--

"So, you want to know everything, huh?"

Taehyung sighed softly, resting his head against his hand as he sat across from Jungkook. The younger had requested that they meet at his favourite coffee shop, as opposed to his apartment, to decrease the risk of running into Jimin.

It's not that Jungkook was trying to avoid him at all costs, it's just that he knew that the older male wouldn't like it if he found out that he was meeting up with Taehyung; considering that Jimin seemed to hate everyone who called themselves his friends. Which was just one of the off things that Jungkook hoped Taehyung could explain to him today.

"I shouldn't even be talking to you." Taehyung huffed, watching as Jungkook stirred the cream in his iced coffee around. "Jimin's gonna have my head on a stick if he finds out I'm coming into any contact with you, after what happened."

To say Jimin was protective of Jungkook would be an understatement. Taehyung had never seen Jimin get as furious as he did the day after they beat up Jungkook. He was fuming, and Taehyung even feared for himself for a few moments, even though he knew that Yoongi would never let anything get out of hand.

Hoseok wouldn't care. He was still bitter about Jimin leaving him behind in hell, he couldn't care less what the other demon did, or whether it would get him in trouble or not.

None of the other demons had told him about Jimin's punishment yet, because they knew how ecstatic he would be about it, and weren't sure if they wanted anything else to fuel him.

"Then don't let him find out." Jungkook shrugged. "Taehyung, you have to understand. I like Jimin, and I want to get to know him better; but I can't stay around him if his entire life is shrouded in secrecy. I don't even know who he is, really."

Taehyung sighed and nodded, adjusting to beanie that sat atop his head. He should be encouraging Jungkook to stay away from Jimin, but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when he knew that Jimin had already left an impression on him - without realizing, Jimin had single handedly, basically ruined Jungkook's entire life.

He really did want to tell Jungkook everything about them, but he also knew he wasn't willing to endure a punishment for exposing their secrets.

He'd have to be at his lowest point the day that he willingly puts himself through pain for a human.

"There's six of us." He began, formulating a thin veil of lies that could sound believable, yet subtly hid their true identities. "Me, the other three you've already met, and then there's Namjoon and Seokjin." He gulped, just catching himself before he called them by the name of their sin. "We're in a gang." Taehyung had to stop himself from laughing at his own lie, it sounded absurd to him, but Jungkook looked like he believed it.

"Jimin told me he wasn't." Jungkook frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he professed the information.

Taehyung rolled his eyes.

"Jungkook, if lying was a job Jimin would be a millionaire. He lies about so many things it's hard to distinguish the truth from the fabrications when you're around him." Throwing Jimin under the bus was Taehyung's subtle way of slowly trying to inch Jungkook away from the other demon.

Jungkook frowned, furrowing his eyebrows as he took a sip of his drink.

"Can I believe anything that he says?" He asked, Taehyung shrugging and rubbing his eyes.

"Some of it." He sighed. "His name is Jimin, and he is 24... But that's all that I'd really believe if I were you."

Jungkook merely nodded slowly, dropping his gaze down the table. He thought for a moment, trying to decide who he was really going to believe. Taehyung seemed so reliable. He was willing to meet up with Jungkook, was the only one who was actually willing to answer his questions, and was also the only one who Jungkook didn't feel somewhat belittled by.

He seemed more trustworthy than all of them.

"This gang that you're talking about... Is Hoseok in it too?" He asked, Taehyung nodding and raising an eyebrow.

"He's a pretty big influencer in it. You saw from what happened to you, he was the one who orchestrated the entire thing." Taehyung paused, "Sorry about that by the way." Jungkook shrugged it off.

"I wouldn't be talking to you if I had held a grudge." He responded.

"I'm glad to hear." Taehyung smiled softly, reaching forwards and stealing Jungkook's drink so that he could have a sip. "Why are you interested in Hoseok though?"

Jungkook chewed at his bottom lip.

"Jimin had told be that him and Hoseok aren't on good terms. I just didn't know if it was because they were of rivalling gangs or..." Taehyung immediately shook his head, cutting Jungkook off.

"Hoseok used to be a lot tamer than he is now." Taehyung breathed. "I mean, he was still judgemental as hell, but he'd never really go as far as to try and hurt someone." Taehyung frowned, taking a sip of Jungkook's drink and shaking his head. "Jimin and him were in a situation in which Hoseok was about to be harmed. Jimin could've saved him, but didn't, and Hoseok held a grudge."

-

"I don't think you know how happy this makes me."

Hoseok smiled as he tugged down the collar of Jimin's shirt, observing the red burn mark that still stood out starkly against his skin. Hoseok had one of his own on the back of his neck, and knew exactly how Jimin got it. "Karma's a bitch, huh?"

Hoseok had stopped by to see if Taehyung was there, after not finding the demon at his own apartment. But he was met with the one demon he disliked the most.

Jimin narrowed his eyes and slapped Hoseok's hand away, taking a step back and keeping his guard up.

"I don't know why you've held a grudge for that." He sighed. "You wouldn't've thrown yourself into the river for me, so why should I have done it for you?"

Hoseok's eyes narrowed into a glare, the atmosphere in the room being tense since the moment he stepped in the room.

"I would have done it for you!" He spat. "Because believe or not, back then I actually cared about you. You were the only one of the sins who weren't a pain in the ass to be around. I actually liked you, which is hard to do when you're created to be jealous of everyone." Jimin's eyes widened, gulping as he listened to Hoseok's words. "If you got pushed in I would've dove in after you, so excuse me for thinking that you would've done the same."

"Hoseok-"

"But I was an idiot to think that, because you're just the same now as you were then; a selfish bitch." Hoseok hissed, taking a step forwards. "You don't care about anyone else just as long as you're doing fine. I wish I found that out sooner."

"Hoseok!" Jimin exclaimed, trying to end the rant that the older had started on. "I was terrified, okay? I'd only ever heard rumour about the river before, and all of them ended with death. Hoseok, I cared about you, but I couldn't die before I saw earth."

"What would you have done if I had drowned in there?" Hoseok asked. "Would you still jokingly name the punishment an 'envy'? Would you even remember after you stepped foot on earth?"

"Of course I'd remember!" Jimin huffed. "Hoseok I don't hate you. I never have. It's just some of the things that you do that I can't stand."

Hoseok shrugged.

"At least that's better than me. Because I can't seem to find anything likeable about you anymore." He sighed. "I don't know how Jungkook can stand being around you." His eyes glinted mischievously. "Oh yeah, because you're basically manipulating him into staying with you."

Jimin rolled his eyes.

"That's my fucking job." He groaned. "If you find the fact that I can have anyone I want so annoying, then go take it up with the devil; she's the one who made me after all." He leaned against the wall closest to him, brushing a few pieces of hair out of his face. "But I don't know if questioning the devil again would be a good decision on your part."

"You're unbelievable." Hoseok laughed without humour. "I did feel a bit guilty a first for snitching to the devil about what you did with Taehyung, but now I really don't regret it."

Jimin's eyes widened, in shock as he took in Hoseok's words.

"It was you?" He asked incredulously, Hoseok shrugging and nodding in response. "How? Why?"

"Taehyung told me, and I decided to pay a little visit downstairs to let the devil know what her favourite sin was doing instead of his job." Hoseok answered, cracking his knuckles and smiling devilishly as Jimin. "And why?"

Jimin nodded.

"Well that's simple." Hoseok exhaled. "You deserved it."

--