[COMPLETED] ENDURING LOVE (JIKOOK)

30; Darkening Resolve

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As Taehyung steps out of the convenience store, a crisp breeze ruffles his hair, sending a shiver down his spine. He pulls his jacket tighter around himself, the chill of the evening air sinking into his bones. His mind is still reeling from the intense conversation with Yoongi and Jungkook, the weight of their words lingering like a heavy fog.

Lost in thought, Taehyung fails to notice the figure approaching him until they're standing right in front of him. Startled, he looks up to find Byeongnam, but something about his demeanour seems off.

"Hey, Tae hyung," Byeongnam greets him, his tone friendly but with a hint of hesitation.

"Hey, Byeongnam! It's been a while," Taehyung replies, returning the greeting with a smile, though he can't shake the feeling that something is amiss.

"Yeah, it has," Byeongnam says, shifting awkwardly on his feet. "I heard about what's been going on with Jungkook hyung and Jimin. I wanted to check in on you, and see how Jungkook hyung is holding up."

Taehyung's guard begins to lower slightly, touched by Byeongnam's unexpected concern. "Thanks, I appreciate it. It's been tough, but he's hopeful."

Byeongnam nods, his gaze flickering momentarily. "I understand. Relationships can be complicated, especially when emotions run high."

Taehyung nods in agreement, feeling a pang of guilt for jumping to conclusions about Byeongnam's intentions. Maybe he's just genuinely concerned like any good friend would be.

"Actually," Byeongnam continues, his tone slightly hesitant. "I wanted to let you know something. I ran into Jimin recently."

Taehyung's heart skips a beat at the mention of Jimin's name. "You did? How is he? Is he okay?"

Byeongnam nods a hint of relief in his eyes. "Yeah, he's doing alright. He's currently staying with his sister, Jiyeon noona. I thought you might want to know."

Taehyung's heart skips a beat at the mention of Jimin's name, a surge of conflicting emotions washing over him. Relief floods through him at the news that Jimin is safe, but it's quickly overshadowed by a sense of unease at the way Byeongnam is delivering the information.

"Why are you telling me this?" Taehyung asks, his voice cautious as he studies Byeongnam's expression for any sign of deception.

Byeongnam's eyes widened in surprise as if he hadn't expected Taehyung to question his motives. "I just thought you should know," he says quickly, his words tinged with defensiveness. "I know things have been... complicated between Jungkook hyung and Jimin, and I thought you might want to reach out to him."

Taehyung narrows his eyes, his intuition screaming at him to be wary of Byeongnam's sudden interest in Jimin's whereabouts. "And how did you hear about this?"

"Actually, the night when they fought, Jimin came to Hobi's house. So, Hobi told me about it but I was at work so I couldn't come to visit him," Byeongnam hesitates for a moment, his expression briefly flickering with uncertainty before he quickly composes himself. "I was a little late and he had already gone to Jiyeon noona's house. I only know about it when I texted Jimin myself."

Taehyung takes a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he studies Byeongnam's reaction. "Why are you really telling me about Jimin?"

"I told you, I just thought you should know. I'm just trying to help." Byeongnam's façade cracks slightly, a flicker of unease flashing in his eyes before he quickly recovers.

"My question is, why me?" Taehyung doesn't buy it, his intuition screaming at him to dig deeper. "Why not Jungkook? Logically speaking, shouldn't you let Jungkook know first instead of me, given the fact that Jimin is his husband, not me."