"Do you let your manager treat your workers like this?"

Before the man can even question the situation, Jimin's furious voice echoes through the café. My eyes go wide as he waves at the sputtering manager, his usual playful eyes darkened.

"I just saw him attempting to hit her. Do you realize that's fully eligible to be reported as worker abuse?"

The owner's mouth drops open as he looks between me and the gasping man, blubbering out indecipherable excuses. And the fact that Jimin had seen this as a customer, seems to make everything so much worse for him.

"You what?" The old man exclaims, glaring daggers at his manager. "You tried to hit a girl? How low can you get, Haneul? And after I took you in as my manager!"

I can see Jimin's dark smirk the entire time we watch the owner tell the man to get out, and as he watches me squirm under his apologies for his manager's behavior.

And it had been just this morning when he was acting like a cute little child.

______________________________

"I want that one!" He points, the wide smile back in his face as he motions at a dark blue scarf. When I give it to him, he wraps the fabric around his tattooed neck and lets the loose end unravel over his shoulder.

"How do I look, Minah?"

"Cute," I admit, already pulling out my wallet. The color complimented his eyes— but to be honest, there wasn't a color that could exist in this world that wouldn't make Park Jimin look good.

At my honest statement, a corner of his lips lift into a devilish smile.

"I'll go pay for it, so you stay right here, okay?" I tell him, quickly rushing inside the shop. When I give a glance back, I see that he's already trying out the other designs hung out storefront for people to try.

Watching him attempt to knot a bow tie around his neck is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"Seven dollars, please." The seller's voice breaks me out from my thoughts. "And how about a new purse with that scarf, ma'am? Together you get a discount of forty percent!"

My smile is stiff as I shake my head. "I'm
not planning to buy anything else, actually. Can I just—"

"Oh, but try on this headband! It's the perfect color combination with the scarf, and it's only two dollars more!"

I hate it when this happens.

My words are strictly polite as I quickly tap my feet, the seven dollars already clutched between my fingertips.

"Thanks for the offer, but I really don't think I need anything else today. Can you ring out the scarf, please?"

"That's what they all say before they see our newest accessories! These earrings come at a price for two—"

Have to be polite. Have to be polite.

"Um, that's alright. I didn't even pierce my ears, so I won't be needing earrings."

"Oh, we have clip-ons as well! So it will be perfect if you didn't get the chance to pierce your ears yet! If you don't mind, I can show you some of our best selections!"

It's already been ten minutes, and I finally slam down the scarf on the counter. I couldn't keep Jimin waiting any longer.

"Here's seven dollars," I quickly say as I slide the bills across the surface, wrapping the scarf around my own neck. Then before she can say anything else, I run out of there faster than Taehyung on his Rolls-Royce.

"Jimin!" I exclaim as I blindly rush out of the store, my arm outstretched to hand him his scarf. "You have no idea how—"

"Jimin?!"

He's gone.

_____________________________

Jimin's POV

Minah?

Minah, where are you?

"Look at him, searching for his idiot master." A scornful voice rings out from my right— 1 meter, 10 centimeters. And closing.

Not Minah.

My words are steel as I stare at the smirking man, who'd herded me into a dark, narrow place. It's so different than the place outside, and suddenly, I can't find myself to breathe.

"Where's Minah? You told me she was here. You told me she needed help— where is she?!"

"Maybe she does need help—"

My instincts run black as I lunge at him, my metallic fingers closing around his neck. Panic beeps my database bright red as I slam his head on the ground, urgency dimming out the warnings in my core cortex.

"Where is she? What happened to her? Tell me her location— right now, or I will make you talk."

Then a feminine voice echoes from my left, and I look up hopefully, expecting Minah. But the person I see instead is all frowns and stiff angles, and my lips press together.

That's not Minah.

Then something burns across the side of my face, as if someone had lit a flame on my skin. Pain fills my base in a rapid series of beeps and alerts as I gasp, a cry of agony tearing from my lips.

Fire.

The only thing I wasn't immune to.

Liar. He stands in front of my crumpled figure, holding a lighter in his hands. He'd lied to me about Minah. He'd lied to me that she was in danger, that she wasn't safe.

And even though countless warnings had flashed in my head, I'd still followed him.

Because Minah is all that matters.

"Burn him up already," The female voice I'd nearly mistaken for Minah's ring out 3 feet 2 inches away, before the pain drowns my calculations out as well.

"Hey!"

______________________________

"Hey!"

A terrified scream rips from my throat the moment I see Jimin on the ground, one side of his face blending into the shadows. It's dark— but no way they did—

They did.

Rage pulses through my blood as I slam my leg into the nearest target, a woman with skin paler than ice. I may not have taken taekwondo for the last two years, but that didn't mean I'd forgotten what it felt like.

And they touched him.

They touched my Jimin.

_____________________________

"Um," He whispers as I finally calm down, my face still flushed with fury and angry tears sparkling in the corners of my eyes.

"I think you may have gone too far, master."

"It's Minah!" I squeak, the tears I'd been holding back finally breaking free when I see him cradling his right arm to his chest. A side of his face is burned, and I can see bits of silvery metal as it gleams underneath.

Bastards.

"Don't worry," He smiles reassuringly, and my heart quivers when I see only the left corner of his lips curve upwards. "It'll heal soon— I'll be fine in a couple hours."

His face falls at the tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Why are you crying, Minah? Don't cry for me like this," Then his head hangs low as realization dawns in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm so ugly."

"Ugly?!" I screech, and he flinches in surprise. "You got to be freaking kidding me right now, Park Jimin! If you call yourself ugly one more time, then I'm going to mess you up harder than I did to these bastards. Do you understand?!"

"I'm sorry."

My voice grows soft as I wrap my arms around him. "It's not your fault, so stop apologizing, okay? Don't you dare say sorry to me."

"I'm sor—" And as if he suddenly realized, he clamps his lips shut. My lips curve into a bitter smile as I watch him nod firmly.

You are too good for this world, Park Jimin.

"Now lets go home, yeah? And we can eat some more chocolate."