Cheaters ✓

Bad Idea

PRESENT

Taehyung was sitting in his office, looking at one of Yoongi's Instagram posts. In the photo, he was standing on a raised platform by the sea, looking into the camera. And it looked like his dress shirt and hair were blowing in the wind. He must have gone there with his husband, Taehyung thought. The caption read: I wish I was light enough for the wind to carry me away. Taehyung magnified the post, realizing how much he was missing him, when he noticed something odd. He had earpods in his ears but they weren't AirPods. Taehyung frowned. It was possible he was wearing his husband's. Or someone else's. But these were certainly not his. Taehyung had seen his obsession with Apple products. He checked the date of the post: 12-10-2020. He picked up the receiver of the landline from his desk and dialled 109. A few seconds later, a guy named Philip picked up.

'Good morning, sir,' Philip said.

'Good morning, Philip. Any luck with the laptop?'

'I am at it. I'll need one more day, sir.'

'Sure. I'll wait,' Taehyung said and hung up. His thoughts went back to Namjoon and the previous evening when he had entered his house forcibly. He knew it was unlawful to break into someone's home, but he was sure Namjoon wouldn't involve the police because he had much more to lose than Taehyung.

After coming back from Namjoon's place, he had tried to guess his laptop's password but had given up after an hour of trying. He had even googled how to crack a laptop's password. By midnight, he had decided to involve an IT expert. The next morning, the first thing he had done on reaching office was to call his IT cell head, Philip, into his cabin.

'Yes, sir.' Philip was always servile.

'Philip, this is my friend's laptop', Taehyung had said, giving it to him, 'he forgot his password and isn't able to unlock it. Would you be able to help?'

'May I?' Philip had asked, extending his hand.

'Go ahead,' Taehyung had said and watched as Philip opened the screen and pressed a few buttons.

'I think I'll need some time, but I will be able to crack it.'

'No information should be lost. In fact, can you retrieve things which have been deleted?'

Philip, for a second, had looked up at him. Taehyung knew he must have understood that there was something more to the story than a friend's laptop gone kaput.

'
I'll try.'

'I'll make sure you get a 10 per cent increment this year,' Taehyung had said. His entrepreneurial instinct knew when to bait someone and with what for the best results.

'Thanks, sir. I will get back to you very soon,' Philip had said and exited the room with a smile on his face.

Taehyung's phone beeped, bringing him back to the present. It was a message from Jimin: When you do want to test my... culinary skills as promised?

Taehyung couldn't help but smile. He knew the ellipsis was deliberate.

Whenever, he responded.

'Cool, tonight. My place?'

Taehyung realized that if a third person read the message, they would surely misinterpret it as something else.

Okay, he messaged back.

'I'll leave early. Drop in by 9.30 p.m.? 8.30 p.m. works?'

Taehyung didn't want it to be a late night.

'Sure, sir!'

Later that evening, when Taehyung reached Jimin's place, hé thought it would be just a casual dinner; the only difference being that Jimin was cooking the food herself. But the moment he stepped into his house, he realized something was different. It seemed like a much more formal affair. A glance at Jimin confirmed his doubts. His hair was nicely done up. He looked like perfect marriage material.