"I still don't understand why you guys aren't giving me a gun," Meisa pouted, flipping her soft lustrous hair behind her shoulder and readjusting one of the straps of her long teal dress. She was sporting a new hairstyle today, her hair was cut barely above her shoulders and instead of the previous blond dye it was a minty green hue, complimenting her emerald green eyes.

"I told you, it's too risky," Jungkook grumbled, rolling his eyes with the exasperation of a person who had to answer the same question at least a thousand times.

"But I want to be badass like you guys," the dainty girl whined, bouncing on her own feet. "Okay then," she finally said, letting her hands fall loosely to her sides in defeat.

"Let's run through this real quick one last time," Namjoon had spent the last two hours insisting that everyone knew exactly what to do at the ball, earning several annoyed groans to fill the room. "Shut up. I don't want any mistakes. We should be constantly on alert. Observe Hyukjae and Yoongi intently but don't be too obvious. Be on the lookout for anything that seems even the least bit strange to you. Watch them, watch what they drink, what they eat, who they talk to. Meisa, I know this might be hard for you, but it's imperative that you stay by Hyukjae's side tonight. See if you could overhear something."

Meisa's shoulders slightly tensed up. "Yeah, alright." She sighed, glancing down at the diamond ring sparkling on her finger. They had all decided it was for the best that she didn't tell Hyukjae about breaking off the engagement yet, given it would be beneficial for them if she could be around him and observe his actions from up close. "It's okay, really," she assured, once she noticed Aera's concerned gaze linger on her. "I'll just think of it as a spy mission." She winked playfully.

"Remember, he shouldn't detect even the slightest sign of you betraying his trust. Right now he thinks he has you wrapped around his finger and this would work in our favor. He'll be careless around you. No matter what happens, he shouldn't grow doubtful. If he has even the slightest suspicion of us conspiring against him, everything will be in vain," Jin advised, adjusting his tie. "The same goes for Yoongi."

This would be the difficult part, Aera thought to herself. Yoongi had always been extremely intuitive and observant, she really hoped he wouldn't pick up on their intentions.

"And last but not least, act natural," Namjoon reminded, emphasizing the last two words. "Mingle, interact, talk with people. Don't do anything that would provoke suspicion."

"If I may add," Jimin spoke up, standing up abruptly and glaring at both Jungkook and Meisa. "No googly eyes or bedroom look exchanges from across the room. This one goes especially for you, Romeo and Juliet. Don't fuck this up." He warned them, not even bothering to cover up the menace in his voice.

"Alright, alright," Jungkook groaned, his irritation flaring. "Now let's go have some fun."

***

Clutching on the glass of wine in her right hand, Aera strolled towards the enormous swan-shaped fountain, immersed at the sound of water hitting against water. Her fingertips brushed against the warm marble.

The hotel's garden had always been her mother's favorite place. She had been insisting that the guests of the establishment would have a place they would relax without the frenetic movement of rushing through life. Mrs. Lee had designed the garden herself, leaving little signs of her delicate taste all over the place.

She had always wanted this to be their little piece of heaven.

Aera gazed down at the water absent-mindedly. Distant hazy chatter could be heard over the music. She picked up her gaze, scanning her surroundings. So many people had decided to attend the annual masquerade ball and the crowd kind of make her uneasy. She could see people chatting cheerfully, shaking hands and patting each other on the backs, glad to see each other. Each of them was wearing a mask, staying true to the theme of the party.

She wondered how many of them exactly ever put their masks down. The masks of benevolence and good will that had practically become their second skin, that was.

Movement by the bar caught her eye. There he was, her half-brother with his usual entourage of rich arrogant brats. He was laughing loudly, probably telling another one of his disgusting jokes. She hoped he would remain oblivious to the elaborate plan that had been crafted behind his back throughout the whole night.

Her heart rate rocketed once she laid eyes on a particular someone. Yoongi was strutting towards his friends, his black hair shining like the sea at night, illuminated by the dim light from the many candles scattered across the garden. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his head swinging towards her direction. She froze. He was wearing a black Phantom of the Opera mask over his face and it prevented her from determining where exactly he was looking at. The depths of never-ending blackness in his eyes were sparkling and she felt all the air evaporate from her lungs.

It was probably just a couple of moments, but to her it felt like centuries. Aera blinked, convinced that she was being paranoid. It was hardly possible that he would be looking at her. She let out a long sigh of relief when he finally whirled around, resuming his walk towards the bar.

"You are so disarmingly beautiful."

Spinning on her heels, Aera couldn't help but set free a sharp gasp. Glowing dark chocolate orbs pierced through her, rimmed by a black and gold half-face mask. Instantly, she found herself swooning at the way his custom-made black suit hugged his frame, emphasizing his lean physique and of course, accentuating the muscular bulges swelling from underneath the fabric. This time, he was sporting a black sateen button-up shirt instead of the usual snow-white hue.

He prowled towards her, his tongue cloaking his plump lips as his orbs traced the distance from her cleavage to the edge of her black cocktail dress, the lace embroidered on the fabric matching the lace on her half-face mask.

"Thank you," Aera replied, the corners of her mouth fighting a shy smile. For an instant, her eyes meet the hungry beast underneath the surface of his collected persona. It made her shudder and she couldn't deny the burning desire that started smoldering deep inside her chest.

Jimin closed the distance between their bodies, his hand gravitating towards her waist. "I know we said we wouldn't rush things, but this dress is making me rethink my promise," he growled, his enticing fragrance flooding Aera's senses.

"It's hard for me too," she let out a flustered chuckle, feeling her cheeks grow hotter with each passing second. "Jimin, I can't focus if you keep doing this," she glanced down at his arm that had enclosed around her back, drawing small circles on the fabic of her dress.

"You're right," he sighed heavily. "Let's go, we still have to give off the impression that we're casually attending a party." He reminded and urged her to walk in front of him as they started making their way through the sea of people. The lights were dim and all of their surroundings swirled together in a mixture of moving shadows.

Aera swayed by the tables, offering polite nods to anyone that waved their hand at her. She prayed no one would approach her for a chat. She and Jimin reached one of the not so crowded corners of the enormous tents, a perfect spot for surveilling the venue.

Unintentionally, Aera's gaze fell onto Meisa's minty-haired head, slumped over the bar and toying with the straw of her drink mindlessly. She seemed somewhere deep in thought, but Aera knew she was concentrating to hear some part of the conversations Hyukjae was having next to her.

Letting her eyes roam the perimeter, Aera spotted Jungkook and Namjoon that were each standing at the sides of the enormous stairwell leading to the hotel's entrance, seeming like they were diligently doing their duties. Jin was casually talking to one of his father's colleagues, a young doctor specializing in Cardiology, but wasn't missing an opportunity to steal a glance at Hyukjae and Yoongi.

"Poor Meisa," Aera sighed, turning around to face Jimin and taking a bite of one of the oeur d'oeuvres, but spitting it immediately after having tasted its sour flavor.

"What do you mean?" Jimin slightly frowned.

"Having to endure my brother's revolting presence when the man she truly loves is at the other side of the room, watching them. It must be horrible."

"Probably." Jimin agreed, ebony eyes narrowing at her half-brother.

"Did you know about them?" Aera questioned, suddenly curious. If this had been going on for a while, then she really felt sorry for those two having to hide their relationship for so long.

"About Jungkook and Meisa? Hm. If you're asking me like this, then I'm telling you I didn't."

Aera's mouth hung before it morphed into a grin. "You did, didn't you?"

"I never said that." Jimin smirked, giving her a suggestive look.

"You're so vague," Aera laughed. "And I'm forever mad at you for not telling me."

"Of course I didn't tell you. Jungkook is my best friend, and also, this is guys' stuff," he cleared his throat, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

"You sound absurd."

"No, you sound absurd," Jimin retorted, remind her of their playful banter the other night when they had started a literal pillow fight.

"No, you-" the way Jimin's face darkened caused the words to get stuck in Aera's throat. His shoulders immediately tensed up and his previous amusement vanished, replaced by evident agitation as his eyes drifted somewhere over her shoulder.

"May I have this dance?"

The rich, sultry baritone made the hairs on the back of Aera's neck stand up. It wasn't necessary for her to turn around to see who it belonged to.

Yoongi's pitch black orbs scintillated with a mischievous gleam from underneath the mask. His hand was reaching for Aera's, curling and uncurling as if he was trying to invite her to come closer.

Slightly frantic, she glanced over at Jimin, searching for some type of silent communication. He met her eyes, his eyebrows slightly curling as if he were begging her not to go. She bit her lip. If she refused, Yoongi might begin to suspect something was going on.

It's alright, she tried telling Jimin with her eyes. Perhaps if she kept Yoongi busy, the others would have a better chance of getting something out of Hyukjae.

Probably having understood her, Jimin bobbed his head in a slow but firm nod. He glared one last time at Yoongi before retreating back to where Namjoon and Jungkook stood.

"Well, that was intense," Yoongi commented, his lips thinning into a line.

Aera simply scoffed, placing her small hand in his cold palm begrudgingly and shuddering at the sensation of his skin against hers. His other arm folded around her waist and pressed her closer to himself as they started swaying under the tune of the slow music.

"I must say, blackness suits you well." Yoongi smirked, his gaze trailing the distance from Aera's lips to her neckline. His arm around her back guided her to move her body in sync with his.

"Thank you." she grumbled, gathering all her willpower to remain guarded by his attempts at playing on her heart strings. Yoongi was the master of deceit, she wouldn't allow him toy with her mind.

Not anymore.

"Doesn't this remind you of the good old days?" he let out a soft sigh, a tinge of nostalgia in his deep silky voice. "We don't talk much anymore."

"When have we ever?" Aera gave a humorless laugh. "I mean, with the exception of breaking bottles and slamming doors." She felt a wave of bitterness wash over her as she reminisced about all of the drama surrounding her relationship with Yoongi.

"Is this how you want to remember us?" he seemed disheartened. "With the fights and arguments?"

"What else was there, Yoongi?"

"What about the way we used to take care of each other?" he muttered. "We were living for each other."

"I don't think so." She stated coldly.

"Maybe it's just the way you've chosen to look at things. We had our good moments, Aera, a lot of them."

"You think so?" she sneered. "We've never been right for each other, Yoongi."

He suddenly became glum. "See, I don't agree with this."

"Then why do you think we broke up in the first place?"

"Actually, I never understood the real reason. It wasn't like the decision was mutual. I never expected it, to be honest. I've always thought you'd be the only one I'd want any kind of eternity with."

"What do you mean?" she scowled, slowing down on her movements slightly.

"Things didn't necessarily have to end this way. We could still be together." Was his voice nuanced with melancholy? "Say what you want to say about us. You could lie to yourself as much as you please, but you can never fool me.

We loved each other. I loved you and you loved me. What we had was real and you can't deny this."

"Yoongi, where is this coming from?"

"It's always been there, Aera. You just didn't want to see it. You chose to look at us in this negative, angry way and let your grudge eat away at you." He whispered.

Aera gaped at him, stunned. There was a certain sadness tainting his eyes and it made her heart drop. She shook her head, refusing to let his words sink in. Was he manipulating her again?

She nibbled on her lower lip, confusion washing over her. She was just about to say something witty as a defense mechanism, when the words that escaped his mouth next rendered her speechless.

"I've never stopped caring about you."

The sentence bounced around in her brain. Yoongi's hand slowly slipped from hers and somewhere in the back of her mind she realized the song had stopped. He refused to look away, staring off into her eyes intently. Suddenly, he drew closer and placed a small peck on her forehead.

"Have a nice night, Aera." He uttered blankly, turning around and walking away before she could say something. Once again, he had stayed true to his habit of confusing her.

A heavy silence engulfed her and a numbing sense of absence crawled up in her chest. She whipped around, her eyes frantically scanning the crowd for Jimin's silhouette. She had to find him and talk to him. A discouraging feeling of despair clasped at her heart when she realized.

He was nowhere to be seen.

***

"I swear to God, if he doesn't wake up any time soon I'm going to flip a table."

"Chill. You've had too many drinks."

"I told you not to hit him too hard, didn't I?"

"Yes, boss."

"If you ended up killing him, I'm killing you myself, you fucking incompetent caveman."

"Sorry, boss."

"I think he's moving."

"Holy shit, he's finally awake."

"Hold him. He's extra strong now and I don't want my skull getting smashed against a wall."

Jimin's eyes slowly opened to a misty gloom. A single lightbulb hung from the ceiling, illuminating the small space in front of the chair he was sitting on. He tried moving his arms, but they were pinned behind him, the ropes notching at his skin. Where am I?

A pounding headache emerged from the back of his head. The last thing he remembered was something cold and wet hitting the back of his skull. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that he had been gagged. The piece of clothing in his mouth reeked disgustingly, making him choke up. When his eyes were finally fully open, he saw a pair of maniacal grey eyes glaring at him under black bangs. Hyukjae.

"Okay, he's all set. Come on, we don't have a lot of time," he commanded, gesturing for someone to come closer. Soon, Yoongi panned into view as well, bending over and narrowing his eyes at Jimin.

"He has to be fully awake. Otherwise it won't work," Yoongi mumbled.

"I don't give a flying fuck, just do it already," Hyukjae was obviously in a rush. He glanced over his shoulder to one of the corners of the dark room, apparently looking at someone. A sly smirk painted over his lips. "Won't you join us too... Firebender?"

Jimin squinted, desperately trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. The shadowy silhouette came closer, its outlines becoming more and more clear with each step it took. There was no way Jimin would mistake the flaming red color of his hair.

Hoseok.

Jimin's eyes rounded, frantically darting to and fro the three men. He started jumping, jerking forward desperately trying to free himself. It was useless, whatever they had done to him had him riveted to his spot.

"Come on, I don't want to miss the rest of the party," Hyukjae snarled.

"Hold him down, I have to look into his eyes," Yoongi commanded, leaning in closer.

Suddenly, Jimin felt a solid grip around his head, someone forcing him to look straight at the raven black-haired man. "Stay still, you piece of shit," someone spat out.

"Hey, Park," Yoongi smirked. "I'm not gonna lie, it gives me tremendous pleasure seeing you like this. But there's something more important I have to tell you. See, I need you to do something for me."

Jimin mustered all of his strength, trying to resist but someone's strong grasp had him pinned, staring at Yoongi's eyes.

Yoongi's face contorted in a face-splitting grin as his pupils dilated, causing Jimin to become entranced in them.

"I want you to kill Lee Aera."

author's note:

*gasp*

^ this gif was used for no reason in particular, I just wanted to bless you guys with the Jibooty.

feedback means a lot to me, so what are your thoughts on the story so far, guys? is it interesting? are you enjoying it? from what we've seen, it seems like Yoongi can somehow influence people's minds. will this work on Jimin? do you think he'd really hurt Aera? what exactly is Yoongi's deal? I'm excited for you to share your thoughts!! lots of love <33