4

Yoon-Gi and Jimin had remained motionless for some time, savoring the hope that made their hearts beat deliciously. Yoon-Gi stroked his cheek with his fingertips, as if afraid to break the beauty of a happy memory. Jimin's features had changed, they were sharper. He had become more handsome, and to be able to notice this was a reminder of their long separation. He wished he had never had time to see him change. A tear rolled down his cheek. Jimin smiled sadly and wiped away the salty pearl. Their lips met once more. Yoon-Gi entwined their fingers and admired the contact of their two skins, so harmonious together. His heart was beating as fast as it had during their first kiss, a memory so vivid that even his body could relive the scene.

As he did every day, Yoon-Gi walked to the prestigious academy where Jimin was studying in order to take advantage of the car ride home. The time he finished his part-time job rarely coincided with the end of his classes, but he didn't mind waiting a little. He didn't have enough money for the bus, and walking home every day would eventually exhaust him too much to continue at the pace he was living. Yoon-Gi always sat on the same bench near the main entrance. Before he had time to put on his headphones, he had heard voices laden with hatred and mockery. He wasn't sure whether it was out of boredom or curiosity that he paid attention to what was going on.

"It's disgusting" a voice had said. "How can the son of such a family stoop so low?"

"Give me back my wallet" a calmer voice replied.

Yoon-Gi's eyes widened. He could recognize that voice a thousand times over: Jimin.

"We just wanted to get some money" another voice mockingly admitted. "We didn't expect to find your boyfriend's photo inside."

Yoon-Gi lose his mind when he heard a groan of pain. The violence he showed afterwards matched the despair in Jimin's eyes the moment he saw him.

"The boyfriend has arrived" had sneered one of the five teenagers who were circling Jimin like hungry wolves.

Yoon-Gi didn't let him say another word and sent him to the ground. He had grown up surrounded by the Park family's bodyguards, who had taught him to fight and defend himself since he could walk. He knew he had been hit, but if it was Jimin, his body would transcend pain. He hadn't stopped until Jimin had put his arms around his waist to hold him back. It was only then that he realized he was going after the last of the five teenagers, the others having already fled. The teenager struggled to his feet and took off running. It didn't matter. It wasn't as if they would dare tell anyone that the Park family cook's son had beaten them up.

"Hyung, he'd whispered, I'm sorry... I know you heard... don't hate me."

Yoon-Gi had bent down to pick up the wallet and pulled out the picture before Jimin could react. He recognized the picture. It was the picture in his high school yearbook. He had never opened the book, which was gathering dust on his bookshelf. Jimin must have torn out the page.

"Don't hate me..." Jimin repeated.

Yoon-Gi turned the picture over. His name was written next to a clumsily drawn heart. He couldn't help but smile in amusement. He rarely smiled, and this unsettled Jimin, who had looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Sorry Hyung..."

"Did you think I didn't know?" he finally said. "It's a miracle your parents didn't notice."

He put his hand on his hair but Jimin angrily pulled his hand away. Jimin's gaze had suddenly turned serious. Yoon-Gi realized that he had perhaps overemphasized, at that moment, that he was a little older than he was.

"I don't need your pity!"

"You could have taken a more flattering picture of me..." he sighed. "At least I made the effort to choose the prettiest picture I could find of you."

He took out his own wallet and showed him the picture inside. When he noticed the teenager's amorous glances, he came to accept his own feelings. Even if the relationship was impossible, he had wanted to bring a little of the dream into reality by keeping his beautiful face with him. As a result, he felt as if he had a boyfriend waiting for him somewhere.

"Hyung" Jimin said after several seconds. "Can you kiss me?"

He had not been able to refuse. He had placed his lips on his and his heart had begun to beat wildly in his chest. What he had felt had been the most wonderful sensation in the world.

Yoon-Gi had understood, during that first shy but loving kiss, that he would do anything to ensure that there would never be a last kiss between them. It was then that he decided to spend the rest of his life with Park Jimin. Ten years later, far from their teenth, they were together again, alone in an empty apartment. It had only taken a few minutes for their clothes to fall to the floor, tracing their path to the bedroom.

Jimin's hands once again embraced his naked body and they once again expressed the love and desire that they had to keep suppressed for four years, letting it explode with every kiss, every caress and every sigh.

That night had marked the beginning of the war they wished to wage against all those who opposed their love.

That night had been the beginning of the rest of their lives. Woud they be long, or short...

***

When Taehyung walked in, Jungkook was alone. Taehyung stepped forward, at first intending not to be noticed by the singer. He needed to engrave in his mind a positive image of Jeon Jungkook, far away from the one of the moment of his death that mutilated his thoughts every time he closed his eyes.

The singer was focusing on his cell phone, his head bowed. Occasionally, he raised an eyebrow or sketched a smile.

When Taehyung met Jungkook's gaze, he realized that he had stopped observing him and started contemplating him. Jeon Jungkook was handsome. Taehyung found him beautiful and it broke his heart. When their eyes really met, the moment he sat down across from him, their minds seemed to ignore their physical envelopes and enter into a symbiotic relationship. They understood each other and knew what the other was thinking without having to speak. Jungkook had things to say, and Taehyung knew he was best placed to listen.

Two tables behind them, a woman was reading a newspaper, but her attention was focused on Jungkook.

Behind the counter, a young waiter was giving them an inquisitive look.

It would have been foolish to think that everything would end with Kang Sin-Ik's apprehension. For this reason, the two young men exchanged a knowing glance.

"Why did you choose to make music?" asked Taehyung.

"Because that's what was expected of me."

"Have you ever thought of quitting?"

"If I were to stop, I think I would die."

Taehyung's heart sank.

"I need you is my favorite song. Under what circumstances did you write it?"

"Someone omnipresent in my life had just left me. The relationship was unhealthy, but I couldn't put an end to it. I was completely powerless. Someone allowed us to separate, and that allowed me to breathe again. I need you is a cry for help from the person I was during this relationship."

Taehyung gave him a knowing look, indicating that he had understood the meaning of his words. Kang Sin-Ik's arrest was seen as a blessing by Jungkook, and this gave Taehyung some comfort.

"I've brought the beggining of a new song" Jungkook said. "The writing process is an important part of my life and I think it should be shown in the documentary."

Jungkook placed a sheet of paper between them, out of sight of their observers. On it was an address. An apartment in Gangnam.

"I think I'll finish writing it tonight" Jungkook told him.

"Tonight seems like a good time to write. I'm going to start on the documentary script, too, tonight."

The appointment was made.

***

- Kim Taehyung?

A voice had just called out to him as he left the coffee shop. Jungkook had been gone for several minutes. He turned around and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized his interlocutor. It had been almost ten years since he had seen Park Jimin. They had briefly been friends during their evening classes at Chung Dam Academy. Taehyung had been able to take a few classes there for six months when he was fifteen. He had been hired to clean the classrooms. In exchange, he was allowed to attend the Academy's classes. He left the Academy and set up "Her" with Kim Namjoon and Kim Na-Eun.

His friendship with Park Jimin had not survived distance and time, but he had been the only one not to turn his back on him when rumors of his potential homosexuality had spread. This had momentarily brought them closer together. Taehyung defended him, and Jimin returned the favor by helping him at school. After he left the Academy, they kept in touch, but eventually lost their relationship. Jimin and Kang Min-Ah's engagement had come to light at the Academy and Jimin had been left in peace, allowing Taehyung to leave him alone without worry. He was surprised, however, that Jimin remembered him.

"Park Jimin?" Taehyung replied with a smile.

Jimin gave him a big smile. He seemed happy to see him again, which pleased Taehyung. In his own way, Jimin had helped him get over his mother's death.

They had decided to walk together so that they could talk without eavesdroppers catching on. As the afternoon drew to a close and the time of his appointment with Jungkook approached, Taehyung couldn't get enough of Jimin's company. He had the impression that their past complicity hadn't tarnished over the years.

"I've just finished my military service" Taehyung said to Jimin when the latter had finished explaining the reasons for his departure abroad.

"Have you found a job yet? If you want, I can refer you somewhere.

Taehyung smiled.

"I've been chosen to direct the documentary on Jeon Jungkook. The press got wind of its release, but I guess it got lost in the scandal of his manager's arrest."

Jimin tensed.

"Don't let his fine words fool you," warned Jimin. "He's been pretending to be a talented composer for years, but he hasn't written a single song. The real author has had to give up his name, whereas being in the public eye could actually save his life..."

Jimin stopped talking, realizing that he had lost his temper. Taehyung had listened attentively. He had learned, since the appearance of the Gift, to give importance to every detail and every word spoken. He had also learned that fate never does things by chance.

"Your parents found out about your relationship with the guy in the picture in your wallet" Taehyung realized. "You told me ten years ago that your boyfriend was an exceptional musician. The start of Jungkook's career coincided with your departure abroad. Seeing your resentment towards Jungkook, it's not hard to understand the situation."

Jimin's smile had vanished.

"You've always been able to understand what people were trying to hide from you. My mother found out about my relationship with Yoon-Gi. The only way to protect him would be to bring him into the light. Fame protects even from the powerful ones."

Taehyung refrained from proving him wrong. Disguising a murder as a suicide was the best way to get rid of a celebrity. This was undoubtedly the fate in store for Jungkook.

"Don't be too hard on Jeon Jungkook. He probably doesn't have a choice either.

When I first met him, I think he tried to tell me that he didn't write his songs, but his manager, the one who was arrested, interrupted us and ended the interview."

Jimin didn't seem convinced.

"Whether or not he's guilty of this song appropriation" Jimin replied. "I'll do anything to protect my man."

That was what Taehyung was afraid of.

"I wish "Her" would reveal Min Yoon-Gi's name... Then the whole country would know what a great man he is..."

Taehyung's heart skipped a beat.

"Now that "Her"'s back on the job," Jimin continued, "I'm going to do everything I can to find her and tell her the truth. I'll find her. "Her" has been my obsession lately."

"Are you no longer engaged to Kang Min-Ah?" Taehyung asked, trying to hide his confusion.

He wanted to divert Jimin's attention from "Her" or he knew he'd expose himself. Jimin had always been able to see through the filter of his lies. It was him who had made him realize, ten years earlier, that he wasn't interested in girls either and that his sexual orientation wasn't what he'd thought it was.

Jimin laughed.

"She's pregnant by another man" he said.

They walked for a while before parting. They exchanged coordinates. This time, Taehyung wouldn't let him go. Park Jimin was undoubtedly a cog in the infernal machine that would bring Jungkook's death. Min Yoon-Gi also seemed to be an important part of the case.

He fell asleep on the bus to Gangnam.

Jungkook's hotel room was bathed in a darkness that the light from the TV screen tinted blue. The singer was sitting on the bed, staring at the TV. Taehyung approached him and looked at the TV.

"The fire that broke out late this afternoon in a building in Gangnam is still not under control. Since the building is singer Jeon Jungkook's place of residence, anguish is ravaging the country all the more. Thirty-six people are reported dead. The identity of the victims is still unknown..."

Jungkook turned off the television. He ran his hands over his face. He was crying. He looked at his cell phone, seemingly waiting for a call, but it never rang.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Jungkook didn't react. Several minutes later, the hotel room door opened and several men entered. Taehyung couldn't see their faces because of the darkness.

"When the master orders his thing to die, it should comply without fuss," the deep voice of one of the men said. "Even if you weren't targeted by the fire, it would have been better for you to have been the collateral victim, as planned. Because of you, we have to do the dirty work."

Taehyung woke up suddenly. He was aware of tears streaming down his cheeks when an old woman gave him a worried look. He had arrived in Gangnam.

He walked for a few minutes to the address Jungkook had given him. It was dark, but the building was brightly lit and perfectly recognizable. It was the fire-ravaged building he had seen in his dream. He entered the lobby and took the elevator to the apartment indicated on Jungkook's sheet. He knocked on the door. The singer opened it with a smile, but Taehyung didn't have the heart to smile back.

"This is the apartment of Min Yoon-Gi, the composer and lyricist of my songs. I'm thinking of moving into this building soon..."

"Min Yoon-Gi..." Taehyung whispered.

Min Yoon-Gi. Park Jimin. Jeon Jungkook. Kim Taehyung. Four destinies linked by a cruel fate.