April Fools | A BTS Fanfic

THIRTY FOUR

TAEHYUNG'S POV

It's been four days since I left Y/N at the restaurant on her birthday. The guilt is eating me alive. I haven't replied to her messages, and I've ignored her calls. But deep down, I know it's for the best. It's easier this way.

I'm lying in bed when the thought crosses my mind—I need to update ARMY about the prank. The one from April 1st. I can't drag it on anymore. The time has come to end it. I'll do it now. I can stop it at any moment, right?

After tossing and turning in bed, I finally make up my mind. I post the update, then I'll head downstairs to eat. As I walk past RM hyung's door, I hear voices—people talking over each other. It's hard to make sense of anything with all the noise. Maybe the producer hyungs are in there, I think. But I shrug it off and continue toward the kitchen.

I sit down to enjoy the food Jin hyung cooked, but before I can even take my second bite, something happens that throws me completely off guard. I'm suddenly yanked up by the collar of my shirt, my feet barely touching the ground.

"You piece of shit. I knew something was off when you wanted to extend the prank!" Yoongi hyung's voice is cold and furious, the anger radiating from him in waves.

I don't even have a chance to react. "What are you talking about? Let me go, hyung!" RM hyung and Jin hyung are trying to pry Yoongi hyung's hands off me while Hobi hyung, Jimin, and Jungkook watch, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"We already know, Taehyung. You don't have to lie." Jin hyung's words hit like a slap across the face, his gaze unwavering.

"What lie? Can someone just tell me what the hell is going on? I have no idea what you're talking about!" My heart's racing, adrenaline pumping through me.

"No, Taehyung. You tell us what's going on!" Jin hyung's voice is rising, sharp with frustration. The tension in the room is suffocating.

"I told you! I don't know! Why is everyone suddenly flipping out on me?" My own frustration starts bubbling to the surface.

RM hyung sighs heavily, finally stepping in. He places his hands on my shoulders, guiding me back to my chair. He gestures for the others to sit, but Yoongi hyung still looks like he could kill me.

"Tae, we saw Reese's IG post. That's you, right?"

I freeze, confusion clouding my mind. "What post? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jimin rolls his eyes, pulls out his phone, and shoves it into my face. I grab his phone, already feeling my stomach drop.

The photo. That photo. The one that has my heart racing in panic.

My insides twist, the dread taking over me. I need an excuse. I need to lie my way out of this. Fast.

"This isn't me. It's obviously  the staff she's with. Why would you think it's me?" I shove the phone back into Jimin's hands, but the look on RM hyung's face is familiar now—he's upset.

"I told you, Taehyung. Stop lying," RM hyung says, running his hands through his hair in frustration, like he's trying to keep himself from losing control.

"But it really wasn't me! How can you be so sure it's me? You can't even see my face in the damn photo!"

"The ring on your finger in that photo was my gift to you for your birthday," Hoseok hyung adds, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

Before I can argue, Jimin speaks up again, his words cutting like a knife. "The shoes you're wearing. We bought them at the same time... I have those too, remember?

I can't breathe. I can't run from the truth anymore. I'm cornered.

"I—fine! It was me, okay? Reese and I got back together." The words spill out of my mouth before I can stop them, and as soon as I say them, it's like the air in the room has been sucked out.

"Got back together? How could you? Didn't we tell you to never go back to her? What about Y/N?" Yoongi hyung crosses his arms, staring me down. His words feel like a slap to my face.

I freeze, the weight of it hitting me all at once. Everyone's eyes are on me, waiting for an answer. Jimin's gaze is particularly hard to meet.

"I thought I could get over her... but I couldn't. She explained why she cheated on me. I should've listened to her before!" The words rush out of me before I can stop them. My voice cracks as I recall Reese's explanation. She had been blackmailed into ending things with me. That staff likes him so much that he threatened to ruin our comeback and sabotage our album sales if she didn't do it. She was forced to choose. And she did it for me. She did it for my dreams. She did it because she loved me.

The room goes silent for a moment, the intensity building. Then Jungkook speaks, his voice seething with anger. "As much as I hate to say it, hyung... but man, are you stupid or what?!"

The others look at me like he's speaking the truth, and I feel my blood start to boil. Before I can defend myself, Jimin's voice cuts through the air, sharp and unforgiving.

"You didn't answer Yoongi hyung's question. What about Y/N? Aren't you two actually together?"

I freeze. My heart skips a beat. How did Jimin know? I thought we'd kept it secret. Y/N and I had agreed not to tell anyone, at least not yet.

I roll my eyes, trying to keep my composure, but it feels like I'm crumbling inside. "Is that what she told you? I can't believe you're so quick to trust someone we barely even know. Yeah, I liked her, but not enough to love her and make her my girlfriend."

I barely get the words out before Jimin stands up and punches me in the face. The shockwave of the punch rattles through my skull, and the room erupts into chaos. Everyone jumps to their feet, trying to stop Jimin from hitting me again.

"I had to bury my feelings for her because I thought you really liked her! But I was wrong. You've only proved what Hoseok hyung and I thought you'd do!" Jimin's voice is ragged, full of fury. He's panting, still trying to break free of Jin hyung's grip. The others watch, their faces hard, their disappointment cutting deeper than any words.

"We knew you'd use her just to make Reese jealous, to get her back for real! You were against this whole prank from the start, so we knew you wouldn't take Y/N seriously. But we thought you changed your mind when you and Y/N started dating. We thought you actually liked her. But I guess we were wrong. You're just a douche, just like your ex-girlfriend!" Hoseok hyung's words hit me like a hammer, and he storms out of the kitchen. The others follow him, leaving Jimin standing there, staring me down like he wants to destroy me.

I stand there, blood trickling down from the side of my mouth where Jimin hit me, completely frozen. I feel small, cornered. The words from my hyungs echo in my mind, each one a punch in the gut.

"Tell me when my best friend is back to normal. I thought you were better than this, Tae." Jimin's voice is cold and final. With that, he storms off, leaving me standing alone at the dining table, feeling more empty than ever.

I can't find the words. I can't make sense of what I've done, or even where to go from here. And in that silence, everything I've done hits me full force. What have I done?