"Seo......Yeon?" Taehyung called out the name of the girl standing next to Ye Jun.
Compared to the Ye Jun who permed her hair, did her nails, and wore a black silk dress in the dead of winter, Seo Yeon dressed more snugly in a wool sweater with jeans and a windbreaker.
However, she also seemed shocked to see Taehyung.
A crafty smile flitted across Ye Jun's lips.
That night, Taehyung had a premonition that Ye Jun wouldn't give up so easily, but he was blinded by the happiness of furthering his relationship w/ Jimin to think deeper of this invite.
It wasn't that he couldn't keep acting w/ Jimin if Seo Yeon was here, but this girl was extremely smart and had a high IQ + EQ.
Their 1st year of high school, they had been chosen as MMIA's representatives to an exchange program w/ a school in Singapore. After realizing they share similar interests, they established a close friendship and even joked that they'd both apply to the same college in America.
But after coming back from Singapore, Taehyung realized that Seo Yeon's attitude towards him went a bit over the line.
Taehyung may not be aware of how strong his personal charm was, but when it came to emotions, he held certain principles, and thus maintained a distance with her.
Seo Yeon was also very clever, and getting the hint, backed off.
And it was precisely b/c of this 'cleverness' that she remained as one of Taehyung's few close, female friends.
It's just, Taehyung spent a year cramming for college entrance exams and then Seo Yeon went off to America, so like with his other classmates, they didn't have much contact nowadays.
If he was only facing Ye Jun today, Taehyung didn't feel any pressure. Moreover, he really did want to borrow Jimin to make her give up.
But if he also had to act in front of Seo Yeon, then he felt a bit apologetic, and at the same time, worried that she might spot something amiss.
However, the main reason he was so surprised about this was b/c...Ye Jun and Seo Yeon's relationship was only so-so.
Seo Yeon joined them in middle school, but she wasn't in their class. In high school, they all attended the study-abroad in America class, but a year later, Ye Jun went to England and lost contact w/ them for 2-3 years.
So these two appearing together really confused Taehyung. But as a guy, he didn't really understand what went on b/t girls, so he didn't ask.
While Taehyung thought about all that, Seo Yeon had already opened her arms and given him an American-style greeting.
"Taehyung, long time no see." She already calmed down from her earlier shock.
Taehyung naturally hugged her back and asked, "Did you come back from America for Christmas?"
"Yes, I arrived a few days ago." Seo Yeon didn't like to post her travel plans on social media, unlike Ye Jun.
"She's my high school classmate," Taehyung introduced to Jimin.
Seo Yeon reached out a hand courteously: "And who would this handsome man be?"
"Jimin," Jimin gave his name and shook her hand. "Hello."
Ye Jun added in the back, "He's Taehyung's boyfriend."
Seo Yeon paused, then looked Jimin up and down thoughtfully. "Looks like the info Duchess posted was real......"
Jimin: "???"
Taehyung: "......"
Ye Jun somewhat uncomfortably changed the topic: "Alright, alright. Let's not stand outside. Let's go in and eat!"
Due to the cold weather, the girls had chosen a Hong Kong-style hotpot restaurant.
The 4 of them sat at a table near the window. The seats were benches w/o much empty space for 2 ppl to sit, and as lovers, Taehyung and Jimin naturally sat on the same side.
After food and drinks were brought over, Ye Jun lightly coughed and announced, "Today, it's my treat, so no one'd better fight me over this!"
Seo Yeon smiled: "So generous? Did something good happen?"
Ye Jun snorted, "It'd be great if something did. I'm here to apologize."
Seo Yeon, confused: "Apologize?"
Ye Jun glanced at Taehyung and Jimin: "Aye, because I wrongfully thought my love was reciprocated......"
Taehyung & Jimin & Seo Yeon: "......"
Ye Jun: "I went to F University to find Taehyung on Christmas Eve, wanting to surprise him. And of course, ended up bumping into Taehyung and his boyfriend publicly displaying their affection instead. At the time, I got angry, left, and then made that post. Yeon's seen it too, right? These past few days, I thought about it, and felt that I didn't really respect Taehyung's privacy, thus decided to invite them out to eat."
"So it's like that," Seo Yeon nodded, then asked: "Then why didn't you give me a heads up before inviting me? As an outsider, isn't it a bit inappropriate for me to be here?"
Ye Jun pouted playfully: "Aiyo, if I came alone, how would I face them after apologizing? Show off how good of a 3rd wheel I am? We'll be going to the movies later, so wouldn't I die of awkwardness first? Just treat it as accompanying me and getting to enjoy a free meal and movie, ok?"
Seo Yeon smiled helplessly.
Seeing that they finished their convo, Taehyung gave a dry smile and said, "Haha, don't be so exaggerated. No need to take something small like that to heart."
Ye Jun rolled her eyes and lifted her cup: "Who said I took it to heart?" Then she turned to Jimin and smiled: "Jimin, let's toast."
Jimin: "......"
Ye Jun took a sip of her soda, and as if talking to herself, continued, "Sigh. On Christmas Eve, that was my bad. I really didn't know that Taehyung was dating you. It's been years since we've seen each other, and hearing him sing that and say all those things as soon as I got back, my emotions got the better of me. I didn't mean to intentionally misinterpret......"
After hearing this, Jimin actually felt a bit guilty.
He also had some blame; he shouldn't have gone up and kissed Taehyung just like that......
"It's nothing, no need to apologize," Jimin replied.
His emotions also got the better of him, and he mistakenly thought Taehyung was confessing to him too. Thus, after seeing the other so close w/ a girl, jealousy overtook his rationality.
Looking back now, Jimin kind of regretted it.
Ye Jun: "Actually, there's nothing b/t Taehyung and I. It's always been my one-sided love. The 'ex-girlfriend' thing I said before, don't take it seriously. That was like me and Taehyung playing house when we were young, and at the time, he wasn't even willing to kiss me." She then gave Taehyung a glare: "I should've realized back then that you were gay, and I wouldn't have had to suffer so much!"
Taehyung: "............"
This matched with Taehyung's explanation, and for some reason, Jimin felt much better.
However, he glanced at Taehyung, somewhat confused: Isn't Ye Jun acting like she's given up, so why did Taehyung say that she didn't believe they were dating?
Hearing these words, Seo Yeon became curious: "What song did Taehyung sing? What did he say that made you misinterpret?"
Ye Jun explained: "During his school's Top 10 Most Beautiful Singers Competition, do you know what Taehyung sung? 'Love You'! That was my favorite song in elementary school. I had it on my mp3 player and played it on repeat and even shared a copy with Taehyung. I remember that Taehyung learned it after just listening to it once, and for a while, sang it to me everyday......"
Taehyung & Jimin & Seo Yeon: "......"
"That night when I went to find him, he was onstage singing and dancing about, and after he finished, he even said things like, 'Even though I'm currently unable to say I love you, this song represents my feelings'... ...Look, how could I not misinterpret?" Ye Jun gave Taehyung another glare.
Seo Yeon blinked: "Wait, he said that after he finished singing?"
Ye Jun: "Yep."
As if sensing a bad premonition, Taehyung felt his back go cold.
But it was already too late, b/c Seo Yeon had discovered the problem!
And thus, he saw her knit her brows and point to Taehyung and Jimin: "Aren't they already dating though? What did he mean by 'unable to say I love you'? Who was Taehyung actually saying that to?"
Taehyung & Jimin: "......"
Ye Jun also looked at them with suspicion: "That is true......"
She then carefully recalled what happened that night. After she heard the song, she was swept away in a romantic mood and excitedly went to find Taehyung. Right after she asked if the person he was talking about onstage was her, Jimin showed up.
At that time, Jimin was also holding flowers, and after she introduced herself, he kissed Taehyung right in front of her.
That timing was indeed strange. If they were already dating, then why did Taehyung say something like "I don't want to force them to give me a response in this kind of situation"?
"Those words, I was saying them to Jimin," Taehyung reached over and held Jimin's hand, and with a slight smile on his face, looked extremely calm. Only he knew that his entire back had broken out in cold sweat!
He continued, "Actually, that night was when we officially got together."
Jimin forcefully repressed the urge to pull away his hand as he threw the other a complicated glance.
This guy, can sure act......
But why didn't he use the excuse he gave KiBum and the others? Wouldn't there be inconsistencies this way?
"Oi, you guys aren't lying to me, right?" As someone who was personally there, Ye Jun felt this explanation sounded pretty flimsy.
She wasn't dumb, and thinking back, she had caught Taehyung first, so even after that confession onstage, it was impossible for him and Jimin to make their relationship official before then. Who would just walk up and kiss someone they weren't dating, and even so naturally!?
Arching an eyebrow, Ye Jun looked towards Jimin, waiting for his explanation.
Jimin felt Taehyung tighten the grip on his hand and knew the other was pleading for help.
He slightly shifted his gaze, and eyes flickering, replied, "I, that time...got a bit jealous, sorry......"
Ye Jun: "So you mean to say that before you met me, you guys weren't together yet, but after seeing me and you got jealous, you kissed Taehyung, then got together?"
Jimin, feeling difficult: "Something...like that......"
Being forced to admit to these true inner feelings that he never wish to reveal was 100%, without question, the most shameful moment in Jimin's entire life.
He only hoped that Taehyung would think he was only acting......
But after hearing this, Taehyung wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him into his embrace as if to comfort him with love. Jimin honestly didn't know how to respond.
This was probably......also just acting, right?
After always viewing herself as the main character, Ye Jun now ended up as a side character in another person's love story. Originally, she thought she had discovered a hole in their story, but instead, got slapped across the face w/ even more PDA......
For a moment, she couldn't accept this cruel reality, and glumly stabbed her chopsticks into her bowl: "Sigh, why is my life so tragic!"
Seo Yeon didn't know what to say and could only pat her on the back and somewhat awkwardly murmur: "That is...a bit coincidental."
—
However, Seo Yeon still knit her brows. Since Taehyung and Jimin officially got together on Christmas Eve, given Taehyung's personality, he should have posted something about it. However, he only made that one vague post. It couldn't be that the "self-blame" he spoke of really was due to being forced out of the closet by Ye Jun? Looking at them, they didn't seem like they're trying to hide their relationship though.
She felt it was a bit odd, but her earlier action of bringing up her doubts caused the atmosphere to turn this awkward, so of course she wouldn't repeat that mistake.
Therefore, she changed tactics and asked, "Taehyung, how did you fall in love with Jimin? Even overseas, coming out as homosexual isn't an easy thing. You two sure are open-minded."
Looks like she's trying to get info about their relationship history.
Taehyung smiled: "If I said I fell in love with Jimin at first sight, would you believe me?"
Jimin: "......"
Seo Yeon was at a loss for words.
Love at first sight...... How could she not believe? Towards Taehyung, she also fell in love at first sight. In their 1st year of middle school, during their 1st meeting, Taehyung completely captured her heart. But she was more reserved than Ye Jun, had her own pride, and she only obtain the chance to get closer to Taehyung after working really hard. It's just a pity he wasn't interested in her......
Feelings couldn't be forced. Seo Yeon also had self-respect, so even if reality made her sad, this world was full of such disappointments, and she had learned to let go.
Since then, she had always wondered just what kind of person could move Taehyung's heart.
Looking at the decent looking but completely expressionless young man before her, she grew ever more curious. She really didn't know what part of Jimin attracted Taehyung.
Seo Yeon smiled: "What aspect made you fall in love at first sight?"
Taehyung: "He's my type, and there isn't any specific reason. When I first saw him, I felt a familiar feeling, like we had met before."
Jimin froze, looking at Taehyung in disbelief. He wasn't sure if the other was telling the truth, but when he heard those words, his entire heart skipped a bit.
...He still remembered, he didn't forget!
Taehyung also looked at Jimin, and as their eyes met, a rarely seen bashfulness flashed across his eyes.
A gush of warm burst forth, overflowing Jimin's chest, and most of the pain and vexation of having been forgotten twice seemed to wash away.
Even if Taehyung was only acting, saying sweet, honeyed lies, but he had to admit that right now, he felt ecstatic.
Seo Yeon muttered, "I remember you posting in September that you were 'done for'... ...Was that referring to falling in love?"
Taehyung's eyes sparkled: "Yep, you actually noticed!"
Jimin: "......"
If they continued this charade, even he'd start believing that they were dating for real.
However, Seo Yeon regretted asking this as soon as the question left her mouth. This made it seem like she payed super close attention to Taehyung's every move. While that was true, Taehyung now had a boyfriend, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to act like she cared so much.
Thus, she smiled: "It was just a random guess."
A few girls walked by their table, and seeing two guys hugging like they were deeply in love, all gasped and could barely move away.
"Enough already," Ye Jun wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were acting out a gay version of ''. Let's eat already!"
Only now did Taehyung reluctantly let go of Jimin's shoulder.
As the 4 of them ate, it wouldn't do for there to be no conversation, so Taehyung took the initiative to ask the girls about what studying in England/America was like. They talked about some interesting things that happened, and the overall mood finally improved.
However, that didn't prevent Taehyung and Jimin's unintentional PDA, and while it was a 4 people chat, there was a constant lovers undertone whenever they softly talked to each other.
For example, when Taehyung put some food into Jimin's bowl and asked in a low voice: "Do you want spinach?"
Jimin: "No, I want the streaky bacon."
Taehyung: "Eat some more vegetables. It's not good for your body to only eat meat."
Jimin: "Isn't the point of eating hotpot to eat meat?"
Taehyung: "Tsk, even seeing you eat so much, you still don't gain any weight......"
After saying that, he gave Jimin some more meat, then asked, "The meat's all gone, did you eat enough? We can order more."
......
As they continued the meal, Taehyung turned back and asked Seo Yeon and Ye Jun when they became so close.
Ye Jun: "Wasn't it all b/c of you?"
Taehyung: "What does it have to do with me?"
Ye Jun: "You do know why I went overseas our 1st year of high school, right?"
Taehyung's heart clenched. It couldn't be that the rumors were true?
Perhaps by now, Ye Jun really was starting to let go, thus she revealed her thoughts at that time: "I knew you for 9 years as MMIA, but Yeon only knew you for 3. But in the end, you went to Singapore that year with Yeon and became so close after you guys came back. Were you trying to anger me to death? So I went overseas. This young lady wasn't going to give a single shit about what you guys might or might not do. Out of sight, out of mind."
Taehyung: "......"
Seo Yeon couldn't resist smiling as she rubbed her temples and retorted: "Big Sis, I really wasn't trying to compete with you. We were only classmates, friends. At that time, just what kind of soap-opera drama did you come up with in that head of yours?"
Taehyung awkwardly tugged his lips, then furtively glanced at Jimin's expression.
The other was eating with his head lowered, as if he didn't care.
After bantering a bit with Seo Yeon, Ye Jun said, "Half a year ago, I found Yeon on Facebook and only then learned that she went to America. All those years at MMIA of not seeing eye to eye, but when we actually chatted, we realized we had a lot in common haha. We were both at the ends of the world, so somehow or other, we became close."
Seo Yeon: "What 'at the ends of the world'? You drama queen!"
As the 2 chatted, Taehyung had no place in that convo. Besides, it seemed that their misunderstanding was caused by him, so he felt both stupefied and awkward.
After listening for a long time, Taehyung finally used up all the sauce in his bowl, so he asked Jimin: "Hey, Jimin, help me get some more sauce?"
Taehyung was pretty picky about his sauce, needing to change if flavors mixed and such, but since he sat by the window and it wasn't convenient for him to get out, this task was always left to Jimin.
Jimin had already helped him twice already, and this time, he couldn't resist tsukomi-ing: "Are you here to eat hotpot or eat sauce? You finished it already?"
Taehyung: "......"
Seeing the other's anxious expression, Jimin's eye twitched, but still stood up to go the seasoning counter. He thought about the things he heard, and honestly, felt ridiculously mad... Although he knew that the person liked was coveted by a lot of people, but to personally hear about all the unhappy love affairs the other attracted, he could barely hold back his jealousy.
And to maintain his elegance and poise as a man, he couldn't even say anything.
......Fuck, who gives a crap about elegance!
With a dark expression, Jimin scooped up a few of Taehyung's least favorite flavors, mixed them together, and returned to the table.
Taehyung received the bowl and tasted it a bit, his expression changing: "It's hot and numbing!"
Jimin replied indifferently, "Don't like, don't eat."
Taehyung: "......"
Taehyung knit his brows, picked up a piece of meat and dipped it all in, then put the entire thing in his mouth. The result: he almost choked from the spiciness and even tears came out.
Jimin didn't expect him to actually eat it, and shocked, immediately passed his own drink over!
Taehyung took a few large gulps, then pitifully coughed a few more times.
Now, Jimin felt really sorry... Sigh, forget it. Actually, those things had already passed, and the girls didn't seem to have bad intentions, so there's no point in him not letting this go.
With teary eyes, Taehyung blinked and looked at him, then weakly said, "You're so mean." Yet his tone was full of helpless pampering and love.
Jimin: "......"
To the girls sitting across from them, this was undoubtedly another slap of PDA.
The sharp Seo Yeon realized that their previous convo might have agitated Jimin, thus she changed the topic and tried to bring Jimin into their chat instead of leaving him out like earlier.
However, she still personally witnessed Taehyung finish eating that questionably tasting sauce, bite after bite.
Watching Taehyung purposefully suffer for their act, Jimin's heart had long become a puddle of the softest goo, and he ordered some more lemonade...
To be honest, the way they interacted wasn't any different than normal, but in those 2 girl's eyes, it was extremely grating.
After this meal, Ye Jun even started to suspect that she invite these two assholes out just to torture herself! After taking care of the tab, she went to the bathroom with Seo Yeon.
The guys waited near the entrance, and Taehyung took this opportunity to softly ask, "Are you still angry?"
As if completely seeing through his intentions, Jimin asked back, "Why would I be angry?"
...They were fake lovers, so angry? Lol, no such thing.
Taehyung looked at him, then suddenly grabbed his hand to butter him up: "I thought you got angry earlier."
Jimin impatiently tried to tug back his hand, but didn't succeed. "I didn't—"
Taehyung interrupted and explained, "The song 'Love You', it's true that I first heard it long ago on Ye Jun's mp3 player, but her saying that I sung it for her, I was only in 3rd grade back then... I was just singing for fun and really didn't think anything else of it."
Jimin's face burned: "I know already, you don't need to explain this—"
Before he could finish, Taehyung leaned over and kissed him.
Jimin's jaw dropped, completely petrified.
......They were in public, in a place where countless people walked by. What in the world was Taehyung doing ahhhh!
—
[A small interlude]
Ye Jun: "'Love You' was my favorite song in elementary school, and Taehyung even sung it to me!"
Taehyung: "......" Minnie, hear me explain, it's not like that...... QAQ
Jimin: "......" Haha, you can go back to where you came from.
The hotpot restaurant's waiter watched Jimin mix hot and numbing sauce, vinegar, chili pepper, garlic, black bean sauce, mustard, and all sorts of seasonings together and couldn't help but sigh: Aye, this customer has such heavy tastes.
—
Taehyung, eating the highly questionable sauce Jimin gave him as cried his eyes out: I started this, so I have to finish it, even through the snot and tears.