Girl With The Tattoos™

Dejection.

"Imah is calling you again..."

Hearing Mark's voice through his headphones, Jaebeom briefly closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as Mark eyed the vibrating phone beside him. In the two hours they had been in the studio laying down vocals, she had called six times and texted four times with no response from the man she has been trying to reach.

Mark watched JB's reaction with curious eyes, trying to put the pieces together as to what was going on. For the last two weeks, it was clear to everyone around him that something had changed and it wasn't good.

Everything from Jaebeom's actions to his whole demeanor was different. He seemed more stressed and irritated than usual.

Hearing Jaebeom make his way back into the control room, Jinyoung finally sits up and quietly watches JB take a seat beside Mark and begin to type at the laptop in front of him. With a raised eyebrow, Jinyoung's gaze snaps towards Mark who was looking just as confused by their leader's actions.

"What's going on with you? And please cut the bullshit," Mark suddenly speaks up, watching as Na'imah's pretty face flashes across Jaebeom's screen once more. "Are you two fighting?"

Running a hand down his face, Jaebeom sits back in his chair with his eyes settling on his lap in deep thought. "No, I-...I need a moment to myself," Jaebeom mutters after a minute of silence.

"What do you mea-"

"I mean I just need a break!" JB snaps, cutting Jinyoungs words short. "Everything is too much. I have to be in ten places at once. Going from photoshoots to the studio. This shit we have going on with JYP and now Na'imah and her upcoming court case I...I just can't right now..." He trails off, feeling his emotions begin to get the best of him.

Everywhere JB seemed to turn he was needed for something. He knew his attitude wasn't the most pleasant to deal with at the moment but he didn't really care.

He had no privacy.

No rest.

No time for his own thoughts.

And since he was the leader it added more stress because of the work that comes with it. When they lacked, he had to be the one to encourage them to do better. When they needed motivation, he was the one to hype them up and tell them how great they were. When they needed some advice or wisdom, he was the one they'd come to, to hear an uplifting message.

He was always there.

Now with the group's future being the big topic of discussion, that wasn't something that JB was in the mood to deal with at all.

Then there was Na'imah. They had only been back in South Korea for two months when she got word that she'd have to attend court in another month. They had just taken off when the news was released of the terrible things her uncle had done and the DA wasted no time and pressed charges. And while it was good news that his girlfriend's nightmare was almost over, it caused Na'imah to become scared once more.

As bad as it sounded, it wasn't something Jaebeom wanted to deal with at the moment and he hated how much he just didn't give a fuck at all.

"Look JB, you know we understand where you are coming from and know to deal with you when things become overwhelming for you but Na'imah doesn't," Mark softly reminds Jaebeom, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Talk to her,"

Hearing Mark's words only caused Jaebeom to shake his head. "I'm tired of talking Mark. I'm tired of listening. Tired of being understanding. Tired of being a shoulder to cry on. Tired of being the voice of reason. I'm tired of everything," He fumed, glancing at his phone as it vibrated, making JB want to grab it and throw it against the wall in annoyance.