(Author: I would recommended y'all to read a couple of previous chapters. I know it's been a while. Happy reading!)
...
Yoongi wakes up in the morning hearing loud noise of the television. He turns around to face Jimin but finds him standing in front of the TV.
"Jimin? What is going on?", his voice hoarse.
Jimin steps away from the TV letting Yoongi watch the news for himself.
"Breaking news: Goverment raid on Min Corporations."
"Min Youngjae allegedly involves in major crimes like money laundering and kidnapping"
" Youngjae takes company private to hide information on the malpractices of his business"
" Min Youngjae taken in for official inquiry. Min Corp to be shut down and sealed by the government"
Yoongi watches the news in shock, not believing his eyes, "Is this real?"
"It is. This is it for your dad", Jimin says staring at the TV screen.
"Does your friend has something to do with it?"
"Not something. Everything, I suppose. Who do you think tricked your father to take his company private in the first place by letting him believe that Taehyung was after his company?"
"Oh? I think I underestimated him a little. That motherfucker really did it. Huh?", Yoongi breaks out into a roaring laughter, "He really did end my father's business. Tell me Jimin, did they take him in custody?", Yoongi asks him with sparkles in his eyes.
"They did".
"I should have been there to see his pitiful old face when they arrested him. You have no idea how happy I am", Yoongi lays back on the bed, stretching his arms with a gummy smile on his face.
"Hyung, get up!", Jimin suddenly comes back to his senses and takes his eyes off the TV screen.
" What? Why?"
"It is not the time to celebrate"
"Why the fuck not?", Yoongi looks the younger in amusement.
"Because you are his son and the heir to Min Corp. Do you really think they would let you off the hook in this inquiry?", Jimin speaks with a sense of urgency.
"But I had no involvement in any of his business. Even if they call me, they won't really get anywhere".
"I know that but they don't. Once they take you in, you are not coming out hyung. No matter whether you were involved or not. Trust me, I know how it works. I am the lawyer here. They must be looking for you all around Seoul as we speak".
"What are talking about Jimin?", Yoongi furrows his eyebrows before getting out of bed. Jimin walks upto the older and grabs him by the shoulders, "You need to leave Seoul as soon as possible. Do you understand me?"
Yoongi looks at the younger's face in confusion, "They arrested my father last night and if they are looking for me, it won't take them a lot of time to find me".
"Why do you think I am asking you to hurry?", Jimin snatches Yoongi's phone from his hand and switches it off. He then grabs the older's jacket and pulls out his wallet from inside its pocket. He takes out his credit cards and throws them inside the bin. He quickly grabs his own wallet and takes out all the cash he has and keeps it inside Yoongi's wallet, "The cash you have might not be enough to get out from Seoul. Keep this.", He places the older's wallet back inside the pocket of his jacket before he hands over the jacket to him. "Now get out of here hyung. Hurry, take the back door outside the club-"
"Jimin, stop talking", Yoongi cuts him off.
"what?"
"Shhh..listen", he shushes the younger and makes him listen to the sound of the footsteps of some people approaching their room.
"Is that?", horror takes over Jimin's face.
"I think they already found me"
"No..no..no.. it can't be"
"Jimin..you can't be seen here with me. Get out", Yoongi insists, his face as serious as it gets.
"I am NOT letting them arrest you, not on my watch. I will be your lawyer. I will defend you. I will get a stay order. Don't worry hyung I'll-"
"You won't do any of those things. You are Taehyung's lawyer. If they see you with me, you will end up losing your license for betraying your client and you will ruin your life. Not to mention, you will ruin your friendship with him and I am not letting that happen", Yoongi stares into Jimin's eyes, something in his own eyes speaking more than his mouth.
"Oh, what nonsense!", Jimin retaliates, "Since when did you start caring about my career and my friendship with Taehyung? I will not let them arrest you and I am not going anywhere", his voice determined, his eyebrows burrowed.
Yoongi suddenly finds himself helpless as he hears the sound of footsteps approaching their room. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, "Jimin, listen to me. You asked me a question last night. You asked me if I cared about you."
"What are you trying to-"
"I do", Yoongi holds Jimin's face in both of his palms, "I really do care about you. I may sleep with the whole of Seoul but you are the one I see when I need something more than sex, when I need a companion to make me feel better after a bad day", his eyes glistening with honesty and affection.
"Hyung-", Jimin is rendered speechless, his heart threatening to explode, his mind riddled with confusion.
"Now listen to me very carefully, Jimin", says Yoongi still holding the younger's face in his palms, "You can't be caught with me here. It will ruin your life. Hide in the bathroom. If they find me here, they won't search any further. Don't come out no matter what. Do you understand me?"
Jimin watches Yoongi, perplexed.
"Do you or do you not understand me, Jimin?", Yoongi asks firmly this time, his heart racing as the footsteps approach.
"I..I do".
Yoongi gives him a peck on the lips, "Go, hide". And that he does. Jimin runs into the bathroom and latches the door from inside and as soon as he does, he hears the bedroom door slam open. "Mr. Min Yoongi, you have to come with us", says a man. Jimin wants to peak and look at those people once but he knows he cannot so he pushes his ear against the door to make out what they are saying.
"Why?", Yoongi demands an explanation.
"Seoul police department and the goverment anti-corruption unit is holding an inquiry on Min Corp and your father", answers an officer.
"Do I look old enough to be my father or are you blind?", Yoongi scoffs in amusement, his eyes fearless and nonchalant.
"You are his eldest son".
"More like the only son"
"Yes, you are his eldest child and you are legally the heir to Min Corp. Therefore, it is necessary for you to submit to our interrogation", says the officer to looks like the superior in their unit of 5 men. The officer pulls out his gun and points it to Yoongi's head, "And you sir, will stop talking and walk with us right now".
Yoongi chuckles at the dramatic gesture of the officer. "Pointing a gun to my head is the last thing you could do to scare me officer", he smiles, his eyes staring right into those of the officer's. "I am not scared of your toy", he continues, "but you are lucky I want my dad behind bars more than anyone else, so I will cooperate with you willingly", he gives them a clearly fake curt smile and walks out of the room followed by the officers leaving Jimin behind, locked in the bathroom, confused, overwhelmed. "Did he just surrender to them knowing very well that there is no coming out of there, to protect me?" A tear rolls down Jimin's eye. He knows he would need help to get Yoongi out of there and he knows who he needs to talk to about this.
......
"Congratulations", Jimin enters Taehyung's office with a faint smile on his face. Taehyung who was simply relaxing on his chair with his head thrown back, looks back up to Jimin, "For what?"
"You finally took care of Youngjae", Jimin smiles.
"I didn't", Taehyung throws his head back again and closes his eyes, "the goverment did".
"Who tipped them? Who made Youngjae take his company private using Hwasa to make the raid easier? Who orchestrated the whole thing which is now leading to Min Corp's inevitable downfall?"
"Well, yes, that would be me", Taehyung smiles, his eyes still shut and body relaxed.
"You are a fucking genius", Jimin comments making Taehyung chuckle a little, "I am not a genius, Jimin".
It does not take Jimin more than a second to realise what his friend had just said. Genius people aren't stupid enough to lose the people they love. He knows his friend is still hurting and is in the office trying to work away the heartbreak. "You are right. You aren't a genius. You are infact, stupid".
Taehyung chuckles, his eye still shut, "Bingo!"
"Because only a stupid person would be seen in his office working after he nearly died just five days ago. I went to your home to see you and Maria told me you are here", the disapproval in Jimin's voice, loud and clear.
"And I am"
"Tae, you need rest. You shouldn't be here"
"We are not doing this right now Jimin", Taehyung shoots his eyes open, "Tell me, did you find the spy or something?"
"No wire atleast. No spy cams. I don't know about a spy. We are still looking"
"Well, then, look harder", Taehyung snaps, "there was someone or something that let Youngjae know that Jungkook had left Kim Mansion. I need to know who!"
"Tae, Youngjae is under custody and Jungkook is no longer with you. The spy doesn't have anyone to report to. There is no harm he can cause now. Relax. We will find him", Jimin says thoughtlessly but realises soon after that he shouldn't have.
Taehyung watches him silently, not uttering a single word.
"I..I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that"
Taehyung sighs before faintly smiling at his troubled and confused friend, "It's okay. You didn't say anything wrong. He is gone and that's about it", he says shrugging his shoulders before looking down to his lap. Jimin's heart breaks to see his friend like this. Not mad, not sad, not lost. Just defeated. He feels defeated and he has accepted the defeat. Not something Taehyung would usually do but then, the Taehyung that sits infront of Jimin right now does not look like the Taehyung he has known for 20 years.
"I was thinking. It would take more than just money to lure one of your employees to betray you", Jimin says in order to stir the conversation away from Jungkook.
"What?"
"Yes", he continues, "Every employee at Kim Con. has a confidentiality clause in their employment contract. Whatever they see or hear in this building remains here. If someone breaches the contract, they are fined with 1 million won".
"Why are you telling me this? I know the contract Jimin. I made it, if you don't remember", Tas fakes a smile.
"I do. But think about it. Whoever that is, they know they will be caught sooner or later. No matter how much money Youngjae offers them, 1 million worth of loss isn't worth it", Jimin explains.
"What are you trying to say?"
"What I am trying to say is, whoever spied on you has reasons to do so. It is someone who hates you or Jungkook or both".
Taehyung bursts out laughing listening to his friend's conspiracy theory.
"Why the fuck are you laughing?"
"Jimin, literally everyone in this office hates me and no one hated Jungkook. So good luck trying to find your spy with this theory. Everyone in the office is a suspect now", Taehyung chuckles in amusement.
"They respect you, even fear you. They don't hate you", Jimin, who has been standing all this while, seats himself down on the couch.
"Sure", Taehyung snickered.
"Are you sure nobody in here would want to harm Jungkook?"
"Only Hwasa, but she is already on the other side and we know it wasn't her who gave him away".
"Right. What about that guy in the IT cell who worked with him?", Jimin inquires.
"No, that was his friend. Baekhyun. Jungkook told me they were close"
"Close?", Jimin raises an eyebrow.
"Close as in a close friend. Not CLOSE close. Jeeez Jimin, what are you trying to do?", Taehyung's irritation is on full display.
"Trying to find someone who would have a reason to harm either of you".
Taehyung sighs, "I was trying to work. Can you do this on your own please? I don't really want to talk about who is or isn't close to Jungkook right now".
"I know, I know. I am sorry. I am trying to help"
"I am sorry. I have no idea who would want to hurt him. Everyone here liked him. You just cannot hate him", his voice suddenly mellow.
Jimin takes a deep breath. "Tae, come and sit here with me"
Taehyung walks over to the sofa and sits besides Jimin, "yes".
"What are you doing here?"
"Working"
"Why?"
"Because I need to?"
"No, you don't. You are the CEO. You can take a whole year off and it would be fine. You are working because you want to work, not because you need to".
"Are we playing therapist- patient now?", Taehyung raises his eyebrows.
"No, we are doing what friends do"
"Really?"
"Yes. Tell me why do want to work when you are recovering and you literally don't have to?"
"I am working because I NEED to work Jimin. Do you understand? I NEED something to do or I will go insane!", Taehyung yells at him, clearly angry about the unsolicited therapy session.
Jimin watches his friend for a second and pats his shoulder, "Tae, I know you. I can see you are hurting. Burying yourself in work won't help cure the pain of a heartbreak. You need to be home, rest, recover, be alone with yourself and your feelings. Feel those feelings, deal with them like an adult. Process them, think about him, cry if you will and then cry some more until you feel better. He was your boyfriend and you loved him. Do you really think you can simply forget him if you keep yourself busy?"
Taehyung looks at him speechless. He suddenly feels like someone broke down the walls he had created around him. He suddenly feels naked and vulnerable. Nobody has ever called him out like this. Not even Jimin himself. Taehyung knew, Jimin knew. They both knew this is how Taehyung deals with pain and emotions. He shuts them out. Out of his heart and his body. He refuses to feel pain and he has been refusing to feel love for the most of his life. He has a habit of not letting his feeling in, no matter what they are. He could never let love in before he met Jungkook. He was a miracle in his life. He helped Taehyung let the love in. But as they say, one you love the most has the power to hurt you the most. Taehyung is hurt. He knows he is. So does Jimin. However, what Jungkook perhaps, could never teach him was how to let pain in. Perhaps, he himself has no idea how to. Jimin, on the other hand, knows how his friend deals with emotions. He deals with them by NOT dealing them. He shuts the world out and he works till his brain gives out on him. Till his brain is too tired to think of anything else. In this case, to think of Jungkook.
By verbalizing his thoughts on Taehyung and his habits, Jimin lets Taehyung know that this is not how he will let him go on this time. This time, he will step right in and get his friend out of this mess. This new approach from Jimin, unsettled and triggered something in Taehyung as he suddenly feels exposed. His secret is out in the air. Spoken. Realised.
The unsettlement stirs something in him which makes him go into self- defense. "Are you listening to me, Tae? Go home. I will take care of everything here", Jimin continues.
"Now, this is what you are going to do, Jimin", Taehyung says glaring at Jimin with cold eyes, "You are going to shut up about me and my feelings and you are going to be a good lawyer and do your job. You will just leave me alone and mind your own business for now. Okay?", his voice is calm but bitter.
"Why are you talking to me like that?", Jimin retaliates.
"Because you crossed a line"
"Did I?"
"Yes, you did"
"I thought I was trying to help a friend"
"Did I mention needing help? Did I fucking begged you for help?", Taehyung yells at him before standing back up.
Jimin stands up as well and takes a deep breath before talking. "Calm down Taehyung. You are coming at me for nothing. I am just trying to tell you to take some rest and process your feelings. I am looking out for you and you are yelling at me. Please stop".
"How to process my feelings? What am I? A 14 year old boy with a broken heart? First of all, I will not take advice on heartbreak and love from a man who has never been in a relationship that was not toxic", Taehyung's words are venomous but he doesn't care. He is hurt and he is hurting. He doesn't care who it is, he is hurting. His body gives up on him. It cannot hold the rage inside anymore. It has to let go and it does, not caring about the victim infront of him.
"Tae..you did not..just..", Jimin's voice shakes a little. He cannot believe his friend, his brother would ever say something like this to him.
"Oh, I did. I think we were trying to be honest with each other right? Here's honesty for you. I will not take advice on how to deal with a heartbreak from a man who has never really been in love. Who has only dated and fucked emotionally unavailable guys who are physically and mentally incapable of falling in love with you", Taehyung's heart races as he continues to yell at Jimin, his breathing fastens. He is out of his mind and he knows it. But he can't help it. The rage and darkness needs an outlet and it finds one.
"TAEHYUNG!!", Jimin loses it completely, "HOW DARE YOU?" He cannot believe he came to check on Taehyung and thoughy his friend would not listen and understand but help him help Yoongi. He thought Taehyung wouldn't let him down. He thought when he explained how much Yoongi means to him, Tae will listen and he will understand. Maybe he was wrong all along.
"Why? Was I wrong? Have you been in love? Ever? Huh?", Taehyung continues his rampage.
"You have no idea what you are talking about. You are losing it, Tae. It would be better if I leave now", Jimin is hurt but he wants to pull out. He wants to put an end to this. He turns around to leave.
"Where the fuck are you leaving? I asked you a goddamn question!", Taehyung yells back, his head still hot, "Jimin!"
Jimin walks out of Taehyung's office leaving Taehyung behind in anger, pain, confusion, rage, darkness. "Fucking leave, you fucking bastard!! All of you, leave! Leave me alone! Just leave!! EVERYONE LEAVES! Taehyung falls on his knees, shattering like a fragile vase made of glass, broken beyond repair.
.
.
.
.
To be continued...
Author: I have been missing for a long time. I had covid and I needed time to recover. Thanks for being patient, I love you all. Happy Pride Month and Happy Festa!