The private room of the bar was buzzing with celebratory energyâor at least it was for most of the group. Siwoo, Yejoon, and Juwon were enthusiastically singing the birthday song, raising their glasses in mock toasts and occasionally breaking into laughter. In stark contrast, Gyungho sat with his phone clutched in his hand, his brow furrowed in irritation. His gaze flicked repeatedly between the glowing screen and the door, as though expecting someone to burst in at any moment.
"Happy birthday, bro!" Siwoo said loudly, clapping Gyungho on the back. But when Gyungho barely reacted, Siwoo leaned closer, peering at the phone. His teasing smile faltered, replaced by wide-eyed shock. "Wait a second... don't tell me Kim Taehyung blocked you?"
Gyungho shot him a sharp glare. "Shut up."
The tension in his voice silenced Siwoo momentarily, but it drew Yejoon and Juwon's attention. They exchanged puzzled glances before approaching.
"What's his problem now?" Yejoon whispered to Juwon.
"I just heard Taehyung's name," Juwon replied in a low voice. "It's gotta be because he didn't show up. Now Gyungho's fuming."
Siwoo, unfazed by Gyungho's irritation, leaned in closer. "Brother, don't worry. Remember, Taehyung's just playing hard to get. Maybe he wanted to come but didn't know where we are. Let me send him the address."
Siwoo pulled out his phone, typed out the location, and hit send. A second later, his screen flashed red with the dreaded Message Failed to Send notification. He stared at it in disbelief.
"Brother, I think... he blocked me too," Siwoo confessed, scratching his head awkwardly.
Gyungho's head snapped up. His jaw tightened as he turned to Yejoon, silently commanding him to try. Yejoon quickly pulled out his phone, sent a text, and was met with the same rejection.
"Blocked," Yejoon muttered, shaking his head.
Gyungho's patience was wearing thin. He turned to Juwon with a deadly serious expression. "You. Call him."
"I don't have his number," Juwon replied sheepishly.
"Fine," Gyungho snapped, rattling off Taehyung's number from memory. Both Siwoo and Yejoon froze mid-motion, sharing a look of utter disbelief.
Does he really dislike Taehyung... or is he just playing hard to get himself?
Juwon hesitated but dialed the number, putting the phone on speaker.
______
Meanwhile, Jungkook stood outside the restroom, casually holding Taehyung's belongings in one hand. He leaned against the wall, scrolling through his phone, waiting for Taehyung to return.
Taehyung's phone began to vibrate in Jungkook's other hand. The first time, Jungkook ignored it, figuring it was unimportant. But when the same number called again, he furrowed his brows, glancing at the screen.
"It might be an emergency," he muttered to himself and decided to answer.
"Hello?" Jungkook's deep voice carried through the speaker.
On the other end, Yejoon's voice exploded. "You blocked all of us? How dare you do that? Brother is very angry with you!"
Jungkook chuckled softly, the sound dripping with amusement. "Does your brother still want to get hit? If not, tell him to stop harassing Taehyung."
Without waiting for a reply, Jungkook ended the call, shaking his head in disbelief.
________
Back at the bar, the silence that followed was deafening. Yejoon stared at the now-dark phone screen, his mouth hanging open.
"Did he just...?" Yejoon started, but his words trailed off as he looked at Gyungho.
Gyungho's teeth were clenched, his knuckles white as he gripped his phone. "First, he blocks me. Now he's out in public, openly roaming around with some guy?" His voice was low, but the fury in it was unmistakable. "I gave him too much freedom, didn't I?"
Before anyone could react, Gyungho stood abruptly, shoving his chair back with enough force to make it screech against the floor.
"Where are you going?" Juwon called out, alarmed. "We haven't even cut the cake!"
But Gyungho was already out the door, his expression dark with determination.
________
Jungkook stood casually by the wall, his boot tapping lightly against the tiled floor as he waited. Taehyung had taken longer than expected in the restroom, but Jungkook didn't mind. The faint buzz of the amusement park and the distant laughter of children filled the air, mixing with the bright afternoon light filtering through the windows. In his hand were Taehyung's phone and bagâlight but oddly significant to him, as though holding these things connected him even more to Taehyung.
When the restroom door finally creaked open, Taehyung stepped out, looking a little refreshed but slightly flustered. He ran a hand through his soft, tousled hair, his black satin shirt catching the sunlight and giving him an effortlessly radiant glow. Jungkook's lips curled into a small, fond smile.
"Here," Jungkook said, handing Taehyung his belongings. His fingers lingered for a fraction of a second as Taehyung took them, though the other didn't seem to notice.
Jungkook hesitated, suddenly unsure if he should say what had just happened. His thumb brushed his lower lip as he mulled it over quickly, but he decided to tell him.
"Uh, Taehyung," Jungkook began, his voice soft but audible, "Siwoo just called your phone. It was from an unknown number, so I thought it might be an emergency... so I picked it up."
Taehyung, mid-motion as he tucked his phone into his pocket, froze for a second. His brows furrowed ever so slightly as he looked at Jungkook, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Siwoo?" he asked, more to himself than Jungkook.
"Yeah," Jungkook confirmed, shifting his weight onto one leg. "He... well, he sounded annoyed or something. But you know how he is."
Taehyung frowned faintly at Jungkook's words, a mixture of annoyance and resignation passing across his face. He let out a small sigh through his nose but didn't linger on it. Instead, he shoved the phone deeper into his pocket, as though determined to keep itâand the person on the other endâfar away from his thoughts.
"You're not going to call back?" Jungkook asked, watching him carefully.
Taehyung looked up at Jungkook, his expression softening as he shook his head. "No," he replied firmly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "It'll just spoil our fun."
Jungkook blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Taehyung's answer. Before he could respond, Taehyung reached for Jungkook's wrist, wrapping his fingers gently around it.
"Let's go," Taehyung said brightly, tugging him forward with an eagerness that left no room for argument. His voice had a childlike excitement to it, his smile wide and genuine as he added, "I want to play more."
Jungkook let himself be pulled along, his heartbeat quickening as he looked at Taehyung's back. The way the afternoon sunlight caught Taehyung's dark hair, creating faint golden streaks, made him seem untouchable, almost unreal. A small smile tugged at the corner of Jungkook's lips as he trailed slightly behind, watching the way Taehyung's energy seemed to infect everyone in the amusement park.
"Where are we going now?" Jungkook asked, humoring him as they reached the next play areaâa section bustling with the noise of carnival games and delighted screams from the bumper cars nearby.
"You'll see!" Taehyung said without looking back, practically bouncing on his heels.
Jungkook chuckled quietly, letting himself be swept up in Taehyung's enthusiasm. Whatever that call had been about, it didn't matterânot when the person in front of him looked this happy. For now, he decided, he'd make sure nothing ruined Taehyung's day.