Finest Jin

Confrontation

"Let's get moving!" I holler at the Nerd Herd, "I want to go check on Jimin."

Éowynn is making a smoothie for everyone, Cher and Atticus are headed out the door with Gumiho and Thistle. Brigette is brushing her teeth. The boys had left just a moment ago, so it surprised me to hear a knock at the door. I turned the knob to discover a beautiful, dark haired man dressed far too well for someone walking around town. 

"Minho-Nim!"

He smiles and bows, then holds up a lovely vase decorated in gilded gold over the swirls of colour. 

"Happy housewarming!" He passed me the vase and pulled me into a hug. As he squeezed, I felt his lips kiss my brow. 

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" I hadn't even heard Jin come back into the hallway, but I definitely heard the roar, and recoiled as his hands shoved into Minhos' chest, knocking him back against the wall. Minho rebounded as though on a spring board, immediately flush back on his feet, his hands pushing SeokJin backwards. I jumped between them, hands out, trying to hold them apart. Minho caught my arm and pulled me back behind him. Jin dove forward. I had one of those horrifying "about to watch a disaster" moments in which everything was brighter, sharper, moving in slow motion. Minho held me tight, blocking me with his body, chest up to meet the attack. Jin was virtually airborne, my hands reaching for him. 

Before the impact came, however, another voice shook through the hallways, long arms bulging with muscle wrapped around Jins' waist and jerked him backwards.

"NO, HYUNG!" Jungkook yanked Jin back and bear hugged him, holding him as still as he could. Jin thrashed. I tried to get between them but Minhos' grasp was unyielding. 

"Let her go!"Jin spat out, "You don't touch her!"

Minho was calm, his eyes, and Jins,' flashing fire. His calm was almost more frightening with the hard set of his jaw, the stiff tension of his body, rage radiating off him in waves. SeokJin was positively vibrating, the maknae holding him locked to his chest, looking to me for help. 

"Guys, please! Stop, don't do this." I tried to quell the situation. With one hand, I tugged to remove Minhos' grasp from my arm but it was intractable. I set my hand on his arm, waited until he turned to look at me, then spoke, "It's okay. I'm okay. He won't hurt me." I could see that he was reluctant, but Minho let go. 

"You don't touch her again, ever." Jins' voice was cold, with an edge sharp as a knife. 

"So you show up now and save the day? You just leave her pregnant and go off for months with Diva? Sleeping around while Telly is here, waiting for you." Minhos' words were calculated to hurt.  I saw Jins' face shade from red to purple. My stomach dropped. I forgot that I had told Minho too. 

"You don't know anything about what happened."

"Gentlemen." Namjoon was striding down the hall in long, authoritative strides. Jungkooks' face visibly relaxed. He trusted his leader to take control in this scenario. 

"I know what I saw in Japan. Did you tell her?" Minhos' ember-like eyes flicked to me, registering my confusion. "Clearly not."

Jin balled up his fists, flexing and unflexing his hands. Jungkook was holding his own wrist around his hyung, not daring to release him.

"You shut your mouth." Jin gritted out, "You don't know anything."

Minho took one step closer, my hand now pressed on his chest to stop him. Namjoon was directly behind me.

"I know what making out looks like. Did you tell her how I walked in and saw you...you and Diva...you had no fiery words to say then, did you?" He had taken another step closer and it was then that I realized that he was taller than Jin. Having to look up at him was not doing much to soothe Jins' temper. Their noses were only centimetres apart. 

"Guys, let's talk this out." Namjoon was the voice of reason, spoken with the tone of one who expected to be obeyed. 

Minho chuffed, sarcasm dripping from his next comment.

"Sure, talk now. Was tough to say much then, with Divas' tongue down your throat." 

Jin lunged forward. I heard Jungkook grunt as he tried to restrain the raging bull. I threw my hands up to stop them as Namjoon dragged me back out of the way. The beautiful vase fell to the floor and exploded into a hundred shards of coloured glass, spinning down the hall. 

For some reason, this triggered tears. Blame it on pregnancy hormones, or the volatile situation that had me shaking on edge, but I knelt to the floor, cradling the base piece sadly, tears pouring down my cheeks. This seemed to grab the attention of both men and they paused, chests heaving, watching me and the destroyed vase. 

Namjoon pushed both men apart, then knelt down to help me pick up the pieces.

"Noona, I am sorry." 

I shook my head, sniffling.

"It's not your fault."

I stood up, holding broken glass in my hands. 

"Minho-Nim...I meant to call you. I can't see you on Sunday. Or at all. I'm sorry. You are an amazing man. Truly. I am honoured to have had a chance to know you." I could feel Jins' eyes burning into me as I hugged Minho. 

He looked down at me, his fury diffusing. His face was sad.

"Telly-Ah..." I touched his cheek.

"He is the father, Minho-Nim. I love him."

He swallowed, nodding.

"I know. I had hoped...but I know." He dropped his voice to one only I would hear clearly, "If things don't work out..." 

I smiled up at him.

"Thank you. You are a good man."

"I would never cheat on you. I would never leave you."

"I know."

He turned his gaze to the man who was his rival.

"Tell her the truth. She deserves that. You drop the ball again and I will be there to pick up the pieces."

Jins' face pulled into a glare the likes of which I had not imagined that sweet face capable of. It made me shudder. I had no idea he could be so scary. 

Namjoon was standing in front of Jin now. Minho moved past and was headed down the hall. He paused before reaching the elevator. 

"Oh! Check online. We're front page news, baby." With a smirk at Jin, he was gone. 

Jin shook Jungkook off, his body still shaking with anger. He turned his face to me.

"You told him?" 

I squared up, backing him into the Golden Maknae. My rage could be scary too.

"You kissed her?" Jin was silent. Our apartment door opened and Brigette peered out, her expression anxious. "Get a broom, Squidgette." I told her. "Jin, go home. I need some time."

I thanked Namjoon and Jungkook, then shut the door on the three men in the hallway, my tears hot. The beautiful vase was deposited into the trash in percentages. It made me cry harder. Brigette and I cleaned up the hall just as the other two kids returned. I washed my hands and my face, hoping to rinse some of the emotion with it as well. Let my guilt at hurting Minho rinse down the drain. He deserved the absolute best in the world, and while I may like to imagine that that was me, the facts were that my heart had been stolen away long before by Jin. Minho deserved a whole heart that shone only for him. 

Cher and Atticus were in the living room, brushing out both beasts, then letting them play together. Thistle was thoroughly unimpressed by the big, goofy husky who thought he was the cutest chew toy ever. While they romped, I pulled out my cell and checked the trending local news. 

Sure enough, there it was.

A lovely picture of Minho, dazzling at the awards, his arm around my hip. We were matching, in emerald and ebony. 

The title read: "Foreigner snags Koreas' Most Eligible Bachelor, Choi Minho." 

I sighed. 

Here we go again.