Double mind (Yoonmin/Taekook)

8. Behind the curtain

"Now you need a proof." Yoongi came back to my workplace placing the box with black paint on my small set table.

"How?"

"Set them up for a blind date and see how they'll act. It will be hilarious." He winked when my stomach made an unwanted flip.

"Great idea." I jumped up following him to glance at his painting to find a strange black shape on the endless white of the canvas. "What is that?" I asked.

"A stone." Yoongi grinned proudly.

"So you've painted yourself?" I asked when he just sent me that Mona Lisa smile.

"Why are we here?" V sat down at the table in that nice restaurant a fifteen minutes walk away from the campus.

"It's my Name's-day." I lied reading through the menu still a bit absent-minded from nervousness.

This afternoon I have sneaked in on the orchestra practice, fortunately one of the cello players has had a few hook ups with me, she has considered enjoyable, so she had let me in though the back door. I spent the practice hour at the theatre's balcony watching her playing switching my attention to Jin from time to time. He was a loud guy, making people look at him awkwardly when he was telling bad jokes during breaks, his hair style must have remembered the 90' while his face was becoming tomato red when he was blowing into that French horn, but he seemed to be an honest and kind man with an inborn positivity.

Maybe that was the thing V enjoyed about him, I wondered. Definitely not someone like Yoongi complicated, bitter, sarcastic with that freaking half smile, so handsome it hurt. Wait was I thinking about my roommate again. Earth to Jimin.

So after the practice I went to Jin, told him a touching story about me celebrating my birthday all alone as my best friends have abandoned me. The good guy he was, he agreed to come to 'La Musica Decadentia' this evening to keep me company. I was feeling a bit guilty for lying to him. What if he will bring a present. Of course I have told an even more touching story to V, so he was here now playing with his necklace again instead of checking the menu.

"What is this necklace? I haven't seen it before?" I caught a shape of a heart and a painter's brush hanging from it.

V only became more nervous.

"Waiter! Waiter! We need to order!" He started to shout though the room.

Great, maybe not everyone would like to admit he's meeting Jin from orchestra, but hey, he was V, so in his case even dating Jin was understandable.

"Yes sirs." A waiter came hurrying to our table.

"Hi, sorry for being late. This is for you."

I froze watching Jin coming in carrying an extra huge teddybear with a pink ribbon around its neck.

V glanced at me questioningly.

"Oh hi Jin. Meet my best friend V, it turned out he was able to come... but... I'm happy you're here."

The waiter and V were looking at me as if I have lost it, while Jin's face became as red as when he was playing the French horn.

"So... yes... we can order." I put on my best smile.

"I need to go." V jumped up.

"Where?" I was stunned.

Was he so turned on he wouldn't stand sitting with Jin at the same table?

"V! Wait!" I shouted but he just faced me with his back hurrying out of the restaurant.

"I'm so sorry I need to catch him. Sorry, really." I was feeling like a bad guy when I bowed to Jin muttering apologies that meant nothing.

Was it my curiosity, definitely not my freaking friendship, as a good friend would simply wait until V decides to tell me. Unfortunately my nature was stronger once again so I just left Jin with that mess and teddybear running outside just to see V getting into a taxi. I almost have been overrun by the next cab when I simply jumped out on the road, the driver tooted but I just jumped inside.

"Are you insane!" He shouted.

"I'll pay extra just follow that cab."

The man gave me that are you kidding me look but slammed the gas pressing me onto the window.

He was listening to loud hip hop music while speeding through the city and rapping to it. The purple hair of his composed to the amount of jewelry he was wearing, at least three rings on each finger.

"Nice style." I muttered finally able to fasten the seatbelt.

"Thanks. I'm J-Hope here's my self produced mixtape, you can give it a try." He pressed a demo into my hand.

"Thanks." I muttered. "My roommate is also a rapper, he gives performances in Mixtape 1 club."
Was I really speaking about Yoongi again?

"Cool." The man made a bubble gum balloon that burst in his mouth.

I really hoped we'll survive his crazy driving, that Jin will survive my stupidity. I really needed to apologize to him properly tomorrow.

The cab V was in finally lowered speed stopping in front of a huge opera house. What was he doing here? Going to see a performance?

"Thanks a lot." I took my wallet out observing V walking up the huge stairs.

"That makes fifty bucks." The man burst another bubble gum bubble.

"Fifty!"

"Double ride plus CD." He showed me all teeth in a smile.

"Great." I threw him the money swearing in my mind.

Was V even worth it, I wondered a few minutes later when I was hurrying up the stars holding that useless CD in my sweaty palms.

The foyer was crowded but I saw V disappearing on some stairs leading to a basement floor. I followed, taking my steps cautiously, keeping a distance until I saw him disappearing behind long red curtains.

I slipped closer hiding in that huge fabric finding a crack I could gaze through.

There was a long marble hall of a bathroom all empty, not counting V who was washed his hands in his usual melancholic tempo.

Rushed footsteps made me dive even deeper into the curtain when someone pushed it open so the fabric bounced back and forth, fortunately the shadow of the corridor was still keeping me hidden. My heart was hammering loudly when I was standing there waiting until the curtains stopped moving. Then I risked to approach that crack.

Thank you so much for your support. How did you like the chapter? What do you think about Jimin's plan to find out who V is secretly meeting? What will he discover?

Much <3