At a wedding

Chapter 6

"Chim, how are you doing?" Areum asks Jimin while they are dancing.

He looks at her like he is lost in thoughts. "I, honestly, don't know, Ru. I'm angry, sad and disappointed. I don't understand why Jin hyung didn't tell us? We could have helped him feel better. Even Noona. We've known Noona just as long as we've known Hyung, she is, practically, family."

"Jimin, I don't think this has anything to do with you being there for him or not. Unnie and Oppa needed to figure this out on their own." Areum smirks. "Besides, I don't think Unnie and Oppa would have not been able to plan such an epic revenge if they you guys were hovering over them all the time." 

He chuckles at her words. "It was pretty epic, wasn't it?"

She nods. "Luckily, no one recorded them. Or else Big Hit would have had a big headache."

"Well, we can't say for sure. We were so engrossed in what they were saying that we didn't even notice if anyone was recording them."

Areum doesn't get to say anything because they are interrupted by a crying Haneul.

"Ji-Jimin..." Haneul sobs.

Both Areum and Jimin look at her in shock. Areum embraces her and tries to comfort her. "What's wrong, Haneul?" She asks.

Both Areum and Jimin noticed when Taehyung pulled Haneul away from the crowd.

"Tae-Taehyung..." She starts to say.

As soon as he hears Taehyung's name, Jimin gets worried. "What happened to Taehyung?"

"H-he just walked... away... from me. I d-don't k-know where... he went. F-find him, Jimin." She tells him.

Jimin begins to rush towards the exit but he stops and comes back to the girls.

Areum looks at him in confusion. "What is it?"

"You'll be okay, right?" He asks in worry.

She is touched by his thoughtfulness. "Yes, now go, find him. If possible, we'll meet up at Epiphany."

"Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too. Text me when you find him."

"I will." He rushes towards the hotel lobby. He dials Taehyung's number.

"Jimin-ah..." Taehyung sounds sad.

"TaeTae, where are you?" He asks him in a worried tone.

"Still in the hotel, by the pool." He answers, emotionlessly.

"I'll find you."

He hangs up. 'Well, at least he is still in the hotel.' He gets directions to the pool from the staff and rushes to the pool.

"Tae..." Jimin calls out when he is close enough.

Taehyung looks at him but he doesn't say anything. He has been crying. Jimin sits next to him, wordlessly, and pulls him into a hug. He, patiently, waits for Taehyung to talk. Taehyung cries into Jimin's shoulder. When Jimin feels Taehyung is calming down he pulls back a little to wipe his tears.

"It's all because of me, Jimin." These are the first words Taehyung says.

"What is?" Jimin is baffled.

"I was not able to make her feel confident in our relationship. That's the reason she never told me about the things that were bothering her."

"It's not your fault. Don't even think like that for a second!"

"How am I supposed to not think that? If I had pushed her hard enough for her to tell me, maybe I would have known and helped her. I knew the amount of online bullying she was going through and I still didn't do anything because she told me that it didn't affect her. I'm not a good boyfriend. I failed at keeping her safe."

"That's not true. I know that Haneul doesn't blame you for anything that happened. We all have insecurities, Tae." Jiimin tells him. "Haneul didn't know how to deal with all this. She, probably, thought if she spoke about her doubts she'll add to your stress." Jimin explains. "Remember when you were shooting for Hwarang and we were also recording our new album and it was really a difficult period for you but you didn't tell anyone. When I found you crying, you told me everything. The rest of the members also assured you that they were with you and will listen to you anytime."

"But we were able to talk to each other easily when we were friends. Why not after we started dating?" Taehyung questions.

"Only she can answer that for you. You remember how it was with Areum, she was completely overwhelmed with the sudden spotlight on her. She shut down completely too. Eventually, it was her choice to tell me the things that were bothering her. That's when I asked everyone to back off and give us our space. In the end, it was her choice to not tell you. You tried but you can't force her to tell you."

"I still don't feel good about it, Jimin."

"I know."

"Did you know about that guy, Daejung, tricking her?"

"Areum told me."

"Why didn't you tell me, Jimin?"