Everyone’s POV

The evening summer sunshine is beaming through the big window in the living room of Jungkook’s apartment, and he’s not sure if he’s ever felt happier than the moment his phone pinged 5 minutes ago with a text from Yoongi inviting him out to dinner this evening and that Yoongi’s friend Namjoon is coming along too. Yoongi tells Jungkook that they’ll get along really well and that Namjoon was actually at the restaurant that night they met.

He tells Jungkook that Namjoon wants to be a rapper as well, and sends him the link to Namjoon’s only song on Youtube. Jungkook loves it after only the first listen. The lyrics are so deep and meaningful, he doesn’t know exactly what this man went through to produce something so poignant but it’s astounding. He clearly writes straight from the heart just like Yoongi does, and it’s inspiring. 

Jungkook had a busy day off from work, phoning various animal shelters around Seoul in search of his beloved dog, Bella. It was an entire admin job on it’s own, having to explain  why he was calling every single time and what exactly his dog looks like in case Areum had changed her name or something drastic. He had no luck, and going out for dinner would be the perfect distraction. 

Dinner is at 7pm, it’s currently 4pm. Jungkook wants the next 3 hours to go faster, they’re already going slow, he’s too excited. He hasn’t seen Yoongi since that night a couple weeks ago and when he had seen him that night he didn’t yet know exactly who he was. 

As horrible as that night had begun, by 11:59pm it had already turned beautiful. Jungkook couldn’t believe his luck. He experienced the heartbreak of being disowned by his own parents, he was comforted by someone who he believed to be a stranger which was already heartwarming enough, and then he gets home to listen to the new Agust D track to hear his own name. 

Jungkook remembers the moment so well. He flopped into bed that night, teary and fragile from the evening that had just happened, all he wanted was to wait up for the new song and then go to sleep for as long as he possibly could. He almost fell asleep while waiting for the track to drop but he’s so grateful that he didn’t. He knew the song was about Agust D’s fans, and felt honoured at the fact that an idol would write a song for their small fanbase. What he didn’t expect was to hear his own name.

Jungkook had replayed that part of the song a couple of times, making sure that he wasn’t hearing things. While the track was nearing its end, he read the description as usual. He didn’t know if this was dedication or curiosity but he liked to see what his idol wrote about his own tracks when he released them, as there would always be a meaningful note about them. The last thing he had ever expected to see was the last line, ‘Gukkie, let's meet again’. Right then it suddenly clicked, no wonder he had recognised the voice of the piano player at the restaurant. What kind of small world was that? 

Jungkook had been in seventh heaven since that night, exchanging texts with Yoongi almost every day. It has been the biggest plot twist of his life so far and he’s still relishing in it every second of every day. Being invited out to dinner tonight is the icing on the cake. 

Jungkook spends the next few hours having a shower, choosing a nice outfit, and getting himself dolled up and ready for dinner, listening to Yoongi’s music the whole time to hype himself up even more. 

6:45pm rolls around and he grabs his things, the last thing being his keys by the door and heads out to his car, practically jumping into the driver's seat in excitement. Jungkook drives enthusiastically, having to concentrate to keep to the speed limit in his excitement. The windows are open and Yoongi’s music is blasting because hey more people need to hear his music. 

Jungkook arrives at the restaurant and pulls into the parking space, hurrying in happily to meet the pair who are already sitting at a table with drinks, Yoongi taking advantage of not being a driver and enjoying some sort of alcoholic beverage while Namjoon sips a soft drink. Yoongi stands up and offers his arms out to give Jungkook a hug, which surprises Jungkook.

“It’s good to see you again,” Yoongi says as they hug tight. 

“Agreed, I’m so happy to see you!” Jungkook gushes while they pull away from the hug, Namjoon smiling at the pair of them. 

“Ah this is my friend Namjoon,” Yoongi gestures to Namjoon who sits at the table, not sure if he’s supposed to give Jungkook a hug or not and decides to stay seated. 

“Nice to meet you,” Jungkook offers, bowing politely to Namjoon. 

“And you!” he returns. 

The three sit happily at the table, already enjoying each other's company as conversation flows, mainly about music and rapping. Namjoon talks about how his song on Youtube is at 71 thousand views now which is just insane and he doesn’t understand it. It’s true, he really doesn’t understand it all, posting it was just a very spontaneous thing that Namjoon had decided to do on a very emotional night, and it was gaining attraction. 

“Hey,” Yoongi looks over to Jungkook, “I wasn’t sure whether to bring this up, but did your parents ever contact you after that night or no? You don’t have to answer.” 

Jungkook looks down, “no, they didn’t. I debated texting them but they made their choice.” 

“Well whether you text them and try to make up, or never speak to them again, there’s no shame in either,” Yoongi consoles. Jungkook nods thankfully in response. 

“Also sorry about your dog, I heard that conversation go down pretty loudly too,” Yoongi winced at the memory, feeling horrible for poor Jungkook. 

“Yeah we really made a scene that night, huh?” he chuckles, “I’ve actually been calling animal shelters to find out if they have her or did have her at some point.” 

“That’s nice, I really hope you find her,” Yoongi smiles comfortingly at Jungkook, realising he should probably shift the conversation pretty swiftly. So he does, the trio continue to talk about music, and life, and it’s just wonderful, they’re all happy. Namjoon hardly thinks about the events of the other day, just happy in the company of these two men, not knowing how much better it will get. 

A waiter comes over with a notepad and they all order various food and drinks, mainly to just put out on the table to dip into whatever they fancy, side dishes are always a winner. 

“Namjoon, I had an idea that I want to run by you, and it's only convenient that Jungkook is here to back me up because I know he’ll love it,” Yoongi begins, eyes glistening with excitement. 

Namjoon looks lost, but excited. Jungkook looks plain confused. 

“So stop me if this is crazy, but obviously you’re now wanting to delve into the rap scene, and I’m already doing it and have all the necessary equipment, so…” Yoongi trails off, Namjoon just raises his eyebrows questioningly. 

“I mean, you don’t have to but if you ever wanted to do some music together, I’d be up for that,” Yoongi finishes, looking at Namjoon expectantly, who looked beyond himself in honour. 

“No way you guys are forming a rap duo!” Jungkook calls out, tapping the table with both hands in excitement. 

“Yeah, I suppose we are,” Namjoon nods, a grin plastered across his face. 

“So you want to?” Yoongi asks. 

Namjoon splutters in disbelief, “I- you think I could say no to that offer? I can’t wait!” 

At this moment, Jin from the kitchen is approaching their table with a smile, who Namjoon and Yoongi instantly recognise. Jungkook doesn’t, simply because he was too busy that night with his parents to pay attention to any staff. 

“Hey, Jin,” Namjoon greets, remembering him from only the other day. 

“Yoongi and Namjoon, nice to see you again,” Jin returns now standing next to the table, looking around cautiously for his boss, the one Yoongi absolutely hates. 

“I’m sure you remember our friend Jungkook?” Yoongi laughs a little, gesturing to a waving Jungkook. 

“Ah of course, I’m sorry about that night, you must have had a hard time. I’m Jin, I was working behind the bar that evening,” Jin smiles sadly at Jungkook, actually feeling quite happy to see the kid doing okay. 

“Wow hi, sorry about that, me and my family caused a big scene here,” Jungkook apologises with an sheepish grin, habitually playing with his hands. 

Jin shakes his head quickly, “No not at all, it wasn’t your fault. I’m glad to see you’re doing alright.” 

“Thank you,” Jungkook smiles, actually cringing inwardly at how much drama was displayed that night, he hadn’t intended for his entire family to figuratively air their dirty laundry in front of everybody in this restaurant. Jin continued to look around the restaurant, looking ready to dash off if Sunghoon appears, which Yoongi picks up on very quickly, seething at the thought of that sleazy man. 

“Where’s your boss tonight, then?” he asks blunty, earning a laugh from Jin who looked relieved to see someone else sharing his hate for Sunghoon. 

Jin shrugs, “I think he’s upstairs somewhere I can’t see him anywhere, his apartment is up there so I’m hoping he’s passed out on the sofa or something,” he says hopefully, shivering at the image, having been in that dirty apartment a couple of times. 

Jin looks over to Taehyung who’s sitting at the table nearest the kitchen, sipping at a coke and playing some random farm game on his phone, Jin smiles fondly at the sight. 

“Hey, Tae,” he calls, Taehyung looks up from his phone with doe eyes. Jin waves him over, Taehyung obliges and saunters over to where Jin is with Yoongi, Namjoon and Jungkook. 

“Tae, you’ll like these guys, this is Yoongi, Namjoon and Jungkook, remember I told you about all 3 of them?” Jin gestures to each of them respectively. 

Jungkook tenses a little at the thought of another person who knows about his family drama. He doesn’t really mind too much, he just feels embarrassed thinking about it. 

“Oh yeah I remember,” Taehyung beams at the trio, recognising their names instantly from some of the many text conversations he’d exchanged with Jin over the past couple of weeks. 

“This is my best friend Taehyung, he’s just chilling around here tonight to keep me company,” Jin lies. Taehyung was here keeping an eye on Jin, because he’d insisted that this is what he wanted to do. After their rather sensitive night at the bridge, Taehyung hated the idea of letting Jin out of his sight for too long and had opted to spend the better chunk of his evening relaxing here after his day with the film crew so they could commute home together. Just in case. Jin had of course assured him that he doesn’t need to worry but Taehyung had insisted, stating that he has every right to worry after what almost happened. Jin couldn’t argue with that logic. 

“Why don’t you sit with us, Taehyung. You must be bored over there by yourself,” Namjoon offers, looking to Yoongi and Jungkook for confirmation, the two nodded eagerly in response. 

“The more the merrier!” Jungkook chirps, feeling happier and happier as this little friendship group grows by the minute. Taehyung gratefully perches on the chair next to Jungkook. It ‘s true that he really was getting kind of bored, he’d been fiddling around with some farming game on his phone for ages now, but he just wanted to be here for Jin. He worries about people close to him. 

“I’d better get back to the kitchen. While I don’t think he’s watching them there are in fact security cameras around here,” Jin sighs sadly, saying his goodbyes for now and leaving the group of four sitting happily at the table, excited to see their food arriving in it’s plenty. Taehyung insists he’s okay when the others offer him to eat whatever, Yoongi quizzes him on whether he’s eaten tonight. Taehyung is truthful and says no, Yoongi picks up on the situation quickly and insists that he’s going to eat and not to worry about the bill. Taehyung’s heart bursts with gratitude from the kindness of these people he’s only just met. 

As they eat, Yoongi stares out of the window mindlessly, watching the cars drive by the car park, watching life go by. He’s listening to the conversation, but often finds himself zoning out like this while chewing on whatever he’d just put in his mouth. 

He watches as a flashy mint green Porsche pulls into the carpark, having to do a double take at the sight. Is it possible that this is the mint green Porsche guy? Yoongi squints to see better, trying to jog his memory on the exact model of the car. He can’t remember but knows it just feels familiar, you don’t exactly see one of these every day. Especially in that colour. 

Yoongi stares intently at the car, waiting for the driver to get out so he can see if it jogs his memory. Although his memory isn’t perfect, he thinks he could recognise the driver upon seeing him. It feels like an eternity, waiting for the driver to step out so he can know for sure. Two men step out of the car, laughing about something together as they begin walking to the restaurant door. 

It’s him, Yoongi knows it’s him. He recognises him instantly, the hairstyle, the fashion. This is mint green Porsche guy. What are the odds of him turning up at this restaurant tonight? If the world gets any smaller, Yoongi might actually implode. 

Although his confidence has improved, Yoongi doesn’t know how to approach this man, plus he’s with a friend, he’s too shy for this. He needs alcohol. He doesn’t drive so he may as well make the most of the liquid courage so he can introduce himself to this wonderful man. Also he needs a few drinks in case it’s actually not him, or he wasn’t the one who donated, because that would be too embarrassing to handle sober. 

As a waiter walks by, Yoongi flags him down to order a double rum and coke, made with whatever their strongest rum is. The others look at him questiongly. 

Yoongi purses his lips and glances over to the now seated table of the man he was looking for and his friend. The others all glance in the same direction before looking back at Yoongi more confused. 

“Feel free to explain the sudden shift in atmosphere any time now,” Namjoon jokes. 

“The guy over there at that table, the taller one, that’s mint green Porsche guy,” Yoongi explains, to which Namjoon’s eyes widen in realisation. He looks again at the two of them, and then spins around to look out the window, learning now where the clue came from. 

“No way?” 

“Who?” Taehyung asks blankly. 

“It’s a very long story, I’ll catch you up later,” Yoongi waves him off. 

“Didn’t you mention this in your song?” Jungkook quizzes, not taking much time at all to understand the situation. 

Yoongi nods quickly, “I did. He’s a fan, he drove past me in that car blasting my music then later on donated a lot of money to my channel.”

“How do you know it was him? Also when you say a lot, do you mean more than I’ve given over the years?” Jungkook looks mildly pride shattered at this. 

Yoongi begins to do maths in his head before realising what he’s doing and shaking the thought away, “it doesn’t matter, you’ve been around the longest and I appreciate you the most, he just gave me a lot at once and I wanted to thank him. The song was for me to find both of you. And I know it was him because it’s no coincidence, who else is that rich?” 

Jungkook hums, satisfied enough with Yoongi’s answer.

Yoongi practically guzzles the rum and coke that’s delivered to him. 

“Slow down,” Namjoon warns. 

Yoongi side eyes him, “I’m nervous,” he defends, necking the last few sips. 

“Even so,” Jungkook comments warily, watching the rapper intensely. 

“Wow,” Taehyung remarks, impressed with the man’s drinking skills. 

As the same waiter walks by again, he’s surprised at Yoongi’s request for the same drink again, but complies quickly and backtracks to the bar to get it sorted. 

Namjoon leans in gingerly, “uh, how many drinks is it going to take you to talk to the guy?” Yoongi shrugs, truthfully starting to feel a little lighter in the head just from that double. The next drink is brought to him swiftly, and Yoongi gulps at it hurriedly. 

“Do you want me to talk to him for you?” Jungkook offers, “I’m not afraid.” 

Yoongi quickly shakes his head, “no, it has to be me. Also I’m not afraid, just nervous. It could go terribly wrong and be the most embarrassing situation but if I’m a little drunk I won’t care so much.”

Taehyung tilts his head, “I’m still so curious about what the is going on here.” 

Namjoon laughs a little, “okay I’ll brief it for you, because it’s a fun story. Yoongi’s secretly an anonymous underground rapper called Agust D, except he’s not really anonymous now because we all know who he is. So, Jungkook here has been a dedicated fan since the start, well a couple weeks back he was at this very restaurant with his parents and ex girlfriend, sorry to bring it up-” Jungkook nods at Namjoon to continue, “Yoongi and I were at the restaurant too, Yoongi was entertaining on the piano, I was just here to support him. We witness this whole drama go down with Jungkook and his family, in which his ex mentions his Youtube handle which prompts Yoongi to know who he is. So when Jungkook leaves the restaurant upset, Yoongi follows him out to see if he’s okay and also give him his phone number. Well that night Yoongi also released a song that was dedicated to his fans, in which he mentioned Jungkook. He also wrote him a mildly cryptic message in the description which made Jungkook realise who he had met that night, you with me so far?” 

Taehyung blinks a few times but nods slowly, mouth slightly agape at the information being spewed at him. 

“Good. So before all this, Yoongi was walking to a piano teaching job at the university I work- I mean, used to work at, and a fancy green Porsche drives by, windows down, blasting Agust D. This surprised Yoongi a lot, but what surprised him more was a very large donation to his Youtube channel. He deducted it has to be the guy driving the Porsche, because it only adds up, it was serious money. Yoongi then began his little quest to find Jungkook and Porsche guy to not only reveal himself but thank them in person for being such loyal fans in a very small fan base. Well he found Jungkook already,” Namjoon gestures to Jungkook who waves innocently from his seat, “and look who’s dining here tonight,” he gestures to the Porsche parked outside, and then to the rich man at the table. 

Taehyung now sits with his mouth fully agape, blinking slowly. 

“Did I miss anything, Yoongi?” Namjoon looks at Yoongi who is swaying a little in his chair from the high percentage liquor he had been consuming.  

“Nope, I think you got it all, Pal,” Yoongi pats Namjoon on the back over enthusiastically, who in return raises an eyebrow and mutters “I think you’re ready now.” 

“Incredible. You weren’t wrong, that was a fun story, what a small world,” Taehyung remarks, “I like how everyone has come together. Look how fun it is that I’m here with you guys just by chance because we both met Jin some way or another. In fact, Yoongi should go befriend the rich guy and also his friend, then we can form a big friend group!” Taehyung clapped happily. 

 “Seven is a pretty large group,” Namjoon points out. 

“More the merrier?” Jungkook offers up, looking quite approving of this idea. The idea of having a solid inner circle of friends sounds so wholesome. He can’t rely on his parents to stick around for him, his ex-girlfriend was a terrible person, this is what he needs. 

“Plus,” Taehyung begins cautiously, “Jin would love it, he needs the distraction.”

“He does?” Jungkook quizzes empathetically. Taehyung pretends he didn’t hear him so he doesn’t have to explain. 

“What do you think about this whole crazy friend group idea, Yoongi?” Namjoon asks a swaying Yoongi. 

“I shall talk to him imminently,” Yoongi suddenly declares, standing up from his seat hastily to stride over to the table across the restaurant, now sporting some liquor confidence. 

Now is finally the time, it’s as if they had been brought together here by fate. The fact that Yoongi just happened to be at the restaurant tonight is crazy. Meeting Jungkook was crazy. Spending an evening with Jungkook, Namjoon and this guy they only just met tonight is crazy. Forming a seven man friend circle is crazy. But it’s all so beautiful, like a story. 

Yoongi stops at the table of two men, shifting from foot to foot nervously. He realises that he had been so focused on getting tipsy that he hadn’t actually prepared what he was going to say, and was just standing here like an idiot. Maybe the alcohol confidence isn’t the most useful trick in the book after all and he could feel himself sobering slightly. 

The two men stare at Yoongi expectantly, most likely thinking he’s some weird drunk customer by now. Which to be fair he is, but he’s more than that. Yoongi blanks, what’s he supposed to say? ‘Hi I’m Agust D’? That would be too random. Of course, rum is doing the talking, so it slips out too easily now since it’s the only thought in his head at this point. 

“Hi, I’m Agust D.” 

Silence. Oh no, what if it’s not him? Why did Yoongi have to be so awkward sometimes?

“Seriously? It’s really you?” the man clapped his hands and laughed in pure surprise. Yoongi smiled a little, not sure where to take this from here, relieved to learn quickly that this guy is confident enough to carry the conversation well. 

“I’m Hoseok,” he says, getting up from his seat to shake Yoongi’s hand and pull him into a man hug, “this is my friend and colleague, Jimin.” 

Jimin waves happily from his seat. 

“I’m Yoongi, I’m so glad to see you here tonight.” 

“Yeah this is crazy, how did you know it was me? Is it the car?” Hoseok laughs. 

“It is, you drove right past me playing my music and then I received your donation later that day. I wanted to thank you in person for it, it’s really too much,” Yoongi says modestly. 

“Ah it’s nothing, really. I appreciate you a lot. And thanks for the shoutout in your new song, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing but I knew it had to be about me. I’ve been meaning to get in contact with you since, I’m just so busy with work,” Hoseok explains, “are those your friends?” Yoongi spins around to see Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook and now Jin leaning on the table next to Taehyung, all watching this exchange intensely. Yoongi sighs in embarrassment and tries to wave them off to stop staring. He could practically hear Jungkook’s giggle from here. 

“Yeah, that’s them,” Yoongi pauses to think, “I mean you’re welcome to join us? They’re quite eager to meet you, clearly…” he turns again to his friends, Jin’s looking around warily for any sight of his boss, and Jungkook’s waving cutely at Yoongi, who scoffs fondly. 

“Yeah why not? You up for making some friends, Jiminie?” Hoseok asks his best friend. Jimin nods enthusiastically and the two grab their drinks and follow Yoongi to the ever expanding table of people. Jin pulls the nearest empty table to join it to the existing table, then grabs the chairs and places them at their spots so the table is now big enough to seat up to eight. 

Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin join the others at the table, exchanging introductions, names, and pleasantries. 

“So this is pretty wild,” Namjoon points out, the others all agree quickly. 

“I’m jealous, I wish I didn’t have to go back to work,” Jin sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets sadly. Taehyung reaches from his seat to squeeze Jin’s arm in comfort. 

“Join us later? It’s already getting late quickly. It's not even that long until you finish, we’ll be here. Right?” Taehyung asks the others who all agree they’ll be here for a while. This cheers Jin up a little as he says his goodbyes for now and strolls back to the kitchen. 

A silence befalls the table briefly, the six men all realising what a unique situation they’d ended up in. Just a few weeks ago they had all been living completely separate lives, just strangers trying to get through each day with their daily struggles. Seven strangers that were all in need of a friend and now have six. It makes the world feel easier to take on, like anything that life might throw at any of them is less scary knowing there are now six others ready to be there for you. It’s really quite beautiful, they’re all thinking it. 

“So, how exactly did everyone meet?” Hoseok asks on behalf of himself and Jimin. The others all groan then laugh in sync. 

“It’s a long story,” Jungkook begins, “and Namjoon tells it best.” 

“You really want me to tell it all again?” 

They all nod, Hoseok and Jimin eager for the storytime on how this all came to be. So Namjoon begins to explain all over again, but in detail. Jungkook, Yoongi, that night, the drama. Taehyung chips in to tell his piece about meeting Jin here while filming. Hoseok and Jimin staring wide eyed the entire time, fully invested in this. Taehyung’s story of meeting Jin sounds gappy to the others, because it is. They can tell he’s trying to articulate the story in a way that doesn’t sound like he’s leaving details out, but it’s obvious. No one comments on the fact though, and wonders if Taehyung or Jin will tell them more when they all know each other better. 

Before they know it, it’s 10pm and time has passed like never before, and Jin can finally join them for a drink until the restaurant closes at 11pm. The seven of them talk so naturally, and conversation flows like you wouldn’t believe. They switch easily between laughing, and having heart to hearts. 

Jungkook talks about his dog, Bella. He misses her so much. Taehyung talks about the life of trying to get enough acting jobs to get by. Jimin doesn’t say too much, he has Daeyeol on his mind but hasn’t told Hoseok and doesn’t want to trouble him about it, so he bottles it up. Namjoon opens up about losing his job and what his future plans are now. Hoseok talks about Hope World, and taking on Jimin as a sort of apprentice. Yoongi talks about music, and Agust D, but is still empty headed from the amount of alcohol consumed and at this point of the night can’t string together such amazing sentences anymore. Jin talks quietly about his job, looking around constantly for Sunghoon to be sure he isn’t caught talking about him and how much he hates it here. 

The seven of them share a safe space together to talk about anything and everything, nothing is too much, but there’s still a lot unsaid. Jin and Taehyung stay quiet about the night at the bridge, it still hangs heavy in the air for them when they’re together. Jimin stays quiet about Daeyeol by avoiding conversations about work entirely, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Hoseok, who’s been concerned about Jimin since he came back with the coffees that morning. 

The night ends at 11pm, but would definitely go on longer if it wasn’t for the restaurant closing. It was a good benchmark to realise how tired they all are though, and say their goodbyes for now. All thanking each other for the very lovely, very unexpected night and splitting off into their original groups to make their ways home. 

Things aren’t perfect right now, and some situations will get worse before they get better, but at least for tonight all of them can go to sleep knowing they’ve got things to look forward to. They may have all been strangers a couple of weeks ago, but they already all know they have years ahead of them together in this big, crazy group of friends.