Chapter Text
The dreaded day is finally upon The Rhythm of Seoul school and everyone from students to teachers to even janitors on the edge. It's that time of the year where a lot of dreams will be broken... and a few lucky ones will be nurtured to grow into a gigantic tree whether the participant is ready or not.
It's the day of The Annual Composers Summit, for the final year students of the school who are only a step away from graduating. This year's batch has a total of twenty-one aspirants, but to be very honest, hardly two or three of them have a chance to even be noticed in the Summit. Of course, they will all graduate with flying colors from one of the top music schools in the world, but what are they if they're not the gold medalist in The Summit?
"What if they see that I'm just a wannabe even before the curtain opens properly, Tae!? What if they just... shoo me out of the stage before I-"
Taehyung urgently shoves a piece of scone into the other's mouth, "Joonie you're literally on the top of everything I can ever think of!"
"But I'm not though..." he trails off with a scowl, "Although I would be if it wasn't for that shit head's stupid little stunts throughout the last month."
"Let's be real... you caused him just as much trouble. He only came above you by a little bit."
Namjoon doesn't want to acknowledge his petty actions, although the whole school knows by now, "Whatever. This is the ultimate competition and I'm going to win against that pretentious piece of a horse, no matter what."
Taehyung just chuckles, pretty sure that his boyfriend will be listening to the same rant from the said enemy on the other side of the wall, "Let's hope he doesn't try to pull anything today.... unless you have? In that case, it's just fair competition I gue-"
"Taehyung where the fuck is my composition?" Namjoon interrupts in the softest voice. But it trembles with fear and Taehyung is by his side in the next second.
"It's in the competition folder Joonie-"
"Would I be fucking asking if it were there!?" Namjoon suddenly growls, making Taehyung take a hesitant step backward. He hates it when Namjoon raises his voice, and Namjoon knows this.
"I'm- I'm sorry but... the file is not here..." Namjoon says again but much softer this time, his face scrunched up as if he's trying very hard to keep his calm.
Taehyung knows that his best friend's mind is probably running miles per hour now, and so he pushes him aside to check for himself.
They have to get the hard copy ready in thirty minutes and.... and the file is nowhere to be found.
He searches the whole PC and logs in to every drive he knows and: nothing. He doesn't have to turn around to see that Namjoon is probably seconds away from sobbing into his hands.
—
Unlike what Taehyung assumed, his boyfriend isn't on the other side of the wall. Because the person who should actually be occupying that practice room right now is on the other part of the campus, in the dorms, screaming with frustration and pacing all around the room with tears streaming down his face.
"Kookie, I promise I had multiple copies of it saved! In both my laptop and Jimin's! And it's nowhere to be found!!"
"Hyung, calm down! I'm sure you're just panicking and not looking for it properly. You've always been a boomer when it comes to technology."
But Yoongi isn't having it. "I fucking know that Jungkook! And that's exactly why we saved them in just normal folders and I can't find any of them!"
"Shh it's okay, you're just panicking. I'll get there in two minutes, please try not to jump off the window till then."
"No promises" Yoongi whispers, not even sure if he's joking. It seems pretty appealing to him at the moment.
—
Thirty minutes later and Yoongi is standing deflated outside the auditorium he's supposed to be in at the moment - or ten minutes ago to be very honest - when Namjoon barges past him in a hurry.
His mind doesn't even comprehend, his world quite literally crumbling inside him and he doesn't even know what he's doing there standing like a useless piece of shit. But it's when Namjoon backtracks and stands in front of him with a loud huff that he's shaken out of his reverie.
"Get inside Min. Watch me ruin you in your own fucking game."
And the next moment he's gone but Yoongi is still frozen. But everything comes back to him like a storm of ice-cold rain.
It was nearly a month ago when it happened. When the class was due to submit one of their final projects for one of the strictest professors of their batch. Yoongi had decided it was his last chance to annoy his arch-nemesis and hid Namjoon's copy in his own backpack, loving how he was nervously squirming and looked close to tears.
Just when it was a minute for the bell to ring, he had carelessly thrown the folder at Namjoon's desk, "Go submit it you cry baby" he had sneered and strutted away with a smirk.
"No way" Yoongi whispers in shock, "No way he's trying to pay back to that with... something so serious."
But even as he whispers it to himself, he feels numb. It's so obvious that Yes, Namjoon did just do that. His smirk and those words all lead to that. And Yoongi feels like throwing up.
"Hyung" Jungkook is suddenly by his side, panting hard, "I searched everywhere, Hyung. I can't find it anywhere."
"You won't find it Jungkook," Yoongi says, his detached and cold voice even shocking himself, "You can't."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Namjoon stole it."
"Hyung, he wouldn't-"
"Jungkook for fucks sake! I know he's your role model or some shit but don't fight me on this. He literally said it to my face just a few seconds ago smirking in all his asshole glory!" Yoongi is panting, he's angry.
He's angry but more than that he's shocked and disappointed... might even go as far as saying he's hurt. Hurt that a person he definitely hated but respected stooped so low.
"Hyung, where are you-"
"I have nothing to do here. I'm leaving."
Jungkook looks so sad and maybe Yoongi would care if his own heart wasn't breaking into a million pieces, "Okay, I'll come with."
"No. Please, I wanna be alone."
And he's out of there before Jungkook could even respond.
—
When Jungkook finally gets inside the auditorium, Namjoon is getting off the stage, followed by a loud round of standing ovation.
Namjoon smiles at him as soon as he notices Jungkook, "Jungkoo-"
"I'm so ashamed that I even looked up to you." Jungkook spats angrily before walking away, tears streaming down his face.
Namjoon doesn't even have enough time to process that before Yoongi is being called on the stage.
One call, two, three, and a few more, and Yoongi is nowhere to be seen.
To say Namjoon is confused is an understatement, but it grows even higher when Taehyung runs to him, "Joonie, Yoongi hyung pulled out of the competition."
"I mean, I could get that from him not appearing on the stage. But what? Why? How?"
Taehyung looks pained to even say what he says next, "Hyung's composition was also stolen Joonie." And again, before Namjoon could process that, he adds, "And they think- Yoongi hyung and Jungkookie thinks that you stole it."
"I- what?!" Namjoon exclaims, "But he's the one who stole mine!"
"Well... now it seems like he probably didn't, doesn't it?"
Namjoon is so confused and his head is suddenly spinning when he makes eye contact with a certain cat-eyed boy who looks like he was caught murdering someone before making a run for it.
"What the fuck!?" Namjoon exclaims, finally remembering where he's seen those eyes before, "I'll meet you later Tae- I gotta go".
"But hyung-"
But Namjoon is already gone, dashing towards the north entrance of the auditorium.