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 Jimin’s pride and joy regardless of that. He’d always loved the art of coffee and it had been his dream to one day own his own shop.
… He just never expected to own a shop that doubled 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 who started the rebellion.
Of course, Jimin supported the cause and he was extremely proud of Yoongi. He'd 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 occasions where Yoongi didn’t get home on time, Jimin would get anxious since he wasn’t sure what Yoongi 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 the entire reason that Seokjin got involved in the rebellion at all was 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 that 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 tamper 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 customer 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