The King Likes Men

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Jaehwan wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He knew that there were problems between these two, typical crush issues, and maybe he should've helped stop it in a way but he was genuinely curious as to how it would play out.

But when Jin straight out bitch slapped Jimin, he knew the fun was over. He should've stopped it.

Jimin was cupping his cheek, eyes wide and staring at Seokjin in disbelief. 

Jin processed what he did. He just hit an injured person, he just hit his friend.

He shouldn't have done that. Wow, he really shouldn't have done that.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, glanced back. Jaehwan was giving him a very weird look. It was then that Seokjin remembered that they were not the only ones in the room. The staff members were all staring at them, specifically at Jin. The cameras were pointed at him, the red light was still blinking. "We should go," Jaehwan said, pulling Seokjin up and starting to drag him out of the room.

As he was being pulled, Seokjin's eyes never looked away from Jimin's. The younger male's eyes were blank, as if he hadn't recovered yet from the shock. Seokjin opened his mouth to say something, not really sure of what he was going to say, but at that moment Doctor Song comes in with a few other doctors who start surrounding Jimin. Jaehwan keeps pulling Jin till they're out and down the hallway.

"You okay?" he asks. Jin blinks. They were closer to the back stage area now. He can hear some staff members giving out orders, can see some run back and forth. Seokjin's head is pounding, he feels a bit dizzy. The noise is all distracting but only one thought is really traveling through Jin's mind.

"I'm a horrible friend," Seokjin says, staring down at his hand.

"What? No you're not."

Seokjin glances down, watching his feet take light steps. "I hit him. He was starving himself and suffering from sore muscles and I hit him," he groans.

Jaehwan shrugs, "You've had a lot of pent of frustration, its understandable."

He shakes his head, "No, it isn't." He stops and leans against a wall, "I just- I just got so mad, realizing he was thinking that way, didn't have enough confidence in himself, seeing him in that state and finding out till just now because he couldn't come and tell me...all because we're both riled up over some guy."

"To be fair," Jaehwan adds, "It's not just any guy. It's the king."

"Not the point," Seokjin says, smacking him on the arm. "I'm saying that I've failed him. In more ways than one."

Jaehwan hums, scratching the back of his neck, "I wouldn't worry to much about it. He just seems confused as to what it is he wants. You two have been friends for years, right? He should know that you're there for whatever he needs, he's the one who doesn't approach you though. But anyway," he wraps his arm around him and rests his hand on Jin's shoulder, guiding him towards the backstage area, "you have more things to worry about. You bitch slapped him on camera. You basically made this competition an easy win for him. Either you'll get disqualified or that footage is going be revealed and the grand public is going to want you out."

Jin knew he messed up. Physically assaulting another candidate was a reason to be kicked out. But honestly at this point Seokjin could care less about the competition. Jimin was over there suffering. Seokjin felt like he had failed as not only a friend but also a hyung. For many years he had suspected that Jimin's family situation wasn't normal, but Jimin had never spoken up. He would always come to them with a smile on his face.

Seokjin gave him all the love he could, maybe that was the problem. He had fed Jimin's need of attention, now these were the consequences. His friend wanted to catch the attention of someone to the point of neglecting himself to obtain said attention.