"and he threw up on you?" jin sat cross legged on the floor in front of tae, his new favorite spot since his cousin had moved back in with him.

by the time the younger had arrived the night before, he had already been asleep but now, he was up and ready to hear all the gossip. tae was willing to provide it, still baffled at the outcome of the evening, "tell your boyfriend i want hazard pay!"

the two laughed in unison, jin standing and smoothing out the front of his dress slacks, "do you want a ride to that side of town on my way to work?"

"you sure? i can take the bus!" tae dug around in his single suitcase, pulling out a few articles of clean clothing to slip on.

"i insist, really!" jin cupped his thermos, ushering the younger to get ready quickly, "hey, did you find out anything about jungkook though? like was he nice?"

taehyung popped his head out of the bathroom, fingers swiftly running along the buttons of his shirt, securing it, "he didn't say enough to me to come across as nice or not nice. i really don't know anything more about him than what namjoon had said. hell, you've probably had more conversations with him!"

jin bit his bottom lip, gnawing as he tried to recall the last visit he had, "the last time i remember we were at lunch- sushi. he brought his daughter!"

"you've met his daughter?" tae was intrigued now, slipping into a pair of shoes and walking alongside his cousin to the parking garage, "how old is she even?"

"two. if that."

"he had a lot of pictures of her!" tae recounted, "and none of his... well... his ex-wife..."

"you know what happened, right? or at least what was reported?" jin unlocked the car door, grateful that the two would have a bit more time to converse before he had to start his stuffy job crunching numbers.

"no?" tae realized he really didn't, clueless as to why jungkook worked the way he did. he assumed it was simple really, the same thing that happened to a majority of people in the spotlight. at some point, it all snaps or at least it seemed as such.

jin took a deep breath in like he was about to spew enough gossip to fill the ocean with words, "well, his best friend and ex-assistant park jimin, you know, the model?"

tae didn't know but he nodded along.

"well him and jimin were having an affair together and of course jimin told jungkook's wife about it because he wanted jungkook all to himself. she freaked out because not only was her husband cheating on her but with a man! oof!" jin seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much for such a tragedy, "kicked him out right there and then. jimin of course leaked more information about jungkook's drinking problem to the press, talked about interviews where he had been drunk, magazine shoots- basically just was a total snake and releasing a whole bunch of stuff that could have been left unsaid."

"sounds like it!" tae was shocked, suddenly it made more sense why jungkook seemed so fragile, "so, that's when he got caught drinking and driving?"

"i guess news broke of the divorce and then that same night was when that happened. he only got caught because he was going like fifty over the speed limit and swerving all over the place!"

"that's a lot!"

"a ton. very dramatic! i remember when namjoon called me, poor thing was a wreck." jin huffed, "i guess ever since then, things haven't been the same. they had to front him the money from the upcoming album so he could pay legal fees so now his hands are tied. I'm sure in turn has stifled his creativity, at least that's what joon has alluded too."

"that's terrible. he needs rehab or time or space or something! how can they expect him to-,"

"you play the game, you're going to lose!" jin cut in, "don't feel too sorry for him. he made his bed one way or another."

but tae did feel bad. it was impossible not too. the golden boy with a crown on his head, suddenly stripped of everything. at so young, clearly he was confused of his sexuality, of his desire for his family and what that meant- he hadn't had a chance to figure it out.

tae was desperate not to defend jungkook's actions; he didn't want to be the person who stuck up for the cheater, yet that sad sparkle in his eyes showed remorse. showed forgiveness and regret. he looked so busted up over what could have been.

"i'll see you tonight for the start of our around the world take out test?" jin pulled in front of an oversized building, lined with mirrored windows and fresh greenery outside.

it would be hard to get used to such a sight no matter how many times tae saw it, "see you tonight!"

he bowed to the doorman before entering the lobby. he had been gifted an all access fob to lead him wherever he needed which in this instance was the seventeenth floor, the home of jungkook's two bedroom apartment.

the windows inside all faced different parts of the city, high enough to see people and places that resembled ants in a colony study. it was pretty.

tae cracked the door open quietly, nervous that jungkook might be angry again like he had been the day before. unlike namjoon, he wasn't prepared to deal with the wrath.

at some point in the night the younger had migrated to the couch, a pale pink blanket barely big enough to cover his torso laid on top of him. his legs seemed to shake, probably cold from the hum of the air conditioner and next to him, on the stark white rug, was a spilled glass of wine. the bottle next to it completely empty.

tae frowned at the stain, wondering how long it had been like that and who decided that jungkook should have a white rug.

despite, everything else seemed relatively in order.

"who are you?" a gravely voice that seemed to have come from jungkook echoed across the bare walls, stopping tae in his tracks.

did he really not know? he had been pretty drunk last night.

"i'm the house keeper than namjoon hired- taehyung? we met yesterday?" the older was desperate to refresh the kid's memory, not keen on doing social pleasantries for a second time.

"do you cook?" his eyes still weren't open, his entire face covered with raven strands that laid in greasy waves.

"i can cook, yes." tae shifted anxiously on the balls of his feet, "did you want something?"

a groan escaped from the younger, his arms stretched over his head as he adjusted to the feeling of being awake, "poached egg on avo toast. oh, and make sure to dash some hot sauce on it but, not too much! and pepper!"

so suddenly he was a regular speech giver? could form a full coherent thought about food but couldn't even properly introduce himself.

tae wasn't even sure why he was surprised. this seemed like standard behavior, the exact type he expected.

"coffee or tea?"

"coffee and hey, when you're done with that..."

jungkook seemed to adjust from his laying down position, a balled fist rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pondered his next move, "can yo-, would yo-, will yo-," he paused, a deep breath as he spit it out, "can you drive me somewhere?"

tae noticed the gray tone in his skin, the way he seemed dull and lifeless as he stared at the floor. where did he need to go? it seemed invasive to ask, "i don't have a car..."

"we can take mine." the response was abrupt, like a sudden wave of energy had hit him, "if you're comfortable driving a Benz?"

"t- that's fine." it didn't feel like a request he could say no too.

"great. i'm going to go shower then!" it was awkward, the way he announced his movements while making the most direct eye contact.

it seemed like tae was just prey in the wild, being stalked, an unknown threat to the household who was brought in for study. he suddenly felt so nervous under the gaze of his new employer- without namjoon it just felt so... intimate and personal. air only being shared between two strangers attempting to coexist in a space designed for neither.

he could only think about what he had been told this morning, the drama and betrayal. for that reason, he had to give jungkook the benefit of the doubt. he had to be the bigger person despite his desire to fade into the background.

he had to prove his worth; that was evident.

at least if he wanted to keep this job...