Twisted Every Way || Vmin/Yoonmin {Complete}

17 -- Awake

"I'm so glad to see you," Seokjin sighed. "Both of you. I see you did save him after all."

"Well..." Taehyung interjected, briefly turning to meet eyes with Jimin before looking to his brother again. "The truth is that Jimin saved me in the end," he admitted slowly. He felt Jimin grip at his hand, and without turning to look at him, quickly added: "But we'd prefer not to talk about that."

"I see," Seokjin replied calmly, looking them both over for a moment as he considered Taehyung's words. Surely there was quite a story to go with such a statement, one that could finally explain the truth behind the phantom of the music studio. He wondered--if the trauma was as real as their expressions seemed to imply--if it was destined to be a mystery that he would never know the answers to. 

At this point, in hindsight he was intrigued more than angry about the ordeal. Yes, the studio's auditorium would probably be out of commission for a while, and there would likely be a lot of fuss from the media about such a disaster happening mid-performance. But the whole situation had been so bizarre that he couldn't help but be morbidly amused now that it was hopefully over. He wondered about not only what had happened the night previous, but what Jimin's relationship with the ghost had really been like before then. He could tell now that Jimin was just a victim of some sort, but he couldn't help but be curious about details that wouldn't be appropriate to ask.

 "Father was here last night," he said, focusing on Taehyung again. "I tried to tell him you were in danger, too, but he only got mad when I explained why." He gave a small, apologetic smile as Taehyung grimaced a little. "Naturally I took the blame for urging you to go. I didn't have any other choice," Seokjin continued. "After all of this, I must owe something to the best dancer, and of the best singers, that this company has ever seen." Seokjin watched Jimin tense and straighten up at his compliment, meeting his eyes, and smiled warmly as the blond looked to him with some level of shock. Perhaps he had grown too used to the cold treatment that he had received from Seokjin for the past several weeks. He had been reluctant to even come to the hospital, just out of fear that the Kim heir would be displeased to see him alongside Taehyung again. Yet, somehow, Seokjin met his eyes with the same tenderness that he gave to his brother.

"And it seems that I owe you even more now," Seokjin continued, "... if what Taehyung said is true."

"You don't owe me anything," Jimin said quietly, giving a small shake of his head. "I think I owe you an apology for letting him be endangered."

"Hardly," Seokjin retorted quickly. "I'm the one who owes an apology to you both. I suppose, Taehyung, that I always imagined your life going a certain why. And I think, since you've been back, I've been trying to force my own ideals on you, but..." He released a small sigh as guilt clouded his eyes. "Looking at the two of you--at the way you look at each other--I see no difference between you and more conventional couples. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize, though I suppose the matters with the ghost didn't help."

"Then..." Taehyung spoke up meekly, his eyebrows furrowing. "...then you're not angry?" He hadn't had too much time to devote to pondering about Seokjin's words from the evening before. Sure, he had wanted him to save Jimin, but that still didn't mean that he liked him, or their relationship, or the fact that Jimin was accompanying him to Japan.

"You love him, too, don't you?" Seokjin asked, directing his eyes to the dancer, who blushed a little at the question. He'd seen enough of Taehyung's side to know his feelings, but had distanced himself from Jimin for as long as he could up until now.

"More than anything," Jimin responded as soon as he caught his breath. "He's been the only thing worth living for... He's my whole world." Jimin felt his voice breaking as he spoke, yet he wasn't sure what was making him so immediately emotional. Taehyung squeezed his hand tightly, his own eyes growing misty at listening to him speak so sincerely.

"Then let me put it this way," Seokjin said, his tone much more serious as he met Taehyung's eyes. "Whatever you choose do to together--no matter what Father says--you have my support and my blessing."

Jimin and Taehyung sat in humbled silence for a long moment. After all of the struggles and persevering, they could finally be treated with some acceptance. They knew their relationship wasn't likely to be well received elsewhere, either, but hearing such a thing from family gave them both an overwhelming wave of relief. With the angel of darkness in the past and Seokjin's well wishes, the worst of their suffering could be over at last. They couldn't help but weep, finally with joy. Though they tried and failed to hold their emotions in, Seokjin let them take their time, only speaking when they seemed to have collected themselves and wiped away what was left of their tears.

"When do you leave?" he asked simply, his gaze and voice still calm and compassionate.

"On Wednesday," Taehyung said, still sniffling as he dried his face with his cuff. "First thing in the morning."

"I see," Seokjin replied simply. He figured it would be soon, but he had hoped they would stay longer, even if only to reconnect properly and really feel that he was a better terms with them. However, he couldn't blame them for wanting to leave as soon as possible; he didn't want to outright ask what had happened with the ghost, but he knew it was very possible that he was still free since he hadn't heard otherwise. "Do you know when you'll be back?" he asked after a moment of thought.

"We're... not sure," the younger brother admitted, briefly meeting eyes with Jimin. "If everything goes well, we might stay for a while..." At this news, Seokjin couldn't help himself from giving a pained smile. For five years he hadn't been able to be in his brother's life while he was abroad, and during the few months that he'd been home, they had fought and drifted apart. Hearing that their visit to Japan could be a more permanent move stung, and yet he knew better than to tell him that he had to come back.

"Well..." he said with a small sigh, "It'll take me a while for my schedule to free up once they release me, with all of the Studio issues that I'll have to sort out. But I would love to visit you."

"We would like that," Jimin replied immediately, giving a small grin as he gripped onto Taehyung's hand. The redhead couldn't help but smile a little, too, and gave a nod of his head.

"We would," he agreed. "Any time you'd like."

At last, the mood could lighten. In the rest of the time that Taehyung and Jimin stayed visiting, they spoke of happy things. Seokjin listened to the stories of how his brother met the dancer, and all of the history that led up to Taehyung's departure to America. Jimin heard of Taehyung's childhood through the eyes of his brother, and grinned as the redhead blushed through all of the embarrassing stories. The three of them smiled among themselves until visiting hours were over. By that time, both of the lovers almost wished that they could stay in Korea for just a little while longer. Nonetheless, they were still aware of the darkness that lingered in their homeland, and looked forward to their new life in Japan together with blissful anticipation.