TWENTY SEVEN | Not all surprises are good| JEON JUNGKOOK

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"Hanuel, what are you doing here?"
Jimin hugged me in awe; his eye reflected his pure happiness. And when it was my chance to say a warm word in return for his birthday, Jungkook thrust the gift toward Jimin. "Man, I'm excited to see what's inside this."

I silently darted at the black-haired man who gave no fuck and sighed, "Can we leave now?" And when he did see me, his crooked smile made me look away with detesting intent.

"C'mon, not now. I'll introduce Hanuel to my amigos, and, well, open this in front of them." He grabbed my hand hastily and we went ahead in some separate area that was heavily surrounded by people. Jungkook followed me like an unassuming guard.

The streaks of purple lights emanated from the steeper stairs got my eyes, or else I would have punched everyone's face who pushed me to take a fall. Seriously, their social circle came in hundreds or multitudes; I couldn't breathe and see anything.

As we got on top, people dispersed but were very slow on their heeled toes. Thankfully, as I got my second shot at life, I was spellbound when my gaze met four more people, who were casually playing cards on the round table. One amongst whom had been in touch with me recently. My special bonding with him led his arms flung wide.

"Jin," I shouted out of excitement and he spun me twice as he took me in his cordial embrace.

"Hanuel-ah! Ah, what a pleasant surprise. I just couldn't believe it's you," he spoke in his characteristic jovial style, bending his head backward.

"Yeah . . . it's unbelievable."

"Hey, Hanuel." Next, bubbly Hoseok made a move and congratulated me after exchanging glances with Jungkook.

Then I saw Namjoon ensconced on the chair, with his perfectly ironed shirt and pants. He looked no different than his usual office days even on this informal occasion. "Okay, did Molan find her special one?"

"Hey, you know her." Yoongi's eyebrows raised under his silver bangs. "She's a hot piece in the market."

My eyes grew oceanic size until Jin jumped in with a typical brother-in-law jealously. "Hang on. You all, don't even dare take her name from your tipsy tongues. She's my woman. And very soon it will be out in a public announcement. But, I wonder how do you know her?"

"You know my friends, like each one of them, how come?" Jungkook whispered in my ear surreptitiously.

I rotated my head and fanned myself.  Jimin invited me to take a seat near him. "It's a four-chapter journey with each one of them. They will tell you. This cartwheeling has been so exciting and arduous at the same time that I fail to remember the deets."

Jungkook sat in front of me, rapt with his phone but at the same time judging my coziness with the troop.

A yell resounded in perfect harmony from Jimin and Hoseok's mouth, "What the hell JK? You seriously got Jimin a steering wheel cover."

Jimin shot at him, voice brimming like hot boiling water, "What's the point of coming here then? To eat the snacks at my expense?"

Jin laughed it off instead and cooled down the birthday boy, "The last time this little hulk got me something on my birthday was as useless as Romeo without Juliet."

Namjoon's eyebrows tilted in confusion, "What could be that?"

I interjected and asked for some help in the form of a hint, "Jin, just give them as an enhanced clue."

"Okay. It rhymes with sex."

Hoseok began to cough several times. Jungkook's eyes grew watery as he landed up in his putrid imagination while the rest of them cackled in small whispers. My cheeks started to burn, and I suddenly felt unsecured sitting between Jimin and Jin; the two most desiring men teasing each other with a lot of hand movements.

Yoongi turned his head aside and tried to hold his smile for long. "Hyung, you can't just be so bold in front of her."

Jimin shook his head, racking his brains. "Hmm . . . deluxe cons."

"What the hell are you thinking Jimin? I'd rather end this imagination of yours here and will tell you the answer myself if you go that deeper." Jin chortled, wide shoulders shaking like earthquake plates. "It's specs. He gifted me one with broken arms in the year 2015."

"It broke on the way," Jungkook reasoned, not listening to the elder.

While they were bickering and barracking, I mentally estimated the value of the petty specs that were the center of the discussion. Jungkook broke all records of misery.

"Okay, fine. Whatever." Jimin rose and held his hands up in the air. "We have plenty of time for such kinds of talks. But for now, let's play a little game."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Game? What sort?"

"Yep, let me explain how it goes. In this game, you need to ask a question to the member sitting right next to you. And he has to keep on giving the answers until you are satisfied. Fine."

Everyone's faint sighs were purposely understood as an affirmation. And because Jimin began to stare at me with protruding eyes, I knew the game was meant to start by me.

"So, Jimin what's your favorite destination for solo travels?" I slammed my right hand on my knee, slightly turning to face him.

"What?" Yoongi tried to gain his composure and behaved as if he didn't object in the first place.

"What's wrong with that question?" I pointed severely.

Jimin explained, biting his cheek. "Listen, Hanuel. The question needs to be a little tough-"

"Who came first, the chicken or the egg?" I snapped, rather understandably.

The short man laughed as he covered his mouth. "No. No. Haneul, ask me something unique. Which would lead me-"

"Is it comfortable to have a dick?"

At this, even the person who wasn't interested in the game had their cogs working at the speed of light. Hoseok spat his drink on Yoongi's shirt. While the latter closed his eyes and contained his smile. Jungkook and Jin continued to talk in smirks and wiggles. Jimin showed me a thumbs-up sign. "Now, this was something else. Jungkook might want to take a go."

Jungkook prompted, "No Namjoon-si looks desperate."

Frustrated, I gawked at Namjoon who was barely able to look straight in my eyes due to an overdose of booze; he had raised his hand like a gorilla encompassing a sizeable area because of his big body. He tried to stand and deliver his speech but Jimin pulled him to his seat forcefully. "Just spill it from here. You know you are plastered bad."

"Okay . . . Okay. Whenever you see any high school boy walking about with hands in his pockets. Truth to be told, the chap's actually fixing his boner."

Everyone lauded Namjoon for his accurate observation.

In the meantime, I made a bland and flat statement, "It's still so weird that you six have turned out to be best friends. That's so . . . I don't know."

"No. But we are seven," Hoseok corrected me, his eyebrows shot up.

Then, Jimin eyed Hoseok deadly. It came off as a shock that Jimin could be so dangerous that I shifted a few inches away from him on the sofa. "No, we used to be seven. But now, it's only us."

Before I could grasp the storyline of how this bubbly seven had turned to cold six, Jin made it easier for me, "Yah Jimin, V is still our friend. And I'm sure he will come and wish you happy birthday before the new day starts."

Yoongi butted it in a suppressed tone, "I just texted him to come upstairs ten seconds ago, and there he is."

The ambiance turned a little heated up or at least pretended to act unfriendly to the arrival of a new friend. I ran a hand down my ponytail before greeting the man who had gained a bad word from the majority of people surrounding me.

As Jin got up and circumnavigated toward the new man, I followed him and so did everyone else. "Hey, buddy? Where have you been?"

I didn't hear him speak up but felt his eyes scanning my body. I finally decided to capture his face to tell him I knew where his eyes were.

The appalled man who stood in a lavish denim jacket and black high-neck shirt was my boyfriend, Kim Taehyung. My eyes channeled from his brand new black jeans to his Gucci red shoes; the ones that recently hit the fashion magazines!

"Great seeing you, sir!" Jimin mocked and hooked his little fingers in his jeans' loops. "It's been ages since we had seen each other in person. Your nose looks slightly drooping to the right, but the whole face is recognizable. Cool. We are good."

I watched him breathlessly, unable to concede one fact over the other. Taehyung was the first one to break eye contact. He smiled at Jimin. Or it was a forced smile. God knew better.

"You know why we call him V?" Jimin who couldn't keep up with the charade, spoke in a whisper. "He's taken several v cards to his hall of fame. Man used to be a much-wanted womanizer. Every girl! Dammit, every girl you have stolen." He pushed Taehyung playfully.

I breathed as I believed my whole body was turning into a huge piece of ice.

"Aha! Fashion king." Hoseok patted his back happily.

Namjoon added from the back, "Congratulations to your Dad."

I mustered up the courage to ask Namjoon more about his Dad, my voice came more like a shiver, "What does he do?"

"He has opened his 25th branch of a clothing brand named after his exceptionally handsome, Taehyung: Taesline."

My heart dipped and I couldn't help but recall my sweet days spent in that one-room decrepit apartment. Was it all a lie? Taehyung came from a rich family. The last sentence paralyzed me for another five minutes.

Taehyung lifted his hand steadily, an undercurrent of familiarity throbbing in his nerves. "Hello, my name is Kim Taehyung."

Just then, Jungkook appeared from behind and snaked an arm around my waist unexpectedly. "No thanks. She knows your name."

Hoseok rooted for us as he wriggled,  "Oh, I can feel the tension."

Taehyung nodded and abruptly slipped his hand in the pocket of his jacket. "Here, Jimin, this is a tie. I purchased a-"

"Right from Gucci store. Now, that's-"

"Roadside market, free with one marvel T-shirt," he replied in an unchanged tone and looked down for several minutes before biding a pretentious goodbye to everyone. Where I was feeling so gutted, he only showed positivity. A positive smile lit his face.

I controlled myself from saying or doing anything for some reason. He was waddling backward, eyes boring into mine, with love, friendship, and support. I instantly stormed toward him, jerking away Jungkook's hand. I didn't care what his friends would think of him. "You have betrayed me Taehyung! You lied to me about everything."

"Haneul. I wanted to tell you everything-" he curved his mouth dramatically, and patiently.

"But exactly when?!"

"Hanuel, try to understand-"

"A'ight. But why have you been lying to me until now? Your father was supposed to be a farmer if my memory serves me right." I pushed him but he didn't move.

"Hanuel. Give me a day. I'll explain everything." He caught my wrists, restricting my motion.

"What all lie about you? How old are you, Taehyung?" I drooled from one side of my mouth.

"I'm 25." His eyes enlarged frantically as if it was an obvious thing.

Lie. Lie. Lie.

I yelled as I tried moving my hands according to my will, "You can't restrict my action. Leave my hands, you freak!"

Jungkook raced past me and punched Taehyung in the face. "Don't repeat your earlier mistakes here, Hyung."

In return, as Taehyung rose he banged his head against Jungkook's, earning a blood-curdling moan. Everyone whirred and ran toward Jungkook who clamped his head tightly. My mouth was left open wide. I witnessed a devil side of Taehyung that predicated to get violent to anything that came in close contact with him.

I was off-guarded when he launched at me. "And, you listen to me," He gripped my hair. "You are coming to my place unless you want to face up some more shocking facts."

He slogged away as he grabbed a bottle of champagne from the bars' counter.

I pressed my lips and adamantly decided not to cater to his wishes.

"He's canceled," I announced to myself, letting the pain fester in my chest.

A/n

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