Engaged

To Yoongi, it seemed like a promise—a promise of more smiles, a promise of more exuberance. A promise. Promise. - Promises that Yoongi made in life before the last few minutes had happened dawned on him, along with the realization of what Taehyung meant. Taehyung was asking Yoongi out.

He immediately shook himself, remembering that he was engaged. ENGAGED to be married in a few months. And what was this? Just a few minutes later.

“So sweet of you. What is your name?” Yoongi said it with poise.

"Aehyun,” Taehyung replied with the most confident smile he ever had.

“Aehyun, I am flattered, but this will be a waste of time. I am engaged.” Yoongi spoke slowly, looking into Taehyung’s eyes and raising his hand to show the ring on his finger. He did not want to dismiss the boy’s approach; he wanted to be respectful and decline politely.

The smile and brightness in Taehyung’s eyes dropped. And Yoongi’s heart felt a tinge of pain. This time, when Yoongi moved, he was dragging his feet heavily, the weight on his shoulders visible. He saw the other boy moving back to the shop where he borrowed the pen and paper. Yoongi spotted his mother at a shop and went to stand next to her.

“Hi. I will take 20–25 minutes more, Yoongi. Sorry. You want to stay here or take a round?” His mother said she rubbed Yoongi’s cheeks.

“It is okay. Take your time. I will just go have tea at that cafe I saw on the top of the market,” Yoongi said. He wanted some time alone with his thoughts. “Sure.” His mother said, and with that, Yoongi headed to the cafe he had spotted earlier. He must have sat there for a couple of minutes when a small boy, a tea vendor, as Yoongi guessed, came and gave him a piece of paper.

“Who gave it?” Yoongi asked, but before he could finish the question, the boy ran off. He opened the paper and the same smile came to his face. It was the peculiar handwriting he saw a little while ago.

The first line read: Look right. Yoongi looked right and there at his eye level, approx. 50 meters away, was a clock tower. The one that was kind of a monumental structure, typical of hilly areas. Even more intrigued, he read ahead.

{Look, I have put the clock back by 15 minutes} Yoongi looked at the boy. He moved the minute hand of the clock 15 minutes back.

{Assume you and me never met}

{Assume I never asked you out}

{Assume you will be making a new friend, Aehyun}

{And assume this friend will be helping you in your wedding preparations}

"Adorable,” Yoongi thought and kept looking at him after each sentence.

{Now that you have assumed all this, why not give me a gummy smile and a wave}

And what could Yoongi do? He smiled, freely, once again and waved an enthusiastic hello to Taehyung.

Yoongi reached the guest house around mid-morning. As the family settled in, Yoongi waited. He waited for his friend and classmate, as well as roommate Namjoon, to come to him. Namjoon and Yoongi had decided to stay together for this holiday—the last of sorts before adult life started. Before money, responsibilities, spouses, or anything else started. 

Yoongi’s parents readily agreed, as they liked Namjoon a lot. Good grades, good reputation, good kid. Namjoon was joining them around 3 or 4 in the evening. Yoongi knew he had to keep the turmoil inside until then.

Finally, these two got some alone time around 5 Pm. They were sitting on the porch swing in the large garden of the guest house. Away from any earshot of his parents. Yoongi went to narrate the morning, which was starting to look like his original villain story—he just did not know it yet.

Namjoon let him say his piece but somehow, without words, as if upon agreement, he started talking about Jinho.

“You know, I was so surprised when you first met Jinho and told her you were engaged.” Namjoon smiled and said, feet playing with the grass.

“I started visiting her house a lot and she used to get teased at college because of it and I saw she was uncomfortable around me. Thus, to get that awkwardness out, I told her that.” Yoongi smiled back, thinking about those glances while passing each other in his professor’s house.

“She was so pretty; all the boys had a crush on her, but I knew you had a connection.". Namjoon said it with a warm smile. He remembered those days well.

“Yeah, we were subtle but she wasn’t. One day she just stormed into the library and asked, Are you going to do something about us, Yoongi, or no?” Yoongi snorted and chuckled. It was an embarrassing day that he would always remember. He didn’t like attention and the way the entire library looked at him that day, he was stunned.!!

“I remember you were so scared to come back and talk to your mom and dad,” Namjoon fondly said.

“Mom’s only question was, What do her parents do?” Yoongi said, looking at Namjoon, and they both laughed.

“It has always been important for your parents to know the stature, especially the education, of everyone they are dealing with. It makes sense, your dad is a high-ranking official and he has his post’s dignity to maintain.” Namjoon said it as if he were thinking aloud.

“In a blink of an eye, it was all settled, but I wouldn’t want to change anything. She’s a headstrong person; that is one thing I value the most.” Yoongi smiled, thinking about Jinho. He respected Jinho for being so independent.

The holiday was going well, and things were going fine. Both boys spent most of the day walking up and down the estate boundaries. While walking on the market-side boundary of the estate, they would often see Aehyun—as Yoongi and Namjoon knew him—going by, spreading joy.

There were days when Aehyun used to blow a flying kiss their way and some days when he would just dance randomly. One day, Aehyun paid more attention to the tall guy next to Yoongi. He got to understand that they were friends. He sent a green balloon with a bunch of leaves tied to its end their way, gesturing that this one was for the tall boy.

Yoongi, on the other hand, suddenly felt a strange sense of relief at being away from Jinho. There was no problem with her or around her. He too didn’t know why he was feeling happy being away, as a newly engaged couple, they should be yearning to spend every waking minute next to each other, or so he believed.

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