It was finally d-day.
The day Taehyung had been dreading because he had failed to find someone to come along. He woke up early in the morning to with his mom happy birthday and help with all the party prep, while Seokjin had already left the house to pick Jisoo up. He was so busy with helping out, that he hadn't realised an hour had passed, and Jisoo had finally arrived with Seokjin.
Ding dong.
"Taehyung-ah! Go open the door for your brother!" Taehyung's mom yelled from the kitchen.
Taehyung dragged himself to the door and turned the lock twice, opening the door to see Jisoo and Seokjin outside.
Jisoo was smiling from ear to ear, hugging a huge wrapped up present in her arms. She waved happily at Taehyung. "Annyeong, Taehyung-ah."
Taehyung forced a smile. "Annyeong."
They stood there for three whole seconds, awkwardly smiling at each other.
"Oh, come in." Taehyung held the door wide open, so that Seokjin and Jisoo could step in.
"Thanks, Tae," Seokjin patted Taehyung on the shoulder.
He looked tense, somehow. Even more tense than he looked when he left house earlier in the morning.
"Omo, is Jisoo here already?" Mrs Kim stepped out of the kitchen into the living room with a huge smile, walking excitedly towards Jisoo. "Omo! You're so pretty!"
"Annyeonghaseyo. Thank you, auntie." Jisoo smiled sweetly as she took a bow. "Happy birthday! Here is the present Seokjin and I chose together."
"Oh-?" Mrs Kim smiled in delight. "You really didn't have to... Please put it down here, on the coffee table." She motioned to the nearby coffee table. "Do you want a drink? You must be thirsty, the weather is so hot outside."
Jisoo smiled as she put down the gift on the table. "It's alright, auntie. You must be tired doing all the preparations for the party."
"Not at all, sweetie." Mrs Kim took Jisoo's hands in hers and led her to the sofa to take a seat.
Seokjin and Taehyung followed, Seokjin taking a seat next to Jisoo and Taehyung taking a seat next to his mom. The party hadn't even started, and he was already feeling as awkward as awkward could get.
At that moment, his dad walked down from the staircase in their house. "Oh! You're here!" He grinned at Jisoo.
Mr Kim was a tall man, probably where Taehyung and Seokjin got their genes from. Except, he was chubby, but that made him even more approachable. Seokjin and Taehyung adored their dad.
Jisoo got up and bowed. "Annyeonghaseyo, uncle."
Mr Kim motioned for her to sit and took a seat as well, in between his wife and Taehyung. With even more people in the room, Taehyung felt even more left out. Should he take the chance to leave the room and go spy on Jimin and Yoojung?
"So... how long have you two been together?" Mrs Kim asked, still holding Jisoo's hands in hers.
Jisoo smiled, flashing a smile at Seokjin. "It's been almost two months now."
"Are you happy?" Mr Kim asked. "Is Seokjin nice to you?"
The smile vanished from Jisoo's face momentarily, but Taehyung noticed it all. He remembered the talk he had with Seokjin in his room that night.
But Jisoo smiled again, so his parents didn't seem to notice. "He's a great guy. I am lucky to have him."
She had successfully avoided answering the question, without Mr and Mrs Kim answering.
"I heard from my boys that you're excellent in your studies, is that true?" Mr Kim chuckled.
Taehyung scratched his head. When did he even say that?
"Well..." Jisoo laughed. That kind of question was kind of hard to answer. Her eyes landed on the present that was on the table. "Oh-! Auntie, why don't you open the present? I'm sure you'll really like it."
Mrs Kim smiled. "Really? I really have to open it then."
Jisoo reached over to grab the box and handed it over excitedly to Mrs Kim. Mrs Kim shook the box, listening for what could be inside. But there was no sound.
"What could it be? A towel? Clothes?" Mrs Kim asked excitedly.
Jisoo giggled. "Just open it and you'll know."
"Alright, alright..." Mrs Kim lifted up the lid of the box. "Oh! It's a..." Mrs Kim let out a chuckle. "Oh... it's a muffler!"
She pulled out the muffler and Taehyung scrutinised the muffler carefully. The design, the colours, the patterns - everything looked so familiar.
Taehyung's eyes fell on Seokjin, whose eyes were open so wide, as if it was the first time he saw the muffler. Taehyung frowned. Didn't they buy the present together?
Jisoo's smile faded as she watched Mrs Kim stare at the muffler with an awkward smile on her face. "Why? Do you not like the present?"
"No, not at all..." Mrs Kim shook her head and smiled. "It's just..."
"It's just...? Is the design not to your liking?"
Taehyung knew it at once. No wonder the muffler looked so familiar. That muffler-
"It's just that I have the exact same muffler," Mrs Kim laughed. "I got it as a birthday present from Byulyi exactly a year ago."
~
"Oh..." Jisoo tried to maintain her smile but her voice was evidently quivering. "Byulyi? I see."
"You know Byulyi, don't you?" Mr Kim chuckled slightly. "She and our Seokjin are best friends since the first week of school." He turned to Mrs Kim. "I quite like her, that girl."
Seokjin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, letting out a cough, but his parents didn't seem to notice at all.
Mrs Kim nodded in agreement. "She's really polite and kind-hearted! Oh, and she's got great sense too." Mrs Kim turned to her husband, hitting him excitedly. "Remember what she said about my kimchi last year? A work of art, she said. A work of art!" Mrs Kim laughed happily.
Taehyung noticed that Jisoo wasn't looking too good, so he coughed even louder, on behalf of Seokjin. But their parents went on.
Mr Kim laughed as well, seeing his wife so happy. "I remember, I remember! You talked about that for weeks. Her dad jokes are so funny, too! Even better than Seokjin-ie's, if you ask me. Do you remember that joke - how does a cow laugh?"
Mrs Kim was laughing hysterically. "I know, I know!"
"MOOHAHAHAHAHA!" The two of them said simultaneously and melted into a fit of laughter. It took them a whole minutes to calm themselves down.
"We're so sorry," Mrs Kim turned back to Jisoo, drying her tears. "It's just that we haven't seen Byulyi for a long time and we kind of miss her. You guys are in the same class... Are you two close?"
Jisoo swallowed hard. Even though Taehyung wasn't very fond of her, he kind of felt bad for her at this point.
"Of course they're close!" Taehyung couldn't stand the awkwardness any longer, and answered on behalf of Jisoo. "They both get along with Seokjin-ie, how can they not be close!"
"Really!" Mr and Mrs Kim were ecstatic. "You get along well with our Byulyi?"
Our Byulyi.
Taehyung winced. Neither his brother nor his brother's girlfriend were looking good at all, at this point.
But Jisoo managed to nod slowly. "We are."
Mr Kim chortled. "That's great. You know what a good girl Byulyi is? The first time I saw her with Seokjin, I thought she was his girlfriend and I was like... so happy! You know... I even imagined them getting married... And her being my daughter-in-law..."
"Dad, that's enough." Seokjin said softly, his eyes turning red.
"Sorry, auntie and uncle," Jisoo stood up and Taehyung could see the tears welled up in her eyes. "I need to go to the toilet for a bit. Please excuse me."
"Oh, is that so?" Mrs Kim stood up as well, steering her towards the staircase. "Just go up the staircase, turn right and enter the first room on your left."
"T-thank you." Jisoo couldn't make any more eye contact with anyone. She walked up the stairs immediately.
Mrs Kim returned to her seat, her eyes open wide. "Daebak! Honey, you too? The whole time, I was eyeing Byulyi as my daughter-in-law as well!"
"Mom..." Taehyung cautioned, as he saw Seokjin's hand clenched tight into fists.
"Why, Taehyung?" Mrs Kim laughed. "Are you jealous that we haven't eyed anyone for you yet? Yoojung comes off as a bit strong, but I think she's not bad too! Other than her... you haven't really brought anyone else home so I can't tell..."
"Talk about Jisoo, mom. About Jisoo." Taehyung said, watching Seokjin's facial expression turning from bad to worse.
"Yeah, about Jisoo, honey." Mr Kim laughed, patting his wife on the shoulder. "Jisoo's great. Our Seokjin has such good fortune with girls, first Byulyi, now Ji-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Seokjin yelled, slamming his fist down on the glass coffee table.
His parents gasped, shook to the core. Taehyung was expecting this outburst any time soon, so he barely jumped.
Seokjin swallowed hard, trying to control himself. "I've had enough. The whole afternoon you were talking about... that girl and not Jisoo. What the hell is wrong with you two?!"
"That girl?" Mr Kim frowned. "Byulyi?"
Seokjin nodded furiously.
"Why can't you say her name?" Mrs Kim furrowed her eyebrows. "Come to think of it, you used to talk so much about her and now you don't even utter a word about her when the topic comes up. Did something really happen between the two of you?"
"I don't know," Seokjin stood up abruptly, walking towards the staircase. "I'm going up to check on Jisoo."
When he was out of sight, Mr and Mrs Kim automatically turned to Taehyung, who was surprised. "Me? Why are you looking at me! You should hear it from him, shouldn't you?"
"He's your brother, you should know something," Mr Kim instigated.
"And if he refuses to say anything, you should be the one telling us," Mrs Kim added.
Taehyung sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you."
"So spill it, son," Mr Kim continued.
"Everything you know," Mrs Kim finished.
"It's really a long story. But long story short, Seokjin and Byulyi are no longer friends."
~
Seokjin blanked out.
Everything had happened in a flash. There wasn't even enough time for him to register what had happened.
It was just a week ago that he and Jisoo had gone shopping for his mom's present. At that time, his head was so messed up with what Jisoo told him about Byulyi he hadn't even noticed that she had gotten the same muffler as Byulyi. Come to think of it, he was the one who chose both mufflers. Except that with Jisoo's, it was his sub-conscious mind that chose it.
He trodded up the stairs, feeling more confused than ever. He didn't even know why he was so upset earlier. Was he upset about the fact that his parents were talking about Byulyi so openly in front of Jisoo? Was he mad that they had forced her into the verge of tears?
Or...
Seokjin didn't even want to consider the possibility that he was upset over Byulyi. She was the one who ended their friendship. If he was upset, it meant that he had lost.
But... lost what? His dignity? His pride?
But... what if it was true. What if... he was actually upset over the fact that he no longer could talk about Byulyi without feeling like bawling his eyes out? Well, he couldn't even say her name aloud without recollecting all the happy moments they had together. What if... he was just mad at himself for not protecting that precious friendship he and Byulyi shared?
Seokjin felt horrible even thinking of that mere possibility.
Seokjin reached the top of the staircase and looked down. His parents and brother were staring up at him, in silence. They turned away when they spotted Seokjin turning his head.
Kim Seokjin, wake up your idea. You're Kim Jisoo's boyfriend. Moon Byulyi is nothing to you. She's not your girlfriend. She's not even your... friend. Now, go to Jisoo. She needs you.
Seokjin knocked on the toilet door. "Jisoo, are you alright?"
He heard sniffling sounds coming from inside the toilet, that came to a stop almost instantly. "I'm fine, Jin," out came a muffled voice.
She was crying, because of me.
"Do you want to open the door?" Seokjin said gently. "Let me see you for a while."
Silence.
Then click. The door was unlocked.
"I'm coming in," Seokjin entered the toilet.
Jisoo was sitting on the floor, melted into a puddle of tears. Seokjin's facial expression softened.
"Sorry, I'm such a mess." Jisoo sobbed.
She's like this because of me.
Seokjin crouched down, taking a seat opposite Jisoo. "No, silly. Don't say that."
"I'm just upset," Jisoo choked. "It's really not your fault. I'm just upset with myself that I'll never be as good as Byulyi. I don't care that I am top in class, I just want you, Kim Seokjin. I just want you."
Yes, it was his fault. He had made this girl so obsessed with him, he was ruining her.
"But..." She sighed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It seems like no matter how hard I try, I will never be the best in anyone's eyes. Your parents still like... her more than me. Your brother obviously is on... her side. And you-" Jisoo looked up into Seokjin's tear-filled eyes. "And you... don't even like me at all. I'm... worthless."
"Shh," Seokjin wiped her tears away with his thumbs, cupping her face with his hands. "Don't say that, Jisoo. I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"I'll never ever be better than..." Jisoo swallowed hard - the next few words were hard for her to say.
Sometimes, realising that you messed someone up really makes you do crazy things. Because at that moment, Seokjin was not thinking straight. All he wanted to do was to show Jisoo he actually cared, even slightly, for her. That she wasn't... worthless.
"Moon Byu-" Jisoo couldn't finish her sentence.
Because at that very moment Jisoo had opened her mouth to speak, Seokjin had pressed his lips against hers.