wrong number | ksj+kth ✓

04

"Jin, talk to me, please."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not important."

"Of course it's important, or Yoongi and Hobi wouldn't have told me something was wrong with you. So I'd really like it if you explained what happened."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm your best friend."

"I know."

"You're supposed to tell your best friend everything."

"I do."

"That means," Jungkook says, sounding exasperated, "that have to tell me when things like this happen." He pushes past Jin through the doorway, closes the door, and pulls on Jin's wrist to sit him down on the couch. "Is this why you haven't been texting me?"

Jin gives a quiet no and mumbles something about deleted contacts, and Jungkook seems to understand.

"Was it Namjoon?"

Jin nods.

Jungkook takes a deep breath. "Okay," he says, his voice angry and unsteady. "And was it Namjoon who did that to you?"

Jin's hand instinctively reaches up to his own neck, where the bruises are still ugly, purple, and shaped disgustingly similarly to fingers.

He nods again.

"Fucking fuck, Jin," Jungkook sighs. "And then what? He apologized and you said it was fine?"

"Yes," Jin says, blinking away the tears that are threatening to spill over. "It's not his fault, he – he was drunk, and I'd been spending a lot of time with you and Hoseok and Yoongi and he got jealous and it just got – it just got a little out of hand."

Jungkook looks torn between anger and concern. He sits still for a second, like he's trying to decide which he should be, before he suddenly throws his arms around Jin and sniffles unattractively.

"You still love him, don't you?" he asks, and his voice breaks. By now, they're both crying, wiping at their own faces. "Even after all he's done to you, you still love him."

"He hasn't done anything wrong - "

"That's bullshit, Jin, and you know it."

Jin's quiet for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Then he heaves a sad sigh and whispers, "I know."

Jungkook holds him tighter, and Jin's suddenly very, very appreciative of his younger friend. He'd tried to go to work this morning, but Yoongi and Hoseok had taken one look at him and made him go home, saying they'd send Jungkook over later.

"This is the first time he's – you know – physically done anything to you, right?" Jungkook asks, his voice trembling slightly with anger.

Jin nods. "We usually just argue. I've told you everything."

"You better have. He makes you miserable enough as it is."

"Kookie, I'm fine – "

"'Fine' and 'happy' are two very different things, Jin."

Jin's phone, lying next to them on the couch, buzzes. Jungkook notices and pulls away to takes the phone to read it before he can hide it.

from: joon ❥
Baby, I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday. I wasn't in my right mind and I swear I didn't mean to hurt you.
Forgive me?
sent 11:10 AM

Jungkook sighs heavily. "Does he do this every time something happens?"

"Yes," Jin says, not bothering to lie; there's a foreign numbness spreading through his chest, so cold it hurts. He reaches for the phone and sends a short response back.

to: joon ❥
of course
i love you
sent 11:11 AM

from: joon ❥
I know you do.
sent 11:12 AM

He looks over at Jungkook, expecting to see an angry or exasperated expression, but something else seems to have caught his friend's attention.

"What's this?" Jungkook asks, returning to the message inbox and clicking on another chat.

Oh.

Jin frowns. He'd left his new friend hanging again – he hasn't checked his messages since he'd gotten home last night.

from: tae
Shut up you love me
sent 7:52 PM

from: tae
Too forward?
sent 7:55 PM

from: tae
Jin?
I'm sorry if I offended you I was joking
sent 8:01 PM

from: tae
Jin you're worrying me are you okay
If you're not angry and ignoring me please text me back whenever you can and let me know if you're alright
sent 8:09 PM

from: tae
Stay safe
sent 8:14 PM

Jungkook stares at the phone, rereading the concerned messages over and over in silence. Jin waits for him to make a remark about having overprotective, clingy friends, but he doesn't.

"Well," Jungkook says finally, "it's good to know that someone cares about you other than me and Yoongi and Hobi."

Jin lets out a sad laugh and slings an arm around his best friend. "Yeah. It is."

They sit in silence for what feels like hours, and neither of them feel awkward or uncomfortable because although there's never been any romance or sexual tension between them, they've always just seemed to click.

Namjoon and Jin used to click, too, before they started constantly arguing, but Jungkook is different.

Maybe it's a matter of how different they are. Jin and Namjoon are like stop and go, polar opposites, but Jungkook and Jin are like push and pull. They're opposing forces, but they work together rather than trying to top the other.

"Thank you for being here for me, Kookie," Jin says softly.

Jungkook smiles, and it's a sad smile, but it's a smile all the same. "Always."