Note: Warning for language, disregard for the actual timeline and the obvious risk of people being out of character.

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Taehyung quietly slipped into the waiting room only to find Jimin and Jungkook staring straight at him. There was something in the way they looked at him that made him uncomfortable. Like they knew something. Like they could...destroy him. He gulped. Trying to look as nonchalant and less awkward as possible, he walked over to them and sat beside Jimin on the couch. "So. What's...up..." He tried to sound casual but wasn't able to stop his voice from wavering.

Jimin and Jungkook grinned at each other. "Nothing much, bro," the older one said with a teasing lilt to his voice. He raised his arm and rested it on V's shoulders, pulling him closer. "Just chilling. We just got here. Back from the stage. With Bogum-hyung and..." Jimin paused for dramatic effect. "...you know, Irene-ssi." 

Jungkook's grin widened when he noticed Taehyung visibly squirm. The maknae slapped V's back and earned himself a glare. "Yeah! I'm sure you know Irene-ssi better than we do."

Taehyung quickly freed himself from Jimin's grasp, stood up, and started backing away towards the door. The sudden scrutiny he was under was something he really wasn't ready for and he felt so attacked. So ing attacked. "Uhhhh, I just. I need to pee! Excuse m—"

"Are you sure about that?" the maknae cut in. "Red Velvet's on next." 

Both he and Jimin waited for V's reaction and were surprised but not necessarily disappointed. V immediately stopped moving towards the door and stood still for a good 15 seconds, staring blankly at them. It was one of the many times Jungkook wished he could read V's mind because he was starting to feel antsy seeing absolutely nothing in the older boy's eyes—not even a blink. 

Jimin coughed loudly to see if it would elicit a reaction off his chingu. V blinked once, then twice, before robotically finding a vacant chair far away from the two and near the TV. After the initial shock over his weirdness, Jimin and Jungkook both laughed out loud and decided to save the teasing for later.

Suga sauntered over to them and collapsed on the couch beside the two. He nudged Jimin and gestured towards V. "What's up with him? He's in quiet, it's kinda scary."

Jimin's eyes crinkled in glee, trying to hold in his laugh. "We'll fill you in later, hyung. For now, we observe." Jungkook snickered beside him while Yoongi looked on absolutely clueless.

On the other side of the room, V sat still, panic bubbling beneath the surface. He was honestly at a loss of what to do and think. One of the things he hates the most is being misunderstood, and what made things worse was that he wasn't entirely sure of what he did wrong. Taehyung knew that his friends had this absurd notion in their heads that he had a thing for Red Velvet's leader, even without him doing anything to give himself away (or so he thought, anyway). Yes, she was very pretty. Yes, to his eyes she was some shiny, distracting thing. But for crying out loud, he barely even knew the girl! He remembers only interacting with her maybe twice? Thrice? He sighed and sunk into the seat. This wasn't good. He needed to get rid of his nerves before it was their turn to hit the stage.

Speaking of performing on stage, Taehyung lifted his eyes and checked the television if Red Velvet was on. A-Pink finished their song before the show cut to a commercial and he relaxed. At least that gave Irene extra time to change and warm up. He wondered if there was a chance he could sneak out of the room and watch the girls perform from the side.

"I wonder if we can go watch Red Velvet perform from the side," Hoseok's voice echoed across the room, as if reading V's mind.

"I suggest you boys stay here," he heard their manager say. "Fans might see you and make up rumours."

The boys visibly deflated at their manager's words. It that they finally got the chance to see the one girl group they're truly interested in yet have circumstance dictate otherwise. But they were used to it. The life of an idol is full of taking orders and rejection, after all. As much as they enjoy what they do and as much as they love their fans, they also can't help but resent acting like puppets and limiting their choices to please the people who put food on the table. It wasn't possible for them to hate the words 'don't bite the hands that feed you' more than they already did. Not to say that they're ungrateful as they do appreciate their fans very much. Their career