It started raining on Tuesday and hadn't stopped. Namjoon and Taehyung had suggested they all get together to go to a barbecue restaurant, so that's where Victoria was headed as she walked quickly down the narrow, crowded Seoul streets.

She kept her head down under the black umbrella she carried that occasionally hit another person's. Her shoes splashed through the small puddles littering the cobblestone.

She lifted her head finally to see the group standing outside. Once she was spotted, they began to wave excitedly—or at least Taehyung did. Iseul smiled from beside Jungkook, who was holding a white umbrella over the both of them that contrasted her own.

Jin smiled softly and offered a small "Hi" when she reached them. She scanned their faces, a sudden realization coming to her.

"Where's Jimin?"

Jin frowned at this while Hoseok gestured the way she had just come. "Still at home, I think. I came straight from my studio, so I haven't seen him since this morning. I should go get him."

"But hyung!" Jungkook whined. "You were gonna tell us the funny story about the kid in your class today!"

Iseul laughed at his childishness before nodding. "Yeah!"

Hoseok smiled brightly. "You guys, I can't just leave Jimin out."

"One of us can go, then," Namjoon pitched while Yoongi kicked at the ground with his feet. Namjoon's rosewater hair was wet, but she couldn't tell whether it was from the rain or if he intentionally styled it that way with gel.

"I'll go," Victoria pitched, wanting to be helpful to her new friends.

Jin opened his mouth to protest, but Taehyung beat him to it. "But noona, you just got here!"

She smiled at him and took his hand before squeezing. "I'll be back." She looked to Hoseok. "Do you live far?"

"Down the street on the other side of the intersection," he responded skeptically. "Are you sure, noona? It's really not a problem for me to get him."

"B—" Iseul silenced Jungkook by placing her hand on his arm before he could continue. His eyes widened as he stared at their physical contact, but Iseul was too busy paying attention to the conversation to notice.

Victoria smiled. "Don't worry about it, Hoseok. I'll be quick." He faltered. She attached ah to his name, which was a form of affection, but the way she said it with her soft and focused voice reminded him of her. Discord raged in his head.

He cleared it with a shake of his head and smiled before giving her the address and code number for the door.

They started inside to get a table as she left, but Jin lingered. "Hurry back!" he called.

"Won't be long!" she threw over her shoulder with a smile.

The corners of his mouth tugged upward as he muttered to himself, watching her figure covered with the black shield get smaller. "Good..."

Victoria reached the apartment in record time, making sure to watch out for reckless drivers, which were common in the city.

"Apartment three B," she recited to herself as she strolled through the halls of the building. The floors were carpeted, which reminded her of the expensive hotels.

She located the apartment and punched in the code exactly as Hoseok had told her. She entered gingerly, making sure not to startle Jimin if he was right there or walking around naked or something.

By the look of the interior, she guessed one or both of their parents were wealthy. The kitchen was modern and upgraded, as were the hardwood floors that looked to be real cedar. There wasn't one noise coming from anywhere in the apartment, only perplexing her further.

"Jimin?" she called. There was no response, prompting her to venture further inside and let the door close behind her.

She took careful steps, mindful of her wet footprints on the floor and the rain still hammering outside. The doors to their rooms were wide open. If he was in one of them, he would have heard, but she checked just in case. They were both empty, which made her wary of the bathroom at the end of the hall. The door was closed and she had an uneasy feeling looking at it.

She placed her hand on the knob and twisted slowly, calling his name again, but only to make herself feel less spooked.

The minute she saw the scene, she interrupted the calling of his name to scream it. The bathtub was filled with water, and Jimin was inside, clearly trying to hold himself under the ripples.

Victoria rushed to kneel by the porcelain tub and lift him up by his shirt. Jimin took in a long breath before breaking into a coughing fit. While he did, she quickly reached into the water to un-plug the drain. When he was done, he stared at Victoria.

"What...what are you doing here?"

She returned his gaze, breathing unsteady from the rush of adrenaline. "I came to get you. We're all supposed to get lunch, but Hoseok didn't have time to tell you."

Jimin looked away. "Oh."

There were so many things she wanted to ask, but instead of rambling a bunch of questions, she settled for, "Why were you trying to drown yourself?"

He didn't seem fazed by the question, and didn't plan on answering, but then he remembered Jungkook mentioning how Victoria helped him when he was low. He couldn't tell Hoseok this, so he decided to just fuck it.

"It's like..." he started, the water slowly draining away from him. He couldn't find the words as she continued to stare at him with wide eyes. "It's like..." His eyes began watering, and he couldn't hold it back. "It's like," he choked over tears. "I've fallen into this hole and I just keep going deeper and deeper and I can't find my way out."

Victoria softened, reaching from where she was kneeling to grab a towel from the rack above her and hand it to him. He took it numbly, just clutching it with his small hands.

"I miss my mom so much," he blubbered, not flinching away when she reached out to take one of his hands with her own. "But it's like I knew her less and less as the years went on and I know she was just doing the right thing but it hurt me!"

She didn't know what he was talking about, but she figured he was just venting as opposed to actually telling a story.

He sniffled before continuing, squeezing her hand so tight it hurt. "Sometimes I thought my dad would realize, but he's such a good person that he did the same thing." He shut his eyes, surprised at how easily everything was coming out. "I know, I'm selfish. I wanted my parents all to myself and I just..."

Victoria stroked his skin with her thumb slowly. His eyes flew open and landed on her. "I hate the police academy. I want to quit so much!" She was about to say something when he continued. "I want to dance like Hobi, but I can never be as good as him—that's the problem."

"You feel stuck," she suggested quietly.

He nodded eagerly, relieved that she got it. "Yes! Dancing always came so easily to him and he looked so graceful and cool. And then I tried it and I fell in love, but next to him, I look like a..." He sighed in defeat. "I look like an uncoordinated idiot."

Jimin's plump lips pouted slightly and she smiled. "Jimin." He glanced at her. "You have to do what makes you happy."

"How can I dance and be happy if Hoseok is there every step of the way, showing me up?"

She shook her head. "You can't compare yourself to Hoseok. You're both skilled dancers, from what I've heard, and no two dancers dance the same." She sighed, relieved when his grip on her hand lessened to firm instead of painfully tight. "IU doesn't sound like Adele. Does that make her any less of a great singer?"
"No," he replied quietly, tears having stopped.

"Right. And just because dancing comes more naturally to Hoseok than you doesn't make you less than him. You may have to practice twice as hard, but if you love dancing, that won't be a problem."

Jimin nodded, staring back at the white towel in his free hand. "Yeah..."

"I know you feel stuck," she continued softly, leaning in to catch his eye. "But this isn't the answer. There's always a way out—no matter the mess you've gotten into." She placed her other hand over their twined ones. "And you can always talk to me."

He smiled, cheeks puffing into cute circles. "Thank you, noona."

"So you're going to quit the academy and join Hoseok at his studio. Right?"

Jimin nodded. "Right."

"Good." She gave his hand a pat before letting go and standing up. "Now let's get your hair dried and pick out an outfit."

"What's taking them so long?" Jin complained loudly. The food had already come to the table, and the others didn't bother waiting.

Namjoon smirked. "Why do you care? Got a crush, hyung?"

Jin pouted. "No!"

"I think you're onto something, Namjoon," Hoseok laughed around a lettuce wrap in his mouth. Iseul watched, soaking up the information and staying as quiet as possible so they wouldn't remember how close she was with Victoria. Jungkook gave her an amused look.

Taehyung poked Jin playfully. "Do you want me scoot over so Victoria can sit here, hyung?"

"You can't scoot over. You're against the wall, dumbass," Yoongi snapped.

Jin sighed. "All I asked is what's taking them so long..." He instantly perked up. "I'll pass the time with jokes!"

"Fuck. I'm gonna need a cigarette if you're gonna start telling jokes," Yoongi muttered.

"Why you gotta hate?"

"Because you're not funny."

Hoseok reached behind Namjoon to pat Yoongi's back. "Alright, you guys. Let's not fight."

"Who's fighting?"

They all looked up as Jimin and Victoria appeared. As the others greeted them, Jimin sat next to Hoseok. Jin brightened at her presence, and was about to offer her the seat next to him when he realized he was squished between Jungkook and Taehyung.

Victoria sat next to Jimin, which made Jin's eye twitch.

"Okay, okay," Jin prefaced. "What does it sound like when a cow laughs?"

The boys groaned while Victoria and Iseul looked at him expectantly.

He couldn't help but laugh before he revealed the punchline. "Moo-ha-ha-ha!"

Victoria let out a bewildered chuckle while Iseul looked downright offended.

"Will you pass the mackerel pike?" Yoongi asked Namjoon flatly, which made the boys laugh at his lack of reaction to the joke.