October 2019
As the night goes on and the guests become increasingly rowdy, Jimin has to distance himself from the weird foursome he's found himself in. Another second of seeing Kaito getting flirty and handsy with Aya and he'll quite possibly explode.
So he decides to make his way over to the dessert section of the buffet, admiring the spooky little cakes and the meticulously decorated treats. A bigger cake at the edge of the buffet looks to be surrounded by five younger boys dressed up with cheap superhero masks. Something about them seems familiar to him.
"The cake good?", he asks in a friendly tone after moving up towards them.
All five of them seem to momentarily panic as one of them hides the two stacks of cake pieces he's piled up on plates behind another one's back. Jimin just gazes around at them expectantly, waiting for someone to answer.
"Yes, very good", one of them speaks up shyly.
Jimin nods kindly, wanting to try a piece for himself before they eat the whole thing up. Until something clicks in his mind. That voice is so familiar, but he can't put a finger on it...
His eyes widen as he realizes, "Soobin?"
The masked figure doesn't respond, frozen in place with the cake knife in hand. The other four are also acting like deer caught in headlights. Jimin cautiously places his fingers at the edge of his ironman mask, slowly pulling it up to reveal who's behind it.
"Hi, Jimin-ssi", Soobin blinks at him.
"What are you doing here? Wait...", he turns to the other four and they take their masks off with lowered heads, revealing all of the TXT members, "You're all here?!"
"We heard there was a really cool party", Hueningkai speaks up.
"And lots of good food", Beomgyu adds, bringing the stacks of cake he's holding back into view.
"But you're too young to be here. There's alcohol and... Other adult things going on", Jimin worries for the boys he's always considered babies.
"Actually... I'm of age", Yeonjun interjects.
He has a point, but Jimin still wants to shelter them. Pushing the thought that Aya is in fact younger than Yeonjun from his mind, he shakes his head.
"If I let you take this whole cake, will you guys behave and go back to your dorms?", Jimin looks at them hopefully and to his surprise they all nod adamantly. They're probably just glad he won't tell management about this.
So picking up the entire cake with the platter, he hands it to them and rushes them out the entrance.
"Don't be learning how to sneak out from us, okay? We're not good role-models", he calls after them as they start hurrying down the corridor. They wave happily at the elder, excited about the cake they get to consume all by themselves.
Going back into the party, he hovers back over to the dessert buffet after getting another drink. Everything has become quite boring to him since he left Aya and Kaito alone. He's not even interested in picking up someone else for the night, although he keeps getting sultry stares from both guy and girl idols throughout the party.
"Where did the big cake go?", another voice catches him off guard.
He turns to see Irene looking at the space on the table where the silver platter once lay. She then heightens her gaze to catch Jimin's eye, who merely shrugs at her question.
"What are you doing here, Irene?", he asks with a sigh.
"I was invited", she answers bluntly.
"That's a stretch. Why would Taehyung's girlfriend invite you?", he studies her demeanor.
"Okay, well she didn't invite me. Consider me a plus one of anyone else at this party", she smirks.
"And why did you come?", he drills her further.
"Jesus, Jimin. To have fun. That's why I came. What else do you want to hear?", she quickly becomes irritated, "That I've come to win back Taehyung's heart? Well, that's not the case so don't get your panties in a twist."
"He doesn't like seeing you here", he speaks calmly, but her expression falls a little at that.
"I get that we didn't end things very well, but it's been so long. Why does that matter anymore?", she crosses her arms over her chest.
"Either way...", he sighs again, "Don't start anything tonight. He's already tipsy and I don't want you causing a scene."
With that he leaves her standing at the dessert table. He's never liked her much since Taehyung and her first started dating. It wasn't for long, but it sure was messy and he doesn't want anything to come between him and Moonhae. So for now, it's another drink at the bar he's chasing.
Feeling his lips kissing sloppily down her neck makes her moan lightly. They're warm against her skin as the autumn's cool wind sends shivers down her barely clothed body. His hands are all over her, running up inside her tight dress and under the thin fabric of her shorts. Her breath comes out shallow and if she had her eyes open, she'd be able to see the condensation in the chilled air.
"Taehyung-ahh", she moans when his hand slips down the front of her shorts, playing with her for a bit.
He has Moon pushed up against the far wall of the terrace, where it's so dark no one would see them. They can easily see the party from here through the floor to ceiling windows, lit up from the inside in blue, but in turn the guests wouldn't be able to spot them.
"We could do it right here, you know?", he murmurs against her with a smirk.
"But we're not going to", she tells him, sliding his hand out of her pants.
"We aren't?", he straightens up so he's gazing back down at her, kissing her lightly between words.
"I have a house full of guests. What kind of hostess would I be if I snuck away to have sex at my own party?", she speaks sensually.
"An accommodating one?", he can't help laugh against her lips.
"Oh you little...", she playfully pretends to whack him.
"I love you", he sings sweetly.
She's about to say it back when something catches her eye from over his shoulder, "Oh shit."
"What?", he turns his head to find what she's staring at.
Among many groups of people, the girl with the little leaf dress stands out. Right by her side, prodding her cheerfully and speaking joyfully, is Kaito. Hinata stands by them, engaging in conversation, but Jimin is nowhere to be spotted.
"Well this sucks", she sighs against Taehyung.
"I thought you weren't too keen on Jimin with Aya anyway", he wrinkles his forehead.
"No, it's not that... I just want Jimin to be considerate if he really wants to be with her and fucking chill", she explains, "She's very young and I don't want her to be hurt."
"... But now she has Kaito?", he questions the pair that seem to be flirting.
"Honestly: They're always like that. I know they dated a little while ago, but both of them agreed they're better just as friends, so I think that's where they're at right now? I have no clue", she exhales in frustration, "Jimin must've gotten annoyed and left."
"Let's hope he's not drinking alone somewhere", Taehyung makes a half-joke.
"I should go talk to them", she suddenly decides.
"You're going to leave me here?", his arms tighten around her waist and he pouts, "All alone?"
"I'll be right back", with the roll of her eyes, she gives him a quick peck before freeing herself from his grasp.
Entering the dim lounge again, the air feels heavy and stuffy due to the many bodies moving around and dancing. It's a huge difference to the cold night's air outside and it takes her a moment to get used to it. Then walking over to her group of friends, she greets them happily.
"Hey, Kaito", she pulls him into an embrace, "Long time no see."
"We were just talking about when you snuck us off set to get drinks that one time!", he laughs excitedly.
"Yeah, maybe don't mention that to other people. None of you were twenty yet at the time", she grimaces.
"I was though", Hinata pouts with a drink in her hand.
"And you were worried about Jimin giving me a drink?", Aya giggles, "You're funny, Moonie."
"It's not that-", she cuts herself off with a sigh.
"Where did Jimin go by the way?", Kaito looks around innocently.
"Oh, I don't know", Aya's eyes look just as innocent.
"I don't think he likes me very much", Kaito then fixes his gaze on his feet, "He didn't seem very happy when I joined you guys..."
"That's just Jimin being Jimin. He's usually very sweet", Moonhae waves him off, "Aya, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure", she pipes, letting herself be pulled away from her other friends and into a more private corner of the lounge. "What's up?"
"What's going on between you and Kaito?", she cuts right to the chase.
"Nothing", Aya blinks in surprise.
"You were dating though and now you're still super close", she disputes.
"He's one of my best friends, you know that", she laughs nervously, "Dating just didn't work out for us."
"What about Jimin?", Moon tries to focus her hazy mind.
"What about him?", she seems even more confused.
"Weren't you guys hitting it off?"
"Why are you so bent on getting me close to Jimin?", the girl now crosses her arms.
"I already told you: I think you would get along really well", she reiterates, "That's why I had you text him. Do you not like him?"
"No, it's just...", she pauses, "He kind of scares me."
"Scares you?", Moonhae nearly chokes on air.
"Yeah, he's older and very intimidating", she admits shyly, "Do you see how everyone looks at him around here? He's literally the k-pop god or something..."
Moon tries everything in her power to not burst out laughing. Jimin is playing himself up to be such a man in front of Aya that it even scares her. When in fact, he can be just as much of a baby as this girl is.
"Well... He has a certain duality", she attempts to explain, "I think you should just get to know him."
"Alright", she sighs to herself, racking up some courage.
Taehyung was left behind on the terrace, so he decided to stay and enjoy the view for a while in his tipsy state of mind. Even though the air around him starts to chill him, he doesn't mind and just wraps his cloak tighter around himself. The sound of the glass door sliding open is what catches his attention. Expecting to see Moonhae come back to join him, he's surprised to find someone unexpected show up.
"Hey, Taehyung", Irene steps out onto the terrace.
"Hello, Irene", he speaks cooly, eyeing her as she moves towards the railing next to him.
"Nice party, isn't it?", she makes idle conversation while gazing out at the stars in the sky, "You should tell Moon she did a really great job."
It feels weird to have his ex talk about his current girlfriend. A situation he never thought he'd find himself in.
"What do you want Irene?", he sighs, his drunkenness taking away his smooth talking skills.
"Really? We can't even have a conversation like normal people? I have to want something?", she asks a little disappointed, "I thought we were adults about this."
"I'm trying to be. I just don't know what you want from me", he huffs.
"Taehyung, you were never an adult about anything", she retorts, thinking back to their time together.
"Aaaand back to the reason why we broke up", he gives a grim smile, highly annoyed over still hearing the same thing over and over.
"Ok, Jimin was right. I shouldn't have even tried talking to you", she exhales dramatically, turning on her heel, "Why don't you give me a call when you grow up?"
She's almost at the door when he calls for her, "Irene, wait!"
Swinging around again, she eyes him expectantly.
"Look... I'm sorry", he concedes, "It's just hard for me to understand. Do you... Is what you want for us to be friends?"
"Yes, Taehyung, that's what I want", she smiles at it finally clicking in his mind, "Exes can do that, you know?"
"Okay...", he wavers a little, he's always felt small in their relationship, "Friends?"
"Friends", she nods happily, winking before she turns to get back to the party.
In that same moment, Moonhae and Namjoon come rushing by past her and onto the terrance with ecstatic expressions painting their faces.
"Who was that?", Moonhae asks breathlessly, yet very distracted by what Namjoon is holding.
"Irene", he answers honestly, seeing no point in lying.
"Oh", she merely pops, her brow furrowing for just a second before she's focused on her friend again.
"What are you doing?", Taehyung then questions Namjoon who sits down across from Moon on the stone surface of the terrace.
"We ran into a friend of our's from high school", she explains, her tone excited again.
"And he uh... Was very kind to uh...", Namjoon trails off as he seems to be fiddling with some kind of packet in front of him.
"He gave us pot", she quickly pipes with an eager smile.
"He what?", Taehyung's in disbelief as he steps over to see Namjoon struggling to roll up, "You're not actually going to smoke now, are you?"
"Gimme that", Moonhae snatches the half-rolled joint from him and fixes it easily in no time, "Of course we're going to smoke now. What other opportunity is there?"
"But you're not supposed to drink and smoke weed at the same time...", he speaks in small.
"Ah, it's fine", she waves him off, "We used to do it all the time. Wanna join us?"
"No! Moonhae, I don't think you should be...", he pauses, turning to the more sane of the two, "Hyung, I thought you hate smoking. Why are you...?"
"It's fine, Tae. This is just like taking a trip down memory lane, that's all", he assures him as he helps light the joint Moon is holding between her lips.
"B-but...", he somehow wants to prevent this whole situation from happening, but knows he can't when they take their first hits. "I thought you wanted to be a good host, Moonhae?"
"What are you implying, Tae?", she looks highly annoyed at that comment, "If you don't want to see me smoke then just leave."
Neither of them notice the offense written across his face as they just start laughing to each other like it's the funniest thing in the world.
"Fine, I will", he snaps, dashing towards the glass door and slamming it behind him.
"Oh shit. He mad", Moonhae starts laughing hysterically again after taking another hit, the overjoyed Namjoon joining in with her.