The Hoax

2

Yoongi idly brought a glass to his lips, tasting the overly sweet concoction as it coated his tongue. His nose scrunched as he swallowed.

"What the hell is this?" He asked the two boys standing across from him.

"It's my signature drink," Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, a smirk playing at his mouth. "Pineapple juice, red wine, brandy, orange juice, some brown sugar, and fruit! Do you not like it?"

Yoongi set the glass down gently, offering a sympathetic grimace to his host. "It's just a lot of flavors, that's all."

Hoseok picked up Yoongi's discarded drink, now holding a glass in each hand. "More for me! I feel like I need to loosen up a bit before Namjoon gets here."

Taehyung smiled knowingly. "Are you finally going to talk to him tonight?"

A quick nod confirmed that was the case. "Yup. And I asked Yoongi to be my wingman."

"I told you already, Hoseok. You do not want me being your wingman. I'll just make things more awkward for you," the elder tried to explain for the umpteenth time. "I don't get why you need help in the first place. You can talk to anyone."

"Yeah," Hoseok agreed, "but Namjoon isn't just anyone. He's so successful and has a lot of things going for him. Did you know he's one of the top architects in the area? He even designed that new skyscraper downtown!"

Yoongi let Hoseok drone on about the marvelous Kim Namjoon for a while longer, eyes scanning the crowded room. There were a lot of people he didn't know here, but that didn't surprise him. Taehyung was a social butterfly, easily making friends with everyone he met.

The lights were dim, causing Yoongi to squint as he searched for the one face he hoped wouldn't be here. If Jimin showed up, he wasn't quite sure what he'd do.

Run and hide, most likely.

Yoongi knew there'd be a risk of running into his ex at this party; Taehyung and Jimin were close friends after all. But a small thrill went through him at the thought of potentially seeing his ex again. Maybe Jimin would see him and regret the break up. Maybe they could talk things out.

Sure, three months of Yoongi reaching out to Jimin went by unanswered. But people acted differently at parties. Jimin very well could have a change of heart.

Yoongi brought his attention back to Hoseok and Taehyung, who were now deep in conversation about their own day jobs.

Taehyung was a curator at an art gallery specializing in Van Gogh's pieces. The twenty four year old advanced quickly through the ranks, his unique perspective charming the gallery's diverse clientele. Hoseok, on the other hand, worked as a marketing specialist for an international tech company. His creative ideas helped launch campaigns in foreign markets and his ads were always running on TV.

The two boys made Yoongi feel rather unaccomplished. He was a human resources representative for an insurance firm, a job that lacked personal fulfillment for him. He'd spend his nights playing around on his piano, dreaming of doing something more with his life. But that's all it was for now - playing and dreaming.

"Hey!" Taehyung called out, drawing Yoongi from his thoughts. "Namjoon just got here."

Hoseok downed the remnants of one of his drinks. "Alright, I'm ready. Yoongi?"

He shook his head. "Tae, can you help me out here?"

The younger graciously smiled, his entire face lighting up. "It is my party, so I guess it makes sense for me to introduce you, Hoseok."

And with that, the two boys were off. Yoongi turned to watch the encounter, leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest. He tried not to laugh at Hoseok's eager expression while being introduced to his crush,p but failed.

Yoongi's eyes were still lit up in amusement when he saw him. His heart dropped and he pressed himself further against the wall, trying to become one with the concrete. Forget his earlier thoughts of rekindling his old romance . . . seeing Park Jimin in person after three months apart hurt.

Jimin looked the same as ever, a happy grin plastered on his face. Multiple people rushed up to greet him, hugs and handshakes thrown at the boy from every direction. There were no signs of sadness coloring his features. He looked completely and utterly normal. He was whole.

Yoongi was not.

His chest hurt. His head hurt. The blood in his veins hurt.

He had to get out of here.

But of course, at that moment, fate decided to toy with his emotions. Jimin looked his way, eyes dancing over Yoongi in passing before they sharpened in recognition. The boy's mouth parted and his hand came up in a half wave.

This was okay. Yoongi could do this. He could wave back and leave it at that.

After a moment's hesitation, Yoongi waved back at Jimin. He hoped he didn't look as flustered as he felt.

"Time for me to go," Yoongi said under his breath. He kicked up off the wall and took a step forward, fully preparing to leave. But what he wasn't prepared for was Jimin walking his way.

His breathing hitched as he saw Jimin pushing through the crowd, the younger's gaze locked on him. The blaring music faded into the background as the moments until they were reunited slowly slipped away.

He couldn't do this. There was no chance he'd remain composed. Jimin would take one look at him and see the mess that was currently Min Yoongi.

Yoongi didn't want to be that sad, pitiful ex-boyfriend who didn't know how to pull himself together and move on.

Yes, that was exactly what he was, but it didn't matter in this moment.

His eyes scanned wildly around his immediate surroundings, trying to find a way out. There were no easy exits, however. He was cornered.

Still, he had to try to flee. He took just one step forward before stumbling into a taller boy dressed all in black. Black cargo pants, oversized black long sleeve shirt, and ridiculously bulky black boots. The guy's face was obscured by shiny black hair as he fought to remain balanced.

Yoongi acted without thinking. He grabbed the guy's wrist and pulled him closer.

"Whoa there!" The boy in black looked down at Yoongi, eyebrows scrunched together. "Whoever you think I am, it's not me, man."

Yoongi barely registered the boy's words, too preoccupied with studying every inch of his face. He was really handsome.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," Yoongi stated softly, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He knew Jimin would approach any second now and he was running out of time. "Pretend to be my boyfriend and I'll pay you fifty bucks."

"That's not what I was expecting," the guy responded, shaking his wrist to dislodge Yoongi's grip. "If that's your attempt at a pick up line, I'm afraid it's not working."

"Come on, please," Yoongi begged, his heart racing in his chest. "If you -"

"Hey. Yoongi?"

All color drained from Yoongi's face and not even the bronzer Hoseok applied earlier could help. He turned to face the boy he still loved.

"Jimin."