Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’ll probably have to be out for most of the day again.” Yoongi said as he started packing up his things. 

They were in their shared apartment that was situated on top of the coffee shop that Jimin owned. The entire building was hidden, meant to look like just a small apartment nestled within a shady alley. The cafe was only known to a select few, only able to be found if you really looked hard for it. They never promoted it, did not put up any signs, and certainly did not spread the word about it. If you knew, then you knew. Only people who needed it were able to find it. 

The cafe was still Jimin’s pride and joy. He’d always loved the art of coffee and it had been his dream of one day owning his own shop. 

He just never expected to own a shop that worked as a secret hideaway for people plotting to overthrow the crown. 

“You can’t stay in the shop today?” Jimin pouted because he truly hated it when Yoongi worked outside of the safety of the cafe.

Jimin hated how involved Yoongi was in the rebellion. Jimin hated that Yoongi was the one in charge of it.

Of course, Jimin supported the cause. He had been a victim of the crown since he could remember. Jimin just wished that Yoongi would do things that made him safer. He didn’t particularly tell Jimin everything that he got up to, because he knew that it would freak him out. It was a good and a bad thing that Jimin wasn’t as involved in what Yoongi was doing. Though on the occasion where Yoongi didn’t get home on time, Jimin became more anxious since he wasn’t sure what he was up to and if he was hurt.

Yoongi always told Jimin to trust him, and Jimin did. Jimin trusted Min Yoongi with his entire life and had done so since Yoongi had found him when they were both children. Jimin just didn’t want to find out what life without Yoongi would be like, and the more involved he got in the rebellion, the more scared Jimin became that he was eventually going to find out.

“I’m meeting up with Seokjin hyung.” Yoongi said as he put on his coat. 

Seokjin was the palace chef, and also Yoongi’s boyfriend. They met each other by coincidence. Yoongi had been sneaking around the palace while Seokjin was collecting herbs from the garden and found him. 

Jimin scolded Yoongi a lot when he found out about that, because what had Yoongi been thinking, being so close to the palace that the palace chef found him?

Luckily, however, Seokjin was smitten immediately.

Seokjin joined the rebellion quickly and started giving Yoongi information from inside the palace so that he wouldn’t need to go near it as often. It eased Jimin’s heart, but also made him fear for his Seokjin hyung. Naturally, the two of them had gotten close as well. 

Seokjin frequented the coffee shop whenever he was in town to buy ingredients or to visit Yoongi. He and Jimin became close extremely fast.

Jimin and Yoongi had multiple disagreements about Seokjin’s involvement because Jimin argued that Seokjin was in the most danger since he was in the actual palace itself. Yoongi was clearly extremely hurt by that and broke down in front of Jimin, telling him that he already knew that over and over

Apparently, Seokjin was the one to insist that he should be a double agent so that Yoongi wouldn’t need to go there and snoop around.

Jimin sometimes wondered if Seokjin got involved in the rebellion at all just to keep Yoongi a tiny bit safer.

Jimin loved his hyungs, but he hated that he had to be scared for them every single day.

“Seokjin hyung is in town?” Jimin asked as Yoongi started tying the shoelaces of his boots.

Jimin hoped that meant he would be able to see him. It had been some time since Seokjin last stopped by in the cafe and Jimin was due to catch up with him. As much as he hated Seokjin’s involvement in the rebellion, the palace gossip was extremely juicy, and Seokjin knew more than anyone else.

The kitchen had eyes and ears everywhere, which was why Seokjin was the best man for the job.

He was close to the servants, to the right hands of the crown. He served the King, Queen and crown prince every single day personally as the head chef. People just spoke in his presence, not thinking that a mere chef would do anything with the information they were just speaking about so easily. To them, Seokjin hardly existed.

“The crown prince wanted to come around today.” Yoongi rolled his eyes. “Seokjin offered to go into town with the brat along with the other palace staff so that he could buy ingredients… And see me obviously.”

Yoongi said the last part quickly with the faintest blush on his cheeks and Jimin cooed, loving the moments where he got to see how sweet Yoongi was with Seokjin. 

He wished it were under better circumstances.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sneak away to come here?” Jimin pouted with the biggest puppy dog eyes that he could muster, knowing that Yoongi fell for it almost every single time.

“I don’t want to risk it since the prince is around.” Yoongi sighed. “It’s tricky enough since hyung is making time to sneak away and see me. I don’t want to endanger you as well.”

“Okay…” Jimin sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing about it. 

Yoongi was extremely stubborn and cared about Jimin’s safety a million times more than his own. The love the two of them had for each other went beyond just being family, they were each other’s entire life.

Just as Jimin wouldn’t be able to live without Yoongi, Yoongi wouldn’t be able to live without Jimin.

“Just be careful since he’s going to be with the prince.” Jimin reminded him as Yoongi put his hand on the door knob, ready to leave. 

He knew Yoongi already knew that, but he had to say it anyway.

With the gentlest smile, Yoongi said, “I know, Jimin.” And walked down the stairs and out of the house, away from where Jimin could watch and make sure he was safe.

The house was quiet and unnerving without Yoongi and Jimin hated it. He hated the silence, he hated the unknown of Yoongi not being there, and most of all, he hated being alone with his thoughts.

That was another reason he loved the cafe so much. There was always noise. The sound of the beans grinding, the gentle hum of the espresso machine as Jimin pulled a shot, the sound of the tamp as it came down on the portafilter and tightly compacted the espresso grounds. 

There was just enough noise to tune out the anxious sound in Jimin’s head.

Jimin found he looked forward to it, and felt pulled towards it the moment in which Yoongi would leave the house. 

It was more than a coffee shop to Jimin, it was the reason for his sanity. 

The smell of coffee was embedded into the walls and Jimin took a deep breath as he walked into the shop that morning. He let it wash over him and distract him. 

Sometimes, setting up the shop was Jimin’s favorite part of the day. It was just him, sure, but it was also him and the coffee. 

Jimin liked to listen to music as he set up and danced around by himself. He kept the lights in the shop dim and sang along to his playlist as he filled up the grinders with beans and dialed in the espresso. 

He made himself his own drink and took small sips, savoring the taste as he counted the money in the register and set up the till.

It was a small shop, and didn’t take much to set up as all they sold were variations of coffee and tea. Still, it was Jimin’s entire livelihood. 

In a different universe, Jimin imagined Seokjin could be their baker and they could sell pastries. He thought Yoongi could help in the back and they would sell breakfast and lunch items as well while Jimin took care of the coffee orders and customers. He wanted that, he wanted that so badly. 

Yoongi told him that once the rebellion won and the royals were gone they could do that, but realistically Jimin didn’t think that day would ever come.

Jimin would listen to Yoongi as he talked about the future and the life they could have together after it was all over. Jimin never said what he actually thought because he didn’t want Yoongi to lose the shining glimmer of hope in his eyes that was so rare and only appeared when he talked about their life after.

Jimin didn’t think there would ever be an after.

He leaned back against the counter and sighed as he took another sip of his own drink before he needed to unlock the doors and let people in.

That morning he made himself an iced latte with maple and cinnamon. He took small sips so that it would last longer.

“I guess I should open up.” Jimin said to the espresso machine. “That one guy is probably waiting outside to be let in like he always does.”

Jimin’s shop had extremely loyal customers. It was a word of mouth situation that was kept mostly under wraps due to the nature of conversation that went on inside.

Jimin had the same regulars basically every single day, but most of them didn’t share much with him. Jimin wanted the chance to get to know his customers, to find out their names, what they did all day in the shop. He wanted so badly to get to know everyone, but he knew he couldn’t.

The people that came in did so because they knew their privacy would be kept.

Jimin didn’t know what types of people he was serving, and that was just how it was going to be.

There was always one guy who seemed to come just a little bit too early every morning and would wait outside for Jimin to open up the doors. He must have been around the same age as him, but Jimin never asked.

He also didn’t like coffee, or at least he had never ordered it. He always got either a hot chocolate or a London Fog (with vanilla and lavender mixed together). He would just sit in the coffee shop for a few hours in the morning typing away on his laptop. He never met with anyone else, and never chatted with anyone. Nobody seemed to know him either and he never even got a wave or nod of recognition from the other customers that would come in during the day.

He was probably the only regular that Jimin actually talked to, though. He didn’t know his name, or really anything about him, but he still chatted with Jimin every morning before the other customers came.

It wasn’t a shock when Jimin opened the door and he was already there, waiting. 

“You’re here too early again.” Jimin said as he let him in. “It looks suspicious if you’re just standing in an alleyway by yourself. You should be careful today especially, I heard the prince is coming through.”

The customer raised an eyebrow as he followed Jimin over to the counter so that he could order. “Hi darling. Prince Jungkook is coming?”

The customer always used pet names for Jimin. He never minded because they couldn’t share their real names anyway.

“That’s what I heard.” Jimin replied as he stood at the register.

Jimin probably shouldn’t be sharing that information with him, but the town would find out soon anyway when the royal entourage would come through and ruin the peaceful atmosphere.

He’d seen it happen too many times before. 

“So what is it today? Hot chocolate or tea?”

The man licked his lips and stared at the menu board behind Jimin as if he had never seen it before.

“What are you drinking?” He asked, nodding over to Jimin’s drink.

“You don’t like coffee. It’s a latte.”

“How do you know I don’t like coffee?” He seemed genuinely surprised as Jimin laughed.

“I’m observant. So is it hot chocolate or tea today?”

He beamed at Jimin. “Hot chocolate, it’s chilly outside today. There’s a slight drizzle, too.”

Jimin sighed, thinking about Yoongi being out there in the cold. He should have made him dress warmer if only he had checked the weather beforehand.

Jimin grabbed a pitcher and poured in the milk before purging the steam wand of any residue that might have been in there, and also heating it up to prepare to froth..

Jimin dipped the wand into the pitcher and let the milk steam up to temperature before putting it back down on the counter for a moment, tapping it a few times to dissipate the bubbles. He set it down and wiped the steam wand, purging it again. He groomed the milk by swirling it a few times.

He added chocolate powder to the bottom of the mug and poured a small splash of the steamed milk over it before stirring it with the small whisks they have so that the chocolate melted in and distributed well in the milk, making sure there were no clumps left over. From there he held the mug at a slight angle and poured the milk over and formed a nice rosetta with the microfoam. 

“Here you are.” He said as he handed the drink over the counter. “Made with love, of course.”

The customer laughed. “Thanks, sweetheart. You’re so interesting. Every morning I watch you make my drinks with so much care and I wonder why you didn’t open up a shop in the main part of the city. Though, I like having you as my best kept secret.”

“I’m here for the same reasons my customers are.” Jimin replied, enough to make him understand.

The customer just hummed. “I know, and I appreciate that.”

He winked at Jimin before going to the table in the corner that he sat in every single day and carefully placed his hot chocolate down before taking out his laptop.

Jimin wondered what his story was. He may be the one he talks to the most, but he was also the most mysterious of them all.

Jimin knew it was unlikely that any of his customers would be in for a little while since he was never too busy to begin with. He took out his phone to text Yoongi and ask how things were going.

Yoongi didn’t usually respond to texts when he was out on business, but Jimin still sent him messages anyway to ease his own heart.

Yoongi replied, most likely because the prince hadn’t come by yet, and said that Seokjin mentioned that they were just leaving the palace.

Prince Jungkook was beloved by most of the country. He was the darling prince with a reputation for being a gentleman and kind to everyone he came in contact with. He was adored, and there were constant streams of articles being written about how good he was. The rebellion hated him for it. They hated how Prince Jungkook fed so easily into the propaganda and made himself look like he was actually a good royal.

There were no good royals.

Even if Prince Jungkook was as kind as people said, he was still benefiting from the evil rule of the crown and ruining the common people’s lives. He was still feeding into the delusion of the commoners within his country that pushed content about how good he was while articles about people being driven out of their own towns and homes due to gentrification were buried. Jimin wasn’t as involved in the rebellion as Yoongi, but it all still left an extremely bitter taste in his mouth; especially considering that he too, had been affected by the royals and their uncaring attitude towards the lower class.

There was only one journalist that managed to get around the media play that the crown participated in. His name was V and there was not a single person that knew his identity. Nobody was particularly sure what side he was on, just that nothing got past him. He had eyes and ears everywhere, and there were not any whispers that went without him finding out. He was both a pain and an asset to the rebellion. He painted life in the Capital for what it was, no bullshit, and the rest of the country ate it up. 

Jimin was sure that the crown hated him, and God knows what they would do if they ever found out his identity. 

The coffee shop was quiet apart from the tapping that his only customer was partaking in. Jimin watched him as he typed and took sips of his hot chocolate. He was always so focused on his laptop and whatever he was writing. Jimin continued watching him for a few minutes before another customer came in.

She ordered a small black coffee and then sat at a corner on the opposite side of the shop from the other customer. It was normal for people to not want to sit near each other due to the nature of some of the conversations that went on inside.

A few minutes later someone else came in, ordered, and sat with her. The two of them immediately started a hushed conversation that Jimin wished he could hear. It looked like his other customer was intrigued too, because he kept glancing up over his laptop. At one point he looked over at Jimin and wiggled his eyebrows as if he knew how nosey Jimin was as well.

Jimin held back a laugh and decided to busy himself with some mundane cleaning tasks so as to not look so suspicious. It wouldn’t look good for the shop if Jimin were seen as someone who was listening in rather than a neutral person who minded his business and allowed for people to do as they pleased.

Two more customers walked in together as Jimin was pretending to wipe a spot on the counter.

“He just acts like he can come and go whenever he pleases.” One of them was complaining as they walked up to the counter.

Jimin met them at the register.

“Never a warning when the entire royal entourage wants to come to town and disrupt our daily life. It’s always a huge deal, too, and they want us to act like we are lucky to have him in our presence.” The other agreed.

“Hello, gentlemen.” Jimin greeted, paying no mind to their earlier conversation. “What could I get started for you?”

“Good morning.” One of the men said, greeting Jimin.

None of the customers knew Jimin’s name as he did not know theirs. That was just how things were done.

“Good morning, how are you both today?”

The other man rolled his eyes. “Things were good until that good for nothing crown prince showed up unexpectedly. The city's a mess trying to accommodate him right now. I wasn’t even going to stop by here today, but it’s the only place that’s not a god damn disaster.”

Jimin hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Thinks he can just come and go as he pleases because he’s the people’s darling prince. Thinks everyone wants to get a look at him as if he’s something special. Load of bullshit, if you ask me.”

Jimin noticed the other customer on the laptop was listening in as well, and Jimin couldn’t really blame him.

“Anyways. I want a cappuccino.” One of the men said and the other gave his order as well. 

Jimin got to work making the two drinks, a cappuccino and a flat white, and hardly noticed the first customer walk back up to the counter, laptop put away. He placed his empty mug on the counter, but continued to watch Jimin.

“I noticed that people just share information with you.” He said as Jimin added some chocolate powder to the top of the cappuccino. “They trust you enough for that.”

Jimin called out the two drinks before turning to him. “They know I won’t do anything with what they tell me. Confidentiality is extremely important to me.”

Taehyung watched as the two men, still engrossed in their complaints, took the drinks and went back to their table.

“That’s what I like about this place.” He said, drumming his fingers along the counter. “Anyways, I have things to do, apparently. It was nice chatting with you, as always.”

He never usually said anything to Jimin before leaving. This was the most the two of them had ever talked before, which was extremely curious to Jimin.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning then, honeybunch.” He looked like he was about to turn around and walk out when he paused, as if in thought. “The name’s Taehyung by the way.”

Jimin stared, eyes widening, because nobody ever shared their name in the coffee shop. It was an unspoken rule that had been explicitly followed up until that point. 

“What? I have nothing to hide. See you tomorrow.”

With that, Taehyung turned around and walked out, not even giving Jimin a chance to respond. All that was left of the encounter was the dish that he had left on the counter.

Taehyung. 

Jimin wasn’t sure if it was a fake name, but he honestly didn’t think so. He thought knowing the name of that specific customer actually made him more mysterious, somehow. Jimin wasn’t sure what to make of him, and decided to just shrug it off.  

The day went by as usual after that. It was a bit busier than normal as not many people wanted to be out at the same time as the crown prince, and Jimin couldn’t blame them. He was happy that his shop could be a refuge for those who wanted nothing to do with the crown. Those who needed an escape and a place where they could just feel free to say what was on their mind without a royal officer breathing down their neck. 

Jimin happily made coffees and small talk and listened as many people complained about the state of the city. The traffic was bad, the public transport was impossible to get to, people were crowding the streets to get even a glimpse of him. Jimin heard it all, and he listened with as much neutrality as he could.

He hadn’t heard from Yoongi throughout the day, but that was relatively normal. He hoped that Seokjin would’ve been able to stop by, but he understood why Yoongi didn’t think it was smart. Jimin still pouted to himself about it because he missed his hyung.

Jimin got ready to start closing as evening approached. Yoongi would be home soon, and the shop was already empty from others leaving to attempt to go on their way home. Whenever a royal came into the city, they never stayed for too long, so most assumed that the entourage would be headed back to the palace for dinner. Jimin had been checking social media throughout the day to see the updates and the outside world seemed like a mess to him. There were so many videos with swarms of people crowded around Prince Jungkook to the point where you could only see the top of his head at times. Jimin saw glimpses of the royal advisor and the right hand in some of the clips, but the footage surrounding the visit was almost impossible to even watch.

Jimin had mostly been looking for Seokjin in them, but he must have split up from the group quickly upon arrival. Jimin knew he wasn’t very fond of crowds.

Prince Jungkook was a phenomenon. They treated him like he was a celebrity rather than the future ruler of their country. There were fan pages dedicated to him and people who tried to sneak into the palace just to see him. 

It made Jimin sick. 

He decided to just close up the shop and ignore the outside chaos, not wanting to even bother going out after work. 

He started cleaning the espresso machine and was scrubbing one of the portafilters when the door to the shop slammed open, hard enough that it actually startled Jimin. He jumped at the noise and dropped the portafilter causing it to land back in the bucket of hot water and cleaning powder.

“Oh, you scared me.” Jimin said, turning around. “The shop is closed up for the day, I just haven’t locked the doors yet. You can come back tomorrow morning though.”

The person was just standing at the wall next to the door, pressed completely up against it. His face was covered in a black mask and he had on a black bucket hat covering his hair. He was wearing a large coat that came down to his knees. Jimin wasn’t sure if he was a regular or not, but it didn’t matter either way.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Jimin leaned up against the counter and gave his best disappointed expression so that the customer would feel bad for even thinking about barging in during closing hours.

The man continued to just stand there.

“Please, please let me stay.” He said, but his voice was a bit muffled from the mask and the fact that he was across the room from Jimin.

Jimin liked to put on a tough front when dealing with his customers due to the nature of his cafe, but he was also weak hearted, and he hated turning away people who seemed to be in need. This man, Jimin thought, definitely seemed to be in need.

Jimin was also incredibly nosey. He was nosey and wanted to know this person’s deal.

“Okay, fine. Go sit down and let me close up. I’m going to lock the doors. I can offer you tea if that’s okay? I already started cleaning the espresso machine and it’s rinsing right now.”

The man just nodded and sat at a table and immediately put his face down on it, forehead pressed against the top of the table.

Jimin’s heart clenched as he thought about what someone must be going through to willingly put their head on a table in a public shop.

He walked around the counter and past the table to lock up the door, but the man didn’t look up.

“Door’s locked now. Do you have a tea preference?” Jimin’s voice was gentle as he stood in front of the table that the man was at. 

He still didn’t look up but he mumbled a response. “Earl grey tea with honey please.”

“Okay.” Jimin replied gently, already feeling enough pity to get over his annoyance at someone coming in after close. “I’ll get that for you after I clean up everything.”

Jimin cleaned out the hoppers and finished up wiping down the espresso machine and counters. 

He usually mopped after work, but he decided he wouldn’t bother since someone was already inside and he could just do it the next day.

It was chilly out and Jimin thought he could use a tea as well, so he made both himself and his guest teas with honey. Jimin walked back over to the table with the steaming cups, sitting across from the mysterious customer.

“Here you are. You’re going to have to look up if you want to drink the tea, though.” Jimin reminded him, and his guest just sighed.

“You promise that the door is locked?” He asked with his head still pressed down.

“Yeah, it is.”

The man just nodded and looked up, and for the first time, Jimin saw his eyes. 

They were full of anxiety and what seemed to be exhaustion. They kept flicking around the room and at the door as if to make sure there was nobody else inside the shop. When they landed on Jimin, he didn’t look away, and just smiled at him.

“I don’t know what’s bothering you, but you’re safe here.” Jimin told him. “I don’t think you’ve been here before, but the idea of this shop is that it’s supposed to be hidden and a way for people to get away from their worries in the world. Nobody is going to bother you here, because there are very few people who know this location.”

“Oh.” His guest seemed to relax, as if all the tension had just left his body, as if that was the one thing he had needed to hear.

“I’m actually shocked that you found it, since it’s quite hidden. Were you running from something?” Jimin didn’t usually ask this many questions, but this person had interrupted his close and Jimin was technically off the clock (if you can even say that considering he is his own boss).

The man nodded and wrapped his hands around the cup of tea to warm them up. He still hadn’t taken off his mask. “You could say that. You’re really nice to let me stay here, I’m so sorry for bothering you when you were closed. I actually didn’t know anything was here… I just saw a door and ran inside. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Oh, it’s okay.” Any irritation Jimin had felt went away immediately at the confession. 

This man was kind, and he truly seemed distraught that he had disturbed Jimin, but Jimin personally thought he had more things to worry about.

“Why don’t you take a sip of your tea before it gets cold. It was chilly outside today, right? It must have been busy out there too with everything going on.”

His guest was silent at that and there was some tension in the air. He started down at his cup of tea as Jimin took a small sip of his own. He had chosen chamomile for himself.

“Everything is my fault. I wish I could just get away from it all.” He still didn’t take off his mask, and his voice was full of dread.

“This cafe can allow you that, even just for a little while.” Jimin promised. “Come on, drink up. Warm yourself up. Take off your coat and stay awhile, this can be your escape even for just a little bit.”

His guest was tentative as he reached up to his mask. His fingers hovered over it for a moment before he changed his mind and reached for his large coat instead and slowly took it off. Jimin tried to hold back his look of surprise at the expensive attire the man had on, definitely not what he had been expecting.

It was a white button up with gold sewn into the collar. The shirt was tucked into neat black pants that had been ironed to perfection. The guest put his jacket back against the chair behind him and reached up towards his mask again.

Jimin had no idea what to expect at that point, because this customer was already proving to be more mysterious than anyone else he had ever seen.

“Promise you won’t kick me out, please.” He begged Jimin, fingers still hovering over the mask.

“I promise.” Jimin whispered. “It would go against everything I wanted when I started this shop. I promise I won’t make you go back out there.”

The guest nodded and slowly took off the mask, his face coming into view.

Jimin’s heart stopped. He felt completely frozen as he stared at the person in front of him. 

Prince Jungkook stared back, with pleading eyes and shaky hands. 

“Please, don’t make me leave. I can’t go back out there. I can’t.”

Jimin wasn’t sure what he himself looked like, but Jungkook’s eyes seemed like they were holding back tears. He clenched his fists at the table and looked down at them as if he were willing them to stop shaking.

“I,” Jimin could hardly get out a word because he had never expected to be in this situation before. “What are you doing here?”

Jimin was also shaking at that point. There were no words to describe what he was feeling, seeing his country’s future ruler sitting in front of him looking as pathetic as he did. 

“I ran away.” Jungkook said as he clasped his hands around the cup of tea again, still hadn't taken a sip. “I ran away from them. I can’t go back, I can’t.”

“You’re the prince.” Jimin said, still in disbelief. “You can’t be here.”

“You promised!” Panic filled Jungkook’s voice, and his eyes were still pleading. “You promised me you wouldn’t kick me out.”

Jimin had. Jimin had promised him that, and it was also a promise he had made himself ages ago. He wanted to help people in need, no matter who they were. He wanted to create a safe space for the residents of a city that was being destroyed and overtaken by the crown. Jimin was supposed to be protecting his city from people like Jungkook. 

Yet, here he was, considering letting Jungkook stay.

“Okay.” Jimin’s voice was hardly a whisper, but Jungkook still heard him anyway and Jimin could see the way relief flooded throughout his body. “I’ll let you stay, but just for a little while. You have to leave tonight before my hyung gets back.”

There was absolutely no way that Jimin could let Yoongi find out about Jungkook being there. Nobody could ever know.

“Thank you.” Jungkook’s eyes filled with tears again, but he did nothing to stop them. “Thank you so much.”

“Tell me what’s going on though.” Jimin said as he took another sip of tea, Jungkook still didn't have any. “Why are you running away?”

Jungkook finally lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip, before sighing as he put the cup back down. “The tea is excellent, thank you. I assume you haven’t poisoned me?”

Jimin let out a huff. “I just found out who you were, why would I have poisoned you?”

Jungkook shrugged. “People have tried.”

“Is that why you’re running away?” Jimin tried to hold back his curiosity, but he didn’t think he would ever have an opportunity to speak to the crown prince ever again. 

Jungkook just shook his head, and took another sip of tea.

“Another thing about this coffee shop is that I take confidentiality extremely seriously. Whatever is said in here doesn’t leave the shop. Anything you say to me will not even get whispered to another soul.”

“I shouldn’t trust you.” Jungkook said, but he didn’t sound like he really cared that much.

“I shouldn’t have let you into my shop, but here we are.” Jimin replied, but it was lighthearted.

Jungkook laughed, just a little bit, and it was the first time Jimin had seen him smile since he walked through the shop doors.

“My parents… I don’t want to be around them right now. They’re trying to set me up in an arranged marriage that I don’t want anything to do with. It’s because they… They found out I was seeing someone. I’m not anymore… It wasn’t very serious but… They found out.”

Jimin just nodded as he let Jungkook speak, not wanting to overwhelm him. 

“Anyway, they didn’t approve of my preference. So now they’re pushing arranged marriage on me. They keep telling me I’m far too old and I need to settle down and have children since I will be taking over the crown soon.”

Jungkook picked at his nails nervously as he spoke and his voice faltered every so often. Jimin continued to just let him speak as he sipped on his tea.

“I told them I’m not ready to get married and it was a huge argument because they said all I do is fool around and don’t take anything seriously. They hate that I disagree on a lot of the ideas they have and because of that they don’t think I’ll ever be ready to take over.”

“I see.” Jimin said, not really knowing what else to say.

In the grand scheme of things, Jungkook’s problems were nothing compared to the terror his parents had inflicted on Jimin’s own friends and family. But, he still wanted to remain neutral and hear him out because that’s what he promised he would do for anyone else, no matter how trivial their issues were.

Jimin still couldn’t help but feel a little bit bitter that Jungkook was running away from an arranged marriage while his own citizens were being forcibly pushed out of their homes.

“I’m sorry that’s happening.” Jimin said instead as Jungkook seemed done speaking.

Jungkook just shrugged. “I just needed a break from it all.”

“You needed a break so you took your royal entourage to the capital and ran away from them?” Jimin tilted his head in question, amusement on his features.

“They should have expected it, honestly. I do feel bad because they’re my closest friends, but I just needed a break. I forgot what would happen when I came here though… I forget it always gets made into a big deal.”

“I saw videos earlier.” Jimin admitted. “I could barely see you in them because of how crowded things were. I’m actually shocked you were able to escape.”

“I had a whole plan.” There was a light in Jungkook’s eyes that hadn’t been there previously, and something devious washed over his face for just a second. “Want to hear it?”

Jimin thought that Jungkook was almost cute, and just a little childish. He pushed those thoughts to the side because they were irrelevant.

“Sure.”

“I knew there would be no escape once we made it to the capital. I disguised it as a regular outing, plus my chef had mentioned needing to come in for ingredients, anyway.” Jungkook said and Jimin tried not to smile at the mention of Seokjin.

“We all made it to the city and let Seokjin hyung go off to get his things… Oh, sorry. That’s my chef. So my advisor and right hand were with me as well, along with the guards. We hung around the city for a bit, but it was seriously overwhelming like you said. I hate that everything I do turns into an event, and I hate being looked at like a zoo animal.”

Jimin could feel sympathy there, because there was no reason for anyone to be swarmed like that at any given moment. It was simply not okay. 

Jimin was curious at how Jungkook easily referred to Seokjin as his hyung. He hadn’t thought the two of them were close at all as Seokjin hardly brought Jungkook up.

“So we hung around for the day and then I said I was ready to head back. I texted Seokjin hyung and he found us back at where we split off and we started heading towards the palace. Namjoon hyung, oh sorry, my advisor sticks to me like glue, so I knew it was going to be a little tough to break free of him and my right hand.” Jungkook shook his head, thinking about it.

Jimin was caught up on Jungkook texting Seokjin, but he knew he couldn’t ask about it without looking extremely suspicious. He had no idea that Seokjin and Jungkook had exchanged phone numbers. 

He wondered if Yoongi knew about that.

“I started slowly faltering my steps so I was subtly walking slower and slower than the rest of them. Namjoon hyung and Hoseok hyung easily get caught up in conversation so I knew they’d be able to distract each other just enough. ” Jungkook smiled extremely proudly as he recounted that, his nose scrunching up very cutely (Jimin disregarded that thought immediately). 

“Once I was far enough back, I booked it back into the city. I was already wearing my disguise in preparation for this and there was nobody who was going to question why I was dressed that way. Unfortunately, I got spotted nearly immediately as I came in.”

Jimin sighed, shaking his head. Of course he got spotted. 

“I mean, people are kind of obsessed with you.”

Jungkook shrugged. “That’s when I found you. I was running away from the people who spotted me and came in here. I was willing to do anything to get away from it which is why I opened a random door and walked in. I never would have expected this place to be a shop, there are no signs or anything outside. The door is also dilapidated looking and you should maybe replace it.”

Jimin burst out laughing because Jungkook seemed so serious. “We made it look that way on purpose, I promise it is not rotten or anything. I told you the entire idea of this shop is to be a hideaway. Why would a hideaway have signs?” 

Jungkook smiled back at Jimin and for a moment, he forgot he was so casually chatting with the crown prince of his country. A crown prince that he was supposed to hate.

“I guess that’s a valid point.” Jungkook decided, sipping more of his tea. “They probably noticed I’m missing by now.”

“I’m sure they noticed seconds after you ran off. I assumed you get watched like a hawk.” Jimin replied.

“Mhm,” Jungkook nodded. “It’s really annoying, even if I understand why. I’m thankful for everyone that helps out and lets me come here. They’re going to be really mad at me for escaping.”

“Yeah, how are you planning to get back?”

Jungkook froze, as if he hadn’t even considered that. “I guess I’ll call Hoseok hyung and give him a place, not here, so that he can find me.”

Jimin thought that Seokjin would be the best bet since he already knew about Jimin’s shop, but obviously couldn’t mention that.

Jungkook pulled his phone out of his pocket and immediately winced. “Oh wow.”

Jimin watched as he scrolled through what seemed like a hundred notifications. Well, it probably was in reality even more than a hundred notifications. 

“They’re kind of mad at me.” Jungkook decided, as he put his phone face down on the table and ignored all of it. 

“You can’t ignore them forever.” Jimin told him and Jungkook scoffed.

“I know, I just like to pretend. This is the first time I’ve felt normal in my entire life. I’ve never had anyone talk to me so casually like this. You didn’t even bow.”

Jimin shrugged. “You clearly didn’t want to tell me who you were. Besides, like I said, this coffee shop disregards everything in the outside world.”

Jungkook took the final sip of his tea. “So why did you make this shop? I know it’s to give people a chance to escape, but… What exactly are they escaping?”

Jimin glared, because while it seemed correct for Jungkook to be extremely unknowledgeable, he hadn’t expected it so blatantly.

“Maybe because people are being driven out of their homes by the upper class and can’t say anything about the crown without a guard breathing down their neck, ready to accuse them of treason?”

Jungkook looked stricken, and tensed up immediately. “What?”

Jimin leaned back in his chair. “You can’t tell me you don’t know. They’re pricing out the lower class so that the rich can take over the capital. People are being pushed out of their homes because they can’t afford to live here anymore.”

“I thought…” Jungkook looked deep in thought. “I thought we were building up more homes here so that people in the outside towns could move into the capital?”

Jimin noticed that he said it as a question, as if he wasn’t entirely sure of what he was saying as well.

“They don’t need to build homes.” Jimin said darkly. “They keep raising the prices of rent and necessities. Nobody can afford to live here. They don’t need to build homes because they want to run out the lower class so that they can have the capital of their dreams.”

Jungkook stared, in horror.

“Why would the crown want the lower class dirtying their shining capital? We are the dirt at the bottom of their shoe and don’t deserve to be living here.”

“I didn’t…”

“You can’t say you don’t know, I’m sorry.” Jimin said. “You’re directly involved by being the crown prince. As the future ruler of this country, how can you not know what the common people are going through? How can you not see the struggle that your people face whenever you come to visit and stroll around with your entourage? Do you not see the way the streets get blocked off just so you can walk by? That buses and trains stop running to accommodate your visit? That you’re disrupting the daily life of your people?”

He hadn’t meant to get so heated, and he was buzzing with anger just thinking about it all. He had listened to complaints all day from his customers who were dealing with the aftermath of Jungkook’s visit. He himself was directly affected by the visit, before even Jungkook came by.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that.” Jungkook admitted, causing Jimin to laugh bitterly.

“I know you didn’t. I know.”

Jungkook shuffled awkwardly in his seat and went to take a sip of tea even though his cup was empty. 

“I want to be a good King.” Jungkook whispered. “I want people to like me and I want to do things that will help people like you… Everyday people.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“I can’t.”

Jimin crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re the crown prince, what do you mean you can’t?”

“My parents don’t let me have a say in anything I do. They limit my access to the internet. None of my accounts are run by me. I don’t know what’s happening outside of what I hear from my family. I don’t know anything.”

“They want to groom you into being another one of them.” Jimin thought out loud. “How can you rule a country if you don’t know what’s happening inside of it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know…” 

Jimin thought that Jungkook did actually seem upset at what he was telling him, and he was trying to still have a neutral perspective of it all despite having gotten heated before. Jungkook clearly was open to learning about the state of his country, and it didn’t necessarily seem like his fault that he was so completely oblivious to what was happening in it.

He couldn’t imagine what it was like to grow up thinking your family runs a perfect society, and then to have such an ordinary person tell you it's a load of shit. 

Jimin did feel pity for Jeon Jungkook. He felt pity more than he felt anger.

Jungkook was the darling prince who could do no wrong in the eyes of the people. He knew that those in even the poorest towns saw Jungkook as some sort of glimmer of hope due to the propaganda the crown put out about how good he was. Jungkook might have been the last hope the people had, and yet, he had no idea about the struggles they were facing. He had no idea that the people in those towns were struggling to find food to eat or support their families. He had no idea that even in the capital, the richest city in the country, people were being forced from their homes. He had no idea at all.

And so, Jimin just felt pity for him.

“There’s nothing stopping you from learning.” Jimin told him. “You don’t have to be ignorant for the rest of your life.”

“How can I do that? Once I leave here tonight I will go back to the palace and they will lock me up for trying to escape. They will probably censor what I see even more than they already do. How can I stop being ignorant if it’s forced upon me?”

Jimin stared at him, at the pathetic prince sitting across the table. 

“You really think you’re that powerless?” He asked.

Jungkook nodded.

“Then you will get nothing done. How can you change if you don’t believe it’s possible for you to do so? Running away isn’t going to do anything for this country. If you truly want it to be a better place, then you need to do something about it yourself.”

“Then let me visit you again.” Jungkook pleaded, and Jimin was taken aback.

“Let me visit you again when I’m able to escape the palace next. You know more about the people of this country than I do. I need you to help me more than anyone else, please.”

“You cannot tell anyone about this place.” Jimin told him. “Nobody can find out this shop exists.”

Jungkook nodded. “I know.”

“You shouldn’t even be here right now.” Jimin said. “You never should have been here, and you never should come back.”

“Please…” Jungkook begged.

“However.” Jimin relented. “It would go against what I stand for to turn away a customer.”

Jungkook slumped over in relief when he realized Jimin would let him return again. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

“You need to be careful, though. If anyone finds out about this shop because of you, I will be forced to leave. I’m aiding in your escape and harboring you here right now, do you understand? Do you know what they’ll do to me if they find out?”

Jungkook shook his head, because of course he didn’t know.

“Don’t let it come to the point where you have to find out, then.” Jimin said with finality. “There are eyes and ears all over the capital. You need to be extremely careful when you come here. People are watching your every move, Jeon Jungkook.”

“I promise I’ll never do anything to put you in danger.” Jungkook said, but Jimin just smiled bitterly.

“But you already have, haven’t you? Just you coming here tonight has put me in more danger than I’ve ever been in before, and trust me when I say that’s an extremely hard feat.” 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

Jimin just stared at him.

“I will do my best to keep you out of any more danger.” Jungkook said, retracting his previous statement. 

“That’s better.” Jimin decided and the two of them just sat in silence for a moment. “You’re not too bad to talk to, anyway.”

Jungkook grinned again, clearly loving the half assed compliment that Jimin gave him. “Thank you!”

Jimin hated how endearing Jungkook actually was. He hated that the propaganda surrounding him wasn’t even that fabricated because Jungkook actually was an extremely nice person. Ignorant, but he was so sweet. He guessed it must have been easy for the crown to work him into his role of the darling prince that gave their people a false sense of hope.

“By the way,” Jungkook said a little nervously. “I never got your name.”

“I don’t share it with my customers.” Jimin replied, casually, ready for the pout that Jungkook was about to give him.

“You know all of my secrets. You could ruin my life right now.” Jungkook argued.

“You could ruin mine more than I could ever ruin yours.” Jimin argued back, knowing he won. 

Jungkook sighed in defeat, but Jimin wasn’t done teasing him quite yet.

“Maybe try and earn it if you want to learn my name so badly. Next time you come here, if I think you did a good job of being sneaky enough maybe I’ll tell you.”

Jungkook lit up immediately as if Jimin had just given him some type of prize. Maybe to Jungkook, learning Jimin’s name was a prize in a sense.

“I like challenges.” Jungkook said, and Jimin already knew that. 

“In any case, I’m older than you. Hyung works fine until you earn the right to my name.” Jimin was a bit cocky, he knew he was pushing it by acting that way with a royal but Jungkook was so sweet and so easy to tease. 

Jimin thought he was a bit like a puppy.

“You want me to call you hyung? Shouldn’t you be using honorifics on me?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but Jimin wasn’t deterred at all.

“Why should I do that? You’re in my shop, prince or not. You don’t seem like the type who would like it if I called you by your royal title every time we talked, Jungkook-ah.”

Jimin was just being a brat at that point, purposely dropping all honorifics on Jungkook with the goal of riling him up. Unfortunately, Jungkook seemed to like it just a bit too much considering the way his face turned bright red.

“Oh… Well, okay. Yeah, I guess.” Was what Jungkook said back, and Jimin once again, hated how cute he was.

“As much as I’d love to harbor you as a fugitive all night, you need to get going. If my hyung finds you here I think he might actually kill you.”

Jungkook frowned. “I can probably win him over, too.”

Jimin shook his head. “No, I’m serious. He’ll kill you. It’s time to leave.”

Jungkook begrudgingly reached for his phone and sighed extremely dramatically as he told Jimin he was going to call his hyung.

Jimin remained silent as Jungkook pressed dial and put the phone on speaker, for some reason. Jimin wasn’t sure why Jungkook wanted him to hear the conversation. 

His hyung picked up before the first ring could even end.

“Where the fuck are you, you little shit!” Came yelling from the other end.

Jimin had to slap a hand over his mouth and actually bite down to stop from bursting into laughter. It had not been what he was expecting at all.

“Hyung I ran away.” Jungkook said with the poutiest voice he could muster. “I’m halfway across the country.”

Jimin rolled his eyes at the lie from Jungkook and prayed for the sanity of whoever was on the phone with him.

“I don’t care where you are.” Said the extremely stressed out voice. “Give us your location and we will be there as fast as possible. I’m trying to not get publicly executed today, thanks.”

“Meet me at the train station.” Jungkook relented. “I’m kind of near there right now.”

Jimin thought about it and realized that it was a very safe bet because the train station was about a 15 minute walk from the shop. Jimin couldn’t help the worry that bubbled up in him as he thought about Jungkook walking there by himself.

“We have the car. You lost walking home privileges.” Jungkook’s hyung said.

Jungkook huffed. “I’m not going to run again, I promise.”

“No. Namjoon and I will be there in a moment. Your ass is finished when I get to you.” The call ended immediately after that and Jungkook just shrugged.

“He’s going to kill me.”

Jimin actually burst out laughing then, and he laughed so hard he almost fell off the chair he was sitting on. The ridiculousness of the situation was finally catching up to him, especially with the nature of that phone call. He laughed so hard that his eyes teared up and Jungkook ended up laughing with him.

“Hyung don’t laugh at me!” Jungkook said between giggles. “You’re laughing and I’m about to walk to my death!”

“You…” Jimin tried, but he started laughing too hard to speak again. He took a few breaths. “What is wrong with you?”

“I’m a delight. That’s what everyone says.” 

“Delightful pain in the ass.” Jimin snorted. “Come on, put your coat back on. We’re walking you to the train station.”

“Wait what? We?”

“Yeah, us. I’m not going to let the crown prince of this country fend for himself in the dark. Come on, zip up that jacket and put your mask back on.”

“Hyung.” Jungkook groaned, exasperated. “I just promised to not put you in danger anymore.”

“No arguments. Let’s go. Maybe I’ll be able to witness your hyung killing you. Don’t deprive me of that excitement.”

Jungkook grumbled under his breath but got ready to head out, anyway. “Fine, but if something happens, it’s not my fault.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jimin slipped on a mask and hat of his own before they left and they walked out the door together. 

“I’m glad we had that tea.” Jimin said, shivering slightly at the bitterness of the cold. “It’s so chilly out.”

“I told you to stay home.” Jungkook replied, not caring about Jimin’s predicament. “You could have prevented this.”

“You were just begging for a chance to see me again and now you already want to get rid of me. How are you supposed to earn my name acting like that?”

Jimin saw Jungkook’s shoulders shake as he giggled. He found that he liked making Jungkook laugh a lot.

The capital was alive and bustling late in the evening as people who hadn’t been able to go out during the day ran their errands then. Street vendors worked hard to sell whatever they were cooking and all sorts of smells wafted through the air. 

The world didn’t stop for Jungkook for maybe the first time in his entire life.

Jimin watched as Jungkook looked around frantically in all directions, and he couldn’t tell if he was scared of someone recognizing him, or just that he was taking everything in properly. It might have been a mix of both.

People paid absolutely no mind to the two of them as they walked together towards the train station. 

They hardly spoke too, as Jungkook was probably scared that someone would recognize his voice. Jimin didn’t mind, though. He just wanted to make sure that Jungkook stayed safe on his way home.

Once they reached the station, Jimin could already see the sleek black car that was waiting for Jungkook.

“Looks like your ride is here.” Jimin told him, noticing how hesitant Jungkook seemed.

“Hyung… Can I at least get your phone number?” Jungkook asked, before he had to walk away.

Jimin shook his head. “That will be a treat for after you earn my name. You have to find a way to see me again, first.”

Jungkook nodded, as if he expected that response. “I will see you again. I’ll find a way.”

“Okay, Jungkook-ah.”

“Thank you for everything.” Jungkook said. “I’ll see you next time.”

With that, the warmth from Jimin’s side disappeared as Jungkook walked over to the car and let himself in the backseat.

The car drove away immediately, not even giving Jungkook a moment to get settled. And just as suddenly as he had showed up, Jungkook was gone.

The walk back to the coffee shop was colder than it had been when they left, and Jimin thought it was because he was no longer walking with Jungkook. It was lonelier, and felt much longer than 15 minutes. Jimin wondered if Jungkook was being lectured by his hyungs.

He smiled to himself thinking about it as he unlocked the door to the shop to walk back in. He locked the door behind him and walked up the stairs to his apartment, his heart dropping when he noticed Yoongi’s shoes already at the door.

Jimin dreaded to think about what would have happened if they left even a few minutes later, if Yoongi had come home while Jungkook was still there.

“Hyung?” Jimin called out into the apartment and Yoongi poked his head out of their kitchen. “Hey.”

Jimin slipped his shoes off and hung his jacket and hat back up before going over to see what Yoongi was cooking.

“You went out?” Yoongi asked as Jimin gave him a hug.

Jimin always liked to hug Yoongi when he came home, because he never knew what dangerous activity he had put himself in that day.

“Mhm.” Jimin hummed into Yoongi’s shoulder before breaking away. “I was only gone for about half an hour. What did you do with Seokjin hyung today?”

Yoongi blushed slightly and Jimin giggled. 

“We just, you know, hung out… We talked for a bit… about… Stuff.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Jimin replied, grinning.

“Though after he left, he sent me a frantic text because apparently the crown prince had run off when they were walking back to the palace.”

Jimin was a lot of things, but a good liar was not one of them. He did his absolute best to act completely surprised. 

“The crown prince ran off?”

“Why do you sound like that? Yeah, he did. I actually tried to find him, too, because I thought it would be good leverage.”

The surprise in Jimin’s voice the next time, was not fake. “You were going to kidnap the crown prince? Hyung!”

“Yeah, probably not my smartest decision, but you only have that chance once. I didn’t find him anyway. Not sure what I would’ve done if I had.”

Jimin’s stomach was in knots thinking about the sweet boy he had spent his night with. His ignorant, bratty prince. 

“Well, I think it’s a good thing you didn’t find him! Kidnapping a prince is insane, hyung. Don’t do shit like that without a plan.”

Yoongi sighed. “Seokjin hyung said the same thing. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Jimin shook his head. Yoongi worked hard, and he just wanted the best for the country. He wanted to get revenge on the crown for both himself and Jimin, and sometimes it caused him to act impulsively. 

He drove Jimin crazy. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Jimin said softly. It was an argument they had often. “You should stay home more.”

Yoongi did seem to have a pained look in his eyes, and Jimin knew there hadn’t even been any use in saying it.

“You know I can’t, Jimin-ah.”

“I know.”

Jimin’s heart broke. Yoongi wasn’t going to stop until he got his way and the crown was dismantled completely. 

Jimin just wished it could be easier. He wished that Yoongi wouldn’t put himself in danger. He wished that it didn’t mean that Yoongi was putting Jungkook in danger.

“Now let’s eat dinner, okay? Tell me about your day.” Yoongi said, as he did every night.

Jimin told him everything except for his time with Jungkook. Jungkook was going to be his best kept secret.

His Royal Highness’s Grand Escape

The autumn air was crisp and there was a slight drizzle to complement it.

It was the perfect day for the Crown Prince to make a surprise appearance in

the capital city. What started off as a normal visit, complete with his entire

royal entourage, crowds of people following his every move, and numerous

street closures, turned into chaos when the Prince decided to run away and leave

his guards baffled. 

Luckily, I had been in the area and was able to witness the entire confusing

debacle. I had just been enjoying a small snack and was wandering around when

I saw a dark blur run past me. I wasn’t the only one to notice this, and he was

easily recognizable as His Royal Highness Jeon Jungkook who had just spent

his entire day there. He didn’t do much to try and hide the fact despite the mask

and hat covering his face and head as he was still wearing the large jacket that

he had on through most of the day.

I did my best to follow him, but he had taken me by surprise when he had run 

past. I know the area quite well, however, and he seemed to not stray far. I 

decided to stay around the area and wait to see if I could see him when he was

leaving. Many thoughts went through my head as I wondered what he could 

possibly be doing. 

Secret lover?

Running away from the throne?

There were more questions that I had and they just got more and more

ridiculous the longer I waited for his return. 

Guards flocked to the streets, looking for him everywhere. His right hand, 

Jung Hoseok and the Royal Advisor Kim Namjoon seemed panicked

and extremely frantic as they ran around an unfamiliar city looking for

the beloved prince. 

The sun was setting and His Royal Highness was yet to show his face.

As I wandered the area, I wondered if we would ever see him again.

Was this perhaps his way of neglecting his duties? 

What do we truly know about His Royal Highness? How much of 

what we know about him is real? 

We have been spoon fed the idea that Jeon Jungkook is the prince

that the people have been waiting for, but how much of that is true?

As the sun set and the night sky cast a darkness over the city, I

still waited for him. 

It turned out to be worth it.

His Royal Highness Jeon Jungkook appeared again late in the 

evening, but with someone at his side. It became apparent to me

that he wasn’t running away from his duties at all, but he was

running to meet someone. A lover? A friend? Was the Crown Prince

partaking in a secret affair?

The two walked side by side together through the streets before they

bid each other farewell. 

There was nothing special about their goodbye to each other, but

it looked like they never wanted to part. It leaves me to wonder what

type of relationship His Royal Highness is getting up to. Is it

forbidden? What type of person has he risked it all to meet up with?

As His Royal Highness rode away and was escorted back to the

palace, I decided I wanted to find out. Was the royal family 

threatened by this mysterious person? Was the Crown Prince

willing to risk his title for this person? I wanted to know. 

Ideas have crowded my head ever since I went back home for the

evening. I have decided that this is something I must find out.

The truth will always come out eventually.

Until next time,

V

Chapter Text

Jungkook was basically imprisoned upon return to the palace. Namjoon and Hoseok were pissed off at him and both were being petty enough to refuse to talk to him like a friend and were only going to him for professional reasons. His parents hadn’t called him in yet for the inevitable meeting they were going to have regarding his escape and he knew they were doing that purposely to make him anxious. That did sound like something they would do.

“Your Highness.” Hoseok said with a bow as he came into Jungkook’s room with Namjoon in tow right behind him. 

It was common for the two of them to just spend the entire day together, and Jungkook was convinced that they were attached at the hip with a common purpose of conspiring against him. 

Jungkook glared at the two of them because when they were in private they always called him by his name rather than his title.

“Knock it off, hyung.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “Stop being petty, it’s getting annoying.”

“I’ll stop being petty when you tell me what you were doing for the entire day.” Hoseok said and there was silence before he quickly added a “Sir” just to piss Jungkook off.

“I can’t tell you.” Jungkook argued, because they’d already had this conversation multiple times that week. 

Emphasis on multiple.

“You had an article written about you. Someone saw you.” Namjoon said with a grimace. “Not just someone; V of all people.”

“I don’t care about V.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “I told you that whatever V has to say doesn’t matter. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Jungkook.” Hoseok groaned out, but it felt like a win because he used his actual name. “Everyone online thinks you’re having a secret affair with a commoner. Your parents  think that you’re having a secret affair with a commoner.”

“I don’t know what my parents think because they haven’t taken the time to talk to me about it.” Jungkook muttered. “That and I’ve been trapped in this room unable to leave. Still pissed off about that, by the way.”

“It's not our fault that everyone thinks you’re trying to escape to see your girlfriend.” Namjoon said with an eyebrow raise.

Jungkook snorted. “Hyung, you and I both know that if I was having a secret affair with anyone, it wouldn’t be a girlfriend. Also, there’s nothing happening with anyone.”

“We know that. Your people do not. Jungkook, seriously, where were you?” Hoseok despaired and Jungkook did feel a little bad that he was withholding information considering that Namjoon and Hoseok were two people he was supposed to trust the most.

They were his best friends and had been with him for his entire life, always taking care of him and making sure he was happy. He knew he could tell them anything, but he made a promise to that extremely cute barista.

“I promised someone that I couldn’t say.”

Namjoon and Hoseok just gave him deadpan stares, as if he were the bane of their existence. To be honest, he probably was.

“You promised your secret girlfriend, right, got it.” Hoseok noted, nodding. 

Jungkook knew that Hoseok was just trying to bait him, and it was honestly working better than Jungkook would like to admit.

“Hyung.” Jungkook whined. “Stop it.”

“Just tell us.” Namjoon tried, going for the begging route. “Please? Maybe if you do, we'll escort you on a field trip outside.”

“And follow me around like guard dogs, right.” Jungkook agreed. “But seriously, I just needed to get away from it all. I’m tired of trying to be set up with princesses or people-I-don’t-care-about’s daughters. I’m tired of being badgered about having children. I just needed a break from it all.”

“Go on.” Hoseok urged him to continue talking about what happened.

“I ran and didn’t look where I was going and ended up in a coffee shop. The owner was closing up but let me stay in there for a little while, that’s all.”

“You were being held captive.” Namjoon stared at Hoseok with a disbelieving look. 

“What? No.” Jungkook shook his head. “I begged the owner to let me stay there. I seriously had to beg because he wanted nothing to do with me at all.”

“Right. So the owner of a coffee shop wanted nothing to do with the crown prince that found his way inside. It sounds like an excellent marketing strategy to me. I’m willing to bet he paid off V.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, seriously.” Jungkook glared at them both. “Anyways, that’s what happened. Take me outside.”

“Ah, ah.” Hoseok said and Jungkook really wanted to fight him at that point. “You need to tell us the name of the shop and the name of the owner so we can find him and make sure that nothing gets out.”

“So the thing is.” Jungkook said and both Namjoon and Hoseok gave each other looks, which Jungkook ignored. “The coffee shop doesn’t have one and the owner refused to tell me what his name is.”

“So he’s smart, I see.” Namjoon nodded to himself as if it all made sense. “He knew we were going to track him down.”

Jungkook thought back to his time at the shop, to his time with the shop owner. He knew that Hoseok and Namjoon would never understand what went on there, what the two of them had discussed together. 

“He’s not like that.” Jungkook told them even though he knew they would never believe him. “He’s not. Everything that we talked about was meant to just stay between the two of us.”

“Jungkook, seriously, knock it off.” Hoseok was frustrated and Jungkook wasn’t sure what to do to make things better. “Are you sleeping with him? What is it?”

“No! I don’t even know his name.”

“That has never stopped you before.”

Jungkook shrugged, because it was true. “It’s not like that. Okay, he was super attractive and definitely my type, but it wasn’t like that.”

“No more trips to the capital.” Namjoon said.

“You’re keeping me prisoner in my own home.” Jungkook argued, annoyed, because he had promised that he would return to the coffee shop. 

He needed to earn the name of the owner. He needed to see him again, to see his smile, or specifically, the smirk on his face when he teased Jungkook. He wanted to try another drink, to chat together. 

Jungkook wanted a chance to hear about the real people of the capital and what was actually happening there.

“What if!” Jungkook decided to try a new approach. “What if there was a political reason for me going there? How about that.”

Hoseok and Namjoon stared at him, extremely unimpressed.

“Political reason.” Namjoon raised an eyebrow.

“Uh huh. He was telling me all about the lower class people of the capital and what they think about what needs to be done. If anything, it was me learning about how I could improve the city when I become king.”

“You learn about those things in your classes.” Hoseok reminded him.

“This is real life!” Jungkook exclaimed. “It’s real life from a real person experiencing these things. He told me things they would never tell me in classes. They never tell me about anything bad because they make me believe that we always do what is best for our people, but clearly we don’t.”

“You cannot tell your parents about that!” Namjoon hissed, looking around as if they would show up.

They wouldn’t. They never visited Jungkook, he always had to visit them.

“As if I would.” Jungkook said dully. “Now can we please go outside? The palace physician is pissed off that I haven’t been getting vitamin D.”

“Fine.” Hoseok relented. “We’re staying within the palace grounds, though. No more capital until it’s approved by your parents.”

“So never again.” Jungkook said bitterly.

If he wanted to visit the coffee shop again, he would have to sneak out of the palace. 

They ignored Jungkook and guided him out of his bedroom, letting him lead the way but not standing too far behind as if he were going to suddenly make a run for it. 

Jungkook was smart. He knew he couldn’t make a run for it down the palace hallway. He thought Namjoon and Hoseok were being overly dramatic. 

“Can we stop at the kitchen?” Jungkook asked as the three of them walked together, they were a couple steps behind him as was custom. “I want to see Seokjin hyung for a snack.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. He was just starting lunch anyway. I figured we could have a picnic outside since you wanted to be out there anyway.” Namjoon told him.

Jungkook nodded.

He wasn’t as close to Seokjin as he was to Namjoon and Hoseok, but he had a lot of love for the chef anyway. Seokjin had only started at the palace a few years ago, but quickly worked his way up Jungkook's favorite palace staff list.

It had a lot to do with the fact that Jungkook being a prince didn’t seem to affect the way he treated him at all. The two of them often bickered and joked around together and Jungkook absolutely loved that.

Most of the palace staff were extremely uptight with him and terrified of what he could do. It was the power he had, he knew that. His parents weren’t known for their kindness and he had no idea what type of rumors got spread about him. 

Seokjin never cared about any of that. Jungkook was just another person to feed, to him. He often said he thought of Jungkook as an annoying little brother.

Jungkook would pout and whine about being called annoying but he secretly (not so secretly) loved it. He loved that Seokjin wasn’t afraid to call it as it was.

“Hyung!” Jungkook yelled out as they entered the kitchen. All of the other staff bowed towards Jungkook deeply, and he could see the way they tensed up at his arrival.

“What is this brat doing here…” Seokjin muttered as he tore off the gloves he had on and walked towards them. “I was busy making your lunch, by the way.”

Jungkook shrugged. “Okay? Can I have a snack?”

Seokjin’s eye twitched and he put his hands on his hips and stared at Jungkook in fake annoyance. “What’s next? Pre lunch dessert? If you have a snack now, you won’t be hungry for the lunch I am preparing for you.”

“But hyung.” Jungkook whined out and he saw the way the other staff flinched at the way Seokjin was speaking to him.

He wished they wouldn’t be so scared.

“I’m hungry.” 

“Stop pouting at me. I thought you were on house arrest.”

“You are so mean. So, so, so mean. Do you see how sad I am that I’m hungry? I am so upset, hyung. Just a small little snack.”

Seokjin shook his head but handed Jungkook a bag of carrots. Jungkook squinted at them.

“Carrots?”

“Yeah, because your fans say you look like a bunny. That’s your snack.” Seokjin seemed really proud of himself.

Jungkook pretended to box Seokjin and the other reciprocated easily. That was their relationship, and Jungkook wouldn’t ask for it any other way. It was as if Seokjin had known that Jungkook needed an older brother figure to put him in his place. Namjoon and Hoseok would do that too, but they still had to be professional about it. Seokjin didn’t exactly care about professionalism. All he cared about was making sure everyone was eating well. 

“Namjoon-ah told me you’d be having a picnic today so I’ll bring your lunch soon.” Seokjin informed them after he and Jungkook finished their play-fighting.

“Okay, I guess. When did he tell you that?”

“He texted me.”

Jungkook pouted again. “Do you guys have a group chat without me?”

“Yes.” Seokjin said with zero remorse and shoo-ed them out of the kitchen.  “Go outside. I have work to do.”

Jungkook sighed and took his bag of carrots as he, Hoseok, and Namjoon headed back out towards the palace exit. 

“I can’t believe you actually took the carrots.” Hoseok laughed, and Jungkook smiled at him, glad that they were starting to joke around again.

He hated when Namjoon and Hoseok felt like they actually had to treat him like his title. He hated it so much.

The grounds around the palace were beautiful, of course, and Jungkook did love spending time outside. He liked to go out alone, usually, and sit by the pond and watch the ducks. He liked to just walk around with his headphones on and drown out the world around him where he was supposed to be someone. Where people were supposed to drop everything for him and treat him like he was above then. 

He hated the attention. He hated the way people would tense up as he walked by, hurriedly bow, and then scurry off in fear of their presence bothering him. Or perhaps, they were worried about even being near him and what he might do or say. 

He clearly wasn’t allowed to be alone anymore, and it bothered him even more than he was letting on. If he wanted to go around the capital alone then he should be allowed to, it was his city after all.

Or, Jungkook was beginning to realize the capital was never really his, or his parents. The capital belonged to those who lived there, who struggled to stay afloat and take care of their families. That was who the capital belonged to.

The three of them stood around the pond as Jungkook stared at their reflections. He needed to figure out a way to get back to that coffee shop. He needed to be there again. It had already changed his perspective so much and he had only had one conversation.

He chewed on his bag of carrots and tried to come up with a plan. In his mind, he should go all out. He was already on house arrest anyway, so what did it matter if he got in a little bit more trouble? His parents hadn’t even come to him about the first instance, so did it really matter that much? 

He thought that as long as he wasn’t seen by V, it would be fine. He just had to find a way to sneak out of the palace and get down to the capital.

Jungkook glanced at where Hoseok and Namjoon were going over something on their phones.

He could probably sneak out at night, but that didn’t seem like the most logical solution. Jungkook had arrived at the cafe while they were already closing up, so the barista most likely wouldn’t be there for Jungkook when he arrived.

Jungkook chewed, deep in thought. 

Also, guards were on high alert at night because it was the time that most assasination attempts happened. 

The guard changeover happened at dawn, just as the sun was rising. Jungkook hadn’t seen it before, but he imagined that there might be a lot happening as people changed out and went back home. Majority of the palace workers lived outside the palace, save for a few people like Hoseok, Namjoon, or Seokjin. 

So Jungkook thought that at the guard changeover, a lot of people would be coming and going from the palace. It would be the ideal time to sneak out and run down to the capital. He just had to figure out a way to not be seen, because while it was the optimal time, it was also the time where the most guards would be around. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

Jungkook jumped at the sound of Hoseok’s voice and noticed he was being watched.

“Thinking about my secret commoner girlfriend.” Jungkook replied, with the most serious voice he could muster.

Hoseok’s eye twitched. Jungkook smirked at him.

“I want to fight you so bad, it’s a shame you’re our crown prince and we are in public right now. Namjoon-ah, can you cover me so I can beat him up?”

Namjoon considered it, which made Jungkook laugh.

“I’ll tell you what I was actually thinking about if you tell me what you were looking at on your phones.”

Jungkook knew they wouldn’t.

He was right.

He was about to say something else to make fun of Hoseok, but Seokjin showed up with their lunch.

“Thank you, I’m literally starving.” Jungkook whined as the food got set down in front of him.

“You ate half the bag of carrots, what’s wrong with you? Are you an actual rabbit?” Seokjin snatched the bag away as Jungkook pouted.

“I was hungry, I told you that. Hyung, you should eat with us.”

Jungkook knew he couldn’t, but he really did wish they could all sit down together and enjoy a meal. 

“You know I can’t.” Seokjin replied. 

Jungkook wished things would be just a bit more normal. 

He continued thinking about how he would escape as he ate his lunch.

****

Jungkook woke up at dawn the first day that his parents let up on his house arrest and walked around the palace yard as he watched the guard changeover.

It was extremely organized, but people were coming and going just as he suspected. A lot of the guards threw on some casual, everyday clothes as they got ready to leave the palace, which Jungkook took note of. 

It would probably be a horrible idea to leave in his normal getup. 

He thought maybe he was crazy, but he believed he could sneak out if he really wanted to. He paid attention to every single small detail of the changeover and noted who was doing what and going where. 

And one of the bonuses to living in the palace for his entire life was knowing where all of the security cameras were pointed and at what times they shut off momentarily, for just those few seconds. 

He knew the ins and the outs of the palace and was convinced he would be able to do it without being seen. 

So that’s how two days later Jungkook ended up in a large grey hoodie, a black mask, and black jeans as he snuck down the hallway outside of his room.

He seriously had considered trying to sneak out through his window, but was convinced that it would have caused even more attention on him than if he just walked straight out from his room. 

He also was never seen in anything that wasn’t the most expensive brands or finest clothes, only barely being able to find something casual in his closet. He was also positive the hoodie belonged to Namjoon and not him with the way it almost swallowed him. He thought he must have borrowed it at some point for whatever reason and just forgot to return it. 

Another reason he decided to just sneak straight out of his room was because he never left so early in the day. Jungkook wasn’t a late riser, but he also couldn’t be caught dead leaving his room as the sun was rising. There were hardly any palace staff around, most clocked in for their shifts around 7 in the morning. The guards were the ones he would have to avoid, and they were doing their changeover.

He found that sneaking out at dawn was as torturous as he assumed it would be, but the pull to the cafe was stronger than his will to sleep.

It was freezing outside, and Jungkook wished he had worn his puffer jacket as well, but he knew everyone would’ve recognized him if he had that on.

He shivered as he tried to casually walk around the palace yard towards the gate and not look suspicious at all. He timed it so that he was avoiding the security cameras, and hid in as many shadows as he possibly could to not be seen. He had his hood over his head and his hands stuffed in the sweatshirt pockets. Thankfully the sun was just barely rising, so it was still a bit dark out on the grounds.

Jungkook’s heart was pounding as he got closer to the gate, he could feel his freedom, he could taste it.

“Jungkook-ah?”

He froze. The voice was a whisper from behind him, and he couldn’t identify who it belonged to because of how hushed it was. He refused to turn around, he hoped they would believe it wasn’t actually him and turn away.

“I’m not going to send you back. Is that you, Jungkook-ah?”

He noticed whoever it was wasn’t using honorifics with him which was a good sign. It wasn’t Namjoon or Hoseok because he was sure that he could recognize either of them just from the sound of their breath. That left one other option.

Jungkook turned slowly around until he was facing Kim Seokjin.

He was dressed suspiciously similarly to Jungkook, in a hoodie and a mask, and his eyes were wide as they watched him.

“Shit, it really is you. Come on, keep walking, and stay close to me.” Seokjin said, pushing forward until the two of them were shoulder to shoulder. He continued to walk, and pulled Jungkook along with him. 

“I’m so fucked if anyone finds out I helped you escape.” Seokjin muttered as Jungkook finally put two and two together and realized that Seokjin was actually helping him. 

“Hyung? What?”

“Head down, keep walking and don’t speak until we get out. I’ve done this before, just follow my lead.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened at the realization that Seokjin had been sneaking out of the palace. He wasn’t sure why he was, considering that it should be fine for him to come and go much more than it would be for Jungkook, but he kept quiet as he was advised.

There were guards milling around as they approached the gare and Jungkook’s heart rate sped up again, but he knew he looked less suspicious with another person as most of the guards were walking in groups.

“They’re less likely to try and figure out what we are doing since we are leaving and not entering.” Seokjin told him. “Nobody has really questioned me before, so just keep walking and don’t look at anyone.”

Jungkook kept his eyes towards the ground and refused to look up and make eye contact with anyone. 

Getting out of the gate was easier than it should have been, and maybe less satisfying of an escape than Jungkook had originally imagined, but they had done it.

“Keep going, don’t speak until I say it’s okay.” Seokjin instructed as the two of them continued to walk outside of the gate together.

The walk down to the capital wasn’t too long, but it would be about 45 minutes of walking before they got there. Jungkook usually preferred walking as to most other’s preference towards driving, which would only take about 10 minutes.

There was a smaller staff parking lot that most of the guards were headed towards, far enough off the palace grounds that it wouldn’t be considered an eye sore. 

Jungkook and Seokjin continued walking together in silence until there wasn’t even the sound of anyone else's voice.

“Okay.” Seokjin said suddenly, but continued to walk, pulling Jungkook along with him. “What the Hell are you doing?”

Jungkook avoided Seokjin’s harsh gaze, but could feel the way Seokjin’s grip tightened on his arm.

“Please don’t tell anyone, hyung. Please.”

“Jungkook-ah, they’re going to notice.”

He knew Seokjin was right. Hoseok would make his way to Jungkook’s room around 7 in the morning to wake him and get him ready for breakfast before his morning class started. There was no doubt he would raise an alarm within the palace the moment he noticed Jungkook missing from his bed.

“I had to go back and see someone.” Jungkook admitted, still very quietly despite there being nobody else around. “I promised I would be back.”

Seokjin sighed. “I heard rumors that you had a secret girlfriend… I didn’t think it was true, but here we are.”

Jungkook’s face burned. “I don’t have a secret girlfriend.”

Only Namjoon and Hoseok knew that Jungkook was gay. His parents did as well, but refused to believe it which was why they continued setting him up on random dates.

“Then why is your face so red?” Seokjin was gentle as he teased him, and Jungkook did appreciate that.

“I’m not… I really don’t. I met this guy at a coffee shop and promised I would come back.”

Jungkook wasn’t sure why he was telling everything to Seokjin. As much as he loved the chef, he wasn’t sure how much he should trust him. However, Seokjin had just helped him escape the palace without reporting him, so Jungkook thought that maybe it was okay.

“Oh, so a secret boyfriend.” Seokjin said as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. As if it were completely normal for Jungkook to have a secret boyfriend.

“Hyung! No! It’s not, I don’t have a secret relationship with anyone! I mean, if I did, it wouldn’t be a girlfriend. Wait! That doesn’t mean I would have a secret boyfriend either, well, maybe. Wait, I shouldn’t be saying that. Hyung, you can’t tell anyone, please.” Jungkook pleaded, unable to read Seokjin’s expression.

“You’re not the only one with a secret boyfriend, Jungkook-ah.” Seokjin’s eyes glimmered as he let out a small laugh. “Why do you think I’m sneaking out right now?”

A huge weight was lifted off of Jungkook’s shoulders. Of course Seokjin of all people would understand Jungkook. Seokjin, who he had only met a few years ago, but already became the older brother figure that Jungkook had needed so badly.

“Oh. Okay.” Jungkook said, but his voice was filled with so much relief that he knew Seokjin would be able to tell. “I still don’t have a secret boyfriend, though.”

Seokjin nudged their shoulders together with a laugh. “Sure you don’t.”

“But hyung, why are you sneaking out? No offense, but I had to because I’m a prince. You’re a chef.”

Jungkook’s face burned with how degrading it sounded. He hadn’t meant to say it like Seokjin was less than him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know what you mean.” Seokjin said as they continued to walk. “My situation is really complicated, unfortunately. I can’t exactly be seen with my boyfriend.”

Jungkook didn’t really understand why, but he didn’t think Seokjin was willing to give more detail. Jungkook also couldn’t, so he wasn’t going to force Seokjin to either.

They continued to chat together comfortably as they walked towards the capital together. The scenery on the way down was always nice, it was almost like a continuation of the palace gardens. It was meant to create distance between the palace and the people who lived within the country, but anyone could come along the path. There were ponds and park benches, a few bridges that stretched over the bigger ponds. Wildlife roamed around freely, and it was always quiet.

It was also a nice walk with Seokjin since there weren’t many people around so early in the morning. Jungkook noticed a few joggers, but there really wasn’t much going on. He thought it was the most relaxed he’d been in some time.

“Do you do this a lot?” Jungkook asked Seokjin.

“Not as often as I’d like to. Sometimes I disguise my trips into the capital for ingredients as a way to see him.”

“Is that where you disappeared last time?” Jungkook asked, thinking back to the day he had run away and met his barista.

“Yes.” Seokjin admitted. “We don’t get to see each other a lot.”

Jungkook was realizing he did not actually know much about Seokjin’s life outside of the palace. He didn’t know about his family or his friends. He didn’t know what his favorite tv show was or his favorite singer. Seokjin was probably expected to know everything about Jungkook, but Jungkook knew nothing about him.

“I’m sorry you have to sneak away just to see him.” Jungkook said. “I hope you’re able to introduce me to him one day.”

“I wish I could.” Seokjin said, but there was an emotion in his voice that Jungkook couldn’t exactly place. “I really wish I could.”

The capital was coming into clearer view, buildings rising up against the stretch of the garden. The sounds of car horns and people leaving their homes to go to work filled the air.

Jungkook loved it all. He wanted to be a part of that life, he wanted to be able to fit into it so badly. He wanted to be able to walk along the streets and not be mobbed. He wanted to be able to run to his favorite pastry shop in the morning and not worry about being poisoned in some assassination attempt. He wanted to be able to meet up with friends for drinks after work. He wanted it all. 

He wanted to know what else he was missing out on. He wanted to know how he could help the people that he envied so much.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Seokjin asked as they reached the street. They stood at a crosswalk together, waiting for the walk sign to come up. “I should probably come with you.”

“I know where I’m going.” Jungkook said, but it wasn’t entirely true. He kind of knew the direction of the cafe, but he also knew it was supposed to be a secret. “Where are you meeting your boyfriend?”

“We’re meeting in this park, actually.” Seokjin told him. “I was just going to walk with you to make sure you were safe.”

The walk sign showed up, but Jungkook motioned for him to stay. 

“I’m okay, hyung. I’ll be really careful. Stay here and wait for him.”

Seokjin didn’t look too sure of it, but Jungkook started crossing the street without him. Seokjin called out for him to stay safe, and Jungkook waved at him when he got across, before the two of them were to split apart and go on their own journeys.

Jungkook just hoped that nobody from the palace would realize that Seokjin helped Jungkook escape. He didn’t want him to get in trouble for him.

Jungkook tried his best to remember how to get to the coffee shop. He also wondered if he should pick something up for the barista on the way. His stomach was rumbling because it was about his breakfast time, and he hadn’t seen any pastries in the cafe.

He thought he was disguised enough. He still had the hood over his head and the mask on. There also wasn’t a single person outside of the palace who had ever seen him in a hoodie and jeans. Jungkook figured he’d be fine and googled bakeries on his phone.

There was one nearby where he thought the cafe was so he followed the directions on his map to get there and did his best to keep his head down. 

The capital was starting to come alive as everyone went about their morning commute. Jungkook was sure that Hoseok was going to discover he was missing soon. Jungkook turned off his phone once he reached the bakery.

It was quaint inside, with just a small line in front of Jungkook. The smell of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air and Jungkook couldn’t get enough of it.

“Good morning, Yoongi-ssi.” The worker said to the person in front of Jungkook in line.

Jungkook wondered what it would be like to be a regular at a shop like this, to have the workers remember his name and maybe even his order.

“Good morning. Picking up a few pastries today.” Yoongi replied to the worker. Jungkook decided he was going to live through this person for just a little bit.

“Another date? You should take him here someday. You always talk about this mysterious boyfriend, but we’ve never gotten to see him.”

Jungkook perked up. The conversation was so friendly and welcoming, and the staff were so accepting of Yoongi.

Jungkook craved that feeling. Jungkook craved that kind of acceptance.

“I’ll take a lemon danish, a pain au chocolat, and an almond croissant.” Yoongi recited to the worker who got everything prepared for him. “I’ll bring him in one day, I promise.”

Yoongi was rung out and left the bakery with a cute little box in his hands filled with the yummy pastries he had purchased for his date.

Jungkook envied him so much.

“Hello!” The worker greeted Jungkook, with a huge smile on her face. “What could I get started for you?”

“Oh, uh.” Jungkook stammered. He’d been so interested in the previous customer that he hadn’t even gotten a chance to look at his options. “Sorry, I’ve never been here before. Let me just take a look.”

The worker smiled at him, and Jungkook was thankful there wasn’t a line after him so that he didn’t feel so pressured.

“Take your time, and let me know if you have any questions.”

Jungkook nodded as he looked over everything. All of the pasties were so amazing looking and Jungkook’s mouth watered just looking at them. He thought there was really no harm in buying a bunch just to see what he liked.

“Can I place a bigger order? I kind of want to try a lot. I’m also bringing these to a friend, so.”

“Yeah, no problem at all! What could I get for you? I’ll start packaging them.” The worker said and got a box ready to package whatever he wanted.

Jungkook thought he could definitely live this life everyday.

Once he had paid and was out the door with a big bag that held his box of pastries, Jungkook tried to remember how to get to the cafe.

It didn’t have a name so Jungkook was positive it wasn’t on online, and he wasn’t willing to turn his phone back on to find out, either.

There were a few alleys around and Jungkook hoped that it wouldn’t seem weird for him to just walk down a bunch and try to get through dilapidated wooden doors. 

Jungkook thought back to his walk to the train station with the barista. He tried to remember their surroundings, but just kept remembering the look on the barista’s face as they walked together. How beautiful he had looked in the moonlight.

Despite all of that, his surroundings were starting to look right, so he made a random guess at an alley that looked like the type to house a secret coffee shop. 

Luckily, he was right.

Jungkook noticed the door immediately and remembered the way he had pleaded to be let in. He could see the faintest glow of light coming out from under the door, and the smell of coffee that was in the air. Anyone else would miss it entirely or just assume it was someone’s home, but Jungkook knew.

The door was unlocked, so Jungkook thought that they must be open. He turned the knob slowly and shuffled inside, letting the warmth and comfort of the cafe welcome him.

He could see his barista chatting with someone at the register, and he hadn’t noticed Jungkook yet. There was nobody else in the cafe except for the three of them so far, which Jungkook was thankful for.

He was also realizing he hadn’t thought things completely through.

The barista had a job and customers to take care of and would probably not have time to sit down and have breakfast with Jungkook.

Still, he wanted to give him the treats as a thank you for letting him stay before. 

Jungkook mustered up courage and stood in line behind the other customer.

“Here’s your hot chocolate.” Jungkook recognized the voice immediately and almost let out a sigh.

“Thanks, darling.” The customer said, voice deep but unthreatening. “Always love the milk art you add on top.”

“Just for you.” Jungkook’s barista said with a playful wink.

Jungkook tried not to feel jealous of the random customer, but couldn’t help the way he glared at the back of his head.

“Oh?” The customer said as he turned around to sit down and saw Jungkook. “You’re new.”

Jungkook shied deeper into his mask, and looked everywhere except for the customer, not saying a word. 

The man just shrugged and took his mug of hot chocolate to a table in the corner and started to set up.

“What are you doing here?” The barista hissed at Jungkook as he walked up to the register. “Please do not tell me you ran away again.”

“Well, you see.” Jungkook started to say, but he was secretly pleased that he had been recognized immediately despite his disguise. “I wanted to bring you breakfast as a thank you for letting me stay.”

The barista stared at him, but Jungkook was mesmerized by his beautiful blonde hair that fell delicately over deep brown eyes. Jungkook couldn’t look away.

“You snuck away at the ass crack of dawn to bring me breakfast?”

Jungkook grinned even though the barista couldn’t see it through his mask. “Yes! I thought we could share together. I kind of bought a lot accidentally.”

The barista stared at the bag Jungkook was carrying, and smiled a bit at the logo on it.

“Oh, that’s actually my hyung and my favorite place.” He said, and Jungkook felt absolutely delighted at that news.

“It was near the cafe so I went there.” Jungkook said, feeling proud of himself. “I didn’t really think that it might be hard for us to eat together… I can hang out in the shop though!”

The barista froze and his face filled with fear for just a split second, but Jungkook noticed it. 

“No, no you cannot.” He whispered. “People are going to recognize you. We absolutely cannot have you here.”

Jungkook pouted. “Oh, I guess you’re right.”

The barista seemed to be deep in thought before he sighed and shook his head. “Okay, listen. I need you to be extremely careful today. You’ll sit in the back room that is away from the dining room and if I come back there and tell you to leave, you need to leave immediately.” 

Jungkook’s face lit up. “You’ll let me stay?

“Yeah.” The barista nodded in response. “Okay, come behind the counter and follow me, okay?”

Jungkook didn’t think he had room to not listen to him, so he quickly ran behind the counter and followed behind as they walked into a back area together. 

It was small, and there were just two chairs and a desk with a computer on top. There were a few filing cabinets and a safe underneath the desk. The computer was turned on so that they could see the security camera footage on it. There were still no customers other than that one from when Jungkook had first come in.

Jungkook placed the pack of pastries down on the desk and opened up the box, the scent of freshly baked goods flooded the room.

The barista’s face softened as he took a whiff of it. “God, I love that place. Do you want a coffee?”

Jungkook nodded as he made himself comfortable at the desk. “Just a latte, maybe.”

“Anything else I can grab for you while I’m out there?” The barista asked, and Jungkook smirked.

“Your name?”

The barista’s eyes formed cute crescents as he laughed. “It’s Jimin. Don’t tell anyone else you know that, though.”

“Jimin hyung.” Jungkook said the name out loud for the first time. “It suits you. That’s a pretty name.” 

Jimin shook his head in disbelief and made his way back to the bar to make Jungkook a latte. Jungkook watched him on the cameras.

Jimin worked quickly on the bar, completely in his element. Jungkook wondered why he didn’t have a bigger shop, he definitely could be someone that would do well with a larger consumer base. Jungkook also knew there was so much he didn’t know about Jimin, so much he still had to learn.

“Here.” Jimin came back with a mug and two plates for them to have their treats on. “I can hang out back here until someone else comes in, anyway.”

Jungkook dug out a croissant for himself and took a large bite since he was absolutely starving. “Oh, shit. This is so good.”

Jimin nodded. “Me and hyung go there often for breakfast. I think he goes there more than I do, though.”

They were quiet for a moment as they ate.

“So, should I expect the city to be in chaos today since a certain prince snuck out of the palace?”

Jungkook grinned. “Probably. Only one other person knows I snuck out, and he was also sneaking out so he won’t say anything. I also turned off my phone so nobody can contact me.”

“You’re a piece of work.” Jimin said. “They’re going to lock you back up when they catch you.”

Jungkook shrugged, but it was true. “I promised you that I’d come back, didn’t I? I wanted to earn the right to know your name. I’m shocked you told me.”

“Who knew the crown prince was a little brat.” Jimin said. “I figured that since you went out of your way to sneak out of the palace at dawn and buy me breakfast that maybe you earned it. You’ll have to work harder to learn more about me though.”

“I love a challenge, Jimin hyung.”

“Clearly.”

Jungkook took a sip of his latte. It was warm in contrast to the chilly weather that Jungkook had endured the entire morning. Drinking his latte and sitting with Jimin made everything worth it.

“But Jungkook, I don’t think it’s safe for you to keep coming here.” Jimin told him. “I don’t think you’re taking this as seriously as you should. People are going to see you.”

“I’m fine. Nobody is going to do anything.”

Jimin looked stressed, and was about to say something else when they saw someone walk through the door on the camera.

“I have to go. Don’t leave the office, and don’t do anything stupid.” Jimin instructed him before leaving him alone.

Jungkook watched as Jimin greeted the customer on the camera. There was no sound so he couldn’t exactly hear anything, but he still watched intently nonetheless. 

Jungkook also watched the customer from before on camera as well. He seemed like he should be someone unthreatening and completely normal, but Jungkook got weird vibes from him. He was just sitting in the corner alone with his laptop out, typing away. He seemed to be watching Jimin every so often as well, or sometimes even looking past the bar to where Jimin had taken Jungkook. 

He was glad that the office wasn’t visible from the store.

The entire cafe situation was a mystery for him. Jimin had previously told him that people used it as a place to get away from their everyday life, but Jungkook couldn’t help but think there was more. 

Why was it hidden in an alleyway with zero signs? Why did nobody within the shop know each other’s names? Why was every single customer extremely shady?

Jungkook couldn’t wrap his head around it because Jimin just seemed so normal. He was beautiful and cunning, but he was normal. 

Another customer walked in and nodded at the one who had come in just before. Nobody ever acknowledged the weird one in the corner on the laptop. 

Once the two most recent customers were situated, Jimin came back to the office and grabbed a cannoli from the box.

“Are you just going to watch me on camera all day? Nothing better for a prince to do? No PR stunts to pull today?”

Jungkook huffed. “I was supposed to have classes.”

“Classes? For what?” Jimin sat down next to Jungkook at the desk as he ate.

“They’re basically just classes on how to be a proper ruler or dealing with money and investments.”

“Oh, so propaganda classes, got it.”

“That’s another reason why I came back.” Jungkook said, confidently. “I learned more from you than I ever learnt in any of my classes. They don’t tell me about people who are struggling, or how what we do is negatively affecting our people. They don’t tell me any of that.”

“I’m sure they do, but they frame it to look all pretty.” Jimin shrugged. “Your parents know what they’re doing, Jungkook. They want to groom you into being just like them.”

“I know.” He admitted. “They kept me locked up after I ran away last time. I was only able to leave my room again recently, but I was followed closely by my advisor and right hand.”

“They don’t want you to see the capital for what it actually is.” Jimin said. “They know that if you have the chance to talk to any of our working class residents, we’ll tell you what actually goes on here.”

“That’s why I had to come back.”

“It’s dangerous for you to be here. This coffee shop… Jungkook, you shouldn’t be here.”

“You told me to come back!” Jungkook argued. “I want to actually do something! How am I supposed to change the regime if I don’t do anything to fix it? I can’t just sit around after hearing you tell me that we are gentrifying the capital. I can’t just let myself be locked up anymore.”

Jimin looked Jungkook over, sharp eyes watching him carefully. “Fine, but I need you to understand that you’re putting my coffee shop in danger as well.”

“Hyung…” 

“You are, whether you want to or not. You being here puts a target on my back and anyone else that comes in here. You want to get real life experiences? Fine. But you have to be prepared for whatever is going to happen if you get caught.”

Jungkook clenched his fists and looked Jimin directly in his eyes. “I will do everything I can to protect you. I’ll do anything.”

“Okay.” Jimin whispered. “Then stay here for the day. You have to leave before the sun sets though because my hyung will come home. He cannot see you here.”

“What does your hyung do?” Jungkook asked. “He doesn’t work with you?”

“Jungkook, I can’t tell you about him, I’m sorry.”

Jungkook nodded. “I get it.”

Another customer came in after that so Jimin got up to leave Jungkook alone with his thoughts again.

He knew he was probably burdening Jimin with his presence, but he just couldn’t stay away. He hadn’t been able to get Jimin off of his mind the entire time he’d been on house arrest and he finally found him again. 

Jimin was a huge mystery to him and Jungkook wanted to discover everything. Getting to know Jimin was going to be a challenge, but Jungkook was incredibly stubborn and wasn’t going to back down so easily. 

He couldn’t. 

He wanted everything that Jimin had to offer him.

****

Jungkook ended up spending the entire day just sitting in the small office and watching Jimin work on the cameras. Every so often, Jimin would come and chat with him for a bit and answer some of the questions Jungkook had about the shop.

He never answered any questions about any of the customers, though, and Jungkook had quite a few.

He specifically asked about the one that sat in that corner the entire time he had been there, but Jimin just shrugged and said that it was none of their business.

That appeared to be the overall theme for the coffee shop. They paid, Jimin made their drinks, and customers went and spoke in hushed voices amongst their various groups. It was unlike anything Jungkook had ever seen before and he was desperate to find out more. He was desperate to learn more about Jimin and what had driven him to opening up a place like the cafe.

“Do you think you can teach me how to make drinks?” Jungkook had asked at one of the times Jimin came into the back.

“That would require the entire store being closed down, so probably not.” Was Jimin’s reply.

Apparently saying, ‘Just for me?’ and pouting didn’t work on Jimin, either.

As it neared sunset and Jimin started getting ready to close up, Jungkook despaired the idea of turning his phone back on and considered begging Jimin to let him sleep over.

“Everyone is gone, do you want to help me close and clean?” Jimin asked as he walked into the office for the final time that day. 

Jungkook had a huge grin on his face and nodded which made Jimin laugh.

“I’ve never seen anyone so eager to clean before.”

Jimin took him out onto the floor and double checked to make sure the door was locked. “Do you think you can sweep and mop the dining room? I’ll close down the bar while you do that.”

“I have never swept or mopped in my entire life.” Jungkook said, with delight.

Jimin muttered ‘figures’ under his breath but gave Jungkook specific instructions on how to do it. Jungkook listened carefully and made sure to pay attention so that he wouldn’t end up disappointing Jimin.

“Do you even know what kind of chaos you caused today?” Jimin asked as Jungkook swept. “Have you been online at all?”

“No, my phone has been turned off all day.” Jungkook answered, making sure he was getting every since spec of dust off the floor.

“Mass panic. The palace was trying to say you were abducted, but from what I heard in whispers from my customers, they all think you were visiting your secret commoner girlfriend again.”

Jungkook groaned. “Why can’t a guy just visit the capital for fun these days? Why does everything have to be such a huge deal?”

“You’re the crown prince.” Jimin said. “Everyone is always watching you. Not only that, but you’re the nation’s darling prince. Of course people are going to gossip and say you have a secret girlfriend. You’ve never dated publicly, and people are desperate to find out more.”

“I just want to be a person.” Jungkook sighed. “I just want to do what’s best for my people and live the life I want. Everything gets taken so far. Even when I go back tonight, they’re going to lock me back up. I don’t understand why I can’t just do what I want.”

Jimin was quiet as he listened to Jungkook and cleaned up the bar. Jungkook couldn’t tell if Jimin was just thinking he was whining about things that don’t matter or if he actually cared about what Jungkook was saying and empathized. 

“Also, how am I supposed to learn anything about how to run the country if I’m locked up at the palace all day? How am I supposed to learn how to do what’s right for my people if I can’t even spend time with them?” Jungkook added, his grip around the broom tightening as he angrily swept.

“They don’t want you to learn anything about that.” Jimin said, as he had said previously. “They just want you to continue to do what they’ve been doing. That’s why you’re being locked up.”

“I know, I’m learning that now.” Jungkook agreed. “I only learned that after seeing you last time. I just wish I could spend time with you outside of this coffee shop and actually learn about this city. I wish I didn’t constantly have a target on my back.”

“You know…” Jimin paused, as if unsure if he wanted to say what he was thinking. “I used to hate you.”

“Me?” Jungkook asked, in shock.

“Yeah, before we met.” Jimin admitted. “A lot of people in the capital do. Everything about you feels like propaganda, and really, it is. The way that the palace runs your social media, and the stories that come out about how good you are. It just always felt so fabricated, like they were begging us to like you.”

Jungkook listened as he watched Jimin speak. His face was concentrated, and he refused to look back at Jungkook.

“I always assumed you were just like your parents, because I had no reason to believe otherwise. I just… Having met you before, I can see you’re not like them at all. I’m just having a lot of trouble differentiating between the Jungkook that I grew up hating, and the one that’s helping me clean up my cafe.”

“I want you to be able to know me.” Jungkook said. “I don’t want to be someone you hate, even if we never see each other again after today, I don’t want you to hate me.”

“I don’t hate you anymore.” Jimin said after a minute. “I can’t. Not when you snuck away to buy me breakfast. Not when you actually got excited to help me clean the cafe. Not when you want to learn about your people and get to know them. I can’t hate you, but it’s causing so much anxiety for me.”

“Anxiety?” Jungkook asked.

“I can’t even tell you why. I want to get to know you, Jungkook. I just don’t know if you’re someone I’m allowed to like.”

“Spend more time with me.” Jungkook begged. “I’ll find a way to sneak out again, please.”

He wasn’t sure why he was so desperate to see Jimin again, but he just wanted Jimin to like him so bad. He wanted to know Jimin, and he wanted to know his city.

“I don’t think we should do that.”

“Hyung, when is the cafe closed? Spend the day with me.”

Jimin looked like he was conflicted, and stared down at the ground. “Jungkook…”

“I can do it. I’ll sneak away for you.”

There was a pause.

“Sunday.” Jimin said so quietly that Jungkook almost wasn’t able to hear him. “We’re closed on sunday.”

“I’ll come find you then.” Jungkook said.

It was a promise.

****

“You little shit.”

Jungkook was in Hoseok’s car after being picked up from the train station again. 

He left after cleaning with Jimin, and walked back to the train station alone that time, unlike the time before.

“Also, why do you keep smiling? We are all dead the second we get back to the palace. I’m telling you, they’re going to kill us.” 

Jungkook couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. Jimin was letting him come back and was going to spend the day with him.

Of course, that meant he would need to sneak out again, and it was definitely not going to be as easy as it had been the last time. Jungkook, however, was more determined than he had ever been in his entire life.

Namjoon turned around to stare at him from the passenger seat as he was clearly ignoring Hoseok’s whining.

“Sneaking out of the palace before the sun even rose, what were you thinking?” Namjoon said, and Hoseok continued to complain from the driver’s seat.

“Imagine how I felt going into your room to get you ready for the day at 7 am and you were missing! You even had the audacity to make your bed. You could have at least attempted to make it look like someone kidnapped you.”

Jungkook didn’t respond.

“ And then. I had to be the one to tell your parents you were missing! I called you how many times? No response. Straight to voicemail. I sent a million texts that never got delivered. I had to request a meeting with the king and queen to tell them their son ran away again!”

Jungkook leaned his head up against the car window. It was freezing cold from the chilly weather outside, but it felt nice against his warm face.

Namjoon nodded to everything Hoseok said with a serious expression. 

“You didn’t even leave a note. You could have left a note, or a text even. Oh, they’re going to kill us when we get back. Do you know they requested an emergency meeting with you the moment you step foot back on the palace grounds? You’re cooked, Jeon Jungkook. They’re going to stick you in the palace prison at this rate.”

Jungkook sighed. Prison would be much harder to escape from than his room.

“Oh my God, Namjoon, he doesn’t even care.” Hoseok’s knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping the steering wheel.

“I knew it was going to happen when I left, anyway.” Jungkook finally said. “I don’t even care, they can do what they want. I had a great day.”

“He had a great day.” Hoseok laughed. “ He had a great day.”

“Jungkook-ah… Did you go back to that coffee shop?” Namjoon asked while Hoseok had a mental breakdown. 

“Yeah. I saw who I wanted to see. I don’t regret anything that I did.”

“Is he worth it?” Namjoon questioned.

“Yeah.” Jungkook responded, thinking about how Jimin said that he was starting to like Jungkook after a lifetime of hating him.

Jungkook would do it all over again.

They parked the car and Hoseok nearly dragged him out of it. Jungkook didn’t blame him for how he was acting, he knew that he was going to be in trouble as well. Jungkook wished that wouldn’t be the case, Hoseok should not be to blame for Jungkook breaking the rules.

He also knew that Hoseok was just worried about him more than he was worried about himself. 

“Alright, we have to go directly to the throne room.” Hoseok muttered, voice shaky. “No detours.”

What an inconvenience. 

Jungkook knew that his parents didn’t actually care about what he was doing, they cared more about how it looked to everyone else. Also, based on what he had learned recently, they probably cared more about what he was learning in the capital than if he was being safe or not.

He just wanted to get it over with more than anything.

The throne room was empty aside from his parents. Their footsteps echoed against the wide empty walls of the room and Jungkook felt like he could hear the increased pace of Hoseok and Namjoon breathing the closer they got to where his parents were.

The concept of thrones was outdated and not in practice at that point, and the space itself was more of a meeting room with a long table that normally would be full of palace advisors, and sat at the head would be his parents. 

It was all empty aside from them.

They didn’t greet Jungkook as he walked in, either. Their faces were filled with disappointment.

Jungkook bowed deeply to his parents as Hoseok and Namjoon kneeled before them.

“Jungkook-ah.” His mother started to speak with an irritated tone. “What do you think you’ve been doing? Since when has it ever been okay for you to just go and do whatever you want? Since when has it been okay for you to disgrace our family?”

“Mother, please.” Jungkook said.

“Do not cut me off.” She snapped at him. “Don’t even think about talking back to me right now, either. You have no idea what we’ve had to do to cover for your mistakes.”

Jungkook’s mouth snapped shut and he stared down at the ground, trying not to let his emotions show.

“Look at your mother when she’s talking to you.” His father demanded and Jungkook whipped his head back up, trying to keep tears from falling in anger.

“Who is it? Who are you seeing?” 

Jungkook froze and tried to regulate his breathing. “I’m not seeing anyone. The rumors about me being in a secret relationship are wrong.”

“Don’t lie, Jungkook. Tell us who it is so we can take care of it.” His mother said.

They couldn’t even bear to say ‘ he’. Instead, they used it. The difference was small, but Jungkook noticed.

Jungkook winced, because he knew after getting caught the last time that they would never believe him again. 

“I don’t know his name.” Jungkook lied. “He won’t tell me his name. There’s nothing going on between us.”

His parents were silent, and Jungkook could practically feel the anger coming off of them. He tried to maintain eye contact and keep a straight face. 

He had to remain strong, or else they would hate him for crying, too.

“You’re not allowed to leave your room for the foreseeable future.” Jungkook’s father spoke. “You will only leave to be escorted to your responsibilities. Your meals will be brought to you until we decide that you’re able to leave and behave yourself again.”

“No, please.” Jungkook begged, his eyes threatening to fill with tears,

He swallowed it down.

“Give us more information about this person you’re seeing and maybe we’ll start giving you more freedom again. Until then, we will confiscate your phone and leave you in the hands of your right hand and advisor.”

Jungkook’s father gave an angry look to Hoseok and Namjoon who were still bowing down low to the floor.

“Neither of you are off the hook either. Report back here once Jungkook is back in his room. Now go.”

They shot up off the ground and practically dragged Jungkook out of the room.

Neither of them said a word until they reached Jungkook’s room where he immediately broke down once the door closed behind them.

“Come here, Jungkookie.” Hoseok brought him in for a hug and held him close against his chest while Namjoon rubbed his back.

“I’m sorry.” Namjoon whispered as Jungkook sobbed. “I’m sorry we can’t do more for you.”

“Do you really not know anything about him?” Hoseok asked into Jungkook’s hair.

“I know his name and that’s it. I only know his name, but I can’t tell anyone. I won’t”

“Okay, Jungkookie. Your secret is safe with us.”

Jungkook let himself relax into Hoseok and Namjoon’s warmth and wished he could stay in their arms forever. He wished they didn’t have to go back and face their own punishment and leave Jungkook locked up alone.

Jeon Jungkook’s Secret Affair

As we know, I’m an early bird. I like to wake up as the sun rises and hear the

chirps of the birds as they welcome the day. Winter is coming on soon, and

you can feel it in the breeze. I still keep my windows open as I enjoy the chill

feeling bright and early while cuddling into the warmth of my bed.

However, this morning I woke up feeling as though something was not right.

It was just like any morning, everything was the same as I was used to. Yet,

there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that I just could not ignore. I

hurriedly got myself ready for the day, packed up my laptop, and left the

warmth and comfort of my home. 

I was desperate to find out what was making me feel unease as my 

intuition is never wrong.

That was when I saw him. Jeon Jungkook, our darling Crown Prince.

His Highness was holding a large bag of pastries that he picked up

from a local shop, and what he planned to do with them shocked me

further. 

He snuck out of the palace to bring breakfast to his secret lover. It

is confirmed to me now, that this is what he has been doing. The first 

time he snuck out, it was questionable. I wondered if maybe he just needed a

break from his royal duties, or if there was something bothering him about

his parent’s politics. I let myself ponder over it, as we saw in one of my previous

articles. It became apparent to me today what is actually going on.

His Royal Highness does not just have a secret affair, no. He has a secret affair

with a commoner like many have gossiped. He managed to sneak out of 

the palace before dawn to meet with this lover and bring them a romantic

gift of breakfast and company. They spent the entire day together, from

sunrise to sundown. 

His parents must disapprove as they tried to spread a story that he had been

abducted from the palace. Not many believed it, but the palace itself was

in an uproar as they tried to find their prince. 

Jeon Jungkook, however, was uncaring towards it all. I could not get a read

on what he was feeling as I only really saw him that first moment when he was

just out of the bakery. 

As for the lover, that is another story all on its own and something I will have to

do more digging before I expose anything. From what I do know, it is easy

to see why our King and Queen would not approve of such a relationship. It 

goes against all of the propaganda they have tried to force down our throats about

His Royal Highness. It goes against the stories they have been pushing about his

potential future engagement to a princess in a foreign land or potentially a nobel’s

daughter.

It goes against everything they stand for.

I have to give it to Jeon Jungkook, however. He is bold for what he is doing,

and perhaps he is trying to make a rebellious statement. Whether he is 

rebelling or truly in love, I am going to do my best to find out more.

I watched him driven away from the capital in one of the palace cars and wondered

if this was truly the last we would see of our new escape artist.

Until next time,

V

Chapter Text

Jimin did not think Jungkook was going to come back to the capital. Two Sundays had passed by, but Jungkook had yet to show his face again.

Jimin kind of expected it, ever since V dropped yet another article about Jungkook sneaking around. Gossip sites had been going crazy ever since V mentioned that Jungkook was having a secret affair with a commoner, and the palace was doing everything they could to shut it down. 

They had Jungkook doing PR stunt after PR stunt, as if he didn’t even have a moment to rest by himself. His social media pages were posting more than they ever had, with fabricated content that was made to look as if he posted it of his own free will.

Jimin knew better. The rebellion knew better.

“They posted another one.” Yoongi said on the third Sunday since Jungkook had last been to the cafe. 

They were sitting together at their kitchen table and eating breakfast. Sunday was the only day of the week that the cafe was closed, and Yoongi and Jimin made it a rule to always have breakfast together so they could catch up and be a proper family. 

Jimin, of course, brewed coffee for them while Yoongi cooked whatever he was feeling like for breakfast that day.

It was Jimin’s favorite day of the week.

“Hm?” Jimin questioned as he scrolled through his twitter feed, obsessively looking at what people were saying about Jungkook.

“The palace posted on the prince’s account again.” Yoongi clarified, but Jimin already knew about it.

Jimin almost felt embarrassed with how up to date on Jungkook’s social media he had become. He’d never admit to the prince that he put his post notifications on or that he stalked some of Jungkook’s fan pages to see what they were saying about him. 

It’s not that Jimin cared all that much, really, it was just that he was curious.

“Did they?” Jimin said as nonchalantly as he could, because Yoongi knew when he was lying better than anyone else.

“He must be in some deep shit.” Yoongi said. “All this PR bullshit has done is prove that the prince actually does have some sort of secret affair with one of the lowly commoners of the capital.”

Jimin glanced over at Yoongi, but kept his face neutral.

“He looks like he’s being held at gunpoint in all of these videos they’re posting of him.” Yoongi continued to say, and Jimin agreed.

In every video, Jungkook looked extremely tense. His smiles were fake and his eyes lacked the sparkle that Jimin had become familiar with.

“It is really odd.” Jimin said in confirmation. “They probably want people to forget about whatever V said, but all this is doing is proving him right.”

“Yep.” Yoongi nodded. “Seokjin hyung said he’s basically in prison at the palace.”

Jimin actually looked over in interest. “Seokjin hyung said what?”

“Yeah.” Yoongi took a sip of coffee. “They’re keeping him locked away except to film these weird videos. That or they walk him around the garden and make him do photoshoots for his social media pages so that everyone thinks everything is all okay and that he is totally not dating a poor person.”

Jimin felt a pang of hurt for Jungkook. He knew this would happen to him, yet the confirmation still seared him. 

“I actually almost feel bad for him.” Yoongi shook his head. “They were probably worried that he was actually going to become radical or something.”

Jimin snorted, because it wasn’t too far off from the truth. “I wonder how V managed to see him both times he was here. The second time, nobody even knew until the palace announced that he was abducted.”

“V is an anomaly.” Yoongi agreed. “That sneaky bastard, I wish I knew who he was so I could actually recruit him. He’d do so well for us. I mean he already kind of does, but I just wish I knew what he would be posting before it actually comes out.”

Jimin just shrugged. “He doesn’t want to be found, so he won’t be. Nothing we can really do about that.”

Jimin had wondered about V’s identity many times before. It was the biggest mystery for everyone; the palace and the capital. 

“You’re right.” Yoongi sighed. “Oh, by the way. Seokjin hyung is going to be coming by.”

Jimin perked up. “Seokjin hyung is coming?”

“Mhm.” Yoongi said through a bite of fruit. “Said he had to drop off a package in the capital, not sure what that meant. He said he wants to stop by, though. He was hoping to meet us at the park.”

Jimin grinned, excited to see his Seokjin hyung again. It was so rare they got to see each other, and Jimin really did cherish his hyung a lot. 

“I can’t wait to hear about the palace gossip first hand.” Jimin basically moaned. “He knows everything.”

“Yeah, that’s why he’s the best informant ever.” Yoongi bragged. “I haven’t seen him in a couple weeks, and he doesn’t tell me everything over text.”

“Can we pick him up some pastries? I haven’t had any since…” Jimin trailed off, because he almost said since Jungkook had last visited. 

“I actually can’t remember the last time I had them.”

It was a good save, but Jimin swallowed down harshly. Yoongi, luckily, didn’t notice. When he started to talk about Seokjin he always got so distracted. It was adorable, Jimin thought.

“Of course.” Yoongi agreed. “I bring him some whenever we meet up. We can go grab some before we see him.”

Jimin was excited. It was rare that he got to spend a day with Yoongi, and even rarer that he got to spend a day with Seokjin. It made up for the fact that he was unable to see Jungkook.

Not that Jimin was looking forward to seeing Jungkook, by the way. It also wasn’t like he was counting the Sundays that Jungkook missed out on.

That was another worry Jimin had. 

What if, that particular Sunday, was the Sunday that Jungkook managed to sneak out? What if Jungkook came all the way to the capital and Jimin was gone? What if Jimin and Yoongi came back home together and Jungkook was there? 

Jimin envisioned many scenarios where Yoongi catches Jungkook in the cafe, and none of them end well. 

He pushed those thoughts to the side and decided that Jungkook was basically in jail and there was no way he would make it to the capital. Jimin had to take the chance to spend time with his hyungs, because he wasn’t sure when he would be able to again.

Yoongi and Jimin headed out soon after that, Yoongi definitely rushed a bit to get out of the house once he saw that Seokjin would be on the way soon.

“He said his package is difficult to get out of the palace.” Yoongi read the text out loud with a frown. They were walking to the bakery and had just left their house. “What could he possibly be taking to the capital?”

Jimin shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll tell us when he gets here. I hope he packed us a fancy lunch that he poured his blood sweat and tears into.”

“You wish.” Yoongi laughed. “It’s probably something he can’t say over text which is why he’s being so weird about it.”

“Do they check his phone?” Jimin asked as they walked into the bakery. They had to be careful what they said out loud when they were outside of the cafe. You never truly knew who was listening in, or if palace officials were lurking.

“I don’t think so, but there’s always a chance.” Yoongi said as they got in the small line. “I know he just tries to be very careful. The two of us kind of have code that we text through.”

“Sure you do.” Jimin giggled as Yoongi nudged him playfully. 

“We have to, it’s not a cute thing.” Yoongi whined but Jimin continued to tease them as they went up to order their pastries together.

Jimin loved spending time with Yoongi when things felt so normal. He spent so long worrying about him and hoping that he was safe so he truly cherished the times where they could joke around and just be themselves together. It was bittersweet because those moments were so rare. So whenever they happened, sometimes Jimin would just get hit with a wave of sadness when he realized that he didn’t know the next time the two of them would be able to have that relaxation again.

Yoongi had a smile on his face the entire walk to the park. His eyes were shining and he moved quicker than he usually did. 

Jimin didn’t mention it because seeing Yoongi so happy warmed his heart so much. He loved to tease him about Seokjin, but Jimin was so glad they found each other.

Yoongi didn’t have many things that made him happy before Seokjin. It had always just been Jimin.

“It’s cold out.” Yoongi mentioned, breaking Jimin out of his thoughts. “Have you been staying warm?”

“Hyung, I should be asking you that. I stay in the shop all day.” 

“I know.” Yoongi said. “I just want to make sure you’re staying warm and safe when you’re there, too.”

“Have you been?” Jimin asked. They were nearing the park and Jimin wondered if Seokjin was already there waiting for them.

“Don’t worry about me.” Yoongi said.”I’m doing well.”

Jimin didn’t ask anymore questions because he didn’t want to start an argument. Yoongi cared too much about Jimin and not enough about himself. 

They didn’t talk again until Yoongi spotted Seokjin, but it wasn’t because things were awkward, it was mainly because there was nothing to add to the conversation. Yoongi had also been checking his phone every minute to see if there were any updates from Seokjin until they finally spotted him.

Yoongi lit up immediately, and the pace in his step quickened. Jimin followed behind as Yoongi sped over to a hooded individual sitting on a bench.

“Hyung.” Yoongi’s smile was almost childish and was full of life, a brightness to him that was missing most of the time. 

Jimin’s heart warmed as Seokjin stood up and brought both of them in for a hug before kissing Yoongi so softly.

“I missed you both.” He said as the three of them sat down together, with Seokjin in the middle.

Yoongi placed the bag of pastries down and took the box out from it to hand out the food to everyone.

“What package were you bringing to the capital?” Yoongi asked around a huge bite of danish.

“Classified information.” Seokjin winked. “But seriously, I can’t actually tell you.”

Yoongi pouted. “And you had time to drop it off before meeting us?”

“Mhm.” Seokjin confirmed as he ate a croissant. “The hardest part was getting it out of the palace. Everything else was easy enough. It also gave me an excuse to see you both. How have things been at the shop?” 

The question was directed at Jimin, and Seokjin gave him his full attention.

“Things are well.” Jimin said. “I mean, they’re as normal as they always are. I did have one of my weirder customers introduce himself to me a couple weeks ago, but I’m still not sure if it was his real name or not. I obviously didn’t tell him mine.”

Yoongi snorted. “You didn’t tell me about that. Which customer?”

“The one who shows up before we even open every single day and just waits to come inside. He said his name is Taehyung.”

“He is a weird one.” Yoongi agreed, which made Seokjin laugh. “He just sits there typing on his laptop and staring at everyone all day.”

“Every single day!” Jimin reiterated. “I like him, though. We’ve been chatting a lot more before any of the customers come in and it’s nice to actually have someone else to talk to now. Other than that, the cafe has been the same as it always is.”

Jimin definitely left out everything about Jungkook, but it was killing him to not bring it up when he was so curious about how close Seokjin and Jungkook actually were. Jimin had been thinking about it since the last time he saw Jungkook, wondering if he could get Seokjin to say anything about it. 

They chatted a little bit more about the coffee shop until Jimin decided enough was enough.

“Hyung, tell us the drama going on at the palace.” He said. “Do you know anything about what’s been happening with Jeon Jungkook?”

“Jimin-ah.” Yoongi scolded. “You can’t just ask about confidential gossip so out in the open. Quietly.”

“Sorry.” Jimin whispered. 

“It’s okay.” Seokjin said. “I can talk about it a little bit.”

Jimin noticed that Yoongi seemed just as interested in it as he was, and Jimin had to stop himself from laughing.

“Jungkook has been seeing someone in the capital, but it’s not a girlfriend or anything like people seem to assume.” Seokjin said quietly. “At least, from what I know, it’s not a relationship. It’s been really hard to see him and I usually only get to around meal times where he whines to me a lot. They’re keeping him on house arrest and there are guards outside of his room every single day, stationed there on shifts.”

Jimin felt dread pooling in his stomach. He couldn’t imagine what Jungkook would be going through there alone with nobody else around. 

“The only people that actually have access to him are me, his right hand, and his advisor.” Seokjin continued. “I’ve been spending his meals with him because I feel really upset for him. He seems to be building up a lot of resentment for his parents, and I don’t think they’re being smart about what they’re doing to him.”

Yoongi hummed. “He’s going to rebel if they keep this up. They think they’re doing a justice to keep him away from the capital, but they’re going to make him hate them even more like this.”

Jimin agreed. He had already been able to tell that Jungkook’s opinions on the regime were starting to change with every visit, but being locked away would just intensify those feelings and thoughts.

“Oh absolutely.” Seokjin said. “I’ve been talking to him a lot and his opinion of his parents seems to be worse each time I’m in there.”

“It might not be a bad idea if we can get him on our side.” Yoongi said, deep in thought. “If we can capture him and properly educate him, we might have a huge chance at taking them down.”

Jimin clenched his fists. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want Jungkook involved with the rebellion at all. He didn’t deserve to be locked up by anyone, and it would put him in even more danger if the rebellion got ahold of him. At least if he were on house arrest he would stay safe.

Jimin froze when he realized he was starting to prioritize Jungkook’s safety. He’d spent so long hating Jungkook and hating what he stood for but suddenly he was thinking about ways to keep him safe. 

Jimin felt lucky when Seokjin interrupted his thoughts.

“I don’t think he should be part of the rebellion yet. Jungkook is… I don’t think he’s ready for that. I think he’s starting to change and is realizing what is actually happening, but I don’t think now is the time to get him involved with it. I think we should let him continue to figure things out on his own and then maybe we can see how we can bring him in.”

Yoongi frowned. “How is he going to continue to change if he’s being locked up?”

Seokjin just laughed. “He’s a stubborn kid. He’s going to find a way to sneak out of the palace no matter what. One thing about Jeon Jungkook is that he likes a challenge.”

Jimin laughed, knowing it was true, but then played it off as a cough. 

“Well, if I end up seeing him around the capital it’s fair game.” Yoongi said. “If V has been able to catch him wandering around every single time, then clearly he’s not doing a very good job disguising himself. I just want to have a word with him, that’s all.”

Seokjin and Jimin were quiet, and Jimin wished he could get Seokjin alone to ask him about Jungkook, but he knew it would be impossible. He thought there was more Seokjin knew that he wasn’t saying, and Jimin couldn’t help but wonder if Seokjin was actually trying to protect him from the rebellion. 

Jimin thought it made sense since he had never brought up before that he and Jungkook were kind of close, and if Jimin were to go based off anything Jungkook had said, he would think that Seokin and Jungkook were much closer than Yoongi ever thought.

“You really think he’ll be able to sneak away again?” Jimin asked.

He genuinely wanted to know if he would see Jungkook again. It was dangerous, especially with Yoongi so determined to capture Jungkook, but Jimin couldn’t help the desire he had towards the prince.

Not that he would ever admit that to Jungkook.

“He will.” Seokjin said with so much confidence that it actually shocked Jimin. “His parents think that they have him completely under their control, but there’s a lot they don’t know. I don’t even think that Jungkook knows, but most of the palace prefers him to his parents. He’s popular amongst the staff for being polite and treating everyone like people. I haven’t really talked about it, but he’s very friendly with me.”

Yoongi seemed to be taking it in with a scowl. Jimin honestly couldn’t blame him at all, because if he hadn’t met Jungkook he would have a lot of trouble believing what Seokjin was saying.

Jungkook was really just uninformed.

Jimin imagined him being very nice to staff. He seemed like the type to bow to them and be polite despite his status. He seemed like the type to know everyone’s names and fun facts about them. He seemed like the type to-

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Jimin looked over to Yoongi who was staring at him. 

“I was thinking about the state of our economy.” 

Seokjin burst out laughing, loud and unashamed, making Yoongi giggle along with him.

“Why the Hell would you be smiling while thinking about our economy you weirdo?” Yoongi laughed. “You couldn’t have come up with a better lie?”

“It was the first thing I thought of.” Jimin grinned. “I actually think it's cool that the prince is nice to his staff, that’s why I was smiling.”

Yoongi scrunched his nose a bit in distaste.

“He’s honestly not a bad kid.” Seokjin said. “I think he believes a lot of the information that he was fed his entire life, but now he’s being told otherwise and it’s making him rethink a lot of things. I think with proper guidance he would be a great person.”

He could be a great ruler.

That’s what Jimin thought and what he assumed Seokjin was getting at. The end goal of the rebellion was to take down the Jeon’s entirely, but Jimin wasn’t particularly sure what the plan was going to be after that. Those were things that Yoongi was supposed to worry about and for Jimin not to be involved in.

Things might be different if Jungkook were to take over.

Jimin wondered if Jungkook even really wanted that. He thought about how awful Jungkook seemed to have felt when he realized what was happening to the people in his country. He thought about how determined Jungkook seemed to change things for the better.

He also wondered, however, if Jungkook even wanted to be stuck in that life forever.

“I don’t trust him.” Yoongi said about Jungkook. “I don’t trust any of the royals, regardless of how they treat anyone. I’m glad he’s nice to you though, hyung.”

Jimin noticed just a small hint of sadness in Seokjin’s eyes, but it was gone seconds later. 

Jimin couldn’t blame Yoongi. The way Yoongi felt about Jungkook wasn’t going to change easily, and Jimin knew that. There were years of hurt and distrust built up in Yoongi that would take so much to tear down, and even Seokjin telling him that Jungkook was a good person wouldn’t be able to do that. Yoongi trusted both Seokjin and Jimin with his entire life, but even they wouldn’t be able to make him trust Jungkook.

Nobody would be able to do it except for Jungkook himself.

They finished up eating and Yoongi put the empty box back in the bag. He let Seokjin wrap his arms around him and pull him close as the three of them continued to talk to each other.

Jimin looked on fondly, thinking that the love they had for each other was precious and something he wanted to have some day. He also felt a little bit like he was intruding on them, and knew they hadn’t seen each other in a little bit and didn’t want to take up all of their time.

“I’m going to head back to the coffee shop now because there was some deep cleaning I needed to do.” Jimin said, which was a lie.

He was probably going to go home and watch a romance movie he’d seen a million times already and wonder when he would find the love of his life.

“Are you sure?” Seokjin asked.

Jimin watched how Seokjin was gently rubbing his fingers against Yoongi’s side soothingly and felt warmth spread within him.

“Definitely.” Jimin sighed dramatically to add to it. “I haven’t mopped behind the fridges in some time, and it needs to get done.”

“I should come visit the cafe again soon.” Seokjin said. “It’s been so long and nobody makes coffee as good as you, especially in the palace. I’ve been living off of k-cups and instant coffee there.”

Jimin pretended to be offended. “Guess you have to come by, then. You know I’d never make you pay, either.”

Jimin stood up and stretched, before picking up the empty pastry bag from the ground to throw it out on his way back to the shop. “I’ll miss you, hyung. Text me more, okay?”

“I know, I promise I will. I always get nervous texting too much while I’m there, but I promise I’ll keep in touch.” Seokjin said. “I’ll miss you, too.”

“Okay. You have to text me more now, you promised.” Jimin said sternly, but he would never be mad at Seokjin if he couldn’t. “Text me when you’re on your way home. Stay safe, I’ll see you both soon.”

Yoongi promised to text Jimin on his way back home and Jimin waved goodbye and started to head off.

The winter was much colder when he was on his own. Jimin shivered on his way out of the park and back into the city. Everything felt so grey and cold and the people were unfamiliar. 

The clouds were making it darker even quicker than it needed to be and Jimin felt alone. He thought he felt alone, but then he thought about Jungkook who was in a place with so much warmth and riches but probably felt more alone than Jimin did.

Jimin wasn’t sure when he started feeling so much sympathy for Jeon Jungkook.

He thought it might have been when the videos were being uploaded to his instagram account, videos where Jungkook lacked any light in his eyes. 

Jimin wondered if it began when Jungkook found out what his parents were truly doing to the capital and that he had been lied to his entire life.

Jimin wondered if it began when Jungkook asked him how to sweep a floor.

Jimin wondered a lot of things about Jungkook, and he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to find out the answer to them.

He finally made it back to his street and turned down the alley to where the cafe entrance was and froze when he saw someone sitting on the ground next to the door, arms around themself and shivering.

“Who are you?” Jimin demanded as he approached, already apprehensive at a stranger sitting in front of his home.

Sometimes people got confused and thought Jimin was also open on Sundays and would stop by and try to be let in. They’d always figure out soon that the cafe was closed when nobody came to the door, but the person in front of it looked like they’d been there for a while.

They were all covered up, in a black beanie, scarf that wrapped around the head and even covered their neck, and a black winter jacket with the hood up. Jimin could barely even see the person’s eyes.

He figured they’d been sitting there for some time because despite being completely bundled up, they were still shivering.

“Jimin hyung.” Came a muffled voice.

All the tension left Jimin’s body for just a moment before it came back, but worse.

Jimin launched forward to open up the door as quickly as he could, hands shaking as he unlocked it.

“What are you doing here?” Jimin hissed as he pushed the cafe door open and basically pulled the person inside. 

He closed the door behind them and locked it back up before turning on the lights.

“Jungkook, what the fuck?”

Jimin watched as Jungkook started to take off his winter getup, still shivering from the cold. Jimin shook his head in disbelief. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you I’d come.” Jungkook said with a trembling voice from sitting out in the cold for so long. “I promise I’d come.”

Jimin let himself try and relax and took a deep breath. “How long were you out there?”

He pulled Jungkook along with him, his hands were frozen in Jimin’s warm ones. He went behind the bar and immediately started making Jungkook a hot tea.

“Only like an hour and a half or so.” Jungkook said as he took the tea from Jimin and held it close to his chest as if the heat would seep into him as well. “I snuck out.”

“No shit.” Jimin snorted. “How did you even do that? I heard you were being guarded.”

Jungkook laughed. “I was able to see three important people a day, and one of those people makes frequent trips to the capital.”

Seokjin.

The package.

“You were the package…” Jimin muttered, unable to believe it. 

“I was what? Hyung, can we sit down?”

Jimin nodded and the two of them walked to a table together, the one they had sat in the first time they met.

“How did you actually sneak out?”

“One of the people who comes in often to see me is the palace chef.” Jungkook explained. “We formulated a plan together where he brought a large cart of food with a nice tablecloth over it and then he snuck me out on it. I was under the tablecloth.” 

Jimin wanted to slam his head against the table. It was so dumb, but just dumb enough to work.

“How did he even get you out of the palace? This is ridiculous…”

“He said he needed to unload a few things in his car and brought me to the parking lot in a different cart where he had my coat and disguise for me to change into. The palace parking lot is far enough where we could get away with it.”

Jimin thought about how dangerous it could have been for Seokjin. Yoongi would kill Jungkook if he ever found out the length they went through to get Jungkook to the capital.

“How did you even convince him to do that?” Jimin asked, but he knew Seokjin, and he knew it wouldn’t take much.

Seokjin was one of the most kind hearted people that Jimin knew. Jungkook probably just had to say ‘please’ and Seokjin would give in.

“It was his idea.” Jungkook said again, surprising Jimin completely. “Him and my hyungs came up with the plan together.”

“The same hyungs that yelled at you over the phone?” Jimin asked, suspicious. 

Jungkook just sighed and finally took a sip of his tea. “So much has happened since we last saw each other. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Take your time.” Jimin said.

“I’ve been forced to stay in my room and the only times I can leave are when I’m being escorted to my classes. Guards are stationed outside of my room at all times and even my windows got barred up.” 

Jungkook let out a bitter laugh and Jimin shuttered.

“My hyungs usually listen to everything my parents tell them to do because that’s their job.” Jungkook said. “But this time… It was just so cruel. I’m their best friend before I’m their prince, I think, and they couldn’t stand to see me locked up like that. I put so many people at risk to come here, but they wanted me to so badly. They wanted me to come back, I don’t know if it’s for closure between us or if it's an act of rebellion against my parents for the shit they’re doing to me.”

“Your parents won’t go check your room to see if you’re still there?” Jimin asked.

Jungkook clenched his cup tight. “No. They never come to see me, I have to request an audience just to see them. The only people that are able to enter my room are Seokjin hyung, Hoseok hyung, and Namjoon hyung. The three of them worked together to get me here. Seokjin hyung is going to take me back later.”

“They won’t notice that he’s missing? What about someone delivering your lunch or dinner?”

Jungkook shrugged. “Seokjin hyung said he took care of it. I trust him. I just really wanted to see you again. I told you I’d come back to spend a day with you and then I never did.”

“Jungkook, it’s okay.” Jimin said. “I saw the videos that were getting posted of you and knew you had to be forced into doing them. I knew you had to be locked up somewhere.”

“Those videos…” Jungkook frowned. “They were forcing me to do them in one of my classes at the request of my parents. They wanted to show our country’s people that I was doing what I was supposed to be at the palace and wasn’t messing around with some girl like V was saying. I just… It was tearing me apart. I felt like I was going to break if I was there for any longer.”

“I wish you could stay here with me.” Jimin admitted. 

“Can I?” Jungkook pleaded, but they both knew he couldn’t.

“You know you can’t.” Jimin said, and Jungkook just nodded. 

“Wishful thinking. I wish my life could be normal and I could run this coffee shop with you and make drinks for mysterious customers. I wish we could have that.”

“We could pretend for today.” Jimin said. “The shop is closed and my hyung is out with his boyfriend. I can show you how to make the drinks.”

Jungkook lit up immediately, beaming at Jimin as if he hadn’t heard anything better.

Jimin wished that Jungkook was able to smile like that more often. 

He did worry, though, about how he was starting to grow too attached to Jungkook. 

He couldn’t. 

He couldn’t get attached to him when Yoongi was desperate to find him and Jungkook had the entire country dying to know what he had been up to. 

Growing attached to Jungkook was dangerous to both of them, but Jimin couldn’t help it. He knew that Jungkook wasn’t even aware of the danger he was in knowing Jimin, and Jimin couldn’t just tell him that the coffee shop was a front for the rebellion that was trying to take his family down. There was so much at stake, and so much danger that they were in, but Jimin still couldn’t help it.

Jungkook deserved to smile and he deserved to be happy. His parents were going to drain the life out of him to get their way, and Jimin had gotten to know Jungkook well enough by then to know that locking him away would never work. Jungkook would go to drastic measures to free himself, and Jimin was just glad that he was spending that energy to try and see Jimin instead.

“This is the espresso machine, and it is my baby.” Jimin showed Jungkook once they’d walked back behind the bar. “Yoongi and I actually found it in a junkyard and we managed to fix it back up together. We couldn’t afford to buy a brand new one, so this was the best we could do. It gets the job done.”

Jungkook patted the side of the machine and whispered, “You’re doing great.” to it.

“So it has two group heads on it.” Jimin pointed to the two handles. “Those hold the portafilters that pull the shots.”

“Those are a lot of words that I don’t know.” Jungkook said.

“That’s okay.” Jimin responded as he pulled one of the handles and took it out of the group head before showing it to Jungkook. “This is the portafilter. The espresso gets ground into this basket, watch.” 

Jimin put the portafilter under the hopper and pressed the trigger that ground the beans directly into the basket. 

“You usually want to weigh the grounds to make sure you have the right amount, because the way the shots pull can drastically change due to the weight of the grounds or even how coarse or fine they are. You can adjust all of that on the grinder.”

Jungkook listened so carefully, as if every single word Jimin said was so important to him.

Jimin patted the side of the portafilter so that the grounds got more level. “Now we are going to tamp them. That compacts the grounds so that the shots are ready to be pulled.”

Jungkook seemed to really enjoy the tamping part for whatever reason, eyes widening as he watched Jimin do it.

“Now we can actually pull the shots. I’ll pull a double so we both can sample a single shot each.”

Jimin put two clear cortado glasses under the grouphead as he let the shots pull.

“You also want to time the shots to make sure they’re pulling at the correct time, because if they pull for too short that means they aren’t getting enough water, and if they pull for too long it means they’re getting too much. We are looking for it to extract in about 21-25 seconds.”

Jungkook nodded along. “This is so much more work than I thought it would be.”

Jimin just laughed as the shots finished pulling. “I know. Now look at the shots. They pulled at 23 seconds.”

He showed the cups to Jungkook. “That caramel color on top of the shot is the crema. The middle part that’s dark brown is the body of the shot. The bottom that is basically black is the heart. Have you been trained to taste wine?”

Jungkook nodded, eyes wide.

“Coffee is essentially the same. You want to slurp the shot and swirl it around in your mouth and let it sit on your tongue so that you can taste the notes. First, get a good whiff of the shot. Breathe it in.”

Jungkook watched as Jimin brought the glass up to his mouth and nose and breathed it in before repeating that as well.

“That’s how you get a sense of the aroma. It’s a very important part of tasting coffee.” Jimin told him. “Now, let’s actually sip it. Remember how I told you to.”

Jungkook did exactly as Jimin did, and Jimin found it extremely adorable. It really was quite similar to wine tasting, so Jimin assumed Jungkook would do just fine.

“What do you taste?” Jimin asked.

“Coffee?” Jungkook replied, causing Jimin to giggle.

“That’s because it’s your first time doing this so you don’t really know what you’re looking for.” Jimin explained. “I prefer lighter roasts because they taste a bit more acidic, fruity, or even a little floral. This one has notes of orange peel.”

“I have absolutely no idea where you got orange peel from.” Jungkook said as he took another sip.  “Nope, I don’t taste it.” 

“I think when you’re first starting out, it’s easier to taste the notes if you have a nice treat to pair with the shot.” Jimin said. “This shot would do nicely with an orange scone. I wish we had pastries here so I could show you what I mean.”

“You’re so smart.” Jungkook said as he finished the rest of his shot. “How did you even learn all of this?”

“I’ve always been really interested in coffee.” Jimin told him as he finished the rest of his shot as well. “I dreamt of opening up my own cafe. This is the closest I’ll get, and that’s fine. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to expand on it.”

Jungkook set his empty glass on the counter. “I think you would be extremely successful. I know you can’t really tell me much about why you run this shop, but… I really do think you could run a super successful coffee shop with a bakery attached and everything.”

Jimin placed his glass next to Jungkook’s and just sighed. “I think I could, too. Do you want to try pulling a shot yourself?”

Jungkook seemed to be able to tell that Jimin didn’t want to talk too much more about running a bigger coffee shop and nodded. “Let me try.”

Jungkook seemed extremely determined to do everything right on the first try, and it was really the confidence that mattered most to Jimin.

The horrendous shots Jungkook pulled he could look past.

“I’m not really good at this.” Jungkook said after a second failed attempt. “I think coffee is definitely more of your specialty. I can’t even just pull shots, there are so many other drinks that you can order. How do you even remember how to make them all?”

“It’s just second nature to me now.” Jimin said. “It comes as easy to me as breathing does. This is what I live for. Doing this is my passion. Do you want me to make us cappuccinos?”

Jungkook nodded. “I don’t think I really like drinking straight espresso. What’s the difference between a cappuccino and a latte?”

“Straight shots aren’t for everyone.” Jimin agreed. “Cappuccinos use more foam and less steamed milk while lattes use more steamed milk with a nice microfoam on top. I honestly prefer cappuccinos if I am going to have a hot drink. Though sometimes I really love the texture of the microfoam on a latte. That’s how you do latte art.”

“Show me.” Jungkook had wide curious eyes as he watched everything that Jimin did.

In that moment together, or really most of the moments that the two of them spent together, Jimin felt as though he could forget that Jungkook was the Crown Prince and the future ruler of his country. He seemed so innocent compared to the drastic notion that the role had, and Jimin almost felt as if the world was playing a prank on him. That Jungkook couldn’t possibly be the sweet guy in front of him.

Jimin shook away the thought as he poured some milk into the frothing pitcher and explained to Jungkook how to gauge the amount of milk you need per size of the drink.

“Watch carefully.” Jimin said as he purged the steam wand. “So you want to stick the wand close to the bottom of the pitcher, but not touching it. Then you’re going to start steaming and lower the pitcher until the top of the steam wand is grazing the top of the milk. You’re going to hear a sound that’s close to paper tearing.”

Jungkook watched Jimin’s hands as he worked.

“Then you’re going to keep it up here to aerate the milk until it’s a specific temperature before bringing the steam wand back into the milk to heat it up. You keep it there until the milk heats up to the temperature you want, or, I just wait until the bottom of the pitcher is absolutely unbearable to touch. That’s how I know it’s done.”

Jimin turned off the steam wand and hit the pitcher a few times on the counter before swirling it. “This is how you groom the milk. You don’t want bubbles on top, and by hitting it against the counter and swirling it you can try and get rid of them until it’s a smooth texture.”

Jimin pulled the shots and then poured the milk over the top until it created a dome of foam with a nice ring of espresso around it. “Normally I would pull the shots and steam the milk at the same time.” Jimin informed him.

“When it comes to cappuccinos, I like to put chocolate powder on top.”

Jimin handed Jungkook the drink and he lifted it up to his mouth. “This is delicious, thank you. I have no idea how you remember to do all of this. It feels like there are so many steps and it’s just so complicated.”

“Seriously it’s just second nature to me now.” Jimin laughed. “I could do this with my eyes closed. I don’t really have to think about what I’m doing because I’ve been studying this and doing it for so long. Do you want to try?”

“I’m going to mess up your drink.” Jungkook pouted, but he still got ready to try anyway.

Jimin cleaned a pitcher for him and let Jungkook go at it.

When it came to steaming the milk, Jungkook seemed just a bit too enthusiastic. When he brought the wand up to aerate it, the milk exploded slightly so Jimin reached over and put his hands over Jungkook’s to fix his placement.

Jungkook’s hands were still cold from how long he had been outside, but Jimin’s were warm over them. He helped Jungkook hold the pitcher and steam the milk properly and tried not to think about how close they were together. He tried not to think about the fact that he was holding Jungkook’s hands.

“Try pouring it. You want to hold the cup at an angle and slowly level it as you pour the milk.” Jimin said as Jungkook tried it out.

The milk ended up being more so the consistency of a latte than a cappuccino, but Jimin was proud of him, anyway. 

“Not bad for your first try.” Jimin told him. “I was worse.”

“You’re just saying that.” Jungkook huffed, but his eyes were shining from the praise. “You did most of the work, though.”

“I just helped you out a little bit. Nobody is going to be perfect on the first try. I’m going to clean this up if you want to watch.”

Jungkook leaned up against the counter as Jimin started cleaning the machine and the portafilter. 

“Hyung.” He said after some silence between the two. “Did you always live in the capital? I feel like I don’t know too much about you.”

Jimin paused where he was scrubbing the basket out. He wasn’t sure how to respond. He wasn’t sure how much he should actually tell Jungkook.

“I, uh.” Jimin said, taking a shaky breath. “No, I didn’t grow up in the capital. We moved here maybe ten years ago, hyung and I. I grew up… Well, I don’t know how much of it is still there. I actually don’t remember where I was born too well.”

Jimin continued his cleaning, but refused to look over at Jungkook.

“Oh… What made you come here?”

Jimin almost wanted to laugh at his naivety. He was so ignorant that it was almost funny, but Jimin didn’t really have it in him to laugh at Jungkook. He really just felt bad for him.

“I met my hyung when I was maybe… I don’t know, ten years old? He found me stranded alone and barely alive. He’s only two years older than me, but he’s always been more mature than he should have been. He had to grow up before he was supposed to.”

Jimin felt bitter thinking about it. He felt bitter that Yoongi even had to suffer alone before he met Jimin. They were only children, but Yoongi had to find a way to keep them both alive, and he never wanted to give up on Jimin even when he should have.

“My home had been destroyed by… well, by your family.” Jimin finally admitted, and heard a sharp intake of breath from Jungkook. He still refused to look at him. “My parents… I won’t get into it, but I lost everything I had. I shouldn’t even be alive right now. I was just left there alone and wandered by myself until my hyung ended up finding me. He had been through the same thing that I had been as well, but in the town next to mine. Our homes got destroyed so they could build up something else that actually benefited them.”

“Jimin hyung… I’m so sorry.” Jungkook said, and he actually sounded it, which almost pissed off Jimin. 

Jimin was at battle with himself because on one hand, Jungkook wasn’t the one who did it. Yet, here he was, the child of the people who did, and he was so ignorant that he had no idea of the damage they had done to so many. That’s why Jimin had always hated him. He was supposed to be their beacon of hope, and to so many like Jimin, he actually was. Jimin and Yoongi had just been so bitter that they saw through the propaganda that was being thrown at them and couldn’t find it within themselves to feel any type of hope whatsoever.

“You didn’t do it.” Jimin said, even if he felt it wasn’t completely correct. “Anyways, we wandered around since then. We did what we had to do to stay alive, and that was to steal and scam. We were cute kids and used it to our advantage. Even once my hyung was too old to do it, I maintained a baby face for quite some time.”

Jungkook was silent, so Jimin continued.

“Once we were both adults, my hyung actually wanted us to do something with ourselves. We came here to the capital because it was the best place to try and… Try to make money and become something.”

It was the best place to try and form a rebellion, was what Jimin really should have said. Jimin still remembered the day that Yoongi sat him down and told him that he actually wanted to do something. That he actually wanted to avenge their families and destroy the crown. Jimin remembered how fired up he had been, the determination that was coming off of him. It made Jimin feel inspired as well, he really thought they could do it.

They were still young then. Jimin had only just turned eighteen when they moved to the capital, and he felt as if they were going to completely take over the world.

Jimin ten years later had his own doubts.

“Your hyung continued to support your dream.” Jungkook said, and it wasn’t at all what Jimin thought he would have. “The two of you had nothing and yet… He did what he could to help you start up your own shop.”

Jimin smiled to himself thinking about it, because Jungkook was right. They couldn’t afford an espresso set up, or really anything at all. Yoongi had gone through junkyard after junkyard, collecting scraps he could fix up and sell so that they could raise money to get an actual shop for Jimin to call home. It had been on one of those trips that Yoongi actually came across the espresso machine that Jimin still uses.

He thought it was fate.

He worked so hard for Jimin so that he could actually do something he loved. He knew Jimin wasn’t as into the rebellion as he was, and wanted to do something for him. 

He’d always just wanted to make sure Jimin was taken care of.

“Yeah, he loves me a lot.” Jimin said. “He’s my only family and we look after each other like we are real blood brothers. He’s been with me for as long as I remember, and he’s probably the only person I’d trust with my entire life. I’m so thankful for him.”

Jimin finally looked back at Jungkook as he finished cleaning up. 

“Want to go sit down again?”

Jungkook nodded. “Sure. And hyung, thank you for telling me all of this. You didn’t have to, and I know it was really personal for you. Also, since it had to do with something my family did to you, I don’t know if there’s enough I could ever do to make up for the trauma they’ve caused this country. But I promise you, I want to do everything in my power to make things right.”

The two of them sat back down again and Jimin took in the conviction in Jungkook’s voice. He truly felt like he could make a change, but Jimin wasn’t sure if he would ever get the chance to. The rebellion was getting closer every single day, and Jimin knew that Yoongi was going to do everything he could to find Jungkook and capture him.

Jimin just wished that things could be as simple as Jungkook seemed to think they were.

“I want to make a difference.” Jungkook said. “You know, the first time we met each other you told me I wasn’t going to get anything done by running away.”

Jimin remembered that. It still felt like yesterday to him, when the prince had shown up unexpectedly at his shop. 

Jimin remembered how mad he had been at Jungkook that day because Jungkook kept saying he wanted to be a good King and take care of his people and yet there he was running.

“I remember.” Jimin confirmed.

“I keep running away.” Jungkook laughed. “I keep running away to come see you, yet every time I’m here I feel more determined to make this country better. I’ll be home at the palace where everything is supposed to be perfect, but it’s the one place I feel most alone. When I come here and talk to you, I think of a future where I can make the palace an actual place that’s full of love. I can make this country a place that can actually be lived in by all people.”

“How are you going to do that? You told me your parents don’t listen to anything you say and continue to control you.” Jimin couldn’t help but be skeptical. 

“I need to stop being scared of them.” Jungkook said. “You and your hyung are so brave. You did everything you could to make your life in the capital work, and what have I done? I don’t even voice my own opinions in meetings or in planning. I don’t fight back, I just continue to let my parents walk all over me. It’s pathetic, isn’t it?”

Jimin clenched his fists. He wondered if Jungkook would still believe everything he was saying if he knew the secrets that Jimin was hiding from him. He wondered how Jungkook would feel if he knew the true purpose of the cafe, or what Jimin and Yoongi had been doing for the past ten years. 

Jungkook was never going to be safe from the rebellion, everyone knew that. He was part of the evil that needed to be dealt with.

Jimin just wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do anymore. He wasn’t sure if he could play both sides like Seokjin was. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d have it in him to betray both Jungkook and Yoongi.

“You’re quiet.” Jungkook observed. “Do you think I can do it?”

Jimin’s heart hurt as he took in Jungkook’s huge, pleading eyes. 

“I think you should try, Jungkook-ah.” Jimin said. “I think that this is something that you really believe in, so you should try. You’re our future King, and you’re the one person that I think allows this country to feel hope. I’ve seen people who have it worse than my hyung and I look at you as something they believe in. Please don’t let those people down, Jungkook-ah.”

Jungkook’s eyes showed determination. He made sure that the two of them were making eye contact before he smiled as big as he could.

“I won’t, Jimin hyung. I want to make you proud. I want to make this country proud.”

That was probably the first time in forever that Jimin actually felt like he could look forward to the future. He thought that if Jungkook could pull it off, that maybe there might actually be a chance for him and everyone else to live happily. It was naive, Jimin knew that. It was something he hadn’t allowed himself to believe in for a very long time. The future always seemed bleak, it seemed doubtful, it seemed sad. Most of the time, Jimin worried that the future would just be him alone.

He thought that maybe he could allow himself to feel hope for just one moment. 

He smiled back at Jungkook. “Okay. I’ll believe in you.”

Jungkook started to reach over, as if to grab his hand, but Jimin’s phone began to ring.

“Don’t say a word, it’s my hyung. He cannot know that someone else is here, okay?” Jimin said.

Jungkook nodded, pulling his hand back. 

“Hello?” Jimin said as he answered the phone. 

He lowered the volume on it so that Jungkook wouldn't be able to hear Yoongi’s side, just in case.

“I’ll be heading home soon.” Yoongi told him. “Seokjin hyung just said he’s waiting to hear back from someone so I’ll stay with him until then, but it shouldn’t be much longer.”

Jimin realized that Seokjin was waiting to hear from Jungkook. He looked across the table at Jungkook who was sitting completely still as if he were a statue. Jimin had to hold himself back from laughing.

“Okay, sounds good. Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah, we did.” Yoongi confirmed, and Jimin could hear the grin on his face. His voice was just a little shy, and Jimin knew his eyes must have been shining.

“Of course he had fun.” Seokjin said from where he must have been next to Yoongi. “He was with me, I’m always fun.”

“You’re the best, hyung.” Jimin laughed. “I’m glad.”

“What did you end up doing?” Yoongi asked. “Did you clean up like you wanted to?”

“Uh, well.” Jimin considered what he wanted to say. “I ended up getting distracted by the espresso machine and made myself a drink or two, then forgot to clean anything else.”

Jimin looked at Jungkook who seemed like he was trying really hard not to fidget. Jimin wasn’t sure why he was dedicated to sitting completely still when he had only asked him not to speak.

“Sounds like my Jiminie.” Yoongi said. “I’m glad you had a relaxing day, anyway. I’ll make something tasty for dinner. Seokjin hyung and I are stopping at the grocery store while we wait for him to hear back from whoever it is. Okay?”

“Sounds good, hyung. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Yoongi replied and Jimin heard Seokjin say “I love you!” In the back as well.

He hung up and raised an eyebrow at Jungkook who looked like he was suddenly attempting to hold his breath.

“What are you doing?”

“I was listening to your instruction.” Jungkook said after taking a huge breath. “How’d I do?”

“You’re ridiculous. I just asked you to not speak, not hold your breath?” Jimin burst out laughing. “You’re so strange, Jeon Jungkook. I can’t believe my future King acts like this.”

Jungkook laughed with him before looking fondly at Jimin. “You have a really beautiful smile, you know. I like making you laugh.”

“Did you do it on purpose then?” Jimin asked, ignoring the way his face heated up.

“Maybe.” Jungkook shrugged. “I think I do have to get going soon, though. I’m going to call my hyung really quickly.”

Jimin nodded as Jungkook took out his phone. “Now you have to stay really quiet.”

“I’m not going to hold my breath if that’s what you're expecting.” Jimin said.

“That’s fine, I guess.” Jungkook teased before letting the phone ring.

He put it on speaker and dropped it on the table. Jimin continued to have no idea why Jungkook seemed to want him to listen in on all of his conversations.

“Where are you?” Seokjin's voice came from the other end.

Jimin had suspected that Jungkook would be calling him, but it still felt so weird to have it happen right in front of him, especially since he had just gotten off the phone with him as well.

“Hyung, I’m ready to get picked up. Are you still in the capital?”

“Yeah, I’m with my boyfriend. I just stepped away for a minute.” Seokjin replied and Jimin wondered if he should say something.

Seokjin was away from Yoongi for the moment which meant that it would be possible for Jimin to get away with exposing himself. It also appeared that Seokjin and Jungkook were way closer than Jimin had ever imagined, and it might do him good to have an ally on his side, especially someone who could understand Jimin’s conflicting thoughts. 

He also thought it could be funny to hear Seokjin’s surprise at knowing Jimin was the one who Jungkook was visiting.

“Are you with your friend?” Seokjin asked, and Jimin easily recognized his teasing tone, because he had been on the other end of it enough himself.

“Hyung, don’t embarrass me in front of him, he can hear you.” Jungkook whined with a huge pout on his face.

“Oh?” Seokjin asked. “Whoever you are, you better be keeping my Jungkookie safe. I will actually find you and kill you otherwise, and I mean that.”

Jimin had to hold back an eye roll. He thought enough was enough.

“What, so you’d choose Jungkook over me?” He said into the phone causing Jungkook to actually flinch.

“You did not follow instructions! Don’t speak. Don’t do that.”

Seokjin was insanely quiet as Jungkook scolded Jimin. Jimin eagerly waited to hear what he would say.

“Tell me that was not Park Jimin I just heard. Tell me right now that it was not Park Jimin.”

Jungkook seemed like he was genuinely completely in shock. He just stared at Jimin with confused eyes, waiting to see what would happen next.

“Hyung, since when were you close with Jungkook? You never said that?” Jimin complained on the phone, as if he couldn’t see Jungkook’s internal dilemma.

“Me?” Seokjin seemed absolutely flabbergasted. “Since when am I close with Jungkook? He just snuck out of the palace to see you, last I checked. You have a lot of explaining to do, both of you. What a mess. What are you going to do if Yoo-”

“Hyung.” Jimin cut him off. “I’ll let Jungkook tell you when you come to get him. You cannot tell hyung about this.”

“Obviously.” Seokjin agreed. “Holy shit, what is going on? Okay. I’m trying to remain calm and collected since I am still with him right now. Jungkook-ah, we are going to make the train station our meeting point again. Hoseok is picking you up in his car and it has everything we need to disguise you when we get back in. He texted and said that nobody has noticed your absence.”

Jungkook’s look of confusion suddenly deepened. Jimin felt sad for him, that nobody had even noticed he was gone. He couldn’t imagine what that would feel like.

“Your full name is Park Jimin?”

Jimin stared at him. 

“You…” Seokjin seemed exasperated. “That’s all you have to say?”

Jimin couldn't help but giggle. “You’re crazy, Jeon Jungkook. You’re insane.”

“I’m learning so much today.” Jungkook said. “My hyung is dating your hyung and your full name is Park Jimin.”

Jimin’s heart fluttered with endearment. “You’re a piece of work, really. I don’t know why they put up with you at the palace.”

“Hyung, is everything okay?” Yoongi’s voice came on the other end and Jimin stopped talking immediately, motioning for Jungkook to be quiet as well. 

“Yes, sorry.” Seokjin replied. “Something unexpected happened with my package. I do have to get going now to pick it up. I was just confirming where it would be and when.”

“Okay, you looked stressed out. I’m going to go check out and pay and then meet you outside.”

“Sounds good.” Seokjin replied and Jimin could hear him walking away and out of the store. “I’m going to kill you both. Jungkook, go to the train station now. You cannot be with Jimin when my boyfriend gets back there.”

“He keeps saying that too.” Jungkook whined. “What if I want to meet your boyfriend and Jimin hyung’s best friend?”

“No.” Both Seokjin and Jimin said at once with finality.

Jungkook sighed. “Fine! I’ll head over there then.”

“You have a lot of explaining to do. Both of you, by the way. You’re not off the hook, Jimin-ah. I’m going to call you later today.”

“That’s fine. I needed someone to talk to about everything, since I think you might be able to relate.”

“Okay.” Seokjin said. “Alright, he’s coming outside. I’ll see you soon.”

Seokjin hung up and Jungkook stared at Jimin. 

“My hyung is dating your hyung and you didn’t say anything?”

“I wasn’t sure if I could!” Jimin said. “I wasn’t sure if it would be okay.”

Jungkook shrugged. “It’s better this way, actually. We have a connection. You know… You said that maybe I’d earn your phone number eventually. We’ve met three times now. My hyung is dating your hyung. I think it could be appropriate.”

Jimin snorted. “Okay, fine. You have to add me under a fake name, and I’m going to do that with you as well. If you even think for a second that your phone is going to get confiscated, you have to delete anything to do with me.”

Jungkook nodded excitedly. “I promise. I’ll keep you safe. I won’t put you in any more danger than I already have.”

Jimin trusted him.

He couldn’t believe that he trusted him.

Yoongi would kill him if he ever found out. 

Jungkook handed Jimin his phone and he put in his number. They both agreed it would be better if Jungkook were to be the one to text Jimin first than vice versa. Jimin wasn’t even completely sure how comfortable he was with Jungkook having his number yet, but he looked so adorable begging for it that he really couldn’t help himself.

Jungkook was beginning to be a weakness for Jimin, and he couldn’t tell if he hated it or not.

“Do you want me to walk with you?” Jimin asked after they started to get up so Jungkook could head out and meet everyone.

“Won’t your hyung think it’s weird if you come back here from going out?” Jungkook asked. “I don’t want to put you in a weird situation.”

“I’ll just say I ran out to get something, plus I want a chance to say goodbye to Seokjin hyung. I don’t get to see him often.”

“I still can’t believe you know him.” Jungkook said as they got on their winter coats. “That’s so weird to me. He’s my hyung but also your hyung. How did you even meet him? Wow… That’s crazy.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you one day.” Jimin laughed, trying to make it lighthearted even if he knew he could never tell Jungkook.

Jungkook huffed as they stepped outside. His face was covered and voice muffled, but Jimin could still sense the pout regardless.

“You have to stop making fun facts about you something that I have to earn. You should know by now that I’m very stubborn and will do everything that I can to find it out.”

“I like making you work.” Jimin replied. “I’ll continue to reward your good behavior.”

“It sounds like you’re making fun of me, but I kind of like it.” 

Jimin rolled his eyes but was so incredibly fond of Jungkook, unfortunately.

“I’m glad I’ll be able to talk to you while I’m imprisoned.” Jungkook said as they continued to walk. “It gets so boring there, even if I get visitors sometimes. I kept thinking about you.”

“It will be good to know when you’re coming by, also.” Jimin said. “That way you’re not sitting out in the cold alone again.”

“It was better than sitting alone in my warm room.” Jungkook replied.

Jimin’s heart hurt for him. Jungkook was so sweet and such a good person. There was no need to lock him away. He clearly thrived off of interactions with his friends. He wasn’t someone who should be forced to be alone for that long.

“Come say goodbye to me?” Jungkook asked once they reached the train station.

Jimin could see the familiar black car that had picked Jungkook up on previous occasions. Seokjin was probably waiting inside.

Jimin followed behind Jungkook as he went up to the car and the window from the front of it rolled down revealing Jungkook’s royal advisor, his right hand, and Seokjin sitting in the back.

Jimin had only seen the first two in official videos and photoshoots from the palace, and it was almost more jarring to see them in person than Jungkook.

It made everything feel even more real.

“We have to get going.” Jungkook’s right hand, Jung Hoseok, said urgently. “Oh, is this your friend?”

“Hi.” Jimin said.

“Jimin-ah, you’re lucky I’m in this car or else I’d strangle you.” Seokjin said from the back. “I can’t believe it’s really you. What is my life?”

Jimin noticed the way Jung Hoseok’s face twitched, and Jungkook scooted closer to Jimin as if that would protect either of them.

Hoseok slowly turned, almost excruciatingly, towards Seokjin. “You know this guy?”

Seokjin and Jimin looked at each other before he turned back to Hoseok.

“No? Never seen him before in my life.”

Jimin snorted, and then played it off as a cough. Hoseok sighed, closed his eyes tight for a moment, and then turned towards Jungkook.

“Okay, get in the car. You have to explain everything on the way back, and I mean that. We have to go. Now.”

Jungkook nodded before looking at Jimin.

“Goodbye, hyung. I’ll text you when I get home and we’ll plan to see each other again. Okay?”

Jimin smiled, but it was covered by his scarf. He was sure that Jungkook knew, anyway. “Okay. Get home safely, Jungkook-ah.”

Jungkook finally got in the car next to Seokjin and Jimin watched as it drove off, Jungkook gone once again.

Jimin had no idea when he would be able to see him again. He thought that he hated not knowing, and that the cold winter night suddenly seemed much lonelier.

Rumors from the Palace

The past few weeks have been what most assume to be

uneventful for the palace and our beloved royal family. 

However, there have been whispers. It has always been rumored

that Jeon Jungkook’s social media page was not run by him, but

instead run by a social media manager. The palace has insisted

that those claims were incorrect, and yet, this week it has been

proven otherwise. 

The content that has been released on Jeon Jungkook’s

instagram has been almost harrowing and completely

unlike him. Even in the pictures or videos themselves,

he looks like he wants nothing to do with being

involved in them at all. He is known from his fans for having

wondrous looks in his eyes. You can usually see his true

feelings outright, he has nothing he wants to hide from

anyone. Yet, he has never looked more lifeless than he has

these past few weeks.

Many agree that the weird social media posts time up with

his field trips into the capital. People are assuming this is

part of his punishment for embarrassing his family or for

dating someone who he is forbidden to be with. Also from what

I’ve heard, Jeon Jungkook has been put on house arrest. Not even,

that, but it has been said to me that he is incapable of leaving his room.

Staff members rumored that there are 24/7 guards

standing outside only allowed to let certain people in, and

on top of that, not letting him leave. That’s right. Jeon Jungkook

is not allowed to even leave his room. That’s why those social media

posts seem so bizarre. He must have been put up to them to try

and convince the rest of the world that everything is just fine and 

normal.

Does Jeon Jungkook deserve this fate? Is the love that he has for

a capital citizen so bad that it calls for his own imprisonment? And more

importantly, is it enough to keep him away from his lover?

My guess is no. 

He has escaped the palace before, and I believe he will be able to do so again.

As the winter grow harsher and the nights lonelier, I think that Jeon

Jungkook will do everything he can to fall back in the arms of his lover.

When he does, I will be there. 

The truth will come out.

Until next time,

V