sᴀᴠᴀsᴀɴᴀ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

.21. ᴊɪᴍɪɴᴀsᴀɴᴀ

They want a public apology. But not from you.

Namjoon's text message made Taehyung's blood boil. He had already apologized to his fans, recited verbatim the repentant lies that had been crafted by the expensive PR consultant to appease the audience and cover the shameful stain on the singer's otherwise spotless record with a band-aid of contrition.

But not only had it not been enough, some crazy groupies had hunted Jungkook down (thanks to some Instagram post identifying his workplace) and harassed him. His stomach had lurched as the discovery of the short clip doing the rounds on social media. How dare they claim to be part of the small yet kind fandom Taehyung thought he had?

Yet the worst of it all was Big Hit demanding Jungkook to come clean with an announcement that was to be widely publicized and also very much a confession of his mea culpa.

Not to mention the fact that Jungkook had not checked his phone for the past four days.

Taehyung, whose only dream in life had been to sing for an audience, was beginning to learn that such things came at a price. He'd said yes to the surgery, yes to the het concept, yes to the tailor-made crooner image, the sleepless nights, the muscle aches and the hidden tears. These had all been easy decisions to make. After all, these choices committed him only.

What was he to do now that someone else's well-being was on the line? And not just anyone's. Jungkook's.

Only yesterday had he been asked, on air, what the dance practice (which had been reposted a million times already) had been all about. "That's not what I am here to discuss but to satisfy your curiosity, let me point you to the statement our record company has issued."

He'd sounded like a robot, churning out premade sentences like a mindless puppet groomed to entertain the masses and nothing more.

For the first time, doing the 'right' thing felt wrong.

In fact, Taehyung experienced a lot of things at once. Confusion, of course, because from one day to the next, his dream career has required sacrifices he wasn't ready — nor willing — to make. Anger too, because he had been unable to protect Jungkook from serious backlash. And constriction. His life, which had so far been full of possibilities, had transformed into a tiny square that he was now expected to fit into.

His suits felt stiff. His breathing, obstructed. His dreams, bleached.

And his hands were presently turning moist as he waited for Hoseok to text him back with Jimin's number. Jungkook was apparently staying with his friend, and if Taehyung could just talk with him for a moment, he was certain it would help him figure some things out.

When the contact details finally came through, Taehyung knew Hoseok had received permission to share Jimin's info.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Taehyung speaking."

"Hoseok told me you'd call soon." It didn't sound as if Jimin was particularly happy with having Taehyung on the line.

"Yes. Well, Jungkook hasn't been picking up my calls nor answering my texts, so I was getting worried. Is he alright? Can I talk to him?"

"It's very—what's the word—noble of you, I guess, to worry about him. But it's a little too late, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jungkook, he never signed up for this."

"I know that, and I want to apologize—"

Jimin scoffed. "More apologies? How many times do we have to listen to your I'm sorries and how it was all a mistake and how regretful you are and all that bullshit you've been repeating for days? It's wonderful you care about your fans so much, giving them what they demand. But what about Jungkook? Huh? No royal treatment for him I guess. He's just a backup dancer. And a substitute at that!"

There was no lie in Jimin's criticism. Taehyung didn't object.

"You wanna know something about Jungkook? He's a good guy. In fact, he's a really great guy. And he always wants to do what's right. Being obliging is second nature to him. And in your case, he went out of his way just to help you out with your work-related stress or whatever. Did he tell you he'd never given private yoga lessons before? Same goes for Hoseok hyung's request. He was not obligated to agree yet he did. Because that's the kind of man he is. It's really not fair, what's happened to him."

Jungkook was the good guy.

Of course he was. Always had been.

Of that Taehyung was convinced. But what did that make him? His throat let out a pained sob. "You're right, none of this is fair to him. Please. Let me have a word-"

"Listen, I promised him I'd be there for him. So that's what I'm going to do: look out for him for as long as it takes to get him out of this slump."

"And for that I'm grateful, but pl-"

"I'm not done yet. I know you're not responsible for the attack the other day, and I'm not sure how much control you have over your job or your fans. But if you care about Jungkook as much as he cares about you, then you must give him something in return."

"Something?"

"You figure it out. I need some proof that I can trust him with you. Because so far, you've done a rather splendid job at breaking his heart and spirit."

"Please, just send me your address. I'll come as soon as I can."

"After all that's happened, I can't believe you'd think having a bunch of sickos chase you all the way to my doorstep is a good idea."

Jimin was right. His car would be followed. And the last thing Taehyung wanted was for sasaengs fans to find out about Jungkook's present location.

"Then, would you tell him I called?" he asked instead.

"Will do."

As Jimin hung up, Taehyung noted he had not forbidden him to call again. And as expected, some things became clear to him, the most notable of which being his unwillingness to give Jungkook up. He just needed to figure out a way to make it up to him.

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