Sungjae:

            Heavy panting was heard when the steps stopped abruptly. The alley was empty and dark. The stench left over was from the trash and wet concrete. It wasn't the safest of places, but it was a place to hide. He never wanted to get involved. He should have never gotten involved. Initially his father was involved and dragged him into it. Greed was a powerful thing. It could turn a hardworking man into someone that would find the easy way just for extra money.

Some paths should have never been crossed and his father had crossed them. Now he feared for his life but also for the life of the only girl, he had ever truly loved. He ed that relationship up because he couldn't trust. He couldn't trust because of his father's lies he had found out. It was supposed to end. Part of his leaving wasn't because of what he did and getting expelled from school, but to keep him and his mother safe. When he received the letter from his father, he thought it was okay to come. It wasn't.

His father was missing, the company CEO was gone, and nothing was okay. Park had gotten to his father and now he was using him to find out information he did not have. Park was powerful and scary. There was no way anyone could know of Joy. No one was supposed to know about Joy. It was in their youth and she didn't love him anymore, if she ever did. She loved that damn Kim Taehyung that had been lying to her all those years. He had thought he was the one bad for her, but it had been Taehyung all along. At least, thanks to the man who kidnapped him away from Park's men—he was able to know whom Joy needed to stay away from.

The Kim's had always been an eyesore in his and his father's life. It was now that he realized why they had been such an eyesore. The Kim's who owned one of the biggest law firms in Daegu and Busan. Big enough, most politicians from Seoul would travel down to meet with them and ask for help. He was just surprised that was all a farce and that they were no better than his greedy father—who had once been part of the company that competed against the Kim's. That was until just recently. The company had gone bankrupt with his father missing. Gone and missing, probably with the same fate that would meet him, soon.

He should have stayed away. He just wanted to see she was safe once he found out hit the fan and anyone from his past could be used against him. She was safe but now they were monitoring her, on her whereabouts and her father. As far as he knew. It was only a matter of time, before they would be traced back to Park. When he found out, he didn't know how to react. Why was she in such a predicament when all she ever did was bring light into people's life? She deserved happiness.

She was going to be used as a scapegoat. Park would find out his estranged son had come back from the dead and was working under his nose the whole time. Moreover, he would find out his granddaughter was only an arm’s length away. Yet, something felt incomplete. Something was missing.

Kim. Yes. Even if he hated the idea and the fact of what the Kim's had done to Joy and her life—it seemed only Kim Taehyung could truly keep her safe.

He shouldn't have found that information. He should have pretended to find nothing and then go AWOL. Sure, they would find him in months but at least he would have not feed information to the wolves. He wasn't even sure what he fully had gotten himself into. He just knew it wasn't just some corporate world rivalry. It was more and it involved the deepest shadows that roamed the night.

The sounds of footsteps made him freeze. This was it. They would find him and everything he knew would be left in the hands of the police. He could only hope that righteous hands would see his information.

Only, he did not know that the information he held was mainly fabricated and he fell trap, to lead the police away from the main culprits in the hunt to finding Park Sooyoung.

⇤〜⑉⑅﹎⑅〜⑉⇥

Seokjin:

He sat waiting for his old friend to come. Taehyung had texted him two days ago to see if they could meet on this specific day. He had agreed. He needed some sort of distraction from what he was told to do. The bullet removal was a success. Still, he did not want to know why Mr. Bae had a bullet wound to begin with. One bright thing that came out of helping—he was given at least two hours to see Sooyoung on her birthday, tomorrow.

He looked down at his phone again and pouted. Jimin was letting him know—the friends were divided on whom they wanted their princess to end up with. He had the support of Hoseok, and it seemed like Yoongi as well. Meanwhile Jimin was adamant on having Taehyung win and Namjoon said Jungkook had a chance. Seokjin wanted to laugh at the childishness that was being shown. But the picture of Sooyoung kissing Jungkook on the cheek made him seethe with jealousy as did the picture of Taehyung holding her hand.

The pictures brought him back to why he even wanted to talk to Taehyung. He had gone back to tell Sooyoung something when he spotted them talking. Taehyung was close to her and he saw as her face was flushed and shy. He could see it. She had strong feelings for Taehyung, and he found it unfair on how his friend for all these years did nothing until he showed up. Namjoon had warned him about the possessiveness that Taehyung would display, and he just never knew it would be so open. He never saw his younger friend as petty, and he guessed he was wrong.

Still, Sooyoung genuinely and truly cares for him: Seokjin. He knows she does. He can see it in the way she blushes and smiles. She just doesn't like him as much as he likes her. He was falling and falling hard. Sooyoung had already fallen and now she was trying to get back up. Call him masochist; but he wanted her smile to reach her eyes. He didn't want her to slightly flinch whenever someone mentioned Taehyung's name. He wanted her to be happy and if it meant moving on and allowing her heart to let him in, he would take it. If it meant slapping some sense into Taehyung, he would take it as well.

He inhaled and exhaled. This was hurting his heart more than he would have ever liked. Where was Taehyung, anyway?

"Dr. Kim?"

Seokjin looked up at the sound of the quiet voice in front of him. He recognized the voice before he recognized the girl. She was no longer sickly and was healthy. He was right about her; she was prettier now that she wasn't in constant pain. Seeing her, it brought a flashback of old emotions he once had had. Regardless, she was far more breathtaking than he could have imagined which he had tried.

"Bae Joohyun, it's been a long time. I've told you to call me Jin, you're older than me."

"I may be older in age but I'm behind in life that I feel younger."

He felt sad at her words, seeing the sadness in her eyes. "Everyone's life starts at a different time Joohyun. Just because yours is starting now, doesn't mean you're behind."

Joohyun smiled at his words. "You were always so good with words. But I go by Irene now. If I'm to call you Jin, then call me Irene."

"Deal. What brings you here?"

"Oh, well I still need check-ups to make sure everything is okay. Sometimes there is organ rejection, even if years have passed. My parents want to make sure that it doesn't happen and if it does, that we can catch it on time."

Seokjin nodded, "Smart parents. Now that you're no longer bound to a hospital bed, what are you doing with your life?"

"I'm pursuing my dream. In more ways than one." Irene smiled one of the happiest smiles he had ever seen on her face. The one that was remotely close to this smile was when she found a dream in the first place. A dream that made her hopeful. Having a wish to continue living.

Irene, when a resident at the hospital, used to like to wander the halls and it was his main duty to make sure to always bring her back to her room. Her wandering around worried the doctors but she felt trapped, and he understood her want to walk and not be locked up in a room forever. With her weak lungs and oxygen tank she needed to carry, he also worried constantly that she would overexert herself whenever she did take longer walks.

One particular day he saw her wandering the halls but with a smile on her face telling him that she found a dream the moment he reached her side. She had gone outside, which was forbidden, and had seen a boy taking pictures of the birds flying past. His joy in taking the pictures and smile ignited something in her. She wanted to capture beautiful moments and she wanted to capture him as well. Irene had been a victim of love on first sight, according to her words.

Seokjin recalled telling her that whatever her dream, she would most definitely achieve it. He was just glad to see a light in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. It was the light every doctor dealing with a patient who could potentially pass away, wanted to see. Yet, he was hurt because he had tried so hard to give her hope and the first time, he saw her bright smile, it was not directed at him or the efforts he had shown her. Those years around each other helped them develop a friendship. So, he knew Bae Joohyun, Taehyung's crush very well and only Namjoon knew he did. His bond with the girl was different but oddly