"I... don't want to take the job."
Taehyung heard a chuckle from the other end, one that suggested it was good joke but that it was time to get real now.
"No, I am serious. I am... sick of this. I want to get over with all of this. I am done doing the dirty work. I want a new start, I-"
"Are you betraying me?" The voice seethed from the other end.
"Betray? No of course not-" Taehyung tried.
"I raised you, gave you name worth holding on to, I made you who you are today. Are you defying me?"
Taehyung sighed, a long one. He knew it could never be easy, if it did, it wouldn't be with the M he knew, the M who taught him the darker trades. But he had to try. He knew now that this wasn't what he wanted but he didn't know how to confront M about it. He knew he wanted to get out of this mess but didn't know how to.
"No sir. I am not." He replied in a low voice.
"Good. That's what I thought. Supply comes at eight..." He trailed off detailing the plans as usual. But Taehyung couldn't concentrate.
***
"Nope. You're not going again." Jin deadpanned.
"Why?!" Kira whined.
"Because you're spending time with me."
"But... but... but..."
"No 'but's Kira. You've been moving our plans for months now. So, I am going to bring out the old pact back again and you're staying with me for dinner tonight."
Kira scowled. "It's not like I am with him all the time..."
"Oh really? Where were you last month when Hoseok and I went for paintball game alone?"
"I was with.... him?"
"Where were you last week when we suggested watching that movie together?"
"I was with him."
"Where were you yesterday when we planned that whole dinner with Namjoon?"
"I was with him." Kira avoided his gaze.
"And where were you today morning?"
"At his place?"
"Where are you about to go now?"
"Okay fine, I get your point." Kira muttered.
Jin looked triumphant at exposing her and she simply avoided his gaze. They decided to head out and get dinner when the doorbell rang in urgency. Jin was halfway into putting on his jacket when he was greeted by an exhausted Namjoon and a wasted Hoseok.
"What happened?"
Namjoon could barely spill out words as he panted and huffed. "He... got... Drunk and he ... took call. I have to get back... dinner with mom." He made just enough sense to let them know that he was in a hurry.
"We'll take it from here. Thanks Namjoon-ah! We're sorry!" Jin yelled out as Namjoon ran back with a nod.
Kira looked at the haphazard state of Hoseok. His eyes were wide, his hair dishevelled, his coat hanging loosely down his shoulder, his shirt smelling of puke and liquor, worst of all: he had a hopeless look on his face as though he lost all purpose in life.
He looked momentarily at Kira, a sly smile playing mischievously on his lips. He tugged at her sleeve and winked at her as if she was someone else. "Heyyy." He slurred. "You look like you could use some company. Are you alone tonight?"
Kira narrowed her eyes. "Thanks to you, I think I've got my night booked. And you could use some washing up. You stink."
"Ey now honey, don't be mean. Pretty girls aren't supposed to be mean."
"Is he seriously hitting on you?" Jin asked pulling him away from her.
"Jin! My bro! Tell her how good I am." Hoseok tried to wink again but ended up closing both his eyes.
"Hobi, that's Minjee. How drunk are you?"
"That's Minjee? Who's Kira, then?
Jin sighed. "Kira and Minjee are the same person."
"Ohhh. If that's Minjee, why is she pretty?"
"Excuse me?!" Kira yelped aghast.
"Anyway, this makes it easy for me because Minjee already knows how good I am because she and I-"
Kira hurriedly slapped his mouth shut, looking incredulously at Jin. "He is blabbering nonsense. You know how he gets when he's drunk."
"Actually, I really don't." Jin said thoughtfully. "When he is drunk, I am too."
"Is it too hot in here or is it...gee?" Hoseok giggled at his own words. "Gee, I called gee "gee". Wait, what was it supposed to be again?"
"It's 'me' you idiot."
"It is?! But I thought you were Jin! Or are you gee?"
"Okay, that's enough. Jin, get him cleaned up and I'll go get some medicine." Kira said looking at Jin. He met her eyes and they both knew how the night was going to end. Hoseok was practically unconscious by the Jin helped him clean up. They forced a pill and a glass of water down his lips and gently laid him down on his bed. They decided to stay next to him just in case.
"Why would he get drunk today out of all days?"
"He must have some reason." Kira placed her head on his forehead as he slept peacefully. She knew something had bothered him and she was deeply concerned about it.
It turned out for the best that he got drunk for Kira got enough time to have a peaceful conversation with Jin; something she had not done in a long while.
"Do you know how long it has been since I've gone out on a date?"
Kira shook her head.
"Four months. I don't even know what's keeping me busy. I am too tired to do anything these days."
"Agree to disagree." Kira smirked. "You went out with Namjoon last week and I like to believe that was a date." That ended up with a pillow at her face.
"I know what you mean and I think I am responsible for it. I've been out too much with Taehyung, haven't I? You're tired because I am slacking off and you're burdened with my chores too."
"So you can take a hint."
It was Kira's turn to throw the pillow at him. "I am sorry Jin; I'll make an effort to have balance. I swear."
"Apology accepted." Jin smile. "You know I am happy for you, right? I never thought I'd see you this smitten. For some weird reason, it suits you and I am happy that you're happy."
"Smitten? I am not smitten." Kira rolled her eyes.
"Hmm, then the girl who giggles at night staring at the phone for no reason must be someone else."
Kira gasped dramatically. "I do not giggle! I am laughing at... memes!"
"Oh please, I've lived with you for more than fifteen years. I know the difference between your giggles and laugh. You had the same giggle when Jihun made those lame jokes in high school."
Kira went red at the mention of Jihun and her sillier High school times. "How did you...?"
"Know that you were crushing on Jihun? Your face went this exact shade each time he said hi to you." Jin said poking her cheeks.
"It did not!"
"Honey, I saw you. Believe me."
Kira rolled her eyes. "Remember how I said I saw Jihun in San Sebastian?"
"You mentioned it before Taehyung started excitedly talking about fishes."
She remembered how Taehyung had steered the conversation wayward at the mere mention of Jihun and later, she had forgotten all about it.
"Well, I saw him and we got talking a lot. And he mentioned something about you being a bully to anyone who liked me."
Jin carefully moved away from Kira. "Ha-ha he did? He's obviously lying. I never did anything like that."
"Clearly." Said Kira scowling at his sheepishly smiling face. "Do you know how many years I spent thinking I was a complete loser who was going to die alone?"
"Oh wow, I had no idea. If I did, I would have never stopped doing it." Snorted Jin from the other end of the bed.
Kira was too tired to move and resorted to simple glaring. "He also mentioned that he liked me."
"Oh I knew."
"You knew?! And yet you never told me!"
"It was too funny watching you both getting flustered and not being able to confess it." He laughed.
"You sadistic-" Kira's insult was cut short when Hoseok woke up, his face contorted in melancholy.
"No one likes me." Hoseok said plainly.
"P-pardon?"
"No one likes me." He repeated, looking right into Jin's eyes.
"No one likes me. No one ever will. No one will ever like me for who I am."
Jin and Kira looked at each other in confusion.
"Don't you get it? People only see me for this..." He said, tugging his jacket.
"And this..." He pulled his cheeks hard to give it a joker-like smile.
"And most importantly, this..." He took out a wad of notes from his pocket along with a few cards and threw them away aimlessly
. "No one likes me for this." He beat his chest twice.
"No one ever did."
"No one ever will."
"Love, like, whatever it is, it's a huge fake show. A fucking fake show." With each word, the intensity of his slams increased until he started coughing from it.
"Hoseok stop." Kira said calmly. This scared her, this scared Jin and they let a silent conversation pass between them. It's not the words or the effect of alcohol that scared them; it was the monotonous finality in it that did.
Hoseok laughed; a fake one. "What would you know? You're 'happily in love'!" He mimicked an air quote. "You're soooo in looooove that you don't see how fake it is. You don't see that it can end anytime soon and have you tumbling down your high horse. Shouldn't you know better, Kira? You've tumbled down once and I've seen how hard it had crushed you. I might as well say you're still crushed."
"Hobi!" Jin raised his voice, alarmed at his sudden outburst of bitterness.
"It's her isn't it? Hyuna?" Kira asked calmly.
"She's just a new one on the list. She says it's disgusting that I live in an apartment instead of using our money." There was no bitterness in his tone; he said it like he was stating a daily fact like he had heard this a million times before.
Kira said nothing and simply pulled him into a hug. On the other side, she could see the concern in Jin's eyes as he pulled his lips taunt with worry. Hoseok was the literal epitome of happiness and it broke their hearts to hear him say something remotely negative, let alone have an emotional breakdown. But he was a human too, no matter how happy one was, no matter how sunny a day went, it was bound to be followed by seemingly endless rain.
"Hoseok-ah, I can't ask others to change, and neither can I guarantee that there is a person out there who is as positive and open-minded as you are but I can guarantee you that you are loved; immensely. And that will never change. Your love and smiles are what makes us love you more so don't let some low-life being with no moral value break you. You're better than that. And I can guarantee you that there's someone out there who will fall in love with your cheeky smile, your sunshine happiness, your weird noises... " She trailed off, eliciting laughter from all three. "Someone who loves you for you, just like how we do."
Jin and Kira ended up falling asleep with Hoseok, all huddled together for warmth just like old times.
A/N: Ah finally, a wholesome Jin- Kira- Hoseok chapter.