"Can you try to not like me? Maybe if you do, then I'll learn to not like you back."
-
While having to protect himself from the demons of his past, Jin has a duty to protect Jungkook, the spoiled son of a billionaire business tycoon. His life is one...
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"I don't understand what's going on here," Jin said, looking from Hoseok to Namjoon, both men sat on the hood of Namjoon's car outside the Jeon Estate.
After taking Jungkook to the country club and waiting torturously while Jungkook sat through another one of the stupid dates his mother set him on, they both returned to the house.
Jin had gone to freshen up and then burnt a candle in memory of Ryujin. He hadn't done it last year. He'd been in too much pain and felt undeserving of performing it. But after his talk with Jungkook, he felt lighter than he did in two years. He felt like it truly hadn't been his fault and that he could grief and remember his older brother without carrying the weight of guilt with him.
In a million years, if anyone had told Jin that Jungkook would be the reason he didn't feel like screaming until his lungs exploded, he wouldn't have believed it. If someone had told him two months ago that Jungkook would give him peace of mind that he hadn't had in two years, he'd have rolled his eyes and called them a joker.
But there he was light as a feather, calmer and more at peace that evening than he'd woken up. All because of Jungkook. It was crazy. Jungkook was driving him crazy in a good way. Jin was crazy for him, about him.
He'd just got up from saying his prayers when Hoseok's call came in, asking him to come to the gate. Hoseok visited the mansion once in a while to check up on Jin and see how he was living, but most times he did that from the gate.
"What don't you understand?" Hoseok asked, playing ignorant.
Namjoon chuckled. "Us," he said to Hoseok.
"Us?" Jin's brows pinched in confusion. "You guys don't hate each other anymore?"
Namjoon shrugged.
"We came to check up on you," Hoseok said before Jin had the chance to comment on the absurdity of seeing them buddied up. "I tried calling in the morning but you weren't taking my calls," Hoseok said, his gaze scanning up and down Jin's body as if surveying his physical state.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I felt... choked," Jin said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "I didn't want to feel worse. I was going to return it later."
"It's fine. I went to the temple today."
"That's good."
"I didn't go for just him. I went for you as well," Hoseok said. "It's not just his remembrance. It's your birthday as well."
"I heard about that," Namjoon said, cracking a smile. "Happy birthday, Jinnie."
Hoseok looked confused to see Jin return Namjoon's smile. "You'd have eaten my head off if I wished you, but you're smiling like a Princess when Namjoon does it."
Namjoon hit his shoulder with Hoseok's. "He's my Princess."
Jin shook his head. "It's not like that, hyung. It's just, I don't feel so bad about hearing it anymore. I'm not sure when I'll be completely okay with celebrating my birthday or accepting wishes without feeling even an iota of guilt, but I'm not as burdened by it as before."
