Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Why is this box so heavy?” Seokjin complained as he picked up one of the many boxes off of Jimin’s floor. Today, he was finally moving into Hoseok and Yoongi’s house. “What the hell is in this box, your ass?”

Jungkook’s loud laughter could be heard from the kitchen. He was packing up all of Jimin’s cooking things. Taehyung, on the other hand, was admiring Jungkook’s muscles. In short, he was not helping.

“Those are my books, hyung,” Jimin said. “Leave those there. We can wait for Jungkook when he arrives.”

Seokjin shook his head in stubbornness. “I can do this.” One would think that carrying Haneul to bed every night when he fell asleep on the sofa would prepare him for this but he was wrong.

“Are you sure?” Jungkook teased, walking out of the kitchen with the last few boxes of stuff, Taehyung behind him holding a singular roll of paper towel. “It looks like your age is catching up to you.”

“Just you wait. I’ll beat your ass.” When Seokjin first met Jungkook, he had no idea that they would be very close. Now, they game regularly during the weekends, and Jungkook would bother him as much as he could.

Seokjin was not able to pick up the box. His left side cramped up. But it was not because of old age.

“Are you excited?” He asked Jimin as they drove to Yoongi and Hoseok’s (and finally Jimin’s) house.

Jimin nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t wait. It’s so annoying traveling to and from the house, ugh.”

“You know you could’ve done it sooner, right?” Jungkook said while driving.

Jimin rolled his eyes. “I was stubborn, I know. But what matters is I’m finally moving in.”

“Appa, Yoongi-hyung make Kimbap!” Haneul greeted him when they finally arrived. He had left him with the trio while he helped Jimin with moving.

“You did a great job!” Jungkook said, swooping the little guy and making him giggle as he spun him around. Seokjin hated to admit it but Jungkook was slowly becoming Haneul’s favorite person.

“Hey, hyung! Lunch is ready,” Namjoon said as he appeared from the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, he didn’t help with the cooking,” Yoongi reassured Seokjin jokingly.

“You are so mean! So mean!” Namjoon complained but it held no bite.

He would have loved to stay behind and continue chatting with his friends but Haneul’s eyes were starting to get heavier by the second. Namjoon insisted on taking them home even though Seokjin told him he should stay.

“I don’t want to be surrounded by people in relationships. They’re gonna be so annoying,” Namjoon said.

The two of them bid their goodbyes. Jimin gave him a wink which he rolled his eyes to in response. He knew what he was trying to do.

Ever since his separation from Mina, Jimin has been trying to play matchmaker with him and Namjoon. But it wasn’t gonna happen. He didn’t want or need a relationship right now.

“Is your wife still resisting divorce?” Namjoon asked in a hushed whisper, afraid of waking up Haneul.

The whole thing has been rough on his son. Namjoon helped him find a good child therapist to help Haneul adjust and so far it has been wonderful. Haneul seemed more at peace as well. After he confessed that he didn’t like being around his mom, Seokjin knew he had to act.

Seokjin sighed. “Yeah. She’s been persistent, telling us that she could change and all that but I’ve lost all my hope.”

“And how’s Haneul?” Namjoon asked.

“He’s doing better. He’s worrying a lot less nowadays. He stopped blaming himself for what happened so that’s good.”

“Poor guy,’ Namjoon sighed. “That’s too much baggage to carry for such a young boy.”

The day after Seokjin told Mina she wanted a separation, she went to Haneul’s school to pick him up. Seokjin had not informed that school that she should be taken off the list of people who could, and that was a big mistake.

When Mina got Haneul to herself, she told him how it was his fault that Seokjin was sad. And that Seokjin never wanted him and he would be better off without him. She told him that if he was a better son, they wouldn’t be here right now. She told his son that Seokjin would be happier without him so Haneul should just go with her.

Thankfully, Seokjin came home after the school informed him that Mina had taken him. He found Haneul crying, Mina shaking him furiously telling him that if it wasn’t for him, her life would’ve been better.

Seokjin threw her out right at that moment, but it took Haneul months before he got over that.

“It is. I hate myself for waiting this long. I should’ve done it from the start. I was naive to think she’d change,” he said sadly.

“It’s not your fault. You just wanted your son to have a complete family, that’s not a bad thing to want,” Namjoon told him. “It’s not your fault that your wife is shitty and horrible. That’s not on you or Haneul.”

“Thank you, Namjoon. You don’t know how much your help means to me and Haneul. Seriously, if it wasn’t for you and our conversations, I might not even consider leaving Mina. Haneul might still be hurting because of his mother,” he said with a hint of anger. What kind of mother would put her son through that?

Namjoon gave his balled-up hand a little comforting squeeze. “What matters is you’re moving forward now. Everything will be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Seokjin set Haneul down for the night while he freshened up. Just as he got out of the shower, the front door knob started turning, like someone was trying to open it. Seokjin sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time.

He looked through the peephole and found a manic-looking Mina fumbling with the knob over and over again. He didn’t say anything and just watched as she failed to open the door.

“Oppa! Open up. I’m tired and I want to sleep,” she said, her voice slurred from being drunk. “Please, open up.” She pleaded. “Oppa, please. I’m sorry. I want to tell Haneul I’m sorry. Please. I’ll change. I’ll get better, I promise.”

Still, he didn’t answer. He was immune to all of her empty promises.

Mina was starting to be more agitated. “Open the door! I know you can hear me! Open the fucking door!” She shouted, twisting and turning the knob more erratically. “OPEN THE DOOR! THIS IS MY HOUSE TOO, OPEN THE DOOR!”

God, he couldn’t wait to move out. He looked out the remaining boxes on the floor of their apartment. Tomorrow, it was his and Haneul’s turn to move out. The company found him a small flat near the rappers’ houses so he could be there as quickly as he could when needed. Mina did not know this and she will never find out.

Mina shouted one last frustrated scream before kicking the door. “Why are you doing this to me? Was I really that terrible? Can’t you give me another chance? This is so cruel! Why are you so cruel!” She bawled. “I already said I’m sorry. I was wrong, I did wrong. Please. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

That wasn’t true. Seokjin found her a studio apartment. He paid for all of her bills and utilities. All she needed to worry about was food, and even that should be covered by the monthly allowance that Seokjin sent to her bank account. He tried to be tough and follow through with completely cutting her off but he couldn’t find it in him to be so heartless.

“You look tired,” Jungkook commented, worried about him. “Did she try again?”

Seokjin nodded. “I’m just glad to be away from her, finally,” he said with a sigh.

“She still doesn’t want to agree to the divorce?”

“She hasn't even found a lawyer,” Seokjin shook his head. “I just want to move on with my life.”

“What’s your plan for the summer, then? You’ll be traveling with TEAR all month, right?” Jungkook asked. “You could leave him with us.”

Seokjin smiled. “Thank you for your offer but my parents will be taking care of him. They’ll take him to Jeju so he could be away for a while.”

“That’s a good thing. But if you need it, Taehyung and I are always happy to take care of the little guy.” Jungkook said again.

“I might have to take you up on that someday. Thanks again, Koo.”

“Appa! Look what Namjoon-hyung bought for my new room!” Haneul called from his room, sounding very excited.

Seokjin knew exactly what it was. It was a Psyduck lamp that Namjoon found when the three rappers went to Japan. He asked Seokjin who Haneul’s favorite Pokemon was and it was Psyduck. His son thought it was hilarious that Psyduck would explode with strong psychic powers when pushed to the limit but Seokjin felt like he related deeply to the little guy.

He pretended that it was his first time seeing the gift. “That’s wonderful! Did you say thank you?”

“I did!”

Seokjin knew it wouldn’t be long before Mina found out that they moved. About a week later, he received 50 angry and manic voicemails from her asking her where they were and why they left without letting her know. She also demanded to know where they lived and finally threatened to sue Seokjin for “kidnapping” their son and sue for full custody.

He wasn’t worried about that at all though. Taehyung and Jungkook helped him connect with the legal team that worked with Jimin, and they assured him that based on the therapist’s notes, as well as the school staff’s testimonies, it would be difficult for Mina to get even 50/50 custody.

He texted back.

Seokjin

You can try. 

I encourage you to. 

I have evidence of your neglect and verbal abuse. 

It would be an easy win.

Mina

Why are you doing this?

Have I not repented enough?

It has been two months, this is starting to get ridiculous.

I get I fucked up. I get it now. I understand how serious all the shit I’ve done is

But I promise you, I’ll stop. I’ll change, I’ll get better.

I found a job. It’s not much but it’s a start.

I’m even considering therapy.

Trust me, I’m changing. I’m seeing my mistakes and I promise never to make them again

Seokjin

I’m happy for you if that’s truly the case

But I can never take you back

You’ve shown me again and again how little you think of me and how easy it is for you to disrespect me

You’ve shown me that you don’t care about your son and would use him for your benefit

Those are things I can never forgive

Maybe in time when you’re better we can have shared custody of Haneul

But right now, supervised visitations are all I can give you

Mina

You’re really out of your mind

What would your lawyers say if they found out you’re gay?

Do you think they’ll still defend you?🤣

You’re delusional. No judge would let a person like you have a child

Seokjin

There you go

The real you is showing again

Right after you said you’re changing for the better

But to answer your question, my lawyers know

They have represented many queer people like me and that never hindered them from winning the cases

I’m confident I will win

Especially when they find out that you abandoned your 5-month-old child for 2 days to go on a trip with your friends while I was working out of town

Or that you got drunk while watching your 1-year-old son and didn’t notice him going out the door

Or that you stole the money meant for him to buy alcohol

Or that he almost drowned when you left him alone in the bathtub at 6 months

Do you want me to go on, Mina?

Mina

I’ve already apologized for all of the shit you’ve said

Seokjin

And I never said I forgave you

Anyway, keep on texting me your bullshit.

My lawyers would find this useful as evidence.

Mina

Fuck off. I hope you burn in hell

Seokjin

And I hope you’re miserable for the rest of your life.

“You okay?” Namjoon asked Seokjin. He noticed that he had been unfocused the entire day. He couldn’t blame him though. The divorce and custody case was still a worry. His wife hasn't been cooperative.

Seokjin looked at him with a tired smile. “I’m not,” he admitted. Namjoon was glad that Seokjin felt safe enough to be honest with him. “Therapy was rough for Haneul yesterday. He had trouble sleeping so I couldn’t sleep either.” he sighed. “But it was important that he went.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. Your lawyers are the best in Korea. It’s gonna be a tough battle but you’ll win in the end, I know it,’’ he said confidently.

“I know it too,” Seokjin smiled at him. “I just wish Haneul didn’t have to go through this at all.”

“I know. He’s too young. I hope he doesn’t remember this when he grows older,” Namjoon said.

“Thanks for talking to Yoo PD-nim by the way. You didn’t have to but I’m glad you did.”

Namjoon asked Yoo PD-nim for an assistant manager while Seokjin dealt with personal stuff. Namjoon didn’t like that he saw the man less at work but it had to be done. There were more things more important than his thirst right now.

“He’s a very understanding man,” Namjoon said.

“No, I think he just wants to please you. You, Yoongi, and Hoseok are his biggest talents right now and he would hate to fumble as badly as Cage did,” Seokjin chuckled. “You gotta use that to your advantage. I think he’d build you a throne if you ask for it.”

Namjoon laughed, “I think that’s an exaggeration but I will keep that in mind.”

“How’s the new assistant manager, by the way?”

He sighed. “He’s really good. Very amazing. But I think you should teach him how to be tough on us.”

“That’s new. Is Soobin-ssi too shy?”

“Yes. I think he’s too scared to order us around like you do,” Namjoon joked.

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” He was. But it was fine. It was better that way because he kept them in check. He still respected their boundaries and left them alone when it came to their work. But he was very good at telling them to go home and rest when they’ve been holed up in their studios for far too long. Or forcing them to have breaks when they forget to eat. “But I’ll let him know. I don’t want Jimin angrily marching into your studio again because you all refused to stop working for dinner.”

Namjoon shuddered at the memory. Jimin stood in front of them silently, no words were said but the intention was very loud and clear. Yoongi sighed and then ordered food for the rest of them. Jimin did not leave or say a word until they were done eating.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. None of us wants to go through that again,” Namjoon said.

“Well, good. But just to be sure,” Seokjin shrugged.

“I know it was you who called Jimin, you know?”

“It’s not meant to be a secret.”

“TEAR-ssi, Seokjin-ssi texted me to remind you to eat your lunch,” Soobin stuttered.

“What if we don’t wanna,” Hoseok teased.

Namjoon looked at the young man just trying to do his job, his mouth was opening and closing like a fish, unsure what to say to Hoseok. “Stop teasing him,” he swatted Hoseok playfully. “Thanks, Soobin-ssi. Yoongi-hyung already ordered from the cafeteria. We’ll go down to eat.”

“N-no need! I’ll bring it up here for you.”

“You don’t have to. It’s fine,” Yoongi said.

“N-no but people are filming in the cafeteria today. Seokjin-hyung said it’s better if you don’t go there to eat today,” Soobin told them.

“Oh, is that so?” Namjoon asked. “Who’s filming there?” Soobin tried to avert his eyes. Namjoon’s brow raised interest. “Who is it, Soobin-ssi?”

“Seokjin-ssi told me not to tell you otherwise it would be chaos.”

“Well, who is it?”

“Uh…”

“It’s fine, you won’t be in trouble.”

“Uh. It’s Taehyung-ssi and his co-stars.”

Just as he said that, the door to the studio burst open, revealing Taehyung. “Hyung! I’m here!”

“I can see,” Yoongi said. “And hear. Because you’re loud.”

One of Taehyung’s co-stars was an actor in their company, so it wasn’t strange that he’d be here.

“I know you’re excited to see me,” he told the three before turning to Soobin. “Soobin-ssi, it’s very nice to meet you. Seokjin-hyung told me a lot of good things about you,” he said with a bow.

“I-it’s an honor to meet you, Taehyung-ssi,” Soobin said, bowing even deeper. “I-I’ll go down and get your meals for you!”

Namjoon wanted to stop him but he ran out of the room so fast that he couldn’t say a word. He sighed. “I think we overwhelmed the poor boy.”

“He’s cute. Reminds me of a bunny, like Jungkook.”

“Huh. You’re right.” Hoseok commented.

“I heard you’re filming in the cafeteria today,” said Yoongi. “I’m surprised you got away,”

“I told them I was using the bathroom then snuck here,” Taehyung shrugged. Any other person would find it difficult to get to the studios but this was Taehyung. The employees in the company were used to seeing him with how frequently he’d visit the three.

“Congratulations on the new show, by the way,” said Hoseok. “We watched the pilot last night and it was amazing!”

“Thanks, hyung,” Tae said with a bashful smile. Just then his phone started ringing. “Ugh, I have to go. But I came here to invite you on Saturday. It’s mine and Jungkook’s anniversary and we’d love for you to be there. We’re going to renew our vows. It’s a casual event.”

“Nothing is casual when it comes to you,” Yoongi chuckled. “But of course, we’d be there.” Namjoon and Hoseok seconded Yoongi.

“Okay then. I have to go back. See you on Saturday!”

“See you!”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t like he planned to give Mina another chance. Hell would freeze over before that would happen. But his soon-to-be ex-wife’s text messages and voicemails made Seokjin doubt whether or not he went about it the wrong way.

He sighed and shook his head to put his focus back to work.

“Seokjin-ssi, is everything okay? You seem to be out of it,” Soobin, his assistant in training, asked him.

He smiled and said, “Everything is fine. Don’t worry about me.” There was no point in making him worry. They had other things they needed to think about while at work. “How was your first day alone with TEAR? They didn’t give you much trouble, no?” he asked. Soobin shook his head no. “That’s good. Tell me if they do so I can tell them off, okay?” He joked.

He could not focus for the entire day. Yesterday, he had to drop off Haneul at his parents’ place. They would be taking him to Jeju for a month. Haneul was excited to spend time with his grandparents. It was Seokjin who had a hard time leaving him. He could not sleep when he got home and always worried about Haneul. His mother even told him off when he kept calling until way past Haneul’s bedtime.

His silent worrying was cut off when Namjoon came over to join him in the tent during break time. Of course, he was found clutching his phone, glaring at it menacingly.

“You know you can’t threaten your phone to have Haneul call you, right?” Namjoon teased him.

Seokjin rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew Namjoon was only trying to make him feel better. “They told me they’ll call at lunch but it’s past 12 already.”

“Yes. 12:01.”

“Shut up.”

“By the way, you’re coming to Taehyung and Jungkook’s on Saturday, right? Do you want to just ride with me?” Namjoon asked.

Seokjin shrugged. “Sure. I don’t think I’d be focused enough to drive anyway. Thank god you finally got your license.” Namjoon was about to complain about his teasing but his phone rang. Finally, his mother was Facetiming. It was Haneul who answered.

“Appa! Hi!” Haneul greeted. “We’re eating grilled squid!”

“Wow! I bet that’s so tasty!” Seokjin said, beaming at his son.

“Haneul-ah! Hello!” Namjoon greeted from beside him. “Your Appa misses you so much, he’s always cranky.”

“Stop lying to my son!” Seokjin turns to a giggling Haneul. “Don’t believe him. I’m not being cranky.”

The three of them talked just a little bit more because Haneul was very excited to go back to eating with his grandparents. “Appa, didn’t you say no phones and tablets while eating?”

Seokjin sighed. “You’re right. Call me before you go to bed, okay? And behave while you’re with halmeoni and haraboji.” He didn’t want to say goodbye yet but he had work and he wanted Haneul to enjoy his vacation. “Bye-bye. I love you.”

“I love you too!”

“Feel better now?” Namjoon asked him in a teasing tone.

Seokjin rolled his eyes. “Shut up,” he said as he playfully shoved Namjoon. “Go back to work!”

“Yes, boss!”

“Wow,” Namjoon whispered to himself when Seokjin opened the door for him. “You look amazing, hyung.”

Seokjin hid his blush by clearing his throat. “I always look amazing, Namjoon-ah. You look handsome yourself.”

Namjoon smiled at the ground, “Well, ready to go?”

Seokjin nodded.

“Watcha looking at?” Jimin asked Namjoon from beside him. The answer was obvious. Jimin was being a little shit as always.

Namjoon rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you’re not attached to the hip with your boyfriends.”

“They’re talking superstar with one of Taehyung’s friends. I got a little bored,” Jimin said. “So why are you eye-fucking hyung from afar?”

“I am not eye-fucking him, Jimin.” It was a lie. Seokjin looked amazing. Delicious. He’d have devoured him if given a chance.

“How does it feel to lie to my face?”

“Not so nice,” Namjoon sighed. “Look. I know what you’re trying to do. And trust me, if the circumstances were different, I’d be pursuing hyung already but it’s just too complicated right now.”

Jimin nodded sympathetically. “Yeah. I heard from hyung that his wife is still protesting the divorce. I wonder what more she wants?”

“Last time, she asked for monthly alimony and hyung agreed, but then she ghosted Hyung’s lawyers again. I think she’s just having fun giving hyung a hard time,” Namjoon commented.

Jimin whistled. “Monthly alimony is too greedy, don’t you think? For how long?”

“Until Haneul is eighteen.”

“Holy shit.”

Namjoon sighed. “Yeah. Well, according to hyung, she’s an orphan. She doesn’t have any family. So hyung still wants to take care of her somehow.”

“Hyung is too kind for his own good.”

“You two look good together,” Taehyung’s mother whispered to him with a wink.

“Uhm. I’m sorry, who?”

“You and Namjoon-ssi. How long have you been together?” She asked, “Don’t worry, you can trust me.”

“O-oh. We’re not dating,” he laughed nervously. “I’m their manager.”

“Is that so?” Taehyung’s mom raised his brow. “Eh, it’s only a matter of time.”

“N-no. Nothing like that. Besides, my life is too complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well. I’m currently going through a very messy divorce with my wife. And I’m fighting to keep custody of our son.”

“Oh. I thought you were…”

Seokjin chuckled. “I am gay. It was an accident. But I love my son.”

“And Namjoon-ssi knows this?”

“Uhm. Yeah. Why?”

“It doesn’t seem like he cares about any of that,” she commented, looking at Namjoon. 

Seokjin looked as well and met Namjoon’s eyes. Namjoon waved at him so he waved back.

“Have he met your kid?” she asked.

Seokjin nodded. “Annoyingly, they get along very well.”

“So I don’t see the problem,” she shrugged and then smirked. “Besides, not once did you say you’re not interested.”

“...I mean, look at him.” His words made Taehyung’s mother throw her head back in laughter.

“Taehyung once told me you give off a pretty strong son-in-law vibe and I didn’t get what he meant. Now I do,” Namjoon said as he and Seokjin stood by each other, watching Jungkook and Taehyung dance with their mothers.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Seokjin said, shaking his head while laughing quietly.

“What did you and Taehyung’s mom talk about?”

“How they thought that Taehyung and Jungkook were dating years before they actually did,” Seokjin turned to stare at Namjoon. “They’ve been idiots since high school.”

Namjoon scoffed. “Yeah, I bet,” he said. “What was your wedding with Mina like?”

“Pretty simple. It was a courthouse wedding. Mina wanted to do it before she started showing so we didn’t have time to prepare for a bigger wedding.”

“Did you want a bigger wedding?”

Seokjin shrugged. “I don’t know. I never even thought about getting married at that time.”

“What about now, hyung? Would you like a big wedding?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get married again, Namjoon.”

“Humor me anyway.”

“Okay,” Seokjin rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I think I’d like something similar to this. Small and intimate, and only surrounded by people I am closest to. What about you? I bet you’re expected to have a big wedding?”

“Not really. Thankfully, my sister took care of that. Just getting married would be more than enough for my parents. They’re starting to give up on me.” Namjoon said with so much seriousness.

The statement and delivery made Seokjin roar in laughter. There were a few people who turned to look at them but none of their stares were judgemental, just curious, some (Jimin) were amused.

“Hyung, how many glasses have you had so far?” Namjoon asked Seokjin.

“I don’t know. Like four? I’m trying to enjoy as much as I can while Haneul is on vacation,” Seokjin said before grabbing another glass of champagne from the table.

“Don’t get too drunk,” Namjoon reminded him, sounding pretty worried. “You’re not the best at handling alcohol.”

“I’ll be fine, Namjoon-ah. Do you not trust me?”

“...Not when you’re drunk, no.”

“Okay fair. But I’m not drunk. Tipsy, yes, but not drunk.”

“Sure,” Namjoon said, sounding unconvinced. “I think your social battery is pretty drained. Time to go home?”

Seokjin contemplated for a while. He did feel tired. Maybe it was time to go home after all. “Let’s say goodbye to Jungkook and Taehyung first.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you so much for coming. We’re very sorry we weren’t able to talk much,” Jungkook said to them.

“Eh, don’t worry. We talk every day, I’m sick of your voice,” Seokjin joked. “But seriously, this was a beautiful party. Thanks for having us.”

“You sure you don’t want us to call a cab?” Taehyung offered.

Namjoon shook his head. “Thanks for the offer though. Have fun.”

“Hyung do you want to stay the night at my place? You look dead tired,” Namjoon asked.

Seokjin was melting into Namjoon’s passenger seat. He was becoming one with the chair. He turned to Namjoon. “Will you carry me like a princess?” He wasn’t drunk. Tipsy, maybe. But he was well aware of what he was saying.

Namjoon chuckled. “Do you want me to?”

“Maybe.”

“Then maybe I will.”

Seokjin changed his mind about being carried like a princess. He didn’t think he would survive. So he settled with having Namjoon’s arm wrapped around his waist as he led him inside. Even that was too much for Seokjin but he powered through.

“Sit down, hyung,” Namjoon said as he led him to the couch. “I’ll get you some water.”

“What about Soju?”

“Not a chance,” Namjoon said with a chuckle as he disappeared to the kitchen.

Seokjin looked around Namjoon’s place. He has been here before, a lot of times. At the start, it was all work-related but lately, he has been coming over just to hang out. Sometimes, he would bring Haneul but he was still too worried about his son breaking one of Namjoon’s expensive art pieces.

“Here, hyung. Drink,” Namjoon said, coming back from the kitchen with a glass of water.

“Do you wanna order chicken?” Seokjin, for whatever reason, craved chicken.

Namjoon laughed. “I mean, sure? We can do that.”

Seokjin’s tipsiness was slowly ebbing away as time went by. His mind was clearer and he cringed upon remembering that he asked Namjoon to carry him like a princess. He groaned.

“What’s the matter? Headache?” Namjoon sounded worried.

“No, embarrassment,” Seokjin answered. “Namjoon forget everything I said or did before this point in time, okay?”

“Impossible. I thought you looked adorable when you asked me to carry you.”

“Please kill me.”

Namjoon only laughed at his despair. ”I can’t do that. But if I did, who would you leave Haneul to?”

“Not you. You’ll spoil him rotten.”

Namjoon gasped dramatically. “And that’s a bad thing because?”

“Well, unfortunately, I’m not dying anytime soon so that’s not something you need to worry about.”

The chicken was already there when Seokjin came out of the shower. He was feeling a lot better, he could feel the beginnings of a headache but aside from that, he was fine.

His stomach rumbled as he joined Namjoon. “I don’t know why my stomach is acting like I haven’t eaten in days. I was full when we came home.”

“Korean fried chicken just hits different. I’d offer you some beer but enough alcohol tonight.”

“That’s okay, I don’t want alcohol anyway.”

“Taehyung’s mom thought we were dating,” Seokjin told Namjoon as they chatted away. “And she wasn’t the only one.”

“Yeah, Jungkook’s parents thought the same,” Namjoon chuckled. “Jimin teased the hell out of me.”

“Ugh, I’m glad I never told Jimin. He’d never shut up,” Seokjin said. “He’s not so secretive about trying to set us up with each other.”

“I don’t think he’s trying to be. I’m pretty sure he’s parading it.”

“He’s been sending me ‘Namjin’ updates for about a month now. Sometimes they’re things we really did, sometimes it’s Jimin’s delusions.”

Namjoon laughed out loud. “What did he update you about today?”

Seokjin took out his phone and checked his messages. Then he read the latest one from Jimin, “Namjin update yyyy/mm/dd: They were eye fucking each other at Taekook’s party. Multiple people noticed and were unconvinced when they said they weren’t dating. They really should.”

Namjoon laughed harder. “In my defense, you looked absolutely gorgeous, hyung. A little bit more than usual.”

“So you’re admitting that you were eye fucking me?”

“And you weren’t?”

What was Seokjin supposed to say after that? “Legally, I cannot disclose that.”

“That’s a confirmation if I’ve ever heard one.”

“I don’t appreciate the way you are looking at me right now,” Seokjin joked nervously.

“How exactly am I looking at you right now?” Namjoon’s deep chuckle sent shivers down Seokjin’s spine. When Namjoon cocked his head to the side, Seokjin knew he was done for.

“Like you wanna kiss me,” he said breathlessly.

“And if I say I do?”

This might be Seokjin’s biggest mistake of the night, but fuck it. “I’d say I’d let you.”

Chapter Text

Jimin stared at Seokjin, his mouth agape as he held the coffee cup halfway to his mouth.

“... I think your coffee is getting cold,” Seokjin said as tried to avert his eyes from Jimin.

Jimin set the coffee cup down and said, “I don't give a fuck about coffee right now. What did you just say?”

“You heard what I said.”

“You and Namjoon hyung slept together?”

“Yes!” 

“How?!?”

“I don't know. it just happened!”

“Oh, cut the bullshit,” Jimin said, rolling his eyes. “It was bound to happen but I didn’t think it’d happen this soon!”

“Look, we were both tipsy after Jungkook and Taehyung’s party and he offered for me to stay at his place. I said yes because I was tired. Then we talked and…”

“How was it?”

“PARK JIMIN!”

“What? Sue me for being curious,” Jimin waved him off. “Well, what now? You dating?”

“No.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not dating.”

“Why not?!”

“Things are just complicated right now, Jimin,” Seokjin sighed. “It was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“Ah. The regret is slowly creeping in. May I ask why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Do you regret it because you didn’t like it? Or maybe you don’t like hyung—”

“Everyone knows I’m crazy for that man.”

“So just the circumstances?”

“Yes,” Seokjin sighed once more. “And the fact that technically speaking, I’m still married to Mina. So it feels… wrong.”

“Oh. Yeah. I completely forgot about that, ugh. Sorry for being so insensitive,” Jimin said. “I was just very excited about this development, you know?”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. Trust me, if things were different, I’d feel the same.”

“You don’t look very excited.”

“Right? I know I should be. But I feel so bad,” Namjoon confessed. “I know how difficult things are for hyung and I feel like an ass 'cause I can’t help but think I took advantage.”

“I don’t think so,” Hoseok said. “Everyone who knows you both knows that you like each other. A lot. If Mina wasn’t an issue, you two would have been a couple for months now. Sure, things are difficult but I don’t think hyung thinks you took advantage.”

“I know there’s a bit of regret though. I felt it when we woke up.”

“But you understand why, right? He’s not regretting it because of you. He’s just… The situation sucks.” Hoseok reassured him. “You two should talk about this. You were the one preaching to the three of us to be better at communicating with each other, it’s time you take your advice.”

Seokjin was once again distracted at work. Thank god for Soobin because he was barely any help. From time to time he’d catch Namjoon looking at him but he was too embarrassed and too conflicted to talk to him.

Eventually, Namjoon managed to get him alone. “Are we okay, hyung?” Namjoon asked.

His instincts told him to say, yes, they were okay, but this was Namjoon and he couldn’t lie to him. “I don’t know, Joon. Are we?”

“Do you wanna talk about it later?”

“Yeah. I think we should.”

“Would you like a drink, hyung? Water? Tea? Coffee? Anything?”

“I’d love some coffee. Thank you so much,” Seokjin said.

“I’m on it.”

“Where do we begin?” Seokjin chuckled nervously.

“We slept together.”

“Wow. Okay, straight to the point. Yes, we did.”

Namjoon shrugged. “I think it’s better like this, right? Let’s not dance around the subject,” he said. “Do you regret it?”

“Only because I’m still married.”

“Ah. I see. But… you don’t think I took advantage of you, right? Because you were tipsy, and I wasn’t and I should’ve—”

“No, Joon. Not at all. I knew what I was doing. I chose to do it too. And I don’t regret what we did, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I don’t know if I can give you what you want right now,” Seokjin confessed.

“You don’t have to,” Namjoon reassured him. “I know the situation. I know it’s still messy. I know that you want to and have to focus on Haneul and you right now. I support you on that.”

“I know you do but you deserve more. It’s just so frustrating,” Seokjin frowned. “Because I want to, Namjoon. I really do. I regret sleeping with you because now I want more. Now I can’t pretend that I only see you as a friend because I don’t. But I can’t do anything about it. Not yet anyway.”

Namjoon’s soft smile almost washed away all of his worries. Almost. “That’s okay. All that matters to me is we’re on the same page. We like each other. A lot. I’ll take anything you can give me right now, hyung.”

“But it isn’t fair.”

“I don’t care. I’m happy like this. I will wait for you, you know that.”

“What if I take too long?”

“There’s no such thing. Take as much as you need. Take forever, if you want–”

“But what if I don’t want to take forever?”

“Then don’t. When you’re ready, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” Namjoon promised.

Namjoon was utterly, undeniably, fucked. After their talk last night, he knew that he was wrapped around Seokjin’s finger. He’d give him anything, he’d give up all of his mortal possessions to be with him if needed.

“You look both happier and angrier and I don’t know how you do it,” Jungkook commented. They have been workout buddies for a while now, and sure, it took Jungkook a bit of time to stop stuttering but they got there. “Is this about Seokjin-hyung?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “And you’re right. I’m happier. But because of that, I am angrier.”

“Explain? And please remember, I will tell Taehyung everything,” Jungkook said frankly.

Namjoon laughed. “Well, I slept with Seokjin-hyung after your party.”

“Yes, I already know that. Seokjin-hyung told Jimin who told me and Tae.”

“Of course.” Namjoon rolled his eyes. “And last night we talked about it.”

“And?”

“We sort of confessed to each other.”

“Okay! That’s great news! Where does the anger come in?” Jungkook asked.

“Seokjin-hyung said he still can’t commit because technically, he’s still married. And he’s feeling pretty guilty about it.”

“He’s feeling pretty guilty because he’s married? I guess I can understand that,” Jungkook said with a pout.

“No, he feels guilty because he can’t commit to me yet.”

“Ah. That is a problem.”

“And I’m angry because if it wasn’t for Mina, he wouldn't be feeling like shit.”

“How do you feel about it, though?” Jungkook asked. “About hyung not being able to commit to you yet.”

“I don’t care. Sure, I’d love for us to be official but we don’t need labels. I like him, he likes me and that’s all that really matters,” Namjoon explained. “I would wait for him forever if he wants to take that long.”

“Let me guess, Seokjin-hyung feels like this isn’t enough?”

“Spot on. But I get it, you know?” Namjoon said. “Seokjin-hyung loves with all of his heart. And right now he feels like by not giving me what he thinks I deserve, he’s not loving me enough. Which is bullshit. He's all that I want and more."

“Love is a big word,” Jungkook said with a smile.

“Yeah, but it’s the right word.”

“So you’re kinda dating?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, that’s good enough,” Jimin said before taking out an imaginary scroll and writing on air as he dramatically announced, “I shall declare today a national holiday to all who celebrate Namjin. Signed, the president of this ship, Park Jimin.”

Seokjin rolled his eyes. He appreciated his friend’s support, really, but he was still having a dreadful existential crisis. “Thank you for being supportive, but I’m still a fucking mess.”

“I know. And it sucks. But please, focus on being happy, okay? For you and Haneul,” Jimin said. “I want you to enjoy this feeling with Namjoon-hyung. I want you to embrace this new love despite your ex being the biggest bitch in the world. Go have fun. Have sex. Break the bed. Buy a new bed, and then break it again while having sex.”

Seokjin cackled at how pissed Jimin sounded when he said the part about Mina. “Please be nice, he’s still Haneul’s mom.”

“Ugh, I know. I can’t believe that such a beautiful, kind, and adorable kid like Haneul could come from her,” Jimin said. “It’s all you, hyung. I think that’s all you.”

“Thank you, Jimin. That means so much to me.”

“Hey there,” Namjoon greeted as he wrapped his arms around Seokjin’s waist and kissed the tip of his nose. Thank goodness they were alone in his studio. He had been itching to hold Seokjin close since this morning.

Seokjin giggled, the blush appearing on his cheeks and ears. He wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s shoulders and laid his head on the crook of his neck. “I like this.”

“Me too,” Namjoon agreed before kissing Seokjin’s hair and letting go of the hug. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah. The managers had a meeting for lunch so we ate out. You?”

“I expect Yoongi-hyung to barge in at any moment. I promised the three of us will have lunch together today,” he said. “Is there anything you need?”

Seokjin shook his head. “No, I just wanted to see you.”

That night, Seokjin confessed to his mother about how he and Namjoon were kinda dating now. He was worried, he admitted. He still had reservations about it.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes. I feel loved, Eomma. Like, genuinely loved. I never thought I’d ever have that,” he said.

“Then what’s the matter? Go for it. Be happy. Date the man. He’s nice. We like Namjoon.”

“But I’m still married, Eomma. Am I not cheating?”

“This might be the worst advice ever but there was never a relationship between you or Mina. You knew that. That’s why even when she cheated in the past you never said anything,” his mother told him. “So fuck her. Live your life. She’s hurt you enough. She made you put her above yourself and I hated that.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard about this.”

“I didn’t want to say anything. He was your wife and Haneul’s mom. But now that I know everything, I don’t care anymore,” his mother sounded angry. “If only I had known I wouldn’t have let you stay this long.” she sighed. “But Namjoon? He makes you happy. I’ve seen you around him before. He cares for you, he adores you, he looks at you like you’re the most beautiful painting he’s ever seen. I want that for you, Jinnie. I want you to be happy.”

Seokjin blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. “Thank you Eomma. I needed to hear that.”

“Anything for my Jinnie.”

“Are you okay if we don’t tell Haneul yet?” Seokjin asked Namjoon tentatively. It was something he had been thinking about since that day.

He wasn’t sure how to explain it to his son. He hasn't even explained that he liked boys and not girls but at the same time, he didn’t want to be dishonest to Haneul.

Namjoon, the ever-understanding man that he was, smiled and said. “Of course. I already told you. Take as much time as you need.”

“I know but… I feel bad about lying to Haneul.”

“We’re not lying, hyung. We’re just… keeping it a secret for now,” Namjoon told him. “There are more important things that he needs to focus on, much like you. I understand and I’m okay with that.” 

Seokjin wasn’t convinced. For some reason, he didn’t feel satisfied.

Namjoon cupped his face and titled it so their eyes met. “Don’t worry so much, hyung. We still have three weeks until Haneul comes home to figure out how you want to go about it. And if it’s me you’re worried about, don’t. I’m happy just like this.”

“When all this ends, I’ll make you happier.”

“I’m the happiest I am right now, hyung. I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Are you challenging me?”

“By all means, take it as one,” Namjoon chuckled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Oh, just you wait.”

He meant it, every single word, Seokjin meant. When he was free again, he’d love him the way he deserved to be loved.

Chapter Text

Seokjin had to admit, Namjoon had mastered the art of making him forget about every problem he had and he had a shit load of those. He didn’t even have to do anything, he just had to be there.

Most of Seokjin’s favorite moments were just the two of them, sitting quietly beside each other and doing their own thing. Namjoon was his comfort and safety personified. Namjoon reminded him of his baby blanket that he had kept until high school. He reminded him of his favorite pair of shoes that just fit so perfectly each time he wore them. He reminded Seokjin of his mother’s lullaby– soothing, reassuring, and loving.

He found himself getting used to the feeling so easily, and he couldn’t decide whether to worry or celebrate. The what-ifs danced around his mind, though he tried to push them all away. What if he left? What if it didn’t work? What if he grew tired and decided he wasn’t worth waiting after all? Would he be able to handle that? Would he be able to return to how it was before Namjoon?

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Inflation says they’re worth at least a dollar now,” he quipped.

“I’d pay more, to be honest,” Namjoon shrugged. “Kidding aside, you look worried again. What’s your overthinking brain telling you now?”

See? Namjoon knew him so well. “Things that I don’t want to hear.”

Namjoon set down the book he was holding and scooted closer to Seokjin. Gently, he cupped Seokjin’s cheeks with one hand, slowly guiding Seokjin’s face to face Namjoon’s and kissing him on the lips. “How many kisses do you need to make your brain shut up for a minute.”

“I don’t know,” Seokjin pouted. Do you wanna test it out?”

The experiment was unsuccessful not because it didn’t work, but because it worked too well. We’ll leave it at that. Thoughts? Gone. But Seokjin’s legs? Jelly. Namjoon had wrapped his arms around his waist tightly. He was tracing gentle kisses along Seokjin’s shoulders and nape.

“Stop. I can’t feel my legs, Namjoon,” he complained.

“Should’ve said so before we started another round.”

“I’m sure I did but you, Mr. Caveman, did not listen!” To be fair, Seokjin was up for another still at that point.

“It’s not my fault you’re irresistible.”

“Damn right, I am.” It was an instinct for Seokjin to reaffirm every compliment thrown his way. Namjoon told him he found it adorable so he had no plans of stopping.

“Namjoon, can I talk to you for a second?” The smiling CEO, Yoo, asked Namjoon when he came to visit the trio in the studio.

Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok looked at each other. Namjoon had a hunch about what it would be, and he knew Yoongi and Hoseok thought the same.

“Uhhh. Should we leave?” Yoongi asked awkwardly.

Yoo PD-Nim shook his head. “Actually, I’d love to have a one-on-one lunch with Namjoon in my office, if you don’t mind?” He asked Namjoon before turning to the two others in the room. “It’s not like I have favoritism or anything,” he joked.

The three of them looked at each other once more before Namjoon sighed. “I’d love to.”

“This is about Seokjin-hyung, isn’t it?”

“Correct,” Yoo said. “I want to know the nature of your relationship. You have to understand that he is your manager and I have to know whether or not this might affect you as a group.”

Namjoon exhaled, “It’s complicated. I’m sure you know what’s happening in hyung’s life right now.”

Yoo hummed in contemplation. “You know, if it was someone else, I wouldn’t say anything,” Namjoon didn’t like what he was implying. “But because of the ongoing divorce and other things that are happening in Seokjin’s life, I’d like to ask you a favor.”

“What is it?” Namjoon asked, more guarded now than when they began talking.

“Be careful in public.”

“Oh,” Namjoon was surprised but remained skeptical. “I thought you’d ask me to break up with him.”

“No, no. I promised myself I wouldn’t interfere with my artists’ private lives,” Yoo said. “However, yours and Seokjin’s case is a bit more unique than, say, Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jimin in that it may affect your professional dynamic.”

That part Namjoon understood.

“If possible,” Yoo added. “I’d request for you to be less obvious while working. I know that wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

“Of course,” Namjoon agreed. He had to admit, Seokjin and him haven’t been exactly subtle at work. Even poor Soobin was more flustered than usual. “On behalf of hyung, I’d like to apologize for how, uhm, public we were. However, I hope you don’t expect me to apologize for dating hyung.”

The CEO only shrugged. “Like I said, Namjoon, that’s not my business.”

“Did you also get a talking to?” Seokjin asked Namjoon while they sat side by side, watching but not paying attention to what was playing on the TV.

“I wouldn’t call it that,” Namjoon chuckled.

“I get where he’s coming from though,” said Seokjin. “I’m just glad he was polite about it. Maybe if you didn’t grab my ass in front of everyone, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Namjoon threw his head back laughing. “Okay, that’s fair.”

“Appa are you at Namjoon-hyung’s house again?” Haneul asked when he called after dinner.

Seokjin could feel the blush slowly creeping in. “Well, Appa is a little lonely when you’re not here so Namjoon-hyung said I can hang out with him.” Thank god Namjoon was in the shower. He’d have teased Seokjin mercilessly.

“Then you can tell Namjoon hyung that I found the last Pokemon sticker we were looking for! See!” Haneul proudly presents the winking Pikachu sticker.

“Oooh! That’s amazing! I’ll tell Namjoon-hyung about that, I’m sure he’ll be so excited.”

“You think so?”

“Of course, love.”

“Can you also tell him that I miss him? I want to wait for him but I’m so sleepy.”

“Of course, I’ll tell him,” Seokjin smiled. “You can go to sleep and then maybe tomorrow you two can talk.”

“Okay. Bye, Appa. I love you.”

“Love you too, Haneul.”

“Haneul told me to tell you that he misses you a lot,” Seokjin told him as they lay in bed together.

Namjoon’s heart almost burst with the amount of adoration he had for Haneul. “I miss him a lot too.”

“I know.” 

“I don’t know, Namjoon,” Minjae, one of the producers TEAR was working with, expressed his skepticism over his relationship with Seokjin. “Are you even sure he’s divorcing his wife? What if he’s just using you?”

Namjoon was offended on behalf of Seokjin. “Yes, I’m sure. I was the one who helped him look for a lawyer after all,” he said, trying but failing to suppress his irritation over the man’s accusations. “Besides, the only reason hyung stayed with his wife was for their kid. If you’re thinking he still has feelings for his wife, you’re wrong.”

“Well, what about the child then? Why don’t you find someone with less baggage? Someone more available? I know people who’d love to have a chance with you,” he said, playfully elbowing Namjoon.

But Namjoon wasn’t amused. In fact, he took more offense when Minjae implied that Haneul was baggage. “Haneul is important to the both of us, thank you very much,” he said. “I’m very happy with my relationship with hyung, thanks for asking,” he added with sarcasm.

“You know I’m just looking out for you,” Minjae backpedaled upon hearing the animosity in Namjoon’s voice. “I truly didn’t have any ill intentions. I’m sorry.”

Instead of answering, Namjoon let out a non-committal hum. He didn’t need anyone questioning his and Seokjin’s relationship, at least not someone who knew nothing about them. He didn’t need anyone talking and implying shit when it came to Seokjin.

“What’s the matter?” Seokjin asked with a hint of worry in his voice. Namjoon came by to his place looking troubled, and without a word, he walked up to him and pulled him in a tight embrace.

“Just had to deal with shitty people at work,” Namjoon said. “You know I don’t give a shit about what people say about us, right?”

Ah. It must have been about him then. Seokjin sighed but smiled. He expected this to happen, but to him, the people who mattered to them understood, those who didn't did not matter. “I know.”

“They don’t know anything about us.” 

Seokjin hummed in agreement. “I know,” he said again. He then let go of the hug and gently cupped Namjoon’s face. “I don’t care about what they say about us.”

Namjoon sighed. “It just pisses me off how they talk as if they know when they don’t. They don’t know shit.”

Seokjin knew there was more than Namjoon was saying. This person probably said something really offensive about him but he didn’t care. He had been criticized for many things in the past, another would not hurt his feelings.

“You worry too much about me, Joon. Trust me, I’ve heard it all before. Let’s just focus on us,” he said as he wrapped his arm over Namjoon’s shoulder, melting into him when Namjoon pulled him close. “When I’m with you, I don’t care about anyone else.”

Seokjin froze when he realized who awaited him at the company parking lot. It was past 2 am. He had to stay behind with the rest of TEAR’s team to discuss the upcoming comeback.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, catching the person’s attention.

“Oppa,” Mina sounded distressed. “Oppa, please. I’m sorry, please,” she knelt, bowing to the ground, sobbing. “Please. I beg you, give me another chance. I will change. I will do better. Please. I have no one. I only have you and Haneul. Please. I regret everything. I’m sorry for being a bad mother, I’m sorry for threatening you, I’m sorry for putting Haneul in danger again and again, please.”

“We talked about this,” Seokjin nervously looked around, trying to see if there was someone who could help him but there wasn’t. “Didn’t you say that without us your life would be better? We’re giving you what you want. Please, just stop.”

“No! No! This isn’t what I want. This isn’t what I want at all. I was wrong. I was stupid. Please. Please take me back, I–”

“What’s going on here?” It was Namjoon’s voice. He sounded concerned and angry.

Mina went from docile to hostile upon seeing Namjoon. “Stay out of this! This is between him and me,” she angrily said. She got up and went to approach Namjoon but Seokjin stopped her. “This is your fault! You’re the one who poisoned his mind! You’re the one who told them to leave me!”

Namjoon’s brow rose, but he threw his head back laughing instead of being angry. “That’s very on-brand of you, Mina-ssi. Blaming everyone but yourself,” he said before reaching out to take Seokjin’s hand and pulling him close to him. “You know you’re trespassing right? This is company grounds and you’re not an employee. So unless you want me to call the police, leave. Leave while I have my patience.”

Mina looked to Seokjin, and then to Namjoon’s arm that was wrapped protectively around his waist. She scoffed and then started laughing maniacally. “I see. I understand. This is what you wanted, hmm? You wanted to be free but you were too much of a coward to just tell me, you f—”

Seokjin wasn’t going to let Mina call him that again. “I’m calling the police,” he said.

“Fuck you! You belong in hell! Enjoy your time with Haneul because I’ll take him and you’ll never see him again!”

“Sure. Threaten me. I’ll just use this against you.”

Mina screamed and ran to hit him but Namjoon managed to push her to the ground before she could. The security arrived at that moment, and Namjoon took Seokjin’s hand, leading him to the car and letting the security deal with the still-screaming woman in the parking lot.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Seokjin, though visibly shaken, nodded. “Can you take me home?”

“Of course,” Namjoon said, starting the car.

“Yours.”

Namjoon paused, turned to him, and smiled softly, “Of course.”

The next morning when Seokjin’s mother called him, he told her about what had happened the night before. He also told her about Namjoon’s offer.

“You’re not hurt, are you? And what about Mina? Did you at least report her to the police?”

Seokjin sighed. “I’m not hurt, but she did try.” As for the police report, he was too shaken to call. In all the years that she had known Mina, she had never been physical. To say he was shocked was an understatement. He was glad that Namjoon was there because he froze in place and he’d have been hurt. “Namjoon reported her to the police. I think she’s in custody as we speak.”

“I was hoping we could avoid divorce by trial,” his mother said sadly, “But it’s obvious she’s not going to agree to an uncontested divorce any time soon.”

“I know. I was hoping for that too.”

Namjoon, for an unfathomable reason, decided it would be smart to visit Mina who was still in police custody. It didn’t seem like her friends were willing to bail her out.

She was fast asleep in the cell when he arrived. He didn’t wake her up, only looked at her pathetic sleeping form. He clenched his fist in anger.

A few minutes later, she woke up. It took a while before she remembered where she was. There was a bit of panic before that moment. As she set her eyes on Namjoon, the rage in her eyes reignited. She ran up to him or tried to. There were the bars of the cell separating the. “You! This is all your fault! This is all your fault,” she repeated over and over again. “I will ruin you! I know you’re secret now. I will ruin you!”

“You think people don’t know I like men?” Namjoon goaded and scoffed. “You make me laugh.” Then he took a deep breath. “Well, I don’t know how long you’re going to be here since no one seems to want to bail you out but get comfortable.” He said, then tossing her a plastic bag with convenience store kimbap and coffee before walking away, smirking as Mina continued to waste her voice.

Was it wrong to feel satisfied that someone was suffering? Maybe. But Namjoon didn’t care. It only made him think of all the times Seokjin and Haneul suffered because of her, and then all of his guilt disappeared.

Chapter Text

The good thing about your manager being your boyfriend was that you almost had the same schedule. Today was one of those days. Right after coming to see Mina, Namjoon went straight to Seokjin’s apartment. He found him in the kitchen eating breakfast while on Facetime with Haneul.

Seokjin’s face lit up as he talked to Haneul. Namjoon quietly watched with a smile, wanting to preserve this peace in his memory forever. Seokjin finally noticed him.

“Oh, Namjoon-ah, how long have you been standing there?” Seokjin asked with a wide smile. Oh, how Namjoon wished that smile would never leave Seokjin’s face.

“Just a few minutes ago,” he said, walking to him. 

“Namjoon-hyung!” Haneul greeted excitedly when he saw him. “We went to Aqua Planet yesterday! I saw a lot of fish and sharks and stingrays!”

“Wow, that sounds so fun! Man, I’m so jealous,” Namjoon said, matching Haneul’s energy. “Did you have a lot of fun?”

“Uh-huh. And I bought you a shark plushie! Look!”

“Oh wow, that’s adorable. Thank you so much, Haneul-ah,” he said, genuinely touched that he remembered to buy him something.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it so much.”

Namjoon heard Seokjin stifle his laugh from beside him. He raised his brow, asking his boyfriend a silent question. “I’m just amused that you two sound like you’re genuinely best of friends.”

“Well, we are,” Namjoon said with a smile.

“Hyung, do you want to go on a date today?” Namjoon asked.

Seokjin was caught off guard. He worried about Namjoon, but his boyfriend looked so hopeful.

“It’s our very first date ever, hyung,” Namjoon added.

He sighed and smiled. As if he could say no to that face. “What do you have in mind?” He asked, his heart beaming when Namjoon’s face lit up.

Seokjin didn’t get art, or at least not the kind of art that Namjoon liked but every time he watched and listened as Namjoon passionately explained to him what they were about, he felt like he was falling in love over and over and over again. He couldn’t help but smile as Namjoon’s eyes lit up with every piece of work they looked at.

“Ah, am I boring you, hyung? Sorry, I probably don’t make sense,” Namjoon said bashfully.

Seokjin shook his head. “I love listening to you talk. And rap. And sing. You get my point,” he said.

Namjoon rolled his eyes, “Ah, yes. You did call me your personal yapper which is rich coming from you.”

“Only because you called me your favorite rapper!”

The next stop was the Han River. They rented bicycles each against Namjoon’s choice. He wanted to rent one of those couple bikes but Seokjin was too shy to agree.

“What if we hold hands while we bike?”

“That sounds dangerous, Namjoon.”

Neither of them was surprised when a group of fans recognized him and came up to Namjoon. They were thankfully very polite and respectful even when asking for a photograph.

“Is he your friend?” One of them asked Namjoon, pertaining to Seokjin.

Namjoon looked to Seokjin, unsure what to say. “I’m their manager,” Seokjin told them with a smile.

“Oh! I thought you were an idol,” another one told him, making Seokjin blush.

“I thought so too when we first met. He’s so handsome, isn’t he?” Namjoon’s eyes sparkled. He knew what he was doing, and he probably enjoyed watching Seokjin’s embarrassment.

As much as Namjoon loved meeting their fans, he was glad that there were no more interruptions after that. They went to the arcade where he quickly found out how competitive Seokjin could be over the smallest and stupidest reasons.

“Let’s see who could win more prizes for the other,” Seokjin said as soon as they stepped foot in the arcade.

Namjoon thought it would be a romantic arcade date, and honestly? It was. The romance was just… unlike what people were used to.

In the end, Namjoon won, winning Seokjin a giant Pink Bean plushie as well as a couple of other Maplestory-related prizes. Seokjin won Namjoon a couple of Pokemon prizes as well, not as many as what Namjoon won but very close.

“Fine, I admit defeat but only because of Pink Bean.”

“And math because you won me 7 and I won you 9.”

“Whatever, smartass.”

The day ended too soon for Namjoon, but as he watched Seokjin’s chest rise and fall while he slept in his arms, he thought that it was more than what he could ever ask for.

Gently and without waking him up, he cupped Seokjin’s face, his thumb caressing his cheek. “I’ll make you happy for the rest of our lives, hyung.”

The next day, Jimin told Seokjin to check Twitter. There was always a sense of dread every time someone would say that to him. But thankfully before he could panic, Jimin reassured him.

Jimin

Nothing bad. It’s pretty amusing actually

The first thing he saw on Twitter was his face. There was a feeling of panic initially, wondering where they had found the photos until he realized they were close-ups of him while with TEAR during work hours.

“I too, would like to be managed by such a handsome manager wtf,” a tweet read. “I now understand why Namjoon gushed about their manager for 2 minutes straight (gay) on live. Mans has a crush and I support it.”

Seokjin

Jimin what is going on?!?

Jimin

Some fans saw you hanging out with Namjoon-hyung yesterday

they were so entranced by your beauty that they decided the best way to cope was to make a Manager-nim side account and make a thread of them losing their minds over how handsome you were.

It’s fucking hilarious hyung

They spent hours and hours zooming into TEAR’s photo looking for your face because no one believed that you could be that handsome

She found 2. People now believe her.

Seokjin

I mean, my face deserves the praise but I also am hoping this would die down quickly before someone takes it too far

Jimin

Fair. 

I hope so too, for your sake

I think Namjoon-hyung already said something on Twitter about it

Seokjin

Oh?

Immediately, Seokjin went to check on TEAR’s account.

@realTEAR Imagine my surprise when I opened Twitter and found our manager was trending for being handsome 😂 that’s fair! He does look like an idol, doesn’t he? Too bad he turned down every and all attempts to scout him.

@realTEAR And while this is all fun and innocent, please remember that he is not a celebrity. He did not consent to having his private life be poked and prodded. You might see him with us when we film and stuff but let’s limit it to that, okay? Be respectful of his privacy, please. - 🐨

@namjoonsmono bro can we talk about how you have such an obvious crush on your manager? Which i understand, no judgment here

Namjoon 💞

Hyung, what would it take for you to agree to let me post a pic of you on my Instagram?

Seokjin💖

I dont know about it, joon…

How come

Namjoon 💞

It’s okay if you don’t want to

Just feeling a little possessive 😂

Too many people are perceiving my boyfriend

Seokjin💖

😂😂😂

What do I do? My Namjoonie is so adorable

Okay, send me the pic you want to post and I’ll think about it

The photo was pretty innocent. It was of him, Yoongi, and Hoseok after a celebratory dinner for their upcoming album. Nothing too suspicious or screamed “this is my boyfriend”.

Seokjin💖

Okay, I’m fine with this

Namjoon 💞

I wanted to post the one where we were brushing our teeth side by side but Yoongi-hyung said it’s too soft launch coded

Which is what I wanted but also we’re not ready for that yet.

Seokjin💖

😂

I’m glad Yoongi was there.

Namjoon 💞

What can I say? All rational thoughts leave my brain when it’s about you😔

Seokjin💖

Stop trying to flatter me

It’s working too well

Come over after you’re done working

Namjoon 💞

👀

I’m already in the elevator

On my way to you, babe.

Chapter Text

J (unfilteredranda)

Besties how is life?

Sorry I dipped out after being added in this group chat

Minnie (agustfan)

drowning in boredom

the hyungs are so busy, i’m so depraved of attention

please someone save me

JK (runchrandafan)

Tae and I asked you if you wanted to come to tokyo with us and you said no :/

bitch

Minnie (agustdfan)

and third wheel?

no thanks

asshole

Bibbi (hobibble)

I still can’t believe I’m friends with Yoongi and Hobi’s boyfriend

AND Taehyung’s bf wth

Next thing you’ll tell me, J is Namjoon’s partner or something

Minnie (agustdfan)

Lmao, wouldn’t that be funny

Seokjin

Jimin I will jump off Bighit’s rooftop

Jimin

I WANT TO LAUGH SO HARD BECAUSE HOW DOES BIBBLE KNOW

Seokjin

THEY DON’T BUT THAT MAKES IT WORSE BECAUSE HOW ARE THEY RIGHT WITHOUT KNOWING THEYRE RIGHT

J (unfilteredranda)

Bibble what I would not give to nibble that thigh just a little bit and climb him like a tree and hang on his biceps like a sloth and drink water from his clavicle

Jimin

KEEP YOUR KINKS TO YOURSELF U FREAK

Seokjin 

NO

Bibbi (hobibble)

well as for me im just taking it one day at a time

i’m gonna finish my masters soon 🥹

I’m scared. Idk how what to do after 😣

JK (runchrandafan)

Bibble I will give you the world

Bibbi (hobibble)

Unfortunately, Hobi is taken 😔

Minnie (agustdfan)

AND YOU BETTER NOT FORGET THAT

J (unfilteredranda)

Real friends share

Jimin

Will you share Namjoon-hyung with me 🥺

Seokjin

I will murder you in your sleep

“Seokjin-ssi? We’re being called,” Soobin said as he peeked his head in the tent.

They were filming the music video for TEAR’s title song. He looked up from his phone, “I’ll be there very shortly, Soobin-ssi.”

J (unfilteredranda)

Guys, I have to go back to work

Sorry I couldn’t be more active but I’ll be checking this group chat from time to time

Minnie (agustdfan)

Don’t worry I’ll still be funemployed when you return

Bibble (hobibble)

it’s ok, gotta go to sleep anyway 🥹

JK (runchrandafan)

I’ll be here entertaining the child (jimin)

There was a change of plans. Originally, TEAR and their team were supposed to leave in two days to film abroad for a month. That worked well with Seokjin because there was a 2-week overlap between Haneul being in Jeju and him traveling with the band. That meant that he’d only be without Haneul for about 6 weeks.

Earlier they were told that the filming would be pushed back to 2 weeks from now instead. There were issues with permits and visas, as well as a conflict of schedule with TEAR’s Korean advertisement deals.

What was originally 6 weeks could now be two months instead. Seokjin didn’t like that. It was far too long to be away from Haneul. And because their flight was 3 days before Haneul returned, he wouldn’t even be able to pick him and his parents back from the airport.

“I can talk to Yoo PD-Nim, hyung. You can stay here,” Namjoon suggested. “We’d have Soobin and the rest of the team. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Seokjin shook his head. He wanted to accept Namjoon’s suggestion, however, Yoo PD-Nim had been so lenient when it came to his absences due to the divorce hearing that he didn’t want to take advantage anymore. After all, it was his job. “I don’t think I can do that, Joon.”

“Then… What about you bringing him with us?”

Seokjin whipped his head to Namjoon. “What do you mean?”

Namjoon shrugged. “Bring him with us. Yoongi-hyung and Hoseok are bringing Jimin with them. Why not bring Haneul with us?”

“Well, that’s different. Jimin is a grown man who can take care of himself. Haneul is a child.”

“We’ll hire a babysitter then.”

It sounded so simple when Namjoon said it like that but nothing was ever that easy. “Joon, I love you and I know you just want to help me but first of all, I don’t think I can afford to hire an overseas babysitter, and two I don’t trust strangers when it comes to Haneul,” he sighed. “I guess I can just ask my parents to watch him again.”

“I’ll take care of Haneul,” Jimin offered when Seokjin told him about the situation.

Seokjin paused, “Jimin, I told you this just to vent. I hope you don’t think I’m—”

“Oh, please,” Jimin waved him off. “I know that. But I’ll be going with you as well and I’ll be so fucking bored by myself while you’re filming. At least this way, Haneul would keep me company.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“But I want to,” Jimin reassured him. “Hyung, you know I love children, I don’t mind watching over them. And Haneul? I love that little guy to death.”

Seokjin smiled at his friend’s statement. He knew it was true. His friends adored Haneul, and Haneul adored them just as much. Maybe he loved Namjoon a little bit more but that’s totally fine. “I’m not sure, Min. I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Of course. But just so you know, I’d be absolutely down for it.”

“Whatever you decide is okay with me and your dad,” his mom told him over the phone. “We have no problems with taking care of him for another month if that’s what you want. But we also don’t mind if you brought him with you. Especially if Jimin is offering to look after him.”

“I don’t know eomma. Jimin will be there to have fun too. I don’t wanna just leave him in charge of Haneul when he’s supposed to be relaxing.”

His mother hummed in understanding. “Well, you have two weeks to decide what you want to do so just take it one step at a time. But if you ask me? Bringing him with you would be better. And it’s not that we don’t want to take care of him. It’s just that it would be safer because Mina won’t be able to reach him, you know?”

“That’s a really good point…” He exhaled in resignation. “I’m gonna have to think about this very carefully.”

“Yeah. And talk to your company and Jimin as well.”

“I will. Thanks, eomma.”

“Anytime, Jinnie. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

@wildflowerjoonie: guys, isn’t this TEAR’s handsome manager? [image]

@thenameisjack: @wildflowerjoonie OMG yes! where did you find that photo?

@wildflowerjoonie: @thenameisjack on Rate My Answer’s facebook page. apparently, he was pretty active on TEAR twt years ago? he also seemed pretty popular. Always a 10 on Rate [images]

@sugahiigh: @wildflowerjoonie @thenameisjack oh, yeah! i remember him. we used to be mutuals until he deactivated his twitter because of that fb page.

@starcrossedsope: @wildflowerjoonie @thenameisjack i remember him! he used to post for selca days a lot back then. 

@wildflowerjoonie: @starcrossedsope @sugahiigh what happened, why did he deact 🥹 we could’ve had it all

@sugahiigh: @wildflowerjoonie people were stealing his photos from rate and using them to catfish. 

@starcrossedsope: @sugahiigh @wildflowerjoonie didn’t he also get stalkers because of the people who used his pic?

@sugahiigh: @starcrossedsope omg yeah i remember that. i felt so bad for him

@wildflowerjoonie: @starcrossedsope wait for real? that’s horrible :(

@starcrossedsope: @wildflowerjoonie yeah :( too bad. he’s such a funny dude. pretty legendary answer imo. i still see his old tweets come up on twt every now and then

@thenameisjack: @starcrossedsope lol which ones?

@starcrossedsope: @thenameisjack i don’t remember everything but his handle was @gayforjoon so if u find any tweets from that user, it’s his lol

@seesawsuga: @starcrossedsope …. he’s gay?

@sugahiigh: @starcrossedsope i think we said too much. we might need to stop here

@starcrossedsope: @sugahiigh you’re right. im sorry :( just got too excited to “see” an old friend again :(

@sugahiigh: @starcrossedsope i know :) it’s okay, i am too. but he isn’t on tear twt anymore so i think we should be more mindful with what we say 😅

Ever since the revelation that Seokjin used to have a fan account, more unhinged fans have been doing their best to find traces of Seokjin on social media. So far, he has seen photos and old tweets of his make rounds again.

“I wish I could say I didn’t expect this to happen but we both know that’s a load of bullshit,” Seokjin said to Jimin. Tonight, he was in charge of Jimin since he had time off while the rappers worked.

“Are you okay with it?”

Seokjin shrugged. “It’s not like I’m trying to hide that I’m gay. I’m not. My bigger worry is that they won’t stop digging and they’ll involve Haneul, somehow,” he sighed. “And with my divorce, everything is more complicated than it used to be.” He turned to look at Jimin. “Do you think I should say something on my fan account?”

Jimin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Well, even in the past I used to share a lot of “Fan Code of Ethics” right? It’s my thing. I’m sure this wouldn’t be too suspicious,” he reasoned. “Besides, I can say you asked me to do it.”

Jimin hummed. “That could be a good idea. I can back you up on that,” he said. “By the way, I heard your ex went to the company. You’re not hurt, are you?”

Seokjin shook his head. “No. Namjoon came just in time.”

“You reported her to the police?”

“Yeah. She was in custody but it was only for 24 hours so she’s already out. She at least found herself a good lawyer and is responding when we talk to her about the divorce.”

“She’s agreeing to it?” Jimin asked, eyes wide in excitement for his friend.

“No. But she’s responding.”

“Oh,” Jimin said, dismayed. “Everything will work out in the end.”

“I know. But like you before, I wish it would end sooner rather than later.”

“Hey there,” Namjoon greeted when he arrived at his apartment from the company. “I heard about what happened. I’m sorry, hyung.”

Seokjin chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t help that I’m handsome,” he joked as he gave him a light kiss on the lips.

“That is true,” Namjoon laughed, going for another kiss.

@unfilteredranda: hey people, it’s me, J. I just came here on behalf of Jimin to ask you a favor.

@unfilteredranda: recently, a good friend of TEAR went viral for being so handsome. It’s not his fault, he was born with it

@unfilteredranda: and while he understands that as their manager, he couldn’t avoid not being seen with TEAR, he is still not a part of TEAR. He is simply someone who is trying to do his job.

@unfilteredranda:  curiosity is normal. He was fine when 2 of his photos came up since those photos were of him with TEAR

@unfilteredranda:  but his selcas from his old TEAR fan account are a different story. There is a reason why he deactivated, I am sure that most of you are aware of that reason now. And according to him, he has no intentions of going back to TEAR twt.

@unfilteredranda: I ask you for two things, 1) please avoid/stop digging for more photos or personal information about their manager. That was a boundary that should have never been crossed in the first place. And 2) if you find someone claiming to be them, please report and block said accounts.

@unfilteredranda: lastly, we would like to remind everyone of our basic fan etiquette when it comes to the boys’ friends and family: if it’s not TEAR, we don’t share. If it’s not from TEAR, we don’t share either.

@unfilteredranda: thank you and i hope everyone has a wonderful, meaningful, pleasant day!

@realTEAR quoted your tweet: this is a great reminder for everyone :) please be respectful of our family, friends, and staff’s privacy. Thank you, our ANSWERs, for being so awesome as always- 🐨🐿️🐱

TEAR (realTEAR)

Hi J! It’s Namjoon 🙂

J (unfilteredranda)

Omfg??!

TEAR (realTEAR)

😂😂

I just came here to thank you for the thread that you made.

Our manager is a very important person to me and I have been very worried about him ever since his photos went viral

J (unfilteredranda)

Aflkjadsflk

It’s nothing, really. I’m very happy to help in any way that I can 🫶

TEAR (realTEAR)

I know 🙂

I’ve known you since our earliest days and you helped us get to where we are today

The streaming parties, the emails to radio stations, all of that

We couldn’t have done it without you

J (unfilteredranda)

🥹🥹🥹

I’m just giving back

I cannot express how much you’ve helped me in my darkest days

I want to give you back the same love that you’ve given us

TEAR (realTEAR)

That’s so sweet of you, J

I was really worried when you disappeared, you know?

I thought for a second maybe you stopped being a fan after we had our face reveal 😅

I know we’re not exactly the best looking group out there

J (unfilteredranda)

I will not let you slander yourself in front of me, Mr. Kim Namjoon 😀

You three are fucking hot, if I may say so myself

Life simply got in the way but all is well now

TEAR (realTEAR)

I’m very happy to hear that you’ve been doing better

J (unfilteredranda)

Thank you

Now repeat after me:

I am handsome

TEAR (realTEAR)

…

I am handsome

J (unfilteredranda)

I am kind

TEAR (realTEAR)

I am kind

J (unfilteredranda)

I am talented

TEAR (realTEAR)

I am talented

J (unfilteredranda)

I have gorgeous thighs that can possibly crush watermelons

TEAR (realTEAR)

…do i have to?

J (unfilteredranda)

Yes🔪🔪🔪

TEAR (realTEAR)

😂😂😂😂

Fine

I have gorgeous thighs that can possibly crush watermelons

J (unfilteredranda)

Amazing.

Never doubt yourself, ok?

TEAR (realTEAR)

You know, you remind me of my hyung.

He’d probably react the same way if he knew what i said

Anyways, please don’t share this with anyone

I don’t want people to see that I said I have…

No im not gonna say that again

J (unfilteredranda)

Ok, but what if Jimin?

TEAR (realTEAR)

Especially not Jimin

J (unfilteredranda)

😂 i understand

Chapter Text

Namjoon wasn’t exactly complaining. Truth be told, he melted at the extra attention Seokjin had been giving him lately. Of course, they remained professional when working but behind closed doors, Seokjin has been complimenting him more, peppering him with kisses, and overall giving him more love and attention.

“What’s up with you, hyung?” he asked during lunch, his face cherry red because of the compliments that kept coming out of Seokjin’s mouth.

Seokjin chuckled, “Nothing. I just love you so much,”

It took a lot of restraint for Namjoon to not jump him at that very moment.

“You look like you’re walking on air,” Hoseok commented during their break. They were filming the last parts of their pre-release music video and currently, it was Yoongi who was filming.

He smiled back at his friend, “I feel like I’m walking on air.”

Hoseok chuckled, “Anything special that happened?”

Namjoon shrugged. “Hyung has been very… affectionate lately. More than he had ever been and I’m loving the attention,” he said as he scratched his nape bashfully. “The sex is also amazing. It always is but it’s been something else lately.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“I also don’t ask about your threesomes but I get to hear it so fuck off.”

Hoseok threw his head back laughing. “Ok, that’s a good point. I’m sorry,” he said, wiping away his tears from laughing. “By the way, Jimin is asking if Seokjin-hyung made his decision yet?”

Namjoon shook his head. “He still feels unsure. I think he’s worried about inconveniencing Jimin. It’s a month-long trip after all”

“Oh, please. Jimin has been looking forward to it as much as he’s looking forward to the trip itself. Besides, it’s one month but we don’t work every day, right?”

“Yeah, we have days break in between. If the schedule wasn’t so spread apart, the filming would only be 2 weeks and a half.” Namjoon turned to Hoseok, “I’ll ask him again later. I’d love for Haneul to come with us but I also don’t want to push my decision onto him.”

Hoseok hummed in understanding.

Seokjin didn’t have to be at work today despite the trio filming. He decided to hand today over to Soobin-ssi so the younger one could get used to being alone with the group more. Instead, he went to the throuple’s apartment to talk to Jimin.

“I wanted to ask you more about our plans if I do bring Haneul with me,” Seokjin said. The company needed the final number of people going and if he was to bring Haneul, he had to decide now.

Jimin beamed. “Okay!”

In the end, Seokjin was finally convinced. Jimin would leave 4 days after the group to wait for Haneul. Seokjin’s parents would meet with Jimin the day after they arrived from Jeju to hand over Haneul, and then they would travel together. And since they are only working 4 days a week, sometimes 3, Jimin would only be taking care of Haneul during those days.

“I already have so many activities in mind, hyung,” Jimin said.

Seokjin smiled at him. “This means a lot to me. Thank you so much, Jimin.”

“Have you talked to Mina’s lawyers yet?” Jimin asked when the conversation became about his divorce. They tried to avoid talking about it but it was almost impossible to.

Seokjin sighed and rolled his eyes. Shaking his head, he said to Jimin, “Her requests are getting more and more ridiculous. She wants me to double her monthly alimony, which is already a lot considering she would not have primary custody of Haneul. And, she also wants me to pay for emotional damage which is ridiculous!”

Jimin was as pissed off as Seokjin. “Emotional damage? She’s lucky you didn’t bring up all of her neglectful behavior, like when she left a two-year-old Haneul in a random convenience store in the middle of the night to go bar hopping with his friends. I would have, hyung.”

Seokjin bit his nails, a habit he developed quite recently. “Namjoon is saying I should as well. But I’m worried. What if they ask me why I let her do that?”

“You didn’t let her do anything, hyung. Didn’t you send her to rehab after reporting her to the police? I’m sure those will also be helpful.”

“Yeah but, I don’t want to ruin her, you know? I feel bad… I still think it’s my fault for forcing her to be a family with me.”

“You didn’t force her though. You gave her a chance to leave, many times. You also will not ruin her because she’s doing it to herself,” Jimin reasoned. “Hyung, as someone who was also doubtful about punishing someone the way they deserved to be punished, I can assure you that the more lenient you are with her, the worse she will be. She’ll think what she did was not as bad, not as dangerous, not as horrible.”

Seokjin was reminded of Jimin’s lawsuit with Minwoo. Yes, it was horrible. Even Seokjin thought that he was being too kind and too forgiving. Minwoo only became worse, resorting to slandering Jimin and even stalking him. He didn’t want that to happen to him or Haneul, so why was he being too soft on Mina?

“You have a good point,” Seokjin murmured. “I’ll talk to my lawyer about it.”

Seokjin sighed, not even surprised to see Mina standing in front of Big Hit again. He was just exhausted.

“Seriously?” He said.

“Not even a hello to your wife?”

“You’re not my wife anymore.”

“We’re not divorced yet, oppa. So unfortunately, as much as you want to erase me from your life, it’s not going to happen.”

Seokjin exhaled in frustration. He looked around, thankful that no one was looking. “Let’s go to the coffee shop nearby unless you want to talk here in the middle of the street.”

Mina followed him without complaints.

“Order what you want,” Seokjin said. As much as he loathed the woman in front of him, he still cared for her. She looked gaunt. She looked like she hadn’t eaten properly since he last saw her, which wasn’t too long ago but she lost a lot of weight since then.

Mina looked at him suspiciously but did so anyway.

“You found work?”

Mina looked up from eating and nodded. “I’m a motel receptionist. I’ve been working for about a month now.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that,” Seokjin said genuinely. He let her eat as much as she wanted before he asked her what it was she wanted to talk about.

“I just want you to agree to my terms. Then I’ll be out of your hair,” she said.

“You’re asking too much, Mina. My original offer for the alimony should be more than enough to cover your rent and utilities. You can’t rely on me for everything anymore.”

“It’s not enough,” she said, sounding almost pleading. “What about my allowance? What about my spending money? I don’t have that anymore?”

“Not from me, no. That’s why you get a job.”

“B-but—”

Seokjin shook his head. “Please be reasonable. I’m already giving you so much.”

“You’re being unfair to me,” she said, crocodile tears starting to roll down her eyes.

“I’m not, Mina. And you know I’m being generous. Please don’t make this harder than it should be.” He then noticed the clock on the wall. It was almost time for him to go to the company. “I have to go back to work, Mina,” he said, setting a couple of bills for Mina. “Please think about it. Please, let’s just… Aren’t you tired?”

Mina did not answer, instead, she shamefully reached for the money on the table before getting up and leaving Seokjin by himself.

He sighed in relief. He was just glad that she didn’t make a scene this time.

Namjoon noticed Seokjin’s somber mood when he arrived at the company and immediately he felt worried. He was talking to him earlier and he was fine.

“Everything okay, hyung?” he asked. Seokjin looked at Namjoon, then shook his head. Instinctively, he reached for Seokjin and gave him a tight embrace, company rules be damned. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

“Let’s go somewhere more private.”

Namjoon tried to keep his anger in check. Day by day, Mina was becoming bolder and bolder than she should be. Namjoon felt helpless because he knew he wasn’t in a position to do anything. All he could offer was his support.

“Hyung, just tell me what you need from me and I’ll give it to you.” If Seokjin asked him to cover the rest of the alimony Mina was asking for, he would have done it. Namjoon would have given him anything he asked for.

“Just be here for me, please,” Seokjin leaned on to Namjoon, closing his eyes and breathing him in.

“Haneul-ah!” Namjoon greeted when he saw Seokjin talking to the kid. “How are you, buddy?”

“Hyung! Appa said we’re going on a trip together!” He said, all smiles.

Namjoon looked at Seokjin who nodded in confirmation. He didn’t know Seokjin had decided to bring Haneul. “I’m so excited!” He said genuinely. “When I’m not working, I’m going to show you and your Appa a lot of places, okay?”

“Yeah!”

“And Haneul-ah, Appa will have to work sometimes so Jimin-hyung will take care of you. You have to listen to him, okay?”

“I will! I’ll be good, I promise!”

Seokjin could see how excited Namjoon was. He had been looking up places he could bring Haneul to for the past hour already. It was heartwarming to see him care so much for his son even though he didn’t have to.

“Hyung, it feels like our first family trip,” Namjoon said after the call with Haneul. “Maybe after all of our schedules we can go to an actual one. Just you, me, and Haneul.”

Seokjin’s heart leaped upon hearing what he said. Family. Of course. This was his family.

Slowly and silently walked to his boyfriend. Namjoon looked at him confused when he stopped just inches in front of him. He looked even more confused but delighted when he kissed him out of nowhere. “Thank you, Namjoon. For loving Haneul as much as you do,” he said adoringly.

Namjoon smiled back at him. “It’s impossible not to, hyung. Haneul is a wonderful child,” he leaned forward for another kiss, “He takes after you after all.”

Seokjin

So…

A lot of things has been happening lately

and i completely forgot to tell you what happened after i (unfilteredranda) posted that PSA on my account

Jimin

👀

i’m all ears

Seokjin

Namjoon dmd me on twitter

Jimin

oidifushdfksjdf

do you think he knows?

that you’re J?

Seokjin

I don’t think so, thank god😭😭

but i don’t know what to do

i feel bad

i feel like im lying to him

Jimin

Are you planning on telling him, hyung?

Seokjin

yeah, eventually

but not this soon

i thought id have time at least until after all their schedule

Jimin

I mean

maybe it’s just one of?

what did he say anyway?

Seokjin

he just thanked me for the thread i made about their manager (ME)

and said that he’s very special to namjoon (ALSO ME)

and that he was glad im back

then he also thanked me for all my help during their debut days🥹🥹🥹

doesn’t he know i would have died for him

Jimin

would have?

Seokjin

I have a child now, Jimin

i can’t leave him

Jimin

😂

good point

i also don’t think that joonie-hyung would want you to do that

he loves you too much you know?

yoongi-hyung told me that when you’re on day off and not working with them he’s all pouty and stuff

Seokjin

My poor baby 🥹

but he has to get used to it though

Jimin

I know

did you tell him about it though?

Seokjin

Not yet but I’m planning to do it after the trip

I’m not worried because I know he will understand

I will still be their manager, just in Korea

Haneul needs me more than even

Jimin

I know he will, hyung

Joonie-hyung loves Haneul so much, I know he’ll only want what’s best for him

and this is it

Seokjin

He called us his family, you know?

Well, not directly but

He said it feels like this would be our first family trip

and i almost cried

then he said maybe one day we three can go on an actual one

and i just

he doesn’t understand how much that meant to me

Jimin

Oh, hyung

you and haneul deserve all the happiness in the world

Seokjin

I was worried

before we started dating, I was worried

I had a son, i had a wife when we met and technically I still have one

I wondered if joon really wanted me

or if he could love haneul even a little bit

but he did, he does and it’s just

it’s all i want

Jimin

yiure gonan make me cyr

i’m so glad you found each other

i’m so glad you found us, hyung

we love you so much

Seokjin

🥹

thank you min

i love you too

Chapter Text

It was the day that TEAR and their team had to leave for a month. There was a mixture of nervousness and excitement for the trio. To Namjoon, it felt like they were finally starting over again after leaving Cage and joining BigHit.

As much as he hated cameras flashing on his face constantly, seeing people waiting for them in the airport was a huge relief for him. He hadn’t told anybody but Namjoon, as TEAR’s leader, had worried that because of the whole debacle with Cage, fans would have left them by now. It had been months since they last released music, longer than that since they had appeared in front of the media. But now, they stood here, fans, paparazzi, and journalists waiting for them, he felt like he was very much in his element.

“Is it odd that I feel at home despite this chaos?” Yoongi whispered to him from beside him as they stood for pictures.

Namjoon smiled and shook his head. “It’s kinda fucked up how I missed this,” he confessed.

“Never thought I’d say I missed the paps. But just for today,” Hoseok chuckled.

Seokjin was just a few feet away from the trio. He stood with the security team and Soobin as they would be flying with the group. The rest of the crew should be inside the airport now, waiting to board.

“Manager-nim!” He heard one person shout. He looked over and suddenly there were flashes of cameras.

Thankfully, one of the security personnel stood in front of him to block the people taking his photos.

He sighed. It seemed like despite asking the fans not to bother him, some did not listen. He could feel Namjoon staring at him, and lifting his head, he was right. He met Namjoon’s eyes who then looked at his phone and then went back to Seokjin.

Namjoon

You okay, hyung?

Seokjin

Yep. Don’t worry bout me

After a couple of minutes, the trio and the rest of the team were escorted inside the airport. Someone tried to grab Seokjin’s hand as they walked by, startling him. Namjoon tried to subtly grab Seokjin’s hand to pull him closer as they walked but he was pretty sure people saw.

Didn’t matter though. He’d just have to deal with the consequences tomorrow. As long as Seokjin was unharmed, everything else didn’t matter.

Only when they were safely inside the plane did Seokjin feel like he could breathe. It was intense. In all his years of being a manager, he had never had to deal with that big of a crowd before. Of course, he had expected it. After all, TEAR was the biggest group in Korea, if not the world, as of the moment but it still did not prepare him for the overwhelming feeling that he had felt as he walked with them. Poor Soobin was even more flustered than he was.

And then someone tried to grab Seokjin and for a second he almost freaked out, until Namjoon grabbed his hand to pull him closer. Pretty sure he was red from his toes to the top of his head but he’ll just have to see because he was certain there would be pictures anyway.

They sat in one of those first-class seats where passengers could lay their seat down and sleep if they wanted. “Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, turning to Namjoon whose seat was beside him when he heard him chuckle. “What? It’s my first time in first class.”

“Nothing, hyung. You just look adorable.”

He could feel the blush climbing from his neck and slowly to his entire face. “Oh, shut up.”

Seokjin

Ok, call me a masochist but

how’s twitter

Jimin

First of all, are you ok?

I saw someone tried to grab you

people are angry about that

as they should

Seokjin

i’m fine

they didn’t get to

anything else?

Jimin

you’re not gonna like this but

you have your own fansite

a couple actually

Seokjin

ugh why

Jimin

and then a couple are like

shipping you and joon hard

specially when he grabbed your hand and pulled you close after that one person tried to touch you

his glare was so obvious lmao

Seokjin

i didn’t know he glared at them 😭😭😭

but other than that, nothing else right?

i'm also hoping that this being TEAR’s first public appearance in months is overshadowing things they are saying about me?

please say yes

Jimin

from what i see, yeah

tbh, there was only a very small group of people talking about you

i think the only reason i am seeing it is because im the captain of the ship

and i actively seek it

Seokjin

oh thank god

and thank god i didn’t have Haneul with me

Jimin

don’t worry about him hyung

i’ll take care of him

Seokjin

Thanks again, Min

I owe you a lot

Jimin

It’s nothing, hyung

The first two days were meetings with the crew from day till night, followed by multiple advertisement shoots the day after. Seokjin was glad Haneul wasn’t there with them yet because he barely had time for himself. Jimin and Haneul arrived the morning of their fourth day and they both looked so exhausted that they let them sleep until the afternoon.

“Appa!” Haneul shouted excitedly when Seokjin came back from filming with the crew. “I missed you,” he said, holding his dad tight.

“I missed you too, Haneul-ah. Did you have fun in Jeju?”

“Yeah! We did lots of fun stuff! But I missed you lots,”

“I missed you lots too,” Seokjin said, kissing Haneul on the cheek.

“Where’s Namjoon-hyung?”

“Still working with Hoseok-hyung and Yoongi-hyung. Where’s Jimin-hyung?”

“Hi, hyung! Sorry, I was in the bathroom,” Jimin said. “We had fun today, didn’t we, Haneul-ah?”

“Yeah! We played Jenga and I won!”

“I lost each time, hyung. And I really tried to win.” Jimin looked at Seokjin with such seriousness that he couldn’t help but laugh.

Today, instead of the show, they would be filming parts of another music video. Namjoon felt more nervous than usual and for one very specific reason: Haneul was watching. The kid, as Seokjin confirmed, has been hero-worshipping Namjoon ever since they met, and because of that, Namjoon wanted to make sure that he’d do well.

“Namjoon-ah, you can trip and fall face first, Haneul will love you still,” Yoongi teased.

“You’re not worried that Jimin is watching?” Namjoon asked, ignoring Yoongi’s teasing.

Yoongi shrugged. “He’d seen me do dumber things in the past. And even if we don’t do anything stupid, he’ll find something to tease us about. We learned to live with it.”

Seokjin could feel Haneul hold his hand tighter. The rest of the crew have been very curious and excited about Haneul but his son inherited his dad’s social awkwardness and had been hiding behind him or Jimin when he was busy.

“It’s okay, buddy,” he said, “they’re friends.” Haneul shook his head, still refusing to speak.

“Hyung, he’s so much like you,” Jimin commented from beside him. “He’s literally a mini you.”

It was then that Namjoon came by to say hi, “Haneul-ah!” he greeted as he jogged to them. “Are you having fun?” he said, crouching down to meet his eyes.

“Hyung, I’m shy,” Haneul admitted, rushing to Namjoon.

Namjoon ruffled his hair, “It’s okay. They’re our friends. You’re fine, okay?” he said.

Haneul whined, still unsure but nodded anyway.

“Namjoon-ssi is very close to Haneul, isn’t he?” Soobin commented as they worked behind the scenes

Seokjin chuckled, “Yeah. If I wasn’t his dad, Namjoon would probably be his favorite person.”

“That’s good…” Soobin said, “I don’t mean to pry but… I feel like as their assistant manager, I should know. Is it true? That you and Namjoon-ssi…?”

“Ah,” Seokjin said. “Sorry about that. Yes, he and I are seeing each other. But we haven’t told Haneul yet. So if it’s possible, please don’t say anything to Haneul yet?”

“Of course. Thank you for trusting me, Seokjin-ssi,” Soobin then looked to Haneul who was talking to Namjoon once again. “From what I see, Namjoon-ssi adores him just as much.”

Seokjin smiled, “He does.”

Halfway to the shoot, Jimin and Haneul said their goodbyes. It was a little after lunchtime but Jimin had planned to take Haneul to a kid cafe that he found.

Namjoon could admit that he was a bit disappointed, but he was also glad that he could enjoy his day even when he and Seokjin were working.

“You two take care, okay?” Seokjin said, kissing Haneul on the head. “Listen to Jimin-hyung. Don’t leave his side, okay?”

“Okay, Appa,” Haneul said.

While Seokjin was busy talking to Haneul, he walked over to Jimin. “Hey,” he said, then handed his card to the younger, making sure Seokjin wouldn’t see what he was doing. “Buy him anything he wants.”

Jimin rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I have Hobi-hyung’s card,” he said, holding a laugh.

“I know, but this is different. Just take it and stop teasing me.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t tell Seokjin-hyung.”

Jimin raised his brow. “What’s gonna happen when Haneul comes home with a shit ton of new stuff?”

“Tell hyung you bought it? I don’t know. I haven’t thought of it that far.”

“Uh-huh. Of course,” Jimin said with a sigh. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Thanks, Min.”

The rest of the day went very smoothly, as far as Seokjin was concerned. They finished the part of the shoot on schedule and even had time to have dinner with the rest of the crew. He and the trio only stayed for a bit though, with him needing to go back to Haneul.

Imagine his surprise when he opened the door and found Haneul surrounded by several toys and books on their bed.

He looked over to Jimin, who only smiled at him. “Namjoon?” Seokjin asked.

“Uhhh. I was told not to tell you.”

“Of course.”

“Appa! Look! I have so many books and toys! Do you think Namjoon-hyung would read me a bedtime story?” Haneul asked, his eyes so full of hope.

Seokjin sighed in resignation. “I don’t know buddy. But I could ask.”

“Thank you, Appa!”

Seokjin

[image]

U can’t even deny that this is your fault

Jimin didn’t even bother denying

Namjoon

What a snitch

He looks like he’s having fun though 🥺

Seokjin

He is but you know you didn’t have to right?

Namjoon

I know, but I wanted to

Seokjin smiled, reading Namjoon’s response. Time and time again, Namjoon has proven to him how much he loved Haneul. He adored how Namjoon wanted to spoil his son but truthfully, he didn’t want Haneul to grow up thinking he could have anything he wanted. It was probably a conversation he needed to have with Namjoon.

Seokjin

I know that too

But please, don’t go too overboard next time

I don’t want him to get too spoiled

Namjoon

I understand, hyung

I’ll try to hold back next time😂

At least it’s mostly books

Seokjin

Yeah, you’re turning him into a bookworm

Not that i’m complaining, lol

I might need to make him a little reading corner at home

By the way, he wanted to ask if you’d like to read him a book for his bedtime

You can say no, Namjoon.

Namjoon

I’m on my way

Seokjin

It’s 2 hours before his bedtime

By the time Namjoon was done reading the book Haneul picked, the child was already fast asleep. He turned to the couch where Seokjin was and found him smiling at him.

“What?” Namjoon asked.

Seokjin shook his head. “Nothing, just happy,” he said, walking to Namjoon and giving him a tight embrace. “I love you.”

Namjoon smiled against Seokjin’s hair. “I love you more.”

“Don’t challenge me.”

The next day, they were only filming in the evening, meaning they had the whole day for themselves.

“Hyung, I found a children’s museum just a drive away from the hotel. Wanna go?” Namjoon asked in a call.

“Oooh. I wonder if Jimin isn’t planning to do that already?”

“I asked him, he said no.”

“Okay. What time should we meet?”

“Let’s see. How about in an hour?”

“Sure. See you, Joonie.”

“See you, hyung.”

Haneul was babbling on the drive to the museum, telling the adults how excited he was even though he had no idea what a science museum was.

“Are there gonna be robots, hyung?”

“Maybe,” Namjoon answered with a smile. “We’ll just have to see when we get there.”

Thankfully, none of the people there seem to know who he was. At least, no one bothered them and he could enjoy his time with Seokjin and Haneul. Seokjin and he stood along with the parents as the other kids watched a presentation.

Haneul was a bit shy though, especially because he didn’t know english very much. But he still played with the children and his eyes were glued to the presenter when he touched a ball and his hair started to stand up.

Haneul gasped and looked back at them. “Appa! Hyung! Look!” he said, pointing to the front. The two of them nodded in encouragement and then Haneul went back to watching.

“Does anyone want to try?” the presenter asked in English. Many kids raised their hands but Haneul did not. “Hmmm. What about you, little fella?” he asked, pointing to Haneul.

Haneul looked back in a panic. Seokjin walked to him and said, “He asked if you want to try.”

“Oh,” Haneul said, his eyes wide in wonder. Then he nodded.

“Sorry. Our English is not good.” Seokjin explained to the guy.

“Oh! Where are you from?” 

“We are from Korea.”

“Welcome! What’s your name?” He asked Haneul.

“My name is Haneul,” Haneul said shyly.

“Well, Haneul. Do you wanna try it?”

Haneul nodded. The guy led him to the front and then instructed him to touch the ball. Namjoon took out his phone and started taking a bunch of photos.

There was laughter and cheers from the kids when Haneul’s hair started standing up. The presenter showed Haneul a mirror so that he could see what he looked like. Haneul giggled upon seeing himself.

“Appa! Hyung! Look at me!” he said, making Seokjin laugh and clap while Namjoon continued to take photos.

Haneul enjoyed the rest of the trip. Eventually, he started interacting more with the children there despite the language barriers. The activities that the museum planned were also very interactive and entertaining, Seokjin could see that Haneul was having a blast.

Seokjin let Namjoon buy Haneul a couple of souvenirs, but he also insisted on paying for a few himself. “Come on, Joon. I wanna spoil him too,” he joked when Namjoon refused.

They had lunch in a small diner they passed on the way back. Seokjin considered the day a success since no one recognized Namjoon, or at least bothered them.

Haneul was already fast asleep, decked in the science museum’s shirt, hat, and some other accessories. And on his hand, he held tightly a little plushie of what looked like a penguin Einstein.

“Looks like he had fun?” Hoseok commented. He was on his way to meet with Jimin and Yoongi to have lunch.

“It was amazing. I’m so glad we went.” Seokjin said.

@userideka: guys, I’m pretty sure I saw the hot manager and Namjoon earlier at a kids’ science museum

@namjoonsworld: @userideka why would they be at a kids museum?

@userideka: @namjoonsworld they were with a kid. Pretty sure it was the manager’s kid since I heard them call him appa a couple of times. That’s korean for dad right?

@userideka: @namjoonsworld dont ask for photos though, i didnt take any

@notherboreduser: @namjoonsworld can confirm. I work at the gift shop. Namjoon and the manager bought the kid a lot of stuff

@notherboreduser: and before anyone asks, no they werent Namjoon’s kid. I heard them call Namjoon “hyung” a lot.

@anotherone: @notherboreduser @userideka i thought manager was gay?

@userideka: @anotherone don’t know dont care, honestly. I just wanted to share what i saw lol

@notherboreduser: @anotherone also, gay people can have kids. Maybe the manager has a partner. Who knows?

Chapter Text

“Good news, no one shared photos. Bad news, people know the general area where we are now,” Jimin told him as he scrolled through Twitter.

Seokjin groaned. “Well fuck me, I guess. I’m just glad Haneul is safe. What about you? Hoseok said some paps took photos of you three yesterday when you were out with them.”

Jimin sighed, “Yeah, but at this point, it’s starting to become… normal for me when I’m around them. So I’m not as bothered anymore. I still hate it though.”

Seokjin hummed in agreement. “I guess I have to be more careful when going out with Haneul,” he said in dismay. “He was looking forward to going to the water park, you know?”

“Maybe we can still take him? They only take photos when the hyungs are with us. I’m pretty sure most will leave us alone.”

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that…”

“Well, the hotel has a VIP pool on the top floor. They have access to that, maybe we can just swim there if Haneul wants to.”

Seokjin didn’t care to hide his disappointment. Unfortunately, these were things he had to get used to if he wanted to be with Namjoon. It didn’t mean that he’d stop trying to keep Haneul away from it though.

The good thing about being rich was he could spend a shit ton of money to make his loved ones happy and he wouldn’t be bothered by it. Haneul was crushed when Seokjin told him that they couldn’t go to the water park anymore. So what did Namjoon do? He rented the water park.

Okay, so maybe he found a workaround to have the company pay for it but if he wanted to, he could have shouldered all the cost.

“Big Hit rented the water park for a day for team building next week?” Seokjin eyed him suspiciously. “This wasn’t in the schedule.”

Namjoon only shrugged.

“You did this, didn’t you?”

“I may or may not have suggested it to Yoo PD-nim but I didn’t make him do it.”

“Namjoon…”

“Hyung, it was either that or I rented it just for the three of us. Tell me honestly which one you prefer.”

“...Okay, I see what your point is. But you didn’t have to, you know? Haneul would understand.”

“I wanted to. He’s been talking about going there since he arrived here, I would cry if he doesn’t get to.”

Seokjin stood up with a sigh. He walked to Namjoon, cupping his face with both his hands. “I love you. We love you. But when we’re back home, we need to talk about your spoiling tendencies towards Haneul.”

Namjoon smiled sweetly at Seokjin. “I’ll go all out here, then.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Seokjin playfully hit his chest.

Namjoon threw his head back laughing before taking Seokjin’s hand and kissing his knuckles. “Hyung, you know I’d love to spoil you too if you let me, right?”

“I don’t need anything else, Joon. Just you.”

“I know. But I want you to have everything.”

“I’ll text you if anything happens, but seriously, hyung, we’ll be fine.” Jimin reassured him.

Unfortunately, the entire team was called into an emergency meeting after fans figured out which hotel they were staying at. The company has found them another hotel and they would be moving today, but before that, they needed to have another safety meeting.

Jimin and Haneul would be going to the new hotel first. BigHit reassured Seokjin that they would be safe and out of the public’s eye as they traveled.

“It’s also much better if they don’t travel with us, hyung,” Yoongi said. “They’d be more likely to be seen if they were with us.”

Seokjin nodded because Yoongi brought up a good point.

“I think I should ride with Soobin this time,” Seokjin told Namjoon.

“Oh,” Namjoon said, disappointed, but he knew it was better that way.

“Don’t worry, Joon. We’ll meet at the new hotel, okay?”

As expected, there was a hoard of fans waiting for TEAR outside their current hotel. Thankfully, they were apprehended beforehand and managed to sneak out without being seen. Seokjin’s heart did not stop beating loudly like a drum until they were settled inside the new hotel.

“Hyung, that was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that ever,” a flustered Soobin told him.

“Neither have I,” he whispered. “Hey, at least we’re getting paid a lot,” he joked, trying to make the situation lighter.

Jimin

Hyung, we’re settled in at room xxx

I think this is Yoongi-hyung, Hobi-hyung, and my room

Seokjin

Thanks min,

I’ll get him there later

We’re still checking in

Jimin

take your time

we’re watching blues clues

the classic one with steve

that’s very important to mention

Seokjin

😂😂😂

i’ll see you in a bit

Namjoon

Hyung

I know you’re supposed to be rooming with Soobin

but I requested a two bedroom suite

maybe you and Haneul can just stay with me

Seokjin

that’s very sweet of you, joon

but why?

Namjoon

im glad you asked because i prepared for this😂

1 it’s safer this way. there are more security in our floor than there are in yours

2 closer to jimin because he’s just in the next room

3 please🥹

oh, Jimin reminded me to tell you that Haneul might be too shy to share a room with Soobin so it’s better this way

Seokjin

those are good points…

but can i think about it?

Namjoon

of course, hyung

take as much time as you need

also, Haneul’s already here, we’re playing mario party again

Seokjin

damn, i’m so jealous

but we have another meeting with the crew

i’ll see you two in a bit ❤️

“I definitely let him win,” Yoongi said with a pout as Haneul once again beat him, Namjoon, and Jimin in Mario Party.

“Sure, hyung. I believe you,” Hoseok said, comforting his boyfriend while stifling a laugh.

It wasn’t even skill, Haneul just had pure luck and he won. Every. Single. Time.

“See? And you laughed at me for losing Jenga,” Jimin told them, crossing his arms in front of him. And it was true, they did laugh at him for losing to a child. Until they lost to a child.

There was a knock on the door. Namjoon got up to check who it was.

“It’s me,” Seokjin said from the other side of the door.

Namjoon opened it and smiled when he saw that his boyfriend had his and Haneul’s stuff with him. “You decided to stay here?” Namjoon couldn’t help his excitement. He took the bags from Seokjin and helped him inside.

“Yeah,” Seokjin said with a smile. “Soobin insisted. But I think he just wanted the room for himself,” he joked.

Namjoon chuckled. “Thank god for Soobin.” He should give the guy a gift.

To say that Haneul was excited to be staying in Namjoon’s room was an understatement. It took a bit of explaining though before Haneul accepted that they were not going to sleep in Namjoon’s room. They had a separate room that they’d be staying in.

“Why not?” Haneul asked defiantly.

Seokjin looked to Namjoon for help but he was only laughing. It was Yoongi who answered for him.

“Because Namjoon-hyung snores loudly when he sleeps. And your appa has to wake up very early tomorrow morning,” Yoongi said.

“I don’t have to wake up early. I could stay in Namjoon-hyung’s room,” he reasoned.

“You’re gonna let me sleep alone,” Seokjin pouted jokingly. He almost felt bad when Haneul looked at him like he did something bad. “I’m just joking, Haneul-ah.”

Namjoon chuckled. He crouched to meet the kid’s eyes. “Haneul, tomorrow I won’t have to work but your appa does. Why don’t we just hang out all day tomorrow, just the two of us, hmm?”

Haneul thought about it for a second. “Okay. I wanna play Mario Party again, now.”

The throuple left an hour later after playing with Haneul. Seokjin and Namjoon watched and laughed as each of them got more and more frustrated as they kept on losing. Even Hoseok’s brows were knitted in frustration by the end of it all.

“This is so unfair,” Jimin complained. “You’re so good, Haneul-ah. We never won not even once.”

“Hyung, I can let you win next time,” Haneul said, worried that his playmates would stop wanting to play with him.

Jimin let out a small laugh and shook his head. “It’s okay. I like it when you win,” he said, ruffling the kid’s hair to make him smile again.

Namjoon was teaching Haneul how to read when Seokjin opened the door for room service. Thank god the hotel offered Korean food.

“Hyung, I heard that this hotel has a library in the lobby. Do you mind if I take Haneul there tomorrow?” Namjoon asked as he stood next to Seokjin, keeping a proper distance between them.

Since they still haven’t told Haneul that the two of them were dating, they were extra careful showing affection to each other while he was around. Seokjin felt bad every time he saw Namjoon attempt to grab his hand and then drop it after realizing that Haneul was with them.

“Is it safe? For both of you?”

“I’ll have security with me. I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”

Seokjin should probably say no. There was no guarantee that he’d be safe, even with security around. He was Namjoon, people gravitated to him whether he intended it or not but Namjoon had been looking forward to a one on one hangout with his son since they arrived. 

“I don’t know, Joon…” He admitted.

“Hey, it’s okay. I understand,” Namjoon reassured him by squeezing his hand gently. “How about we check tomorrow if there are a lot of people, and if it’s too crowded we don’t go?”

Seokjin sighed. “Okay, that sounds like a good compromise. And if it gets too crowded after you get there, you’ll leave?” Namjoon nodded. “Okay. Okay, then. That’s fine.”

Haneul was still fast asleep when Seokjin had to leave so Namjoon was able to sneak a kiss goodbye.

“Take care, you two, okay?” Seokjin told him. “And please, if you need to buy anything, use my card.”

“Hyung–”

“Please, Joon? Just this once?”

Namjoon sighed, shaking his head with a smile. “Fine. But just this once. Next time, I’m spoiling the heck out of you two.”

“Like you haven’t been doing that already?” Seokjin joked. “Have fun, don’t give your security a hard time.”

“Hyung? Appa left already?” Haneul asked, his hair sticking out everywhere, his pajamas wrinkled, and holding his new plushie from the Science Museum.

“Good morning, buddy. Yeah, your Appa had to leave. He didn’t wanna wake you up,” he said. “We have waffles for breakfast. Are you okay with that?”

Hanuel nodded with a yawn. “Are we going to the library today?”

“If there aren’t too many people, yes we are.”

Namjoon wasn’t religious but he thanked whatever gods there was that the library was virtually empty. He smiled when he saw how wide Haneul’s eyes were upon seeing the shelves of books in front of him.

Someone led them to the children’s section where there was a small reading corner for kids decked in colorful tables, chairs and bean bags.

Haneul’s smile turned to a pout when he realized that most of the books were in English. “I don’t know how to read in English that good, hyung.”

“That’s okay. I’ll help you,” Namjoon promised him.

The library attendant gave them suggestions for Haneul which were very helpful. He especially loved Dr. Seuss’ books because they were simple and according to him, the words were fun to read. 

“Hyung, what about this one?” he said, bringing Namjoon a book. “It has penguins on the cover. Hyung, can you read this one please?”

“Hmm? Let’s see. Come sit here with me,” Namjoon said, patting the space beside him.

The book was called “And Tango Makes Three.” Namjoon didn’t think much of it at first until it was clear that it was about two male penguins raising a baby penguin together. The book gave him hope, and he had to clear his throat one time to stop himself from tearing up.

“ At night, the three penguins returned to their nest. There, they snuggled together and, like all the other penguins in the penguin house, and all the other animals in the zoo, and all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep.” The final page said.

He looked over to Haneul who was looking back at him with a slightly baffled expression. He expected that he would have questions. “Yes, Haneul-ah?”

“Can… Can kids have two Appas too?” he asked quietly.

Namjoon smiled, ruffling his hair. “Yep,” he answered. “Many kids have an eomma and an appa. Some kids only have an appa or an eomma, but sometimes kids can have two eommas or like in this book, two appas.”

“But… how?” Haneul asked again.

Namjoon cleared his throat, unsure if he was in the position to tell Haneul but surely there’d be no harm in it, right? “Well, sometimes, boys like other boys instead of girls, and girls like other girls instead of boys. And then there are people who like both boys and girls, and that’s okay.”

Haneul sat quietly, obviously thinking about what Namjoon had said. In the end, he only nodded and went back to picking another book he’d like Namjoon to read.

Namjoon wasn’t sure what happened, but he bet that someone saw him there and told everyone because just before lunch time, people started pouring in. That wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was the amount of people without kids who were lurking around the children’s reading area.

Namjoon quietly called for security as he went to find Haneul. “We gotta go now, bud. There’s too many people, it’s a bit dangerous for us.”

Haneul, as expected, was disappointed to hear that but he nodded and held his hand anyway.

“Tell you what,” Namjoon started. “Why don’t you pick some books that you want to read and then I can have someone borrow them, hmm?”

Haneul’s eyes lit up once more. “We can do that?”

Namjoon nodded. “Absolutely. We’ll just have to read in your room.”

“Okay!”

They were able to leave the library without much trouble, thanks to the hotel staff and his security. Namjoon had asked one of his security guards to check out the books so that they wouldn’t have to stay longer than necessary.

He let out a breath of relief when they were finally inside the room. “The books will be here very soon so why don’t we pick what we want for lunch while we wait?”

The two of them continued to read books until it was Haneul’s nap time. The child could barely keep his eyes open as Namjoon read one of the books they borrowed. After a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

By 4pm, Seokjin came back. He didn’t expect to be gone for the entire day, but they had calls to make, schedules to review, and he and Soobin had to coordinate with the producers of the variety show.

When he came in, he found Namjoon and Haneul fast asleep on the couch, with a stack of books beside them. Seokjin chuckled, it seemed like the trip to the library was a success.

He let them sleep some more, heading to the  room he and Haneul stayed in to shower and change his clothes. He took his time since Haneul was fast asleep with Namjoon. He took advantage of the freaking hot tub in the bathroom because why wouldn’t he?

When he got out of the bath and into the living area, Namjoon was already up but Haneul was still asleep.

“Hyung, he’s been asleep for more than an hour now, should I wake him up?” Namjoon asked. He knew that if Haneul slept beyond an hour during naptime, he’d have a hard time sleeping at night.

“I’ll wake him up,” Seokjin said. It took a couple of tries but eventually, Haneul opened his eyes. “Hi, bud. Did you have fun today?”

Haneul’s eyes widened and he smiled when he saw his appa. “Appa! Yes, I read so many books! And there were even puzzles and coloring sheets that I did! I had so much fun!”

“That’s good to hear! Were you a good boy for Namjoon-hyung?”

Haneul nodded earnestly. “Hyung, I was good, right?” he asked Namjoon.

“The absolute best,” Namjoon told him with a smile.

“Appa, did you know that sometimes, kids can have two appas or two eommas?” Haneul said when Seokjin tucked him to bed.

Seokjin cocked his head, curious what brought this on. “I do. How did you know?”

“Because in the book that Namjoon-hyung and I read, the baby penguin had two penguin dads instead of a penguin dad and a penguin mom.”

“That’s interesting. Did you like the book?”

“I did. And Namjoon-hyung told me that sometimes girls can like girls and boys can like boys. Did you know that, Appa?”

Oh, boy. If he only knew. “Yes, I knew that too. But you already know that, right? Jimin-hyung, Hoseok-hyung, and Yoongi-hyung love each other and they’re all boys. Jungkook-hyung and Taehyung-hyung also love each other and they’re both boys.”

“Oh. Yeah,” Haneul said, as if realizing things for the first time. “Appa, does Namjoon-hyung have a boy he likes? Or does he like girls?”

“Ah… Well, that’s something you have to ask Namjoon-hyung and not me. He’s the only one who can answer that. Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow, Appa and hyung has to work so you’ll be with Jimin-hyung again.”

“Okay. I like Jimin-hyung. He’s nice.”

Jimin was peacefully putting away his and Haneul’s plates when the little kid ran up to him and asked him to crouch down. “What is it, Haneul-ah?”

“Hyung, do you know if Namjoon-hyung likes boys or if he likes girls?” Haneul whispered. “I want to ask him but I’m shy.”

Uh oh. What should he do? Should he really answer this? “Uhm… Well, I think you should ask him because he should be the one to tell you that. Why do you ask?”

“Oh. That’s what appa said too. Well, if he likes boys I want to ask him if he would like Appa.”

Oh boy. This was getting more and more entertaining. “Do you want him to like your Appa?”

Haneul nodded, “He’s really nice and he doesn’t make Appa cry like my eomma and he loves me a lot.”

“Fair enough, kid.” Jimin thought. Still, he was in no position to ask him that. Jimin cleared his throat, “Well.. let’s say he does like boys. Does your Appa like boys?” He wasn’t sure if it was something Seokjin had explained to Haneul already, so he was careful with what he was saying.

“I don’t know. But I think Appa has a crush on Namjoon-hyung already.”

Oh? Jimin raised his brow and tried so hard to keep himself from smiling. “Is that so? How’d you know?”

“Cause when I had a crush on Ahin at daycare, my ears and cheeks were red when I talk to her and Appa’s ears and cheeks are red when he talks to Namjoon-hyung sometimes.” He said with so much certainty that it was hilarious. The kid was a hundred percent sure of his dad’s crush on Namjoon. “And he has pictures of Namjoon-hyung in our closet at home!”

It seems like the six year old was smarter than they gave him credit for. “That’s interesting. Well, you have to ask Namjoon-hyung about that though. I’m sorry I can’t help you,” Jimin said, still suppressing a laugh.

“Okay, but if Namjoon-hyung says yes, will you help me?”

“Help you with what?”

Haneul stopped to think. “I don’t know.”

Jimin could not stop the laugh coming out of him. “Okay, I will, whatever it is you want my help for.”

Chapter Text

“Appa, I wanna go play with Jimin-hyung again,” Haneul said once more.

Seokjin didn’t know how to feel, at first he was fine with Haneul wanting to spend time with Jimin, but for the past few days, even when he and Namjoon were both not working, he’d rather spend time with Jimin. Did he neglect him to the point that he preferred Jimin over his own dad?

“I thought we could hang out, the three of us today though,” he said, trying not to sound as dejected as he left.

Haneul looked at him quietly. “But… Do you not want to rest? You can rest while I play with Jimin-hyung.”

Seokjin smiled. His wonderful boy was worried about him, of course. “No, I’m not. I really want to spend time with you today.”

“Hmmm. Okay,” Haneul said, joining him on the couch. “Appa, can we read books? I borrowed more books from the library! I have my own library card!”

“That’s great! Maybe we should get you a library card at home too, since you love it so much.”

Haneul’s eyes widened, “We can do that?”

“Haneul-ah!” Namjoon greeted, coming out from his room. “We’re gonna hang out today!”

“Yeah!”

Jimin knew exactly what Haneul was trying to do. It wasn’t a coincidence that he’d suddenly wanted to spend time with Jimin and Seokjin and Namjoon had free time. And okay, maybe it was his fault. When he told the kid “Maybe let them hang out with each other sometimes?”, he didn’t mean all the time. Now Seokjin was worried that he wasn’t paying enough attention to Haneul.

Trying hard not to smile, he reassured his hyung, “Oh, please. Even when we’re hanging out, he never stops talking about you too. Maybe it’s just that we don’t play a lot back home, so he’s taking advantage.”

“Hmmm,” Seokjin sighed. “I hope you’re right. But I feel bad. I took him with us so I can spend time with him but it’s been busier than anticipated.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. I can assure you that he’s fine. He’s not feeling neglected, he’s happy and we’re just… lately we’re partners in crime.”

Seokjin raised his brow. “I gotta be honest, Jimin. That scares the shit out of me.”

“Oh, it should.”

“W-why do you ask?” Namjoon asked Haneul. He wasn’t sure what exactly prompted him to ask this question and he wasn’t sure what to say. Should he be honest? Should he lie? Should he ask Seokjin what to do or should he cry?

“Cause remember you said sometimes boys can like boys, and girls can like girls, and sometimes they can like boys and girls?”

“Yeah, I do remember that,” he sighed, recalling his conversation with Haneul after reading And Tango Makes Three.

“I asked Appa if he knew but he said to ask you.”

“Oh,” At least he knew Seokjin knew he’d ask. “Well, yes. I do like boys. But why do you ask?”

Haneul’s smile was ear to ear when Namjoon answered him. “I just wanted to know!” The kid said. “Hyung, can you help me go to Jimin-hyung? I have to tell him something.”

“Okay?”

When they got to the door of the throuple’s hotel room, Haneul turned to him. “Hyung, you can go back now. I’m gonna play with Jimin hyung.”

“Uhhh. Sure?”

“Hyung! Hyung! Jimin-hyung!” Haneul whispered.

“Yes?”

“He does like boys!” Haneul added.

Ah. He must have asked Namjoon already. Jimin gave him a plotting smile. “What do we do now?”

Haneul’s shoulders drooped and he pouted at the question. He then shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I couldn’t think of anything.”

“Well, maybe you can ask Namjoon-hyung if he likes your dad?”

Haneul shook his head, “No, hyung. We have to play cupid!”

Jimin blamed this entirely on Hoseok. Every time he and Haneul hung out, they’d watch these cheezy, romance films and last time, he watched one where a kid around Haneul’s age played matchmaker for his mom and the male lead. Jimin sighed. “Okay, come on. Let’s think of something.” Preferably something that wouldn’t get them in trouble. 

Seriously, Seokjin and Namjoon should just tell the kid.

A few days ago marked Namjoon and Seokjin’s first month of being together. Namjoon wanted so badly to do something special but they were both very busy that day. Today, he managed to get a reservation at a fancy restaurant in the city.

Originally, they were meant to bring Haneul but the child insisted on staying with Jimin instead. They asked him if he was sure but he was adamant.

“Joon-ah, is this okay?” Seokjin asked, coming out from his room. He was dressed in a semi sheer white lace-like button up shirt tucked inside his jeans that showcased his tiny waist, and glasses. Fucking glasses.

“Hyung, don’t ask me that. We might not make it there on time.”

Seokjin’s eyes widened before his face turned beet red. “Oh, shush. It’s not that special,” he said, looking away.

“What’s with the glasses? You’re killing me here, hyung,” Namjoon whined.

“I lost my contact lenses so I have to wear these for now,” Seokjin explained. “You look amazing, by the way,” he added with a smile.

Namjoon was wearing a knitted white collared sweater over a black leather Bottega Veneta trousers. “That face though,” he whistled, walking over to still blushing Seokjin and giving him a kiss.

“You don’t think I’m under-dressed?”

“Not at all, hyung. Although I don’t think I can survive the night. Just send my regards to my parents. Tell them I love them and I’m sorry I was a demon as a child.”

Seokjin rolled his eyes. “Stop being overdramatic.”

Namjoon hoped that for Seokjin’s sake, no one saw them come into the restaurant. He didn’t spot any phones on them so that was a good sign. Honestly, he’d love to parade Seokjin everywhere, tell the world that the man was his and his only, and maybe one day they could do that, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible just yet.

He could feel Seokjin’s nervousness as he also looked around the room, probably checking if someone was filming them.

The waitstaff led Namjoon to the private room he rented. Seokjin would say it was an overkill but it was important if they wanted to enjoy the evening without being interrupted or fearing being photographed.

“Wow, this is fancy,” Seokjin laughed nervously.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s nice,” Seokjin said, looking around the room. “But even if it was horrible, I wouldn’t have minded. I’m here for you.”

“Stop being so cheesy, I should be the one doing that,” Namjoon said, trying to hide his blush behind his hands.

If Seokjin was to describe it, it would be that it was the perfect night. Internally, he was grateful that Haneul decided to hang out with Jimin instead of going with them because it has been a while since he got to be openly affectionate with Namjoon.

The food was amazing, the view was amazing, but most of all, the company was perfect. Namjoon was perfect, so adorable, so corny sometimes but he loved that about him.

The conversation was… to be honest, to an outsider it might not have made sense. He always said that Namjoon was his “say anything” partner. They talked about everything from their childhood to maple story to pokemon.

A little later through the night, the both of them were flushed, a little tipsy from the alcohol but definitely love drunk with each other. Seokjin smiled as he listened to another of Namjoon’s high school stories. He felt like his heart could burst out of his check any moment now.

“Hyung, you okay there?” Namjoon asked with a giggle. “You look drunk.”

“Namjoon-ah?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Namjoon smiled, that smile that Seokjin loved so much. “I love you too, hyung.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too, so much.”

“Seriously, I’m so in love with you.”

Namjoon was giggling uncontrollably at his confessions. “And I’m so fucking in love with you too, hyung. It was love at first sight, did you know?”

Seokjin raised his brow, “Really?”

“Yeah. I still remember you waiting for me inside the studio. I was frozen, I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as you. And then I fucking lost my braincells and blurted out that I thought you were beautiful.”

Seokjin threw his head back laughing. “Oh, yeah. I remember that now. But I was too nervous to meet you so at that time, it didn’t really register what you said.”

“Thank god, cause I made a fool out of myself. I just remember trying to recall what the company policy was for dating. Then you said you had a kid.”

“Oh?”

“And that you were married. So I thought you were straight and I was miserable for the following months until you told me you were gay. So I was a little less miserable. The rest made fun of me, you know? They were horrible friends.”

Seokjin chuckled, “I could imagine. Especially Yoongi and Hoseok? They didn’t let you live that down, didn’t they?”

“No, they did not, not even for a fucking second,” Namjoon said. “But jokes on them, here we are.”

“Here we are,” Seokjin repeated. “We’re almost there. I promise you, Namjoon, once I am free I will love you the way you should be loved.”

“Hyung, you love me more than enough. Sometimes I think I don’t deserve you at all, you know? I’m fucked up. I’m not perfect. I could be immature at times, and I’m selfish too. But here you are. You’re still with me.”

“You’re not fucked up. No one’s perfect. And so what if you’re immature and selfish sometimes? So am I. We all are. I’m staying with you, Namjoon, for as long as you’d want me to.” He promised.

“Well, I hope you don’t get bored then, cause you’re stuck with me forever.” Namjoon grinned.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Seokjin
Hey guys, do you mind if Haneul stays with you for the night?
Just this one night please?

Jimin
He’s already tucked in bed.
I knew this would happen lol
have fun and please,
change the sheets before I return Haneul

Seokjin
Don’t tell jungkook but you’re my favorite dongsaeng

Hoseok
Oh so I guess we’re just chopped liver then😡😤🤬

Seokjin
ily hobi

Hoseok
ily2 ig 😒🙄🫤
even if you’re a meanie🤧
but have fun 🥰🥰

Seokjin glared at Namjoon when the man got out of the shower. Namjoon saw him and had the audacity to grin after what he did last night.

“I can’t feel my fucking legs, Namjoon,” Seokjin said. Thank god he wasn’t needed on set today. He wasn’t sure if he had the energy or the capability to walk. He doesn’t even have concealer to hide all the hickeys Namjoon gave him from last night.

“I’m so sorry, baby. You’re just so irresistible,” Namjoon said, bending down to give him a kiss. “There’s a spa in the lobby. Do you want me to book you a massage there?”

“I have hickeys everywhere. Any other time, I’d say yes,” Seokjin told him. “Now go get dressed. Your call time is in 30 minutes. You don’t want to be late.”

“Yes, sir,” Namjoon said with a chuckle. “Do you want me to call Jimin when I fetch Hoseok and Yoongi?”

“Yes, please. Ask him to bring me concealer.”

“I will.”

Jimin whistled when he saw the “damage” done by Namjoon. “Didn’t know hyung was this freaky.” He commented as he helped conceal the hickeys on his neck.

“You have no idea,” Seokjin muttered under his breath without thinking. It was only when Jimin guffawed that he realized what he said.

“So like… Who usually tops or is that something I shouldn’t ask?”

Seokjin contemplated on it. “We switch it up most of the time. It’s hard to tell.” His answer only made Jimin laugh harder. “Where’s Haneul, by the way?”

“He went back to his room, he said he wanted to sleep some more. He was up until a little bit past his bedtime, sorry," Jimin sheepishly said.

“It's fine. I should probably order breakfast before he wakes up." Seokjin tried to stand up but immediately sat back down when his legs gave out on him. “Fucking, Namjoon.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly how this happened, I imagine.”

“Jimin-hyung, you think I did a good job last night? When I didn’t go with Appa and Namjoon-hyung so they could have a date? Do you think they had a date?” Haneul whispered to him as they sat side by side on the couch watching Bluey while Seokjin, who finally had gained feeling on his legs, went down to buy something from the convenience store.

“Oh, absolutely, you did a great job. But you know you don’t have to do it all the time, you know? They love having you around,” Jimin explained. “You can do it but just sometimes.”

“Just sometimes?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. But do you think they went on a date?”

“Hmmm. I don’t know. Maybe?” It was a yes but since Seokjin and Namjoon haven’t told Haneul about the two of them yet, he didn’t want to out them. “Do you really want them to date, Haneul-ah?” The kid nodded his head. “You’re okay with that? Are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

“But you know that your Appa is still married to your Eomma, right?” Jimin tentatively asked.

“Yeah but they’re doing the di.. the dovo… the thing that married people do when they don’t wanna be with each other anymore.”

“Ah… Divorce?”

“Yeah. Appa explained it to me. He said that one day Eomma might have a new boyfriend and that’s okay because they won’t be married anymore,” Haneul said. “He also told me that one day he might have someone else he loves too so why not Namjoon-hyung? He’s nice and he makes Appa and I happy.”

Jimin smiled at his innocence. The way he phrased it made things seem so simple, but he knew it wasn’t the case at all.

“Well, things are a bit more complicated than that. Just keep being good to them and maybe one day you’ll get your wish.”

“I’m always a good boy, hyung,” Haneul said as if it was a fact that no one should ever challenge.

Jimin laughed at his antics. “Of course,  you are. So just be patient, okay?”

“Rumor has it that Seokjin-hyung could barely walk this morning and he looked like a chocolate chip cookie,” Hoseok said with a giggle.

Yoongi, who was eating beside them, had his mouth wide open, glaring and judging Namjoon.

“What about it?” Namjoon said with a shrug.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t that Namjoon didn’t like being interviewed because he did. He liked when people were genuinely curious about their art, their music, and their values. What Namjoon did not like to be interviewed about was their personal lives, especially when they get too pushy about it.

Namjoon glanced over at his members, observing how Yoongi’s jaw clenched in annoyance as the interviewer once again mentioned how weird their relationship with Jimin was. Hoseok was smiling, but it was the kind of smile that was reserved only for people who have offended him.

Their translator also looked uncomfortable translating what the interviewer was asking them. He felt bad as he watched the man look at him, unsure of what to do after they were asked yet another stupid question about being polyamorous.

He sighed and motioned for Soobin to cut the interview. The company had been very clear that questions not related to their work will not be entertained, however, this person seemed to think they could just ignore that and get away with it.

He stood up while the interviewer was still speaking. That caught their attention, and only then did they seem to understand that they were serious when they said they would leave the interview if their requests were not expected.

“RM, please,” the interviewer laughed nervously, “I was just joking. Okay, let’s talk about you—”

“Apologies, but we will not be continuing this interview,” Soobin said in English. “We were assured by your team that no questions about the members’ private lives would be brought up. However, despite the obvious discomfort of our artists you kept on pressuring them to answer.”

“You’ve also been very disrespectful of their relationship. So what if there’s three of them? Do you have a problem with that?” Namjoon challenged the interviewer with a threatening smile.

They only laughed nervously once more, “I-I wasn’t aware that my comments came out as disrespectful, it wasn’t my intention. It seemed like some of the things I’ve said were lost in translation,” he reasoned.

“Bullshit,” said Yoongi, laughing humorlessly and shaking his head. “Let’s go, Namjoon. I don’t want to waste my time here anymore.”

“Please go ahead,” Soobin told them. “We will take care of this.”

“You okay?” He asked the two on their way back to the hotel.

Hoseok laughed and shook his head. “Not really, no.”

“Wasted our goddamn time. Why don’t they learn how to mind their fucking business?”

To be fair, they were celebrities. People would be curious about their lives, but it wasn’t the curiousness that irked him. The interviewer was very obviously making fun of the throuple’s relationship, of course Hoseok and Yoongi were angry. If someone disrespected Seokjin like that, he’d be pissed as well.

Seokjin met with Soobin to discuss what happened earlier and why the interview was canceled. It was messy, very messy. According to him, the radio station was not happy that the three left. Seokjin sighed, it seemed like some people lacked professionalism.

“You did well, Soobin-ah. You handled it perfectly,” he said, reassuring the younger manager who felt like he should have ended the interview earlier.

“The radio station is still contacting us, asking us for another interview. They said there would be a different host but I’m not sure if I trust them anymore.”

Seokjin shook his head. “The moment that their employee started asking questions that were out of line, they should have stopped them but they didn’t. I don’t know if I trust them. If anything, just forward their emails to the company. They’ll take care of it.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you for this, Soobin-ah. I’ll be honest with you, when I saw that you were very young I was worried that you might not be fit for the role, but you’ve proven me to be very wrong.”

“Thank you, Seokjin-ssi. That means so much to hear coming from you.”

Seokjin found Namjoon reading a book in the living area of their hotel room. Haneul was beside him, fast asleep. It took a while for Namjoon to notice him but when he did, he gave him a big smile. Namjoon put down his book and walked to greet him.

Namjoon looked back, making sure that Haneul was still asleep before placing a kiss on Seokjin’s lip. Seokjin, in turn, pulled him into an embrace, breathing in his scent as he laid his head on his shoulder.

“You okay?” He asked his boyfriend.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Soobin told me about the interview earlier. Sorry, I wasn’t there.”

“It’s fine,” Namjoon said, kissing the top of his head before separating himself from Seokjin. “Soobin managed it well, so all is good,” he added with a sigh. “It’s just annoying,” Namjoon continued with a humorless laugh. “We were assured that there’d be no questions about our private lives but the interviewer was too pushy. I felt really bad for Yoongi-hyung and Hobi.”

“It’s good thing you left when you did. Knowing Yoongi and Hobi, they wouldn’t have held back if the interviewer said something about Jimin.”

“Yeah, I know,” Namjoon laughed in agreement. “Hyung was holding back but I could see him losing patience.” Namjoon titled his head, observing Seokjin quietly.

“What?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing. Just… I don’t know what I’d have done if I was in hyung’s position,” Namjoon admitted. “I don’t think I’d be able to hold myself back if someone said shit about you or Haneul.”

Seokjin chuckled and cupped his cheek, “Don’t worry about us too much. We’ll be fine.”

Namjoon only hummed in response. Seokjin wasn’t sure if he was convinced.

“Just give me more time,” Mina said to the man on the other line. She gripped her phone tightly, the edges of it digging into her skin. “I’m not getting paid until the end of the month but when I do, I promise I’ll pay you back.”

“Fine. But I won’t be giving you any more until you pay me back,” the man said, sounding very annoyed.

“What?! No! That’s not fair! I’m a paying customer, you can’t just not give me it!”

“Paying customer?” She heard him scoff, “You haven’t paid me shit since last month. I’m not giving you anything more until I get my money from you.”

“I-is there anything else I can offer you? Please. I can’t… I can’t function without it. I-I’m losing my fucking mind, Yong,” she said in desparation.

Yong was quiet for a few moments. “You have nothing that I am interested in, so don’t even bother,” then he hung up.

“W-wait! I-I– Ugh!” She cried.

“What’s the matter?”

She spun around and found one of the night security in the motel looking at her with curious eyes.

“It’s none of your business,” she said angrily as she started walking away.

“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm before she could leave him. “How much?”

“What?”

“It sounds like you need some money. I have some, and you have something I am interested in,” he said looking at her up and down. “How much for one night?”

Offended, she pulled her arm from his grip. “Leave me the fuck alone, you fucking bastard!”

“Fine. Suit yourself,” he said with a smirk and a shrug. “But in case you change your mind, I’ll be here,” he added, walking away and leaving her alone.

“Fucking bastard. Does he think I’m a fucking hooker?” She said to noone with a huff before returning to the front desk.

Seokjin collapses on the sofa when they came back from yet another long day. It was the last week of their trip, and their schedules have been fuller than ever before.

“You okay, hyung?” he heard Namjoon chuckle.

“My feet hurts but don’t worry about me. How are you? Still sane?” He joked. Last night Namjoon complained that he was slowly going insane with the amount of filming, interviews, and recordings they had to do.

“Barely,” Namjoon answered, sitting on the couch with him. “Feet up, let me.”

“No, it’s okay– yah!” He yelped as Namjoon grabbed his shin and placed is on his lap. He started massaging his foot, and Seokjin moaned involuntarily. “My feet are dirty, Namjoon. At least let me wash them first.”

“Nah,” he said, carrying on with what he was doing. Seokjin moaned again when Namjoon hit a particular spot that had been aching since morning. Namjoon paused to look at him. “If you keep going, hyung–”

There was a knock on the door that interrupted Namjoon. They whipped their head to its direction before looking back at each other. Seokjin chuckled, putting his foot down to stand up. “It’s Haneul and Jimin,” he looked down at Namjoon’s shorts and pursed his lips. “You should maybe, uh, take care of that.”

Namjoon looked down at his semi hardon and sighed. “I’m gonna take an ice cold shower,” he said before walking to his room.

“When are you gonna tell Haneul about you two, by the way?” Jimin asked Seokjin. The guy decided to hangout with him for a while before going back to their room after returning Haneul to Seokjin.

“W-we don’t know yet,” Seokjin admitted. “There’s just… So many things we need to consider, you know?”

Jimin nodded at his answer. “Where’s Namjoon-hyung, by the way?”

“Taking a cold shower.”

Jimin snapped his head to Seokjin, “...Do I wanna know why?”

“It’s stupid. He was giving me a foot massage and I… I may or may not have been moaning but to my defense, it wasn’t anything sexual on my part. I was simply enjoying the massage.”

“And he was turned on?”

“It seems so.”

“Thank goodness, Haneul is asleep.” Jimin shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, Haneul made me promise not to tell you this but I think for his own sake, I have to.”

Seokjin can’t help but worry when Jimin said that. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, no. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“He’s been trying very hard to set you and Namjoon up with each other.”

He stared at Jimin, his mouth wide in shock. “What?”

“You heard me. Ever since hyung read him that book with gay penguin dads, and you explained how boys can like boys too, he has been trying his best to play cupid.”

Seokjin wasn’t sure how to feel, but it was mostly adoration. It was funny, it was unbelievable, but it was so innocent and sweet. “Oh, my baby.”

“Why do you think he kept asking us if Namjoon-hyung liked guys? And hyung, when he found out he did Haneul was so happy. He said hyung made you smile a lot and that he was very happy with him too so he wanted me to help him set you up.”

“That’s… I don’t know what to say, Jimin.”

“I say you tell him. Or at least, you should start thinking about how to tell him. He needs to know and the sooner the better,” Jimin said. “He’s prepared for this, hyung. He’s been praying for this. We went to a wishing fountain earlier and he threw all of his coins to wish you two to be together. This is serious business for him.”

Seokjin threw his head back laughing as he tried to imagine what his son looked like. Haneul was stubborn when there was something he wanted, like when he asked Seokjin for a bike everyday for three months until he relented, or when he convinced his daycare teacher to skip naptime on his birthday, or when he convinced Seokjin’s dad to stop smoking after pestering him for months on end.

“I’ll talk to Namjoon about that. Thank you, Jimin.”

“Oh, I thought I heard Jimin,” he said as he walked out of his room after a very long and very cold shower.

“He just left,” Seokjin said. “He told me something very… interesting about Haneul?”

Namjoon was concerned for a moment before he realized that Seokjin was holding back his laughter. “What is it?”

“Haneul has been trying to set us up with each other since you read him that gay penguin book.”

He was in shock, and when it finally sunk in to him what Seokjin said, he laughed loudly. “Seriously?’

Seokjin nodded, “Apparently that’s why he’s been trying so hard to give us alone time. I thought he was just sick of me.”

Namjoon shook his head, still laughing. “Ah, I knew I could count on him. Oh, wait, is that why he kept asking me if I liked men?”

Seokjin nodded his head again. “We have to think about how to tell him, Joon. And I think we should tell him very soon.”

Namjoon could not stop the smile on his face. He had wanted to tell Haneul for the longest time, but he respected Seokjin’s decision as his father. “I can’t wait.”

“Two more days of work, then we have three days to have fun,” Hoseok said while they were on a break from filming.

“We still have that team-building thing, right?” Yoongi asked. “I was surprised we have something like that.”

“Yeah, that might have been my fault,” Namjoon confessed sheepishly.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Well, hyung and I planned to take Haneul there just the three of us but after we were spotted at the museum, he wasn’t very keen on it anymore,” he started. “But I know that he’s disappointed because Haneul has been looking forward to it since we landed.”

“...So what did you do?”

“Well, I convinced Yoo PD-nim that it would be good if the team had a little team-building slash get-together. And then I asked him if he could rent the whole place out.”

“I mean, I get you,” Hobi said with a laugh. “I want to tease you for being such a simp but Yoongi-hyung and I would do the same for Jimin if it was us.”

“Yeah, and you have. Didn’t you rent an entire pottery studio when he said he wanted to try it?”

“It was a small studio. If we hadn’t rented it, there’d only be 7 more students,” Yoongi said. “You, on the other hand, rented an entire water park.”

“I did promise him we’d sell more than a million copies of our album.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to brag,” Yoongi said, already sounding like he was bragging. “But our last album sold 5 million copies.”

“To be fair, we had a lot of controversies after that. I’m kinda worried if we still have that same support, you know?” Hoseok said.

“I get you. I hope ANSWERS never left,” Namjoon said. “By the way, did Jimin tell you guys?”

“That Haneul was trying to set you and hyung up? Yeah,” Yoongi said with a chuckle. “He’s so adorable.”

“We’re gonna tell him when we go back to Korea.”

“That’s amazing, Joon! He’s gonna be over the moon,” Hoseok said.

“I hope so. I truly hope so. I’m a little scared. What if I disappoint him after? What if one day I stop making them happy? What if he regrets it? My brain has been overthinking everything since Jin-hyung and I talked but I didn’t want him to know how nervous I was.”

“Namjoon, everything will be fine, I promise you. And yeah, there will be times that they’ll be disappointed in you. Hell, that still happens in our relationship,” Yoongi said, looking at Hoseok, who nodded in agreement. “but that’s just a part of life in general, you know? No relationship is perfect. You’ll have ups and downs. You have no choice but to learn how to navigate it.”

“Wow, when did you become a relationship guru,” Namjoon joked but he took his words very seriously. “Thanks for that, hyung. I needed that reassurance.”

“Of course. We’re always here for you, Joon,” Yoongi said with a pat on Namjoon’s shoulders.

Chapter Text

Time flew way too fast, if you were to ask Namjoon. In just a couple of days they would be flying back to Korea, and his time playing family with Seokjin and Haneul would end just like that. They’d be back to worrying about Mina, the divorce, and the public.

He sighed and forced a smile. As long as they were here, he’d leave those problems behind or push them to the back of his mind.

Today was the team-building day Namjoon orchestrated so that Seokjin would feel safe about bringing Haneul to the waterpark. Seeing Haneul’s excitement had made it clear that Namjoon did the right thing despite Seokjin thinking it was an overkill, and it was, but it was a nice overkill.

“You know what, this is nice,” Hoseok said as he laid on one of the poolside chairs drinking some cocktails. “I’ll level with you, Namjoon, I judged you at first when you told me it was your idea. But being able to lounge like this without worrying that someone will come and take photos of me in my downtime is pretty relaxing.”

Namjoon chuckled and picked up his own mocktail. “I know, right? Best idea I’ve had in a while.”

“I won’t argue with you.”

Seokjin and Haneul were the only ones in the kiddie pools which he didn’t mind. Haneul certainly didn’t mind. It was nice. He gave Namjoon a hard time about this “team-building day” but now that they were here, he couldn’t even complain.

“Appa! Look! I’m a pirate!” Haneul said from the pirate ship in the middle of the pool. “Yo ho, yo ho, I am Captain Kim Haneul, Arr!”

“Captain Kim Haneul, do you need a first mate?” Namjoon, who just arrived and stood beside Seokjin, shouted back at Haneul.

“Namjoon-hyung! Yes, I do!”

They played a bit more before they had to go back and join the rest of the crew for lunch and a few activities. The trio joined in, while Jimin and Haneul happily watched on. After that, they were free to go do their own things.

Namjoon sat beside Seokjin. “Why aren’t you in the water, hyung?”

“I’m watching Haneul,” he answered. “It’s okay, I’m having fun,” he added when he saw Namjoon’s brows knit in worry.

“Hyung, you know what? Go join the others. I’ll take care of Haneul.”

“You don’t have to, Joon.”

“But I want to. Why? Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then go and have fun, hyung. You know I did this for you and Haneul, right?”

Seokjin regarded Namjoon quietly before sighing. He didn’t say anything at first.

“Hyung,” Namjoon started, inching closer to him. “In a couple days we’re gonna go back to Korea. We’re gonna have to face the chaos we left there. So while we’re here, please enjoy. I’ll take care of Haneul.”

“I know you will. I never doubted that. I’m just…”

“Hey, you’re my partner. We’re a team, okay? Besides, I want my time with Haneul and you’ve been hogging him all day.”

Seokjin laughed. “So the truth comes out,” he joked. “Fine. I’ll be with the rest if you need me.”

“Of course.”

“Hyung, are we going home soon?” Haneul asked Namjoon as they floated on an alligator shaped floaty down the lazy river.

“Yeah. Are you excited to go home?” Namjoon asked Haneul. Instead of answering, the child pouted and looked down. “You’re not excited to go home?”

“I am but…”

“But what?”

“I wanna stay longer.”

“Ah. It’s very fun here, right? But that’s okay. We can still have fun back home,” Namjoon reassured him.

“I know, but back home I don’t see you everyday,” he said sadly.

Oh. There was a swirl of emotions in Namjoon’s chest upon hearing Haneul say that. He didn’t even realize that. Firstly, he felt emotional that Haneul had wanted to see more of him even back home, but also he felt sad that he wouldn’t be seeing Haneul as much once they go back.

“I didn’t even think of that…” Namjoon said. “Do you wanna see me more?”

“Yeah,” Haneul answered quickly. “I like it when you read bedtime stories for me and I like it when we eat dinner together with Appa and I like it when we play games before I go to bed and I liked it too when you let me sleep in your bed sometimes.”

“I’m gonna miss that too…” he said sincerely with a sad smile. “Tell you what, maybe I can ask your Appa if I can stay some nights so I can still read you bedtime stories, and we can have dinner together and play games before bedtime.”

“And you can sleep on my bed!”

Namjoon chuckled as he ruffled Haneul’s wet hair. “I’d love to do that but your bed is too small for me, buddy.”

“Oh,” Haneul said, his brows scrunched in contemplation similar to how Seokjin would when he was deep in thought. Then he gasped as if he found the answer. “Then we could sleep in Appa’s bed!”

Namjoon laughed again. “We have to ask your Appa about that.”

“I’m sure he’ll say yes. I think he likes you,” he gasped again and covered his mouth in shock. “Hyung, don’t tell Appa I told you that he likes you, okay?”

He tried to hold back from laughing again as he said, “Okay. It’s a secret just between the two of us.”

“Pinky swear?” Haneul said, holding out his pinky.

Namjoon looped his with Haneul’s. “Pinky swear.”

“Hyung, do you like Appa?”

“I do. I like him a lot. He’s one of my best friends.”

“No! Not like that!” Haneul giggled. “Do you have a crush on Appa?” He asked in a whisper.

Namjoon tilted his head, a small smile on his lips. “Well, yeah I do. Your Appa is very kind, funny, and handsome. But I think a lot of people have a crush on your Appa.”

“I don’t like other people though. I only like Namjoon-hyung.”

Namjoon’s heart swelled at his words. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Okay,” said Haneul with a smile.

Seokjin found Namjoon laying on one of the double chaise lounge chairs under the shade with Haneul sleeping on his chest. Seokjin smiled as he walked to approach them. “He’s knocked out,” he said with a laugh.

Namjoon smiled, “We circled the lazy river at least five times, then went on the slides for far too many times.”

“Wow, seems like you’ve been busy,” he said before kissing Namjoon on the tip of his nose. “Thanks, Joonie.”

“It’s my pleasure, hyung,” Namjoon said. “You had fun?”

Seokjin nodded. “I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun at a company event,” he said. “But then again, this isn’t a real company event,” he joked.

“I don’t know what you mean. This is as real as it gets,” Namjoon grinned.

“Want me to take Haneul?”

Namjoon shook his head. “I like this,” he said, placing a kiss on top of the kid’s head. He then patted the space next to him, asking him to lay with them.

Seokjin’s heart felt so full watching the two most important people in his life like this. He laid next to Namjoon and rested his head on Namjoon’s shoulder. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

The chuckling was what woke him up. The orange light of the sunset was a little too harsh, his eyes took some time to adjust until eventually he was fully awake. It was Jimin who was laughing, with Hoseok and Yoongi beside him taking photos. That was when he realized the position they were in.

He looked over to Seokjin who was still fast asleep, his head still on Namjoon’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around his waist to pull him closer. Haneul was no longer on his chest. He was confused at first before finding him beside Jimin, giggling along.

“Namjoon-ah, go wake hyung up. It’s almost dinner time,” Yoongi said gently, though he was also grinning. “We’ll go ahead and save you some seats.”

“Thanks, hyung,” he said.

When the four left, he gently shook Seokjin to wake him up. “Hyung,” he said. “It’s almost time for dinner. Let’s go.”

“Mmm?” Seokjin rubbed his eyes and looked up to Namjoon. “Where’s Haneul?”

“With Jimin, Hobi, and Yoongi-hyung,” he said. “They’re already waiting for us.” He placed a soft kiss on top of his head as the other tried to bury his face back on the crook of his neck.

“Five more minutes,” Seokjin said sleepily.

Namjoon laughed again as he gently sat up, causing Seokjin to sit up as well. “No. No more. We have to go now. Pretty sure we’re the only ones they’re waiting for. You don’t want them to think we’re doing anything, do you?”

With that, Seokjin immediately stood up, almost losing balance but Namjoon was able to stabilize him. “Ugh, sorry. You’re right. Let’s head back,” he said, walking away.

“Hyung, at least fix your hair first,” Namjoon called from behind, chuckling.

It wasn’t ideal. She didn’t want to do this, but she was desperate and she needed it so bad that it hurt. She had to swallow her pride when she approached him about his offer. His triumphant grin did not help make it feel better for her.

“How much are we talking about?” She asked him. He gave her a price and she scoffed. “What, you think I’m that cheap?”

“You’re here in front of me because you are hopeless, I assume. Are you sure you’re in the position to bargain?” He taunted her.

She huffed, turned around and started walking away.

“Where are you going?” The man asked, a bit in panic.

“I can sell myself for so much more than what you offer. I’d rather find someone else than your cheap, sorry, ass.”

“Fine! What do you want?” He relented.

She stopped in her tracks and grinned. Interestingly, it seemed she underestimated her appeal to this man. He was as desperate as she was. She dropped her smile before turning around, and then she named her price. She saw the scowl on his face, “Look, if you can’t afford me, don’t offer,” She said. “You know it would be easy for me to look for another… partner.” 

It was a bluff. She had no intentions of doing so. Selling her body never crossed her mind before but so was using drugs, yet here she was.

“Fine,” he gritted his teeth. “Tonight. You won’t make me wait any longer.”

“Can you pay me tonight?” She challenged.

“Of course, I can,” he said.

“Fine. Later after work. Your place, not mine.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Maybe tomorrow she would come to regret it, but the need overshadowed any shame or regret tonight.

Namjoon watched quietly beside a sleeping Haneul as Seokjin packed up the rest of their belongings. Tomorrow, they were returning home. He didn’t want it to end yet, not the work or the trip but the days the three of them spent with each other together. He looked down to a sleeping Haneul who clutched his plushie close to his chest. He pushed away any stray hair from his forehead, and god, he’d give his all for this child who he met just months ago.

It was insane to think about. He understood the people who doubted them, but to those who knew him and Seokjin, they knew that it was… it was right.

“You sure you don’t want me to help you pack?” Seokjin asked him again.

“I’ve packed everything, hyung,” Namjoon said in a hushed whisper so as to not wake up Haneul. “Maybe tomorrow morning before we leave, I’ll ask you to check with me again.”

Seokjin smiled and walked to him, placing a kiss on his forehead. “I’m gonna miss this.”

Namjoon sighed. “I know.”

TEAR (realTEAR)

Hi J! It’s me again, Namjoon

J (unfilteredranda)

Oh. Hi Namjoon! How have you been?

TEAR (realTEAR)

Very busy but I'm having so much fun! you?

J (unfilteredranda)

Glad to hear that!

Same. Pretty busy with work lately

I haven’t even had much time to be on twitter

TEAR (realTEAR)

Lol that’s okay

I think it’s kinda better to stay off of it as much as possible

J (unfilteredranda)

You’re right about that lmao

What’s up?

TEAR (realTEAR)

Well… I kinda just wanna…. Tell you something?

I don’t know.  I’m not sure if it’s a vent,  it’s really not

It’s more like I want to say something without any judgment.

Unfortunately, i will be very judged (affectionately)  if i monologue to my friends

J (unfilteredranda)

I see that lol

Go ahead, pretend i am an npc 

I will not judge

TEAR (realTEAR)

Okay, well you know our manager?

He’s my boyfriend

Wow that’s so nice to say

Anyway, he’s my boyfriend. 

It was love at first sight. I made a fool of myself when we first met but i don’t regret anything

But there are… issues. I won’t tell you what because that's not my story to tell

Anyways, sometimes i feel like people judge me for loving him

I also know that people judge him for loving me

And it sucks but i don’t regret anything

He’s so…

He’s so perfect. He’s kind, funny, smart, and so reliable.

He has the most beautiful soul ever. He’s selfless, he’s caring, he’s insanely handsome but that’s just a bonus

His face and ears gets red when he’s embarrassed but he gets embarrassed over the littlest things and it’s both funny and adorable

He’s also a very good cook. I gained like 5 kg in a month because i keep eating what he cooks for me, it’s the best

He’s just. He’s the type of person that makes you want to be better, you know? Not for him but for you

He’s the perfect example of a good human. He’s flawed, he made mistakes but everyday he chooses to be kind even if it’s hurting him. Sometimes it’s frustrating to see but it’s also something that makes him so beautiful inside and out.

He makes me want to protect him but he could probably take me down if he wanted to

He makes me so proud and so happy that someone like him is my person, you know?

And I know you know he has a son. It’s all over social media, which sucks

But that little guy? He’s become a big part of my life now. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but i love him like my own

Not just because i’m dating his dad, i think even if we remained as friends i’d still love that little guy as much as i do now

Everytime i see the two of them i just

I can't help but wonder if i deserve all this

Im happy, im proud, but im scared because i don’t want to lose them

And it’s just…. They make me happy. So so so happy

And i'm just so happy that i get to be in their lives

Ok i’m done, I swear 😆 That was pretty cathartic

J (unfilteredranda)

Namjoon, I don’t know what to say

This is so sweet.

You know, if he was reading this, he’d probably be ugly crying, snot running down his face, wiping his tears away.

Unbeknownst to Namjoon, Seokjin was doing just that from the other bedroom.

“You’re so stupid, it’s adorable,” Seokjin said, wiping away another tear and trying his best not to make too much sound so Haneul would not wake up. “I love you too, you stupid idiot.”

Chapter Text

Their return to Korea was as busy as their departure. The three rappers jumped back into recording their new album, and Seokjin was once again busy with meetings and phone calls and finding a good elementary school for Haneul.

He and Namjoon had been planning one thing though, and it was how and when to tell Haneul about their relationship. Unfortunately, it had been days since the couple had talked to each other face to face. If they did, it was at work and only about work.

“Is Namjoon-hyung still busy?” Haneul asked one night during dinner. He knew Haneul had been missing Namjoon. It was a month of them being together almost every day now suddenly, it has been days without Namjoon.

“Yeah,” he said with a smile, hopefully enough to reassure his son. “He really wants to see you too but they’re very very busy right now.” Haneul slumped in disappointment. “How about next time we meet, we’ll call you so you can talk to him?”

Haneul didn’t seem to be satisfied with it but he still nodded.

“Yeah, he’s been missing you too a lot,” Seokjin told him in a call.

It was 2 am but Namjoon missed Seokjin’s voice. They talked about how they wanted to tell Haneul though they still could not decide. “Tell him I’m sorry,” he said sadly. “It’s only a few more weeks or so then I’ll have time again.”

“Then it’s comeback season,” Seokjin reminded him.

“Yeah… It’s comeback season. You won’t be going with us on our overseas schedule this time, right?” He asked. There was disappointment that he would not have Seokjin beside him during those days but Haneul needed Seokjin more. There was also the divorce that was still ongoing. “By the way, you’re supposed to meet with Mina tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. She said she wanted to talk about visitation rights. I hope we agree on this matter.”

“She still wants more alimony?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighed. “I’m starting to wonder if I should just give in,” Seokjin said with a sigh.

Namjoon scoffed. “You shouldn’t. Her demands are ridiculous. She’s asking for so much when she doesn’t even have custody of Haneul.”

“Yeah. You know, I should be glad that she doesn’t want custody and only visitation but…”

“You’re hurt for Haneul?”

“Yeah…”

“You’re a good man, hyung,” Namjoon told him.

“I don’t know if I am, Namjoon.”

Seokjin barely recognized the woman who sat in front of her. She had lost a lot of weight, and she seemed… She reminded him of a zombie. It was her, Seokjin could see that, but it was nothing like the woman he spent years with anymore. Something about her was different but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

Their lawyers did most of the talking while they listened on. A few times, Seokjin looked over to Mina but her attention was else where. She was fidgeting, her eyes were out of focus, and it was like she wasn’t even in the room. Her lawyer had to call her a couple of times before she responded.

Fortunately, they agreed on the visitations. For the first six months, Mina would have 3 hours every week to visit Haneul with Seokjin’s guidance. The next six months, Mina would be allowed to have alone time with their son. After that, they will be holding another meeting.

“Do you want me to drop you off?” Seokjin offered, worried about Mina.

She looked at him like he was caught of guard. “Uh… I’m fine. I can take the bus.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. I think your apartment is just along the way.”

“Well… If you’re sure.”

“Are you okay?” He asked her finally as he drove her home.

“Y-yeah. I am.”

“Are you sure? You’re not sick or anything, right?”

“N-no. I’m fine. Why do you ask?” She asked, sounding just a little bit annoyed.

“I’m just… You look tired. Have you been sleeping?” He asked. “I’m still paying for your health insurance, so you can go have a check up if you’d like.”

“O-oh. No, I’m fine. It’s just… I work a graveyard shift, I don’t think my body is used to it even after months of working,” she laughed nervously. “But I will remember that. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

There was a man in her apartment when Seokjin dropped her off. He was glaring at Seokjin when he opened the cardoor for Mina. “Oh. I didn’t know you were seeing someone already.”

Her head whipped to the front door and her eyes went wide for a moment. “Ah. No, that’s my coworker. H-he drives me to and from work because he lives nearby. He’s here early.”

“Ah. I see. Well, have a nice day.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, and,” he took a paper from the glove compartment. It was a drawing that Haneul made just for her. “This is from Haneul. He misses you a lot,” he said before taking a few photos of Haneul. “These are photos from our trip. He said he wanted you to see it.”

Mina’s mouth quivered as she took them. “T-thank you,” she sniffed. “This means so much to me. Please let him know I miss him too. I just… I just don’t think I can see him right now. I-I’m not…”

“That’s okay. But I hope you will call him even just from time to time.”

“O-of course. Of course. I will. Thank you.”

“Who’s that?” He asked her, very obviously annoyed at seeing her with someone else. One thing Mina learned about him was that he was incredibly jealous. Mina didn’t mind. She took advantage of it.

“My ex husband.”

“What? You?” He guffawed, offending Mina. “You’re telling me a guy like that liked you? Sure. And I’m a millionaire.”

She glared at him, “Do you want my marriage certificate?” She gritted her teeth. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Why’d you leave him? Or did he leave you?”

“Answer my fucking question.”

“Fine, geez.” He walked slowly until he was inches away from her. “Need more?”

Mina glared but bit her tongue. She did. She needed more. Her dealer had started charging her more so now her pay wasn’t enough to cover her… expenses. Wordlessly, she stepped around him and then went to open her front door. There was no move from him. “I’m not gonna fucking do it outside. You coming in or not?”

He grinned before following her in.

Haneul was a smart boy. Everyone around him knew that. He knew how to tie his shoe laces by himself. He knew how to brush his teeth by himself. He knew how to read big words and most of all, he knew how to make a phone call.

He hadn’t seen Namjoon-hyung in so long. He was worried that maybe his and Jimin-hyung’s matchmaking went wrong and instead of setting them up with each other, they now hate each other.

He tiptoed to the telephone, making sure that his grandpa did not wake up from the couch, and then went to call Jimin-hyung.

“Hello? Jin-hyung?” Jimin-hyung answered.

“Hyung, it’s Haneul,” he whispered.

“Oh. Haneul, hi. Is everything okay?”

“Uh huh.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“Harabeoji is still sleeping and I don’t want to wake him up,” he said. “But I have a question.”

“Okay. What is it?” Jimin-hyung asked.

“Do you think we did a bad thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I wanted appa and Namjoon-hyung to like each other but now I haven’t seen Namjoon-hyung in a long time,” he said sadly.

“Oh, buddy. No. They’re just really busy at work,” Jimin-hyung explained. “I don’t see Hoseok-hyung and Yoongi-hyung much now either. It’s very lonely, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” He confessed? “I wanna show him my new pokemon pajamas that halmeoni bought me and I want to read bedtime stories again with hyung but he’s not around anymore.”

“Oh, Haneul. It’s okay. I know Namjoon-hyung really, really misses you. Tell you what, I’ll talk to Yoongi-hyung and Hoseok-hyung about it so they can tell Namjoon-hyung.”

“No! Hyung, don’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

Haneul whined, not really knowing what to say. “I will just wait. If they’re just really busy then hyung is gonna come see me when he’s not busy anymore, right?”

“Yes, bud. I know he will.”

“So I wasn’t bad?”

“No, not at all,” Jimin-hyung reassured him. “You’re always a good boy, remember?”

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. Just then, he heard Harabeoji groaning, meaning he was about to wake up. “Hyung I have to go now because Harabeoji is about to wake up. But can I call you again when I’m bored?”

He heard Jimin-hyung laugh. “Of course. Call me anytime you want to talk, okay? I’m also bored a lot lately.”

“Okay, hyung. Bye!”

“Bye bye!”

In just a few days, Haneul would be graduating. Everytime that Seokjin was reminded of that, he felt like crying. His little boy would soon be an elementary student. He swore it was just yesterday that he held him for the very first time.

He wiped a stray tear as he hung Haneul’s little toga in front of the kid’s closet. It was so small, too small to be a soon-to-be elementary student but that was just Seokjin being unable to grasp and accept the fact that Haneul was growing up and growing older.

Just then Haneul came in. “Appa? Watcha doing?”

“Just looking at your toga. Are you excited to graduate?” he asked with a smile.

Haneul lowered his head and then sat on his bed. “Yes but I’m gonna miss my friends.”

“Oh, I know,” Seokjin said, sitting next to him. “But you’ll make new friends in elementary. You’re gonna be a big boy very soon.”

“I already am a big boy though,” Haneul contested.

Seokjin chuckled. “Ah, my bad. Of course. You’re gonna be a bigger boy.”

“Do you think I could be as big as Namjoon-hyung?”

“I think so. As long as you eat all your veggies.”

“Bleh.” Haneul said which made him laugh. “Appa, is hyung going with us on my graduation?”

Seokjin shook his head. “Remember what I said? It’s dangerous for him because a lot of people know him. But he’ll be at home waiting with the other hyungs.”

“You promise?”

“Of course!”

“What do you buy a 6 year old for graduation?” Hoseok read out loud. “Namjoon, I don’t think that’s something you can just look up on Naver.”

Namjoon sighed because he was right. He was running out of time. Haneul’s graduation was in two days and while he collected quite a few things he planned to gift to Haneul but he hasn’t found the perfect one yet.

“Namjoon, and I say this with no exaggeration, but Haneul would be over the moon even if you give him just an avocado. He’ll love anything you give him.”

“I know but I want a perfect gift,” he said.

“I thought you got him something already?” Yoongi, who just arrived in the room, asked.

“I have a couple of somethings,” Namjoon said. “Not anything that is perfect.”

Yoongi lightly scoffed. “Nothing is perfect, Namjoon. But you’re fine. Just show up for him. He misses you a lot.”

“I know what you can give him,” Jimin said to him while he unashamedly sat on Yoongi’s lap. Namjoon was glad that they’ve grown more physically comfortable with each other but sometimes he wished they would be physically comfortable without him in the room.

He ignored it though and focused on what Jimin said. “Wait, really? Are you sure? You’re not joking?”

Jimin shook his head. “Actually, I have two things but you have to talk to Seokjin-hyung.”

“Okay? I’m listening.”

“One, a bicycle–”

“Oh, but hyung already bought him one.”

“-- or two, just spend the day with him.”

Oh. “I mean, I don’t know if that would be the perfect gift. I was thinking more of something material?” said Namjoon.

“I know you were but hyung, Haneul really, really, really , misses you,” Jimin added. “He’s worried that he’d been a “bad boy” for trying to set you up and that’s why you haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Oh, buddy,” Hoseok sympathetically whispered.

The guilt bloomed in Namjoon’s chest. He knew that he should have been more mindful about that. Seokjin understood, yes, but Haneul… Haneul was a kid. He was a good kid, the best kid, but he was just a kid. He couldn’t fully grasp what busy meant, especially not the kind of busy that Namjoon currently was.

“Ah, fuck.”

“Don’t worry,” Jimin reassured him. “I explained to him that that’s not the case and that you’d spend time with him as soon as you can.”

“I will. I was planning on doing that anyway,” Namjoon said.

“I know. So, I think explaining that to him and, I don’t know, reading a book with him, playing pokemon with him, then maybe tucking him in bed at night,” Jimin started. “That’s probably the best gift you could give him right now.”

Namjoon exhaled and thought carefully. “You’re right. I can’t believe it’s so simple. I feel so stupid.”

“Oh, please,” Jimin waved him off. “Parents do that all the time. They tend to overthink a lot when the truth is children just want their love and attention. You’re fine. You’re doing great.”

Namjoon’s heart fluttered at the mention of the word “parents.” He wasn’t one. He wasn’t sure if he considered himself as Haneul’s parent because it would be selfish and unfair to do so. Haneul had two–well one– loving parent. At best he considered himself a guide, something akin to a teacher but he loved him like his own.

“Thanks, Jimin,” he said with a smile. “That… That means a lot to me.”

Mina stared at the drawing in front of her. It was a crayon drawing of Haneul wearing a toga with the word “graduation” written on top of him. Earlier, right as she was about to go to work, Seokjin visited to give it to her. “Haneul is graduating next Monday. He made you this and asked me to give it to you. I know he’d be happy to see you there,” he said.

She kept on staring at it as if it was going to pounce on her if she turned her back against it even for a second. It was like a bucket of ice cold regret was poured all over her, and now here she was, unsure if she deserved to be there for her own son.

She decided to call Seokjin. After three rings, he picked up the phone. “Hello, Mina?”

“O-oppa… I-I… I want to be there for him too. But… I can’t stay after the ceremony,” she could if she wanted to but she didn’t think she could. Not yet. “I-I have work and I don’t have leaves…”

“That’s okay,” Seokjin’s perky voice said. “He’d love that. Even if you only stayed for a bit, that’s enough. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Mina shook her head though he could not see. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. He’s my son. I want to be there.”

Chapter Text

Seokjin remembered the first time he had to drop Haneul off to school. It was more difficult on him than it was on his son. Haneul was fine, he was excited to go to school and make new friends but his poor old dad had trouble letting go of his little hand.

Today, Seokjin held his little hand towards the preschool for the last time and noticed that it felt different, Haneul's hand was a little bigger than he remembered. To others, it wasn't obvious but for Seokjin who had held Haneul for as long as he could remember, he noticed how his palm was a little fuller and how Haneul’s grip was a little tighter as well.

“Are you excited?” Seokjin asked Haneul.

He was full of smiles but Seokjin could see a bit of nervousness. Haneul nodded and continued walking, only stopping to greet some of the teachers he recognized and some friends and their parents.

Seokjin looked around trying to see any traces of Mina. It was disappointing. She promised to be there but she wasn’t, something that he should have expected already.

“Appa, are you okay?” Haneul asked when he noticed his dad’s concerned face.

Seokjin put on a smile, “Yep. Everything is fine.”

“I’m here! I’m sorry! I missed the last train!” Mina said as she rushed to sit beside Seokjin. He could not believe what he was seeing. He gaped at her as if she was a ghost. “W-what? I-is something wrong?”

Seokjin shook his head. “No, not at all. I’m glad you’re here,” he said sincerely.

“I’m glad I’m here too,” she said quietly as if she knew Seokjin had doubts that she'd be here.

He looked towards the little stage where Haneul and his classmates were waiting to start their little presentation. He looked over to Seokjin and when he saw his mom, he started jumping up and down and waving his hands to them.

The ceremony was short and sweet but he could tell it meant the world to Haneul.

There was a bit of disappointment in Haneul’s face when Mina told him she had to go back to work. Haneul had really wanted to spend more time with his mom but understood that she couldn’t.

“I’ll visit you as soon as I can, okay? I promise,” Mina said before she left.

“Appa?” Haneul asked in the car.

“Yes?”

“I think something is wrong with me.”

Panicked, Seokjin asked. “What do you mean? Are you feeling sick?”

“I don’t know…” Haneul said. “But before, I was happy that Eomma no longer lived with us because she was mean and she made us really sad, but now I miss her again…”

“Oh darling,” Seokjin couldn’t imagine how the conflicting emotions felt for such a young child as Haneul. “Nothing is wrong with you. Sometimes we just can’t help that we love people even if they hurt us before.”

“She made us sad a lot, Appa. But I miss her when she sings me to sleep and when she plays with me sometimes. But I also don’t want her to live with us anymore because I’m scared she’ll be mean again,” Haneul added.

“It’s okay that you feel that way,” Seokjin explained. “It’s okay to miss the good things she did and not like the bad things she did. Don’t worry, your eomma promised me she’ll work on herself. Someday I know you will only have good memories with her.”

For Haneul’s sake, he hoped this time Mina was telling the truth.

“Congratulations!” They said as they popped the confetti when Haneul and Seokjin arrived at home.

Namjoon and Seokjin’s parents were in charge of the party planning. It was a Psyduck theme which Haneul really loved if they went by how wide his eyes and smile were when he saw everything.

“Namjoon-hyung!” Haneul shouted as he pulled his hand from Seokjin’s hand and ran towards Namjoon.

Namjoon opened his arms to welcome Haneul’s embrace. “I missed you,” he said.

“I missed you too,” said Haneul who was hugging him as tightly as he could. 

“You’re gonna be an elementary student soon! Congratulations!”

“Where have you been?” He asked as soon as Mina arrived at her apartment.

She jumped in surprise, not expecting anyone to be waiting for her. “What are you doing here?”

“Why are you so dressed up?” he asked, his irritation not hidden. “Did you meet up with  your ex-husband again?”

It annoyed her how he acted as if he had any right to ask her that. “That’s none of your fucking business. Again, why are you here?”

He raised his brow and walked toward her. “I just thought you might need more,” he whispered to her ear.

She grit his teeth and glared at her. “No. Not today. Go home.”

As she was about to walk away, he grabbed her arm. “You sure?” he asked with an amused expression. “That’s new.”

“J-just… Leave me alone. I need a break today, okay?”

Finally he let go. “Okay,” he said with a shrug. “Well, you know my number if you ever need me.”

It was shameful how she couldn’t even say no to that. She knew herself. She knew she would call tomorrow, or maybe later. It was horrible but it was a hole she didn't know how to escape.

For most of the party, Haneul was pretty much stuck next to Namjoon. Even with his grandparents around, Haneul did not let go of Namjoon as if he was scared he’d disappear once he let go of his hand.

Once everyone but the three of them remained in the apartment, Namjoon walked up to Seokjin and pulled him close.

“I’ve missed you,” Namjoon said with a kiss on Seokjin’s cheek.

“I’ve missed you too,” Seokjin replied, leaning in on Namjoon. “There’s something we need to talk about, don’t you think?”

Namjoon hummed in agreement, already knowing what the topic of conversation was about to be. “I wanted to do it sooner but I don’t think it’d be fair for us to tell him and then I go back to being busy and not having time for him.” He thought about it for a long time. If he was being selfish, he’d choose to tell today, yesterday even.

“Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up,” Seokjin said. “I was thinking the same. I want us to both have the time to help him, you know, get used to us?”

Namjoon sighed with a smile. “We could wait a little bit more. What’s a few more weeks, right?” He looped his arms around Seokjin and pulled him close until their faces were mere inches apart. “I can’t wait for that day, though.”

Seokjin chuckled, his breath tickling Namjoon’s face. “I can’t wait either,” he said before leaning in to kiss Namjoon.’

For a while, they stayed like that. Namjoon pulled him closer and laced his fingers through Seokjin’s hair while Seokjin wrapped both arms around Namjoon’s neck, just as desperate to be as close to Namjoon as he humanly could.

A small gasp felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over them. They looked to the origin of the sound and found a smiling, yet very shocked Haneul standing in front of them.

“U-uhm. W—”

Seokjin’s words were cut off when Haneul screamed. “My wish came true!”

Namjoon looked at Seokjin who looked back at him. “There goes the plan,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

Seokjin groaned and buried his face on the crook of Namjoon’s neck to hide. Haneul ran to the two and joined the hug.

Namjoon’s heart was filled with something so warm and nice that he couldn’t help but pick up Haneul and hold him tight. “I love you, bud.”

“I love you too, hyung,” Haneul told him.

Haneul insisted that the three of them sleep on the same bed and the two adults were too endeared to say no but Seokjin went to shower, leaving only him and Haneul in the room.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“Are you and Appa really dating?” Haneul asked.

Of course. While they were caught kissing, they haven’t exactly confirmed anything. “Yes. You’re okay with that?”

Haneul nodded earnestly. “I wished for this, hyung. You can ask Jimin-hyung!”

Namjoon chuckled. “I believe you,” he said as he ruffled Haneul’s hair.

Haneul scooted closer to Namjoon and laid his head on Namjoon’s chest. “Hyung, you’re not gonna make Appa sad, right?”

“I promise you I’ll do everything to keep you and your Appa happy,” Namjoon said as he put his arm around the kid. “I only want to see you smile forever.”

“I’m very happy right now.”

“I’m very happy too. So happy, I can’t even explain it.”

When Seokjin came back from showering, Haneul was already asleep. He might have taken a longer shower than usual because while his son was very positive with the revelation, he was still a bit nervous about everything.

Namjoon smiled back at him as he stroked Haneul’s hair. “He’s very happy, hyung.” Seokjin could hear that Namjoon was holding back his tears as he said those words.

He smiled as he walked to the bed and before settling on his side, he placed a kiss on Namjoon’s nose. “Goodnight, Joonie. I love you.”

“I love you too, hyung. So much.”

Haneul must have been a super nice kid if he got his wish so quickly. His old classmate, Doyoung had been wishing for a little sister since forever but he used to tease Aran a lot in preschool so he still didn’t have a little sister but Haneul got his wish.

When he woke up, he made sure that Namjoon-hyung was still there because what if it was a dream, right? But it wasn’t a dream. Namjoon-hyung was beside him and he was snoring a little bit but that’s okay because he loved Namjoon-hyung. 

He looked over to his Appa who was also still very asleep. One of his hands was holding Namjoon-hyung’s hand and it made him laugh because he was so excited.

Quietly, he got out of the bed, out of Appa's room and to the living room. Once again, he dialed the number that he knew so well. 

“Hello, Haneul?” Jimin-hyung greeted.

“How’d you know it’s me?”

Jimin-hyung laughed. “I just know. What’s up?”

“Hyung, my wish came true! Namjoon-hyung and Appa are dating!”

“Oh my gosh! Congratulations!”

Haneul laughed. “They’re still asleep so I have to be very quiet because I want them to keep holding hands.”

“Wait, they hold hands while sleeping? That’s so adorable.”

“Uh huh,” Haneul said. “Hyung, I gotta go now because I’m really hungry and Appa said I have to wake him up when I want breakfast but I will call you again, okay?”

“Okay. I’m very happy for you, buddy.”

“I’m very happy too!”

Seokjin woke up to muted giggling and though he was still half-asleep, he already knew it was Haneul standing right beside him. Smiling, he opened his eyes, but instead of a laughing child, it was Namjoon’s sleeping face that greeted him. Seokjin took a sharp breathe and blushed.

“Appa, I’m over here,” Haneul said, still giggling.

Seokjin turned to his other side and there he found Haneul sitting beside him, watching him and Namjoon. “Why are you up so early?”

Haneul shrugged. “I woke up very happy and I couldn’t go back to sleep!” He whispered. “But Appa, I really want breakfast.”

“Of course, you little monster.”

Namjoon was alone in his bed when he woke up. He sat up and stayed like that for a while, trying to contemplate whether yesterday was a dream or not but judging by the giggles outside, he would happily bet that it was real.

He went to brush his teeth and wash his face before heading to join the two. He smiled that now he didn’t have to hide his toothbrush and cup in his boyfriend’s bathroom. There was no need to be careful and secretive and paranoid now, at least not around Haneul.

The smell of pancakes filled the air when he walked into the kitchen. His stomach grumbled, bringing the attention of the two to him.

“Hyung!” Haneul ran up to hug him. He happily welcomed Haneul in his arms, holding him tight and kissing the top of his forehead once they were in a hug. “I helped Appa make pancakes,” he smiled.

“Then I bet they’re the best pancakes ever,” he replied.

“Let hyung sit down, Haneul,” Seokjin said. He walked to Namjoon and gave his a peck, “Good morning.”

With a wide smile, Namjoon buried his face on the crook of Seokjin’s neck. “Good morning.” Namjoon thought he could stay like this forever.

Chapter Text

TEAR (realTEAR)

Hi J, it’s me again

Lol why do I feel like I’m back in the olden days where we used to make internet friends behind the company’s back

J (unfilteredranda)

You did that?!?

I’m surprised that never got out

TEAR (realTEAR)

Yeah, me too

Though to be fair, my one and only internet friend eventually became a producer at Cage

He left the company shortly though and then got married

We’re still good friends!

J (unfilteredranda)

That’s good to hear!

How’ve you been?

TEAR (realTEAR)

I’m not supposed to tell you this but we’re dropping a comeback announcement in 24 hours

J (unfilteredranda)

I’m glad you can’t hear me, I just screamed

TEAR (realTEAR)

😂 Wow and I was worried you stopped being a fan

J (unfilteredranda)

Never 🙄

TEAR (realTEAR)

By the way, I followed you on my priv @skyduck04

Please see my message request 🥹

I don’t think it’s smart to keep chatting here

J (unfilteredranda)

😂 you’re right

Give me a min

J (unfilteredranda)

Testing, hello hello

Sky (skyduck04)

Finally

Now I can actually be unfiltered

J (unfilteredranda)

Ha! Nice, I liked that

Sky (skyduck04)

I knew you’d get me 😂

J (unfilteredranda)

How’d you get the name btw?

If you don’t mind me asking, of course.

Cause I’m pretty sure for as long as I remember your government issued fursona is a koala

Sky (skyduck04)

my what

J (unfilteredranda)

Answer my question

Sky (skyduck04)

Fine 🙄

It’s a combination of Sky and Psyduck

And then 4 is my boyfriend’s birthday

THIS IS WHAT I CAME TO TELL YOU

J (unfilteredranda)

Yes, gay, slay💅

Sorry I don’t know what came over me

Sky (skyduck04)

I mean, you’re not wrong. That’s fair

J (unfilteredranda)

Let’s pretend that never happened

Tell me about your boyfriend

Sky (skyduck04)

So it’s our manager (shocking, I know)

And it was love at first sight (cringe, I know)

There were things that made me think that we couldn’t happen but by the grace of the universe, here we are

J (unfilteredranda)

Is he nice to you?

Sky (skyduck04)

He treats me like a human. Like a regular person but also he loves me so much that it’s easy to see

We were scolded a couple of times at work for it but worth it

J (unfilteredranda)

Kinky

Sorry. As you can see I don’t think before I click

Sky (skyduck04)

It’s nothing like that you perv

But I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to it

J (unfilteredranda)

WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN LADY

Sky (skyduck04)

I am agnostic and I am also a man

J (unfilteredranda)

I know

So… How’s it?

He has a son, right? Isn’t that kinda difficult?

Sky (skyduck04)

I don’t know if it is

I love his son. That’s my little guy too, you know?

He’s my little best friend and sometimes I see him like he’s my son

Whoo that was nice to finally say

J (unfilteredranda)

What, that he’s like your son?

Sky (skyduck04)

Yeah😅

It’s just that I feel like I’m getting ahead of myself

I don’t want be something that I might not be. I don’t want to overstep any boundaries

J (unfilteredranda)

Do you have any boundaries like that with your boyfriend?

Or did he make you feel like you need to have that type of boundary with him?

Sky (skyduck04)

Now that I think about it, the answer is no to both

But I don’t know, it’s like at the end of the day, he’s the dad and I’m still just his boyfriend

I don’t know if I have any right to feel that way

J (unfilteredranda)

Hmmm

You know what, I think this is a good topic to bring up to him

For all you know, all this time he’s been thinking you’re already a part of their family

Maybe he’s the one too shy or embarrassed to bring it up to you because he feels like it might burden you

Because being a single dad (I assume?) and dating is difficult. You have to think of what’s best for your kid but you also need to think of what your partner thinks and feels

Sky (skyduck04)

You think so? 😢

J (unfilteredranda)

I don’t know. That’s something you have to ask him

I’m only giving you another perspective 😅

But what I know is that this is something that is worth talking about if you two are serious about continuing your relationship

If you’re intending for this to be a long term thing, you have to be more open about it

Sky (skyduck04)

I intend for this to be a permanent thing, J

Thank you. I think you’re right

You’re very wise

Do you have a lot of dating experience?

J (unfilteredranda)

Nope. I’ve only ever had 2 relationships and the first one is a bit complicated

Sky (skyduck04)

What about the second one?

J (unfilteredranda)

Blissful, so far. I love it. I love my partner very much

Sky (skyduck04)

What are they like?

J (unfilteredranda)

They’re clumsy, loud, childish but in a good way

They’re thoughtful, smart, and empathetic

They’re as good with words as they are with their actions

They’re strong willed, some might even say stubborn

They’re talented, passionate, they love with all their heart

They’re selfless, warm, and kind

They’re like a nice warm bonfire in the middle of the bitter winter

They remind me of home cooked meals and handmade bonnets

They rough around the edges but they’re so perfect

They’re incredibly romantic to the point that sometimes I get so shy but I never want them to stop

They’re everything I could ever dream of, everything I could ever wish for

Ah… I should stop here because I could go on and on and on about them 😅😂

Sky (skyduck04)

Wow

That’s wonderful, J.

Holy

J (unfilteredranda)

Sorry, lol. I tend to get carried away when I talk about them

I just

I love them so much

Sky (skyduck04)

No need to say sorry. That’s so sweet

I can tell how much you love them

J (unfilteredranda)

I hope they can tell as well.

Chapter Text

One would hope that after confessing, well more like Haneul finding out, about their relationship everything else would be smooth sailing but life has never been simple for Seokjin.

It was two days after the comeback announcement. Namjoon has been busier than ever. He’d been saying that a lot but it was the truth. Neither he nor Haneul have seen much of Namjoon, even when they worked at the company, it was like he was another person. For the very first time since TEAR moved to their company, it felt like he was meeting RM and not Namjoon.

It was fascinating though, watching them finally be in their element. Something about it was so magical that at times he could not contain the fan in him. Soobin caught him ogling at the three at a photoshoot several times. He was pretty sure he also whimpered a little bit.

“How are you fairing?” Yoo PD-nim asked him and Soobin when he met the two of them for lunch. “Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever been this level of busy.”

“Tell me about it,” Seokjin muttered. “I’m very thankful that Soobin-ssi is with me because I don’t know if I could have handled this alone.”

Soobin blushed beside him, “I-It’s an honor to work with you, Seokjin-ssi. I’m learning so much.”

Yoo PD-nim chuckled. “I’m glad you two are getting along very well,” he said. “Soobin-ssi, I hope you’re prepared to be the only manager soon. Their overseas schedule is approaching very soon.”

Soobin laughed nervously. “Truthfully, I am not completely confident but I will do my best.”

“You know I’m only one call away, right? Anytime there is a problem, you can call me,” Seokjin reminded him.

Soobin shook his head. “Thank you but I don’t think it would be fair. What is the point of me taking on this role if I keep on relying on you for every simple matter? Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”

Yoo PD-nim smirked, “That’s our Soobin,” he said.

“Just five minutes, please,” Namjoon muttered. “I’m fucking losing my mind.

Seokjin had the audacity to laugh at his misery. “Fine. Let’s go to your studio,” he said.

The moment that Namjoon closed the door, he pounced on Seokjin. His hands were everywhere and so were his lips. He was desperate to be as close to him,  under his skin if possible. Their moans were in harmony. Noone could tell which voice was his and which was Seokjin. 

“Slow down,” Seokjin chuckled when they parted to breathe.

Namjoon did not answer but instead pulled him back again to kiss him more. “Don’t tease me, hyung,” he said when they parted once again. “I’m fucking dying here.”

Seokjin threw his head back laughing. “My poor Namjoonie,” he said then they went back to kissing.

Five minutes flew too fast for Namjoon. He groaned in disappointment as he watch Seokjin fix himself up. “This sucks,” Namjoon said.

Seokjin chuckled again. “Look at the bright side. You’re finally gonna be back on stage.”

Namjoon smiled. He had been looking forward to performing again. The last time they did felt like lifetimes ago. He took a deep breathe. “You’re right,” he admitted. “I wish you could see us on our first performance,”

Seokjin walked closer to him and caressed his cheek. “I wish I could too but Haneul needs me more.”

“I know. I wish you both could be there but it’s just not possible,” he said. “And I admit, I’m a little sad but I know it’s for the best.”

Haneul was already fast asleep when Seokjin came home with Namjoon, much to the latter’s disappointment. He wanted to spend as much time with him while he still could before the busyness of the comeback season started.

“It is past his bedtime,” Seokjin reminded him. “Why don’t you stay over? You can talk to him tomorrow before we leave for work.”

“I wish I could but I have to go back to the company.”

“This late?”

“Yeah,” his boyfriend sighed. “There are some last-minute things that Hoseok wants us to go over. They asked Jimin if he wanted to sleep over at Tae and Jungkook so I think we might be working till sunrise.”

“Ah. Well, that’s okay. We’ll have more time soon, okay? Don’t worry, Haneul will understand.”

Haneul had a difficult time understanding why Namjoon hadn’t been visiting since his graduation. He knew that he was busy and he understood that he would be for a very long time but for a kid, a very long time is a day or maybe two. So when it had been an entire week since he’d seen Namjoon, he became cranky. Every small thing that he felt like it wasn’t right he cried about, just like today.

“Haneul, what did we talk about before? We use our words when we want something,” he said, though his wailing son did not listen. Seokjin sighed before trying to pick up his kicking and screaming child from the floor. “Buddy? Buddy, listen here, please.”

“No!” Haneul continued to resist his dad.

In the end, Seokjin sat next to Haneul, patiently trying to calm him down while trying his best not to burst into tears himself. When Haneul’s cries died down, Seokjin said, “You miss hyung a lot, don’t you?”

Haneul, his lips quivering and his eyes still watery, looked up to him and nodded.

“But we talked about this already, right? Hyung is gonna be so busy. So, so busy so we won’t see him a lot for a while.”

“But you see him all the time,” Haneul said between hiccups.

“Because I work with him. He calls you all the time,” Seokjin reasoned.

“But it’s different. I wanna play with him,” he answered.

“I know buddy,” he sympathized. “It’s only for a little while. After that, we’re going on a trip, remember?”

“It’s not a little while. It’s a big while, I don’t wanna wait anymore.”

Even before Seokjin started dating Namjoon, he always thought about how Haneul might react if he started dating and obviously, there were only two possibilities: 1) Haneul would not like the guy, and in this case he would pick his son without a second thought, or 2) Haneul would like the guy which is the perfect scenario. Thankfully, Haneul loved Namjoon, as if that fact wasn’t obvious already.

He thought he’d be happy about that, and he was but he didn’t expect that he’d also feel worried about it specially now that he could see how incredibly attached Haneul was to Namjoon.

Was it fair for Namjoon? He didn’t ask for this. Yes, he knew what he was getting into when they dated, obviously, but Seokjin couldn’t help but feel like he was making Namjoon feel like he should have some sort of responsibility when it comes to Haneul.

He thought of his conversation with Namjoon a few days back, or rather, J’s conversation with him. It warmed his heart that his boyfriend loved his son like he did.

What would happen if they break up, though? He loved Namjoon. He had no intentions of ever letting him go and the only way he would was if Namjoon told him he didn’t want him anymore. But in case it does happen, in case they part ways, what would happen to Haneul? 

Seokjin shook his head. “What am I thinking?” he asked himself as he tossed and turned in bed. 

Right before he slept, he reached for his phone.

“I miss you 😔 Take care of yourself for us,” the text said.

Namjoon smiled while looking at his phone. It was already late, and it was unlikely that Seokjin was still awake but he still wanted him to know. “I miss you too 💓 I miss you both.”

The next morning, Seokjin was awoken by Haneul’s laughter which was a delightful thing to wake up to. He got up and freshened up before heading out to prepare breakfast for them.

Surprisingly, he was beaten to it by Namjoon.

“Good morning, hyung,” his smiling boyfriend said. “I got us breakfast. Haneul said he wanted croissants.”

Seokjin stood there with a stupidly wide smile, he couldn’t help but giggle in excitement. “I don’t think he even knows what croissants taste like, he’s never had one,” he said as he took long strides to reach Namjoon. When he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s neck. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Namjoon said as he tightened his grip around his waist.

Seokjin looked down at his giggling son. “Haneul, can you close your eyes for a little bit?”

“Why?”

“Please?”

Begrudgingly, Haneul did as he was told. Seokjin took the chance to kiss Namjoon on the lips. Namjoon was caught off guard but he leaned into it. They let go of each other, smiling.

“Can I open them now?” Haneul asked.

“Yep,” Seokjin said. “You’re a good boy, Haneul.”

“I know,” his son said confidently.

Chapter Text

Mina knew that she was playing with something so dangerous. She was aware, and she could feel how she was slowly becoming too reliant on substances to function. It had been only a few days since she vowed to herself that she would get better for the sake of her son, but here she was again.

“I’ll stop tomorrow,” she said to herself just as she said yesterday and every single day before that since she started.

Today, though, she might have fucked herself up.

She woke up on her bed but she could not recall climbing to it last night. She remembered vomiting, and the horrible pain she was in. She groaned and sat up.

“Finally awake?”

She was startled to hear his voice so early in the morning. “What the hell? Why are you here? How did you get in?”

“You know it’s been 3 days, right?”

“What?”

“You’ve been asleep for three days. I had to call my buddy to check on you because I sure as hell can’t take you to the hospital,” he said.

“I-I don’t. W-what?”

He sighed. “I found you unconscious on the floor when I came to check on why you didn’t go to work. You were unresponsive but it was obvious that you’ve been taking some before that. I called my buddy and he said you overdosed. Thank fucking god, you didn’t die, you stupid idiot.”

“W-what? H-how?”

“You tell me,” he said, standing up. “I already called the motel. I told them you got sick. You should be glad the old fuck likes you otherwise, you’d be fired.” He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “Pull yourself together.”

She remained sat, staring in front of her, not focusing on anything. Her mind was still clouded, she wasn’t there yet. It hasn’t hit her yet how horrible the situation was. Maybe once the drug is fully out of her system, she finally would.

“Are you listening to me?” He asked.

She looked at her, still out of it, “Huh?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Go back to sleep. I’ll call my buddy again to check on you. And for fuck’s sake, learn to control yourself.”

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that Mina realized the gravity of the situation. That’s how he found her, curled up in the corner of the room, crying and hyperventilating when she understood that she could have died. Had he not found her, she would’ve died.

She felt arms wrap around her and then she was pulled up and led to the bed.

“Relax. Breathe with me,” he said.

It took a couple of times before she was able to follow his lead, and then eventually calm down. “I-I could have died.”

He hummed in agreement. “Correct. You’re lucky I found you.”

“I could have died,” she repeated, tears falling down her face once again.

“Shh,” he said as he sat on her bed, stroking her back gently in an attempt to calm her down again. “It’s okay. You’re not dead. This is your second chance in life. You better not fuck this up, okay?”

She nodded. What else could she do? It wasn’t like she was trying to, it just happened. She was careless and went overboard. Sure, she was miserable, she was fucked up in the head, but she didn’t want to die yet.

It was another day before she was able to return to the hotel. As he told her, the owner had let her keep her job despite being out for four days.

She hated the old man. He was sick and perverted, always taking the chance to brush his hand on her behind or catch a whiff of her when she walked by but she couldn’t be choosy. It was the only job that did not fire her in a month.

“I’m so glad you’re feeling better now,” the perverted, old, owner told her. He was standing way too close behind her, and she could feel his crotch brushing on her ass.

That’s when she spotted him at the entrance of the motel. She couldn’t read his expression, but he watched them like a hawk. She was pleading with her eyes to help her.

She gasped when she felt his hand cup her ass. Finally, he walked over to the two of them.

“Hey boss, I heard the housekeeping say the phone in your office is ringing. I think your wife is calling again,” he said with a smile.

The old man retracted his hand like he was burned. “O-oh, is that so? Thanks for telling me.” Then he rushed to leave the two.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“How long has he been doing that to you?”

She shrugged. “For as long as I fucking remember,” she said. “It’s disgusting.” She shivered as she recounted what had just happened.

“Want me to take care of him?”

She looked up to him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Yes or no, princess.”

Did it matter what he meant? “Will he really stop if I say yes?”

“I’ll make sure he never touches you ever again,” he said with a sinister smile.

She was going to regret this, but she was certain she’d be going to hell anyway, so what’s another bad decision, right? “Yes.”

The next day she came in, and the owner’s daughter took over her father’s position.

“What happened? Did the old man retire?” She asked her coworker.

Her coworker shook her head. “He’s in a coma. They said he was driving while high and he hit the road barrier. His car was wrecked.”

A shiver ran down her spine. She looked to where he stood, he was smiling at her and he mouthed “I promised you, didn’t I?”

“What did you do?” She asked as they lay in bed that same night.

“Do you really wanna know?” She nodded. “Nothing special. The old man loves to drink. I may or may not have spiked his drink.”

“Wasn’t there another way?”

He looked down at her. “This is the surest way. Why? Do you regret saying yes?”

She thought about it. She thought how much she felt disgusted when he groped her, stared at her for far too long, said things she didn’t want to hear, and constantly crossed the line. “No.”

“Good. Then don’t worry about it.”

“But… What if the daughter fires me? The only reason I put up with him was because he kept me.”

“Don’t worry too much,” he chuckled. “I’ll take care of her.”

“You won’t hurt her too, right?”

“Not unless I need to,” he answered.

If she was being honest, he terrified her. But again, he was the only person on her side at the moment. She would be stupid to turn him against her.

The only thing she needed to worry about was herself, and to be honest, she couldn’t be bothered to think of someone else.

Two days later, she found Seokjin waiting in front of her apartment as she went home from work.

“Oppa?” She asked as she walked to him. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay with Haneul?”

Seokjin smiled at her. “Yeah, but he wanted me to bring you these,” he said, offering a small box. “They learned how to bake at school today and he made you some.”

“Oh,” she said as she accepted the box. She could feel tears welling behind her eyes as she gently caressed the ribbon on the box. It had a little tag with the words “To Mama” in Haneul’s handwriting. “Thank you so much, oppa,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Well. I have to go back to work. Take care, and please, call Haneul sometime. He’d love to hear from you,” he added before walking away.

Her entire relationship with Seokjin was complicated. It was a drunken mistake, he didn’t even like girls. She honestly thought that he would ghost her after she told him she was pregnant but the man gave up so much just to take care of her and their son.

And yeah, at one point in their relationship, she fell in love with him but it was clear it wasn’t happening.

She had everything, now that she thought about it. She had a husband who took care of her needs and wants, had a roof over her head, and had food on her plate every day, everything. But she wanted more. It didn’t feel enough.

She felt like she missed out on so much since becoming a mother so she lived her life the way her friends did. She was selfish, she didn’t think of the danger that she put her son in. It was embarrassing and she had no excuse for it.

The thing about bad habits was they were difficult to let go. The logical part of her brain kept begging her to stop, to not waste anymore of her time, money, and body, on something so horrible. The other side of her brain though craved it. She couldn’t function without it. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t work, couldn’t breathe without it anymore.

Her fucking dealer increased the prices again, it was fucking unreasonable.

“You’re being a fucking dick, that’s twice as much as it was last time!” She said in frustration.

“Hey, I’m just a fucking dealer, ok? I don’t make this shit, I had to buy this shit as well. And guess what? It was twice as much as the last time I bought it so either buy from me or don’t,” her dealer said.

“Ugh, fine. Give me the same as last time.”

“I can’t. Your money doesn't even cover half of this shit, Mina.”

“I’ll pay you when I get paid, ok?”

“Sorry,” he said. “The best I can give you is this,” he said as he handed her a packet much smaller than she was used to. “I have to earn back what I spent. If you can’t afford it then you don’t get to have it.”

“Ugh! Whatever,” she said, snatching the packet from his hand and walking away.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to meet with her lawyer after she got high. She couldn’t focus and she was irritable the entire time.

He’s still not willing to increase the alimony. Why was he being so fucking stingy? He could afford it. He used to give her that much before so why can’t he give her that now?

It must have been because of that fucking rapper. Everything was fine before he came. He was the one who told Seokjin to leave her, he was sure of it. Why couldn’t he just back the fuck off?

It didn’t help that her bitch of a lawyer was judging her. Her condescending looks did not go unnoticed. And what did she mean the judge would not side with her, why?

“You’re saying I should just accept the fucking deal?”

“Yes,” the lawyer said. “It’s a very generous deal.”

“Fuck you mean generous?! This is less than half of what he used to give me,” she laughed incredulously.

“But that was when you took care of your child as well. Now, you don’t have primary custody. You only have visitation rights so this number is very high for just yourself Mina-ssi,” she said. Then she took a breath before saying, “And Mina-ssi, if the judges found out what you are using the money for, they might decrease that amount. They might even rule that he wouldn’t need to pay alimony.”

“What do you mean what I’m using it for?” She acted offended though both she and the lawyer knew she was right.

“You know what I am talking about, Mina-ssi. I suggest that once we need to talk in front of a legal counsel, you make sure you are somewhat presentable.”

It was a surprise to see who was waiting for her at the motel. Not him, not her dealer, not Seokjin, but the rapper.

“Why are you here?” She asked, not bothering to start with a polite greeting.

He didn’t seem to mind her attitude toward him. “I have an offer to make,” he said.

Chapter Text

Namjoon never once thought that he was a patient man. He was surprised by how patient he had been lately. It must have been Seokjin’s influence. But today, he had to disappoint Seokjin.

Last night, his boyfriend called to tell him that Mina was still resisting the divorce agreement. He could hear the exhaustion in his voice and he wished so badly to be able to do something.

Namjoon looked at the mirror, wondering if he had finally lost his mind. He couldn’t believe what he was considering doing, but at that point, it felt like it was the only way.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Yoongi asked him, but he did not bother to mask his doubt about what Namjoon was planning. “Would Seokjin hyung be happy if he finds out?”

“I don’t know, hyung. I think I’m going insane. And I know he’ll be angry if he finds out but he doesn’t have to,” he looked to Yoongi for reassurance. “I just want her to leave Seokjin hyung and Haneul alone.”

“As much as I agree with you, I don’t think it’s your place to decide. We can support hyung but you shouldn’t be directly interfering,” Yoongi reasoned.

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore hyung,” Namjoon ran his palms over his face in frustration, “I know this plan is fucked up but if it gets her to leave and divorce him, I don’t care. I just want her gone.”

“You’re being selfish. You know you are. We both know the real reason why you want to do this.”

“And? I’m not hiding that. Yes, I want her gone so I can finally be with Seokjin-hyung without guilt. So what? Am I selfish? Sure. Am I losing my fucking mind? Absolutely. But hyung, I would kill someone if Seokjin-hyung asked me to. You don’t understand. I’m… He’s mine. His happiness is my happiness. And I know that getting rid of Mina will make him and Haneul happier.”

Yoongi sighed, resigned. “You’re my friend and I want you to be happy. But if this blows over, I will be the first to tell you I told you so.”

“That’s enough for me, hyung.”

Mina’s eyes widened when Namjoon entered the motel lobby where she was working. She looked around, unsure what she was trying to find but still felt nervous upon seeing the man standing in front of her again.

“I just need a little bit of your time,” he said, his voice confident, sure, and demanding. “Do you have time to talk?”

More confused than she was when he walked in, she looked around again. “Uh… I have a 30-minute break in 15 minutes. Will you be fine waiting?” She asked nervously. She didn’t want to fuck up like she did before.

Namjoon hummed in agreement. “Okay then. I’ll return in 15 minutes. You better be here still,” and then he left without waiting for a response from her.

Once he was out of her sight, she collapsed behind the desk. Her heart started racing again, fuck. She shouldn’t, she really shouldn’t, but Namjoon’s visit made her anxious. It was fine. It was just one more. She would be fine.

She just needed something to take the edge off, just a little bit.

Namjoon was surprised when he returned 15 minutes later. Mina looked… off. There was something different about the Mina he talked to earlier compared to the one he stood before now. She seemed… more hostile.

“Let’s go the convenience store,” Mina said, walking out of the motel and not even looking back to see if he was following, it was like she expected him to.

The store was surprisingly empty. The cashier was asleep so no one saw them come in.

“I’m gonna cut to the chase, Mina-ssi. How much for you to leave Seokjin alone?” 

Mina’s eyes widened at the question. She looked around them, then back at Namjoon, and around them again. “This is a bait, isn’t it? You’re baiting me.”

“No, I’m not. I want you out of our lives,” he said frankly. “So name your price. How much for you to leave hyung alone?”

Mina still did not trust him, and that was fine. He didn’t need her trust, he only wanted her out of the picture. “100 million won,” she said.

Namjoon raised his brow. He thought it would be more, but sure. “100 million won?” he repeated.

“Yes. You said to name my price right? 100 million won and I will agree to Seokjin-oppa’s original alimony, and supervised visits with Haneul.”

Ah. He wondered why she did not ask for a higher amount. Of course, she still wanted the alimony. Namjoon sighed. “Ok then. Tomorrow let’s meet again. I’ll give you a quarter of that, and then once you finalize your divorce, I’ll give you the rest.”

“Give me 30 million won and I will agree.”

“Okay,” Namjoon said.” Let’s meet here tomorrow then. Same time,” he said as he got up. “It was nice doing business with you,” he added. “I hope you keep your end of the bargain.”

The next day, Namjoon arrived at the motel with the check in hand. He double-checked his outfit to make sure no one would see him and when he was satisfied, he proceeded to go inside. As expected, Mina was waiting for him.

“I thought you’d back down,” she said.

“Oh, please,” Namjoon said with a scoff. “I have been waiting for you to get out of Seokjin-hyung’s life.”

“You know I’d still be there, right? I’m Haneul’s mother. That’s not changing even after the divorce.”

“I know. But you won’t be his wife anymore and that’s all that matters,” Namjoon said. “Here,” he said, sliding an envelope. “A check for 30 million won.”

“Not cash?” She asked.

“I’m not gonna carry 30 million won in cash, Mina,” he said like she was stupid. “But feel free to cash that in right now if you want. There’s a bank pretty close to this motel if you are doubting me.”

“What if it’s a trap and I’m gonna get caught for a fake check or something?”

Namjoon sighed. “Would you like me to go with you then?”

Mina said yes, so he went with her to the bank and waited patiently as she finished her transaction.

“It’s deposited into your account?” He asked.

“Yes,” she said. “And I’ll get the rest once I sign the divorce papers?”

“Once the divorce is finalized,” Namjoon corrected.

“Fine. I’ll still be getting the alimony right? You’re not asking me to drop that?”

Namjoon shook his head. “That’s not my decision to make,” he said. “Finalize the divorce and you’ll have the rest and your alimony.”

“Okay. You better keep your word.”

Seokjin was informed by his lawyer that after months of fighting, Mina finally agreed to the divorce. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy about it but there was something odd about it. But whatever, he was too relieved and too happy to think about it too hard.

“You’re smiling, what’s the good news?” Namjoon asked as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Mina said she’s signing the divorce papers!” Seokjin said in excitement.

“That’s amazing!” Namjoon lifted him and spun him around before setting him down and kissing him hard. “Hyung! That’s great news!”

“I know! I know!” Seokjin giggled.

“Hyung, we should celebrate!”

“After your comeback. We definitely will,” Seokjin promised. He then leaned in and embraced his boyfriend. “I’m so happy.”

Seokjin

Guess who’s gonna be officially divorced 😎

Jimin

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!
CONGRATULATIONS

Seokjin

Thank you 😭😭😭

Jimin

Now you can love each other guilt-free

I wonder what changed though

Didn’t you say that until a couple of days ago she was insistent on the increased alimony?

Seokjin

Yeah i’m also confused but I’m too happy to think about that right now

Jimin

Lmao you’re right

We should definitely celebrate

Seokjin

Namjoon said the same lol

Maybe after the comeback

I want all of us there when we do celebrate

Jimin

Maybe we could go on a trip, the seven of us

And Haneul, of course

Seokjin

We’ll see what happens

Haneul will be in school by then and I’d hate for him to miss school

Jimin

I forgot 😭😭😭😭😭

Haneul isn’t a baby anymore

Seokjin

I know 🥹

He’s very excited to go to a “big kid” school

Im gonna cry

Jimin

How’s Namjoon-hyung feeling about it

Seokjin

In denial lol

We had to get Haneul’s measurements for his uniform a couple of days ago and Namjoon was teary eyed the entire time

It was cute but also very funny

Jimin

And you’re eyes were dry?

Seokjin

In front of Haneul, yes.

How are you, by the way?

Isn’t your entrance exam soon?

Jimin

The exact same day as the comeback, hyung 😭😭

I’m gonna cry

Seokjin

That’s the worst timing ever

@thatoneannoyingfan: TEAR was spotted without their viral handsome manager. Do you think he was fired or removed from the team?

@anotherannoyance: @thatoneannoyingfan oooohhh i wonder what happened? Wasn’t Namjoon hanging around with him and his kid a lot? You think they got caught and he was fired?

@annoyingsolo1: @anotherannoyance I think it’s because the fans were so fucking weird shipping namjoon and that manager. You ever think that maybe they’re just friends?

@overkill: @annoyingsolo1 actually, namjoon and the manager were seen together a lot outside of work. We have proof that they are or were dating

@sasaeng: @overkill idk about that. Manager has a wife and a son. They are still married according to people i asked. 

@anotherannoyance: @sasaeng a wife!?!? We knew about the kid but the guy is married!?!

@njanti: both things can be true. In conclusion, NJ homewrecker

@thatoneannoyingfan: now you’re just pulling shit out of your ass.

Seokjin sighed as he closed the app on his phone. He knew it was a mistake to keep checking what the people were saying about him. It had become an addiction. Now, somehow, some shithead found out about his marriage and divorce.

He put his phone down on his desk before calling Soobin.

“Yes, hyung?” He asked when he arrived.

“Can you ask someone to watch for any tweets or articles about Namjoon? Some people found private information about me and are spreading malicious rumors against him. I think it’s best if we inform the legal team immediately before this spreads.”

“Oh, of course, hyung,” Soobin said. “You’re amazing, hyung. You’re always on top of things.”

Seokjin smiled. “I just have a lot of time on my hands now that you’re taking on a lot of the work. How is it, by the way?”

“I think I’m doing great,” Soobin said, though he didn’t seem too confident. “I don’t know if I will ever be as good as you.”

“Oh, come on,” he waved him off. “The boys and the team said you’re doing an amazing job. Don’t undersell yourself. And who said you have to be as good as me? Just be you.”

Soobin smiled and bowed to him, “Thank you so much, Seokjin-hyung. I’ll go ahead and report this immediately.”

“What the fuck?” Namjoon said, his brows knit in confusion and frustration as he stared at the words on his screen.

“This isn’t good,” Yoongi said, looking at his phone. “But we’ll let the company deal with this. We can’t afford to be distracted.”

“But hyung–”

“Yoongi is right, Joonie,” he heard his boyfriend say as he entered the room. “I’ve already asked Soobin to talk to the company about this, so please don’t worry. We’ll take care of this and you go and do what you need to do.”

“Hyung, but they’re– you—”

“Don’t worry about me,” Seokjin said, cupping Namjoon’s cheek. “I’m fine. We’ll clear this out very soon, okay?”

Namjoon sighed. “Fine, but don’t think I’m letting this go,” he said. “We’ll work on the comeback but as soon as we’re done, I’m suing all these fuckers who are talking shit about you.”

“No, after your comeback, the 8 of us will be having a divorce party, and then you, me, and Haneul are going on a trip, and then if you still feel like it, I won’t stop you from suing.”

“Okay. Yeah, I like that plan,” Namjoon said with a resigned smile. “But don’t stop me because I’m going scorched earth on these fuckers.”

Chapter Text

“I signed it,” the text read. “He’ll get confirmation in a week or so. You better not be backing out of our agreement,” it added.

Namjoon smirked and then put his phone back on the floor. He was at Seokjin’s, helping Haneul prepare his checklist for elementary school.

“I need a new bag, hyung,” Haneul told him. “I need a bigger one because I’ll have big boy books.”

“We’ll buy one,” he reassured him. “Do you want a Pokemon backpack?”

“I want one with wheels. The one with rollers? Do you know that hyung?”

“Yeah, I do,” Namjoon said. “I used to have one when I was a kid.”

“Any progress on the checklist?” Seokjin asked when he came to the living room holding a basket of fresh laundry. “Haneul, I think the two of us could go shopping on the weekend?”

“What about Namjoon-hyung?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, bud.”

“Why not?” Haneul pouted before turning his attention to Namjoon. “Hyung, you wanna come with us, right?”

Namjoon helplessly looked at Seokjin who looked back at him with a smile that said he better not. “Maybe I can ask the company?”

“As your manager, I say it’s a bad idea,” Seokjin said, then he kneeled in front of Haneul. “Bud, you know how we see hyung on TV a lot? Well, many, many many people know him so it might be hard for him to be out where there are many people. He could get hurt,” Seokjin explained.

“But… why would people hurt him if they like him?”

“Well,” Namjoon answered, “Not everyone likes me—”

“Why not?” Haneul sounded offended.

Namjoon chuckled at the pouting child before saying, “It’s just like that sometimes. Anyway, some people don’t like us and some people who like us don’t know how to behave sometimes. So they hurt us by accident, and I’m scared that if I shop with you, you and your appa might get hurt too.”

Haneul looked visibly deflated but he nodded.

“Hey, after you shop, I’ll help you put everything in your bag. I’ll even help you wrap your books.”

“Okay,” Haneul said though he sounded disappointed.

What was stopping Namjoon from renting out the whole department store? Probably money. He was rich but not that rich. Also, Seokjin might throw him out of the building if he tried.

“Sorry bud. Maybe I can drop you off at school when I’m not too busy anymore?”

Haneul perked up, “You promise?”

“Absolutely!” He said confidently.

“Heard anything from Mina yet?” Namjoon asked Seokjin while they washed the dishes together after lunch.

Seokjin shook his head. “But my lawyer said I’d know by the end of the week,” he said with a wide smile. “I’m a little worried though.”

“Worried? Why?”

“I don’t know. Something feels wrong,” he said, his brows scrunched up in thought. “She was fighting me for so long and suddenly she’s giving in?”

He had to admit, there was a bit of fear when Seokjin said that. He still didn’t know how his boyfriend would react to the fact that he had direct involvement with his divorce. He expected it wouldn’t be a good reaction. He’d cross the bridge when he got there.

Instead of answering, he just leaned into Seokjin and gave his a kiss on his temple, “Don’t worry too much. For now, let’s be grateful she’s finally agreeing. We can worry about the whys later.”

Seokjin chuckled. “You’re right. I’m ruining my day thinking of the reason when I should just enjoy and celebrate?”

“No, it’s fine. You have all the right to be but let’s try not to worry too much.”

“So, I guess Mina accepted your offer, huh,” Yoongi said as the three of them worked side by side.

Hoseok spun around to the two of them, eyes wide, confused and horrified. “What offer?”

He and Yoongi went quiet until Yoongi motioned for Namjoon to tell Hoseok. Namjoon sighed. “I paid Mina so she’d accept the divorce settlement with hyung.”

“Namjoon, you’re fucking crazy! That’s not your business!” Hoseok said.

“I know, I know. I know this will blow up on me but I just had to do something,” he explained. He wasn’t making excuses. There was no excuse to what he did, even he knew it was wrong and that he should’ve just stayed out of it, but seeing Seokjin’s relieved face after getting the news made it all worth it.

Hoseok took a deep breath and then stared directly into his eyes. “Namjoon, I understand why you wanted to do it. I get it, I promise you, but this isn’t your battle.”

“I know that Hoseok. I know that. But when this eventually subsides, hyung will be free from Mina. He’s free to cus me out, beat the shit out of me or whatever, but he’d be divorced and happy and that’s all that matters.”

“You’re gonna tell hyung, right?” Hoseok asked seriously. “This isn’t something you can keep from him. You have to tell him.”

“I will. I promise, I will but I don’t want to ruin this for him. Just… please trust me. I’ll tell him, I promise.”

Hoseok stared at him with an unconvinced expression on his face but reluctantly, he nodded. “Please do. This is… this isn’t right, Namjoon.”

He knew, and he didn’t care.

“Congratulations, Seokjin-ssi,” his lawyer said after receiving confirmation that Mina had signed the papers and that the divorce have been finalized.

“Thank you so much for all of your help,” Seokjin said as he bowed again and again, smiling from ear to ear. The amount of relief he felt was indescribable.

Immediately, he texted Namjoon informing him about the news, and then he called Jimin.

“Hi, hyung, how are you?”

“Jimin! It’s official! It’s real! I’m officially divorced!” He said, the smile never leaving his face. “I just received the documents. I am officially divorced!” He repeated.

“Hyung! That’s great! I’m gonna drop by your apartment later. Let’s celebrate!”

Namjoon was smiling ear to ear when he got the text from Seokjin saying he got the papers and that he was officially divorced. He sent a lot of congratulatory emojis and promised to celebrate after work.

Then Mina. He texted Mina and told her he’d meet her the following day to give her the rest of the money. Mina agreed and said she was looking forward.

“I heard the news,” Hoseok said. “I’d tell you congratulations but I’m still pretty pissed at you. Congratulations though.”

He sighed, understanding his friend’s point of view. “I understand, but thank you,” he said. He did it for Seokjin. He expected that they wouldn’t get his logic but it was fine. Seokjin was free now, he would not have this guilt looming over him every time.

Hoseok also sighed, shaking his head. “Look, I can see why you wanted to do it,” he started. “But you know this will hurt hyung when he finds out, right? He’s not a damsel needing to be saved. He’s not a child who can’t fight his own battles. Just… just don’t expect it to be good when the truth is revealed.”

“Yeah, but like I said, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

“I’m looking for Ahn Mina?” he asked when he got to the motel and Mina wasn’t at the reception desk.

The man who he asked raised his brow at him. “She’s not in.”

“Oh. I see. Well, thank you.”

Just as he was about to walk out, the man spoke again. “Aren’t you that rapper guy? The one that had a scandal just months ago?”

“Uh, what? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He denied.

The man didn’t look convinced but did not probe more either. “Never mind then. I could let Mina-ssi someone was looking for her when she goes back to work tomorrow. I just need your name.”

Namjoon shook his head. Clearly, the man was after something. “No worries. I’ll just text her.”

“I’m at my apartment,” Mina replied when he texted. “Just meet me at the bank in 15 minutes.”

30 long minutes passed and finally, the woman was there. He sighed in relief though he almost lost patience. All he thought of was after this day, he probably wouldn’t have to see her again, at least not much anyway.

“Sorry, the bus broke down on my way here,” she said, rushing in.

“It’s fine,” Namjoon said, though he was exasperated. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Within the next half an hour, the transaction was done. The rest of the money had been transferred to her, which should be the end.

“I hope we never see each other again,” Namjoon said truthfully.

Mina glared at him but did not respond at first. “No one will know about this, especially not Haneul.”

“I’m not going to stop you from seeing Haneul. That’s between you and hyung.”

Sky (skyduck04)

Hi. I don’t know if you’re still awake but I have to get this off my chest

I did something.

The people around me keep telling me I was wrong but I can’t find it in me to regret things

I admit, it’s not the best way to… resolve things but I was desperate

Now, like I said, I don’t regret anything. Even if shit blows up in the future, I don’t think I ever will

But I truly hope they understand why I had to do what I did

I wish they’d try to see it from my perspective

J (unfilteredranda)

Hi Namjoon

I don’t know what you did but are you sure this won't hurt the people you care about more than help them?

I think there is a reason why people are saying what you did was wrong…

But I know you. You’re kind, you’re considerate, you are wonderful

So I’m hoping you’re being truthful and that you only had good intentions.

I think this is something you might need to discuss with the people involved if they don’t already know

It sucks when you find out from other people, you know?

Sky (skyduck04)

I know you’re right and I do plan on telling the people involved but I just need time

I feel like for the first time in a long time, we’re happy and secure

I don’t wanna ruin that. I wanna savor that for a little longer.

I hope he understands.

There was a mixture of concern and guilt as he read the messages Namjoon sent. It was hypocritical of him to say that when he was also keeping secrets from him. He had a hunch. He knew it was about Mina. From the get-go, it was suspicious that all of a sudden his ex-wife became so compliant after fighting for so long. 

Namjoon was right though. It had been a long time since everything felt so relaxed that he’d rather not think about it. He’d cry about it later. His heart would break later but today he would smile, celebrate, and pretend everything was fine.

The knocking on his door interrupted his thoughts. He got up to greet whoever it was though he already knew who.

“Namjoon-ah. What are you doing here?” He asked with a smile. “I thought you’d be working overnight?”

Namjoon immediately wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his nose in the crook of his neck. “I just missed you, hyung.”

He returned the man’s embrace, laying his head on the other’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you too.”

Today, tomorrow, and the days after, he would keep pretending he didn’t know. He’d pretend everything fell into place without Namjoon needing to meddle. He’d pretend for as long as he could, for as long as his heart could take. 

It was stupid, he knew that but he’d rather be stupid than brokenhearted.

Chapter Text

Neither Seokjin nor Namjoon had the time to think about the issue that loomed over their heads.

Namjoon had the comeback, the album, the tour, and various shows and appearances while Seokjin’s time was packed with visits from social workers, therapy for him and Haneul, and work.

Dates and hangouts outside the company were becoming a luxury. They were lucky if they had an hour to spare from their crazy schedules, and even those were rarely spent on each other.

Honestly, the whole thing about Mina was long forgotten. If it did resurface in their minds, it was for a very brief, very fleeting moment, and then something more important would come up and once again, it was pushed to the very backs of their minds.

Tonight though, the pair were determined to spend time with each other. The rapper trio just finished their 3-night concert in Seoul, officially marking the start of their world tour. In just two days, they’ll be traveling around the world and it would be much harder for them to meet or talk.

Haneul enjoyed all three nights of the concert. They sat with the rappers’ families which scared Seokjin a little. He wasn’t sure how much Namjoon’s parents knew about their relationship. He wasn’t sure how they felt about him, but he was pleasantly surprised that they were kind and engaging with him and Haneul.

“I think hyung is starting to show you off now,” Jimin whispered with a giggle.

Seokjin watched as Namjoon played with Haneul’s hair as his son slept on his boyfriend’s chest. Understandably, Haneul was a lot clingier tonight since he knew that it would be a very long time before he got to spend time with his favorite hyung.

They were at Namjoon’s place for a change. Seokjin insisted on helping him pack, triple-checking his stuff to make sure he wouldn’t forget anything.

“How are you feeling?” He asked as he walked back to the bed where Namjoon and Haneul laid.

Namjoon smiled. “I’m scared, excited, sad. I don’t know. My stomach is doing all kinds of things,” he chuckled. “I’ve been looking forward to this for so long… But I’m gonna miss the two of you.”

“We’ll miss you too,” he said as he settled next to Namjoon, placing a small kiss on his cheek. “But I’ll send you videos and we’ll talk as much as we can.”

“It’s gonna suck, hyung. The timezone is gonna fuck us up.”

“Just like everything else that has happened, we’ll get through it.”

“I’m not doubting that. I just hate that I have to be so far away.”

“Only for a bit,” Seokjin said, though 9 months was more than just “a bit.” “Besides, you’ll have some time in between. I’ll make sure we spend those together.”

“I’m already looking forward to those, hyung.”

Seokjin and Haneul joined the team in sending the group off. It was pretty early but his son refused to be left. They rode with the trio and Jimin. The entire time, Haneul sat on Namjoon’s lap, refusing to let go until the moment they had to.

It was a heartbreaking sight. Haneul tried his best not to cry but the pout on his face showed his true emotions. Namjoon kissed him on each cheek. “I’ll be back before you know it, ‘Kay, bud?” Haneul only nodded. Despite his efforts, the young child’s lips still quivered.

Namjoon then turned to Seokjin and also gave him one last peck. “Take care of yourselves, okay?”

“I will. You take care too, okay? Don’t hurt yourself. I won’t be there to help you out.”

“I put Pokemon bandaids in your pockets, hyung,” his son said, his voice shaking.

Namjoon turned back to Haneul with a smile. “Thank you, bud. You take care of your Appa, okay? Sometimes he’s silly and forgets to take care of himself.” Haneul nodded, his eyes serious and determined.

When the trio stepped out, a sea of flashes greeted them. They looked so natural as if they were born for this.

“Appa, I’m sad but I didn’t want Namjoon-hyung to know 'cause he’d worry,” Haneul’s small voice said.

Seokjin and Jimin cooed at the young boy’s words. “It’s okay to be sad, love,” Seokjin said. “Appa’s sad too,” he confessed in a whisper.

She quickly realized that 100 million won wasn’t as much money as she thought, although she also admitted that her spending habits did not help. She probably should have paid her rent in advance or entered herself into a rehab facility but it was easier to pretend nothing was wrong and to keep going as usual.

In just four months, the money his ex’s boyfriend paid him was gone. She still had the money from the alimony which covered most of her expenses. She still had her god-awful job that took care of the rest and then some but she barely had enough money for what her body craved. And truthfully, she would rather not go back to sleeping with that man but it looked like it was her only option.

She bit her scabbed fingers, a thing she did when nervous or craving, her eyes frantically looking for the man who’d help her get what she needed.

At last he came, though he was not in uniform.

“Where have you been?” She hissed, her voice impatient and threatening. “I’ve been waiting for days.”

He only smirked as he stared at her. “I knew you’d come back.”

Chapter Text

They grinned from ear to ear as they walked down the arena hallway, with staff clapping and cheering as they concluded another concert. It had been a while. Namjoon had been anxious, worried that after the entire debacle with their old label, international fans might have abandoned them, but no. The stadiums were filled, the fans were loud, and the lights from the light sticks were bright.

“How are you feeling?” Soobin-ssi asked them once they finally had the time to sit and breathe.

“Fucking great,” Namjoon said with a chuckle. He threw his head back, still trying to catch his breath, but could not wipe the smile off his face.

“Seriously, I missed this feeling,” Yoongi said.

The work wasn’t done after the concert. They had to meet people, take photos, and film videos for future content.

“Hey, Joon! Hyung and I are gonna go on live. Wanna join?” Hoseok asked once they were finally settled in their respective hotel rooms.

Namjoon thought about it, but he had been itching to call Seokjin. “I think I’ll pass today. Maybe I’ll do one tomorrow.”`

As soon as he was alone in his hotel room, Namjoon grabbed his phone and texted Seokjin.

Namjoon

You up?

Seokjin

Why do you sound like a fuck boy right now 😂

Yes, I am

I saw pics. You did amazing!

Namjoon

First of all I am offended

But also

You really think so🥺

Seokjin

Absolutely

I told you they still love you

I was right, wasn’t I?

Don’t answer the question. Of course I am

Namjoon

Okay

Seokjin

Why do i feel offended by that

Namjoon

It’s all in your mind🥰

Can I call you?

Seokjin

Yep

“How are you feeling?” Seokjin asked him.

Namjoon swallowed hard, seeing his boyfriend on his phone screen clearly in his bed. It had been a while since he touched Seokjin, sue him for yearning. He sighed. “I feel like I’m on top of the world,” he said to which Seokjin replied he was. “But I miss you so much I’m gonna fucking lose my mind hyung.”

Seokjin howled in laughter in response. “I miss you too,” Seokjin said. “Haneul's asleep. You wanna… have a private conversation?”

Namjoon groaned. “Should you even ask?”

The answer was yes of course.

@unfilteredranda: thank you to our US ANSWERS for showing up and showing love at the boys’ first international concert in forever 🥹

@unfilteredranda: you can clearly see how moved they were during their ending ment

@hobibble : @unfilteredranda they must have felt so nervous🥹

@unfilteredranda : @hobibble i can only imagine 😭 but of course, ANSWERs never disappoint!

@thewildflower94 : @unfilteredranda were you able to watch? i hope you did, you deserve it

@unfilteredranda : @thewildflower94 you’re so sweet🥹 yes, I was! all three dates in Seoul, baby!

@unfilteredranda : @thewildflower94 I wanted to make some freebies but 1) I suck at making any crafts whatsoever 2) time is a luxary I don’t have 😬 maybe next time

@unfilteredranda : ANSWERS! Why don’t we do something fun and share our favorite pics from the concerts? I’ll start! Day 2! [image]

@winterflower94: @unfilteredranda the best I can share is a screenshot from a 144p livestream on Instagram

@unfilteredranda: @winterflower94 LOL! Someone sitting near me was trying to stream, but they got caught immediately! I’m impressed you managed to find one working link!

@ilivesoiluv: @unfilteredranda here’s mine! Seoul day 2, just below the vip box where Jimin, Tae and his partner, and Mr. Manager were sitting! Pretty crazy! [image]

@tearsonist: @ilivesoiluv lucky!! I was there day 1 but Taehyung didn’t attend that day 🥹 I saw Jimin and Mr Manager, though! [image]

@imanswertwt: @ilivesoiluv your seat looks pretty close to @unfilteredranda ‘s view?

Seokjin

I really should’ve thought twice before I posted anything

Damn, how did someone spot that immediately

Jimin

I don’t know 😭 I’m checking the pics and it doesn’t make sense for me

Maybe just lay low for a bit. I’ll take over 

Seokjin

Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for school?

Jimin

Hyung, i’ve triple, quadruple checked my shit, I hope i didn’t forget anything

@agustdfan: @unfilteredranda I wish you told me where you were, we could have met! Here’s my Seoul day 3! [image]

@hobibble: @unfilteredranda here’s a screenshot from jimin’s stream in our gc of seoul day 3! Ily @agustdfan 

Jimin

Do you think that would divert their attention?

Seokjin

Ily but no 💓😂

It’s all good

There’s so much happening, they’ll get bored and move on after a while

Besides, a lot of the seated area looks pretty much alike

Ttyl I’m craving something sweet

Jimin

It’s 11pm?

Seokjin was surprised to see Mina standing outside his front door when he returned from the convenience store. She wasn’t supposed to drop by without notifying him first.

He didn’t say anything at first. He observed as Mina bit her fingers, her eyes darting here and there but only looking at the floor. Something felt wrong. Really, really, wrong.

“Mina?” He finally called out. “What are you doing here?”

The woman looked up, the deep and dark bags underneath her tired eyes now visible. She smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. “O-oppa. I-I was just stopping by to see Haneul.” She nervously chuckled.

“You know you’re supposed to notify me first, right?” Seokjin said gently.

“W-well, yeah, but I just wanted to see him, you know?” Another nervous giggle. “S-so, is he here? Can I come in?” She asked, though her hands were already trying to open the doorknob. “O-oppa. Open it. Come on.”

Seokjin stepped backwards. “Mina, I told you yesterday that Haneul is staying with my parents today, and it’s almost midnight.” He was glad their son wasn’t here to see her mother in this state. Something was really, really wrong.

“O-oh. Then can I just come in? I need to use the bathroom. Please?”

“There’s one for the public downstairs. Come on, it’s time to go home. I’ll see you next week.”

“N-no. I need to pee so badly. Please, let me in.” She sounded desperate, but he knew for a fact she was lying.

“Mina, tell me the truth. What is happening?” he asked, still gentle but firmer this time. “Even if Haneul was here, I don’t think he should see you like this.”

“Like what?!?” She spat out all of a sudden. She marched toward him, eyes furious and threatening. “Tell me?!”

Stepping back, he said “Mina, please calm down.” Seokjin tried his best to de-escalate whatever was happening, but the woman was past the point of logic or reasoning. “We can talk about this. Just tell me the truth. What is happening?”

Instead of answering, Mina started pulling her hair and whispering under her breath. “You don’t understand, you don’t get it… I need to…. I need..” Then suddenly, after taking in a long, deep breath, she stood up straight, looked Seokjin in the eye, and just left.

“What was that?” Seokjin whispered, still baffled by the entire exchange. He watched as Mina marched past him. Only then could he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“Hyung, I don’t know how to tell you this without sounding too… I don’t even know. But I think you should reevaluate your visitation agreement,” Jimin said. “Or even pause visitations altogether,” he added. “Hyung, remember when I took a short course on childhood care a few months back? One of the things we learn was what to look for when a child is possibly being abused.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Seokjin admitted.

“I know, I don’t either. But one of the things we were warned about was if the parents are under illegal substances,” Jimin said carefully. He let out a sound of frustration from the phone. “I’m gonna tell you this straight: I think she might be on drugs. All the things you described about her match a lot of the signs one should look for when dealing with an adult who might be having substance or addiction issues.”

Seokjin cursed under his breath. “Drugs? Mina couldn’t be that stupid, right?”

“Hyung, he once left Haneul in a train station alone when he was two to party with her friends,” Jimin reminded him. “I think you should contact your lawyers and ask for advice on how to deal with this.”

He kept quiet. In hindsight, he could see all the signs he missed or ignored. How long has he been exposing his son to his mother like this?

“Hyung,” Jimin called out gently. “Don’t blame yourself. You’re someone who wants tries to see the good in people all the time. It’s not your fault you missed this.”

“Is it not, though? I should have known, Jimin. I thought she was just tired every time she visited. I thought she was just stressed and exhausted, but drugs? I don’t…”

“Have you told Namjoon-hyung about this already?” Taehyung asked as he and Jungkook went to help Seokjin pack a few things.

Since yesterday, Seokjin hasn’t been able to feel safe in his own home. He didn’t like that Mina knew where he and Haneul lived. He tried so hard to find a place where they could start over, and when he was finally starting to feel at home, this happened.

He shook his head. “He knows that we’re staying with my parents for the time being, but he doesn’t know why. He has a lot to think about right now.”

“Nothing as important as you and Haneul, though,” Jungkook interjected. “But I’ll respect your wishes. Let’s just hope this doesn’t escalate anymore.

“Unsuccessful?” He asked her mockingly when she came back from Seokjin’s place.

“If you came here just to fucking annoy me then just get the hell out of my face,” she spat. “I don’t need another judgemental man rubbing it in my face right now.”

“I’m just saying, you can always go back to me,” he chuckled.

“As if,” she scoffed. “Your demands are impossible, who the fuck do you think you are?” She said. “Even prostitutes have more freedom than what you’re willing to offer.”

“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers,” he reminded her.

“I can choose to fuck someone else,” she reminded him back.

The smile on the man’s face dropped. His brows knit in fury. “You keep saying that shit but you’ve never done it.”

“This time I fucking might,” she answered, standing her ground knowing how obsessed the man was with her.

Look, Mina could admit that she was down on her luck these days. She still had him as a last resort but right now, she refused to go with his demands. She had another option. If that doesn’t work, she had another plan.

She won’t give up just yet. She can’t. She can’t stop.

Chapter Text

“I need more money,” the text read.

Namjoon scoffed and shook his head. He couldn’t believe what he was reading—the audacity of this woman.

Instead of responding, he deleted the text message and put the phone back in his pocket.

They were on their way to another city for another concert. The anxiety was slowly being replaced by excitement to see their fans. He couldn’t wait to get on another stage. Although…

“I’m about to lose my mind,” Hoseok said. “It’s Jimin’s first day at the uni, and I’m sad we have to miss that.”

“I know,” Yoongi said from beside Hoseok. “I’m glad Hyung was there. Namjoon, isn’t it Haneul’s first day in grade school as well?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling, remembering the video Seokjin sent him of Haneul wearing his uniform for the first time. “But I understand you. I wish I were able to send Haneul to his first day, too.”

“God, I missed touring, but I can’t wait to go home and see Jimin again,” Yoongi said.

The texts did not stop. In hindsight, he should have blocked her number, but he stupidly thought that if he ignored her, she’d leave him alone. He should’ve known better. He should’ve remembered how stubborn she was during the divorce proceedings.

Kim Namjoon

Mina-ssi, with all due respect, please stop texting me

It was a one-off offer. I gave you what we agreed upon, and that’s it

I gave you 100 million won just like you asked

You should have asked more from the very beginning if you thought that wasn’t enough

Leave us alone. If you don’t, I won’t think twice about taking your harassment to court

Ahn Mina

You act like you didn’t force me to sign those divorce papers

Stop acting like a fucking saint

Kim Namjoon

Force you? Please. You were more than happy to cash in the checks for the divorce

I didn’t for you, you did it willingly

Besides, it’s not like you care about your son or hyung

You just wanted money

Ahn Mina

What I want is none of your concern

Kim Namjoon

And my money is none of your concern either

This will be my last communication with you

If you try to reach out again, I’ll get my legal team involved

This isn’t a threat, I’m just telling you exactly what is going to happen if you don’t stop

Ahn Mina

I’ll ruin your fucking lives

You’ll regret this

Namjoon sighed but inside he was seething. He dialed her phone number and did not bother waiting for her to say anything before he said, “Do your worst. Though I have to remind you that the court is still on our side, you’ll gain nothing. Now, if you’re planning to play dirty, fine, I’ll play along. But if you try to harm hyung or Haneul in any way, I’ll ruin your life. Understand?”

“Seokjin, this is… something very serious. Are you sure?” His mother asked him when he explained why he’s looking for a new apartment despite being in his current one for less than a year.

“It’s a big possibility,” he answered sadly. He hated that this was happening. He wondered if he didn’t pay enough attention for her to turn out like this. “I’ve already talked to my lawyers about this. They suggested I inform the child services so they could further investigate.” He sighed, “Eomma, it was… She looked so different. I was terrified.”

His mother still looked like she couldn’t believe it, something he understood. Had Jimin not pointed it out, he wouldn’t have thought it was possible. Mina was reckless and immature, yes, but not once did he think this could happen.

“None of this is your fault, Seokjin.” His father reminded him. “You did everything you could to provide for her. You made sure she had everything she needed and more. You did your best for you, Haneul and Mina. This isn’t your fault.”

Seokjin couldn’t help but tear up upon hearing those words from his father. It was true. Deep down, he knew it was true but that doesn’t make the guilt go away.

Seokjin

Hi joon

Call me when you’re free. There’s something I need to talk to you about

I watched videos of your concert today too, by the way

You were amazing as always 💓

Namjoon

Sounds serious.

I was gonna do a live with Hyung and Hobi but I’ll cancel

Seokjin

No, don’t

Your lives are Haneul’s favorite thing to watch

He’s been waiting patiently 😂

Call me after if you’re free

Otherwise, this could wait tomorrow

Namjoon

Are you sure?

Seokjin

Absolutely.

Brb, TEAR’s live so :/

Namjoon

Can’t believe you’re choosing some random rapper group over your boyfriend :/

Seokjin

What can I say? Their leader is pretty hot🥵

Namjoon

😂😂

Talk to you later. Love you

Seokjin

Love you too

The live was just like any other. They had fun catching up with the fans. They ate dinner together and laughed as they recalled the funny mistakes they made on stage. It was funny, it was lighthearted much like most lives they had during the tour.

But towards the end, the mood shifted. People kept asking them, Namjoon to be more specific, if he had been on Twitter lately, or if he had seen “the video”.

Immediately, Soobin entered their room and motioned for them to turn off the live.

“ANSWERs! It’s getting a little late, so we have to go,” Namjoon said in English. “Thank you again for joining us. We are so very grateful to all of you who came and watched our show!”

“See you tomorrow!” Hoseok said while waving, which Yoongi copied.

“Love you ANSWERs!”

“Namjoon-ssi, Seokjin-ssi asked me to tell you specifically to call him before going on SNS,” Soobin told him.

It confused the other two members, who looked at Namjoon for answers, but he had none. “Just me?”

“Well, I suggest all of you refrain from logging in right now. The team will take care of any posts on the socials we need to do. Just let us know which photos you want to post and what captions. But right now, please stay off SNS until we figure out what to do.”

“Okay?” Yoongi said. “Will you tell us what is happening, though?”

“Seokjin-ssi said he’ll give you three a call after he talked to Namjoon-ssi.” Soobin said.

“Okay… Thanks,” Hoseok said, looking at the other two members who were just as confused.

“Hyung? Is everything alright?” Namjoon asked as soon as Seokjin picked up.

Seokjin sighed. “Thank god. You didn’t go on the internet yet, right?”

“Yeah… You told me not to. What’s happening?”

“Good. That’s good. Joon, I’m so, so sorry. This is my fault,” Seokjin said, his voice full of worry and guilt.

“Hyung, are you okay? Tell me what’s happening,” Namjoon was on the verge of panicking. What happened? Why was Seokjin apologizing?

“Did you talk to Mina recently?”

Namjoon didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t lie but telling the truth could ruin everything.

“Namjoon, I know. I’ve known you had something to do with Mina suddenly agreeing to divorce me.”

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. Mina had been fighting me for months and then suddenly she’s agreeable? Namjoon, I know you. We can talk about this some other time but please, you have to tell me what happened.”

Namjoon sighed. “I paid her 100 million won to divorce you.”

“100 milli–” Seokjin was speechless. “That’s a lot!”

He scoffed. “Apparently not enough. She texted me just a couple of hours ago asking for more. I told her in not so nice words that she can fuck off.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

“What do you mean you saw?”

It was Seokjin’s turn to sigh. “Namjoon, Mina sold the story to dispatch. She shared how you “forced” her to accept the payment and leave me, which I know isn’t true. She’s selling her fucking sob story to anyone who fucking listens.”

“For fuck’s sake. I warned her. I told her I’ll sue her and she fucking did it anyway,” Namjoon said. “Hyung please tell the company I’m planning on taking legal actions. I won’t let this slide, hyung.”

“Already did. Sorry, Joon. I should’ve warned you.”

“Warned me? How would you have known she would do this?” Namjoon shook his head.

“She came to my apartment 2 nights ago. She didn’t look… great.”

“What? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Haneul and I are staying at my parents’ place for now until I find a new apartment,” Seokjin sighed. “Namjoon, Jimin suspects she’s using drugs. I think he’s right, that’s why she’s so desperate for money.”

Namjoon cursed under his breath. He suspected something was wrong when he met Mina that day, but he never thought she’d be this reckless. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? She didn’t do anything?”

“No. I’m safe. Haneul wasn’t with me that day, thank god. I didn’t want him to see his mom like that,” Seokjin said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “I called my lawyers and our case worker. I’m requesting a drug test for Mina. I’m not comfortable letting her anywhere near Haneul until I’m sure it’s safe.”

To say Namjoon was frustrated would be an understatement. All he wanted to do was go home and comfort them, but he was thousands of miles away. “I’m so sorry, hyung. I’m really, really sorry.”

“We’ll get through this. For the time being, lay low on social media,” Seokjin said. “I mean it, Joon.”

“Holy shit, are you fucking serious?” Hoseok said when Namjoon filled them in.

Seokjin hasn’t called them yet because he needed to talk to their case worker, but he asked Namjoon to inform the two for now.

“Is hyung okay? Is he safe?” Yoongi asked. “Are you okay?”

“Hyung is safe, he says. They are at his parents’ hous,e but I’m still worried about Mina getting to them. They’ll be requesting a drug test soon, I hope before that, she won’t do anything stupid,” he said.

“What about you? Are you okay?” Hoseok repeated Yoongi’s question.

“I’ll be fine,” Namjoon said. “I don’t really care what people say about me, just as long as they leave hyung and Haneul alone.”

“So, hyung knows what you did?” Yoongi asked.

“Apparently, yes.”

“Is he angry?” Yoongi asked again.

Namjoon shrugged. “I don’t know yet. He said we’ll talk about it another time. I think he is, but could you blame him?”

Yoongi shook his head. They both knew what was gonna happen once Seokjin found out. He knew he should’ve come clean long before this happened.

“What do I do, hyung?” In the past, Namjoon said he didn’t care if Seokjin left him over this as long as he was free. Now, the thought of a life without Seokjin felt suffocating and terrifying. He didn’t want it. He fucked up so badly.

“Talk to him. Be honest,” said Yoongi. “This won’t guarantee he’ll forgive you but it’s the least you can do.”

Against Seokjin’s warning and his better judgment, he went online to see the video everyone was talking about. It was worse than he thought.

Mina even posted the video she made on Twitter, possible to attract more attention to her story.

@ahnmina: the truth about TEAR’s RM and the team’s manager Kim Seokjin. [link]

The video did not show Mina’s face but her voice was recognizable.

“Hello, you might now know me but Kim Namjoon a.k.a RM of TEAR ruined my marriage. No, this is not satire. I have proof of everything

To start, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Mina and I was Seokjin-oppa’s wife until a couple months ago. You might recognize him as TEAR’s handsome manager. We also have a 5 year old son named Haneul whom you might have seen with them a couple of times.

Well, before oppa started working for TEAR, I must admit that our marriage have already been rocky. I am not absolving myself of any faults but I was honestly doing my very best to be a better wife and a better mother.

However, ever since he met RM, things started changing drastically. Oppa became even more distant towards me to the point that we barely spoke despite living under the same roof. And one day, he decided to divorce me.

Again, I know I had a lot of mistakes that led to the divorce, however, I made it known that I was willing to change. I looked for a job, I signed up for therapy, and I even agreed to the trial separation that oppa asked for but all I wanted was for my family to get back together.

Then I found out that oppa had started dating RM. Yes, my husband is gay. It’s a fact I’ve known for a while but it was something I was willing to overlook since he never did anything about it during our marriage until he met RM

By this time, even my son was being taken from me. RM interfered even with my relationship with my own son. Am I a perfect mother? No. I could have been better. I made decisions that hurt him but I am repenting and learning. 

RM made reconciliation with my family impossible. He was the one who told oppa to divorce me so they could date freely. In fact, he even helped oppa to find an expensive lawyer. He knew I cannot afford to fight them. They knew from the very beginning that it was an unfair fight and that I would lose.

Regardless, I fought. I stood my ground. I did not want divorce. I guess RM grew patient because one day, he reached out to me asking to “talk”.

This was no regular talk though. He forced me to take his money to leave oppa and my son alone. I feared for what else he could do so I had no choice but to accept it.

I regret it. Every day since then, I’ve regretted my decisions. I should never have agreed.

I have compiled pieces of evidence that back up my claims. Photos, text messages, marriage certificates, timeline of all the events that happened. Everything is here.

And before anyone accuses me of wanting attention, all I could say is i am glad you never had to go through what I went through. I lost my family. I was kicked out of my own home. I was discarded like a piece of trash as soon as RM came. I hope none of this happens to you.

I am not asking for reconciliation or pity. I do not want to force oppa to get back together when from the very beginning our marriage was out of necessity only. However, i’d like you to know what kind of man you are supporting everytime you praise him.

This is only a reminder that people are never who they seem to be in real life. I don’t wish for anything, I just want you to know the truth.”

@jhopegosolo: i fucking knew something was up with that man

@hobiakgae: @jhopesolo right? his fans were quick to call hobi a homewrecker in the past when it turns out it was their idol who is

@unfilteredranda: @hobiakgae @jhopesolo move, this is an ANSWER only issue. Leave us alone

@unfilteredranda: @hobiakgae @jhopesolo you’re so quick to believe a one sided argument without hearing RM out first but what do we expect from solos like you?

@yoongionlypls: yoongi needs to leave this group ASAP. I know he’s attached because his boyfriend is here but seriously, they should have disbanded the moment they left cage. Being in a group with them is only affecting his popularity negatively.

@unfilteredranda: @yoongionlypls if you think yoongi cares more about his popularity over his friends who have been there before your annoying ass lost your braincells and became solos, then you don’t know a shit about him

@unfilteredranda: @yoongionlypls yoongi would sacrifice you to the sea for the sake of his friends, just so you know

@agustdfan: @ahnmina first of all, your son is 6, turning 7. If you were a good mother you would know that. Second of all, if you were truly a good mother, why the fuck would you plaster his face on the fucking internet? Wouldn’t his safety and privacy be your first priority?

@agustdfan: @ahnmina and don’t fucking piss me off. I know you, I know Namjoon hyung, I know Seokjin hyung. I know the true story and boy, we have way more evidence than your chopped up chats to Namjoon-hyung

@ahnmina: @agustdfan you don’t know shit, you’re just a fan

@agustdfan: @ahnmina uhm, no I’m not “just a fan”. We met when you VERY BRIEFLY came to see your son graduate despite Seokjin-hyung reserving a whole as seat for you. 

@ahnmina: @agustdfan well unlike you, i had a job and didn’t rely on my rich boyfriends to live

@agustdfan: @ahnmina bro you were literally stealing your son’s allowance to go out with your friends on the weekend. You only got a job because hyung refused to let you use him as your atm anymore. 

@agustdfan: @ahnmina I have so much more to say about you but know that I’m only being careful because we’re building another case for you

Seokjin

Jimin I’m so fucking mad

Jimin

Am i sharing too much? Sorry, I’ll tone it down

Seokjin

Tone it down, yeah, but I’m not mad at you

I wish I could let out my anger like you

Answer all of her accusations because i have damning evidence against her

The only reason I’m not is because she is still my child’s mother and I’m giving her the grace to leave and never come back before I embarrass the hell out of her

Jimin

I wish you would

Hyung, why don’t you lay low from sns first?

How’s the company handling this by the way?

Seokjin

Jimin, I thought I was gonna be fired.

This all started because of me so when Yoo PD-nim called, I was so sure I lost my job

But he just asked me how he could help and if I wanted to take a break from work

Jimin

I hope you said yes

Seokjin

I had to say yes.

I need to meet my lawyers and our case workers tomorrow

I’m looking to see if we can terminate her visitation rights or even her parental rights if the tests come back positive

I thought this was over, Min

I’m so fucking tired

Jimin

I’m so sorry, hyung 🙁

You know you can always call me, right?

I’ll be here to listen.

Chapter Text

The right thing to do for Namjoon was to keep quiet, lay low, and let the company handle things while he focused on the tour, but he had been on the edge.

It has been three days since it happened. Each time he tried to talk to Seokjin, his boyfriend would say he was busy and he knew he was. Seokjin kept him updated everyday and it had been calls after meetings after calls with lawyers, case workers, child therapist, etc. Still, he couldn’t relax until his entire thing with Seokjin was resolved.

It was probably a big mistake to go live after drinking, but he hasn’t been thinking straight these past few days. It was a marvel how he had managed to act “normal” on stage during concerts when he was a wreck off stage.

“Hi, everyone,” he started. “Forgive me if I blab too much. I just missed you guys and saw that many of you were worried about me. Please don’t be. Everything is taken care of,” he started.

“How am I doing? I’ll be honest, I’ve had mixed feelings for days. I’m having so much fun because of the concerts. I’m tired from the practice. I’m stressed from everything else, but it’s all worth it, isn’t it?”

“What did I eat? I caved in and ordered Korean food. I know, I’m in the US, but I was really missing Korean food,” he chuckled. What did you eat, ANSWERS? " He paused to read some of the messages. “Ooooh. Someone said bingsu, and now I want bingsu. Someone said choco mint. Shame on you.”

“Does Seokjin-hyung like choco mint?” he laughed, caught off guard by the question. He probably shouldn’t have brought him up, but he was tipsy, and he wasn’t thinking straight. “Nah, he’s also a choco mint hater like me,” he chuckled.

“How is hyung? Pretty stressed, but we’ll be fine. Thank you for asking,” he answered. “Are you excited for the next concert? Hell yeah! Are you excited?” The chat exploded with yeses and similar affirmations. “Ahhh, I really missed you guys.”

The start of the chat was pretty tame, but towards the middle, people, non-fans he guessed, started being persistent, asking about Mina.

“Guys, I would really, really rather not talk about that right now,” he said solemnly. “All I can tell you is what the company already told you.”

“Do I regret what I did?” Namjoon threw his head back, laughing. It was at this point that he should have ended the live, but he was starting to get annoyed. “Fuck no. I don’t regret shit. She’s spewing so many lies anyway. We both know what she’s really after.”

“I’ll get in trouble for talking about this, you know?” he laughed. “But I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I feel bad?”

“She’s telling people I broke their marriage apart? That’s cute,” he scoffed. “The marriage was broken way before I met hyung. Ask her how many times hyung forgave her in the past. Ask her how many times she took a man home to hook up with her, even when hyung and their son were at home.”

“She’s acting like I’m the bad guy, right? I don’t care. My conscience is clean. It wasn’t me who left their infant son all alone in the apartment so they could party with their friends. It wasn’t me who stole their son’s field trip money so they could buy cheap alcohol and get drunk again. It wasn’t me who forgot their toddler in a busy subway station because they were so drunk they forgot they had a child.”

“She’s saying I paid her to divorce hyung?” He shrugged. “I did. And she accepted without a fight. In fact, she was the one who came up with that amount. If they really mattered, how come it was so easy for her to accept the money?”

“I don’t know what she’s trying to achieve. I’m not ashamed of my actions. There was no cheating. I didn’t brainwash hyung like she’s saying. She ruined her marriage by herself and dragged a poor kid in the process. She thinks my actions were disgusting, but what about hers?”

“Mina-ssi, weren’t you the one who always threatened to expose Seokjin-hyung for being gay? Saying he’ll lose custody of your son if the judges find out? You were blackmailing him for years and taking advantage of a flawed and homophobic system,” his voice was harsher and angrier. “That was the only reason he stayed. It wasn’t for you. He tried to take care of you, but you just took that for granted. You were greedy. You wanted more. You acted more like a rebellious teenage daughter than a wife and a mother. 

He’s much happier now. Even your son is saying his Appa is always smiling now, unlike before. Why can’t you just leave them be? You gladly took the 100 million won. You’re still getting alimony. The only reason you’re blowing up is because I refused to give you more, and hyung refused to give you more. We have proof of that, so you’re not getting anything more from us.

And stop acting like you lost contact with your son. You didn’t. You had supervised visitations, but you did not show up to any of the ones hyung scheduled. He asked you when you were available, but you never responded. Not once in the 4 months you’ve been divorced did you reach out to ask for time with your son.

Then you threatened to ruin me. This is your plan? You think I care? 

I don’t care how the media paints me. I’ve been there. People have tried to drag my name in the mud, ruin my reputation, and take me out of this industry, but I am standing strong because I didn’t do anything wrong. But you’re over here reaching out to tabloids just to sell your story, for what? So you can have more money? Money for what? Why don’t you tell them why you want more money, huh?”

After his tirade, he took a long, deep breath. He sat back on his seat and closed his eyes. Once he calmed himself down, he looked at the camera again.

“I know this will get to you, so I’ll leave you a proper message,” he started. “Ruin me. Go ahead and try. I told you already, do your worst. But remember what else I told you? I warned you that if you try and hurt hyung and Haneul, I’ll fight back until you have nothing left. You think you’re not hurting them right now?

I hope you have enough left from the 100 million you asked for because I’m not stopping until you get what you deserve, Mina-ssi.”

@agustdfan: @ahnmina SPEAK THE FUCK UP

@agustdfan: @ahnmina why are you quiet now, huh?

@agustdfan: @ahnmina speak up. Speak your “truth”

@agustdfan: @ahnmina and you know what? I’m in a giving mood. I’ll pay for your lawyers just so you can fight back, i don’t care

@agustdfan: @ahnmina but we both know you won’t do shit because you know you’re int the wrong 

@agustdfan: @ahnmina you know what you did and why you’re still doing it

@agustdfan: @ahnmina so i fucking dare you bitch. Speak the fuck up

@unfilteredranda: @agustdfan god you’re so messy I love you

Seokjin

Can we talk?

Namjoon

Yes, hyung. I really need to talk to you right now.

We need to talk.

Can I call you

Seokjin

Yes

Seokjin didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Why would you do that?” he asked.

“How long have you known?”

“I had a suspicion when Mina suddenly said she agreed to the divorce,” Seokjin said. “Then you wouldn’t look at me every time I brought it up. I was hoping I was wrong. So why did you do it?”

Namjoon sighed. “I just wanted you to be happy.”

“Joon, I was happy. You didn’t have to do anything else,” Seokjin said, his voice frustrated. He could tell he wanted to cry.

“I know. But I also know we’d be happier like this,” he argued. “I knew you still felt guilty about loving me even if there was no reason to. I knew you still felt like you were cheating even if you were not, and it was eating you. I hated seeing you miserable, hyung.”

“I didn’t need you to fight my battles,” Seokjin whispered. “All I needed you to do was be there for me.”

“I know that, but I wanted to help. This is still your battle, even now it still is, but I’m not gonna just sit and watch when I can do something to make it better,” Namjoon countered.

“Well, now she’s ruining your reputation. Is it worth it? This is why I didn’t want you to be involved. You’ve already gone through so much in the past. This shouldn’t have–”

“She’s not ruining anything,” he interrupted. “She can run her mouth for all I care, but we both know we didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But the public-”

“Fuck the public. When have I ever cared?” Namjoon laughed, though his emotions were all over the place. “Hyung, I apologize for not telling you. I should have. I’m sorry I did this without your permission. I’m so sorry for hurting you, hyung. But when I saw your relief and your happiness when you got the divorce papers? Everything was worth it, hyung.”

Seokjin kept quiet, but Namjoon could hear him crying.

“Hyung, I love you. I love you so fucking much, I’d do everything in my power to keep you happy, hyung. Be mad at me, curse me, break my heart, but please, never blame yourself for what is happening. None of it is your fault.”

Chapter Text

She disappeared.

It was… anticlimactic. Seokjin, as much as he hated it, had prepared himself for more exhausting months of meeting with lawyers, child services, possible court hearings, and all that jazz, but she just disappeared.

When it was time to send Mina a formal request for a drug test, she stopped responding, then her phone number became unavailable. So they tried to go to her apartment, only to be told by the neighbors that she fled some nights ago and it was vacated. Then they tried to go to her workplace, only to find out she was fired. For being caught on video using drugs while working.

It was more than enough proof for his team to file for the termination of her visitation rights, but not enough to have her parental rights terminated altogether.

“What about the alimony? Are you still supposed to pay?” Jungkook asked him when the couple were visiting.

“I’m supposed to, but she closed the bank account I transferred the money to,” He explained.

It was like she never existed. There was no trace of her.

He even asked if Namjoon had anything to do with it, which the other vehemently denied.

“So that’s it? That’s just it?” Taehyung asked, looking as confused and conflicted as he was.

“For now… We don’t know what she’ll do in the future,” Seokjin answered.

He had hoped for a more conclusive end to this issue. It was better than the uncertainty he was feeling. He didn’t know what Mina was planning or if she was planning anything even, and to him that was the most terrifying part.

“Disappeared?” Hoseok asked Namjoon.

“It seems so,” Namjoon said with a sigh.

“That doesn’t sound… safe?” said Yoongi. “How’s hyung feeling right now?”

“A little terrified because you’re right. It doesn’t feel safe. We don’t know what she might do because we have no clue where the hell she is,” Namjoon said. “And with the confirmation that she’s been doing drugs… The risks are high.”

“I hope hyung is safe. It’s sad he has to move just when he’s starting to make a home out of his apartment.”

“So no one heard anything? At all?” Namjoon asked Seokjin over the phone.

“No,” Seokjin said quietly. “I even tried contacting some of her old friends, but they said she hasn’t spoken to most of them in months,” he added. “I should be relieved, right? She’s out of my hair, she’s no longer causing trouble. Ugh. Why does she have to be so difficult?”

“I’m sorry,” Namjoon said. He felt guilty. Knowing where the money he paid her went, he can’t help but wonder if he accidentally enabled her, but how was he supposed to know? “Have you reported her missing?”

“Yes, but since there’s proof that she left on her own, they said they couldn’t do anything about it,” said Seokjin. “She won’t do anything stupid, right?” He asked Namjoon, uncertain.

Namjoon didn’t know the answer to that, but he sure hoped she wouldn’t.

Mina slammed the phone down in frustration. Based on experience alone, she should have expected that shabby motels like this one would have terrible customer service. Still, a fucking rat inside her cupboard was crossing that line.

She collapsed onto the bed. She had really done it this time. She thought she was smart; she thought she could get away with it, but of course, they’d have the upper hand. They probably had someone investigate her even before she made the threat to Kim Namjoon.

It was horrible. She didn’t think it would be that bad, but people found her address, her place of work, and worse, they caught her on camera doing drugs. She was fucked. There was no way in hell she could show her face to Seokjin or Haneul now.

She kept on berating herself. “I should have stopped! I knew it was only a matter or time before I get caught, why the fuck did I escalate things?!”

Now here she was, hiding in a cheap, rat-infested motel in the middle of who-fucking-knows-where with close to nothing to her name.

She even regretted cutting her phone and closing her bank account, but feared she’d get caught if she used them.

“I should’ve been satisfied with the alimony,” she said.  It was a huge amount, more than she needed, but her greedy self just wanted to have more.

Granted, she could still reach out to him, but that would only worsen the situation. Her main goal right now was to turn her life around. How? She didn’t fucking know, but if she continued what she had been doing, she’s afraid she might end up dead one day.

Now, just because Mina was “gone” doesn’t mean that it was over. Namjoon still had to deal with the remnants of the mess she created.

He shouldn’t be surprised that people would find out she left without a trace, and he certainly was not surprised that people blamed him for her disappearance.

He scoffed, “Of course they would,” he commented as he read another article he knew he shouldn’t have.

The company had been good at taking care of any malicious posts and articles. The reasonable part of him, and everyone around him, had been telling him to STAY. OFF. THE. INTERNET, yet here he was, scrolling and reading one brain-dead article after another.

“Appa?” Haneul called.

“Yeah, bud?”

“Is Mama really using some bad stuff?” He asked.

Seokjin whipped his head towards where the boy was standing. “What do you mean?”

“I saw it on TV. They said Mama said some mean stuff about you and Namjoon-hyung, but then she left because she got caught using bad stuff,” Haneul asked. “Is it true?”

How was he supposed to answer? He always promised himself that he’d be honest with Haneul and wouldn’t hide anything, but how would he explain this situation to their son?

“Is this why the people said she can’t see me anymore?”

Seokjin sighed, crouched, and motioned for his son to come. He pulled him in and hugged him tightly when he was close enough. “Yeah… Mama… Mama can’t be your mama right now. I’m sorry, bud, but it’s too dangerous for you to be around her while she’s doing things like this. You understand, right?” he said. “But who knows, maybe one day she will change and then she’ll be the good Mama you deserve!” He tried to sound positive and reassuring, but it was difficult when he had so much anger towards the woman.

Haneul shrugged, surprisingly unaffected. “I’m okay even if she doesn’t. She doesn’t come to see me anymore anyway. Sometimes I forgot I have a mama until she does something mean again.”

That soured Seokjin’s feelings. It wasn’t a pleasant realization that Haneul’s perception of his mother had been so… negative. He tried his best to let Haneul know how much Mina loved her and how she just needed some time to learn, but who could blame the kid? His words meant nothing if Mina didn’t back them up with her actions. She didn’t go to their scheduled visitations, his school events, and almost missed his graduation.

“Maybe you should tell Dr. Hyun about that when you talk to him next time, okay?” He told him, and Haneul nodded before running back to the living room to play.

Dr. Hyun was his son’s therapist. He’d know better than Seokjin if this was a healthy way of dealing with the situation.

If only things were different. He couldn’t help but blame Mina, but also himself. He let this happen. He should’ve left long ago, and maybe Haneul would’ve been spared from such pain at a very young age. It was too late to regret things, but he vowed to make everything right.

Chapter Text

Although it would take weeks before the issue died down, it eventually did. Those weeks were not without frustrations and challenges. Namjoon would constantly be asked about his involvement in the woman’s disappearance. At one point, people were camping outside Seokjin’s parents’ house, where they were staying, as well as at the gates of Haneul’s school.

It got so bad that the police had to be involved multiple times. Eventually, people moved on to another much bigger issue when a politician’s wife was caught accepting bribes. Of course, some people still talked about it. They’d still get tagged on social media, and some “fans” would chase them down the street and shout the question at Namjoon. He tried his best to ignore it. It wasn’t easy, but he could not imagine what Seokjin and Haneul were going through.

He talked to the kid a couple of times, and he was confused and scared about why people were waiting for them. Namjoon had the urge to leave the tour and fly back to Korea and maybe punch a couple of “journalists,” but each time Seokjin reminded him that if he ended up in prison, he would not bring Haneul to visit him.

At around 9 in the morning, his workout would be interrupted by an incessant knocking on his door. Opening the door, it was the best surprise he could have ever asked for.

“Hyung! Surprise!” Haneul greeted him just outside the door. Just behind him was a smiling Seokjin.

His cheeks hurt so bad from smiling, but he couldn’t help it. “What? How?” He asked, smiling as he reached out to lift the kid and hug him tightly, despite Haneul complaining about his sweat.

“Teleportation,” Seokjin said with jazz hands.

“Shut up, you dork. Come in, come in,”

He ushered the two into his room. He found out that they came with Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. He would have been happy to share his hotel room, but Seokjin opposed it, saying it would be safest not to for reasons Namjoon agreed to.

“How long will you be here, hyung?” He asked Seokjin.

“Just 3 days. Haneul needs to go back to school by Monday,” he said.

It was really fun catching up, but Haneul quickly got bored and decided to go to Jungkook and Taehyung’s hotel room to play with them. It was good that their rooms were all on the same floor, so they could watch as Haneul knocked and came into the couple’s room safely.

Once Haneul was gone, Namjoon asked. “Heard anything about Mina yet?”

Seokjin sadly shook his head. “It looks like she’s deliberately avoiding us. All I know is she’s been motel hopping since the day she disappeared.”

“I’m hoping the situation at home isn’t as bad anymore, and please don’t lie to me.”

Seokjin chuckled. “It is much better. People are starting to get bored. Besides, a manager is so boring compared to a politician’s wife, so the interest faded quite quickly.”

“That’s good,” he commented. “I hope Haneul was okay? He seems okay, but with kids, you never know.”

“I’m not gonna lie. The reason I even agreed to come here was to give Haneul a bit of space to relax, away from everything. There was one time, some guy tried to grab him when we were on our way home. He was so scared. I've never wanted to kill a man before, Namjoon.”

That made Namjoon’s blood boil. Seriously, how low can these people go? “I hope you reported him to the police?”

“Yeah, I did. But it’s not like they’re always helpful. He was given a slap on the wrist, and that was it. He “apologized,” but damage has been done, Seokjin, his jaws tightening with obvious anger as he recalled it. “We’re thinking I might have to transfer him to another school, but he’s already made friends. It sucks.” 

His boyfriend must have noticed Namjoon’s silence because after a while, Seokjin reached out to hold his hand. “Let’s not talk about it anymore,” he said. “Besides, we came here to escape Seoul and be with you. Let’s have fun, ‘kay?”

Seokjin truly enjoyed the concert, but of course, he would. He was, as Jimin said, an “ancient ANSWER”. He knew these songs, these words, these steps by heart. Watching the concert with his friends was even more fun. Even Haneul was singing and chanting along with them.

“Appa, we’re on the screen!” Haneul said during a break.

At first, Seokjin thought they were zooming in on Taehyung or Jimin, but he was deeply embarrassed when it was his face on the big screen. He was even more embarrassed when people screamed louder upon seeing him.

The coos and awws when they zoomed into Haneul’s handwritten “I love you, Namjoon-hyung” poster was truly heartwarming though. Thankfully the kid was wearing a mask so he wasn’t fully visible.

Of course, Namjoon being Namjoon, he didn’t let it go. He was heard saying “Love you too, bud!” on his mic from the backstage. This excited everyone, including Haneul, who jumped up and down in his seat. The kid wasn’t even this excited when they watched the Seoul concerts.

Shortly after, the three appeared on stage, so thankfully, they no longer had everyone’s attention, but it was very short-lived.

“Everyone,” Namjoon started. “How do I say this?” He chuckled shyly. “I’m sure you already know that a very special person very close to my heart is with us today, watching.” The cheers were loud as soon as Namjoon said those words. He cleared his throat and continued. “I know that you are used to us performing songs that are sad or angry or proud, but I want to try something a little different.”

“Lately, this person has been inspiring me so greatly that I thought it’s just fair that I write something just for him. Even just by looking at his face, I already get inspired,” he added. Seokjin’s ears were burning red at this point. “Hyung, when I said you turned me into a man who loves, I meant it. This is for you.”

He hoped no one saw how red his ears were as Namjoon sang his new song he dedicated to Seokjin for the first time.

Of course, that was wishful thinking because his face was plastered on the screen a couple of times as Namjoon performed.

Towards the end of the song, Namjoon just had to make a statement one more time. “Hyung, saranghae!” he said as he blew a kiss in his direction.

Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were shouting and howling in laughter, while Haneul, who suspiciously knew the chorus way too well for it to be his first time hearing it, was clapping and laughing as he pointed to his cherry-faced father. He tried to hide his face behind Jimin, but that only made the crowd cheer louder.

“He’s so stupid,” he whispered to Jimin.

The younger man laughed. “Stupid and in love,” he joked.

Namjoon knew as soon as Seokijn and the rest arrived backstage because all of the staff cheered and clapped loudly as soon as he entered. He was smiling widely and maybe enjoying the reaction, perhaps a little bit too much.

Seokjin went straight to him, burying his face into the crook of Namjoon’s neck. “You’re so stupid.”

Namjoon snickered. “Did you like it?”

“Of course, I did, you dumbass,” his boyfriend said, as he slapped his chest playfully.

“Hyung! Did you see me?” Haneul asked, still holding the “I love you, Namjoon-hyung” poster in his hand. “I made this myself!”

“I did see you! It’s my favorite poster ever!” He said, letting go of Seokjin to lift Haneul and hug him once more.

“Uck, you’re sweaty again!” Haneul complained.

“But I love youuuuu!!!” he teased as he hugged the kid tighter.

@erodededges : guys, look at how gentle Namjoon is with Haneul 🥹 that’s his bud [video]

@namujoontriever : @erodededges that’s cute and shit but IT WAS YOU WHO TOOK THAT USERNAME I WAS TRYING SO FUCKING HARD

@erodededges : @namujoontriever heheheh

@erodededges : @namujoontriever wasn’t the song so fucking romantic? Like shit i would have been on my knees that instant

@erodededges: @namujoontriever bitch namjoon’s live, you better not be sleeping again

@namujoontriever : @erodededges I WAS ABOUT TO. WHAT THE HELL NAMJOON IT’S 6 AM WHERE I AM

“You sure you don’t want to be on live?” he teased Seokjin, who was on the bed, just a few feet away.

“Hell no,” Seokjin said, making him laugh.

“Oh, everyone’s here. Hello ANSWERs! How have you been?” he asked. “ Was that Seokjin’s voice? No. That was a figment of your imagination.”

“Hyung, ask them if they saw my poster,” Haneul whispered, but Namjoon was pretty sure they heard because after that, the comments were a bunch of  “Hi bud!”, “We did!”, and “Hi Haneul”.

“They said they did, bud. You did great!” Namjoon said.

“Haneul, come here, bud. Let Joon-hyung do his thing,” Seokjin called out as gently as he could. It was pretty obvious he didn’t want to be heard, but he was anyway.

“ Namjoon, is Seokjin taken? Yes, he is, move,” Namjoon said deadpanned, making Seokjin laugh so loud. Pretty sure the neighbors (the throuple) heard him as well. Though to be fair to Seokjin, Namjoon heard Jimin’s loud laughter from the other room as well.

“You want to see his face? Too bad,” Namjoon said again. “ANSWERs, how did you like the song?” He asked. Of course, the answers were a lot of “I loved it,” “It was great,” and the like. “ Did Seokjin like it? Hyung, did you like it?” Namjoon asked Seokjin, who nodded with a wide smile on his face. “That’s an affirmative. Please stop asking to see his face. Not happening. I’m gatekeeping him until you stop proposing marriage! This is disrespectful!”

Seokjin threw his head back in laughter.

@namujoontriever : why is there a six-month-old account called @namjinsupremacy ? Who tf?

@agustdfan: @namujoontriever that’s my priv, lol sorry. 

@agustdfan: @namujoontriever proof [image]

@namujoontriever: @agustdfan aksdakjsdh what? 😭

@agustdfan: guys stop requesting to follow my priv and pls stop asking me to give up my username. I am the captain for this mf ship 😤

@unfilteredranda : @agustdfan in @namjinsupremacy we trust.

@agustdfan: @unfilteredranda please stand up for the national anthem

@hobibble : @agustdfan @unfilteredranda IS THIS LOVE

@realTEAR retweeted your tweet

@agustdfan : @realTEAR Namjoon-hyung why are you online

@realTEAR: @agustdfan it’s actually Yoongi-hyung, min.

@agustdfan : @realTEAR why are you awake

@realTEAR: @agustdfan why have you been in the bathroom for 30 minutes? I need to pee so bad

@agustdfan : @realTEAR lol, sorry, i got caught up watching hyung’s live

@smilehoyafan : @realTEAR did none of you go through social media training? What kind of digital footprint are you leaving

@realTEAR : @smilehoyafan peeing is natural. Nothing to be ashamed of

@smilehoyafan : @realTEAR ur right. Brb gonna go and shit. IDK what that spicy shit Jungkook ordered, all i know is I’m gonna stink up this place

@runchrandafan : @realTEAR do you mind if I sleep over at your hotel room because Taehyung’s not kidding

@runchrandafan : @realTEAR please, he’s been farting up this place, I’m in the balcony for fresh air

@agustdfan : @runchrandafan leave your clothes. Knowing him, his fart has penetrated your clothes DEEP

@runchrandafan : @agustdfan that’s what she said

@agustdfan : @runchrandafan i’m locking the door. Good fucking luck

@runchrandafan : @agustdfan NO PELAS E :LET ME IN

Chapter Text

“Seokjin-ssi, I say this with utmost respect to you, but please, you are not supposed to be working. You are on a break,” Soobin reminded him when he was once again caught helping out with the staff.

“But I’m booooored!” he whined like a child. 

Jimin took Haneul out on a play date. “Just me and Jimin-hyung,” Haneul said. The trio was practicing while the couple was out on a date. He was bored out of his mind

Soobin sighed, though very amused. “You can watch them practice?”

“I’m worried I might start barking.”

“I’m afraid you might actually do that,” Soobin muttered with a blush. Probably recounting the time he sat next to Seokjin during rehearsal and heard the older fucking moan upon seeing Namjoon hip thrust. It was deliberate and poor Soobin was a casualty. “I’d suggest going to the ANSWERfest, but I don’t want you to get mobbed.”

“I’m not popular enough for that.”

“Please don’t go.”

“I won’t.”

He did, and he kinda regretted it. He thought that with a mask, he’d be unrecognizable, but a few ANSWERS had already come up to greet him. There were a few persistent ones, but most were very respectful of his space.

He got a few freebies, which he truly enjoyed, and he played a couple of games with ANSWERs as well. He left just before he knew the crowd would get worse, and while he loved his time there, he vowed never to do that again.

“That’s a lot of Namjoon stuff,” Yoongi commented when he saw him in the hallway on the way to his room.

“I went to ANSWERfest, and they just kept handing me these,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“You gonna put that on your shrine?”

“Do not believe a word Namjoon says, that man is a liar! It’s a merch corner!”

“I’ve seen it with my own two eyes,” Yoongi chuckled.

“Well, your eyes lied to you,” Seokjin said, looking away and blushing. “Are Jimin and Haneul back, by the way?”

“Ah. Yeah, they’re in our hotel room. Haneul told me that you aren’t allowed to see him until the time of the concert.”

“Huh? Why?”

Yoongi shrugged and patted his shoulders. “See you around, hyung.”

It was a fucking adorable surprise when he finally saw Haneul. His son was dressed up us Psyduck, and he was absolutely fucking adorable. He knew for a fact that Namjoon would lose his mind if he saw what he looked like.

“Do you like it, Appa?” Haneul asked, his smile wide and his eyes twinkling in excitement.

“I do! I bet Namjoon-hyung would like it too!” He said genuinely.

“You really think so?”

“Oh, I know so, bud.”

This time, Seokjin was (sort of) ready for the attention. He did ask beforehand that they lessen the number of times they put him on the screen, which the staff thankfully respected. The cheers were still loud and something he could never get used to.

During the break, the camera once again panned to a Psyduck-wearing Haneul with the same “I love you, Namjoon-hyung” poster, now decorated with Psyduck stickers as well. Haneul loved the attention, something he was surprised by, knowing how shy his son used to be.

Namjoon’s cheers from backstage were heard upon Haneul’s appearance, making ANSWERs cheer even louder.

He thought he was prepared for when Namjoon performed Trivia: Love, but then again, who would be composed if the love of your life, the man of your wet dreams, performed a song dedicated and written for you and only you in front of an audience of fifty thousand people? No one. Especially not Mister Unfilteredranda tm . That would be asking too much of him.

@realTEAR : thank u for coming to our concerts 💓🙇‍♂️🕺🎶 see you soon! -🐿️ [image of the trio]

@realTEAR : thank you, everyone! We look forward to performing for you again soon! Don’t get sick! -🐱

@realTEAR : ANSWERs! We had such a great time! This might be one of the most memorable concerts I’ve ever had! We love you! -🐨[group photo]

@realTEAR : also, my little Psyduck! [photo with Haneul with his face blurred out]

@joontriever : cannot tell if Namjoon is so hyung or so dad.

@erodededges : @joontriever por que no los dos?

@lostrm : @joontriever @erodededges he’s so gentle and so loving to Haneul🥺. Ugh. Seokjin you lucky son of a gun.

@agustdfan : everyone! reminder to never share pics of Haneul or Seokjin-hyung around! They’re our friends so you’ll see them often around TEAR but they’re still regular people and not celebrities. 

@agustdfan : same goes for me. Please do not share anything outside of what I post. Thank you!

@unfilteredranda : @agustdfan at the very least, if you are sharing a photo of TEAR with them, please blur their faces especially Haneul’s. He is a minor and I doubt Seokjin would consent to his photos to be spread all over the internet. 

@hobibble : the father ANSWER has spoken. Please follow fandom etiquette. Ty💓

@unfilteredranda : @hobibble bibble you make me feel so old 😔

@hobibble : @unfilteredranda what, like you’re young? I was 12 when I started stanning TEAR and you were in college😊

@unfilteredranda : @hobibble WHY ARE YOU BEING MEAN TO ME

It was the last day of the concert at that stop. Tomorrow, the trio would be flying to another country, while Seokjin, Haneul, and his friends would be going back to Korea. That would explain why Namjoon was being extra clingy.

“Shouldn’t you start packing your stuff?” He said with a laugh. Though he made no move to free himself from the man’s embrace.

“I’ll do it later.”

“What if you forget something cause you packed last minute, huh?”

“I’ll replace whatever I lost,” Namjoon said, burying his face further into Seokjin’s neck. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too. But it’s only a couple of weeks after that, so we’ll be fine,” he tried to reassure him even if he himself did not believe his words.

Truth be told, Seokjin dreaded going back to Korea. For the past three days, he had completely forgotten all the troubles he left behind. He forgot about Mina, about the journalists who hopefully have left them alone by now, about custody, about his son, about everything.

Tomorrow, upon his return, he would have to face all of that, and even thinking about them exhausted Seokjin already.

“A thousand bucks for your thoughts?” Namjoon asked him when he noticed he was being quiet.

“That’s a large amount for my thoughts,” Seokjin laughed.

“Well, I never know what I get with you. It’s like a mystery box. Will I be getting something so wise it’ll stay with me for the rest of my life, or will I be getting something so fucking unhinged that I’ll be unwake until dawn? I never know,” Namjoon joked.

“Namjoon, I don’t even know if I know what I’m gonna get with me,” he rebutted with a chuckle.

“Exactly my point. It’s worth the gamble,” Namjoon said, placing kisses all over Seokjin’s face. “Wanna tell me what you’re thinking about?”

“I’m thinking I wish we could stay here forever,” Seokjin said, hugging Namjoon tighter. He didn’t have to say any more for his boyfriend to understand.

Namjoon kissed his temple, “Don’t worry, hyung. I know everything will be fine. I promise you.”

To be completely honest, Seokjin has been very anxious about the thought of going home for very valid reasons. Their flight was at 5 am and it was almost midnight but he could not sleep.

Tonight, Namjoon had insisted that he would spend the night at their hotel room to which he obliged. It would be another few weeks until they’d meet again anyway.

Restless, he stood up and decided to go swim in the hotel pool. At home, during times like this, he’d work out to exhaust himself to sleep. He thought, why not?

Surprisingly, Jungkook was already there swimming when he arrived.

“Can’t sleep either?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook said with a half smile.

Seokjin got along with Jungkook very well. Aside from Jimin, he was probably closest to him. Lately though, Jungkook has been very busy with projects here and there that they rarely get to hang out anymore.

After about an hour of swimming, they lounged by the side of the pool. “Wanna tell me what you’re thinking about?” Seokjin asked.

Jungkook sighed. “I’m just a little jealous, I guess.”

“Of what?”

Jungkook looked in his direction. “Of you.”

Seokjin rolled his eyes. “Be serious, what is it?”

The other chuckled. “I’m serious, hyung,” he said. “More specifically, I’m jealous that you have Haneul.”

Oh.

“Every time I see Tae with Haneul, I can’t help but imagine what it’s like for us to have a kid,” Jungkook confessed. “Tae and I even talked about it before, you know? That if it were a perfect world, we’d be able to adopt a kid and we’d have our own little family too… But we’re a gay couple living in Korea.”

“Isn’t it still possible, though?”

“Yes, it is,” Jungkook chuckled. “I know because I’ve done extensive research into the topic,” he added. “But first of all, same sex couples cannot jointly adopt, so it would either be just mine or just Taehyung’s. That’s not really an issue, though. Second, because we are a pretty well-known gay couple, the chances are we’d get rejected anyway.”

From the sound of it, this has been a topic the couple has been thinking about for quite a while. Seokjin continued to listen.

“And then there’s also the societal aspect of it all,” Jungkook said.

“Ahhh. That part I understand. It’s a constant worry that I have, especially as Haneul grows older,” Seokjin said. “I’m worried about him being bullied and shunned for having a gay father. I hate to say it, but I know it’ll happen. The only think I can do is to be there for him and to prove to him that I could love him as much or even more than any straight parent could.”

Jungkook turned to Seokjin. “You know what my biggest worry is, hyung?”

“What is it?”

“What if I won’t be a good parent?”

“Oh, darling. I’ve seen you with Haneul. I know you’d be a great father.”

“But what if it’s different? What if I won’t be able to connect with the child we’d adopt? What if I won’t know what to do when they’re in trouble or when they need me?” Jungkook seemed very worried.

“You ask for help,” Seokjin said matter-of-factly. “You think I’d have been able to do half the shit I’ve done if I was all alone? No way,” Seokjin laughed lightly. “For the first three years of Haneul’s life, I constantly called my parents for help. Even now, I’m still doing that. Hell, I even call you, or Tae, or Jimin, or Namjoon for help now. You think I’m doing it myself?”

“But you seem so good at it…”

“That’s what you think, but inside, I’m in shambles,” Seokjin confessed. “I’m doing my best, but I’m not doing it alone. They weren’t kidding when they said it takes a village to raise a child. If you do decide to adopt a kid, we’ll be here. Your parents, your friends, all of us will be here.”

“It’s gonna change a lot though, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah. My life hasn’t known silence since I had Haneul,” he told Jungkook. “In fact, I fear silence more now that I have a kid. Last time Haneul was quiet, he gave himself microbangs. Another time, he had a whole-ass beetle in his mouth. That kid sure knows how to make my heart jump,” he chuckled. “But I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret losing sleep feeding him. I don’t regret getting peed on the face while I changed his diapers. I don’t regret having no fun money anymore.”

“Or privacy?”

“Or privacy,” Seokjin agreed with a laugh. “Until he was four, he would watch me poop, Jungkook. But every time I see him smile, every time I see him reach a milestone in his life, I feel so fucking happy that all of that just… All of the exhaustion, the frustration, everything just disappears.”

“That sounds wonderful, hyung,” Jungkook said with a soft, dreamy smile. Probably dreaming of a future with him, Taehyung, and a child they want so badly.

“Normally, I’d say that’s not the case for everyone. Some people don’t want to be parents, and that’s okay. But I can see that you want that. And if there is anything I know about you, it’s that you’re great at everything you do.”

“I really want to. I know Tae really wants to, as well,” Jungkook said. “Hyung, you don’t understand how insane it is. You know how we tell everyone we’re redecorating our house? We turned our walk-in closet into a nursery, hyung. A nursery! Tae gave up his sacred space and put his clothes in storage bins for a child we don’t even have yet.”

“Oooh. So it’s serious, serious.”

“Yes! We haven’t even started the process, hyung. But we want it so badly we’re already doing shit new parents do. The only reason why we’re not clothes shopping is because we’re not sure how old the child we’ll be adopting will be.”

“Start the process,” Seokjin encouraged.

Jungkook looked at him like he had grown two heads.

“Jungkook, I’m gonna level with you, rejection will probably shatter your heart into pieces,” he said. “But you, yourself know that you will never get anywhere if you don’t act on it.”

“It will probably break us, hyung,” Seokjin nodded. “It will be the worst rejection ever. Probably worse than when I thought Taehyung didn’t reciprocate my feelings.”

“I love that story.”

Jungkook glared at him and rolled his eyes. “If we don’t try, we’ll never get a chance.”

“Never,”

“But if we do, we might get rejected.”

“Or end up adopting a baby,” he reminded him. “Don’t forget about the or.”

“Thanks, hyung. You’re pretty cool when you’re not salivating over Namjoon-hyung.”

“Fuck you, too,” Seokjin said with a smile.

It was after 2 am when he and Jungkook went back to their hotel rooms. On the way, he saw a half asleep Namjoon coming out of his room.

“Joon-ah? Where are you going?”

“I was looking for you,” the man said as he walked toward Seokjin and gave him a long hug.

Seokjin chuckled at his sleepy boyfriend. “Go back to bed, it’s only 2 am.”

“No, I have to work on something,” said Namjoon. “I have to work on it now before I forget.”

“This late?” Namjoon nodded. “Okay, then. Want me to walk you to your room?”

His boyfriend shook his head. “Don’t wanna leave Haneul by himself.”

“That’s a good point,” said Seokjin. “I’ll just watch you here till you’re in your room, then.”

He wondered if Namjoon’s eyes were open as he walked because he bumped into the wall a couple of times and struggled to open the door. Seokjin only came in when Namjoon was safely inside.

Seokjin was pretty tired when he lay in bed next to Haneul. Still, he thought that as the manager, it was his duty to remind Namjoon to double-check his things. After sending the messages, Seokjin fell fast asleep, dead to the world.

Unfilteredranda

Namjoon-ah, don’t forget to double-check your stuff before you sleep

Especially your passport and music equipment.

Our flight tomorrow is at 5 am, so you might not be up yet when we leave

Don’t bother setting an alarm. Haneul will understand, I promise

Goodnight, Joonie. I love you 💖

See you back home real soon.

Skyduck04

J?

What?

How?

Hyung?

Seokjin-hyung?