The Arrangement

3

Taehyung was roaming the halls of Big Hit, killing time until he had to oversee the final audition. He avoided the crowded rooms full of aspiring hopefuls and stuck to the quiet, abandoned parts of the building. It was one of those rare times he found himself completely alone and he wanted to savor the feeling. He knew after today, after he chose a mentee, there would be limited free time.

He was about to take another lap of the floor when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. Pulling it out, he scrunched his eyebrows when he saw who texted and what was being asked of him. Taehyung shoved the phone in his pocket and made his way down two levels to where the training rooms were. Before walking among the masses, he pulled a face mask on and concealed his brightly colored hair with a beanie. It'd have to do.

With his head down, Taehyung hurried to a small rehearsal room at the end of the hall. Upon finding it locked, he rapped on the door incessantly until it opened. He was pulled inside quickly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Taehyung asked, locking the door behind him.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Taehyungie?"

"Don't use my name here, Seokjin," he answered, looking at the taller boy.

"Fine, I won't call you by your name as long as you call me by Jin," the elder responded, running a hand over his fine hair. 

Taehyung slipped the mask off of his face. "Whatever. What are you doing here?"

Jin put his hands on his hips, looking down at the younger. "Is that any way to speak to your brother?"

"You're not my brother, Jin."

"Come on, we're basically brothers. My mother treats you like a son of her own, worrying over you all the time. She collects every single magazine you're in," Jin informed him.

Taehyung groaned. "Please don't tell me she saw the last one. You know, the one about the - "

"The threesome. Yeah, she saw that," Jin confirmed. "But don't worry, she's all for it. You should hear how she praises you for being so brave for exploring your sexuality. So if it's any consolation, you have her complete approval."

"It's a false story," Taehyung groaned to the elder. 

"Whatever you say, V," Jin responded, cocking his head to the side. "Anyway, I'm here to ask for a favor."

The younger rolled his eyes. "Go home, Jin."

Jin approached the boy, towering over him slightly. "May I kindly remind you who took you in when you had nowhere to go. Who fed you and gave you clothes and shelter."

"Yeah," Taehyung said. "Your parents."

"I've been your family for the last six years, Tae. You are like my brother," Jin appealed to him, staring down with intense eyes. "All I want is one thing."

Something clicked in Taehyung's head. "Oh my god. No. I am not picking you as my mentee."

Jin grimaced. "Like I'd ever want to be your mentee. I feel bad for the poor soul who gets stuck with you."

"Gee, thanks," Taehyung retorted sarcastically. "Your confidence in me is inspiring."

"I want you to get me into the top ten audition. Nothing more than that," the elder said firmly. 

Taehyung stared at his friend, confused. "I don't follow, Jin. You don't even sing or dance. What does the top ten - " He paused as it hit him. "Wait, are you kidding me? You can't be serious! If you wanted to see Namjoon, you could have stopped by like a normal person. I would have introduced you to him."

Jin smiled as the younger finally understood. "Ah, yes. But I don't want him to just meet me. I want him to fall for me."

"And you think bad singing and dancing will do the trick?" Taehyung asked, shaking his head at the elder's logic. 

"Just get me to the final round, Tae. That's all I'm asking. If you can't do it for me, then do it for my family."

Taehyung looked at the elder, already knowing his decision. Jin's parents - along with Jin himself - had done everything for him. When he had nothing - no money, no family, no support - they took Taehyung in and treated him as their own. Through the goodness of their hearts, they accepted him into their family and asked for nothing in return. He owed them all he had. 

They had saved his life.

Jin must have seen the softening in Taehyung's face, because he smiled widely and pulled the younger into a hug. "There's my Taehyungie, the most thoughtful, kind, loving boy around."

"Now you're pushing it," Taehyung mumbled into Jin's shoulder. 

The older boy released him and started for the door. "I'll leave you to do what you need to do. Oh, I forgot to mention. Mother wants you to come by for dinner this Sunday. You haven't come by in weeks and she's worried about you all alone in that penthouse of yours."

Taehyung pulled his mask back into place and checked his appearance in the rehearsal room's mirrors. No defining features were visible. "This Sunday? I don't know if I can make it, Jin."

"I don't care what V has going on then. But Taehyung is required to be at a family event." With that, Jin unlocked the door and left, leaving the younger alone once more.

Taehyung sat on the floor in the middle of the room, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Sometimes he couldn't remember who he was, who Taehyung was. He'd worn this mask - had taken on the persona of V - for so long. He stopped being his true self six years ago and feared if he continued on this path, he'd lose the boy he used to be for good. 

Not even Jin or his family knew the real him. They knew he was broken, but they gave him his space to heal. They never pushed him to open up, though they made sure he knew he could trust them. Taehyung respected them very much for that, but he was too cowardly to let them in. Once they saw the shell of a person he was now, they'd turn away and abandon him.

Just like everyone else had before them.

Taehyung shook his head to stop the downward spiral of his thoughts. As much as he hated the idea of this mentorship program, he wanted to be clear minded for the final audition. He didn't need his sad and depressing thoughts affecting his decision.

He pulled out his phone and sent a few quick texts to the people involved with the singing and dancing auditions. Responses were received within minutes, all agreeing to his request and offering no push back.

Well, almost no push back.

The main choreographer, Jung Hoseok, sent back a snarky reply.

You owe me big time.

Great.