The exhibition hall was busy with movers bringing in Taehyung's painting that they collected the day before, transporting them from the lorry and into the white hall. For a moment there, his heart ached. Will he be able to bring back all his paintings once he cancels his show or will his weeks of hard work and sleepless nights be taken away from him in a blink of an eye? 

Pushing that thought away for now, Taehyung spotted Min Jinah from a distance, standing in the middle of the room and commanding the movers on where to position the canvases. 

Taehyung dialled Jinah's number but the woman didn't pick up. That leaves him no choice but to get to her instead. Taehyung stride towards her with purpose but was then stopped by a security guard.

"Can I see your pass?" A six foot man blocked his way.

Taehyung huffed in annoyance, forgetting to bring his own pass with him. To be fair, he hadn't really been thinking clearly while on the way there either.

"I forgot my pass but if you would just let me in I--"

"No pass, no entry." The guard tried to steer him back but Taehyung stood on his ground.

"I just need a minute and I'll be out of here." He promised, keeping his tone even. "Or you could just call Min Jinah for me."

"I don't care how long it takes but this is a private space and you are not allowed to be here without a pass."

Taehyung knew the guy was just doing his job and under normal circumstances, he would he pleased that his exhibition was well guarded but since this wasn't under normal circumstances, Taehyung would just have to apologise to him later.

So he ignored the guard and side-stepped him.

"Jeogiyo! Where do you think you're going?"

"Back off will you?" Taehyung hissed, continuing to walk deeper into the hall.

"Yah!" The guard grabbed his arm roughly and tried to tackle him to the ground but Taehyung resisted, fighting against his grip. 

"I said I just needed a minute to talk to Jinah!"

"Stop resisting or I will have to report you to the police." 

"That won't be necessary." The sound of heels click-clacking against the marble floor took the two men's attention away from each other.

Min Jinah walked towards them with an easy smile. "Its okay, he's with me." 

The guard finally released Taehyung's arm and bowed his head. "Ne. Call me if you need any help."

Once the guard left them, Jinah gave him a questioning look. "Why are you trying to break into your own exhibition? Where's the pass I gave you?"

Ignoring her question, Taehyung nodded his head to the back room. "We need to talk. In private. Now."

"I thought you said you were too busy to come today and now you're trying to make a scene." Jinah chastised him as they made their way to the back room, away from the listening ears. "I hope this is important because I have a lot of things to d--"

"I'm cancelling the show tomorrow."

"What?" Jinah's stilettos screeched to a stop. "You've got to be joking. And if it is, it's not funny."

Taehyung turned to her and gave her a steely look. "I know what you did with the tickets."

This time, Jinah's jaw dropped before she quickly recovered.  "I....I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just stop okay! Stop lying to me!" Taehyung yelled, his voice amplified by the enclosed space they were in. "What were you thinking?!"

The woman flinched. "Okay, okay, keep your voice down. I did it for your own good."

"Making V looks like a jerk is for my own good? Do you know how I even found out about this?" Taehyung lowered his voice menacingly. "My own friend criticised V right in front of my face because apparently he wasn't qualified enough for a ticket. And you think this is for my own good?"

Jinah waved her hand dismissively. "Remember the cheque I gave you? You think we would be able to achieve that amount by selling the tickets to just about anyone?"

"The money doesn't mean a thing if my own friends get ridiculed!"

"Who cares what those people think?"

Taehyung narrowed his eyes. "Those people you're talking about are my people. Who gives you the right to discriminate people at my own exhibition?"

Jinah shook her head, not looking apologetic. "What difference does it make if I sell the tickets to the lower class? Your paintings are sold to the highest bidder. Your people wouldn't stand a chance competing with the big players anyway. If anything, I'm saving them from humiliation."

Taehyung took a moment to let that soak in. Back then, as an unknown artist, bidding meant nothing when the highest that he got for a single painting was only a measly ₩150,000. Everyone still had an equal chance. He should have realised it would be different now as his work grew recognition and his paintings got more valuable. He should have sold his paintings with a fixed price, some more affordable than others, so that everyone with different backgrounds can be a part of his journey.  "You're right. I shouldn't have made it into a bidding war. That was my mistake."

Jinah rolled her eyes. "You're mixing personal feelings with business. That is not how the real world works, Taehyung-shi."

"You just don't get it, do you?" Taehyung was sick and tired of people saying that. The real world shouldn't be this cruel. At least not if he can help it. "I don't want to be V anymore if I can't share my work with everyone."<