungkook didn’t say anything.

“Y-You’re telling me I need help, but you’re in love with a man? You’re the one who needs to be in a ing mental hospital.” He hissed.

His words hurt, but Taehyung already knew what would be coming their way. They just had to stay strong and accept it.

Haneul looked back at them, his eyes dark. “You’re both making an idiotic mistake, and it’s just going to come back to hurt you in the end. You’ll never, ever be happy with each other; just mark my words on that. We’ll see what everyone thinks of this. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind every last person in this place hating your guts Jungkook. And when you come crawling back to me after everything blows up in your face, I’ll turn you away, just like you always did to me. I’ll leave you to rot in hell for good.”

Jungkook’s grip loosened on his hand. “I-I’ve always helped you Haneul, but you always hurt me in the end. I did the best for you, loved you from the beginning, but you turned all of your on me and put all of this on yourself. Nothing is my fault, and my happiness is not going to be used as a weapon against me. I’ll deal with things on my own, I don’t need your help or advice. All you do is hurt me, and I just want you out of my life. I’m sick of you.”

He gave him a conflicted look, but it was quickly covered up with a smirk. “You’d really say those words to your own brother?”

“When did you ever treat me like your brother?” Jungkook’s voice shook. “You always looked at me as your enemy, some kind of toy to throw around. W-We were never brothers Haneul.”

He chuckled. “You can keep denying all you want, but as long as we share the same blood and ties, we’re brothers no matter how badly we hate it. But I don’t even want to be associated with someone as disgusting and revolting as you, so consider your wish granted. We’re no longer brothers.”

Taehyung flinched when Haneul locked eyes with him, giving an intense glare. He didn’t even have to say anything, he could just feel the overwhelming hatred being radiated. Haneul turned away then and they watched quietly as he walked back towards the door. There wasn’t even a goodbye, he just left them standing there alone in the foyer.

Jungkook slumped down to the floor when he was gone nd Taehyung crouched down beside him, holding on tightly.

“I-I was scared that people would leave me,” He trembled and Taehyung saw tears dripping onto the floor. “W-Will this keep happening?”

He put his head on his shoulder. “There are better people out there than Haneul who will find a way to accept us, just like Yuna did. We just have to have some faith, I promise we’ll be OK. It’ll be tough, it won’t be easy. But I made a promise to you already, I won’t leave you no matter what.”

Jungkook sniffed and nodded slowly.

He thought of Haneul’s words then, how he said Jungkook’s parents would never allow them to be together. “B-But if something does happen to split us apart; promise we’ll come back together in the end OK?”

Jungkook tensed, he could he knew what he was talking about. “N-Nothing will split us apart-”

“If Jungkook,” He whispered softly.

“N-No, I won’t let them.”

Taehyung decided not to say anything else, Jungkook was already damaged enough. He just held onto him, allowing his love to heal him once again. But he didn’t know what would happen from there, how more people would react to them being together.

He was scared.

But he wasn’t scared enough to let go.

He’d remember the rose golden sunset, his beautiful words on the back of the photo, those small memories, those little moments of happiness; they were enough to keep him going.

He wouldn’t let go no matter what.