In The Heart of Darkness

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Taehyung left Jieun's hospital room, and with a sober look on his face, he made his way outside to a waiting car. Without hesitation, he flung open the back door and slid inside.

"Where to now?" A man's dark eyes met his in the rearview mirror of the car.

Taehyung ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He was restless.

"How about we grab some coffee and go sit by the river?" He smiled at the man looking at him in the mirror. The driver merely nodded his acquiescence.

The car sped off down the dark streets of Seoul. They passed several coffee shops until they reached their favorite. The car pulled up to the curb, and Taehyung instructed the driver to stay put till he returned with the coffee. The man nodded his head and watched as Taehyung raced into the shop and returned a few minutes later with two large coffee cups in a holder.

Taehyung returned to the backseat and clicked on his seatbelt. "Alright, let's go!"

The car sped on, the eyes of the driver casually looking back in the mirror every so often. He drove on in silence, despite the efforts of his passenger to engage him in conversation.

The car pulled up in a parking spot next to the Han River, and the two men exited the vehicle. Taehyung handed his driver a coffee cup, and the two stood at the river's edge in silence. Finally, Taehyung could stand it no more.

"Jimin," he said softly.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you ever regret getting into this kind of life?"

"No, sir. I owe a lot to your family."

"But really, you could have left already, especially when you became an adult. Why stick around?"

Jimin took a sip of his coffee and stuck his free hand into his pocket. He narrowed his eyes and twitched his lips. "Because I couldn't leave."

"But you weren't forced to stay. Why did you?"

Jimin eyed Taehyung from the corner of his line of sight. Jimin had a problematic past. It wasn't one he remembered very well, but he had been told enough to know he had no other choices in life.

"You know why," he said in his soft tone.

Taehyung threw his arm over Jimin's shoulders and took a large swig of his now warm coffee. "It's because of my incredibly adorable personality, isn't it?"

Jimin's shoulders shook with his small laugh. "Of course."

"I knew it. Anyway, Jimin, I'm having a problem."

Jimin knew what his problem was, or rather who it was. Taehyung had been trying to sort out his feelings for a few months now. Using Jimin as his sounding board, he had practiced asking Nam Jieun out many times. Every time he would feel extremely confident only to have Jimin remind him of his contract clause. 

"Yes, sir, I know. You're in love." Jimin smirked and slid out from under Taehyung's arm. 

"Must you be so forthright about it?" pouted Taehyung.

Jimin kept his eyes scanning the area around them. A few people passed by, but one man in a black hoodie leaned over the guard rail a few meters away. Jimin felt uneasy but tried to relax. It would do no good to alarm Taehyung if it were nothing to be worried about in the first place.