Jimin entered the dimly lit VIP room at RCove, their secret hideout where the camaraderie between friends had often flourished. The atmosphere, usually filled with laughter and shared secrets, now felt heavy with the unspoken weight of Taehyung's distress. The room, adorned with low lighting and plush furnishings, became a backdrop for the unfolding turmoil.

Having rushed to RCove after receiving Taehyung's cryptic call, Jimin changed into a simple black shirt and jeans, a departure from his usual refined attire. The dark hues clung to him, accentuating the furrow on his forehead as he opened the door to the VIP room, revealing a palpable concern etched across his features.

"Yah, Taehyung-ah, what's wrong?" Jimin inquired, the worry in his voice matching the tension in the room.

Taehyung, seated in one of the plush chairs, looked up at Jimin, his eyes reflecting a mixture of fear and uncertainty. "Jimin, what should I do?"

Jimin's gaze sharpened as he moved further into the room, his eyes searching Taehyung's face. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Taehyung, in a state of distress, repeated his plea, "What should I do? What should I do?"

Jimin, now standing beside him, pressed for answers. "Taehyung-ah!! Tell me, did you have a fight with your father again?"

"Joeun..."

"Joeun? My Joeun? Did anything happen to her?" Jimin's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Joeun, the memories of their complex history flickering in his mind.

"Joeun told my dad about Mari's pregnancy," Taehyung confessed, his voice tinged with regret. The revelation brought a mix of relief and renewed concern for Jimin.

"Oh..." Jimin exhaled, a mixture of relief and curiosity washing over him. His thoughts momentarily shifted to Mari, grateful that Joeun's involvement seemed not to have escalated into something dire. "So? What's wrong with that?" he probed, seeking to understand the gravity of the situation.

"My father wanted that baby as it might be the first great-grandchild in my family," Taehyung explained, his words hanging in the air as Jimin processed the implications.

A heavy silence settled between them before Taehyung continued, "He wanted to conduct a DNA test on Mari. He wanted to know whether the baby was mine or not."

Jimin's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"Now, the problem is, I don't want to be a father. I never wanted to be a father," Taehyung admitted, his eyes seeking solace in Jimin's understanding gaze.

Jimin, his emotions a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, finally spoke, "So, what's going to happen to Mari?"

"I don't know. I don't care. I'm not ready to be a father anytime soon. I should've dragged her to abort the baby when the pregnancy was still early," Taehyung confessed, frustration evident in his voice as he ran his hands through his hair.

Jimin, the weight of the situation pressing on him, took a step back, his eyes piercing through Taehyung. "Is he going to take the baby away from Mari? After she's carried the baby for nine months? Don't you care about Mari? She loves her child. Remember when you told me the baby wasn't yours? How can you be sure now that it is?"

Taehyung's response echoed with callous indifference, "I already told her to abort it."

Jimin, grappling with the emotional turmoil, stood his ground. "Your carelessness in taking care of your lust had caused you this!! Don't take the baby from Mari, and just continue convincing your father that the baby is not yours. Just make sure that your family cannot find her," Jimin stated as he walked out of the VIP room. He was mad, and he didn't want to get into a fight with Taehyung, who seemed unstable with his own emotions. Jimin, who initially planned to just stay at his home tonight, might cancel it and go back to Mari's side. 

The room was cloaked in darkness, only faintly illuminated by the soft glow of a distant streetlight filtering through the curtains. Mari lay on the pink floor mattress, her silhouette a gentle curve beneath the blanket. The air was thick with the weight of uncertainty after Jimin's conversation with Taehyung. The prospect of Mari being separated from her unborn child gnawed at Jimin's thoughts, casting a shadow over his restless mind.

Tiptoeing across the room, Jimin gently closed the door, careful not to disturb Mari's slumber. He approached her side, his gaze fixed on her face, which occasionally contorted with discomfort, revealing the challenges of navigating sleep with a growing pregnancy bump. A heavy sigh escaped Jimin's lips as he reached out, his fingertips grazing the curve of Mari's bulging womb.

"Dear baby, please be healthy and come out safely," he whispered his voice a soft plea in the dimly lit room.

"Jimin-shi?" Mari's hoarse voice interrupted his quiet moments. She spoke with the sleepiness that clung to her, the darkness obscuring her view of Jimin.

"Oh, Mari-shi," Jimin replied, a tender smile gracing his lips even though he knew she could barely discern it in the low light.

"Aren't you supposed to be at your home right now?" she questioned, her eyes still closed in the drowsiness of slumber.

"It's uncomfortable leaving you alone," Jimin admitted as he carefully settled down beside her. With a practised ease, he arranged his pillow and retrieved his blanket from the cupboard.

"You're thinking too much, Jimin-shi. Relax... I'm fine," Mari reassured, her words a balm to his troubled thoughts. She turned to her side, facing the wall, seeking to resume her rest. Jimin, lying beside her, observed the gentle rise and fall of her silhouette, his mind racing with thoughts about what was the best solution for Mari and her child. Thinking how much Mari loves her child right now, it would be impossible for her to part with the baby, and it is not right for Taehyung's family to suddenly claim the baby. Seeing how desperate Mari used to beg Taehyung to marry her back then, he could tell right away that the baby definitely belonged to Taehyung. Jimin regretted his decision to make Mari his filled-in bride when his real bride ran away from him. Even though he was the one benefitting on the wedding day, he should've known the long-term impact of this situation he put Mari in.  Jimin ended up staying awake the entire night while looking at the back of Mari's head. 

"Why did Joeun tell Taehyung's father about Mari? What is her attention?" Jimin monologue as he wonders why Joeun is involved in this complicated matter. He should've predicted the consequences of making Joeun jealous. Now, everything is answered as to why she was so calm in the car when he could tell she did not like the idea of him taking care of Mari.

Like the preceding days, Jimin and Mari found themselves in the familiar collision of their lives in the lobby of Mari's grandmother's apartment building. Mari's hair, neatly tied in a ponytail, accentuated her cheekbones and flawless skin. Jimin couldn't help but wear a proud smile whenever he noticed the healthy glow on Mari's face, a testament to the care he'd been providing.

"Is this going to be our routine, Mari-shi? We've been bumping into each other almost every day for the past week," Jimin remarked, closing the distance between them as they entered the elevator together. The confined space allowed for a proximity that was both awkward and charged with unspoken tensions. Mari explained her upcoming study week, but Jimin's mind remained conflicted, and he chose silence as they traversed the corridor towards Mari's grandmother's home.

"Grandma, I'm home!" Mari's cheerful announcement filled the air, but the joyful atmosphere quickly shifted. Hyeja, Mari's grandmother, swiftly pulled her inside, her grip firm and disapproving.

"You ungrateful child! Is this how I raised you?" Hyeja scolded, dragging Mari further into the apartment. Jimin, tailing behind, halted as he saw Taehyung seated in the living room.

Before Mari could comprehend the situation, a resounding slap echoed through the room, landing on her left cheek. Unfazed by the stinging sensation, Mari instinctively clung to her grandmother. She could sense what Taehyung must have told Hyeja.

"Grandma, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Mari pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. The emotional turmoil escalated when Hyeja, avoiding Mari's attempts to hug her, accused her of becoming a cheap woman who slept around. "I didn't raise you to be a wench!" Hyeja yelled as she pushed Mari away from her. 

"Jimin, my poor boy, why would you let yourself be the scapegoat? Do you know this child in her tummy is not yours?" Hyeja's voice resonated with heartbreak as she pushed Mari away.

"Grandma, it's my fault. I was the one who wanted her to keep the baby," Jimin confessed, immediately kneeling in front of Hyeja, his gaze fixed on the distraught Mari being pushed away by her grandmother.

"Jimin-ah, why would you be responsible for a kid that is not yours? This man told me you even have a fiance!" Hyeja exclaimed in frustration, feeling betrayed by the revelations unfolding before her.

"I'm sorry, grandma. I never want to lie to you..." Mari sobbed, her tears falling as she sat on the floor, looking at her grandmother with a mix of sadness and remorse.

"It's my fault! What should I do, son? Your daughter grew up as a disappointment," Hyeja lamented, her frustration evident as she directed her anger at a family portrait hung on the wall of her small apartment. The portrait of her son and daughter-in-law. Hyeja hit her own chest as she looked at Jimin and the new young man who visited her house in frustration. She had been raising Mari alone since she was an infant; she had given love and education to her, but why did Mari end up being like this?

"Grandma, it was my fault. I was the one who..." Jimin began, but Hyeja threw a duffle bag to the floor before he could finish.

"You! Kwon Mari! Take your stuff and follow this man! The father of your child! Don't come here if you did not register that baby in your stomach as his son," Hyeja declared with stern authority, pulling Taehyung by the hand and forcefully shoving the duffle bag into his chest. With an air of finality, she kicked both Mari and Taehyung out of her apartment, leaving them standing in the corridor, grappling with the weight of the decisions that had led to this heartbreaking moment.

Jimin stood still in the now silenced house as he looked at the old grandmother, who was then sitting on the couch with a disappointed expression.  He sat beside the grandma, knowing that he should be careful with his words now. 

"Jimin-ah, that young man tell me that both of you still haven't registered your marriage yet. Is that right?" 

"Yes.. we are-" 

"Thank goodness that you don't have to go through a divorce process. Next time, don't come over to my house again," Hyeja stated as she stood up and went to her kitchen. She packed a few containers of kimchi and side dishes before she went back to the living room and gave the food to Jimin. "You've been a good husband for Mari. So, take some side dish with you as my gratitude," Hyeja immediately went into her room, leaving Jimin alone in the living room.  

"Mari-shi, can you stop crying now? You've been crying for the past four hours, aren't you tired?" Taehyung's words dripped with frustration as he stole a glance at Mari, who remained engulfed in sobs in the passenger seat. The air inside the car was thick with tension and the remnants of an emotional storm. Taehyung sighed, his own weariness evident as he extended a hand to wipe away Mari's tears with his thumb, but his attempt at comfort was met with a harsh rejection. She dodged his touch, responding with a slap, her tears unabated.

Resignation etched across his features, Taehyung powered down the car's engine and stepped out. The night air outside carried a chilling breeze that matched the emotional frost between them. Determined to assist Mari, he walked around to the passenger's side.

"Let's go. My father is waiting for you upstairs," Taehyung stated, opening the passenger door. After a moment of contemplation, he gently took hold of Mari's hand, guiding her out of the car. Mari, drained from hours of relentless crying, leaned on Taehyung for support as they made their way to the lobby of his upscale condominium.

"You'll be living here with my father and my grandfather for a while before you give birth. And tomorrow, you and I will-! Yah!! Yah!! Mari-shi!!" Taehyung's calm beginning morphed into panic as Mari's body suddenly collapsed, her strength giving way. Acting on instinct, he moved swiftly to catch her falling form, preventing her from hitting the unforgiving floor. Taehyung held Mari in his arms, her tear-streaked face reflecting a myriad of emotions—anger, frustration, sadness—all tangled in the intricate web of her predicament.