thief.

the photo.

"Right. Of course." The brunette nodded, crossing her legs. "But anyways, even though we can't go out out, I can still go with you to that one pizza place. We should totally eat out one day with your mom. Like a girls night out."

"I hope Taehyung will be fine with it."

"Who cares what that overprotective grizzly bear thinks? He'll have to get through me first, and I certainly know my way around him."

She winked at Taehee, who grinned instantly.

•

Jihyun had decided that Jennie could sleep in Taehyung's room, probably just to annoy the man that he couldn't even sleep in his own room. He would be in one of the spare guest rooms. It shocked Jennie how his room had not changed at all.

Navy blue walls, there was a poster of Taehyung's favorite girl group back in the day, 'SNSD', now faded but still vibrant in its colors plastered. His study desk sat in the same spot, untouched but still clean. He had always been an organized one, with his new laptop arranged neatly along with several other books.

Taehyung had also been a lover for books, hence his huge bookshelf back at his office in Seoul. Of course as she always said, some things never change.

Slippers padding against the carpeted floor, she approached the desk, then sat down in his chair.

Most prominent of all, she remembered the countless amounts of times she had been in this exact room. Ever since she was five years old, or maybe even younger that Jennie couldn't even recall.

They studied in here, they played games, watched TV, so many memories, way too many. She tried to stifle a laugh, but it strangely made her want to cry.

They had been kids back then. Now they weren't. What she would do to go back to that time where she had no responsibilities.

She remembered also as they got older, it became more awkward to be up in Taehyung's room. As a thirteen year-old, Jennie's friends from middle school always commented on how she could possibly just be friends with someone "as cute as Taehyung." Back at that age, she didn't really get the hype of having a crush, and she certainly hadn't felt any sort of way like that with him and the feeling was pretty mutual for him. It had just been really embarrassing thinking of the things tweens their age would say whenever a boy and girl were alone in a room together.

Cooties!

(a/n: I'm sorry but as I was re-reading this, when 'cooties' just popped out, I may have snorted a bit.)

Jennie ran a hand through her hair, picking up a photo frame. It was one set up as a collage, with many different pictures.

There was one with him and his parents as a child. Then one when he was around ten years old, and two infants sitting on the floor with him. Next to that one was his sixth grade yearbook photo. He still had his glasses and bowl-cut hairstyle.

Her hands stilled upon glancing at the last two photos.

One was their senior year dance.

Green. Jennie and Taehyung had worn green to this dance. They had been dating when this picture had been taken, probably for around nine months. It could've been considered a long time for a high school relationship, but in her opinion, that period of her life lasted way too short.

That night had been one that Jennie would never forget, due to many reasons. In a good way, but she'd rather not expose herself like that by thinking about it.

That night had been the first time which the two of them actually tried drinking. They were technically underage, but that phase in her childhood was when Jennie had actually been more of the bad influence on Taehyung.

It was funny how the tables had turned.

"Been a while, hasn't it?"

She turned, smiling thinly at Jihyun, before getting up. "...Yeah. You could say that."

The older woman sighed.
"Is there a particular reason why Tae brought you back?"

"I don't know. He said it's to keep me off radar."

"I see." She sat down on his bed. "Taehyung tends to become stubborn when he's worried. He believes his way is the only way to prevent anything bad from happening."

"Yeah." Jennie snorted under her breath. "I've realized that the hard way many times."

"He cares about you a lot. I'm sure he tries not to show it because he's a gang leader or whatever, but as his mom I can tell." Jihyun glanced at the walls.

"I didn't really think much of you two dating. I always thought it was just any average high school relationship, but then after you broke up with him, Taehyung was devastated."

Devastated?

"He never blamed it on you, he understood exactly why you wanted it to end, but still the heart wants what it wants. So when you moved to Andong to study and he went to school here in Daegu, I always wanted to believe that he officially joined Bangtan because he didn't know where else to channel his feelings."

Jennie hadn't thought about how he felt when she broke up with him. Yes, she dumped him the summer after their graduation.

She had known it wouldn't work; with her letter of acceptance to a medical school in Andong, Jennie knew that that's where she wanted to go. She remembered how she had a party at her place thrown by her grandmother once she heard she was accepted.

Taehyung had been happy for her, though he knew that it meant she wouldn't be staying in Daegu.

Despite only a few hours away, it was never the same as being there. And gradually after breaking up, they lost touch.

In the beginning, it was hard. She had been used to getting calls from Taehyung, but then the reality would hit that he was now her 'ex'. And nothing more.

Jihyun smiled warmly at the younger girl.
"I know differently now though. You might not know why he's in this mess in the first place, but I'm sure he'll tell you soon."