Tension.
There's a hard, thick tension in the air as soon as Jimin invited the five to enter their house. As much as Jimin would like to shrug off the feeling, he cannot. He was the one who invited them to come in so he must endure it, doesn't he? Ninety-percent of the tension is solely coming from Yoongi himself. He can feel the king's stare to him without even trying and he wants to make a run for it but he can't. Silly him.
He offered them tea just like he did with Jungkook and he knew, he just knew he will get complimented just like how Jungkook did and as well as the others but also, he will get some questioning from them too.
"You seem to be fond of citrus delicacies aren't you, Jimin-ssi?" asks Jin, as he puts down his tea cup, with a mischievous smile written on his lips.
Jimin nods hesitantly, "Ah yes."
He needs to be careful otherwise he might slip or say something out of the blue. It's best if Jungkook will be the only to discover that he is indeed the witch that had helped them. It can be help though, Jungkook seems to be a persistent one. Luckily, the prince seems to be wanting to keep his secret for himself. Not wanting to reveal his hyung's secret not unless he is given the approval to do so.
"Say, what did you put in here if you don't mind telling me? I've been drinking tea since I was born and never had I ever thought of, or anyone in the palace exactly to make this type of tea that you made."
Hoseok nods, "It's quite surprising you're not working in the palace with this kind of skill. Pretty sure you will get approve if you did try to make an antreaty."
They were all staring at Jimin but the witch only tremble under Yoongi's stares. It's like the king is waiting for him make a mistake.
He sighed in his head.
"I like my life outside the palace. Besides, I'm pretty sure there are far more deserving individuals than me to be working for the majesties." he replied, "Nothing fancy is on that tea too, really. It's just persimmon, some ginger, peppercorns and cinnamon bark."
Yoongi nods but did not say anything which makes Jimin more nervous than he already was since the king stepped foot inside the house. It's not Jimin is being bias but really, he doesn't feel threatened by the other's except for Yoongi. He had never felt this way before with anyone in his previous life.
"What's this?" Namjoon asks, lifting the hour glass. Jimin eyes widen and stop the advisor from turning the objecy upside down.
"That's a—"
Yoongi tilt his head to look and tried his best to hold back a smirk with his chin at the back of his palm while staring at Jimin's side view. Ever since they arrived infront of the house, there was this surge of familiarity he felt to which only heightened up upon meeting eyes with Jimin. He don't know if the other felt it too but by the way how his facial reaction suggests, he thinks the younger did. It's not like the king is trying to assume things but it seems to him that he may have met Jimin before. Somewhere, apart from the festival of course.
"Where did you learn these things, Jimin-ssi? You're not a previous scholar, are you?"
"A-Ah, no! I'm not. Just a mere performer. Learnt those things from many different people," who had written good books and if it's a real person, that is mainly from Mr. Bang, is what Jimin wants to say but didn't.
"You know, it's not too late to be a scholar and teach these things to the young. It will be a great help to pass down these teachings to them,"
"I'll think about it." he nods.
But of course, Jimin is aware that there are only two things that can happen that is holding him back to take the offer. Sure, he can share his knowledge to anyone if he wants to as he was a bookkeeper in his previous life however it was also the reason why he ended up being in this world — his second life and it will be a shame if the same thing happens to him again. Especially that Yoongi seems to despise witches to which, no matter how he tries to correct it, the king sees him as one and he is well aware what he can do to him if he declines to work with him but that is if he will find that out aside from his son, Jungkook who is still silent at his seat, happily munching on the sweets he made.
Meanwhile, Taehyung can't help but not to ask Jungkook for the reason he went to see Jimin. It's not that he is jealous, no. Alright, maybe yes but only a little part of it as he is mostly curious especially when yet again, Boongi blatantly shows how clingy it can be to another person aside from Yoongi and he is sure the king is also, or might be wondering by now too as it only happened one time before with the witch who he supposedly thought can be his mentor but somehow mysteriously died because of the Phoenix burning him alive.
Wait.
He looks back at Jimin then to Boongi and then to Jungkook. Then he remembered the divination he did before the celebration.
His eyes slowly widening in realisation.
Why of course did he not thought about that possibility? Jungkook is the only of them who is adamant to believe the said which died with all the facts he is pointing out and also, Boongi, who for some reason is attached to the witch even when it was their first meeting that night, and remembering how weird it acted the day they were out in the market to buy things for the festival and when he saw Boongi with Jimin at the night of the festival and how everyone at the palace was sort of hypnotise of his presence during his performance with his bandmates — well, that makes perfect sense!
He just needs to do something that will prove that Jimin was that witch. Discretely of course since Jungkook went here without telling anyone. The prince might probably be trying to protect him too from his father.
Yoongi can be a little on and off at times.
"Jimin-ssi, I have a question if you don't mind me asking," Taehyung asks, making Jimin turn to him.
"Yes?"
"You said awhile ago that you are fond of citrus fruits, right? I just wondered why because not everyone likes it since the taste can be overwhelming to many. Do you perhaps shares the same tastebuds with our king Yoongi or because the color (orange) reminds you of someone or something?"
Without even looking, Taehyung felt Jungkook turned to him and that was already a takeaway. His heart beating fast.
"Oh,"
Oh? Is that it?
That is when they all noticed Boongi is moving and Jimin's attention was all on the blob and none of them matter at that moment for the witch but the blob alone.
Boongi immediately sinks itself in fear when the blob noticed Yoongi's presence in the room. Uh-oh.
"Don't do that," Jimin exclaimed as he softly pats the scared blob's head.
Everyone was shocked of how brave Jimin is to order Yoongi like it is the most normal to do when in fact, he was speaking to the king.
"What?" Yoongi raised him an eyebrow but did not take his order hardly however it doesn't mean he didn't find it amusing, challenging even. And there it was, that familiar surge of goosebumps again running through his body.
"I said, don't do that. You're scaring him."
"And who are you to tell me that? I am the king and Boongi is my own. Who are you tell that he is scared of me?" he smirks as he and Jimin stares at each other, it was so intense that if a fly comes between, the fly will face death in an instant.
The others were just looking at each other and back to Jimin and Yoongi but none wants to disturb them to their silly fight.It was refreshing to see the king being challenge by a commoner. It had never happened before so it was a fun thing to see, well mainly to Jin.
Jimin gulped when the king adjust himself on his seat. Boy, Jimin is fighting so hard not to look down or it will be more disrepectful than what he is doing now by talking directly without any please included to his request to Yoongi knowing that he is the king but goddamn, the king's demeanor somehow changed and Jimin can't help but find it hot! Or maybe it is just him being hopeless romantic in his previous life.
"Well, for starters. ."
There it is again, the slip. Yoongi smirked to himself when it isn't only him confuse to Jimin's wording. Uh-oh, Jimin might have forget about checking on his temper as Yoongi seems to find a way to somehow annoy him, and it annoys him how Yoongi seem not to acknowledge Boongi's actions when he is infact from the king himself.
Well, for starters, Yoongi may have been listening to Jimin's voice, words, and phrases that was coming out of his mouth the whole time unknowingly. His whole focus is on Jimin without even trying and he notice how some of the phrases Jimin uses is mostly words none of them uses and has not been heard before that he is now having an idea in his head who and as to why he seems drawn to Jimin because Jimin is, well, the witch that night. Boongi being clingy to him should have already been a huge takeaway, second being Jungkook going on his own to see him when it was his son too who believes the witch didn't die that night.
". . and even though he is not fully a cat because he is a hybrid, still Boongi hides onto my chest and trying to tuck in all its tentacles to me is sign he is afraid of you because you're scaring him so stop that."
What the hell is a hybrid? And how the hell did he knew all that? It can't be just because he is observing Boongi just now, right? It's not like he and Boongi had been seeing each other behind the king's back without his knowledge because what the hell, Yoongi knows when the blob is scared and yes, he really did try to scare Boongi in his own way because he is quite mad earlier at it for going out of the palace again only to find it at the witch's house with his son who should also be at the study room with Namjoon but no, he caught him killing time with Jimin.
"Hybrid?"
"Yes, a hybrid. It's the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of differenr varieties, species, or genera through sexual reproduction."
Everyone was stund. Not because of how Jimin explained it to Yoongi but how confident he was in doing so. Like it was some common knowledge everyone should have known especially someone like Namjoon whose indeed a prior scholar.
Unfortunately, Jimin, who only cares about Boongi that is still displaying behavior of fear against Yoongi wasn't able to realise that he is now being the typical Jimin he was in his previous life. The one who answers every question being asked to him without a care whether it will result to positive or negative, just like a book giving knowledge to anyone regardless of who it was and where the knowledge will be use because he just want to give answers to any concerns or problem humanity there is and be left unbothered again once the answer had been given. Truly, previous Jimin is smart ass but had no patience. That was why he only had Mr. Bang because he pushes everyone away or maybe because only the butler sees through him in and out of his persona.
"Where did you learn all that?" Namjoon asks, fascinated of Jimin's knowledge.
"Biology," duh?
"Biology?"
"Yes, Biology. The scientific study of life."
Before Namjoon could ask again, the blob rubs it head against Jimin's chest, trying to get his attention because the witch is now seemingly slowly getting impatient by being asks by a lot of questions and not getting what he wants. Yes, impatient indeed.
Yoongi is still staring at Jimin and Boongi too, so yes, Jimin is getting agitated that the king seems not to understand his request of to stop scaring the blob. Poor Boongi!
The king smirks.
Most witches sure do have little patience. Unlike scholars, witches are mostly not to be bothered. They are more focus into areas of life that most mortals thinks is unimportant.
And to Yoongi, it was an advantage. Well, apart from this is the first time he really had fun annoying a witch without him getting annoyed in the process too, he can make Jimin reveal who he really is by just annoying him. Silly tactic but convenient.
He just need to hear that one word from him and Jimin— Jimin is going to be his. Well, not romantically (yet) but still, his.
"And they say witches are not short-tempered but here you are proving us wrong." says Yoongi, leaning more on the chair, just waiting for Jimin to snap.
And he did.
Why do they keep on saying he is a witch? Does he look like a witch? He doesn't even have knowledge of a witch to begin with. It was just one weird time that he was able to do weird things that helped saved Leukos from its downfall.
"I'm a bookkeeper not a witch!"
"H-Hyung!" exclaimed Jungkook in surprise when the witch itself revealed his identity infront of his father.
Well, that snap Jimin up from his dumb self. His eyes widening in realisation.
Shit.
"Now, will you tell me what a bookkeeper does?" Yoongi asks, with a sly smile.