"Put an 'L' on it, hyung," Namjoon says to me from the other side of the sound booth. "The word is 'lips.'"

I groan inwardly, damning the entirety of the English language, and then attempt the line again. All of us have been at this for about three hours now, recording take after take of vocals for our upcoming title track, Blood Sweat & Tears. As excited as I am to be back to work and focusing on new music, it's had its toll on me. We've been in the works for about a month now, and everything has been incredibly hectic for everyone. I've been working my ass off helping write and produce all the other members' solo tracks for this new album, but in addition to that, my name has been plastered all over the place lately because of my recent change in relationship status. People have been constantly dissecting every single thing I say or do, and tons of netizens or just everyday fans have chewed me out for falling in love. It's been a rough road for me, but I can only imagine how much of a shock it must be for Rin.

I finish up a few more takes of my lines and then exit the booth, feeling satisfied. From there, I take the headphones from Namjoon and beckon Seokjin inside to do his lines. After about half an hour of recording, our eldest is finally done with his parts of the title track. With Jungkook and me monitoring all of his work, he comes out of the booth feeling confident that it will come together well. We had started recording today with the maknae and moved up in age, so now that Jin's done we can head back to the dorm. I'm excited to go home and brainstorm some more concepts for my short film and maybe get some rough sketches down, so I promptly herd everyone out of the studio the second Seokjin is finished. We say our thanks to our producer and then jump in the van to head home.

The drive doesn't take all that long, given that the dorm is rather close to the recording studio. Manager-nim bids us goodnight at the back door and then drives away, leaving us to enter the apartment complex to our humble abode.

"I can't believe how well all of that turned out today," Jimin says, contentment in his voice. We all file into the elevator and Jungkook hits the button for our floor.

"Yeah, I'm glad, too," Taehyung responds. "It's crazy to finally have all of the group tracks done."

"Just solo work now, huh?" Hoseok questions, seemingly in disbelief. "It's crazy that we've come this far, isn't it?"

I nod, humming in accordance.

"Whose do you think is going to be the best?" Jimin asks.

"Mine," says Namjoon, Hoseok, Jungkook, and Taehyung, all at the same time. Laughter ensues from the group as the elevator doors open and Jin speaks timidly.

"I'm worried about my solo track, to be honest," he manages, looking down at his shoes as we walk.

"Why?" Jimin questions. "You're talented— it's going to turn out great."

"I'm just nervous that it won't compare to all of yours," he says cautiously. I put my hands on his shoulders, shaking him around lightly.

"Kim— Seok— Jin—" I begin, shaking him once with each syllable. "You are talented— and smart— and incredible— and your solo track is going to be so beautiful that we will all be left wallowing in our own tears and basking in your glory. You have nothing to be worried about."

"Okay, okay— stop shaking me," he laughs, his mood brightening. "Thank you, Yoongi."

"I'm here to be a voice of reason, right?" I manage, laughing. "What else am I good for?"

"Nothing, probably," Jimin pipes up as he unlocks the door to our apartment. He pushes the door open and speaks with a sly tone as he enters the living room. "God knows what Rin sees in you."

"What don't I see in him?" I hear the voice of Ah Rin herself from inside the dorm, leaving me both dazed and confused.

"Hey!" I exclaim, rushing over to Rin to greet her. "What are you doing here?" I take her hands in mine gently. Having not seen her for a week or two, it's nice to hold her hands again.

"Well, I've got news," she says. "But settle in first; I only want to say it once."

Rin went back to her old flat after making up with Juyoung, but shortly after joining Sangmi's modeling agency she had enough money to buy a new place that she'd been really interested in getting. It's bigger and nicer than her old flat, and it's closer to the dorm, too. We gave her a key to our place if she ever wanted to stop by, but this is the first time she's used it.

We all gather around in the living room waiting to hear Rin's news. She's got a smile on her face that's beyond telling— she must be incredibly excited about whatever she's going to tell us.

"So?" Jungkook asks, leaning forward in his seat on the couch. "Don't keep us waiting forever!"

"Alright, alright," she laughs, calming the maknae down. "So, an old friend approached me a couple days ago with an offer."

"That being?" Taehyung queries.

"One that's work-related." The sly smirk on her face says more than her words ever could. She's enjoying the hell out of keeping us in the dark.

"Which job? Noona, you're going to kill me." Jungkook groans and leans back on the couch, the suspense clearly taking its toll.

"Okay, fine, enough joking around. When Yoongi and I first promoted Mirrored, Gray was backstage and he congratulated us on the performance." My eyes widen, already having an idea as to where this is going.

"He reached out to me a couple days ago and invited me to join AOMG. Talked to Jay Park himself, gave me a good review, and they want me in."

"That's amazing!" Jimin exclaims, jumping up from his spot. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Did you accept?" I ask, a thought nagging in the back of my mind.

"Of course I did! AOMG is, like, the perfect label for me. It's big enough where I can get my name and my music out quickly to a lot of people, but it's got way fewer restrictions than other entertainment companies. I'm signing the contract sometime next week."

I bring her into a tight hug, happier than I've ever been for her. "That's incredible, Rin," I muse, holding her as close to me as I can. "I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah, I'm really excited about it. And they're going to let me keep modeling, too, so I won't have to quit with Sangmi. Everything's going so well." She starts to pull away from the hug and I just can't resist. I kiss her quickly, much to the dismay of my bandmates.

"PDA!" Hoseok yells in mock-disgust. Someone— probably Taehyung— fake-vomits.

I pull away from Rin and she shoots me a smirk, whacking my forehead playfully. "Do you want to go celebrate? I have a pretty good idea."

"Sure," I reply, obviously excited to go spend time with my girlfriend. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Ooh, can't say. Just put your shoes back on, it's a surprise."

I chuckle, rolling my eyes and walking to the door to relace my Converse. "You're really leaving already, Rin-ah?" Jin asks, seeming disappointed.

"Hey, I can meet you guys in the studio tomorrow if you want. I don't have anything planned."

"You better," Hoseok says. "We miss having you around all the time."

"I miss you guys, too, but it's better that I'm not weighing you down like I was." She tugs on some sandals as she speaks and then slips her hand into mine. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I respond, smiling. "Okay, we're leaving. See you guys later!"

"Bye, hyung!" Jungkook calls. With that, we leave the dorm, closing the door behind us.

We make our way out to Rin's car, which is parked in the front of the apartment complex. Since we normally come in the back entrance, I'm not surprised that I didn't see it coming in. I jump in the passenger's seat and she drives, revving up the engine and preparing to take me God knows where.

"Why won't you tell me where we're going?" I whine, stretching out in my seat.

"It'll take all the fun out of it," she replies. "But I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. We might be late, though; you guys got back later than I was expecting."

"Wait, how long were you in the dorm?"

"An hour or so. It's not like I was there all day, I was just anticipating you'd get home sooner."

"Ah, I see." I pause, taking in Seoul's evening air and watching the sun begin to set before me. "So, what'd Gray say, specifically? How'd it happen?"

"He sent me an email asking me to meet him for lunch, so I went. He told me he'd been thinking about it ever since he saw us perform that first night, and he spent a week or so convincing Jay Park to consider me. When he finally agreed, Gray got really excited and scheduled to meet me. He told me what AOMG is like, the kind of pay I'd get, and how nice he thought it would be for them to have another female rapper on the label, so he finally proposed the idea of me joining."

"That's great, Rin," I say, still hardly able to believe it. "You're going to do so well out there."

"I certainly hope so. At least with all this dating stuff still headlining people will notice when I release music."

"Have you been okay? I know it must be a lot to deal with."

"It's fine. I mean, I'm dealing with it. None of the people I work with care, but it's just when I'm out in public sometimes people will stop me or yell at me or whatever. I don't check Twitter all that much, either."

"I'm sorry, Rin; that really sucks. People do those kinds of things to me, too, but they always have. I'm used to it at this point. I just can't believe that people would treat you poorly when in their eyes I'm the one who's done them a disservice."

"It's what it is, Yoongi. It'll die down eventually."

"Yeah, I hope so."

The rest of the drive takes place in a comfortable silence, but it turns out Rin was correct. I figure out where we're going once we make it to the outskirts of the city. A smile crosses my face as I realize our destination, but I don't say anything for fear of ruining the perfect silence. When we finally arrive and park the car, I notice lights on in the building.

"Come on, we don't have a lot of time," Rin says, quickly jumping out of the car. I exit, too, and she locks the vehicle before slipping her hand in mine and entering Center for Support Foster Care.

Inside the familiar blue and gray building, there's a lot of commotion. The lobby is bustling, and I can see why. Sets of familiar faces are scattered throughout the place, and Minkyeong is bowing to someone repeatedly and saying her thanks.

I'm suddenly brutally attacked by the arms of young children as they rush to embrace me and Rin. The usual group of five is there, greeting us all with their normal level of enthusiasm. However, two of them are wearing small backpacks, and the other side of the lobby reveals boxes and suitcases with their names on them.

"Hey, everyone!" I exclaim, returning the hugs the children give me. "How are all of you?"

"Good!" Seojin exclaims, beaming at me. "Today's a good day."

"It sure is," says another familiar voice, adult this time. I look up from the group of children to see Yooheon, our MV director, standing next to Minkyeong.

"I'm glad you were able to make it," Yooheon says to Rin, smiling warmly all the while. "I figured I should be able to say a proper thank-you to the both of you."

I cock my head to the side, confused. Jieun, though, answers my question quickly. "We're getting adopted!" She chirps, hugging Jintae tightly. "And it's all thanks to you guys."

I feel tears coming to my eyes immediately and let my gaze settle on Yooheon, asking for an explanation. "Working with them on the MV was so much fun, I realized that it was time for me to take that next step. I just had to adopt them."

I tightly hug Yooheon without another word, beyond thankful that Jieun and Jintae are getting the family they deserve after all this time. "Thank you, Yooheon," I manage, sniffling. "I'm so glad you're doing this. Jieun and Jintae are going to get a great home with a great family, I'm sure."

"Just make sure you invite us to birthdays and stuff, okay?" Rin says, hugging Yooheon, too. "We love these kids a ton, so don't forget about us."

"I could never," he replies. "It's because of you that I met them."

"I know we don't have time to read," Jieun announces, getting our attention. "But we wanted to say thank you for being so good to us for so long."

"You're great friends," Jintae continues. "We'd be lost without you."

"Hey, we love you guys," I say, crouching down to the kids' level. "We're going to be here to help you no matter what."

"Absolutely," Rin adds, glancing at Heebon, Geontae, and Seojin. "All of you."

"I wouldn't be too worried about these three," Minkyeong says, gesturing down at the trio of unadopted children. "We've got some people in the works for all three of them. The publicity you gave us with the music video really helped a lot."

"We're always happy to help, Minkyeong-ssi," Rin says, bowing slightly. I do, too, still overwhelmed beyond belief with the events of today.

"I know you are. Just stop by sometime, okay? The kids all miss your company."

"Yeah, of course. When we aren't busy, we'll make time."

"Alright, we're going," Yooheon announces, lifting up the boxes of the Jieun and Jintae's belongings. The kids grab their suitcases and follow him, excitement radiating off of them in waves. The dynamic duo gives Minkyeong, Rin and me final tear-filled hugs, saying all they've wanted to say.

"I'll miss you, Rin," Jieun says to Rin, who has tears in her eyes. Jintae is speaking with me in a whisper. "Thank you for everything, Yoongi-hyung. You've taught me a lot about how to be a good guy; I won't forget a thing." I feel tears budding in my eyes, too, and then embrace the child. "I'll miss you, Jintae." When I let go, he rushes off to Yooheon's side, and then the trio leaves the building, likely never to return. Now, in a far quieter lobby, reality and normalcy seem to set back in.

"Okay, it's past all of your bedtimes," Minkyeong declares, herding the children towards a hallway. "Go get cleaned up for bed, okay? I'll be in to check on you all in ten minutes."

The other children vanish into the hallway and Minkyeong looks us over one more time. "Really, Rin, Yoongi— thank you so much for everything. You've done so much good for us, and there's nothing we can do to repay you."

"We don't want a thing," Rin says, taking Minkyeong's hand and smiling warmly. "You're doing so much more than we ever could, and that's enough."

"Thank you for all you do, Minkyeong-ssi," I add, bowing slightly. "It's the noblest work in the world."

She nods, a few tears sliding down her cheeks, and then she speaks again. "You should be going; it's time to get the kids to bed."

"Yeah, of course," I say, smiling. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Minkyeong-ssi," Rin says. "Thanks for inviting us."

"Anytime. Goodnight, you two."

We leave the building just as Yooheon's car pulls out of the driveway. Watching the new family drive into the sunset together, Rin's hand slips into mine again. "Wanna stay at my place?" She asks.

"Sure," I reply, pulling my phone from my pocket. I shoot Namjoon a text telling him my plans for the evening and then put the phone away, not bothering to read any response he might send me. We walk to Rin's car and get back in, making the drive to her new house in a weighted silence. So much has happened today, it's really overwhelming. We finish vocals on our next title track. Rin gets a solidified musical future. The kids we've grown to love finally get the family they've deserved this whole time. It's a lot to have happen in twenty-four hours.

Rin's car pulls into her new driveway and we enter the house quickly. I'm beyond exhausted— having gotten up at about six this morning— and I really want nothing more than to crash on the couch with Rin in my arms and fall asleep.

Luckily, my girlfriend seems to read my mind. "You want to go to bed, don't you?" Although it's a question, her sassy tone tells me she's far from surprised that I'd want that. In response, I just yawn.

She laughs lightly, locking the front door behind her as we enter her home. "Thought so."

We curl up on the couch and watch a movie, though it's really just on as background noise. My head lolls from side to side as my eyes land on various places in the living room. The walls of this new house are an army green, and all the wood fixtures are white. Rin and I lay with our limbs entangled on a tan couch, beside which is a white end table with some picture frames and a lamp on it.

I look at the picture frames absentmindedly, looking at each of the three photos with a smile on my face. The first is that old picture of Rin and Juyoung from years ago; the one that was in front of the old photo of Rin and me. That picture is in a second frame beside it. The third frame contains a new photo— one of me and Rin on our first night promoting Mirrored. It's a fantaken photo that we'd paid for because of how much we'd liked it. It shows us, face-to-face, right as the song finishes. We've both got huge, dorky smiles on our faces, and the moment we'd seen the photo on Twitter we knew we had to have it.

"I'm glad you finally bought more frames," I say, chuckling and pulling Rin close to me. She rests her head on my chest and laughs, too, agreeing with me.

"Me, too," she replies. "I don't have to play favorites anymore."

"That's good. God knows, playing favorites doesn't get us anywhere."

"Exactly."

"This has been such a big day, Rin. I just— wow. I still can't get over it. You're joining AOMG, Jieun and Jintae got adopted..." I trail off, unsure as to where I'm going with this. "I wonder if anything could make it better."

"I think I might know," she speaks softly. She kisses me gently, letting her lips slide perfectly into place against mine effortlessly. I smile into the kiss, deciding that— cheesy as it seems— this definitely does make the day better.

She pulls away, looking up at me with drowsy eyes. "Now, go to sleep, okay? You've got work tomorrow."

"Right, you, too." She lays back down, getting comfortable again and leaving us in a contented silence.

As I'm about to drift off, I think of an old phrase that neither of us has used in a long time. A smile comes to my lips as I decide to speak it again, albeit a bit differently this time.

"I love you, Ah Rin."

I hear her laugh slightly against me, and she snuggles up closer to me. I breathe in the smell of her perfume and smile, still amazed that I ended up with someone so incredible.

"I love you, Min Yoongi."

And with that we let sleep take us.

☽☼☾

hello!

why are these chapters so long oh my goSH,,, i wish i knew.

man, this book's nearly over! crazy, isn't it? i hope you've enjoyed it! if you have, please leave a vote or a comment if you feel so inclined. whether it be a positive review or a respectful piece of constructive criticism, it helps me be a better writer and better entertain you all, so it really does mean a lot.