Jimin shuffled himself further away from Jungkook creating a little space between them as he carefully laid him back down onto the bed taking care to not wake the troubled sleeping male, the Bear still firmly cradled him against his chest.

He didn’t have to guess who the Bear represented, it was all too obvious in his quiet tortured whisper when he said her name, and he knew that at that moment, JK needed Lisa.

Stepping away from the bed he could only feel sadness at the crease now sitting between his brows, and he watched with concern as JK burrowed his head further into the soft belly of the stuffed toy, his tears disappearing into the honey coloured shaggy fabric, as the Bear seemingly appeared to console the young man as he wept in his sleep.

The soft rapping onthe door alerted Jimins attention to another presence in the room as he turned and exchanged worried glances with Yoongi. They knew JK would have had little to no sleep from the night before as both men took in the torn scraps of newspaper sitting on the small dresser by the bed.

A cruel reminder of what had transpired the evening before, and in an even crueler twist of fate, it was also an unfortunate representation of the future their maknae was going to face without the one person who had unknowingly made Jungkook a better version of himself.

As RM made his way into the room Jimin soon shuffled the members out and into the lounge, there was much to discuss and they had no idea where to start. As the six members gathered and made themselves comfortable on the various chairs, there was an unspoken understanding that if JK was going to have any chance of a decent dealing process, they would need to support him as best they can, despite their overwhelming love and respect for Lisa.

“Jungkookie, is he ok?” asks V, never being one to dismiss any discussion as small and irrelevant preferring instead to talk about any concerns until a viable solution was found.

“Yes, he’s asleep now but, what do we do when he wakes up? What then?” replies Jimin, the deep tone of his voice does little to mask his worry and concern.

RM takes a few moments to collect his thoughts before replying as diplomatically as he possibly can knowing that his members may not agree with his opinion. Taking a calculated glance around the room and noting the worried stares he spoke,

“What Kook did, we can’t excuse him of it because it wasn’t right.”

Before Jimin could reply he continued,

“Not about the kiss but that he wasn’t careful enough to make sure they were alone, out of the eyes of anyone. We are all aware of why they broke up, but…..”, RM could not continue as he thought about the one person who would be hurt beyond anything he could ever imagine.

“But, this...all of this will have a far damaging effect on Lisa. We know how much they loved….I mean, how much they love each other and I for one believe Lisa did the right thing by leaving Kook to discover and decide what it is he feels for IU.” he finishes.

At that moment RM could not help but feel resentment towards her for how things were panning out. He knew IU wasn’t to blame and it wasn’t fair to say so, but he also knew, as they all did that for years their maknae had been overly about his admiration for her and not once had she bothered to pull him aside to at least acknowledge him much less greet him at gatherings.

Whereas Lisa was the complete opposite, she was no holds barred and at first she was quiet and shy, but as the weeks passed, RM could not help but want to look after her as a younger sister. Her youthful energy, impeccable manners and the respect she gave to everyone in his opinion far outshone anything IU could ever do.

With Lisa, she never had to try to impress anyone, and she wasn’t at all concerned about impressing snobby seniors because to Lisa, everybody she crossed paths with were treated as equals. She was as pure as cotton candy and just as sweet as RMs favourite ice cream. If he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted the two maknaes to be a forever fairytale because in the world they live in as kpop idols, finding real everlasting love was very rare.

Clearing his thoughts, he slightly shook his head before continuing,

“This had to happen, he needed a wake up call to realise that girls like Lisa, they’re not the dime a dozen type and I’m gunna say it, but if he doesn’t realise that sooner rather than later, some other guy is going to come along and sweep her away on a white mythical unicorn like the ones she’s always talking about and it will be no ones fault but his own.”

The room had taken on a still quiet as they contemplated his words, because whenever a situation arose that had potential for controversy, their leader always had the most articulate and profound words of wisdom to say to them. It may not have sat well as the words left his mouth, but as they let it sink in, they absently nodded in agreement.

As they sat contemplating RMs words and not in the least bit interested in breaking apart to prepare breakfast, they were surprised and somewhat shocked as they unexpectedly heard an emotional Jungkook cry out,

“Is that what you all think? That I’m some uncaring bastard that goes around kissing women just for the sake of it?”

“Do you think I WANT to lose Lisa” he sobs

“Is that what you think hyung?” Jungkook turns towards RM and whispers in the most broken hearted way that both V and Jin move towards him, however they all but halt as JK holds out a hand that stops them midtrack.

Six pairs of eyes watch as their maknae stands in the doorway pale with unkempt hair, the arm of the Bear held securely in his grasp; the only tie he has left to Lisa as he stood looking lost and dejected, uncaring as tears continued to fall down his cheeks.

At this sight Yoongi stands and moves toward Jungkook, taking them all by surprise as his arms reach out and encase the younger man in a hug that even Lisa would be appreciative about.

Lisa was the only person he would willingly hug because she was vocal about his warm Bear hugs, as she put it, and at that moment, he was hugging Jungkook for himself as much as he was for Lisa because if there was one thing he loved and respected about Lisa, it was the fact that she had a heart as big as the ocean and would drop everything to help someone in need.

He had seen it first hand on many occasions and despite him telling her to think about putting herself before others and that it was ok to be a little selfish if it meant keeping her safe and happy. Lisa was the envy of many idols outside of BTS and Blackpink because she had the friendship and protection of Yoongi and the BTS boys.

He never warmed up to people but with Lisa, she had an aura about her that made him want to look after her, she was his Kitten, his munchkin and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if the shoe were on the other foot and she were there, she would have had her arms around Yoongi within seconds.

“Hyung…...I need her….”

“I need her…..please…..” Jungkook cries in a broken plea

Yoongi can feel the others surrounding him and Jungkook as arms and heads gather around in a group hug. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to help him because the kiss between JK and IU wasn’t just imprinted in his eyes and everyone else in South Korea, but also that of Lisa and she wasn’t going to be forgiving.

Yoongi knew Lisas stance on trust, and taking a pointed glance at RM, he knew that the sobbing young man held between them was not going to have his cake and eat it anytime soon. There was no magic wand to turn back time and there was definitely no magic spell to make the pain and agony leave anytime soon.

Regardless of the outcome, some things were best learnt the hard way.

It had been a week since the breakout of the scandal that tore the hearts of Armys worldwide as images of their kiss went viral across the globe.

It had also been a week since IU had heard from Jungkook. She had sent him multiple text messages and voicemails attempting to make a date to see him to discuss the matter of the scandal, however every attempt was met with a cold silence as her phone failed to alert her of messages or emails received and she was beginning to feel a little less patient and a lot more fretful.

She was pacing the length of her studio apartment and although she couldn’t feel annoyed at the younger man, the radio silence he was emitting in blatantly ignoring her was beginning to have the opposite effect in that she felt he was purposely doing so because he regretted the kiss, and she didn’t know how she felt about that because she for one certainly didn’t regret a thing.

The dress she had planned to wear to seduce him was still hanging in her wardrobe, she had no plans to back off now, not now that she has had a taste from his sweet lips. She wanted more and she wanted more of him and she would prefer to have it all sooner rather than later.

The tiny voice in the back of her mind had been nagging since Jungkook had begun his silent behaviour. It was saying things she didn’t want to hear, like the fact that a beautifully exotic Thai beauty was younger than her and just as talented as she was. That the same young Thai was loved by millions worldwide and that very same young woman had Jungkook was before she did.

It had crossed her mind that the two maknaes may not have moved their relationship to the next level, given the innocence of Jungkooks kiss. It wasn’t heated or overly physical, but rather soft, sensual with a touch of innocence. No man had ever kissed her with such tenderness and care; not ever in her lifetime could she remember a man taking such care with something as simple as a kiss.

It was this simple innocence that curled her toes and made her crave for more as she stopped her pacing and made her way towards her desk and pulled out a binder where she had cut out the newspaper clipping.

Taking a seat she ran a small finger along the image outlining pausing where their lips joined, the memory of his warm soft lips against hers making her blush as she thought about other areas of her body that would welcome the feel of his lips.

Placing the folder back into the drawer she pads to the coffee table to pick up her mobile phone hoping that she would have a little luck and Jungkook would answer. She was dying to see him, she wanted so badly to see where their next steps would be, because for IU, all was fair in love and war. Thai beautys be damned, she knew what she wanted and she has always gotten what she wanted, and she wanted him; she wanted Jungkook.

The electronic sounds from her door chimed before she could send Jungkook a message as her manager stalks in looking slightly flustered, tiny beads of sweat on his forehead told her he had taken the stairs as the building elevator was at it’s best; older than the hills and was far from being a reliable 4 walled cubicle of transportation.

Without pause he speeds towards IU and forcefully makes her take a seat as he catches his breath before continuing as best as his breath would allow him,

“You and Jungkook have been chosen to sing a duet at the next awards event, there is no room for argument, you have been ordered from the powers that be.” he said in one swift breath before throwing himself onto the soft leather couch infront of him, not caring if his charge was about to refuse as he closed his eyes.

“Ok oppa.” she quickly replied, without protest which made him prop open his eyes to take a peep at her because it wasn’t often she complied without first arguing with him to some degree. However this time she readily agreed and he could see why as she stood before him at an angle that allowed him to see her looking at her phone with an elfish grin.

What is she up to? He thinks to himself before closing his eyes, concentrating on catching his breath before running the rules of the duet to her. The scandal had caused quite the stir and the duet was agreed upon between Bighit and her company to quell the fans who surprisingly were cheering for the young couple.

IU smiled to herself as she walked out of the lounge in the direction of her room and straight to the wardrobe where the dress hung. The garment she was going to wear to seduce Jungkook, she hoped it was going to have the desired effect that she so badly wanted. Running her fingers down the low cut back, and it excited her to think about his hands touching the bare skin of her back.

There was only one awards show she could think of and it was at the most four or five weeks away which meant they would have to practise soon. That meant more than a few practises which also meant ample opportunity for her to make her move. There was no way Jungkook could ignore her now, their duet was a sure thing, backing out was not an option.

Returning to the lounge her manager is no longer on the couch but noises from the kitchen tell her where he is; probably making himself at home in her fridge. She made it a point to speak to him later about his health because as long as the elevator in her building was unreliable, he was going to make numerous trips up and down the stairs.

Shaking off those thoughts she quickly picked up her phone and attempted to call Jungkook again.

Only this time was different, and he answered her call.

Unbeknownst to Lisa it was a few days after IU and Jungkook had received news of their pending duet for an upcoming awards ceremony that Lisa had unexpectedly received notice from her manager about her own duo performance at the very same event, except she will be dancing, and her partner will be revealed at the first practice to be held at the YG dance studio within the week.

BTS and Blackpink were attending with countless other idols, and Lisa felt apprehension at the thought of people looking at her with pity. She didn’t want their pity, she wanted nothing more than to feel normal again; if that was at all possible.

It was well over a week since her breakdown in her dorm and over a week now she had been trying her best to forget what she thought was her forever love. She missed him so much, she couldn’t go one day without thinking about him, wondering if he was getting enough sleep, if Jin was making him delicious meals and that he was getting the rest he needed.

Jungkook was her great love and in some ways he still is. She found it hard to not think about him since that day she returned home, it was particularly hard when she was in the dorm alone, when it was so quiet her thoughts betrayed her and she couldn’t help but think about him.

Even though it has been over a week since that horrible heart wrenching picture in the news papers, she was grateful to Bam and JB who made it a point to message her daily just to make sure she wasn’t lying in bed all day wallowing in the could’ve should’ve of love and life. Jisoo was always at the door scrutinising anyone outside their door, almost on the look out for a repeat offender whose initials were JK, but he never made contact after that day when the scandal broke out.

It still hurt her immensely when she thought about it, and she knew it always would. She knew she could never stop loving him, he was her greatest love. The one only a few people were lucky enough to find and if they were struck with the luck of the Irish; they would marry their soulmate.

Lisa knew marriage or a family with Jungkook was off the books, he had said many times that he’d never marry because he was already married to Army. It was a sore point with Lisa because she was traditional and she wanted it all with him; marriage, children and the white picket fence and she had hoped over time that Jungkook would change his mind.

Given the outcome, she felt small as she thought about the other woman and how she was labelled the Princess of South Korea and the standard of what is Korean beauty. At that thought Lisa stood from her bed and slowly walked to her dresser before taking a seat in front of her mirror. Taking in her big round eyes, plump lips and the way her skin wasn’t as milky or white as the preferred porcelain doll, she felt every ounce of the complete opposite standard Korean beauty; she was as others had put it, a typical Thai woman.

Sometimes she loathed the way people labelled each other based on their appearance, and up until that point, when IU made her presence known, Lisa had always felt confident in her looks, not caring what people thought of her because her parents had always told her that beauty comes from within, and if someone was ugly on the inside, soon enough it would project itself to the exterior.

Lisa never knew her birth rather, however she had a stepfather who loved her just as fiercely as any father would, if not more. He had always encouraged her to be a good person, to never judge others and to always stay true to herself despite what life will throw at her. He never wanted Lisa to leave Thailand at 14 years of age, but he also knew that Lisa at 14 was a Lisa who was far ahead beyond her years in maturity and he trusted her enough to allow her to move to South Korea and chase her dreams.

She knew where her strength came from because they were always welcoming her home with open arms whenever she returned to Thailand.

At this thought Lisa picked up her mobile and made arrangements with her manager for leave. She had no pressing schedules that required her attendance and a break away from everything that reminded her of him and what had happened was what she needed. She wanted to eat her parents delicious cooking and to see her childhood friends again.

She wanted to be immersed in her homeland, in her parents' love, and with her friends.

Lisa wanted to feel the euphoria that she used to have when she was herself and happy.

Simply put, Lisa wanted to be happy again.