The mansion was still recovering from the last elimination.

The eliminated boys were kept around for a little bit longer just to help with equipment and get stock footage. They were filming more confessionals to put in as filler if the episodes were ever too short. Y/n was grateful she had Jungkook by her side the entire time, but she knew he was a goner soon. Maybe two weeks tops. If Y/n's theory was correct, the eliminated boys would be going home permanently after the thirteenth episode. That gave her only a handful of weeks to hang out with them.

Jungkook, Hoseok, and Taehyung. Those weren't the three she thought would be going home, especially Taehyung. But she made her choice. Jin, Jimin, Namjoon, and Yoongi remained. She'd have to eliminate not one but two people next elimination, which caused her stomach to churn. Sensing this, Jungkook picked up her hand and kissed it, snuggling closer to her.

"Stop thinking about it so much," Jungkook mumbled, kissing her neck after he was done with her hand.

"It's hard not to. Taehyung admitted he loved me, Jeon. He admitted that, and right after he tells me his feelings, I eliminate him. I'm a horrible human being."

"What else were you gonna do? You did it for the right reason. Now he can focus on gathering his money and doing what he needs with it. No more worries about the show and the stress it causes. Besides, the producers are loving it. They're filming Tae and Jimin's goodbye right now."

"Wait shit, really?!"

"Yeah, t-"

"Let's go! I want the tea!" Jungkook sighed and accepted his fate, Y/n dragging him out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She slowed her pace when she saw Jimin's puffy face staring at Tae. The camera crew surrounded them in the lobby, mics held above their heads to capture each sniffle. Y/n ducked and peeked over the railing as to not distract them, frowning when she saw Tae. Despite how she knew she shouldn't, she yearned for his touch and presence. Even having one more conversation with him would satisfy her.

"You know I don't want this. I want to stay longer. If not for Y/n, then for you," Tae said, Jimin sniffling and dabbing his eyes with his baby thumbs. "Please, win for me. Win this whole thing in my honor."

"I-I can't, I'm not strong enough for that."

"Yes you are." Tae came over, taking Jimin's hands and meeting his eyes. "There's no one in this world that's stronger than you, Park Jimin."

"Wow," Jungkook whispered, blinking a few times. "I was expecting it to be gay, but this is like me levels of gay. I want a spinoff where they're traveling Italy together and slow dancing under the stars."

Y/n sighed. "Jungkook? You're interesting."

He grinned. "Thanks sweetheart."

Jimin slipped away from Tae, sucking in deep breaths to compose himself. "Even if I'm strong, how am I supposed to compete with the others? Yoongi and Jin are tough competition, and Namjoon? Do you see the way she looks at him?"

"Simp," Jungkook mumbled.

"Shut the fuck up, you have an HD picture of Namjoon's left tiddy hung on your wall," Y/n said.

"Want to remind me what your wallpaper is, princess?"

Y/n took out her phone, Jungkook snickering when he saw Jimin's ass was her lockscreen. She nudged him, Jungkook falling over and groaning. He was quiet enough that Tae and Jimin didn't hear, but it still made Y/n cover her mouth as she cackled. Jungkook whacked her shoulder, them playing footsie with each other as the Vmin scene played out before their eyes.

"Do you see the way she looks at you? Jimin, you got this. You know she cares about you," Tae said.

"Yeah, she cares so much. So much that she almost eliminated me."

"But she didn't eliminate you this time, did she? Almost isn't definite. Just because it almost happened doesn't mean it will. Come on, what happened to the determined Park Jimin I've known all these months, huh? You know you got this. Win this thing. Win it for me, and come visit me with the girl of your dreams in your arms, okay?"

Jimin rubbed his temple with his fingers, not answering at first. He didn't answer verbally. Instead, he went to Tae and hugged him. The younger man froze for a beat, then returned the embrace as tightly as he could. Tae knit his brows together, holding the back of Jimin's head and swaying him back and forth in an almost unnoticeable manner. For a moment, Y/n didn't think it was acting. It seemed like quite the opposite. It wasn't because Tae was leaving. Everyone knew that. Any time anyone hugged Jimin, they held on tightly. If they didn't, they feared he'd leave forever.

"I love you, bud," Tae whispered, Jimin nodding against him.

"I love you too."

Tae lingered, pulling back and holding Jimin's shoulders in the process. They locked eyes, Y/n mentally chanting for them to kiss, but that never happened. Jimin cleared his throat and stepped away. Tae took the hint and waved his goodbye, Jimin mimicking the action. Then, Tae was gone. He left through the back door, Jen going in front of the cameras and telling them to cut.

"Nice job everyone, that was a great scene. Someone get Jimin some tissues," Jen said, a staff member getting a box of tissues for the crying man. He dabbed down his swollen eyes and running nose, Tae rushing back inside with a huge boxy grin on his face.

"Did I do well?" he asked, his eyes lighting up the entire room.

"Of course you did, you're Kim Taehyung. I doubt there's much you can do wrong," Jen replied, Taehyung doing tiny claps to celebrate. Jimin went off to the side while cleaning his face, speaking to the crew in low voices. Noticing it was their chance, Y/n pulled Jungkook's sleeve and guided him down the rest of the stairs.

They announced their presence and were welcomed with open arms. Yoongi came out of the kitchen with Jin, the two making heart eyes at each other as they went. As soon as they realized there was a camera crew in front of them, they stepped away from one another and cursed, pretending they were fighting. Y/n found herself chuckling at their antics. It pained her that she had to choose Yoongi over Hoseok, but it was nice to have Yoonjin back.

"Alright, that wraps up filming for the twelfth episode. Get ready for episode thirteen, we have a huge competition coming up. Lots of challenges and prizes. I hope you guys like money," Jen said.

"Rain it on me like I'm a stripper," Jin said, busting out his windshield wiper laugh. When no one else laughed, he awkwardly cleared his throat and shut up.

"Get a good night's rest. See you all in the morning." With that, Jen dipped her head and helped the camera crew pack up. Y/n stayed by Jungkook's side, him wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her skin. Since her time with him was so limited, she found herself leaning into it, closing her eyes to enjoy it a little bit more.

However, that all fell apart when she heard the storming footsteps of Park Jimin. She opened her eyes in time to see him rushing up the stairs, Taehyung's jaw on the ground from watching the older man go. Jin and Yoongi were confused as well, sharing a shrug when Y/n looked at them for an explanation. Figuring no one knew what the fuck was going on, Y/n bid Jungkook goodbye, kissed his cheek, then went up the stairs after Jimin.

As much as Y/n didn't want to intrude on Jimin's private matters, she felt as though he needed her. Or someone. Anyone. Anyone who could give him comfort. When she made it up the stairs, she peeked over her shoulder and saw the others were attempting not to get distracted by Jimin's mental state. Jimin was trying his best not to let it tear down the mansion, but everyone's mood was shifting. Even Yoongi's. Yoongi was always stoic, but he seemed more stoic than normal. He was talking to Jin still, but he didn't have the same joy in his eyes that he normally did. It broke her heart.

So she was determined to fix it.

Her feet carried her to Jimin's room, seeing the door was propped open. Y/n pressed her fist on the door, knocking a few times. When there was no answer, she went in. Jimin was sitting on his bed, staring at the ground. She was quick to kick the door shut and go to his side. She sat, but he didn't react. His eyes remained on the carpet before him. Not knowing what else to do, she placed her hand on his thigh. That finally got his attention.

"Why are you here, honey?" he asked in a mumble. "You should be celebrating with the crew. We finished another episode. Only four more, right? Go celebrate."

"How can I celebrate when you're here alone?" She rested her head on his shoulder, Jimin sighing and kissing the top of her head. "I'm not saying you have to pretend to be happy or something like that. I just want you to feel loved and accepted."

"I do. Yoongi's been visiting me a lot, same with the others, but Yoongi especially."

She found herself chuckling at that. "Yoongi? I can't believe it, he has a heart."

"He's not as cold as people think. Just because someone doesn't show their emotions as outwardly as others doesn't mean they don't have them. Yoongi just shows his in a different way. Doesn't make it wrong."

"Of course not. Honestly, I think Yoongi's a sweetheart. More of a gentleman than people give him credit for. I hope America feels the same way when they see him on the show," she said, keeping her hand on his thigh. With her thumb, she gave his leg a massage, rubbing against his pants and hoping she brought him comfort.

Jimin took her hand and kissed it, his thumb returning the favor by massaging the back of her hand. Y/n peeped up at him, Jimin staring at her with his gorgeous eyes. She ignored the bags under his eyes. She ignored his thin hair that was half the length it used to be. She ignored how frail he seemed. Instead, she focused on his beautiful eyes. He did the same. And, after a moment, he leaned down and kissed her.

Y/n accepted the kiss, not moving to touch him anywhere else. He held her hand as they kissed. She fluttered her eyes shut and enjoyed each moment. It was perfect. He was perfect.

If only there was a way to show him that.

They parted moments later, Jimin letting out a breath. Then, as if unable to resist, he kissed her again. He didn't stay on her lips long enough to give her the chance to kiss back. As soon as that kiss ended, he stood, dropping her hand. She got up with him, but he spoke before she could ask him what was wrong.

"I need to go see my parents. Jen is kicking them out, so I should talk to them before they go," he said, making sure his eyes were away from hers.

"You don't have to do that, Jimin."

"If I don't, I'll regret it. I already have enough regrets in life, I'm not about to have another. But... I need you. Can you please come with me?"

She came over and held his hand again, kissing his shoulder and hoping that gave him the answer he needed. He nodded as if accepting her gestures, then, he brought her out of the room. The two went to the guest room his parents were staying in, knocking on the entrance. When they heard the muffled "come in", Jimin went first much to her dismay. What awaited them was dim lighting and a bland room with no decorations that stood out. Jimin's parents were there by the bed, their heads snapping up when they realized their son came to speak with them.

"Jimin," his mother said, her smile hiding the pain in her eyes.

"Save it. I came here to get closure. Not to argue, not to reconcile, not to beg for you to come back in my life. You neglected me. You neglected our family because you couldn't handle the emotional stress. Look, I get it, it wasn't easy, but who do you think had it worse? You or me? I hate comparing myself and my pain to others, but it's so unbelievably selfish to think for a second that neglecting your dying child was harder on you than it was me."

"We never meant to-"

"No, I'm talking, not you. I'm not done yet," Jimin interrupted, his eyes bulging from the anger in his tone. He took a breath, Y/n giving his hand a squeeze that he returned. "I was dying." He broke off, holding back tears. "I was dying, and my parents weren't there for me. I know it was hard on you, but I was the one dying. I was. I'm so tired of breaking myself to help people who don't care. I was right there. I was right in front of you, but you were only thinking of yourselves. I know my worth now. You didn't treat me right, so you don't get the privilege of being in my life anymore. You aren't allowed to just walk back into my life now since I have money."

They didn't answer. There was nothing to say. Y/n stayed by his side the entire time, not daring leave him for a split second. Jimin didn't bother introducing her to them, not that she wanted that anyway. It was a subtle act she noticed. By not introducing them to her, he was protecting her from the heartbreak he endured. She admired him more and more every day.

"Leave the mansion as soon as possible. I'm not asking," Jimin said, stepping away. However, right before he left with Y/n, he tilted his head back from over his shoulder and gave them a forced grin. "Oh, and by the way, it's back." Their faces fell. "My cancer's back. You know the difference? This time I actually have people who care about me by my side." And then they left.

Jimin pulled Y/n down the hallway, no tears on his face. His eyes weren't swollen anymore, and his nose never sniffled. She stopped him halfway, him meeting her gaze.

"I didn't make a mistake, did I?" he asked in a mumble. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, Jimin freezing under her touch. By the time she pulled back, she gave him a smile that had him in awe. Then, she laughed.

"You're perfect, Park Jimin. Never forget that."