chapter moodboard made by me exclusively for this story *:.✧｡* pls don't steal

It was accurate to say that Jin was growing impatient with Taehyung at that moment. It was 15 minutes until the boys had to start heading out to Hongdae where Taehyung was scheduled to meet with the enigmatic Kwon Min Jung. However, Taehyung had just put on his fifth outfit that past hour and modeled it in front of Jin asking, just as he did with the last four outfits, if it looked ok. And after every try-on, Jin would say the same thing: you look great, TaeTae, she'll certainly be impressed to see you more than your outfit, though, so it doesn't matter. To which Taehyung would refute stubbornly, but it's the outfit that makes the first impression, she needs to see that I look put together and that I am putting an effort to see her. Of which Jin would reply, yes, but the main focus of this conversation is you apologizing to her and how you feel about her and not if that Gucci belt goes well with those jeans. To which Taehyung would scoff and say back –

Well, overall, it was accurate to say that Jin was growing impatient with Taehyung at that moment.

Jin eyed the digital clock on top of Taehyung's dresser and cleared his throat. "It's almost 5:30, Taehyung. We better get a move on."

A look of panic flashed through Taehyung's face. He still wasn't sure if the blue striped button up shirt and navy trousers were a good outfit. He looked like a young founder of a tech start up ready for a meeting with venture capitalists in his white Gucci sneakers. 

Reading his pained expression, Jin simply shrugged. "Too late. We don't want to get there after Min Jung's arrived."

"Ok. Ok, ok, ok," Taehyung breathed out anxiously, looking around his room to gather his things. He picked out a Louis Vuitton crossbody bag and stuffed his wallet, phone, and keys inside. "What else do I need?"

"You need to chill, that's what you need," Jin muttered under his breath as he walked out of Taehyung's room. 

The two men finally exited the dorm by 5:34, four minutes past when they were supposed to leave but still on time. Taehyung had planned to drive there, but seeing as he hadn't gotten around to tinting the windows of his car, Jin was his designated chauffeur. They piled into Jin's car where the older boy handed Taehyung a small bottle of vodka.

"What's this?" Taehyung looked at the bottle in his hand incredulously. 

"Drink it, so you can calm down," Jin said, starting his car. "I can see your hands shaking. You need to loosen up."

Taehyung scowled in disgust. "I don't need this. It's only going to make me feel more sick."

"Fine," Jin replied, grabbing the shooter from Taehyung and throwing it back into his glovebox where Taehyung noticed that it was just as stocked as a hotel mini bar. "I don't want you puking in my car anyway."

"Hyung," Taehyung flitted his eyes back and forth from the glovebox to Jin. "Why do you have so much alcohol in there?"

"For moments like this," Jin replied, shrugging nonchalantly. He pulled out of the parking lot and Taehyung began to feel his heart beat rising again. He leaned back in his seat and practiced the breathing exercises Hoseok had once taught him to calm down. This was really it. They were now embarking on a (short) 20-minute drive to see the girl he may or may not be in love with. 

❀

"You need to calm down," Soo Yeong told Min Jung as the latter was struggling with putting all her essentials into a purse. She was dropping her ID and credit cards all over the place. Soo Yeong took the purse from Min Jung and proceeded to stuff her cards and keys inside the purse for her. 

"I-I'm sorry," Min Jung forced out, her voice shaking. "I'm just so nervous."

"I can see that," Soo Yeong replied, giving the purse back to Min Jung. "If it helps, just think that it's really Taehyung who needs to feel on edge." 

Min Jung gave a look of confusion to her best friend. Soo Yeong continued, "He's the one who sent the flowers and is now asking you to talk in person. It sounds like he has a lot to say, part of which could be an apology. You did nothing wrong here, so really, you're in the clear. You're just there to let him talk, but ultimately, you have all the power on how the conversation would go."

Min Jung heaved out a heavy sigh, nodding. "You're right. I think I'm just nervous to see Taehyung again, regardless of what he has to say."

"That's fair," Soo Yeong conceded. "But you look great and I'm sure he's going to regret everything he's ever done to you or the way he treated you once he does see you again." 

Min Jung managed a small smile as she and Soo Yeong proceeded out of her bedroom and to the parking deck where Soo Yeong would drive to their destination. Hongdae was across the river from her neighborhood, so Min Jung had a good 20 minutes to try to ease herself into the situation. Soo Yeong tried to keep her mind off of the meet up by talking about school. Trying her best, Min Jung would reply in monosyllabic grunts or half-hearted chuckles. All she could think about was what Taehyung was going to say to her, and what she would say to him.

Was he going to apologize to her? Surely, his flower arrangements could have hinted at an apology, but had he more to say to her? Of course, that was the whole point with meeting up anyway. She was going to find out that day.

The anticipation was making the ride to Hongdae feel both too short and too long. Before she knew it, Soo Yeong had already crossed the bridge onto the northern bank of Han river. Even though she was just at this district the other day, Min Jung didn't know why it was so crowded. It felt too crowded. She wanted to get out of the traffic, half-hoping they were in a rural backroad instead.

"Jeez," Min Jung muttered. "He wants to meet in Hongdae? There are way too many people. We're obviously going to get caught."

"I think the wine bar has private parking," Soo Yeong replied. "You'll be fine as long as Taehyung conceals himself well. Which – I hope – he knows how to do, considering he's been an idol for awhile."

Min Jung could only nod at her friend's statements. She looked up at Soo Yeong's car GPS and noticed that they were 5 minutes from their destination. She could feel her heart at the end of , forcing its way out. Min Jung wondered if Taehyung was feeling the same way. 

Of course, Taehyung wasn't faring any better. They were 5 minutes from their destination and he was fighting the urge to open the car door and roll his body out onto oncoming traffic.

"Are you okay?" Jin asked him. "You look like you just witnessed a murder."

"I just..." He couldn't seem to speak. His thoughts were getting way ahead of his tongue as his mind raced a mile a minute. "God, why is this drive taking forever."

"We're almost there," Jin said, pulling onto a side street. They sat behind a white BMW. "Omo!"

"What?" Taehyung sat up.

"Is... is this Choi Soo Yeong's car?"

Taehyung's only identification is that he knows she drives a white BMW sedan. Otherwise, he had no definitive way to tell if the person in front of them was Min Jung's best friend. "It might be."

Jin breathed out nervously. "Oh my god. Did you tell Min Jung to bring Soo Yeong along?"

"No, of course not," Taehyung replied. "You were the one texting her from my phone. I haven't said anything in the text messages since then."

The two of them sat there for an indefinite amount of time as the white BMW sedan didn't seem to move. Since they were in a narrow one-way street, Jin was basically stuck behind the car. 

"I think I'm lost," Soo Yeong told Min Jung, picking up her phone to find the right address for the French wine bar. Her car GPS had said that they had arrived at their destination, but it had led them to a one-way side street with no businesses nearby. She parked her car in the street, trying to find the correct address for the wine bar. Min Jung looked up from Soo Yeong's rearview mirror to see that a black Maserati had pulled up right behind them. 

"Uh... there's someone behind us," Min Jung said. The car behind them had extremely dark tinted windows that she cou