Taehyung raced from the room, blindly walking until he found a quiet corner. He lowered himself to the ground and hugged his knees, trying to calm his breathing.

Jungkook.

Jungkook was here.

It had been six years since Taehyung had last seen the boy. Six years since his heart had been broken into one million unmendable pieces. And seeing him for the first time in so long created a mix of emotions inside of Taehyung.

Anger. Sadness. Longing.

Their last interaction had been devastating to him. It changed the course of his life. If it had never happened, perhaps he wouldn't be where he was today. Perhaps there would be no V.

If the falling out with Jungkook never happened, maybe he would still be Taehyung.

He didn't know what to do. Jungkook knew who he was. The younger could sell all sorts of stories to the press if he wanted. The two had been best friends for years when they were children; Jungkook had a lot on him.

Was that why he was here? To blackmail him?

Taehyung knew he needed to face Jungkook. To tell him to leave. But he couldn't move. He was petrified to speak to the only person he was ever in love with.

Luckily, he was saved from making any immediate decisions. Footsteps were coming down the hall, but thankfully Taehyung was concealed. He tucked his head into his knees, hiding away from the cruel world around him.

"Taehyung?" A soft voice asked - Jin. "Taehyung, I saw you run out. Are you okay? What's going on?"

Taehyung wasn't given an opportunity to answer as another voice sounded, speaking directly to Jin.

"Who are you?" It was Namjoon.

Taehyung lifted his head in interest. Very slowly, he shifted to his knees and peered around the corner of the wall. Jin's back was facing him as he took in Namjoon.

"I asked who you were," Namjoon stated, using a booming voice so he sounded intimidating.

Taehyung saw Jin change his stance, moving into a more relaxed pose. "I'm one of your top eleven candidates."

Namjoon cocked his head. "We only have ten."

"According to your choreographer, there are eleven of us now. Take it up with him," Jin replied with a sassy note to his voice.

"Who were you looking for?"

Jin took a small step forward. "So many questions. Maybe you're the one I was looking for."

"Me?" Namjoon asked, clearly confused.

Taehyung fought the urge to laugh at the scene. This was Jin's idea of getting his producer to fall for him?

"Yes, you, Namjoon," the elder responded.

"Only my friends call me that. I'm RM to everyone else."

Jin let out a laugh. "Well, then. Let's be friends."

Namjoon shook his head. "Nice try. This little stunt won't make me choose you as my mentee."

"I don't want to be your mentee," Jin said. "I think I'd like to be something else entirely to you."

Taehyung could tell from Namjoon's posture that he was getting annoyed.

"You can go home now," the producer said to Jin. "You're cut."

Jin shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around."

He strode past a gaping Namjoon, who turned to watch him go. His feet were rooted in place, unsure of what to make of what just happened. Finally, his eyes turned to Taehyung, who he had known was hiding out here. What he didn't know was how that candidate knew the boy's real name.

"And that was?" Namjoon prompted, waiting for Taehyung to answer.

"Jin," Taehyung answered simply.

Namjoon was too worked up to get more information out of him. "Ten minutes until we begin," he said before retreating back down the hall.

Taehyung sighed. Jin and Namjoon had been a nice distraction from the major problem he had on his hands. But now he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

He ripped the face mask off and threw it into the hallway. His beanie joined it a moment later. With shaky hands, Taehyung smoothed out his hair, trying to put the blue mess into order once more. He got to his feet and straightened out his clothes. Like it or not, it was time to go find Jungkook and remove him from the premises.

But he didn't need to search far. As Taehyung left his hiding spot, he came face to face with the very boy he wanted to find.

Jungkook let out a small gasp as Taehyung almost ran into him, putting his hands up defensively. His brown eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly parted in shock.

"I can't believe it," Jungkook murmured, eyes trailing over Taehyung's face. "You're V."

Taehyung's heart started beating faster. Jungkook realized who he was. Now he just had to wait and see what the younger boy was going to do.

He wanted to tell him off. He wanted to threaten the boy. He so desperately wanted Jungkook to feel a sliver of the pain he had felt when the younger had ripped his heart apart.

But he just stood there, looking at the man Jungkook had become. His features were more defined now, the softness of his cheeks and jaw giving way to sharp, angular planes. He was also taller and, judging by the way Jungkook's pants gripped his thighs, a lot more muscular too.

Jungkook had been so young - just fifteen years old - when Taehyung had last seen him. But he'd recognize him anywhere at any age. His heart and soul would always be able to identify Jungkook.

"What are you doing here?" Taehyung asked at last.

Jungkook looked down at his outfit, which sported an audition number in the center of his shirt. "Auditioning, of course. It'd be a dream come true to work with you."

What was this? Was Jungkook goading him?

"To work with me?"

Color rose to the other boy's cheeks. "I mean . . . yeah. You're one of my favorite artists."

Taehyung was confused. Why wasn't Jungkook mentioning anything about their shared past? "Don't you know who I am?"

A smile lit up Jungkook's face. "You're V. One of the best performers I've ever seen. I'd love to be just like you one day."

A laugh bubbled in Taehyung's chest and he couldn't keep it in. Jungkook had no idea who he was. They'd been friends for ten years and yet the younger didn't recognize him at all.

Sure, his own looks changed. His hair was electric blue and hung over his forehead instead of the shorter, more natural look he sported at age seventeen. Blue contacts covered his brown eyes. He no longer looked like the teenager who poured his heart out to Jungkook.

Even still, how could Jungkook not recognize him?

"I'm sorry for surprising you earlier. I saw my friend Jin head this way," Jungkook added after a minute of silence.

Jungkook and Jin knew each other? Taehyung would have to discreetly ask the elder about that.

Taehyung was still unable to manage words, so he continued staring at the boy. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever see Jungkook again. He committed his face to memory so he could see it in his mind later.

"The final audition is about to begin, so we - I - should get going," Jungkook voiced, taking a step back. He turned to leave, but froze as he seemed to remember something. "Wait."

Taehyung inhaled sharply. "Yes?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《