"I'm jealous of the nights that I don't spend with you. I'm wondering who you lay next to. Oh, I'm jealous of the nights... It's hard for me to say, I'm jealous of the way you're happy without me."
~Labrinth, 'Jealous'
~~~
*Jimin's POV*
Not going to lie. I was really hesitant to accept Jin's invitation to the dinner.
For one, I wasn't looking forward to seeing Jungkook. When Hoseok broke up with Tae and Jungkook invited him to live with us, I packed my bags. I had only been back from Jin's place for two days before I was heading out the door again. I drove straight to Hoseok's place with my bags. He didn't ask any questions; he didn't need to. He could tell just by looking at me that Taehyung moved in with Jungkook, which lead to me moving out. The two of us were a sorry sight to see for a while. We both moped around the house, depressed over our breakups. But since we were both nursing a broken heart, it was easy to lean on each other for support. Eventually, we started helping each other get better.
Ever since I left, I hadn't spoken to Jungkook. He clearly didn't feel remorse for hooking up with Taehyung behind Hoseok's back. If that's who he was now, I didn't want to be involved with him. He was so close to Hoseok for years, and yet he didn't bat an eye before stabbing him in the back. How long would it be before he did the same to me? I wasn't sticking around to find out.
But, for Jin's sake, I was going to be civil when I saw Jungkook tonight.
Secondly, Yoongi was going to be there. Yes, I still loved him and would give anything to be with him again, but I was scared. What if he didn't want to see me yet? I knew we were destined to be together again, but what if it was too soon?
Even with my fears, Yoongi was also a big reason for why I agreed to go. It's been five months, and I needed to see him. To hear his voice. To watch him smile and laugh. My last memory of him was him walking out of my apartment as I sat crying on the floor. I needed a new memory; a brighter one.
"Hoseok, are you ready to go?" I called out.
"I guess," Hoseok grumbled as he walked into our living room. "Hey, let's make a pact."
"What kind of pact?" I chuckled.
"Since we helped each other over these past several months, we also need to help each other get through tonight." I nodded in agreement. "If one of us notices the other one getting too uncomfortable, we need to do something to get that person out of the room."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
Hoseok thought for a moment. "We could call each other. That way, the person receiving the call could pretend like it's an important business call and step out of the room for a few minutes to calm down. Just keep your phone down low so the others don't notice you're the one dialing."
I smiled at Hoseok's plan. It actually wasn't a bad idea. "Okay. Deal."
When we arrived at the house, everyone was there except for Yoongi. Jungkook and Taehyung were already seated at the table. They looked up at us as we walked in. Taehyung's face burned bright red when he saw Hoseok, and I caught the way Jungkook's jaw clenched at that.
Curiosity rose in my mind, but I shook it off. I wasn't here to be nosy or start drama.
"Jimin! Hoseok! I'm glad you could make it," Namjoon greeted us with a smile. "Jin is almost finished with dinner. Make yourselves comfortable while you wait. I'll be helping Jin in the kitchen if you need anything."
Comfortable? Ha, easier said than done.
There was no way in hell anyone was comfortable with this situation. Hoseok was stiff next to me, with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets and his eyes glued to the floor. Nudging him with my elbow, I looked at him with concern. He gave me a small nod, letting me know that he was okay.
We walked over to the table where Jungkook and Taehyung were, and awkwardly took our seats.
"Jimin," Jungkook acknowledged me. "It's nice to see you."
Hoseok snorted, bringing on a glare from Jungkook.
"What's so funny?" Jungkook demanded.
Hoseok looked at him coolly. "I just find it funny how you said it was nice to see him, not us."
Jungkook's glare deepened. "It's not like we left things on a very positive note."
"I'll say," Hoseok laughed dryly. "Last time I saw you, I was hearing about how you shoved your dick up my boyfriend's—"
"Hoseok!" Taehyung gasped. Hoseok's mouth snapped shut when he heard Taeyhung speak up. Turning his attention to Tae, Hoseok's fist tightened in his lap.
"Taehyung," Hoseok said in a much calmer tone. "I'm glad to see you're doing well." Taehyung looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap.
"Now who's trying to be funny?" Jungkook grumbled.
Hoseok's eyes darted to Jungkook's, and I could practically feel the heated anger behind his stare.
"Just because we broke up doesn't mean I don't care about him anymore," Hoseok snapped. "Our relationship ended, but that doesn't mean my love for him did."
Three things happened the second Hoseok confessed he was still in love with Tae: my jaw dropped, Jungkook's fists tightened, and Taehyung's eyes went wide.
I started to reach for my phone in my pocket, but Hoseok subtly put his hand over mine. The look he gave me told me he didn't need saving. He had this.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Jungkook hissed.
"What do you mean?" Hoseok asked innocently, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Oh, I'm sorry. Does it bother you that I'm confessing how I feel to the man you're dating? How inconsiderate of me. As your friend, I should've considered how that would make you feel."
If this were any other situation, Hoseok's pettiness would've had me rolling on the floor. But right now, in this moment, the tension was so thick that I was practically choking on it. Jungkook looked like he was ready to leap across the table and strangle Hoseok at any moment, and Taehyung had gone completely pale.
"How's it going in here?" Namjoon popped his head into the dining room. "Does anyone want a drink?"
"Please!" I overeagerly exclaimed. "I think we could all use something to drink." I glared at the two wildebeests who were currently staring each other down. "Taehyung, do you want to help Namjoon get the drinks?"
Relief flooded Tae's face. "Yes! Er, I mean... Namjoon, I would love to help you."
Namjoon slowly nodded, trying to read the vibe of the room. Taehyung slipped out of his seat, following Namjoon to the kitchen.
"Okay, you two better listen up," I whispered with a hiss. "We all agreed to be pleasant tonight for Namjoon and Jin. This wedding isn't about any of us, so stop acting like children." I turned my head to Hoseok. "Hobi, stop being an asshole. And you," I glared at Jungkook, "you look like you're ready to murder someone. Control yourself or Namjoon will beat you for upsetting Jin."
Hoseok's eyes softened. "You're right, Jimin. This is about Joon and Jin, not us. I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Sorry," Jungkook mumbled, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.
The three of us sat in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say. To my surprise, Jungkook was the first to speak up.
"I really am sorry, hyung," Jungkook whispered. Hoseok's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You were my friend, my brother, and you trusted me. And I broke that trust."
"If you considered us to be brothers, then why did you do it?" Hoseok asked softly, not meeting Jungkook's gaze.
"I loved him," Jungkook choked out. "I loved him for so long, and seeing you with him killed me."
"Why didn't you just talk to me?"
Guilt flooded Jungkook's face. "I allowed jealousy to cloud my judgement. I put my feelings before our family. I know this doesn't change anything, but I really am sorry for what I did to you."
"You're right." Hoseok locked eyes with Jungkook. "It doesn't change anything." Jungkook slightly slumped in his seat. "But... it's a start. Thank you."
Jungkook's eyes widened, and he smiled at Hoseok. Hoseok briefly smiled back at Jungkook. The smile was brief, but it was a start. Progress.
I was proud of both of them for agreeing to act civil, but I was especially impressed with Jungkook. He admitted that what he did was wrong, and even apologized to Hoseok for it. Maybe he had matured since I moved out.
Namjoon re-entered the dining room with Taehyung in tow. "Alright, I have white wine for all of you. I wanted to let you pick your own drinks, but Jin insisted a white wine would pair better with tonight's meal."
As they placed our glasses on the table, Taehyung glanced nervously between the three of us. I gave him a small reassuring smile, and he began to pick up on the more relaxed vibe in the room. He released the tension in his shoulders with a breath of relief, and took his place at the table.
"Jin just finished up dinner, so I'm going to help him bring everything out and then we can eat," Namjoon informed us.
"What about Yoongi?" Hoseok asked. My ears perked up at the mention of his name. In the midst of all the commotion, I had completely forgotten we were still waiting for him. My hands immediately became clammy, and my stomach tightened in a pit of nerves.
"He texted and said he would be late," Namjoon answered before heading back to the kitchen to help Jin.
Anxiety began to rise in my chest. At any moment, Yoongi was going to walk through the front door, and I would see him for the first time since we broke up. I didn't even realize I had started to slightly hyperventilate until I felt Hoseok place his hand over mine.
"Breathe," Hoseok whispered. "Slowly. In and out."
I slowed my breathing with Hoseok's gentle coaching, and felt myself begin to calm down.
Jin finally made an appearance as he brought the food into the dining room. "It's nice to see you all together!" Jin smiled brightly. We all returned his smile, even if they were mostly forced. Namjoon placed some of the food on the table, then retreated to grab the rest.
Once all the food was spread out in the table, Namjoon and Jin took their seats, sitting at the head of the table. It was only when everyone was in their seats did I notice there were still two empty seats, rather than one.
"Jin?" I knitted my brows together. "I think you accidentally set an extra place. There's seven of us, not eight."
Jin nervously looked at Namjoon. Namjoon patted his hand, and turned to me. Right as Joon opened his mouth to answer my question, the doorbell rang.
"I'll be right back," Namjoon said, getting up from his seat. Jin latched on to his sleeve, giving a look I didn't quite understand. Joon leaned down and whispered something in Jin's ear, and Jin slightly relaxed.
What was going on?
I didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, because Namjoon opened the door to reveal the man I loved with my entire being.
Yoongi.
He stepped inside, greeting Namjoon with a hug. He looked absolutely gorgeous.
Yoongi's hair was now a dark blonde, which suited his beautiful honey skin tone extremely well. He looked healthy, which made me happy. I was glad he was taking good care of himself.
The moment Yoongi's eyes found mine, my heart began to thud violently in my chest. So many different emotions passed through his eyes in that single moment, some I recognized and some I didn't. I recognized the flash of love, even if it was brief. Sadness. Fear. Longing. I had seen those emotions in his eyes before.
But there was one that I couldn't quite understand. It was the emotion that lingered the longest as he gazed at me. It was almost as if he felt.... sorry? Did he feel sorry for me? Or to me? It was almost like...
Guilt.
I had been so caught up looking at Yoongi, that I didn't even notice someone came with him.
A man stood beside him, one that I hadn't seen before. He was taller than Yoongi, and he seemed like he might be even taller than Joon. His hair was black and neatly swept away from his face.
He was handsome, that's for sure. But why was he here with Yoongi? Was he maybe a new BigHit artist, and Yoongi wanted to introduce him to us?
The two stepped into the dining room, and Yoongi finally looked around at everyone else. "Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late."
His deep voice sent a chill up my spine. It had been so long since I last heard him speak. Yeah, I had been listening to his music on repeat and replaying old BTS interviews of him, but nothing beat hearing him speak in person.
The rest of the table called out friendly greetings to him. The mysterious man awkwardly cleared his throat. Yoongi shuffled his feet, not looking my way.
"I would like you guys to meet Choi Kyong," Yoongi gestured to the man next to him. "My boyfriend."
~~~
An I OOP—
Alexa, play 'Sorry Not Sorry' by Demi Lovato
This is how I imagine Kyong (the actor I'm using is Gong Yoo). You don't have to picture him like this, but this is how I see him when I'm writing:
Votevotevotevote
Catch me in the next chapter, beaches! 💃🏼
-Gumbie