Chapter Text
yoongi didn't mean for it to spiral out of control.
it was just supposed to be him and a delicious dinner, one that had been overdue because he kept postponing his reservation due to continuous long meetings in the office. it was only thanks to his good friend hoseok that he had the free time to avail of the reservation, what with the other taking care of the final revisions of the tracklist they were going to send out for evaluation. the equation did not at all include an attractive doe-eyed stranger who apparently thought that he was someone his brother set him up with.
and yet, yoongi threw caution to the wind and went with the situation anyway.
how could he not when jeongguk came into the restaurant looking a little bit lost before his eyes met yoongi's and then suddenly there was hope glimmering in them? yoongi wasn't even exaggerating... the kid (or not kid? jeongguk was twenty-three and his build was testament to that, although yoongi would push his face as an argument) had the most expressive eyes he'd ever seen on someone, and he wasn't the type to wax poetic over physical features like that.
at first, he was going to admit that he didn't really know a jin-hyung and that this was all just a misunderstanding. it was going to be embarrassing for the both of them, sure, but maybe they could get something out of it.
except, something in the back of yoongi's mind niggled at him that once he told jeongguk the truth, the younger would get angry and leave, and yoongi would never see him again because these real city romances just didn't work like in the movies.
so yoongi did what he was always good at. he delayed. he'd tell him after dinner, when they would be leaving yamashita's. he could make a good impression then, and maybe, just maybe, jeongguk wouldn't storm off. maybe he'd opt to see this little misunderstanding as a blessing in disguise. it wasn't often that yoongi got to be selfish like this.
despite having so many windows to tell jeongguk the truth, yoongi just... couldn't. right up until he had walked jeongguk to his apartment, yoongi figured it was time to go big or go home, and kissed jeongguk good night. jeongguk was pliant in his arms, tasted like the red wine they had in the restaurant.
it was over as quick as it had started. one moment he was basking in the warmth of jeongguk's presence, the next he was staring at jeongguk's front door with his lips tingling from the memory of the contact. it was then that he realized there was no way jeongguk wouldn't find out now. who's to say jeongguk didn't live with his brother?
it was inevitable. yoongi was going to be exposed, and he didn't want to be around here when that was going to happen.
he bolted the fuck out of there.
"so let me get this straight... you pretended to be someone else's blind date for a whole four hours, actually liked the guy enough to walk him home and kiss him, and still didn't tell him you weren't actually the guy he was looking for?"
"yes."
"why would you do that?"
"why not?"
"jesus christ, yoongi-hyung." namjoon looked as if he wanted to laugh and groan disapprovingly at the same time. "what kind of answer is that?"
yoongi crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look as nonchalant as he could. "if you'd seen the kid, you'd know how i feel."
namjoon rolled his eyes, but there was no mistaking the fondness in his tone as he spoke. "the one time you actually have a night for yourself, you pull this kind of shit. no wonder hobi has to always look out for you, hyung."
"hobi's not going to hear about this." yoongi levelled namjoon with a heated stare. "you aren't going to tell him."
"and miss the look on his face when he finds out his favorite yoongi-hyung is-"
"finish that sentence, joonie i dare you."
"alright, alright." namjoon raised his hands in surrender, a teasing smile on his face. wordlessly, he set up his laptop on the dining table and went back to work. when he plonked his branded headphones over his ears, yoongi knew he wouldn't be able to talk to him for the next few hours.
that was fine. yoongi didn't really need pep talk. he just needed someone to hear him out without immediate judgment. yoongi loved hoseok, but he tended to be more sensitive about this kind of things.
the time on his watch read 2:07 am when he decided it was time to just get over what happened and go back to agonizing over his music sheets again. yoongi couldn't possibly go to bed now. he'd just wallow in his thoughts again and that was what he'd been doing on the couch for hours before namjoon came home.
half of the time he was waiting for the impending text or phone call that would make or break the rest of his week, and the rest of it was spent trying to remember what really happened that night. all he could think about was jeongguk and his face and his voice and his stories... and yoongi should stop there right now. spending a measly four hours with jeongguk shouldn't have taken such a toll with him, but the universe has always been known to fuck with yoongi. take his height for example.
anyway, the radio silence from jeongguk was so stressful that yoongi just wanted the confrontation over with. he fired up a quick text message asking jeongguk if he liked lamb skewers. if jeongguk wasn't aware of the situation yet then yoongi can take him out on the weekend and confess there. if he was aware then he probably won't reply.
yoongi would give it until noon tomorrow and told himself that no matter what would happen, life was going to go on as always. he sighed to himself.
so much for getting time off to relax, he thought as he went to his room to retrieve his tablet and lyric notebook.
yoongi was still working on one of the cypher mixes when his phone trilled, signalling a new message.
the sun has long since risen, bathing the living room in yellow hues, and namjoon had retired to his bedroom thirty minutes ago. if yoongi focused enough, he could hear the man snore in his sleep.
yoongi saved his work and exited the application, setting aside his tablet in favor of getting his phone and reading the message. his stomach dropped when he saw that it was jeongguk and it took a while before he could muster enough courage to do it, but when he opened the text he sagged against the back of the couch in relief.
hell yea i love lamb skewers! is that where you're taking me on saturday? :^)
jeongguk didn't know at all, god bless his soul.
yoongi might just have a chance to redeem himself and do the right thing here.
"or not," he muttered to himself when his phone suddenly started ringing, jeongguk's name flashing on the caller id.
yoongi wasted a few moments chewing on his bottom lip, afraid to take the call. it could just be jeongguk asking about their weekend date, nothing harmful. on that note, yoongi swiped the accept button and kept his voice as calm as he could.
he ended up drawling. "hey jeongguk."
"yoongi-hyung?" jeongguk sounded panicky, the same way he did when he sat down on yoongi's table last night and apologized for being late.
"yeah?"
cold sweat started to bead on yoongi's forehead as he waited. they weren't even in the same place and yoongi could feel the tension choking him.
and then, "you're not my blind date, are you?"
yoongi shook his head, then realized jeongguk couldn't see him do it. "i'm not," he said, surprised his voice hasn't cracked. it was now or never. he wouldn't let himself hold his tongue.
he bit out "i'm sorry!" at the same time that jeongguk exclaimed "i'm so sorry, hyung!" and yoongi blinked in confusion.
"wait, why are you apologizing?"
jeongguk spoke so fast that his busan accent bled all over the place. "it's because i imposed on you! you weren't supposed to eat dinner with me and entertain me, and i took up so much of your time because i made a wrong assumption! i'm really sorry hyung, i really wasn't thinking carefully. i probably ruined your night because i was so nervous! this is so embarrassing, christ!"
yoongi sincerely hoped that jeongguk wasn't crying even though he heard a wet sniffle from the other side of the line. "jeongguk... you didn't ruin my night. i had every chance to tell you the truth and i didn't, and it's because i... didn't want you to leave."
when jeongguk didn't reply, yoongi took it as a cue to continue. "i was thrown off when you came to sit with me, even more so when you said it was arranged. i've never seen you and i've never met your brother, and it's true that i was just looking forward to eating out alone." yoongi took another deep breath. he was just getting started.
"but you were so endearing. i could feel your anxiety emanating from you in waves, and i thought i could help make you more comfortable. easy on the eyes," and at this jeongguk scoffed, "even easier to keep talking with because we have the same interests. anyone who knows me personally would tell you i barely speak a full sentence in a week and you got me so chatty i probably talked your ears off."
"you didn't," jeongguk cut in softly, "talk my ears off, i mean. i was so relieved we were hitting it off."
"so was i, jeongguk." yoongi confessed. "i was going to tell you i wasn't your actual blind date after eating, but i had such a good time that i couldn't bring myself to. you'd run out on me, i was sure of it."
"i wouldn't!" there was a shuffle on the other line, as if jeongguk was trying to get himself to calm down. "you were there, you saw the way i looked at you! i spent hours talking with you, hyung! how could i just leave?"
yoongi did recall heart eyes, but it was mostly because he felt himself giving them and not the other way around. "i meant it when i said i liked you, jeongguk. even the part when i said i wanted to see you again. but i deceived you. if there's anyone who should apologize, it should be me and not you."
it was a long time before jeongguk spoke again, and he seemed more composed when he did. "then apologize, hyung," he said earnestly, "and then take me out on saturday for those skewers."
blood rushed to yoongi's cheeks, and even though he was alone in the living room, he still covered his face with his free hand as he said, "i'm sorry for not telling you, jeongguk. will you still have lunch with me this weekend?"
he could hear jeongguk exhale slowly through the receiver. "yes please," the younger replied.
yoongi bit his lip to keep himself from smiling as he and jeongguk worked out the details. when they bid each other good bye, yoongi could finally breathe easier. that definitely went better than he expected, and if namjoon and hoseok commented on the dopey-looking grin on his face that he had on all day, then yoongi would let them.
he didn't care. he had a date on saturday.