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JIMIN was invited by namjoon, who was yoongi's best man, seulgi learns. it turns out that he worked as a producer, alongside yoongi, for the same company that jimin used to work at as a dancer. he was also the reason why jimin and mina met, too — and he was getting on seulgi's nerves.

actually, the fact that her world is so terribly small annoyed her more.

she let her fingernails drum against the cold exterior of her wine glass, which she wasn't supposed to touch until the actual dinner was served much later, letting her eyes roam the room. it was her fourth glass of the night, and although she was only being served half a glass at a time, she could practically feel herself drowning in the warm liquid.

and who could blame her?

the sound of joy's heels clicking against the tiled floor made her look up to see the younger, in the same blue satin dress that she wore when they met roughly an hour ago, hugging her body perfectly. everyone was seated at their table, and joy was headed for theirs: the groom and bride's table, the one at the very front, which yeri prefers to call the vip table, just because.

"i just got to talk to some of the groomsmen," she said as she took her place beside seulgi, shuffling into the elegant seat. "yoongi oppa's got some cute boys sending him to the altar." she straightened her dress before sitting down, turning to seulgi to wink and then mouthing taeyong's so hot, earning small glares from the rest of the table.

seulgi, on the other hand, gave her another small smile before letting her gaze fall to where it was five minutes ago — scratch that, to where it has been since an hour ago, when he had arrived.

both her eyes were on him: park jimin. chiseled jaw, dark brown hair, his beautiful lips punctured into this perfect permanent smile that almost kills her every time she looks. she could probably stare into his eyes and forget that he was the biggest fuck boy that has ever fucked her up. she's been unknowingly staring at him straight and she figured she's lucky enough that he hasn't looked back yet.

did she mention he was her ex-boyfriend? probably numerous times, but it still didn't change anything. nothing ever changed the way she felt about him. not even her own damn self.

she began staring at him again; he sat at the other end of the hall, at the table among the best man's guests, upon which she had no idea how namjoon convinced wendy to let him bring his own guests, feeling so far yet so near at the same time. minutes turned into years as she stared some more, as she witnessed every move he made, from his gentle breaths to the way he brushes his hair away from his face.

and honestly, seulgi had no regrets. 

except maybe when jimin's eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light, or every single time he dipped his head down to place a peck at the back of mina's hand, which attached itself to his and ever seemed to let go the minute they had arrived. then and there, she tried to ignore the feeling of her chest aching, but she couldn't. when did i ever, really?

she had done a good job of doing it in the past, she had figured; she was too distracted with the fact that wendy was getting married to notice. she was barely home this past week either because of work or the wedding, and it was a distraction she was happily getting herself along with.

it was a world record, honestly, and she could practically see the headline: woman holds record for her longest time staying alive without letting her emotions take the best of her.

the only problem was, they were here again. he was here again.

kang seulgi thought she could forget; at least appreciate the fact that jimin was happy again after all the pain she had caused him, be happy that he was happy. but that was what she thought. in the course of knowing how her heart works, nothing ever goes well. she knew very well that she had no right to get hurt at the fact that he found solace in another girl - someone so much better than she was, honestly - because she was the one who wanted them both to go in different directions. she was the one who officially ended it - but bingo, she didn't like another woman entering the picture.

it was stupid, honestly. she was stupid.

"please tell me you're eyeing some cute guy at that table and not jimin oppa's date," joy said, interrupting her train of thought. 

seulgi sighed. "i wish i could."

joy sighed as well, but maintained her positive vibe as she saw the distant look on her face. "well, i don't know this chick, but you know what i think?" seulgi looked at her with an innocent look on her face. "side chicks are just side kicks, so don't be too affected." seulgi let out a small chuckle, smirking at joy's comment. "lighten up, will you? it's wendy unnie's dinner, you should at least be happy tonight, forget about everything that's troubling you, hm?"

i wish it were that easy. "yeah, you're right." seulgi sat upright. "i'll do my best."

"you will be at your best," joy insisted. "if you screw up, i'm taking that maid of honor position like it's baseball."

she gave her a playful glare before she closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her throat for a second, taking in the soft music playing in the background, lost beyond the chatters of each table in the hall. 

as soon as she opened her eyes, she tried again - kang seulgi should be happy for tonight.

the sound of conversations inside the cream-colored hall was interrupted by a piercing ringing sound, brought upon by a small glass being struck numerous times with a spoon. from seulgi's hearing, she figured it was from her table. namjoon had stood up, a tall, dashing guy with a round face and neatly parted dark hair, straightening his glasses, his wine glass half full with the same wine seulgi had.

the hall had become silent, with all heads turned and eyes falling towards namjoon, the best man, who cleared his throat.

"good evening, everyone," he began. his voice was deep and masculine, and he had a dimpled smile as he spoke. "i would like to start off tonight by introducing myself. i am kim namjoon, a good friend of the groom and a nuisance to the bride, and i will be their best man in a few days. i would also like to thank you all for coming tonight." 

everyone smiled at his direction. seulgi looked up at the direction of wendy and yoongi, whose hands were interlaced as they sat beside each other, smiling at namjoon as well.

"yoongi and wendy are two very different people, i must say," he began. "wendy is earnest; yoongi is laid-back. wendy is bright and bubbly; yoongi is a bit cold and looming. wendy prefers to come in early to work to bring everyone coffee at the booths, while yoongi comes in a half hour late, and his car won't even be parked at the right spot by then." yoongi shot namjoon a glare as he slapped his arm, the whole room erupting in small laughs. "and it got me thinking: what makes two different people stay with each other after so long, with so much that differs from the both of them?"

seulgi looked up at him, drumming her fingers against the wine glass.

"the fact that they're already engaged is one," he continued, making the room laugh again, "and the fact that they both love music so much is another big one. music has the power to change lives and bring hearts together, and in the case of our friends right here, their love is powerful enough for me to say that music definitely rings in both their hearts."

wendy laid her head on yoongi's shoulder, the male kissing the crown of her head. seulgi smiled at this, her head turned towards them.

"but i believe there's one more thing." namjoon paused for a moment. "what else could it be, right? well, i think that it's just simply love." seulgi looked up at him again. "love brought them to each other; music only helped pave the way. love brought us all here tonight, and love will give them the best eternity with each other, an eternity harmonizing and making music in each other's lives." he sighed a sigh of happiness, and the whole hall could feel it. "so i would like to propose a toast for tonight."

seulgi gripped her wine glass tight, letting namjoon's words sink in; letting her heart burst one more time.

"to yoongi and wendy," namjoon said, raising his wine glass, "and to the music they'll be making for the rest of their lives."

the sound of people repeating the words to yoongi and wendy followed shortly after, along with the soft clinking of wine glasses along with each other, and the eruption of applause for namjoon's beautiful words as he sat down, patting a hand against yoongi's shoulder, and irene holding one of wendy's hands.

the hall returned to its normal chattering sound as the applause died down, the voices seeming more distant than before.

seulgi looked up and fixated her gaze on wendy and yoongi. they were still busy talking to namjoon, their hands still together. they seemed a bit more relaxed now; a bit more toned down than the nervous wendy and the jittery yoongi a while ago. neither of them were stressed about preparations or the stress they were experiencing anymore; at least for tonight, anyway. they were happy, and something about their happiness made seulgi happy as well, making her think that both of them were ready for an adventure of their lives, alongside each other.

seulgi wanted that happiness as well. but that happiness was about seven tables away from her, beside a girl in the same colored-dress as her, possibly happier than she was.

she stood up with her glass on one hand and her entree knife on the other as she caught the attention of the rest of the hall with the sound the glass emitted as she struck it.

the hall fell silent. she took a deep breath, prayed that it would be her talking and not the wine, and spoke up.

"hi, everybody." there was an awkward pause as she swallowed audibly, eyeing the rest of the room. wait, why did i do this? "i am kang seulgi. i'm wendy's roommate - well, at least i was her roommate when i became her maid of honor, in the most sense."

there was no sound at all; she wondered if she should just talk to cricket there for a moment, but pushed herself to go on.

"i don't usually do speeches. i don't know anything about speaking in front of a lot of people—" she looked down to see joy looking at her with an encouraging look on her face, smiling, "—but what i do know is that i want every one of you to know how much i love my best friend."

she looked at wendy and smiled, letting the girl smile back, before shooting jimin a small glance, noticing his dark-haired head looking straight at her.

"wendy has been a part of my life ever since i can remember, and for all i remember, i have always been a confused and lost girl everywhere i go," she said, earning a few laughs from the audience. she figured she was doing great. "we've been roommates for several years, and she has been nothing short of helpful and the best companion i never thought i needed."

seulgi swallowed, feeling all of the gazes in the room on her once more.

"i didn't start worrying about losing her until the day she told me she'd be moving out, so she could move in with yoongi oppa," she continued. "i started worrying that she would drift apart from me, or that she would be too focused on her own life with yoongi oppa to care about me, and i would be left alone, still in that dusty apartment i would be too clueless to clean."

she heard wendy snicker, and she could feel irene smirk at her.

"i knew i had no right to stop her, but i was too busy being selfish to care. i even went as far as convincing her not to move out because i was too attached to her being right next door." she looked up and straight ahead, seven tables away. "but if there's one thing i've learned, is that if you love someone, you'd do anything to let them know you do. and that includes letting them go."

seulgi could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"things aren't meant so last forever, we all know that. you can't spend every minute basking over nothing and pining for something that is only temporary. you can't expect that every night would be pizza night and that your roommate would be willing to talk to you about your silly shenanigans." seulgi laughed as she choked on her unfallen tears, making wendy chuckle softly. "things are going to change eventually, and that only happens when there's something brighter and much more beautiful coming your way."

she fixated her gaze on jimin's figure, who had a hard look on his face, like he was getting the message.

"if you love them, you will let them go. your happiness does not guarantee their happiness, but their happiness can guarantee yours."

seulgi saw it; jimin's hand trailing away from mina's, the younger girl's face confused as she stared at the male.

"so i propose a toast," seulgi said, turning her gaze to wendy, who was tearing up and smiling as she raised her glass, along with the rest of the guests. "to wendy and yoongi oppa, who both found solace in each other, that they may always feel happiness in each other's hearts." she sniffled. "and to me, that i may learn to move on and stop being this selfish ape that i naturally am." the rest of her table laughed as the room repeated her first words; to wendy and yoongi, they all said, clinking their glasses together and putting their hands together for a wonderful sea of applause.

wendy stood up, mascara smudged and red lips pouted as she walked over to hug seulgi, who was just as emotional as she was. "that was the best thing i've ever heard from you, you secret poet," wendy said, sniffling as well. "i hate that you're so honest but i love you so damn much too."

seulgi chuckled as she embraced wendy, more tears flowing out. "i am so, so happy for you, seungwan-ah."

"i know that, honey, i know." joy stood up to place her hands at both their shoulders, offering them support.

seulgi's tears, however, had no plans of stopping. she put her hands in her face as they pulled apart, wendy brushing her hair. "i'm not going to leave you ever, seul, i promise you that."

she looked up just in time to see a figure in a dark blue suit, walking towards her, his eyes looking like he needed an explanation.

"i-i need to go," seulgi said, placing her wine glass down on the table and walking away for the back exit, her tears getting the best of her as she sniffled some more.

"unni-" joy, who had followed seulgi's gaze before and saw jimin walking towards them, stopped the rest of the girls just in time, wendy especially as the boy jogged off to follow her.

"was that-?"

"jimin oppa," joy confirmed, having wendy sit down. "yes."

meanwhile, seulgi walked down the halls of the hall, down the stairs and by the reception area, letting her heels click against the tiled floors. she continued walking even as she heard jimin calling her name, walking just as fast as her own pace, his hair in his face.

"seulgi!" he called some more, his voice getting more and more softer as the distance between them grew smaller. "seulgi, i said wait."

seulgi halted, and jimin halted, waiting for her to turn around and face him. they just stood there, just meters apart, seulgi feet apart from the doors of the hotel. 

"seulgi," jimin said her name one more time, out of breath as he placed his hands on his hips.

"what do you want, jimin?" she tried her best to sound like nothing else had happened - but the truth is, there was.

"what was that?" his voice sounded desperate - almost as if he was pleading.

"what was what?" 

"that-"

"it was a speech, jimin," seulgi said, looking him straight into the eyes. "a speech from wendy's maid of honor, someone who is looking forward to their happiness and to their life together. what else could it have bee-"

"you were looking at me, seul," jimin replied, his voice toned down and hushed.

"i wasn't-"

"stop lying! y-you're confusing me, seulgi, you're just confusing me!"

seulgi tried to pretend that his words didn't hurt, but they did. and knowing the fact that it was because of her made it hurt even more.

"i don't know what to feel anymore, so please just answer me! t-tell me what i want to hear, please, just this once." he almost screamed, but seulgi didn't move an inch. instead, she kept her gaze fixated on him. "j-just-just tell me the truth, seulgi."

"i don't need to explain anything to you, jimin," she replied, her voice also more hushed than before. "t-this is my problem, and i don't want you to be involved anymore." she blinked as a tear escaped her eye. "i-i'm the one who should be stepping away. i can't be the reason that's keeping you away from your happiness."

jimin's forehead scrunched together, a tear escaping his eye as well. a confused look made its way back to his face. "what are you-"

"i need to go, jimin."

"wait!" he interrupted and followed her steps, making her look back at him again as they were inches apart, "j-just tell me, seulgi." he sighed. "do you still love me?"

seulgi closed her eyes, as two more droplets of tears escaped her eyes.

"i said i need to go, jimin."

kang seulgi exited the hotel, leaving park jimin standing there, feet apart from the doors.

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i should call myself a promoter of angst hsfhsj comment below if this chapter made you cry!

  - nayeonsbunny -