Chapter Text
“So tell me, is it just us, or has something changed in the littlest in the group?”
That was the question that started the downfall of what had been a simple talk show. Jimins fellow members all tossed similar glances to one another before shrugging. Hoseok, however seemed to have not quite caught onto the terse atmosphere.
“No, it's not just you, it's actually quite true. Jiminnie’s gained some weight, he's been eating a fair bit.”
Jimins full cheeks burned in shame as he shifted uncomfortably.
“W-Well we’ve all been eating quite a bit. It's promotion season, we need energy to get things done for A.R.M.Y.s so that things can come out on time.” he mentioned with a nervous laugh.
“While that may be true, none of us have gained quite as much weight as you have this year.” came Hoseok’s reply, seemingly casual. Jimin just looked down at the ground as he tugged his hands in his sleeves.
“Yes, but we love Jiminnie as he is, whether he's got chubby cheeks or a defined jawline, either is fine with us.” Taehyung, Jimin’s constant supporter and a fan of Jimin eating well, tried to close off the topic that was clearly making his best friend uncomfortable.
“Don't you worry for your group’s image though? After all, he's the shortest, shouldn't he also be the smallest? Yoongi-yah is only a centimetre taller than you, but he is far thinner. Wouldn't you say?”
“While that's true, Yoongi-hyung is also not a dancer. Jimin’s body is mostly muscle, so it only makes sense that he would look bigger.” Taehyung, normally very easy going with everyone, even when other people get on his nerves. Though, that wasn't the case here. It was more than clear that he had been angered by this host.
“I see. Well, onto a different topic-” And that's how the show continued on. Everyone was a little tense, and Jimin was especially quiet, but after they finished the show things slowly shifted back to normal. Mostly due to the fact that Jimin was trying to make light of the mood, cracking jokes and trying to tease everyone as normal. The rest of the members decided to let it go and assume Jimin was fine. Though, it was later that night that they gathered while Jimin was out at the gym like normal, and chose to discuss the topic.
Namjoon, not one to dawdle, got straight to the point.
“Something's been off with Jimin for a while, and i'm sure we’ve all noticed it. Anyone want to elaborate on that?”
The other two in the maknae line shifted uncomfortably, while Hoseok averted his gaze. Jin was quiet, but his stare was concerned. Yoongi just sighed, “Yeah, sure i will. Someone here has been making quite a few comments on Jimin’s weight, while knowing that he’s insecure about his image enough as is.”
Yoongi wasn't one to speak out very much, especially not one to voice his thoughts on certain matters. So when his cold stare went straight to Hoseok, and his harsh words caused a heavy tension to hang in the air, everyone froze.
Hoseok sighed quietly “Look, i admit, maybe i was a little harsh sometimes. But i wasn't that bad, it's probably because of what people have been saying about him online. I'm not doing it with malicious intent though. I thought you of all people would understand that Yoongi-ssi.”
Namjoon narrowed his eyes a little bit. “Explain to me, what exactly have you been saying to Jimin?” He directed the question at Hoseok, choosing to tackle the online issue a little later.
“I comment on his chubby cheeks sometimes, and his thighs. He's got a tummy too, for now. It's just that time in the promotion cycle. Yoongi’s making it out like i'm trying to bring him down, i'm trying to get him to realize that he looks fine.”
Yoongi scoffed “Yeah sure, tell that to the A.R.M.Y.’s who were blowing up our vLive after you literally told Jimin his hands looked fat and that he must’ve gained weight.(This is actually something that happened. In bon voyage, Hoseok commented on his ‘fat fingers’. That was the translation offered at least, and quite a few people were upset by it.)” Yoongi wasn’t letting Hoseok get out of this one. It’s gone on for far too long.
“Fine, maybe i went a little far with that one. But here’s the thing, i'm not wrong. He’s gained weight, it's not a bad thing, but i mean, it's happening.” Hoseok was trying to deflect from the fact that we was part of the issue here.
Namjoon sighed, “Alright, what happened, happened. We need to just, try to be there for him. So that means, no more teasing like that. Jimin’s sensitive, we all know this. I don't want any of you to apologize to him, because then he's going to know that we had this talk-” Namjoon was cut off by the one and only Jungkook.
“what do you mean he's gonna know. Jimin isn't very perceptive or smart. We all know that. So we could apologize to him and he wouldn't suspect a thing. He'd probably just brush it off and go be all overly happy again.” Jungkook stated with a deadpan expression.
Taehyung looked ready to burst when Jin, and Hoseok seemed to agree. “are you serious? After everything he's done for you, after all the nice things he makes a point to say, you go and stab him in the back? God, no wonder he wants to leave. He works himself to the bone, just to make sure you guys are happy and getting the love he thinks you deserve, and then you pull this shit. You guys never give him any credit or respect.” Tae’s voice was raw with emotion as he spoke. Each member had different levels of shock on their face.
“what do you mean, leave..?” Jungkook dared to ask what everyone was thinking.