No amount of words, encouragement, or kind gestures could alter his mood. No, Yoongi was almost determined to remain miserable, but since he couldn't bring himself to blame Jimin, he had to suffer all this bottled up rage without being able to target it at any certain individual. And it was a terrible feeling. But he knew he would have to deal with it.

At exactly 5:15 PM, Yoongi stood outside the gate to his Aunt Sunggi's house--quite a fine house, it was, which was to be expected of such a wealthy, classy, and elegant woman. Yoongi himself never understood the need for such extravagant possessions, but at least, he thought, at least Min Sunggi wasn't the type to brag about her big house, big cars, and big rings. She was quite modest in terms of her success and where it had gotten her. For that, Yoongi respected her.

Struggling to withhold a sigh, Yoongi pressed the bell on the small white monitor attached to the metal gate. And he waited. Not long, however, as it seemed his aunt had been waiting for him. Seconds later the gates slowly began to open inward, and Yoongi stood his ground patiently as Sunggi proudly exited her home, a brilliant smile on her young-looking face, shoulder-length black hair matching the color of her three-inch heels, while the rose-gold shade of her lipstick matched her dress, which Yoongi could easily identify as one of her own designs. As always, she looked absolutely stunning.

"And don't you just look charming this evening, Yoongi?"

She opened her arms wide to him and captured her beloved nephew in a brief yet loving embrace. When she pulled away, Sunggi placed her hand on Yoongi's cheek and broadened her smile, and somehow, somehow Yoongi felt compelled to smile back, and in a soft voice he uttered, "You look lovely as well, Auntie."

"Oh, you flatter me, sweetheart." She covered her mouth and breathed a quiet laugh. "Well, enough of the small talk, Yoongi dear, I'll call the car around and we can be on our way. Oh, and do look forward to it, I've had my best planners take part in the event just as always. And the food, the food, my sweet nephew, I promise it will be to die for."

Oh, I'll want to die alright. But I don't think the food will have anything to do with it.

"Of course, Auntie. Of course."

*

*

6:03 PM

It was the same exact scene as last year.

The spotless silver bugatti that all the guests recognized pulled in front of the grand hall, where hundreds of people were anticipating the host's arrival. Quite a large handful of them were gathered outside the door with their phones and cameras ready, eagerly awaiting and watching as the bugatti's driver exited car and opened the door for the beautiful Miss Min Sunggi to step out. Without hesitation the cameras began flashing, and Sunggi laughed heartily at her friends who intentionally pulled the most ridiculous poses while taking her picture. Then came Yoongi, reluctant Min Yoongi who slid out of the vehicle after her, but much more slowly, as he needed to brace himself for the undesirable attention that followed. These people knew quite well who he was at this point. With his face having been on one if not several modeling magazine covers, and his presence being at nearly every one of his aunt's "little parties," and not to mention how frequently she flaunted him to her friends and fans alike, it was unlikely any of tonight's guests had the question in mind, who is that man?

Yoongi wished that weren't the case. But alas, by now he had accepted it. And he truly did love his dear aunt, so he could and would never hold a grudge against her.

"Yoongi, smile for me once, will you?"

"I'd rather not, Hyunshik," Yoongi said calmly to one of the photographers, who proceeded to take a dozen pictures the second Yoongi mistakenly looked into the camera.

"Gorgeous. Sunggi will love this one."

"Yoongi-bear! Look this way, sweetheart!"

And there's the other one.

Getting inside the hall was a chore in and of itself, but once he finally managed to make it to the doors, things weren't any easier. Some attention was off him now, which was great, but the mere sight of all the people who had waited indoors instead of joining the outdoor crowd made Yoongi wince. Of course, they all turned their attention to the beautiful host as she entered, but at least now it was easier for Yoongi to slip away and find a quieter place he could wait for Namjoon.

Yes, Namjoon, who would have to be his saving grace this year, just like every year.

Luckily for him, seconds after entering the hall, Yoongi received a text message from his good friend, notifying Yoongi of his presence.

Joonie:
hey yoongs in case u cant see from where u r, jin and i are seated in the left section towards the middle
jin initially asked if we could sit near the food bar but i know u hate that cuz a ton of ppl like to crowd around that area lmao so i picked one of the least crowded spots
i know u and ur aunt r here now cuz of the commotion
so come join us, will u?

Reassuring. Namjoon was always so reassuring and thoughtful, despite how much Yoongi hated to admit it. Sighing, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his suit jacket and made his way as quickly yet inconspicuously as possible towards the section of the seating area Namjoon claimed to be. And lo and behold, there he found his blond, well-groomed friend and said friend's lover, both in their formal attire and with big smiles on their faces. However Namjoon's softened a bit when he saw Yoongi, and with apologetic eyes he gazed at his friend and said, "C'mon, Yoongs. Take a seat."

He did. But once again, reluctantly so, and the moment he lowered himself to the velvet cushion of his chair he already felt exhausted and was tempted simply to lay his head on the table and sleep the night away. But he couldn't. No, he knew that would be impossible. But he could hold his head in his hands, at least.

"You look handsome, Yoongi."

"...thanks, I guess."

Upon receiving this low and sickly-sounding response, Seokjin concernedly turned his head to Namjoon and mouthed the words, 'is he okay?' to which Namjoon mouthed in response, 'don't worry, he's always like this.'

And it was true. Especially towards the beginning of the event. Because he knew he had a long, excruciating night ahead of him, and it both physically and mentally pained him. And tonight was no exception. No, it was even worse, seeing as Yoongi's excitement and hopes of Jimin being here with him were brutally dashed by an honest mistake on Jimin's part.

"You hungry?"

Yoongi removed one of his hands from his face so that he could see Namjoon. "Yeah," he said, sighing again. "But I don't feel like getting food."

"I'll get it for you. What do you want?"

"The bulgogi."

"What if they don't have that?"

"They always have bulgogi, Joon. It's my aunt's favorite."

"Anything else, Your Highness?"

"Yeah, something strong to drink that'll knock me out cold so I won't have to suffer being conscious for the next six hours."

"...one glass of water it is."

Rising from his seat, Namjoon patted Yoongi gently on the head, then gestured for Seokjin to follow him as he left Yoongi and made his way over to the food bar. And Yoongi's good friend didn't consider at the time what would result of his abandoning the table, and so soon did Yoongi find himself in the presence of another man who, without even knowing who it was straightaway, Yoongi did not want to be here. Not near him. Not at his table.

"Yoongiii, hey, don't think I wouldn't recognize you from afar." A brief laugh from the person who had sat across from him urged Yoongi to peel his hands away and make eye contact. Very reluctant eye contact. He didn't force a smile. He didn't even pretend to show the slightest bit of interest in this man who had approached him unannounced. Yoongi wouldn't be bothered with keeping up appearances. He was only here for Sunggi. No one else.

"I don't believe I know you."

"Ah, c'mon, it's me! Hyunki!" The man exclaimed, beaming. "My mom and your aunt went to college together?"

"And how would I know that?"

"I think we talked about this last year," Hyunki informed him. He brought his arms up to rest on the table. "So, you're attending college right now, aren't you? Ah! I remember, you're a music major, right? I'm majoring in biology. Guess we don't have much to relate to with each other in that sense, huh?"

The enthusiasm and friendliness of this man was nothing short of irritating, and Yoongi was in no mood to tolerate another second of it. So he didn't. Without another word, Yoongi pushed his chair back, stood up, and started walking towards the food bar where he hoped he could speedily and easily locate and join up with Namjoon and Jin, but unfortunately his eyes caught a quick glimpse of Sunggi in that same direction, and as much as he loved his aunt, being around her during the party would only mean more unwanted attention and possibly more pictures. So instead he set his course for the men's room. At least there no one could bother him.

Yoongi locked himself inside one of the stalls and leaned against the wall, sighing deeply as he took out his phone. For once, the group chat wasn't blowing up. But he wasn't that surprised this time. Three of them were here, Yugyeom was on vacation somewhere with terrible phone service, and Taehyung and Jungkook, Yoongi assumed, had plans of their own. And Jimin...

5 new messages from Blue_ribbon_mochi.

Yoongi cracked a smile. At least he could talk to Jimin through text. He knew, however, that he would have to resist the temptation of texting Jimin constantly throughout the night, because the reason Jimin wasn't here in the first place was because he was looking after children, and there should be little to no distractions from that.

He opened the messages.

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
hey Yoongi,,
I'm rly sorry about all this
like honestly even if u tell me not to I still feel so bad...
I hope you'll still have a good time :,)
ily,,

Yoongi:
stop apologizing Jimin...
but ok, I guess I'll try
and hey don't text too much u have kids to look after don't u

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
:,( yeah,,
they're good kids tho, they don't usually get into much trouble I think
the youngest is four years old tho so he does need to be carefully watched...
he and his two sisters are sitting on the couch next to me watching spongebob

Yoongi:
I see

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
and what r u doing?

Yoongi:
hiding in the bathroom

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
Yoongiiiii :(
don't spend the entire night there ok??

Yoongi:
but I don't want to go back out there

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
I'll send u another sad video of myself if u don't

Yoongi:
that's cruel blackmail, Jimin
u wouldn't do that to me would u?

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
test me

Yoongi:
mean...

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
so r u gonna go?

Yoongi:
I guess I'll have to...
I rly don't want to tho

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
:,) ty for listening Yoongi
I'll check in with u later if I can

Yoongi:
no u shouldn't
u need to give those kids ur utmost attention

Blue_ribbon_mochi:
:( I mean I guess ur right but,,
aw now I'm more sad
if only I could've found another babysitter...

Yoongi:
don't worry about it Jimin
I'll talk to u later
good night

It was such a difficult thing for Yoongi to say that to Jimin. But he knew it was only right, and not only that, but he was aware that the more Jimin texted him, he would only miss the boy more and this night would just feel longer. So he turned off his phone, slipped it back into his pocket, and reluctantly emerged from the stall. But immediately upon doing this he heard his phone beep again. It wasn't Jimin this time, though.

Joonie:
yoongs where'd u go man

Figures.

Yoongi:
sorry I had to use the bathroom
I'll be back in a sec

Joonie:
this guy named hyunki said he was looking for u

Yoongi:
and what did u tell him

Joonie:
I told him u spontaneously died

Yoongi:
thanks

Joonie:
no prob, man

With that somewhat comforting comment, Yoongi had the confidence to step out of the men's room and back out into the open, where he soon caught sight of Namjoon motioning him over to their table. He made no hesitation to join him--and Seokjin, of course. The two had brought back several plates of food, along with three glasses, all with a transparent liquid in them.

"It's water," Namjoon told Yoongi before he could ask. "I'm not letting you get drunk here."

"Mean. You could have at least gotten me soda water."

"Oh yeah...I'm sorry, Yoongs, I didn't think of it. Do you want me to-"

"No, no, I don't care." Yoongi exhaled deeply and raised the glass of water to his lips and took a long drink. Then he slowly pulled the plate of bulgogi towards himself and began to pick at it, taking small bites in silence every few seconds as he tapped his fingernails against the surface of the table. He knew he was being a total mood killer, and just a small part of him felt guilty for that, but only because it was Namjoon and Seokjin with him, and if he weren't here sulking like a child, the couple might actually have been able to enjoy themselves more. He paused. Then stood up again.

"Another trip to the bathroom?" Seokjin asked, holding back a smile. Yoongi looked at him, sighed, and shook his head.

"Nah, I think..." His eyes traveled over to Namjoon for a brief moment. "...I think I'm gonna go see my aunt now. She'll probably want to take pictures with me at some point tonight, so I might as well get them over with."

He was about to turn his back to them and head off to go find Sunggi, but his feet stopped him when he saw Namjoon pushing back his own chair to stand up as well. And he hugged Yoongi, briefly, but tightly, and patted his friend encouragingly on the back. When he pulled away, he was smiling, sympathy in his expression and in the few quiet words he uttered next.

"Good luck, Yoongs. And hang in there."

With that and a small wave, Yoongi was off, abandoning his table once again so that he could do as he said he would do. And Seokjin and Namjoon both watched him maneuver lackadaisically through the clusters of people scattered around the hall, inconveniently in his path to his aunt, and several of them tried to stop him for a chat, and he, to Namjoon's surprise, turned them down in a polite manner. It was a sad sight. To Namjoon especially, but even Seokjin felt a little down seeing how obviously bummed Yoongi was about the whole thing.

Namjoon reclaimed his seat. Moments later, he sighed, turning to Jin suddenly with a look of determination on his face.

"We gotta get Jimin here somehow."

Seokjin raised a curious brow while at the same time raising his glass of water to his mouth. "How?"

"I don't know how, but we gotta..." Sinking slightly in his chair, Namjoon crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow in thought. He tapped his pinkie finger against his elbow. "...what if..." He paused. "...Jin, you have Taehyung's number, right?"

"I do. I sent it to you a while ago because apparently Yoongi wanted it for some reason."

"Oh yeah. Well, send it to me again. I never saved it."

"Sure thing."

Both Seokjin and Namjoon took out their phones, and in just a few seconds the exchange was made.

???:
hey taehyung it's me, namjoon

Taetae:
ey namjoon wassup??
kookie and i are chillin at my dorm rn

Joonie:
so no big plans?

Taetae:
nope
just a chill night

Joonie:
ok thats good

Taetae:
lmao y?

Joonie:
well u see
i have a big favor to ask of u...