Too Much Confidence

Control

The plan went into effect the next day. There wasn't any organized effort, but they tried their best to disregard Jin. If he said anything, they would pretend like they hadn't heard him. If he kept going, they were free to say whatever they wanted.

"Guys," Jin said.

Jungkook played with his phone.

"I'm talking," Jin said.

"Keep talking," Taehyung said. "Literally nobody cares."

"What do you mean?"

Taehyung sighed loudly. Jungkook stiffened up. He knew what was coming.

"Literally nobody cares about what you have to say. Maybe start having some self-awareness for once. You're always-"

"Shut up." Jin's face was red. "You don't know shit about me."

Taehyung rolled his eyes.

Jungkook exchanged a look with him. He could tell that Jin was starting to get annoyed and the feeling gave him a sense of power that he'd never felt before. He felt like he had finally stopped being a people-pleaser and had started acting like the person he was supposed to be.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Jin asked.

"No?" Jungkook smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Why are you acting like this towards me?"

"Because you deserve it."

Jin's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Quit acting like you don't know," Taehyung snapped. Jungkook prayed in his head that he calmed down. Everyone was angry, but yelling was going to ruin everyone's fun. It was supposed to go smoothly.

"I don't know," Jin said. His eyes had a look of genuine confusion in them. "I don't know what I did to you guys."

Jungkook groaned internally. What he would have to hear next was a long monologue about how Jin was always being victimized and mistreated. Great job Taehyung. Way to rile him up.

"You're so self-centered, it's so stupid."

"I'm not! I think about everybody all the time!"

"Yes, if it concerns you, then you think about everybody. Other than that, it's always about how amazing-"

"Okay, I get it. You guys need to stop," Jungkook said.

"Thank you," Jin said.

He looked like he was about to say more, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Taehyung's face was beet red. Jungkook knew that it hurt for him to keep his mouth shut. Taehyung had never been good at keeping his mouth shut. His emotions were always bursting at the seams, threatening to spill out. He wore his heart on his sleeve.

Jungkook admit privately, this was kind of fun. He loved feeling like he had power over somebody.

-------

"Okay, how is it going for everyone?" Namjoon asked.

He spoke in quiet whispers, as they all piled into the car to get back to the dorms. Jin was sitting in the front seat. He looked back at them. Yoongi could make out the left-out look on his face. Instead of feeling bad though, all Yoongi could feel was relief. It was working. Jin was getting a taste of his own medicine.

Loser.

"It's going great," Jimin said. He smiled. He looked tired. He looked happy.

They were all so fucking happy.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on? The whole day I've been treated like absolute shit and it's starting to get annoying now. Tell me what's going on," Jin said.

Jungkook noticed the manager smile into the mirror. Poor guy thought there was just some prank going on. Hobeum was just too gullible to understand the reality of the world. He thought that Jin was just being funny during all his bragging moments. Jungkook hated it sometimes. Did nobody else understand?

But at least they had each other. Thank the heavens for that.

"You guys are so awful," Jin said.

"Just like you," Yoongi said.

Jin frowned. He turned so he could glance out the window, and he was quiet for the rest of the day.

-------

"You sound terrible," Jimin said.

Jin frowned. He was doing that more and more these days. He was starting to struggle again, the others noticed with glee. They were doing well. He almost never opened his mouth to brag anymore. Sometimes, he would get a look on his face that indicated he would start soon, but it would fade away. He was done for.

"Retry the song," Yoongi said.

Jin nodded. He wordlessly grabbed his paper again. He was so tired. Was he doing something wrong? He didn't know why the others were being so horrible with him. He needed to go talk to someone about this. The staff members were always there to listen to him.

"Hyung, do better this time," Jungkook said.

Jin nodded again. He opened his mouth. Again, he sang the same song that he'd been rehearsing for the past few hours. The lyrics were burned into his head. The same annoying vowels. He couldn't keep singing.

His voice cracked. He stopped. His face was red. He heard Yoongi and Jungkook sigh. Or maybe it was someone else. He couldn't tell anymore.

"You're terrible at this," he heard one of them say.

Jin nodded. He cleared his throat. The starting lyrics were highlighted in neon orange.

Again.

--------

Jin was getting tired probably, Jungkook figured. Because he had been flawless the last couple times, but now he was starting to mess up. He could see the exhaustion in his face.

It was nice to see that. Maybe he was feeling the same kind of feeling that he always gave them. He smiled at him. Jin's brows only knitted together to form that unhappy expression.

-------

"You know what I'm going to say," Jimin said when Jin was out of earshot again. "This is starting to get a little boring. Let's crank it up another step."

Taehyung nodded.

"So, is my plan of pushing him and injuring him approved after all?" Yoongi asked.

"It always was," Namjoon said. "Again, just don't make anything too obvious."

"Right-"

"Well, if you do make it obvious, make it so nobody else can find out about it," Namjoon continued.

"Yeah."

Jungkook nodded. Now the real fun was going to begin.

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