"Ah, fuck," Jimin groaned, spinning away from the two elders. His hands knotted in his pink hair.

"That's what I suggested, but someone here wasn't for that thought," Hoseok grumbled, glaring at his boyfriend.

Yoongi remained quiet, observing the actions of the two younger boys.

Despite somewhat expecting this, Jimin didn't know what to think. Confusion was clouding his ability to properly judge the situation and he desperately needed answers.

"I barely know either of you," Jimin started, facing the two once more. "And for that matter, you don't know me. So why?"

"I think I've made my intentions clear enough," Hoseok explained. "I find you attractive and think we could all have fun together. I'm just looking for a good time, that's all."

The choreographer had been sending him vibes over the last few weeks, which Jimin definitely picked up on. At first he thought it was just Hoseok's friendly personality, but as time went on, it was clear the elder was hardcore flirting with him.

But how did Jimin feel about that? Was he interested in Hoseok that way?

No.

The male was attractive, that he could not deny. With his classic features and warm smile, it was difficult not to be drawn to him. But Jimin saw him more as a friend than a romantic prospect.

Yoongi, on the other hand, was a different story. There was something about his mentor that intrigued him. He constantly wanted to know what was going on in his mind.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Jimin said to Yoongi, who barely moved an inch.

The producer shrugged. "Hoseok told you what I wanted."

An incredulous laugh escaped from the younger's throat. "Unless you tell me - in your own words - what the hell you're thinking, I'm out of here."

Hoseok took a step forward. "Jimin -"

"If you want to date me, Yoongi, this is the only shot you'll get to tell me why," he interrupted, hands on his hips and shooting a menacing stare towards the elder.

Yoongi sighed before tilting his head towards Hoseok. "Mind giving us a few?"

The choreographer hummed in agreement. "If you need me, you know where I'll be."

He walked off, leaving Jimin and Yoongi in silence. They stared at each other, their individual stubbornness preventing them from speaking up.

But Jimin wasn't going to prompt or prod anymore. If Yoongi wanted to talk, he needed to go ahead and talk.

An awkward minute passed and still the producer said nothing.

Jimin was done with whatever game this was and rolled his eyes, deciding to leave. He took a step past the elder and was stopped by a hand gripping his forearm.

"You confuse the hell out of me, Jimin," Yoongi finally voiced.

"I confuse you?" Jimin asked, his mouth practically gaping. "How is that even possible? I've been nothing but professional this entire program."

"I know. This is so unexpected for me. I never thought I needed anyone besides Hoseok," Yoongi murmured lowly. "But then I met you and things changed."

Jimin shook his head. "What things? What changed?"

"I'm not the most open or forthcoming person, Jimin."

"No kidding," the younger remarked, ignoring the warning glance from the producer.

Yoongi continued, "Hoseok is one of the brightest and most positive people I know. When he came into my life, he pulled me out from my shadows. He became the best friend I didn't know I needed."

Jimin raised his eyebrows when the elder paused, waiting for him to go on.

"I had no intentions to open up to you, Jimin. But there's just something about you that draws me in. I want to share things with you. I want to support you. I want to be there for you when you doubt yourself most, just so I can tell you how great you are."

The younger stared at him. He felt completely caught off guard at that admission. He thought maybe the producer had a bit of a crush on him, if anything, judging his behavior the last month. But this sounded a lot more thought out and introspective than a fleeting crush.

"What about Hoseok?" Jimin questioned, unsure of how their relationship worked.

The elder rocked back on his heels. "We're in an open relationship, so we decide together if we're interested in pursuing other potential partners. As long as we are both cool with it, we each have the freedom to date whomever we want."

Jimin was slightly shaking his head back and forth, unaware of the action until the producer questioned him on it.

"What?" Yoongi asked. "You don't agree with that?"

"It's not that I don't agree. I just don't think that set up would work for me," Jimin answered, stilling his head and looking at his mentor. "Besides, I don't even know how I feel about you."

The producer bristled. "That's blunt."

"You've helped me a lot this past month, Yoongi. As my mentor, you have given me so much support and guidance. And for that I can't thank you enough. But I don't know you. And for me, my feelings are tied to how well I connect with another person."

Yoongi cocked his head to the side, a slight touch of hope coloring his eyes. "Does that mean you want to get to know me? That you'd consider giving things a shot?"

"You're still my mentor for the time being and I'd like to keep that boundary," Jimin clarified. "But, in the meantime . . . maybe we could work toward being friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah," the younger smiled. "Friends."

Jimin let the producer debate that for a while as he himself thought over everything. Even if the two worked on becoming friends, he didn't think anything would change. At the end of the day, an open relationship would never appeal to him. He was the type of person who wanted all of someone's heart.

He didn't want to compete for someone's attention.

"So we become friends and then what?" Yoongi asked, his shoulders seeming more hunched than before. "Then you reconsider?"

"I don't see myself in an open relationship, Yoongi. I'm sorry, but it's not me."

The moments ticked by as they faced each other. Jimin needed time to sort things out. The whole encounter left him feeling out of sorts and baffled.

"I don't know what to say," the producer finally muttered.

"Let's try and be friends, okay? After that, you may decide you don't even like me as much as you think," the younger intoned with as much confidence he could muster.

Yoongi nodded his head, not agreeing with Jimin but knowing nothing more could be done tonight.

"Okay," he said at last.

Jimin announced that he was going to head home and get some sleep, but that they could talk more in the morning. Yoongi allowed him to go, feeling rather unsettled since they didn't come to any concrete conclusion.

He started walking back to Hoseok, more confused than before. It would have been better if he didn't say anything in the first place. It would have been better if he kept his feelings to himself.

It would have been better if he never said yes when Hoseok asked if they could make their relationship open.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

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