YOONMIN: The alternate universe where tattoed Yoongi dates Jimin on a bet

The Bet

- Part I -

“Is this… Yoon-gi?” Hoseok tapped Jimin’s shoulder frenetically.

Jimin’s eyes left the glass between his hands and turn to the entrance.

And indeed, the man entering the coffee shop was well and truly Min Yoongi himself. Jimin felt his mouth dropped instantly to finally gulp back when he realized that Yoongi was walking towards him.

“Hey.” Yoongi winked. “How are you?”

“Oh-oh… yes…” Jimin blinked, with a bright color of red on his cheeks. Does Yoongi was really talking to him?

Jimin was a timid .

Yoongi was a bad boy.

That was a fact.

Yoongi was a bad boy with good lips and tattoos all over his arms. He had this smile… not a smile… a smirk… a devil smirk that can make anyone faint. And despite of his reputation of being a player, people still fell in love with his pale beauty and sharp eyes. People like Jimin.

They love his bad boy attitude dreaming to change him into a good boy. Loving him was like holding the sun and hoping to not get burned.

But for Jimin, things were slightly different… because Jimin knew Yoongi did not need to change, that he was already good. Jimin knew this ‘devil’ was once an angel. And so he could see the good in all his bad.

They met five years ago, when Yoongi was seventeen and Jimin was fifteen. They were at the same high school. Back at this time, Yoongi was the high-school superstar. He was the captain of the basketball team and already had an intense aura. Though he always helped his schoolmates and protected the weakest against the bullies.

That was at this time that Jimin fell in love with him.

This day, the well-known school bully Choi Kiwun pushed Jimin against his locker to steal his money pocket. But before the young tyrant could grab his collar, a hand on his shoulder drove him away. Jimin widened his eyes when he saw Kiwun fell in the floor, with Yoongi standing next to him, his fists clenched.

“Don’t you dare persecute, oppress or tyrannize any of the kids again… And if you do or even imagine, I’ll rip up your tongue. Am I clear?” Yoongi said calmly, locking his eyes with the other.

Kiwun opened his mouth to answer then casted a glance at Yoongi’s fist and Namjoon, Yoongi’s best friend who was few steps away from them.

He gulped back and nodded reluctantly as he stood up and ran away.

“Are you okay?” Yoongi asked Jimin as he ruffled the younger’s hair.

“Th-thank you” Jimin stuttered, amazed by Yoongi’s smile. Yes a smile, not a smirk.

“I did not ask you to thank me” Yoongi chuckled, his eyes turning into crescent. “But if you are okay.”

“Ye- yes…”

“If he bother- if anyone bothers you ever again, tell me.” Yoongi patted, before leaving with his undying smile.

And from this day, Yoongi became Jimin’s model and with time he became the person he loved the most. However, Jimin never had the courage to confess his love to him, neither he had the courage to engage a conversation with the older. He was too impressed, even after their graduation. It was not the tattoos Yoongi got after High school, nor his black crow hair or deep voice, or even his intense aura. No. Jimin was not afraid about any of that. He was afraid of not being loved back. He was afraid of the response he would get if he said to him ‘I love you’.

For years, Yoongi was Jimin’s unrequited lover – a situation that was killing the younger from inside. Loving Yoongi was one of the hardest things in his life.

 He could not even know what was the worst between missing Yoongi in his daily life or the fact that Yoongi never really been in his life.

Years past and now Jimin was twenty and Yoongi was twenty-two. They were both studying at the same Art University, but they barely met. Yoongi was majoring in musicology while Jimin chose modern dance as a major. But the few time they came across, Jimin would hide behind his friend Hoseok, too afraid to make eye contact with the older.

So seeing him here, in this coffee shop, standing next to him and talking so comfortably made his heart stop.

“Your name is Jimin, right?” Yoongi asked.

“Ho-how do you know my name??” Jimin stuttered dumbfounded.

But Yoongi just chuckled making Jimin smile unconsciously. Aside from the tattoos covering his arm, Yoongi did not change. His beauty was still mesmerizing.

“We used to go to the same high school, remember?” He said as a matter-of-fact. “And you are?” Yoongi asked as he turned to Jimin’s friend seating next to him.

“Hoseok!” This one smiled.  “Jimin’s best friend. I was also at Bulgong High school” he pointed out but clearly Yoongi looked like he could not care less as he hummed before focusing on Jimin again.

“Do you come often here?” Yoongi asked.

“Yea- yeah… I’m going to the Art University nearby.” Jimin rubbed the back of his neck. “Wha-what… How are you?” Jimin asked, still confused to see Yoongi sat beside him.

“You still stutter.” Yoongi observed. “Since high-school…”

“He does not! You make him!” intervened Hoseok. “OUCH!” He screamed as he felt Jimin elbowing him on the side.

“Cute” Yoongi chuckled in a whisper. “Well…” He cleared his voice. “We should hang out more often together, so you’ll stop stammering… even if I find it cute.”

Jimin looked at Hoseok with round eyes, back to Yoongi, back to Hoseok, back to Yoongi. He was clearly surprised by Yoongi’s sudden offer coming from nowhere.

“Yeah su-sure…” He gulped back.

“Here is my number.” He handed a piece of paper out to the younger. “Text me so I have yours.”

Jimin nodded robotically as he took the piece of paper. And before Yoongi even left the room, he heard Hoseok burst with joy and excitement for his friend.

-

“I did not think that you’d do it!” Namjoon shook his head when Yoongi showed him a text from Jimin saying:

From Jimin

‘Hi Hyung! This is my text… I mean my number… I mean my text so you have my number.  It’s Jimin!’

Yoongi dissolved into laughter.

“A bet is a bet.” Yoongi said as his laugh subsided.

“Well, I did not really bet anything. You did that yourself. I just told you that you can’t be exclusive with one person for a whole full month…” Namjoon chortled. “Anyway, you don’t have to prove anything Yoongs. I don’t want to bet on someone’s else feeling.” Namjoon coughed.

“Why not…” Yoongi shrugged. “It’s not like the guy can fall in love with me within one month…”

“You really know nothing about love, don’t you?” Namjoon rolled his eyes.

“Come on Namjoon. That’ll be fun!”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Namjoon sighed. “You don’t have to always play with life, love, to be this guy who pretends to not care about anything… Because you are not this person… So why you continue to pretend to be such a heartless man even in front of me?”

“I want to do this because if I win, you will loan me your car for 2 months.”

“What the fu-?” Namjoon voiced. “My car for 2 months?” He laughed. “Ok well… as I see how determined you are, you have your bet. And I hope at the end of all of this, you just won’t win my car for 2 months but a real love!”

“Whatever” Yoongi smirked, even