As per their plan, KiBum composed a "willing to cooperate" text to Catherine, walked around the room to take a few pictures, and asked, "Tae Bro, do you have anything you don't want that you can give her?"
While they discussed what to do, Taehyung had finished drinking another bottle of water, and hearing this, replied, "This bottle ok?"
KiBum: "Oh lol, you're only willing to give her a bottle? Too stingy!"
Taehyung: "She did say she's fine with anything."
KiBum finished writing the text and read it out loud: "This is my dorm. The first picture is Tae Bro's desk. The second picture is the sink counter, and Tae Bro's toothbrush and cup are the ones on the left. I can't start by giving you things that are too private, so how about I give you a few...empty water bottles for now. Let's schedule a place to meet... What do you think?"
Everyone resisted for a while, then started to howl with laughter: "HAHAHAHAHA!"
Sung Hoon vetoed using empty water bottles, saying that you can't do business like this, and under his suggestion, they changed it to "an ordinary pen that Taehyung uses". Besides, they might not even need give it away since their goal was to lure her out for a face-to-face meeting.
Not long after they sent that text, a reply came.
"She replied!" KiBum exclaimed. The other three all came over to look:
Catherine: Okay.
...She! Took! The! Bait!
"Ooh!!!" As if the four of them won a prize, they started to cheerfully clap.
KiBum sighed. This was much more fun than what he and Sung Hoon originally planned to do. Sure enough, one shouldn't go against one's conscience.
However, after Catherine sent that "Okay", she seem to have grown vigilant and sent another text:
Catherine: Actually, let's not meet.
"Fuck!" KiBum grew anxious: "What do we do? Why did she change her mind? Is she regretting this?"
"If she really regretted this, then she wouldn't have sent that first 'Okay'." Sung Hoon rubbed his chin: "Perhaps she's afraid of getting scammed? Or maybe worried about you double-crossing her... Go ask her how she plans to exchange goods without meeting."
KiBum sent the question over.
Catherine: We'll use the library. The one in area C is relatively empty. We'll schedule a time for you to put the goods on the last bookshelf, then I'll retrieve them 20 minutes later. I'll send the money over electronically.
Sung Hoon: "Holy fuck, this girl's way too cautious. It's just an ordinary pen, why's she treating this like some spy flick exchange?"
Taehyung steadily stared into space, his gaze dark: "She's really afraid of being recognized, therefore it's pretty much confirmed that I should know her."
This somber expression of his plus the low growl he used made a slight chill run up KiBum's back.
Jimin: "Is there anyone you suspect?"
"She's very familiar with our university, knowing to wait outside the journalism majors' classroom. She also knows about the 9th cafeteria, and even area C's library, so she doesn't seem like an outsider. To my knowledge, there's only one other person who also came from Merit Music International to F University, but that girl's eyes aren't that big and her looks are pretty average, nothing like KiBum's description. Moreover, that person wasn't in my class, and we only talked a few times, practically strangers......" Taehyung thought a while longer and wrinkled his brows: "I really don't have any leads."
"Fuck, don't say anymore. The more you analyze, the scarier it seems!" KiBum shivered. "There's also the possibility that she started liking Tae Bro after coming to college!"
"We've only been here for 2 months, so it's very unlikely for someone I've barely met to become this infatuated with me......" Taehyung gave a bitter smile: "Alright, you guys don't have to worry about this anymore. When I see her, I'll know."
KiBum: "But the problem is that she's not willing to meet."
Taehyung: "She'll still have to go pick up the item, right?"
KiBum: "That is true."
"See if you can ask her to change the location to another place. A library's too big, and if anything happens, we can't make a big fuss there." Taehyung look towards Sung Hoon and asked with a smile: "Yo, info broker, do you know of a good location?"
Sung Hoon confidently replied, "You came to the right person! Hehe, I know just the place......"
The next day, 5:23pm.
KiBum furtively sneaked into the 2nd economics building's post grad study room.
At this time, most students had gone to the cafeteria to eat, so the building was empty.
Clutching his heavily beating chest, he entered room M-202 and placed a pen and an empty plastic bottle into the second desk in the second row...... After completing this task, he walked out like nothing happened.
It wasn't until he left the building that he sent a text to Catherine:
KiBum: I've left the items.
After that, he reported to the room 412 group chat:
KiBum: I did it, now it's up to you guys!
Taehyung: Ok.
Sung Hoon: Ok.
KiBum: Where's Jimin?
Jimin: ok...
KiBum: Good luck!
The three of them hid in various locations in the building, currently waiting for their prey to show up. But for some reason, Jimin felt that this was just a bit, chuunibyou...... If it wasn't to help Taehyung, he would have coldly refused to participate.
At 5:40, a feminine figure appeared. She wore a small backpack, sunglasses, and a mask, looking exactly like the person KiBum described.
Jimin: Recognize her?
Taehyung: Not sure......
Hearing Catherine's footsteps reach the second floor, the three of them all moved. Jimin and Sung Hoon went to the only two staircases to seal her escape routes, and Taehyung proceeded alone to room M-202.
As soon as Catherine retrieved the items, she looked up and saw her crush standing at the door.
She had considered the possibility of KiBum double-crossing her, but she simply couldn't give up this chance because she loved Taehyung too much, loved him to the point that despite knowing this could be a trap, she'd still fly straight into it like a moth to a flame...
But she never expected that Taehyung would arrive so quickly.
Taehyung stood there, and due to the backlight, his face was cast in shadow, expression uncertain. He closely observed her and then respectfully called out her name: "You are......Ji-soo?"
This appeared in the group chat:
Taehyung: I caught her and we're going to have a talk. You guys can leave first, don't wait for me."
Sung Hoon: Ok, let's withdraw.
Jimin stared at his phone in a daze until Sung Hoon walked over and waved him downstairs.
Sung Hoon shook his head: "Aye, looks like she was an acquaintance, or he wouldn't have asked us to go."
Jimin remained silent. Sung Hoon cast him a glance, then hesitantly asked, "Do...you want to wait for Taehyung?"
Jimin: "No, let's go."
He felt frustrated, especially over Taehyung and that girl's conversation, but the other should know how to resolve this problem. Even though they're friends, there's a line separating what he should meddle in, and what he shouldn't.
Sung Hoon sent KiBum a text and reported back, "Big Bum hasn't finished eating yet, so let's go find him."
Jimin let out a sigh and agreed.
Waiting in the cafeteria, KiBum also wanted to know what happened next. After getting food and sitting down, the three of them couldn't resist chatting about Taehyung.
KiBum: "I think the main problem is that TaeBro is too handsome. Come to think of it, Jimin, do you still remember on the day we met, what my parents said after meeting Taehyung?"
Jimin: "What did they say?"
"When my Ma walked out of the room, she looked just like one of Taehyung's fangirls. She clutched her face and said, 'Aiya, your roommate is really way too handsome, just like a movie star! He could definitely make a name for himself using that face and nothing else!'" KiBum imitated his mom's tone, recreating that scene perfectly.
Jimin: "......"
"Actually, if it wasn't for Tae Bro, Jimin would definitely be considered the hottest one between us, right? Yet Tae Bro always sticks to you like glue, and with him there, everyone only looks at Tae Bro." KiBum shook his head, as if pitying Jimin.
On the contrary, Jimin became delighted upon hearing "always sticks to you like glue", smiling instead of getting angry.
Sung Hoon sighed, "You really can't compare yourself with others."
KiBum ate some food then assessed, "Sung Hoon Bro, you're actually quite handsome too. You just seem too much like a hoodlum, and I don't think college students like this type."
"Pftt..." Sung Hoon almost a spat out his food: "The fuck you talking about? Who's a hoodlum?"
As the two of them bantered back and forth, Jimin felt a bit envious.
Truly, the relationship between straight guys should be like this, getting along well in such a pure way. Unlike him, where as soon as Taehyung was near, he'd grow greedy and crave for all sorts of things......
At this time, he heard KiBum say: "You know, with TaeBro's circumstances, why isn't he looking for a girlfriend? If he had a girlfriend, wouldn't we not have needed to do what we did today? She'd take care of it instead!" KiBum waved his chopsticks in the air: "She'd tear that harlot apart~"
"Cough......" Jimin almost choked.
KiBum lifted an eyebrow: "Don't you think what I said makes sense? After finding an official empress, it'll also put an end to all the rumors! It'd prevent our adonis Jimin from getting mistaken as gay too—"
"Alright already, stop talking, your spit's spewing all over my food." Seeing KiBum shoot his mouth off without any consideration, Sung Hoon couldn't help interrupting. "Like you have any say in what your Tae Bro does? Maybe he likes being 'gay', hmm?"
Jimin listened with fear and trepidation, when suddenly, the phone in his pocket rang.
It was Taehyung's call. "Where are you?"
"The 3rd cafeteria." Jimin paused, then asked, "You're...done?"
"Yeah, I'll come find you."
—
[A small interlude]
Taehyung sends a text: You guys leave first.
Jimin and Sung Hoon both leave.
After taking care of the matter with Catherine and unable to find Jimin, Taehyung calls: "Where are you?"
Jimin: "Cafeteria."
Taehyung: "Why didn't you wait for me! QAQ"
Jimin: "You told us to leave."
Taehyung: "That was referring to Sung Hoon and KiBum, not you. I thought you would wait for me, Minnie! Aren't you curious about what I said to her? QAQ"
Jimin: "......" My gods, this low IQ.