Haejoong sits in the empty stairwell, contemplating his next step. Hardly anyone ever takes these stairs, he is well aware. Like he said, he never truly intended you any harm but why did you have to dig your own grave?  

He doesn’t understand why you wouldn’t support him like he had unconditionally supported you, wasn’t he your only friend at one time? All he wants is Jihyun’s happiness, and that happiness lies with him.  

The pertinent question now is ‘how much does Kim Taehyung know?’ He shook his head as he reprimanded himself for being too rash with you. All he needed to do was continue to put up an act even if you were suspicious of him but he let his feelings get the better of him. He needs to come up with a way to keep you quiet. No, he needs to keep both you and Taehyung quiet.  

At least he had the foresight to keep the screen of your phone unlocked ever since he stopped the voice recording. He taps the corner of the phone a few times on his palm before deciding to make his next move.  

“Hey, I know this is sudden, but do you still have feelings for Jihyun?”, he sent a message using your phone to Taehyung.  

It didn’t take more than two minutes for Taehyung to respond.  

“Did something happen? This isn’t like you to suddenly ask this kind of thing out of nowhere…”  

“I really need to know now…”, Haejoong continued talking to Taehyung, posing as you.  

“Where are you? I’ll go find you”, Taehyung replies.  

Haejoong was growing impatient, “If you avoid my question again then I’ll take it that you still have feelings for her… life is all about decisions, Taehyung, you can’t keep running away like this.”

And this time, Taehyung finally answered his question:  

“I’m not running away! Why are you acting so weird?  

I thought I made it clear that I broke up with her because I realised that I have always just treated her as a friend. And you were the one who broke up with me thinking I had feelings for her! I was just really confused at that time… and maybe a little angry too… when she asked me to think about dating her I just thought it might be better that way…

I made a mistake back then and I’ve already lost my best friend

You know that.

Where are you now? Let’s meet and talk instead.”  

Haejoong watched the messages trickle in one by one and his annoyance ballooned. Why is it always that the people who don’t deserve it are the ones who have it? After a few minutes of leaving Taehyung on ‘read’, a call eventually comes in from him.  

Haejoong ignored the call at first, but Taehyung calls again. This time Haejoong decided to pick it up.  

“Where are you? Why are you not replying me suddenly?”, Taehyung’s voice was full of anxiety.  

“So, you never actually had any feelings for her?”, Haejoong proclaims into the phone immediately upon answering.  

“Who the hel- wait… Im Haejoong? Is that you? Where is Y/N? Why are you picking up her phone?”, Taehyung fired his questions rapidly at Haejoong.  

“I will tell you where she is. I don’t want to hurt her either-”, Haejoong’s voice was still mild and calm.  

“What do you mean hurt her?! WHERE IS SHE?!”, Taehyung yells into the device on his end.  

“She thinks that I was the one who uploaded those photos and videos of Jihyun, do you share the sentiment?”, Haejoong questions.  

“You must be out of your mind, right? You know what… with what you are doing right now, I have no problem sharing that sentiment! Just freaking tell me where she is, you crazy bastard!!!”, Taehyung was no longer holding back his anger.  

“Hey hey, calm down, she’s fine… for now… but the longer you drag this out, the harder it will be for her”, Haejoong was letting go of his act too, “I have a proposition…”  

—

Your voice was hoarse by now. There was hardly any human traffic near this part of the school in the evening, and screaming from the rooftop seven floors above ground didn’t seem to help catch anyone’s attention. Due to all the banging on the wooden door, your frozen hands were starting to feel extremely sore as well.  

You slumped onto the ground, leaning against the unmoving door, thinking of the worst that could happen. Desperation manifests in the tear drops that drips from your eyes.  

The sky was getting darker, the air was getting chillier and you were getting increasingly despondent. You start to notice that your body was not generating enough heat to keep up with the icy exterior. Every muscle was shivering. You instinctively curled up and started to rub your hands while trying to tuck them inside your coat, close to your chest. You weren’t feeling your toes anymore and the fearfulness within slowly encroaches upon the tiny glimmers of hope you held onto.  

When you heard the sound of footsteps getting closer, you thought you were hallucinating. But the stomping was indeed getting nearer and louder. You leaned close to the tiny crevice between the door and the frame, all the while not letting yourself get too expectant of the possibility that there was someone coming to you.  

“Y/N!”, a voice suddenly bellows.  

It sounds like Taehyung, but how could it be, you warned yourself not to get your hopes up high.  

“Are you in there Y/N?!”, Taehyung’s shouts come barrelling through the roof door.

With whatever energy was left, you turned and started banging on the door again, weakly calling out, “Taehyung, is that you? Taehyung…”  

“Y/N! Hold on…”, Taehyung gasps to hear your tiny voice through the door.  

You hear him frantically trying to unlock the door and when the ice-cold slab finally bursts open you almost collapse onto the floor as you were resting your entire weight on it. Taehyung somehow manages to catch you and helps you into the warm interior before shutting the door again.  

“Let’s get you to the hospital”, Taehyung was in a frenzy trying to remove his jacket to wrap you up in it.

“Haejoong, he…”, you tried to stand up but fell back down again.  

“Let’s deal with it after we get you to a doctor, please…”, he pleaded while kneeling down in front of you so that you could plop yourself onto his back.  

—

In the hospital ward, you continued to mumble about reporting Haejoong to the police and the student office, even when you were only half-conscious and hooked up to an IV drip. There were layers of blankets covering you with an electric heating mat right underneath your mattress.  

The numbness slowly started to fade away and you could wriggle your toes and fingers again.  

“It’s Haejoong, we have to tell them that it’s him”, you uttered to Taehyung who came into the tiny room with a glass of something that was smoking hot.  

“I know, I know. But you have hypothermia, you need to stay here tonight for them to monitor you. Tomorrow, ok? Tomorrow we will go do that first thing in the morning. Now drink this up and rest”, he cooed at you.  

You sit up to take the hot drink from his hands, finding it to be warm milk, but the action causes the blankets to fall off from you and you immediately shuddered slightly. Taehyung sits down on the side of the bed, slightly behind you and hugged you from behind, pulling the blankets up to cover at least your thighs.  

His body felt so warm and comfortable, you couldn’t help but lean in to him, as you took tiny sips from the mug. He rubs his hands up and down your arms to keep you warm and rest his head and watched quietly as you finished the drink. 

Once the cup was empty, he takes it from you and sets it down on the bedside table, then proceeds to quickly tuck you back into the blankets.  

“I told the hospital staff what happened and that you are probably still shaken from the events, so they are letting me stay here with you tonight. So, don’t worry ok, I will be right outside”, Taehyung reassured.  

But you weren’t just shaken. Even though you didn’t want to let it show, you were absolutely frightened. All the worst thoughts had run through your mind at least once and now that you were gaining consciousness again, the fear was rekindling.  

“Can’t you stay here? Please? I’m… cold”, you grabbed on to his wrist as he was about to leave.  

He felt your hand shaking, but it wasn’t as icy as before. He knows you must be scared but he decides to go along.  

He sits down next to you on the bed again. This time you scoot over, allowing him more space, he leans back into the two pillows behind and lets you put your head on his arms. You wrapped your blankets around him too and snuggles into his chest, listening to that same soothing heartbeat.  

“How did you know I was there just now?”, you whispered.  

“How is that important now? You need to rest, ok?”, he didn’t answer.  

His other hand pats your back lightly to a slow beat, almost synchronising with the thumping in his chest and you start to drift off to sleep, knowing that for now you are safe with him.  

—

The next morning you promptly requested to be discharged and you stomped out of the ward, Taehyung anxiously tailing behind you, nagging at you to walk slower. As you exited the hospital, you see him standing at the gates, the man who landed you in this plight.  

You marched up to him, outraged and incensed. “You have the guts to show up here? What? Is it disappointing to see that I’m alive?!”, you asked through gritted teeth.  

“Who do you think sent Kim Taehyung to save you?”, Haejoong was still leaning against the wall he had been waiting at the whole morning.  

“Oh, so do you expect a thank you note, you were the one who locked me out you freaking bastard!”, you were raging by now.

He stood up straight again, causing Taehyung to jump in front of you, protecting you from him.  

Haejoong scoffs a little, “I actually just came to check if you were alright. Like I said I don’t mean to harm you, I just need you guys to stay out of my business, ok?”, he says rather earnestly.  

You couldn’t believe your ears and your eye roll was automatic. “That is very believable, yes… coming from the person who freaking chucked me on a rooftop in this weather. FYI, I nearly died, so this is my business. And Jihyun is our friend, so whatever you’ve been doing in your shady little backroom is very much our business as well!”, you yelled at him over Taehyung’s shoulders.  

Haejoong’s expression looked queer, as though he was disappointed in you and was reluctant to do what he was going to do next.  

“You didn’t tell her?”, he directed his question at Taehyung. 

“Fine, make me the bad guy”, he mutters before turning to you and balking, “Go, go and report me if you want to. I’ll take him down with me”, Haejoong taunts with his hands outstretched towards the road, hinting at something going on between Taehyung and him.  

Why is he so unconcerned? You started hesitating for some reason, “What do you mean ‘take him down with you’? What did you do?”, you demanded at Haejoong.  

“No, no, no, the question should be ‘what did he do?’”, Haejoong gestures towards Taehyung who is staring back at him with an intensity you have never seen before. “I’m really surprised you didn’t tell her… why? Is it some altruistic sacrificial mindset?”, Haejoong questioned Taehyung, starting to sound like he is having fun.  

“Y/N, don’t bother about him. Let’s go”, Taehyung turns to you and tugs at your arms gently, leading you to walk away.  

Haejoong shook his head and hits a button on his phone.  

“All those photos and videos of Jihyun, you were the one who posted them?!”, the voice coming from the phone clearly sounded like Haejoong’s.  

“Im Haejoong, turn it off. Now!”, Taehyung lunges at him and grabs his shirt.  

Haejoong was unfazed and the audio kept playing. After a long pause you hear his voice, Taehyung’s voice.

“Right, it was me, are we done now?!”  

“Why did you do it, you crazy bastard?!”, Haejoong shouted in the recording, “Is it because she’s your ex-girlfriend now, huh?“  

Another unnaturally long pause ensued. Taehyung tries to turn off the recording but Haejoong shoves him aside.  

“Because I realised she was the reason why Y/N and I broke up. Because… I wanted to get back at her for all the things she did… to…”, it seemed like Taehyung’s voice was shaking heavily and he couldn’t continue whatever he wanted to say.  

“All the things she did to Y/N?”, Haejoong sounded like he was prompting Taehyung in the clip.  

“It has nothing to do with her, it’s just me, okay? I just hated Jihyun for making this whole mess so I just did it, alright?! Happy now?!”, with that the audio ended.  

The horror finally sets in. So, this is how Taehyung managed to find you, because he traded himself to save you.