i wanted to post this yesterday, but i had barely written 3.1 k and i had headache too. yesterday was special, Nini’s birthday! T T

“What are we going to do now?” Jungkook asks, more to himself than to the elder. Jongin is still sitting hunched over the table, eyes swollen with all the crying he has done in the past an hour. “Hmm,” he hums, stirring a spoon in his bowl of soup. “What are we going to do?”

“Is this the end?” Jongin asks, his tone indicating how hard he has taken the news.

“I don't think so,” the younger answers, still stirring his soup. “I mean at least not until people find out about it.”

Jongin tears up again, but buries his face into his arms before the younger could notice it. “I have worked so hard for everything! Why did it have to be like this?”

Jungkook is silent, Jongin knows the younger has something in mind to say but isn't saying in fear of hurting him. A part of him appreciates the concern, while the other part is busy swearing for nothing to distract his mind.

“I have never heard someone going through this, except…” Jungkook stops, Jongin looks up, a hopeful look on his face.

“Except?”

“I mean, she was an actress in her thirties, high on her peak of success... but, uh, she was married so…”

Jongin scrunches his nose, tears rushing down slightly chubby cheeks, again. “Why did she have to be married?”

“Why aren’t you married?” Jungkook retorts; it makes sense to him. The elder is on emotional rollercoaster right now. Despite him trying to understand the situation, he can’t help but think that it’s somehow Jongin’s mistake as well, and that person’s…

…wait, he still doesn’t know who the daddy is.

“The daddy? Who’s the father?” He asks, watching as Jongin stiffens a little at first before sniffling and looking away from him. “Hyung, look you have to tell me who this man is. Is he someone from the company? Some actor from this company, an idol—younger or older, that doesn’t matter—? Someone from some other company? Our rival’s? Someone foreigner? Some foreign celebrity? Heck, someone who doesn’t even belong to entertainment business? Businessman? Someone from sport—”

“Kyungsoo.”

Jungkook is silent for some long minutes before he shakes his head with a small confused look on his face. “What? No, wait, I did not hear. I don’t think if I heard right. What did you say? Come again?”

Jongin sniffs. “Kyungsoo, Do Kyungsoo. O-our CEO,” he answers, watching as all color drains out of the man’s face. He looks paler, more scared than Jongin himself. “Jungkook, I—”

“Hyung!” Jungkook exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “That er?” Jongin doesn’t reprimand the younger for using such language. “W-we don’t even know him! God, no one knows about that dude. We don’t know what he is, we don’t know who he is. For all we know, he could be hiding his lover from all of us.” Jongin barely bites back the whimper threatening to escape his mouth. “Wait, now I remember you once saying how you have a crush on him. D-did you, did you—”

“No, t-that’s not it.”

“Then what happened?” He walks towards Jongin and shakes him by his shoulders; Jongin wonders how he didn’t notice the younger growing strong day by day as well, he could feel an upcoming headache with all the shaking the younger is doing. “Are you going tell me anything?”

Jongin is hesitant when he replies, hesitant as well as worried about what the younger would think if he found out that he’d sneaked behind his back to go on a date with the young CEO. Jungkook doesn’t like what he hears, even a bit. He furrows his brows and slaps a hand on the back of Jongin’s head as if Jongin were younger than him, he throws his hands in the air, and then finally runs a frustrated hand through his hair in anger and confusion.

“...and here I did the mistake of believing that you’re more sensible than me.”

Jongin whines and rubs his hands on his face, whining louder when Jungkook plops next to him and demands explanation. “I told you everything that happened. What do you want to know now?”

“Did you really sleep with him or someone else?”

Jongin looks scandalized for a second, before he slaps a hand on Jungkook’s thigh. “I-I woke up next to him on the bed, and w-we both were . So…”

“Oh, okay, okay.” The younger waves his hand a little before nodding his head. “Does he know about it?” Jongin replies with a shake of his head.

“Of course, no one knows about it. Only you know besides me.”

Jungkook hums before nodding a little. “You two went on a date, you ate, you drank, and you both slept together. Means there were no feelings involved, no?”

“I don’t know from his side,” he says, more confident admitting this. “You know from my side…”

“Even you aren’t in love with him, so don’t play coy,” he sighs and rocks back and forth on the chair. “I know you just have crush on him, that’s it.” Jongin cannot deny that; he doesn’t think if he has any further feelings than simple attraction towards the man. “I wonder why he chose you of all people.” Jongin, now, wonders as well.

“Is it because he has crush on you? Is it because he finds you handsome? Pretty? Beautiful? Is it because he feels attracted to you? Is it because he likes you—perhaps loves you?” Jongin blushes at the last few words, but makes sure the younger doesn’t notice the red flush over his skin. “I mean there must be something, something about you that he probably finds fascinating enough to bring you out on a date. To an expensive restaurant, to take risk as big as that. Don’t you think it was a risk in itself? It could’ve created a huge scandal: The CEO of Do Entertainment on a date with the nation’s favorite, Kim Jongin!”

“We both know if that had happened, you two would be all over the news. For weeks, months, years even!” Okay, so the last part was exaggeration, because public tends to accept some relationships when they seem strong enough to never separate, but whatever.

Noticing the slight red on the elder’s cheeks, he groans. “The most important question is: what we’re going to do about the baby in your stomach?”

Jongin’s mood visibly deflates before he places his head between his arms on the table, mind full on intent to cry his eyes out once again.

-

-

They have no idea what to do in a situation like this, so they decide to do one thing in the end:

“How many weeks are you in?”

“I am not really sure,” Jongin answers, unsure yet excited about knowing the development of the baby in his tummy. “A few weeks surely, less than a month though.”

“You said you have been vomiting ever since a few weeks ago—” Jongin corrects and says almost two weeks. “So it had been almost two weeks when you visited the doctor? The baby must be in three to four weeks, very close to a month! Oh my God, I am excited to know what the baby has become!”

Jongin squeals before Jungkook slaps a hand over his mouth.

“Not so loud,” the younger hisses, looking around themselves. They’re still in the studio, the staff members are all around them. It’s a late night photoshoot, the theme is something related to the moon, Jongin hadn’t really paid mind to it. “It will be a disaster if someone heard about this.”

Jongin nods and looks around himself before looking down at the phone in the younger’s hands, they both make sure to hover over the phone, just in case someone pops out of nowhere.

“Do you want me to read?” Jungkook asks when he catches anxious tears in the elder’s eyes. “You just listen, alright?” Jongin nods and hopes the tear won’t fall. The makeup will be ruined, no makeup artist wants to spend another set of hours in doing what they had done just half an hour before. “There’s no baby there, not yet. Oh, that’s sad.” The younger pouts, sulking a little to himself. “Okay, hyung, I honestly don’t understand what they mean because it’s all science , but they are saying that your countdown has almost begun!”

“...countdown to what?”

“To give birth to the baby.” He replies, tone gentle. “Hyung, when was the last time you visited the doctor?”

“The same day where I found that I am pregnant.”

“Well,” Jungkook says and his bottom lip. “We have to meet her again. Didn’t she give you parental vitamins?”

Jongin is silent for a few seconds. “I left the hospital as soon as I got the news. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then we’ll have to wait.” The boy hums, nodding a little. “We need to talk about what you should do and not during these months.”

Jongin deflates and sulks a little to himself, finally getting up from the couch to stroll towards where the photographer is asking him to stand on the balcony. Jungkook passes him thumbs up, eyes bright and smile reassuring and comforting.

-

-

The real tension starts between the two friends when Jongin, a very anxious Jongin, answers Jungkook that he isn’t really sure about keeping the baby. That he wants to pay more attention to the question if abortion is possible or not in his case. That his dreams and his achievements matter more than the being that hasn’t even taken first breath of life.

Life goes on for a few days, life never stops for anyone, in silence and extreme tension between the friends. Jungkook purposefully ignores his older friend, focuses more on looking after Jongin and his schedule than Jongin’s anxious blabbering about his pregnancy, and the company and public kicking him out after finding about something as big as pregnancy of an artist on peak of his career.

Jongin lets his friend have a moment to himself, coming up to him and demanding the boy’s presence when he’s sure that he cannot go on without crying every moment that he spends alone, in nothing but solitary silence of his bedroom and himself. Even if they didn’t announce his pregnancy, his fans would eventually find out that he’s hiding something big from them.

They haven’t even informed anyone in the company, Jongin is sure half of the management would demand him to go through abortion.

“Do you even understand my situation?” He begins, catching Jungkook in middle of stocking vegetables in his fridge. The boy looks taken aback at talked all of a sudden, before relaxing and continuing with his work. “No, you’re not understanding!” He throws his hands in the air, although the break in his voice indicates how he’s close to bursting into tears once again. “You’re not even trying, and that’s why you’re saying I—”

“I don’t think if I said anything to you,” Jungkook replies, tone cold.

Technically the boy hasn’t, Jongin doesn’t remember the younger saying anything after what he’d admitted. That’s a disapproval of its own though: it’s clear how much the younger is against the very thought of abortion, despite knowing the situation where Jongin is.

“Jungkook, please talk to me.” His pleading voice finally does the thing, and the boy turns around, eyes hard and posture rigid. “I-I don’t want to go through abortion but Jungkook, I don’t think if there’s any other way to come out of this problem.”

“There isn’t,” Jungkook agrees, surprisingly calm. “There would never be any solution other than abortion if you only think of pregnancy as nothing more than a huge problem.” He shrugs, catching the gentle change of emotions in Jongin’s eyes. “I am not going to say anything, I don’t think if there’s anything to say other than this. No, I don’t like this choice of yours; I don’t want you to go through abortion.”

“... tell me how?” He asks at last, fiddling with his fingers and hoping to never see such disappointed look on the younger’s face. He has never seen Jungkook like this--eyes hard and lips set in a straight line--and the sight and the poignant truth that he’s the reason for it does nothing to calm his racing heart, nor helps him with the probl--thing he’s run into.

Jungkook raises a curious brow, watching as Jongin pats his stomach and sulks a little to himself. “Tell you what?”

Jongin shrugs, a smile on his face though his expression indicates how uncertain he is. He gulps before nodding a little. “Let’s talk?” Jungkook smiles and follows him inside.

“You’re right,” Jungkook says a few minutes into the silence between them. “I don’t understand this situation as much as you do. Maybe I won’t be affected if this news comes out in public as much as you’ll be, maybe your life will change more than mine. You’re right, I don’t understand what you’re going through, hyung.”

“Stop playing with words, will you?” Jongin snaps, but there’s no bite in his words; in fact there’s anticipation in his tone of what the younger will say next.

Jungkook shrugs and leans against the chair, eyes fixed on a frame on the wall: it’s Jongin and him in the picture, the picture taken right after Jongin had won his first award. Jongin looks happy in it: his eyes, they are bright; his smile, it’s wide; his posture proud, and confidence that of a fresh faced artist who had been nothing but praised for his stunning abilities in creative art. His hyung looks gorgeous in it, Jungkook couldn’t say that he doesn’t want to have the sight of it once again, again and again, for as long as possible.

He, on the other end, was just as same as he is now. Although he has known about the games of entertainment business even longer than Jongin himself (his father being a part of the same business in his youth), he couldn’t deny that he was made to look after the older male since the start. In the background, he was never meant to stay in public’s eyes. So whatever he will do, will not be judged by anyone. Or to some extent only, and will be forgotten within a few days (depending on what he does).

He gets Jongin’s concern, his doubts and the elder’s worries more now. Jongin has been bright ever since he started his career here; has been nothing but a ball of optimistic energy and thoughts. Of course, the unforeseen pregnancy will create nothing but havoc of fear in him, fear of losing everything that he has achieved after hundreds and thousands of rejections and failures.

Jongin, as far as Jungkook knows, comes from a small town; where people dream of nothing but having a degree to adorn their lives, and for the same degree to help them in finding suitable life partner. For Jongin to reach this point of life, this point of stage, where he’s loved by almost everyone in the nation for his exceptionally talented self could be a tale of legendary stories in itself. Of course, everyone expects a lot from Jongin; from his family, everyone from his town, to the nation and everyone from the different nations who leave no chance in getting to know this human more.

The most important being, Jongin expecting himself to be better by each passing day.

To have the thought that everything could be taken away from him, everything that he has earned, is nothing short of frightening. If he were in the elder’s place, he would probably go through the same dilemma.

Jongin is staring at the same picture that he had been staring at a few seconds ago, and he watches with silent breathing as emotions run on Jongin’s pretty gentle face, eyes no more hard but more worried and scared for a future that he probably feels crumbling down.

He hesitates when he places his hand over the elder’s, Jongin looks down at their linked hands, a tear slips out of his eye, Jungkook heart breaks. For the mistake the elder has done, Jungkook couldn’t deny that he’s taking the brunt of it alone, when that dude--he’s angry, very angry. Livid even. How dare a man have this much power over his hyung and the situation that’s doing nothing but breaking him more and more every moment of the solitary silence?

“We need to talk to him.”

Jongin shakes his head and bites his lower lip, releasing it only when he tastes the metallic taste of blood. “He will never accept this.”

“I know he will never, no one will in this kind of situation but, hyung…” he stops and wraps both hands around Jongin’s. “You probably heard the idiom: it takes two to tango. He’s responsible for this as much as you are. We are going to him, talking about this. That’s it. That’s basically it.”

“What if--what if he didn’t accept it.” Raising his free hand before the younger could speak, he speaks, “what if he didn’t accept me being pregnant? What if he said that I should abort this child instead?”

Jungkook is silent, his eyes visibly harden once again. “Then I will take responsibility of this child and you. I will be the daddy.”

Jongin furrows his brows. Did he just hear what he just heard? “...eh?”

Jungkook blushes and coughs a little to himself. “I mean that’s the only solution that I can come up with! Don’t eh me.” He frowns then, although there’s still an amused smile on his lips. “God, that will be so weird: twenty and daddy to a baby. Wah! Haha!”

Jongin slaps his hands away, huffing a little to himself. He’s still amused though, and he’s laughing along with the younger man. “You’re not funny.”

“You’re not funny as well, mummy.”

“Go to hell!”

-

-

Finding Kyungsoo is not as easy as the two close friends had thought; if anything, they struggle more with Jongin’s schedule and their own free time spent in trying to find where their CEO could be at the same moment. They realize that Kyungsoo being a CEO means he’s busy with his life at the company; he could be traveling here or traveling there, he could be holding meetings after meetings, he could be paying attention to the artists working under their company, he could be busy hiding the scandals of their top artists (paying loads and loads of money to keep a few mouths shut), he could be busy sorting out the business matters, paying close attention to what the other companies are up to, he could be paying attention to his surrounding, he could be looking around himself for some potential mishappening.

He could be anything but free.

The two friends are as tired as anyone working for straight twenty-one hours would be. Jongin had shooting of his new movie this day,--of ten hours--he also had an interview, he also had to meet a few important people, and had to walk through a crowd of highly energetic fans.

It’s two in the night when Jongin crawls on his bed, jeans sticking to his legs irritatingly. He doesn’t fight to shuffle out of them, knowing he’s nothing but boneless at this moment. Completely spent by now.

“Are you not going to eat, hyung? I brought some noodles with me, the ones you like.”

He groans, trying hard to grab the duvet with boneless hands. “I just want some sleep.”

Jungkook hums something in reply and plops next to him on the bed. “Hyung, even I don’t want to. It’s so difficult being your manager.”

Jongin gives a choked laugh in return. “It’s difficult being me as well.”

“Are you not going to take shower? You’ll smell when you wake up tomorrow.”

Getting up from the bed sounds nothing but horror to him at this moment. “What do I do tomorrow?”

“Just some afternoon practice, and the shooting of your movie in the evening. You’re free tomorrow morning as well,” the boy answers, closing his tablet and placing it back on the bed. “It’s been two days and we haven’t even met this dude.”

“If I am busy as an actor, he would be more. He basically runs this company.”

“Whatever.” He grabs his phone and scrolls through his contact list. Jongin has his eyes closed, so he doesn’t notice the younger clicking on ‘Kyung Hyung’ for the nth time. He, however, opens his eyes a few minutes later when Jungkook greets someone on the other side. Jungkook looks pleased for a second, and he’s humming to whatever the person on the other end is saying.

“Who is it?” He asks, closing his eyes once again, Jungkook turns the phone to loudspeaker.

“I am sorry that I couldn’t meet you today. Minho informed me about you coming to me.”

Jongin’s eyes snap on its own, he squeaks and Jungkook slaps a hand over his mouth. Jongin looks betrayed, Jungkook barely pays his dramatic self any mind.

“Was it something important? Did something happen?” Kyungsoo is silent on the other side, and there’s some rustling too. “Is Jongin okay? Something happened to him? Does he need something?”

The last three questions warm Jongin’s heart unexpectedly, he smiles into the pillow he has buried his face in, cheeks set aflame.

“Yes, it’s actually related to Jongin hyung. Someone else as well.” Jongin hopes the younger won’t throw the bomb right this moment. “Do you have some time for Jongin hyung?”

There’s complete silence now, no sound other than gentle breathing. Jongin believes Kyungsoo has pushed aside his work (or whatever he was doing) to listen to what the boy wants to say. “What is it? Is he sick? Someone misbehaved with him? I-is he in relationship with someone, and wants me to announce it in public?” His tone has hardened by the end of the sentence. “You know I can’t handle another scandal.”

“Nothing like that, hyung!” Jungkook laughs, Kyungsoo breathes a sigh of relief from the other side. However, it’s short-lived. “It’s actually bigger than everything.”

Kyungsoo is silent some more, very silent. “What do you mean bigger than everything?”

Jungkook laughs, although it’s threatening and awkward instead of amused. “Something that we need to talk about.”

“Wait, I am not understanding what you mean. Stop talking in codes, kid.”

“Hyung, I don’t know what you’re talking about. However, I know one thing and that is that we should meet as soon as possible. If not me, then Jongin hyung and you. We can’t delay this any further.” Jungkook catches the hand Jongin is about to slap him with, hold turning firmer when the elder tries to wriggle out of it. Jongin whines, he passes the older man an angry look. “Jongin hyung has struggled enough, I don’t want him to suffer alone. He has things to look into; his new movie will be released next year, he has been working on it for a few months now. Park had asked Jongin to be his co-actor in his new music video, he has to be coach of a few idols-in-making for a show. He, he has a lot of things to do. It will be better if you meet---hello? Did you just hang up on me?”

Jongin looks up from where he’d buried his face into, eyes wide when he catches the low growl Jungkook emits. “What happened?”

“He hung up on me!” He throws the phone on the other side with a huff, leaving the elder’s hand when Jongin asks him to leave him already. “Is this is what a CEO should be like?

“He hung up, like really?” Jungkook gives a growl of approval. “What if he already knows and is avoiding us?”

“Nah, I don’t think it's that.” He shakes his head. Once Twice. Then goes silent for a few long minutes. “...but what if it is?” He asks, more to himself than Jongin. “We’re going to meet him tomorrow. Is that alright with you, hyung?”

“I am worried.”

“You have no reason to,” Jungkook reassures, humming a little to himself. “Gosh, I feel like a responsible daddy to you! What have you done, hyung?”

“It is your duty to look after me,” Jongin whines, slapping a weak hand over his friend’s chest. “If he doesn’t want this child, then you’ll be the daddy--don’t show me that face! You promised me some time ago.”

“That was a joke!” The younger squawks, pushing Jongin away when he tries to hug him. “Stay away.”

“You were serious.”

“That was a joke, shut it already!”

“Daddy~”

-

-

According to their plan they find themselves out of the CEO’s office the next morning, Jongin stands behind Jungkook because he holds no courage to look into Kyungsoo’s eyes while informing him of the result of their deed. According to the receptionist, Kyungsoo is busy in a meeting and will be for the next an hour. Jongin feels giddy and anxious at the same time, Jungkook is surprisingly very calm beside him.

“What will happen? What will happen? What will happen?” Jongin hums to himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jungkook’s eyes are still fixed on the closed door, his posture though is rigid and expression as hard as it has always been whenever they talk about Do Kyungsoo. Especially after the boy found out about his hyung’s pregnancy.

According to Jungkook, Kyungsoo isn’t a trustable man. For all they know, Kyungsoo could be an excellent manipulator, who knows if he has some people working for him that would harm Jongin once the truth about his pregnancy comes out? What if Kyungsoo is one of those kind of businessman who hides his relationship with the mafia, and uses their friendship to... wipe someone’s trace off this world?

He’s nothing but a dramatic, little brat in Jongin’s eyes. So it doesn’t come out as a surprise for him when the younger holds his hand as soon as the door opens, and Kyungsoo walks out with a few other gentlemen. Kyungsoo doesn’t even pass them a glance, he simply drops the gentlemen to the elevator, then starts walking inside his office, busy pressing insistently on his phone.

Jungkook clears his throat and calls a loud “Kyungsoo hyung”, in an extremely cherry voice. Jongin cowers under Kyungsoo’s gaze, suddenly feeling very afraid about the truth. The most he has felt ever since he found about his pregnancy.

“Hello, Jungkook.” He nods, voice firm and short. “Jongin,” he greets, eyes fixed on Jongin’s face for a few long seconds. Very. Few. Long. Seconds. They feel like hours to Jongin. “You called me last night, you should not call me at such hours. I could be sleeping.” He finally tears his gaze from Jongin, looking almost reluctant in doing so.

Oh. What an . Jongin barely bites back the scoff.

“I—we want to talk to you. Do you have some time, hyung?” Jungkook asks, sounding brave and obstinate. Jongin stays hidden behind the younger, knowing well he wouldn't be able to mutter even a single word now that he knows why they're here for.

Kyungsoo raises a curious brow at the younger. “I don't have time.”

“You probably will some time. We need to take that exact moment.”

Kyungsoo clenches his jaw in irritation before nodding a little. “Minho,” he calls the man standing behind him. “Will you please tell me if I have some time off for this.”

Jongin gasps at the blatant rudeness, Jungkook rolls his eyes; if he feels offended, he doesn't say anything.

“You have, sir,” Minho says, “Three days later. You have to attend a meeting in China. It'll be a trip of three days.”

“Heard what he said?” Kyungsoo asks and takes a few steps in their direction. “If I have time, I will talk. Since I don't have time, I won't. Leave!”

“It's about Jongin hyung. He wants to talk to you, it's something important.”

Kyungsoo's expression changes a little, his eyes are still hard and dark though. “What does that mean?”

“That means that he cannot talk to you since you're so busy. We will wait for you to come back from China, hyung.” A saccharine smile and then a little warning glare to the CEO when his eyes travel up and down Jongin's frame. He looks like he's warning the elder, making sure that the man knows his boundaries. “We hope you'll have enough time to talk about something that will decide your future.”

He bows and asks Jongin to do the same, Jongin does without any complain before following the younger out of the hall and towards the elevator.

“I am afraid,” Jongin repeats, silence and worry heavy between them in the elevator. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“You have every right to be,” the younger says, suddenly looking like the twenty-year-old kid that he is. “I don’t know what’s going to happen now either.” He smiles, though it’s strained and unsure. “Let’s hope that he will accept this.”