He fumbles with his fingers before glancing up, gnawing on his bottom lip. “… I-Is it any good?” he asks warily.

                  Seokjin returns Jimin’s phone to him. “It’s very good,” he says, smiling. “I’m quite surprised, you seem to have a talent for choreography.”

                  He blinks and stares at the floor. He’s still a bit jittery after approaching him with a recording of his dance. “Th-Thank you, sunbae.”

                  “You could have performed it for the team today,” the elder says, leaning against the wall. The other team members have since finished with dance practice and have gone home. Jimin ended up being stuck with the team leader again. “Everyone else presented their pieces during the meeting… Why didn’t you?”

                  “O-Oh, um…” Jimin scratches his cheek. “I-I’m shy.”

                  Seokjin lets out an ‘ah’. “Of course. I should be aware of your character. But Jimin, being in the dance team means you will have to perform in front of an audience sometime during the school year.”

                  “I-I know,” he replies, constantly flipping over his phone. “I’ll have to… get used to the idea.”

                  “I’ll tell you what.” Seokjin stands up straight. He starts turning the ring on his finger. “If you aren’t too excited about teaching the actors this choreography, I will be happy to learn it and teach it in your stead.”

                  Jimin’s eyes widen as he blinks at the elder boy. He was preparing himself to show up in front of a bunch of people and stammer his way through the dance steps, but it might be a better idea to sit this one out. “… R-Really?”

                  “Of course.” He smiles again. “You will be credited for your hard work, don’t worry about that. I’ll just make sure they get the steps down.”

                  He nods after a little hesitation. What Seokjin mentioned earlier about having limited dance experiences echoes in his head. It’ll be okay, Jimin convinces himself. “Alright. I’m… I’m sorry you have to do this. I-I wish I had a little more confidence.”

                  “It’s not a problem,” the guy replies. “It’s the very least I can do… though you should come by rehearsals sometime. The drama department is working exceptionally well, and since you are a member of production, I’d like you to see everything coming together before the first show.”

                  “Y-Yeah, sure!” Jimin nods again. “I’ll drop by tomorrow. I h-haven’t seen who’s playing who yet.”

                  He chuckles. “Trust me, they are very capable.” They both look up when the studio door swings open, letting in a scruffy senior with a beanie and camera affixed around his neck. “… Hello, Min Yoongi,” Seokjin greets coolly. “Finished your yearbook duties, I presume?”

                  Yoongi walks up to Jimin and kisses his forehead in greeting. “Hey, you.” He doesn’t even acknowledge Seokjin’s presence.

                  “What are you—?” Jimin’s cheeks burst into shades of scarlet as he tries to back away. He glances between him and Seokjin in complete mortification. “H-Hyung—!”

                  “Relax,” Yoongi sighs while grabbing his hand. “He knows about us.”

                  “H-He does?” Jimin looks at Seokjin and the latter confirms with a vague nod. He’s not sure what to think about their relationship going past Taehyung’s knowledge, but it’s probably okay if his partner seems lenient about it. He tries to convince himself again.

                  “There’s nothing to worry about,” his team leader pipes in. “I dare not tell a soul.”

                  Yoongi lets out a scoff before glaring him down. “What were you doing with Jimin? Where’s the rest of your team?”

                  “They’ve already gone home,” Seokjin replies without pause. “I was just telling Jimin about tomorrow’s musical rehearsals.”

                  Jimin nods to agree, but Yoongi doesn’t seem interested in what either of them has to say. “Come on.” He pulls Jimin out of the dance studio without another word, and continues to walk even when they get outside. They’re faced with gentle breezes; it’s almost spring.

                  He stares at the other boy as they stride down the sidewalk together. Yoongi seems a little moody, the way he’s gazing off into the distance with no words escaping his lips. He decides to tread carefully. “… Where… Where are we going?” They’re still holding hands.

                  “Taehyung told me to walk you home,” he says, gently interlocking their fingers. “He said he had something to do after school, so he sent me on this ‘life-changing mission to save the princess and deliver her back to the castle’.”

                  Jimin blinks for a moment, wondering why he couldn’t recognize his way home until now. He only walks in this direction nearly every day. He lets out a soft laugh. “I-I can get home by myself.”

                  “Your best friend asked me to, so I’m going to.” A brief period of silence passes before Yoongi turns to look at him. “… Was he really talking to you about the musical?”

                  “S-Seokjin?” he stammers, “yeah, he was… Why?”

                  “Nothing, it’s just…” His hand is squeezed a little tighter. “I wouldn’t trust him with anything. I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but honest to ing god, he pisses me off and I’d hate for you to get involved with him.”

                  “But why?” Jimin persists, abruptly stopping in place. “You’ve never told me why you hate him so much. I-I don’t like Seokjin either, but I’m getting used to him. You guys sound like y-you’ve known each other for a while, so why do you hate him?”

                  Yoongi is stunned for a moment, perhaps at the idea of confrontation. Then he releases a sigh. “He… He made me do something against my will. Okay? I didn’t want to do it, but he made me and it basically ruined my life. I’m alright now since I have you, but… he’s been trying to reconcile and I just can’t trust him anymore. He’s a prick.”

                  Jimin stares, processing his words. The image of the younger, middle-school Seokjin flashes in his mind. Finally, he breathes, “there’s always time for forgiveness.”

                  Yoongi stares back. His mouth opens as if he wants to retaliate, to shoot back with something to keep the fire going. Instead he reaches over to swipe at Jimin’s bangs, yet again.

                  “I hold grudges,” he says simply, though it’s some of the heaviest words ever uttered from the lips of Min Yoongi.

--

                  Most of his schoolmates tend not to wander out of their respective cliques or social groups, but Jimin finds out that a big event like the musical tends to bring together students from all departments.

                  He shuffles into the cafeteria after school the next day and almost runs into a kid with big cymbals in either hand. The drama kids have taken up the stage going through the acts, while several artisans sit behind them painting the set. Over them is a student crew working on the lights. There’s just a bunch of people running all over the place, getting things done.

                  Above all else, Jimin is most surprised to see Namjoon seated in a dark corner, face huddled into a notebook; he doesn’t recall the musical needing any robots. “Joon,” he calls, slinking into the seat beside him. “What are you doing here?”

                  Namjoon looks up with a flinch and hastily closes his book. “Uh. Hi, Jimin!” he greets while pushing up his glasses. “Nothing much, I’m just observing.”

                  Jimin gives him a look. “It looked like you were drawing something, though.”

                  The guy lets out an embarrassed laugh and opens his notebook again. “I, um, I’m observing just him, actually.” He slides it over to let him see.

                  He scrutinizes the drawing for a second and makes out a fully-detailed bust portrait of Jungkook the freshman. “… Wow,” Jimin gasps. “You can draw.”

                  “Robotics isn’t just technical numbers,” Namjoon answers, fumbling with his pen. “It—It’s an art! So some of my electives are in the arts… Of course, I’m studying him for the robotics nationals. He’s an… interesting subject.”

                  Jimin stares blankly at him. “So… Jungkook is your muse?”

                  Namjoon weakly punches him across the shoulder. “If you say it like that, it’s borderline homoual. But yeah, I guess.”

                  He laughs, but his laughter is cut when he frowns towards the stage. “W-Wait. Jungkook’s in the musical?”

                  “He’s not just ‘in the musical,” the other boy says, pointing to the freshman posed near a fake tree. “He’s playing Horatio.”

                  “Whoa, a main character.” Jimin nods. “He’s not in the drama department, is he? How’d they recruit him… and why?”

                  “He’s not, but he told me that they said he looked like a Horatio so they cast him as one.”

                  “He looks like an old Danish man—?”

                  Their heads are suddenly grabbed from behind and bonked together like a pair of coconuts. Jimin winces in slight pain as he looks up, his frown growing bigger. “What the hell, Tae?”

                  “Hey, nerds!” Taehyung greets, dumping a couple plastic bags onto the table. “Missed me?”

                  “We saw you today…” Namjoon rubs his temples. “In gym? That class we all have together?”

                  “But I missed you guys!” The guy coddles both of them into a messy group hug. “During the whole interview I kept thinking about going home and eating a potato. I’m so happy it’s ing over.”

                  Jimin forces himself out of Taehyung’s grasp to look at him clearly. “What interview?”

                  Taehyung swears, “oh , I wasn’t supposed to—okay, I’ll tell you. I got a job.”

                  He gapes. “… R-Really? Where?!”

                  “At the convenience store down the street!” The orange-haired kid mimics Namjoon’s excited rattling. “You’re looking at cashier number two! It’s just three shifts a week, but I’m pretty stoked about it.”

                  “… Whoa.” Jimin claps briefly before rushing to give him another hug. “Congrats, man! You’re—You’re really doing well for yourself. I’m happy for you.”

                  “I’m only doing it because you inspired me to,” Taehyung says, winking. “The boss is nice too. He said that if I start working tomorrow afternoon, then he’d give me freebies. I brought some to share!” He grabs at the plastic bags and pulls out at least five tubs of assorted biscuit sticks.

                  The other two both gawk at the amount of snacks. “What… Why on earth did you bring two hundred boxes of Pepero with you?” Namjoon asks, flabbergasted when he’s tossed a couple.

                  “Why didn’t you?!” Taehyung retorts, hustling a tub into his arms and trotting towards the stage. “HEY EVERYONE! I’VE GOT FREE FOOD!” The cast and crew give him odd looks before obliging to his antics and pick up several boxes per person. Jimin mentally apologizes on his friend’s behalf.

                  He spots Seokjin walking out onto the stage in some baggy attire, and it takes a moment before Jimin realizes that the senior is there to teach the actors his choreography. Seokjin demonstrates the dance first; it’s kind of awkward and gangly, but Jimin decides that he’s doing it right and there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

                  Taehyung jogs back towards them with a bright grin. “I managed to give one to Seokjin-sunbae!” he breathes, setting down an empty tub. “Well, kind of. I asked someone else to give it to him because I was too nervous.”

                  Jimin snorts. “He’s just a guy.”

                  “He’s a cool one,” Taehyung replies. “I mean, just look at him now! He’s working hard, man. At least give him that credit.”

                  His eyes travel over to the stage again. Seokjin is working hard, to the point that sweat is starting to drip off his forehead as he recites the steps from memory. It’s amazing how he managed to learn everything in a day.

                 A brighter light shines on the senior, and it may or may not be due to the spotlights he’s standing under. Nevertheless, Jimin starts nodding, silently agreeing that maybe Seokjin has a cool side to him as well.

'to be or not to be, that is the question.' — Hamlet 3.1.57
hmmm what did seokjin make yoongi do ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I won today's bid! hello, hello, new readers! it's not too late to feel emotional! : ^ )