Jimin remained in the young man's arms; breathing heavily into the tears he tried to hold back, but when he tried, he ended up shaking with every inhale he tried to reach for. Jungkook on the other hand, never intended on letting Jimin go, he hugged the one he loved in his arms to comfort him. He just assumed that whatever went on in his mind, would run far away since the one who was protecting him completely, was there to comfort the beautiful man. However, Jungkook just couldn't protect Jimin from himself.

"Jimin, say something... tell me anything so I can protect you, that's all I want to do. I want to make sure that you're alright... please, I care about you and I can't sit here and watch you brush off everything. I'll always be here when you need me, if you don't want to say anything, just assure me that you understand. Please, I want to protect you from those that harm you," Jungkook whispered. Reminding Jimin through his painful sobs that he will always be there for him. "Jimin,"

"Jungkook..." Jimin sputtered through his own cries and dried his own tears. "I don't... I don't want to say..."

"I understand, I will wait for you to tell me then. Okay? I just want to make sure that you are safe. But Jimin, when I protect you, I don't want you to rely on it forever, I want you to get stronger too... it's the only way you can get better to-"

"No... no, stay! You'll stay here with me forever and protect me from everything!" Jimin cried through his tears and covered his face while Jungkook continued to hug him. "Please... don't do this to me... you make me so happy when I've been through so much!"

"Jimin, I don't want you to depend on me for everything... I love you, Jimin, but at the end of the day, I don't know if you love me back. I don't want to ask too soon but having me stay with you and give you my endless love, my endless protection, will that ever be enough to save you from yourself? Only then, what will I get? Endless gifts that my money can't afford to pay back? Jimin, I want to protect you, but there are things I can't protect you from... my love can't be used like this just to make you happy," Jungkook continued to speak carefully until he finally began to tear up.

"Jungkook, don't say that... don't say that to me, don't speak as if you'll leave me! Please don't... don't leave me!" Jimin cried and finally ran his hands up the young man's sides. "I'm okay now! Please, let's stop this and we can cook something and-"

"Jimin, don't lie to me... you're hurting yourself further by brushing this off and you're scaring me. The fact that you want to push this away and put your needs after me, it's not right. Jimin, I know you don't wish to speak about this further, I will never force this out of you," Jungkook replied and slowly pulled back from the hug in order to look into Jimin's glistening eyes.

"I don't want to say...a-anything... I don't want to talk, I just want to know that you will stay with me... please stay!" Jimin looked at the young man in his eyes with endless tears.

"To stay here with you forever isn't fair to me. You can't depend on me for everything... your happiness, your protection, the one who you can hold... all while I sit here wondering if you will love me too..." Jungkook's words made sense in Jimin's mind, but desperate to keep Jungkook, Jimin didn't want to listen at all.

"What can I do to make you stay forever?" Jimin thought in his head and closed his eyes. Not wanting to face himself in order to get through to the words he wanted to say, but nothing was formed. "Can't you stay? I want you to stay!"

Jimin's thoughts accumulated until he just couldn't say anything now. However, he found that it was better to keep his silence while Jungkook stood there; embracing him and reminding him that he stood there for a reason. Jungkook had many reasons to be there for Jimin but the biggest one was the fact that he had so much love for Park Jimin, he couldn't bear the idea of seeing him any other way. But with such love, Jungkook knew he had to set boundaries just so he wouldn't be taken for granted.

"I love you and I care about you! I know I have to protect you, but I can't protect you from yourself... there are some battles I can't handle for you, Jimin. This is where you have to show me that you're strong," the second Jungkook's words called out to Jimin, he began to pull away from the man and hold him by his hands now. Looking into the teary eyes of the miserable soul he wanted to save, but couldn't if Jimin didn't want it. "Once it's over and you've won that fight within yourself and you're ready, I'll be waiting for you. I can't wait for you halfway if you won't meet me in the middle..."

With the words sinking in Jimin's head, Jungkook moved in and softly kissed his forehead before letting go of his hands and walking off.

"Where... where are you going?!" Jimin asked desperately and watched Jungkook stop in the living room. Flinching at the way Jimin raised his voice.

"I'll be in the other room. If you need me, I'll always be here for you, Jimin... but just know, I don't want to be used for loving you," Jungkook concluded and walked off. He didn't leave Jimin and stayed like the model asked, but kept his distance to let him breathe. With the weight of the conversation, Jimin was finally stuck in between two things.

Jungkook didn't leave at all; in which, Jimin was glad to know, but the atmosphere between them only thickened in this situation. Jimin wanted to run after Jungkook, stay in his arms and tell him everything, but with keeping the young man here, what were the odds of him finding all his flaws and using it against him or running away when it all became too much to handle? This was impossible since Jungkook has displayed his love in many ways, but it was the issues Jimin had with himself that made him fear the worst.

Jimin quickly dried his own tears as he looked around the kitchen to make something for lunch in order to cheer the young man up. This wasn't what they both needed, especially for Jimin, but when he hoped to avoid the conversation, he suddenly found himself thinking about it more. Only now, he had no other way of escaping himself.

"No... I don't want to think about it anymore! I don't... I don't want to tell him everything... I can't lose him, I would have lost him if he didn't love me. If I tell him now, he will use it against me later on and It will be like I never left Joo-won! Jimin stopped himself. He knew that was what caused the argument, so he stopped and thought about what he said before it became too familiar. "Oh, god.... I sound just like him!" Jimin spoke into a whisper before his voice cracked.

The very thought of it left him covering his own mouth as he pressed his back against the wall within the kitchen space and slid down. Staring with a trembling gaze locked onto the garment bag that hung on a top cabinet. Displaying such a beautiful suit Jimin only hoped to spoil Jungkook with further. At that second, his eyes scattered and everything he looked at, was memories that haunted him over and over again. The fact that he spoiled Jungkook with roses, equipment, and an expensive suit was something the Director did to Jimin a long time ago. By looking back at the gifts he gave Jungkook, he knew he must have made Jungkook feel as if these gifts were to make up for the love Jimin couldn't give him in return.

"My inability to love someone... my inability to trust someone... is harming me and Jungkook each and every day. The more I hate and remind myself of Joo-won to avoid falling in love like that, I can't... I can't let this go on, Jungkook doesn't deserve this! I-I... I don't deserve this..." Jimin cried endless tears and looked around the penthouse walls. "I don't know how to love... Joo-won was my first and the only love I know is the consistent spoiling and manipulating! Which I've done to Jungkook so many times! I've been manipulating him... Jimin whispered before interlocking his hands within his own. Recalling the way Jungkook would do it in order to ease his mind as he battled with himself and came to terms with many things he hoped to take back.

An endless minute into his own thoughts, his phone began to vibrate. Instantly, he reached for his phone and turned it on to see the notifications that filled his eyes. It was a message from the Director again.

The manipulative words were read off by the voice of that monster within Jimin's mind. In that very second, Jimin threw his phone instantly and covered his own face before screaming. Finally realizing the similarities he's done towards Jungkook before. He spoiled the young man and manipulated him just like the Director did to Jimin, and his inability to love and trust was all because Joo-won himself broke it down one day. It all became so clear to Jimin now, he just couldn't believe his manipulative behavior.

"I can't have Jungkook protect me anymore... I have to face myself... and if I face myself, I have to face him..." Jimin thought to himself and desperately tried to dry his own tears. "It's the only way I can s-set myself free for Jungkook... it's the only way I can love Jungkook and trust him if I learn to face the things I've been through in order to open up. I have to see Joo-won, but I'm not going alone this time..."

During that very second, Jungkook composed himself seconds after the moment Jimin screamed. His urge to comfort Jimin doubled, but he knew this was necessary. Jungkook realized that Jimin was finally facing himself after their discussion and the worst thing he could do at that very moment was to rush to Jimin and distract him from reaching his true thoughts. Jungkook only stepped back and felt his own heart ache.

"If I run to him now, he will only push many things away.... If I stay here and he finds me, I will know that he trusts me enough to come to me on his own," Jungkook mentioned and sat over the bare bed in the vacant room. "Patience... that's what Taehyung told me to have, be patient. I can't force what's not mine..."

When the sun set and the moonlight crawled, Namjoon sat within his own office and inserted the drive into his computer where he then plugged his headphones in and began to stare at the screen. After so long, he knew he just couldn't avoid watching these videos any further so he pushed himself to review them for Jimin's sake. For some reason, there was a three hour footage while the others were meetings Jimin recently had. The one set for three hours, left Namjoon staring before double clicking onto it. As he guided the cursor along the length of the video to skip ahead, his eyes met with Jimin resting his head on the desk within that office until the Director stepped in.

After a good while of skipping through, Namjoon's eyes suddenly widened at what he saw in that footage from a while back. His skin went pale, blood went cold, breathing hitched and caused a jolt for his hand to jump at the mouse and click off of the video. His gaze trembled as it turned away from the screen followed up with a tear running down his face. He didn't even need to play out the video to even know what was happening after skipping through.

"That... sick... sick MAN!" Namjoon shouted and began to shake with anger pumping through his own blood. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" He continued to shout until he got up and paced around furiously."I'M GOING TO RIP IS FUCKING BALLS OFF AND I-"

Within that very second, he received a text message from the young man he wanted to save. Silencing his shouts and leaving the room to echo with his own quick exhales right after letting the steam escape his ears and nose.