Temptation [ Min Yoongi | ENG ]

S E V E N T Y

With Yoongi's return, things seemed to find their places naturally. We did not become friends again, but we managed to stay in the presence of each other in a group and the atmosphere between everyone improved. We were alone while smoking and his gaze followed me less. I still wouldn't talk to him if it wasn't necessary, but he didn't try so hard anymore and when we spoke, there was no longer any need for sarcasm or irony.

We had been apart for a year.

I smoked a cigarette with Bram outside the bar during one of his breaks and upon entering I sat in my corner at the back table. Yoongi was at the end of the table, talking to Dirk and Timo. In front of me Grietje and Julian were talking intimately. I took my phone out of my pocket to distract myself while sipping the beer in front of me.

"Roos," Dirk's voice caught my ears. "What are you going to do on the 23rd?"

"Hm?" I mumbled while thinking. "I don't know? Isn't it two weeks from now?"

"Yes, we are going to Amsterdam." He said with a proud smile on his face.

"And what are we going to do in Amsterdam?" I asked, curious.

"The group that Yoongi produced is going to do a mini tour of Europe next month and they are going to do a showcase of his mixtape here in Amsterdam, before, on the 23rd!" He exclaimed. Sometimes I wondered if Dirk was aware of the things he did and said.

"Ah!" I moved my gaze from him to Yoongi who was looking at the table, as if it was very interesting.

"It will be so cool to hear the songs live! And see you on stage! It will certainly be different from seeing you DJing." Timo spoke up, just as excited as Dirk.

"Yes, I think so." Yoongi replied as I returned my gaze to my phone. "I haven't done anything like that for almost 10 years... We're going to have some rehearsals, but that's it."

>>>><<<<

I was sitting on one of the platform benches waiting for everyone to arrive. I was playing with my transport card when Tulip sat next to me.

"God! I think it's been years since we all went to Amsterdam by train!" She exclaimed as she hugged me.

"Hm..." I mumbled in response as I put the card inside my phone's case and put it in my pockets.

"Is Bram going to work tonight?"

"No, he managed to change his hours... he must be arriving soon." I looked back over my shoulder at the direction he'd come from.

"Will the train be full?" She asked, looking at the sign in front of us. Everyone should arrive in the next few minutes for us to catch the 19:40 Intercity.

"Friday night bound for Amsterdam Centraal? Probably." I answered her. "Where's Timo?"

"He's at Albert Heijn getting something for us to eat. Dirk and Lotte are also there."

Grietje and Julian appeared shortly thereafter, not long before Dirk, Timo and Lotte. Bram appeared a few minutes later. At 19:38 Maud and Evi came running, out of breath, but in enough time not to miss the train.

We were lucky and the train that came was two stories, so we went up the stairs and found enough seats for everyone. We arrived in Amsterdam and went on foot through the city to the place where the showcase would be.

"Where's it going to be?" Maud asked after about ten minutes of walking.

"At the Waterhole, in the Leidseplein area." Dirk replied without looking back.

"We could have taken a tram, huh?" She replied,

"It's still early and walking is good, Maudje." He turned to her, "Come on, this way is cooler."

"This is colder!" She exclaimed good-naturedly.

"What about Yoongi?" Grietje asked.

"He's already there. He came earlier to see the stage and the like..." Dirk explained.

The place was a typical Dutch bar, but with a pub feel. The ceiling was relatively low and the decor was dark and welcoming. There were pool tables, high and low tables, a huge balcony full of stools and a relatively small stage. I wondered how Yoongi and the others would fit there.

Yoongi came through one of the doors and came towards us. at some tables at the back of the room.

"Are you going to see the show from here?" He asked, clearly anxious,

"No, can we stay in front of the stage?" Dirk asked.

"Yes... there are no tables in the front. I think when the performance starts, people will stand there." He pointed out.

"So we'll go there at that time." Julian pointed out.

"Are you all right?" Grietje asked with genuine interest.

"Yes!" Yoongi replied forcefully, "I will bring the others for you to meet before we begin." He announced and disappeared through the door he had come from. A few minutes later he returned with a group of boys. Boys. Were those boys the owners of the voices we heard on the mixtape?

"These are Bangtan Sonyeondan. BTS." He said in English casually, "This is RM, the leader." The boy with the broad face and dimples approached and greeted us with a small bow. "Those are Jin, J-hope, Jungkook, V and Jimin." They all waved and bowed slightly as well. I looked among them for the girl who would have the same name as the one who changed my life just over a year ago.

"Is Jimin also a man's name?" I heard the other language coming from beside me, it's owner clearly confused too.

"Yes!" A boy about Yoongi's height raised his hands. "I'm Jimin. The name goes for both genders." He smiled a sweet smile with his full lips and his eyes turned into two straight lines, squeezed by his cheeks, his dark hair was down and looked like a comb over his ears, his hip-hop clothes didn't hide that he was as sweet as his smile.

"We are going to prepare. We will start around ten." Yoongi announced and they all disappeared again.

Just before the time Yoongi informed everyone, we started to get up and go to the front of the stage. The place was a little crowded, but we still managed to move around with a little ease. I never really thought of the Koreans in our country as a community, but it clearly exists and a lot of girls had come here, probably to see the BTS boys, their early career idols.

Bram went to the bar's counter and came back with two glasses of beer in his hands. I accepted one of them and we stood side by side, looking at the stage a few meters in front of us.

A barman went up to the space dedicated to the presentations and started turning on some devices. It didn't take long and all the boys and Yoongi were also there. They were testing microphones and quietly moving some instruments and furniture to make room to move freely.

Some time later the ambient music started to drop gradually, until the only audible sound was the conversations of those present. It only lasted a few moments, but I felt enormous anticipation. I didn't know what to expect.

Yoongi's voice filled the room. His low tone and calm speech announced his name and what he was doing there. He introduced the boys to his side, said they would be performing on their own in a few days in another location and then proceeded to announce the first song. They would present them all, in the order of the mixtape.