remedy | vsoo

08 | c a u t i o n

Hoseok's frown grew deeper as he stood in front of the mirror. Their skin was polished in sweat after running through their choreography like a broken stereo.

"We're still not transitioning smoothly into the second verse," he sighed. Taking his cap off his forehead, he ran a hand through his drenched hair, "Let's take a break,"

They all collectively collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion when Taehyung suddenly broke out into a small fit of coughs. Jimin immediately rubbed his back, the other members throwing him expressions of concern.

"I'm okay," he waved it off, not wanting to worry them, "My throat's just a little itchy,"

Jimin opened his mouth to scold him about pushing himself too much when they heard a knock. Their heads turned towards the sound to find their manager leaning against the doorframe.

"Sejin-hyung!"

Even with their empty legs, the boys dragged themselves over to greet him in a mess of sweaty handshakes and hugs.

"Did you come to see us practice?"

"Nope. Just wanted to say hi. I already know how hard you boys practice, and how well you deliver," he smiled for a second before it faltered into a straight line, "I actually came to see Taehyung. Can we talk?"

The boys immediately understood from his tone and shuffled away from Sejin, growing more concerned as Taehyung followed him out the door into another room, one more private.

"Hyung, I really like your sweater. It's my style," Taehyung commented, noticing the suddenly tense atmosphere as they sat across from each other, "Where'd you get it? I should get one so we can match, hehe,"

"This is my favorite sweater. If you get one, your fans are going to sell it out, and there won't be any left over for me," he shook his head, laughing lightly.

"Aw why not," Taehyung whined playfully, "I won't wear it outside. I'll keep it a secret,"

Sejin didn't say anything after that. A few seconds of silence settled over them, and Taehyung had an inkling feeling in his stomach about the topic of this conversation.

"What happened, hyung?" he asked, a vague idea what his next words were going to be about.

"Bang PD called me earlier...with information from Dispatch," he paused, as Taehyung held his breath, "They said they have pictures of you and a young woman outside what they presumed to be a bookstore on multiple occasions,"

Jisoo immediately flashed in his mind.

The "bookstore" wasn't really a bookstore. It was more of a collection. A place to store all of the books he cherished as well the ones he intended to read in his free time. Taehyung specifically had bought that building because it was in a secluded area that was rarely passed by people. But his efforts to protect his privacy were obviously not enough.

"Do they know who she is?"

"No. With the pictures they captured, you can't really say who,"

Taehyung sighed in relief, but anxiety and slight curiosity nipped at his flesh. He knew he should've been more careful.

"Do you have them with you?"

Sejin nodded, sliding over a manila folder to him that Taehyung had just noticed he'd been holding under his armpit the entire time. He reached for it, his fingertips cautiously lifting the flap to reveal evidence confirming what Sejin had said was true.