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HOUSE OF CARDS - III
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862486/chapters/61861414
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BTS Imagine #14: Quarantine (Part 4)
Word count: 1,318
Members featured: All
Description: Following the successful release of D-2, Yoongi realizes that not everyone is here to support him... but the other members always are.
"Noona?"
I jolted awake, the quick succession of panicked knocks seeming to reverberate throughout the room.
I pushed the blanket off my body and rubbed at my eyes.
"Noona!"
Jimin's voice, urgent and slightly trembling, prompted me to move faster. I jogged over to the door, opening it to let him in.
"Jiminie, what's wrong?" I asked him.
"Hyung... he never came home," he told me, his full lower lip trembling. "I've been texting him but he's not answering. He won't answer anyone."
"Maybe he's just caught up at the studio?" I suggested.
"No, he's not--noona... You don't know?" Jimin realized.
"Know what?"
Jimin nibbled on his bottom lip anxiously.
"Some people," he answered hesitantly, "reported hyung's mixtape."
"What?" I hissed.
"The song called 'What do you think?'... They said that the sample was... inappropriate," he went on. "The company released a statement yesterday."
To be perfectly honest, I stayed off of social media as much as possible. I had learned long ago that falling into the rabbit hole of negative comments helped no one, including me. People said things about the boys all the time and I preferred not to see it if it could be helped.
But now I felt guilty.
How could I not have known that this was happening to Yoongi?
I darted across the room to my closet, pulling on the first jacket and pair of shoes I could find before grabbing my phone and keys.
"Thank you, Jimin," I told the younger as I blew past him.
I couldn't stop myself from bouncing in my seat as one of the company cars took me to the Big Hit building. I silently willed the driver to step on the gas even just the tiniest bit. I needed to get to Yoongi. I needed to.
The car had barely slowed to a stop when I threw open the door and ran into the building. I fumbled with the key in the lock, fidgeting before the door of Genius Lab in my haste.
I exhaled in relief when I finally got the door open.
Yoongi was sitting in his chair in front of the computer. He had the word processor opened to a blank document with the words "What do you think?" typed out.
One line down, there were the words "I'm sorry."
"Oh, Yoongi," I murmured, reaching out to weave my fingers through his hair softly.
"This isn't what I wanted to happen," he said, his voice dull. "I wanted to make something that would give ARMY comfort. It had been almost four years since my first mixtape... I wanted to make D-2 worth the wait... I wanted..." His voice shook slightly. "I wanted to share my thoughts... my feelings... I was... proud, I--"
I kneeled down on the floor beside him, turning his chair so that he could look down at me.
"Yoongi," I said, taking both of his hands in mine. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"I feel like I did," he muttered.
Looking up at him, I could see that his eyes, although dry, were rimmed with red. I felt my heart squeeze painfully. He had been holed up in here, suffering quietly.
Suffering alone.
"Yoongi, you know better than anyone that not everyone is going to like what you do," I told him, squeezing his hands gently. "The people who did this... they don't matter. They're not important."
"They're ARMY," he mumbled. "Of course they're important."
"Yoongi, look at me," I insisted. "If they did this to you, they're not ARMY. Do you understand?"
I could see him struggling with the idea in his mind. He saw what had happened as constructive criticism. I had read the statement Big Hit had issued in the car on the way here. He felt wholly responsible. It was such a Yoongi way of being.
"The song is going to be re-released without the sample so what's done is done, but... Yoongi, you should be proud of the work you did. The mixtape is a masterpiece. Truly." I squeezed his hands again, tighter this time. "I know that because of your position, you don't always feel like you can be yourself, that you can't say what you really think, but don't let this experience make you feel like you have to censor or second guess every little thing you share with the world. What you have to share is beautiful and meaningful and you deserve to share it without feeling afraid."
I stood up, releasing his hands so I could bend over his keyboard. I pressed the Backspace key rapidly, deleting the line "I'm sorry."
Right under "What do you think?", I typed a single line.
"I think you are the brightest shining star in the universe."
He turned his head to look at what I had typed. I could see the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. He turned back to look up at me.
I placed my hands on his cheeks.
"Come on, let's go get some coffee," I offered.
"Coffee?" he repeated softly, his eyes lighting up.
I smiled.
"Yes, coffee."
After stopping by our favorite coffee place to pick up two hot coffees while Yoongi waited in the car, we rode back to the dorms in silence, one hand clutching our cups and the other hand intertwined. As we got closer to home, I could tell that Yoongi was getting nervous--not because he was worried about what was waiting for him, but because he was ashamed to admit that he had been taking the situation very hard. I squeezed his hand reassuringly as we approached the door before letting go to unlock it.
"Hyung! Noona!"
The maknaes immediately surrounded us, throwing their arms around us in greeting.
"Guys, careful! The coffee!" I warned them.
"Oops," Taehyung murmured sheepishly, taking a step back and dragging Jimin and Jungkook back with him.
"Hyung, we were so worried about you!" Jimin scolded, although there was no real anger in his voice.
"Yes, Jimin was the one who alerted me to the situation," I told Yoongi.
"Hyung, you can't just disappear like that," Jungkook said earnestly. "When you're feeling sad, you can always find strength and comfort from us!"
I snuck a glance at Yoongi out of the corner of my eye, noticing that his cheeks had turned faintly pink from all the attention.
Namjoon, Seokjin, and Hoseok had joined us, having heard the commotion caused by the younger ones.
"Ah, you always do this," Seokjin said, feigning exasperation. "How many times must we tell you that you can rely on us, too?"
"Aside from the fact that we're all artists and we understand how it feels to be weighed down by harsh criticism, we're your friends--your family," Namjoon corrected himself. "We are here to lift your spirits."
"Guys," Yoongi whined, embarrassed.
"We want to make our fans happy," Hoseok said, "but the most important thing is that we are happy first."
"And that includes you," I quipped.
Yoongi looked down at the coffee cup clutched tightly in his hands, his teeth worrying at his bottom lip. I tugged the cup out of his hands and set it down on the table along with my own.
"My coffee!" he protested.
"Just for a minute, you big baby," I teased him.
I wrapped my arms around him, gesturing to the other members with a jerk of my head that they should join in. Before long, Yoongi was enveloped in a giant group hug; and although he grumbled the entire time, I could tell that he loved it.
"We love you, hyung," Taehyung said softly.
"Yes, we love you, hyung!" Jungkook echoed, more loudly.
I smiled into Yoongi's shoulder. I pressed one of my hands flat against his back and used the other to trace the words "I love you" so that he could feel them through his sweater.
Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he had understood because the next moment, he traced four words on my back with his finger.
"I love you, too."
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HOUSE OF CARDS - II
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862486/chapters/60916294
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HOUSE OF CARDS - I
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862486/chapters/60149929
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HOUSE OF CARDS - Prologue
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862486/chapters/60147838
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🀄 HOUSE OF CARDS 🀄
Yoongi is a modern day prince struggling to understand his position in a world that he feels doesn't need him. Jimin is a drug lord that seems to be supplying the entire kingdom... and also seems to know a secret or two.
Pairing: YoonMin
Tags: Drugs, alcohol, possible murder/torture, swearing
Notes: Side NamJin, side TaeKook
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BTS Imagine #14: Quarantine (Part 3)
Word count: 1,904
Members featured: All
Description: What better people to be quarantined with than BTS? The eight of us have a sleepover in the living room, watch movies, and talk about what we want to do once the quarantine has been lifted.
"Noona! There's something here for you!"
I looked towards my door, hearing the faint sound of Jimin's voice calling me from the living room.
I looked back down at the lesson plan I was working on. It wasn't going to finish itself but after being stuck for the past hour and a half, a break wouldn't hurt.
"Noona, noona, noona!" Jimin gushed, practically bouncing with excitement.
"What is it?" I asked him, tilting my head to one side in confusion.
Taehyung was holding a box in his arms, which he was holding out to me. Jungkook handed me a pair of scissors to slice through the masking tape. While Taehyung kept a secure grip on the box, I cut it open, the contents revealing themselves as a pair of brand new BT21 pajamas with all eight characters on them.
I took the pajamas out of the box, holding them up to get a better look at them.
"Those haven't been released yet," Namjoon informed me.
I looked away from the pajamas at the sound of his voice, now noticing that all seven members had gathered in the living room to watch me open the package.
"They're part of the new home collection that's supposed to drop next month," Hoseok added. "We thought you should test them out before everyone else."
"I know you said you wanted to get Van pajamas to be fair to everyone," Jungkook said, doe eyes twinkling. "But since you're our friend, we thought you should have some with all of the characters, so that you have a small piece of each of us with you when you wear them."
"Kookie," I whispered, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. "Why would you say something like that?"
"Ah, noona's crying!" Jimin exclaimed, running up to me and throwing his arms around me.
I immediately found myself in the middle of a maknae line plus Hoseok group hug.
“You know what this means, right?” Jungkook told me, his voice muffled thanks to the surrounding bodies. “This means you’re ours, noona! No one else can have you!”
"What it means is that now we can have our sleepover!" Taehyung said cheerfully. "Let's go shopping for snacks!"
I wiped my eyes with my free hand, the other still holding onto the pajamas.
"Okay," I started, sniffling slightly. "Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jimin will go get snacks. Seokjin and Hoseok will set up the living room. Yoongi and Jungkook will pick the movies. I'm going to go finish this lesson plan and then we'll all meet back here in an hour, alright?"
Everyone made noises of agreement and Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jimin left at once to stock up on snacks for the night. Jin and Hoseok started searching the dorms for all the pillows and blankets they could get their hands on to make the living room extra comfortable. Jungkook immediately started poring over the collection of DVDs that were kept on the shelves by the TV.
Yoongi leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"I got you Shooky slippers to go with that," he admitted, referring to the pajamas. "Just so everyone knows where your loyalties lie."
I covered my face with my hands, knowing that I would now wear nothing else around the dorms except those slippers.
An hour later, the eight of us met back up in the living room, all wearing our BT21 pajamas.
"Why are you wearing those?" Seokjin demanded at once, pointing at my Shooky slippers.
"Yoongi got them for me," I replied defensively.
"Hyung! That's cheating!" Jimin whined, his lips puckered in full pout mode.
Yoongi shrugged.
"I did nothing wrong."
"You did nothing wrong?" Seokjin repeated, dumbfounded. "The whole point of us getting Youkyung pajamas with all of the characters was so that we are all equally represented and you just--"
"Okay, which movie are we going to watch first?" I asked hastily, grabbing Yoongi's hand and dragging him over to one of the sofas and away from Jin's murderous glare.
Namjoon went to fetch the bags of snacks and drinks that he, Taehyung, and Jimin had bought at the nearest convenience store, dumping the contents on the floor so everyone could view the selection. Taehyung immediately tossed me some of my favorites, as well as some of Yoongi's.
"Mmm, banana milk," Jungkook sighed happily, the plastic straw already between his lips as he put the first movie into the DVD player.
"Wh-whose idea w-was it t-to watch The L-L-Lion King?" Hoseok spluttered, tears streaming down his face twenty minutes later.
Yoongi pointed a finger at Jungkook at once, not willing to take an ounce of blame for Hoseok's distraught condition.
After finishing The Lion King, we took a break to play some casual ice breakers and really dig into the snacks and drinks.
"Would you rather..." Seokjin paused for dramatic effect, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. "Never be able to walk again or... never be able to hear again?"
"Never be able to walk again," Yoongi replied predictably. "If I have use of my ears, I can still write and produce music."
"I would miss going places," Jimin said thoughtfully, "but if I couldn't hear, I would never get to enjoy the sounds of the members’ laughter."
"Cheesy," I teased him.
"What about you, noona?" Taehyung asked me.
"I'd rather be able to hear," I answered honestly. "I would die if I couldn't listen to music anymore. Besides, Yoongi can just push me around in my wheelchair."
"Good luck with that," Hoseok snickered. "What if his legs are broken, too?"
"Then Jungkook and Namjoon can push us," Yoongi decided. "They have the most muscular arms."
"You know I would push your wheelchair, hyung," Namjoon said seriously.
"I would push noona's wheelchair everywhere! Wherever she wanted to go!" Jungkook declared, sticking his chest out proudly.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," I teased him. "I'm very demanding."
"Well, I would do it!" he insisted.
"Cute," I told him, reaching out and pinching his cheek affectionately.
"Okay, I have one," Taehyung said, eyes lighting up. "What's the first thing you want to do once quarantine's over?"
"Concert!" Jimin shouted immediately, raising his tiny fists high. "Tour! Meet ARMYs!"
"Travel," Namjoon replied thoughtfully.
"Mhm, travel," Hoseok agreed.
"Fishing!" Seokjin added. "In another country! I never thought I would say this but I'm tired of playing games at home."
I let out an exaggerated gasp, placing a hand over my heart dramatically.
"Kim Seokjin? Tired of playing games?"
"I know, I can't believe it, either," he said with a sigh. "Yoongi-ah, go fishing with me in Norway."
"Ah, why me?" Yoongi complained.
"Because you like fishing," I answered for Jin, poking Yoongi in the ribs playfully. "And you like fishing with your hyung."
"Wow, look at noona exposing hyung like that and he doesn't even blink," Jungkook pointed out.
Yoongi ignored them, his cheeks tinged with pink. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it to help alleviate some of his embarrassment.
"I want to go to Paris," I told the others. "I want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night and look at the stars."
"I want to go back to all the places we visited during our last tour," Taehyung said. "It would be nice to spend more time there."
"You haven't told us what you want to do, Yoonie," I reminded Yoongi, squeezing his hand for emphasis.
He pursed his lips thoughtfully, thinking for a few moments before he said, "I want to go to another Dodgers game."
"Hmm, all of our answers involve travel in some form," Namjoon commented, taking a sip from his Yakult. "I guess I'm not really surprised. Travel is the foundation of experience, to a certain extent."
"Eloquent as always, Joonie," I said, touching my Yakult to his. "Cheers!"
After sharing our thoughts with each other, we started another movie, the first Iron Man film--and another Jungkook selection, without a doubt.
"You let him pick all the movies, didn't you?" I muttered to Yoongi so that only he could hear.
He shrugged, his expression slightly sheepish.
"He looked so happy picking out the movies," he replied defensively. "I didn't have the heart to veto any of his choices."
A second later--
“Did Jungkook pick all the movies?” Jimin demanded.
“Bingo,” Namjoon answered. “You know Yoongi lets Jungkook do whatever he wants.”
Yoongi shrugged, unaffected by their accusations even though he had been embarrassed when I had posed the same question only moments ago.
We managed to get through another round of games and another movie before Jimin had started falling asleep against Taehyung’s shoulder and Namjoon had started snoring, his head back. Hoseok was cuddled up next to Jimin, fighting the urge to fall asleep; and Yoongi was laying across the couch, his head in my lap and his eyes half open as I combed my fingers through his hair. Seokjin and Jungkook, both of whom had extensive experience staying up late to play games, were the only ones still mostly alert.
Jin and Hoseok had moved the couches around so that there was plenty of room for all of us to sleep on the floor, which was piled high with various blankets and pillows.
“I think it’s time to hit the lights, kids,” I said, taking in the varying states of drowsiness around the room.
Everyone started to arrange themselves in their sleeping positions for the night, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Hoseok making up the biggest cuddle party in one area of the room. Namjoon and Seokjin each claimed their own spot; and Yoongi and I moved to a spot on the other side of the room from them. Yoongi had grabbed all the pillows he could get his hands on, knowing that I needed to have my head propped up to keep from coughing while I was asleep.
Before I could reach over to the nearest light switch to turn off the living room lights, Seokjin had darted forward with surprising speed and agility, snatching the Shooky slippers that were dangling off my feet. In the split second before my finger flipped the light switch, he had tossed them towards the kitchen.
At first, there was darkness and silence as everyone held their breath.
And then--
“Kim Seokjin!”
When the lights came back on, Yoongi was sitting upright, his expression stony as he glared daggers at Jin, who stared back at him innocently from across the room. The younger ones all watched with wide eyes and open mouths while Namjoon and Hoseok exchanged glances of discomfort. I couldn’t even look at the fiend as I ran to the kitchen to fetch my slippers, cradling them in my arms as I took them back to my room to protect them from Jin.
“Let’s go to sleep,” I huffed when I returned, turning the lights off again.
Even in the dark, I could tell that Yoongi was still sitting up. I reached out for his arm in the darkness, tugging on his pajama sleeve. Feeling the tugging sensation, he laid down and we shifted until we were both on our sides facing each other. I could barely make out his features in the dark, so I reached out and took one of his hands, squeezing it reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” he whispered to me. “I’m going to get you a Shooky sleep mask, too.”
“Min Yoongi, don’t you dare!”
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BTS Imagine #14: Quarantine (Part 2)
Word count: 1,528
Members featured: Yoongi, Seokjin, Jungkook, and Hoseok
Description: I accompany Yoongi, Seokjin, and Jungkook to the shooting of the music video for a new Agust D song and there are, of course, laughs and shenanigans to be had.
"Come on, you guys need to be in makeup!"
I pushed Yoongi, Jin, and Jungkook in the right direction. I didn't know why I was here when there were no English lessons to be had, but I suspected that Yoongi had asked for me to be there, which was often the case when I ended up at things where I was not really needed.
Yoongi was filming the music video for "Daechwita," the lead single on his new mixtape, D-2. Jin and Jungkook were to be extras, boasting that Yoongi had begged them to be in it. Yoongi, of course, had scoffed in denial.
It wasn't up to me to decide what the truth was.
Yoongi had been swearing up and down the timeline to fans that Agust D2 was not happening anytime soon, just to throw them off. He wanted it to be a pleasant surprise and he wanted everyone to be impressed with what he had created.
As I watched the makeup noonas bustle around the three of them, I remembered sitting on the couch in Genius Lab and listening to the mixtape for the first time. I was so fiercely proud of him. Everything he touched turned to gold, his genius both bountiful and awe-inspiring.
I went outside to take a call from Manager Sejin, who was asking for an update on the shoot.
When I came back inside, Seokjin had a beard, Jungkook looked like his usual cute self, and Yoongi had a striking scar on his face.
"Wow," I whistled. "Look at you."
"Even like this, I look handsome," Jin said, stroking his fake beard. "But that was to be expected."
I rolled my eyes.
"Alright, let's go," I said, herding them to the filming location. "We're on a schedule, boys."
I tried to pay attention to what was going on during the shoot but I had other tasks to attend to. I had brought my tablet with me, using the attached wireless keyboard balanced on my knees to draft another lesson plan, send emails, and keep everything in order. Sejin may have been BTS's manager but Big Hit really should have made me his assistant after everything I did to keep the seven of them from falling into complete chaos..
There was an upcoming break noted on the schedule, so I went to grab some coffee for Yoongi.
When I came back, he was already jogging over to me, making grabby hands.
"Coffee, coffee, coffee," he chanted happily.
"So cute," I whispered, handing him the cup.
He sipped at it gratefully, closing his eyes in contented bliss. He made such a contrasting picture, dressed to look like an intimidating scoundrel while he clutched his coffee cutely.
"Alright, back to makeup," I reminded him. "I'll see you when you're done. I need to update Sejin-nim."
He dropped a kiss on my forehead with coffee-scented lips before heading off to the makeup noonas again.
I tried not to seem so affected. His little gestures of affection still caught me off guard at times, even after several months of living with him.
By the time Yoongi had returned, I had finished talking to Manager Sejin. When I looked up from my phone, my breath caught in my throat a little.
Yoongi still had the scar from before, only now he was dressed in ornate ceremonial clothing of black and gold. But more stunning than his outfit was his beautiful, long, blond hair.
"Do I look okay?" he asked me, his voice tentative and unsure.
"Okay? Do you look okay?" I shook my head. "Min Yoongi, don't tell Jin I said this but you're the most beautiful man alive."
"You're just saying that because we're family," he teased, although his cheeks had turned pink.
"No, I really mean it," I insisted, grabbing his hand. "I don't know why you're so much prettier than me. It's so unfair."
"Stop it," he said, squeezing my hand. "We can get a blonde wig for you, too."
I choked on air.
"Okay, you--need--to go," I coughed. "They're--waiting for you."
He squeezed my hand again then dashed off to resume filming. Jungkook and Jin, both back in regular clothing, came out after having all their makeup washed off to join me.
"Wow, Yoongi-hyung is really something," Jungkook said, pure adoration in his voice.
"He's okay," Jin said dismissively.
I glared at him.
"Kidding!" he said at once, holding up his hands defensively.
I watched Jungkook watching Yoongi with stars in his eyes. He admired his hyung so much, it was adorable. I looped my arm through his, squeezing his bicep. He smiled at me with his bunny teeth before turning his attention back to Yoongi.
When he was done filming, he passed by us on his way to get his makeup and wig taken off. I followed him in, watching as he sat down in the chair and the makeup noonas started cleaning his face.
I locked eyes with him in the mirror, keeping my expression as serious as possible.
"Can he keep the wig?"
The makeup noonas all giggled. Yoongi raised his eyebrows at me, still looking at me in the mirror.
"I just think that this is a look for you," I said nonchalantly. "So you should consider keeping it on. All the time. 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Yoongi said nothing. Instead, he pulled out his phone, snapped a quick selca, then tapped away on the screen. A few moments later, my phone buzzed inside my bag. I pulled it out, choking when I saw that he had sent the selca to me.
"Don't post that," he told me seriously.
"Never," I promised.
Like I would ever share such a precious image with the public, I thought.
I tried not to look disappointed as the makeup noonas took the wig off Yoongi's head. When he was all cleaned up, he left to change back into his regular clothes.
"Coffee?" he asked me hopefully when he returned.
"Funny you should mention it," I said, smiling. "Come on."
I led him to where Jin, Jungkook, and Hoseok were standing outside in front of a coffee truck, adorned with banners bearing Yoongi's face.
"Congratulations, hyung!" Hoseok exclaimed, throwing an arm around Yoongi enthusiastically.
"Hobi-ah, you didn't have to," Yoongi said, smiling affectionately at the younger.
"Of course I did, don't be silly," Hoseok told him, tapping his nose. "Now go get a coffee. I know you want one."
Yoongi waddled over to the coffee truck happily.
"This is such a nice thing to do, Hobi," I said, standing next to him as we watched Yoongi approach the coffee truck.
"He's been working hard," Hoseok murmured. "He deserves it."
"He really does," I agreed. "When are you planning on dropping Hope World 2, Hobi? You know we would all love to show you the same support."
"Everything happens at the right time," he replied simply, winking at me.
When Yoongi had come back from the coffee truck, he had two cups in his hands, one of which was a familiar green color.
"Matcha, for you," he told me, handing the cup to me.
I accepted the cup gratefully, moving to stand next to him. I took a sip from the drink, "mmm"ing when the first taste hit my tongue.
"I don't understand how you drink black coffee in the morning and then drink something so sweet like that," Yoongi muttered.
"The things you love most are the things that you love every part of, no matter what form they take," I said seriously. "And I love coffee in every form."
Yoongi stared at me in astonishment, as if I had said something radical. Maybe I had.
We lingered by the coffee truck for a while, Yoongi's free hand having found mine at some point. I swung our hands back and forth happily while we sipped our coffees. Finally, we wrapped things up and got back into the company cars to head home to the dorms.
"You never told me what your favorite song on the mixtape is," Yoongi said quietly as he slid into the backseat.
I paused, still in the process of putting on my seatbelt.
"Do I have to pick one?" I asked him. "It's such a difficult choice to make."
He chuckled, sounding almost relieved.
"Yes, just one."
"Hmm... Well, if I had to pick the song that resonated with me the most, it'd have to be ‘28,’" I answered finally. "I mean, look at us. Did we ever really grow up? I feel like it looks like I have my life together but most of the time, I just go with the flow day by day. My life is never as I expect and strange things happen all the time. I thought that when I 'became an adult,' things would magically change but I still feel the same. And that's basically what ‘28′ is about, isn't it?"
"But do we really have to grow up?" Yoongi wondered. "I think we're doing just fine."
I reached across the center console for his hand, which he gave me easily.
"Yes, we're doing just fine."
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BTS Imagine #14: Quarantine (Part 1)
Word count: 2,039
Members featured: All
Description: The COVID-19 quarantine has been affecting everyone across the globe, but in South Korea, being quarantined with the global stars known as BTS is an entirely different experience, in many unexpected ways.
"Coffee," Yoongi murmured sleepily. "Need coffee."
I slid his usual black ceramic mug across the table towards him, the delicate tendrils of steam floating upwards. He inhaled slightly, taking in a whiff of the freshly brewed drink before sipping tentatively.
"Mmm, thank you," he said softly, already lifting the mug back up to his lips.
I smiled at him. He was always so cute in the mornings.
Quarantine... was not ideal, to say the least. Even though we were past what was considered the worst of it, I hadn't been able to go back to my apartment for weeks. I had been advised to avoid contact with my house mates, so I'd been staying at the dorms, which was a little much sometimes. Living with seven boys part-time pre COVID-19 had been one thing; living with them full-time was another thing entirely.
Of course, I could never be upset about being able to share small, quiet moments like this with Yoongi.
I sat down at the table across from him, my own cup of coffee in hand. His eyes were still blurry with sleep, his nose scrunched cutely as he continued to sip at his coffee. He extended his hand wordlessly and I accepted it. Our hands were almost exactly the same size, which meant that our fingers laced together effortlessly.
"Tsk tsk, Youkyung," Seokjin reprimanded teasingly as he walked into the kitchen. "Big Hit doesn't pay you to hold Yoongi's hand."
"I thought that's exactly what I get paid to do?" I said, feigning confusion.
Yoongi smiled shyly, his cheeks turning pink over the brim of his mug.
"Are we going to get started on breakfast?" Jin asked, changing the subject with an expression of mock disgust on his face.
"More coffee," Yoongi mumbled, holding out his now empty cup.
"Do I look like a maid to you?" Jin demanded.
I got up from the table, patting Jin's shoulder as I passed him on the way to the coffee pot.
"Noona, you baby him too much," Jimin commented, wandering in still wearing his soft Chimmy pajamas. "Baby me instead."
"Like she doesn't always baby you, you brat," Taehyung teased, he and Jungkook following behind him in their own Tata and Cooky pajamas.
"Does everyone have BT21 pajamas but me?" I complained, envious.
"We can get you some!" Jimin promised immediately. "And then when we all have our pajamas, we can have a giant sleepover in the living room!"
"But whose pajamas would you get?" Hoseok wondered out loud, strolling into the room and the conversation casually. He was not wearing his Mang pajamas but I bet he had them in his room somewhere.
"Maybe Van?" I suggested. "Since Van doesn't really belong to any one member."
Namjoon sat down at the table, his hair still messy and his loose T-shirt wrinkled. He leaned forward on one elbow, hand cupping his cheek adorably and brow furrowed slightly.
"Who is your favorite BT21 character, noona?" he asked.
I froze.
None of the members had ever been inside of my room at my apartment, but if they had, they would have seen shelves lined with RJ products, as well as the RJ standing doll that I kept on my bed for cuddling purposes.
I wasn’t about to admit all of that.
The boys were all staring at me, Namjoon in particular completely oblivious to the chaos he had unknowingly caused inside of my head, so I tried to keep my expression neutral.
"Noona really likes pink so maybe Cooky?" Jungkook guessed, although his expression looked a little smug.
Truthfully speaking, I had at least one thing of every BT21 character, but all of my RJ possessions far outnumbered the rest. The only other character that came close was Shooky, out of loyalty to Yoongi.
"I think to be fair, I should just get Van pajamas," I said evasively.
"I think you're hiding something," Jin said shrewdly, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I think you should get started on breakfast, Kim Seokjin," I told him flatly.
"What am I--"
"'A maid?'" I finished his question. "Yes, absolutely. Would you like me to tie your apron for you?"
I took his apron that was hanging on one of the cabinet knobs and stood on tiptoe to pull it over his head. It was pink and had the words “Please do nothing to the cook” stitched on the front.
"Make omelets, everyone likes those," I said softly as I tied a pretty bow in the back.
Jin’s face was bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears. I squeezed his arm and then walked back to the kitchen table where Yoongi was staring at me strangely. I made a face at him and he made the face back.
"Oh no, the twins are at it again with their silent communication," Hoseok said jokingly.
Yoongi and I both turned to look at him with our mouths stretched into a line, making identical expressions just to fluster him.
"What's on our schedule for today?" Namjoon wondered.
"Studio," I answered. "For the Japanese album."
BTS didn't stop during quarantine. They'd had to cancel their tour but they had decided to make use of the time they now had to work on new music. I'd already spent a good amount of time in Genius Lab with Yoongi while he worked on lyrics. It was one of the places we could go for the time being, but as the weeks dragged on, it was already becoming as confining to me as the dorms.
"You can all take your lessons during your breaks from recording," I continued. "I finished the lesson plan last night."
Namjoon nodded in affirmation and Hoseok chirped out an “Okay!” Yoongi and Jin both hummed to indicate that they understood; and Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook all shot me a thumbs up in unison.
Trying to squeeze English lessons into their hectic schedules was a bit easier now, but they still had to be done in small increments. Jungkook always tried to drag them out, eager to join Namjoon during interviews, but I had been specifically instructed not to make their lessons too lengthy. They had to be designed to fit into whatever free time they had, so their progress was not as fast as any of them would have liked.
While Jin got started on the omelets the maknae line went to go get changed; and Hoseok and Namjoon relocated to the living room to talk about lyrics for the new Japanese album. Yoongi and I remained at the kitchen table, drinking our coffee and whisking waffle batter.
“So are you going to tell me why you were flirting with Jin earlier?” Yoongi asked me nonchalantly as he plugged the waffle maker into the outlet on the wall closest to the table.
“I wasn’t flirting with him,” I disagreed. “I was teasing him. He should know what it feels like from time to time, since he does it to everyone else.”
“It looked like flirting.”
“Well, it wasn’t.”
Yoongi shrugged, pouring batter into the waffle maker as if it didn’t really matter to him either way. I huffed audibly and he smiled, even though his attention was on making sure the batter spread evenly.
Life during quarantine had become pretty stagnant. I didn’t want to say that I was bored, because being the English tutor for the biggest group in the world could never be boring. I also didn’t want to say that I was fed up because there were certainly worse people to be stuck at home with. It was just difficult not having space to breathe sometimes. Everywhere I went, one of the boys was there. I missed my apartment, my room, my things--everything that made it my space.
As I watched Yoongi manning the waffle maker diligently, I felt a little guilty for wanting separation. He was my favorite person in the world and I had so much of his attention. I tried to push the intrusive thoughts out of my mind, taking a sip of my coffee to ground myself again.
Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook came back, dressed in casual attire yet looking so effortlessly beautiful, it was unfair.
“What do you kids want on your waffles?” I asked them.
The room was immediately filled with the sounds of five different voices shouting their favorite toppings. I rolled my eyes. They really were like children sometimes, children I attempted to raise even though we were close in age. I left Yoongi at the table to mind the waffles, grabbing a clean cutting board and knife so that I could start chopping up fruit.
“Smells good, Jinnie,” I complimented, inhaling the delicious aroma of garlic, butter, and cheese.
“Of course it does,” he huffed. “I am an amazing chef, after all.”
I shook my head fondly, concentrating on the fruit I was cutting up. On anyone else, I would think that Jin’s behavior was insufferable, but he always got away with it. It was just the way things were.
Without tour dates and flights to factor in, my daily life had changed a little bit more than the boys’ had during this quarantine. I powered through entire books like it was nothing, something that I hadn’t done since I had been in university. I played Just Dance Now pretty religiously, my choice of fitness activity since I hated working out. I took on kitchen duty much more often just to have something to do, although I didn’t mind since I loved cooking; and cooking with Yoongi and Jin was always an enjoyable experience. I started writing again, fictions that sprung from the depths of my imagination and formed brilliant universes of their own. I worked on getting better at photography. I focused on taking care of myself.
All those things were good, healthy, productive... but I went from the dorms to the Big Hit building to Genius Lab and back to the dorms again, day in and day out. It wasn’t bad, but it was... something.
I sighed.
Jin heard me, looking over at me questioningly. I shrugged it off, sliding the neatly cut fruit off the cutting board into a glass bowl with my knife. I placed the cutting board and knife into the sink to wash later and took the bowl of fruit to the table.
The stack of waffles in front of Yoongi had grown. I ruffled his hair affectionately with my free hand and he leaned into my touch.
What a softie, I thought.
A few more flips of the waffle maker later and breakfast was ready. I helped Jin plate all the omelets, which were filled with gooey melted cheese, fresh spinach, truffles, and grape tomatoes cut in halves.
“Yay! Thank you for making breakfast, hyungs and noona!” Jimin cheered, clapping his adorably tiny hands happily.
A chorus of “thank you”s floated around the table.
“You kids better be grateful,” Jin said, no real firmness in his tone.
As the eight of us sat around the kitchen table--an extra large dining set that the company had purchased just to accommodate all of us--I felt the familiar warmth in my chest that I usually felt whenever I looked at my little family. I soaked up the feeling, reveling in the fondness and love I had for each of them. I couldn’t keep being selfish, wanting space from them when there were no better people to be quarantined with.
Yoongi, sensing my emotional state, reached for my hand under the table, squeezing gently. I squeezed back, smiling at him. I slung an arm around Jungkook, who was sitting on my other side. I looked around the table.
“I love you guys,” I told them.
Immediately, a round of “aw”s met my ears and before I knew it, I was crushed beneath the weight of seven boys who had latched onto me in a giant group hug.
“We purple you, noona,” Taehyung said earnestly.
I felt tears well up in the corner of my eyes. I knew how much the phrase meant to him and how much it meant coming from him.
My family. My perfect little family.
“Alright, get off, you’re squishing me!”
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CHAPTER THREE
"Hyung, you don't even have to participate in this round of games," Jimin realized. "Cheer loudly for me, okay?"
Yoongi took a sip of his iced Americano, surveying the younger over the rim of the cup, but said nothing.
"Hyuuuuung," Jimin whined.
"You know I will," the elder said, feigning impatience.
"Noona said that we were going to play Chicken Fight against each other this time," Jungkook said, the straw from a carton of banana milk between his teeth. "If I have to play against Jimin, who will you cheer for, hyung? Noona! Is there any more banana milk?"
Yoongi frowned, taken aback by the thought of having to choose between his dongsengs.
"Jungkookie, you've destroyed an entire pack in less than five minutes," Elizabeth said, sounding exasperated.
"Um, there's another pack in the cooler," Reynna piped up shyly.
Elizabeth shot her a look as if to say "of course there is." Reynna shrugged, grinning sheepishly, before scurrying away.
"See? She understands me," Jungkook said, heading off in the direction of the cooler.
"Jailene, you'll cheer for me, right?" Jimin demanded, peering down at the youngest manager.
"Obviously," she replied at once. "I have to cheer for Jiminie."
Jimin beamed, pleased.
There wasn't any special set-up required for playing Chicken Fight so the three managers were letting the two groups relax for a while before delving into the second round of the games. There was a long table laden with snacks and drinks, each member's preferences having been carefully researched beforehand, and everyone was partaking in their treats delightedly.
Jungkook was rummaging through the cooler for his banana milk, shoving aside a bottle of red wine that had been picked out for Yoongi. Hoseok, chatting animatedly with San, Mingi, and Yunho over by the diving board, was sipping on a Sprite, a bag of chips stuffed haphazardly into his shorts pocket. Taehyung, Yeosang, Seonghwa, Jongho, and Seokjin were crowded around the box of chicken that had been delivered not too long ago, while Namjoon and Hongjoong were standing off to the side, deep in conversation.
Elizabeth had been scanning the area in an attempt to locate Wooyoung when she suddenly noticed him walking up to where Yoongi was propped up on his plastic reclining chair.
She quickly crossed her fingers behind her back.
"Yoongi-hyung," she heard Wooyoung say, his voice probably more confident than he felt.
Yoongi looked up at him through narrowed eyes, his expression icy before catching a glimpse of his cousin over Wooyoung's shoulder. Elizabeth shook her head, willing him to be nicer to the younger boy. Sighing to himself, Yoongi softened his expression slightly.
"I just wanted to apologize for earlier," Wooyoung went on, encouraged by the change in the elder's demeanor. "I didn't mean to offend the managers--or you. Your cousin... She just seems very..."
"Assertive?" Yoongi supplied. "She is. It makes her a great manager but they're all great managers. No one at Big Hit will take better care of you than them."
"I'm beginning to see that," Wooyoung said. "I know they mean a lot to you so I'm very sorry that I offended you."
Wooyoung then bent over at a ninety-degree angle, bowing his head to Yoongi, who was suddenly red in the face. He started waving his hands immediately.
"Okay, stop! You don't need to do that! Just... maybe don't have such a loud mouth, you know?" Yoongi sputtered.
Wooyoung straightened up, smiling brilliantly.
"Okay! Thank you for accepting my apology, Yoongi-hyung!" he chirped before prancing away to join the others hunched over the chicken.
Elizabeth nodded at Yoongi in approval, grinning when he made a face back at her.
What a softie.
After about an hour, Elizabeth sent Seokjin the usual signal to start gathering everyone together and once again, Seonghwa followed his lead. Once the fourteen competing members were all together, she hung back, letting Reynna and Jailene take the lead this time.
"As you all know, during this round, you will be playing Chicken Fight for your room choice on your assigned floor," Reynna began. "Since BTS won the first round, ATEEZ's matches will take place first."
"The match-ups have already been decided," Jailene continued. "Hongjoong and Seonghwa will be going up against Yeosang and Wooyoung in the first match; and Yunho and San will be going up against Mingi and Jongho."
"Please head into the main practice room to change. The first match will begin shortly," Reynna said.
The eight boys all took off running towards the main practice room while BTS made themselves comfortable on the various reclining chairs surrounding the pool. Elizabeth perched herself on the edge of Yoongi's.
"You're glad you don't have to compete, huh?"
"You know I hate getting wet," he replied, still sipping his iced Americano. "Besides, the room arrangement we agreed on is the one that works best."
"You're not going to miss rooming with Jinnie?"
"He's a good roommate and it's nothing against him," Yoongi said, "but having Genius Lab set up in my room is more efficient. Being alone gives me the opportunity to concentrate more on my work."
"I guess it's good that things worked out this way," Elizabeth said, looking around the pool at the other members sprawled out on their own chairs.
Taehyung and Jimin were tangled together, their bodies barely fitting on the one reclining chair. Seokjin was laid out elegantly on his, legs crossed artfully with his arms behind his head. Namjoon was sitting cross-legged on his chair, sunglasses slipping down his nose, while Jungkook sat with his knees up to his chest, surrounded by cartons of banana milk. Hoseok was laying on his stomach, his head at the foot of the chair as he waited for ATEEZ to come out of the main practice room.
They all looked so goofy and cute. Elizabeth smiled, endeared by the boys she had spent the past year supervising.
"You'll come visit me, right?" Yoongi asked quietly.
She turned to look at him.
"I will when I can," she said. "This is a very big deal for us. We're going to have to work hard to make sure this succeeds. I... don't want to be accused of favoritism."
Yoongi nodded, trying not to look disappointed. Elizabeth turned back around to face the pool but silently slipped her hand around Yoongi's free one, squeezing it in encouragement. He squeezed back and she knew that he understood.
Meanwhile, the eight boys had returned from the main practice room, decked out in swim trunks for the next round. Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Wooyoung waded into the pool slowly, getting adjusted to the temperature.
"Hongjoong and Seonghwa, Yeosang and Wooyoung, please get into position for Chicken Fight and be very careful," Jailene instructed, her nervousness leaking into her voice slightly.
Seonghwa bent his knees as Hongjoong latched onto his back, hoisting the leader onto his shoulders.
"Hongjoong, you're squeezing my neck with your legs," Seonghwa complained.
Hongjoong simply bent over and patted Seonghwa's cheek affectionately before straightening up again.
Meanwhile, Wooyoung was already seated on Yeosang's shoulders, his arms draped around the other's neck loosely.
"Let's use those strong arms and win, hmm?" he said to Yeosang, squeezing his shoulders.
"I won't let you fall," Yeosang agreed.
"First pair to lose their balance and fall into the water loses," Reynna announced. "Ready... set... go!"
Seonghwa and Yeosang immediately lurched forward, their movement hindered slightly by the buoyancy of the water. Hongjoong and Wooyoung locked arms, wrestling for the upper hand.
"Put your tongue back in your mouth, Seonghwa!" Yeosang demanded. "You always do this!"
Seonghwa didn't respond, all of his attention on maintaining his grip on Hongjoong's legs as the fearless leader of ATEEZ reared backwards suddenly, Matrix style, to avoid Wooyoung. Knowing how much Hongjoong loved to win, Seonghwa leaned forward, sending his partner barreling straight into Wooyoung. Yeosang stumbled backwards slightly from the collision and Hongjoong took advantage of his opponent's surprise to headbutt him right in the chest.
True to his word, Yeosang never let go of Wooyoung, even as they both fell backwards into the water.
"H-hyung!" Wooyoung spluttered as he resurfaced. "What was that?"
"That was us winning," Hongjoong answered, grinning.
Seonghwa started bouncing up and down triumphantly, still holding on to Hongjoong's legs. Hongjoong ruffled Seonghwa's hair playfully.
"Hyung, let me down?"
Seonghwa bent his knees again so that Hongjoong could climb down and the two high fived before getting out of the pool, Wooyoung and Yeosang trailing behind them. A Big Hit staff member rushed up to them, handing them each a towel to dry off.
"Well, that was exciting," Elizabeth commented.
"Congratulations Hongjoong and Seonghwa!" Jailene announced. "Yunho and San, Mingi and Jongho, please get ready for your match!"
Yunho and Mingi both cannon balled into the pool, while San dove in gracefully. Jongho, shaking his head, entered the pool from the shallow end. Once the other three members had swum across, Yunho and Mingi both squatted to allow their partners to climb onto their shoulders.
The match took longer than anyone had expected. Jongho was known for his exceptional strength, despite being the youngest, and it might have seemed like a given that he would overpower San easily. But San had an energy that came out when he was determined--an energy that was most noticeable when he was on stage--and he wasn't about to go down without a fight.
When it seemed like Jongho might finally unseat San from Yunho's shoulders, a large beetle zoomed right in front of him.
Jongho let go of San immediately, reaching for Mingi's shoulders.
"Mingi, don't--!"
Mingi gave a loud shout of surprise as the beetle flew closer and stumbled backwards. Jongho tried to pull him back upright but yanked too hard, sending them both headfirst into the water.
San squeezed Yunho's shoulders gleefully as the taller boy started spinning around in circles.
"Yunhoooooo!" San shrieked. "I'm getting dizzy!"
Yunho laughed before dunking them both under the water. A few feet away, Mingi was apologizing to Jongho for getting scared of the beetle.
"Congratulations Yunho and San!" Reynna announced. "That was a really amazing match!"
As San passed by her, he pushed a few wet strands of hair out of his eyes and winked at her.
"Um, right, next is... uh," Reynna said, flustered. "Oh! Yeosang and Wooyoung will now go up against Mingi and Jongho!"
Jailene nudged her in the side, grinning at her embarrassment. Reynna nudged her back at once.
Since Mingi and Jongho were still in the water, they got back into position, with Mingi assuring the maknae that they would win this time.
"I'm not going to beat Jongho," Wooyoung whined. "He's too strong."
"It's okay," Yeosang said quietly. "Whatever room we get is fine with me."
"Just don't let go of me, okay?"
"Never."
True to Wooyoung's prediction, they couldn't beat Mingi and Jongho. Mingi, determined to make it up to his partner for his earlier mishap, supported Jongho with a focused expression fixed on his face; and Jongho, whose strength couldn't be matched, sent Wooyoung and Yeosang teetering backwards into the water.
Mingi and Jongho's victory ensured that they would at least not be last for their choice of rooms and the four boys, wrapped up in towels, gathered on their own reclining chairs to watch Yunho and San take on Hongjoong and Seonghwa.
"I think Hongjoong's team is going to win," Yoongi commented offhandedly.
"You like him, huh?" Elizabeth observed.
"He has a lot of great ideas," Yoongi replied, still sounding as if he didn't care either way. "He's an accomplished producer and songwriter in his own right."
"Mhm," Elizabeth hummed.
San and Yunho were already in the pool, the smaller on the larger boy's shoulders, his hands affectionately cradling his partner's face. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were standing on the steps of the shallow end, Seonghwa bent over slightly to strategize with his leader.
"Hongjoong, Seonghwa, your match will begin in a moment!" Jailene reminded them.
The two nodded at each other then waded further into the pool. Seonghwa bent his knees and Hongjoong climbed onto his back, ready to battle it out against Yunho and San for first pick of rooms.
"I'm sorry, hyung!" San called out.
"For what?" Hongjoong called back.
"For beating you!" San answered, grinning.
"I don't think so," Hongjoong said confidently. "Come on, Seonghwa. Let's win this!"
"My neck!" Seonghwa complained again, wincing. "Stop squeezing!"
Yunho bounded forward and San launched himself at Hongjoong, who caught him by the forearms. Seonghwa and Yunho concentrated on maintaining their grips on their partners, too engrossed to even trash talk each other.
"You've been working out, San-ssi," Hongjoong complimented his opponent.
"Thank you for noticing," San replied graciously.
"But Mom and Dad are still getting first pick of the rooms. We raised you!" Hongjoong teased, shoving his upper body forward in an attempt to make San lose his balance.
San's knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on Hongjoong's arms.
"And I'm very thankful, but Yunho and I are going to win this."
San pushed back against Hongjoong with a sudden burst of strength.
"Demon San is coming out," Elizabeth muttered.
"What does that even mean?" Yoongi asked.
"You'd have to be an ATINY to understand," she replied impatiently, her eyes fixed on the four boys in the pool.
All of a sudden, almost as if they'd had the same thought at the same time, Seonghwa and Yunho both let go of their partners and began splashing each other. Hongjoong, whose legs were already squeezing Seonghwa as tightly as he could in order to stay on his shoulders, was unfazed by having been let go. San, on the other hand, wobbled slightly before tightening his own legs around Yunho.
"Yunhooooo!" he screamed. "A little warning maybe?"
"S-sorry!" Yunho sputtered, caught up in his own battle against Seonghwa.
The two were so absorbed in splashing each other that they didn't notice that they had unconsciously moved closer to each other, creating bigger and bigger waves in the water. Thrown off by their lack of vision, Yunho and Seonghwa bumped into each other, sending Hongjoong and San flying forward into each other's arms.
"Hyung!" Hongjoong yelled.
Seonghwa immediately started backing up but not before Hongjoong had taken advantage of the confusion to latch on to San, grabbing him underneath the arms and yanking him upwards. Unbalanced, San started to fall back and in a last ditch effort, reached out and grabbed both of his leader's hands.
"I'm taking you with me!" he screamed.
"I can't look!" Reynna and Jailene said at the same time, covering their faces.
Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa shouted in surprise as they started to fall forward, the only audible sounds being Hongjoong's final curses before the water engulfed him.
"Choi San, you are so d--!"
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CHAPTER TWO
"One member of BTS will compete twice in this first part of the games."
"It should be J-Hope, of course," Seokjin said, clapping Hoseok on the shoulder.
"Yes, we're counting on you," Jimin told him seriously.
"Fighting!" Jungkook added.
"Okay, please decide the order in which your members will compete so that we can begin," Elizabeth instructed. "Once you've decided, please present the order to the manager closest to you."
On opposite sides of the room, the two groups immediately huddled together to decide on their strategy. After a few minutes, Namjoon walked over to Reynna to whisper in her ear. She nodded as she wrote down their names. Nearby, Hongjoong was leaning in close to Jailene, doing the same. The promise of competition had everyone on edge in the best way and the boys were all eager to start.
After collecting the lists from Reynna and Jailene, Elizabeth paired up the members from the two groups.
"The matches will proceed as follows: J-Hope versus San, Jimin versus Wooyoung, RM versus Seonghwa, V versus Yeosang, Jungkook versus Yunho, Jin versus Jongho, Suga versus Hongjoong, and J-Hope versus Mingi."
Jailene and Reynna pushed a giant wheel into the room, the slots all labeled with the names of songs that were on the Just Dance game.
"J-Hope, San, please approach the wheel for your round of rock-paper-scissors."
"It doesn't matter what the song is," Jimin muttered to the others. "Hobi can dance to anything."
San beat Hoseok, earning him the right to spin the wheel. He used the entire might of his small frame and the wheel spun.
"'Mad Love' by Sean Paul and David Guetta, featuring Becky G, Extreme Mode," Elizabeth read.
"Becky G!" Hoseok cheered, securing the strap of his Wii remote around his wrist. "I'm ready!"
"I can't watch," Reynna murmured behind her hands.
"You're going to want to," Jailene told her as Hoseok and San got into position in front of the TV.
The game had already been set up so that the players' names were BTS and ATEEZ and their avatars hovered on either side of the screen, ready to start keeping track of their scores.
Bright colors took over the TV screen as a single character materialized out of hearts. The dancer they were meant to copy was a girl but that didn't matter to either of them. They both readied themselves, dance captain J-Hope versus demon San.
Maybe it was his love for Becky G or maybe it was because he felt like he had something to prove, but Hoseok was unstoppable. He nailed every move flawlessly, his body moving in such a way that everything he did seemed to be effortless to him. San was not far behind him but missed the last Gold Move and his last chance to overtake Hoseok.
"You're a great dancer!" Hoseok said to San, approaching him. "Maybe we can practice together sometime?"
San smiled at him.
"Of course! I hope to learn some things from you!"
Both players returned to their sides of the room, BTS congratulating Hoseok and clapping him on the back while ATEEZ enveloped San in a big group hug.
Maybe BTS's strategy had been that they had wanted to send Jimin up right after Hoseok in order to secure an early lead, the two of them having studied dance prior to joining Big Hit. Wooyoung looked delighted to be facing off against Jimin, whom he idolized, as proven by the fact that he was wearing a sparkly jacket that looked almost identical to the one Jimin had worn in the music video for "DNA."
"I like your jacket," Jimin said, beaming at Wooyoung.
Wooyoung's cheeks turned slightly pink, caught between his admiration for Jimin and his desire for him to take him seriously.
Jimin won the round of rock-paper-scissors, standing up on his tiptoes to spin the wheel.
"'One Kiss' by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa."
It turned out that the song was basically perfect for Jimin in every way. He moved so fluidly, his limbs a graceful extension of himself. But no matter how skillfully he danced, he couldn't seem to get the Wii to pick up his movements as well, costing him enough points to fall behind Wooyoung.
"It wasn't you, hyung," Wooyoung told him quietly, leaning in to look his role model in the eyes. "You danced very well."
Jimin tried to put on a brave face but the instant he returned to the rest of the BTS, his lips pursed into a pout. The other members knew that he was always very hard on himself. Even though it was just a game, he felt like he had let the others down and he was more than slightly ashamed of how he had done.
"It's okay, Jiminie," Yoongi tried to comfort him.
Jimin latched onto him, burying his face against his hyung's shoulder. Yoongi, who had always had a soft spot for Jimin, glared at Wooyoung from across the room, although he didn't seem to notice.
With the fires of competition burning hotly in everyone's chests, the next matches were close. Namjoon put in all of his effort but lost narrowly to Seonghwa, while Taehyung avenged him with his clean win over Yeosang, who despite his loss, was still beaming at the elder with admiring eyes. Jungkook, all fired up to defend his hyungs, took on Yunho in a fierce rendition of Blackpink's "Ddu-du Ddu-du," and underestimated the latter's skill for which he was known to his members and fans. Seokjin, who loved playing Just Dance for fun, seemed to have the lead over Jongho, but the boy who described himself as being "too strong" experienced a burst of energy towards the end of the song, nailing the last Gold Move to win the round.
The biggest surprise of the entire contest was Yoongi's match against Hongjoong. It was known that Yoongi had famously called out Bang PD for tricking him into joining BTS by telling him he wouldn't have to move much; and dancing was not what he would call his favorite activity. However, Yoongi had a deeply protective side when it came to his younger members. Seeing Jimin and Jungkook's disappointed faces ate away at him and combined with his annoyance at Wooyoung earlier, it was enough to make him forget that he and Hongjoong had been enjoying an immersive conversation just prior to the start of the games.
"'New Rules' by Dua Lipa," Elizabeth read off the wheel after Hongjoong had given it a spin.
Fueled by the intensity of his feelings, Yoongi absolutely dominated the entire song, taking everyone in the room aback as he nailed move after move, not giving Hongjoong any chances to catch up. Breathing hard, he nodded at his competitor once before returning to his members and throwing one arm each around Jimin and Jungkook.
"What about me?" Seokjin demanded. "Did you not care about defending my honor as well?"
Everyone laughed at his dramatic behavior before turning their attention to Hoseok, who was to compete in another round, this time against Mingi.
Hoseok won the right to spin the wheel, landing on Daddy Yankee's "Shaky Shaky." Feeling good after his first win against San at the beginning of the games and inspired by Yoongi's passionate performance against Hongjoong, he threw his all into his second match. Mingi was good--really good--but in the end, he couldn't defeat BTS's dance captain and Hoseok's win tied the score between BTS and ATEEZ.
"Noona--I mean, manager-nim," Jungkook called out. "What do we do now?"
"Give us a moment, please," Elizabeth said, waving over Reynna and Jailene.
The three of them huddled in a corner. No one said out loud what they were all thinking: they hadn't been expecting this.
"What do you think the tie breaker should be?" Reynna whispered.
"Do we have any more Wii controllers?" Elizabeth asked.
"There are two more," Jailene confirmed. "Do you want me to go get them?"
"Yes, please. I have an idea."
The three of them nodded at each other in unison then broke formation. Jailene scurried away to get the remaining Wii controllers and Elizabeth stepped forward to address the two groups who had been waiting anxiously.
"The tie breaker will be a two-on-two match," she announced. "You get to decide which two members you want to send to compete and I get to decide the song."
Jailene came back into the room with two more Wii controllers clutched in her tiny hands and she and Reynna immediately started setting them up for the tie breaker round.
"Hobi shouldn't go again," Namjoon said. "He's already gone twice, he deserves a break."
"Let's send Taehyungie," Yoongi suggested. "He did really well in his round."
"I want to go!" Jungkook asserted firmly. "I can do better this time!"
"So we're in agreement?" Namjoon checked with the other members. "Taehyung and Jungkook will compete in the tie breaker."
Everyone nodded and Namjoon walked over to Elizabeth to relay the information.
"I know this seems a bit... egotistical, but I really want to win," Jimin told the others, keeping his voice low. "We can't lose in our own house, so to speak."
"They're not like us, though," Namjoon said quietly. "They don't really have a dance line. Their entire group is dance line."
"But we have faith in Taehyungie and Jungkookie," Seokjin reminded them, clapping the two younger members on their shoulders. "Bangtan can still win this."
The seven of them huddled together, their arms clasped tightly around each other in silent encouragement for Taehyung and Jungkook.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, ATEEZ were still trying to decide who was going to compete in the tie breaker.
"Obviously Yunho should go," Seonghwa said matter-of-factly.
"Agreed," Hongjoong said, "but who's going with him?"
"San or Mingi-hyung," Jongho piped up.
San stuck out his lower up slightly, pouting.
"I don't really want to go again," he admitted. "I'm tired."
Mingi rolled his eyes, although he slung an arm around San affectionately.
"I'll go," he said. "I'd really like a chance to redeem myself."
No one had any objections, so Hongjoong walked over to Elizabeth to tell her who they were sending up for the tie breaker.
"Alright, the competing members have been decided," Elizabeth announced. "Two extra controllers have been set up for the tie breaker round. Taehyung and Jungkook, Yunho and Mingi, please step forward and take your controllers."
"Jungkook is really good," Yunho whispered to Mingi as they took their controllers from Reynna. "I don't know how I managed to beat him."
Jungkook raised his eyebrows daringly at Yunho as he tightened the strap of the controller around his wrist, the challenge in his eyes clear. He didn't want to let his hyungs down, not again. Never mind that this was a friendly competition of Just Dance for the choice of the second or third floor in the house. He took this very seriously--they all did.
"Taehyung's really good, too," Mingi whispered back. "His round against Yeosang was amazing. He picks up moves so quickly."
The four of them positioned themselves in front of the television, awaiting the start of the tie breaker.
"The song for the tie breaker will be..." Elizabeth paused. "'Bang Bang Bang' extreme mode by none other than BIGBANG."
There was a loud chorus of whistles and cheers of enthusiasm among the two groups. Jungkook selected the song from the menu and the four boys locked in their players, two avatars reading BTS and two reading ATEEZ. There was only one character to choose from in the extreme mode of the song and all the avatars were lined up neatly next to him, a colorful figure styled in similar fashion to that of the original "Bang Bang Bang" music video.
"Whenever you're ready."
Jungkook, who had the Player One controller, took a deep breath before selecting PLAY on the screen.
The song started off easily enough and the four players were even with each other. BIGBANG was a staple for those who were currently in the Korean music industry and "Bang Bang Bang" was a song most people knew. But Elizabeth hadn't picked the extreme mode version for nothing and when the breakdown of the song started, only Taehyung and Jungkook were prepared.
Taehyung had always picked up choreography quickly, more so than the other members; and Jungkook, determined to make up for his earlier loss against Yunho and make his hyungs proud, threw himself into the steps with energy and expert precision in spite of his enthusiasm.
The extreme mode of "Bang Bang Bang" had a lot of hand movements, making it a bit more difficult to coordinate properly with the footwork. Taehyung and Jungkook, however, soon settled into their rhythm, and made it through the breakdown flawlessly.
Mingi sank to his knees dramatically, pounding the floor with his fist over and over.
"Mingi, get up," Yunho muttered, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Mingi did not look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, in one stride of his long legs, he bounded over to Taehyung and Jungkook to shake their hands enthusiastically.
"We should practice together," he told them eagerly. "I know this was supposed to be fun, but I feel like I can learn a lot from you."
"We would love to," Taehyung said warmly, smiling, endeared by the overgrown boy in front of him.
Jungkook only nodded, his chest heaving slightly as he tried to look as though he were completely composed. Yunho stepped forward, extending his hand.
"I would like to join you, if that's alright," he said, although he was clearly only asking the maknae's permission.
Jungkook stared at his proffered hand blankly for a moment before grabbing it firmly.
"Of course," he replied, grinning. "We would love nothing more."
Elizabeth, Reynna, and Jailene exchanged relieved smiles, glad that the competition had not created any animosity before the project had even gotten off the ground.
Taehyung and Jungkook returned to the other members of BTS, who swarmed around them and pulled them into a tight group hug.
"You did well, Jungkook," Namjoon told the youngest quietly, knowing how disappointed he had been when he had lost to Yunho earlier.
Yoongi clapped Jungkook on the back proudly.
"How about we go get some lamb skewers? Hyung's treat."
Across the room, the members of ATEEZ were comforting Yunho and Mingi, who were not as disappointed as they could have been.
"We can learn so much from them," Yunho told the other members. "We've never met anyone like them before. They're the real thing."
"Congratulations to BTS for winning the first round of the games," Elizabeth announced.
A loud round of applause echoed throughout the practice room.
"As your prize, you now get to choose which floor of the house you get to stay on for the duration of this project."
"If we have to climb up stairs, it might as well be only one flight!" Yoongi declared. "We want the second floor!"
The other members of BTS made noises of agreement.
"Alright, it's decided," Elizabeth said. "BTS will take the second floor and ATEEZ will take the third."
"The hyungs deserve the second floor," Hongjoong said graciously. "We would've picked the third floor anyway."
"Everyone did so well during the competition and you all deserve a break, so snacks and drinks are outside by the pool," Reynna told the two groups. "Enjoy!"
"Oh my gosh," Jailene whispered, horrified, as the fifteen boys immediately tried to squeeze their way through the door at the same time.
Elizabeth slapped a hand over her face, shaking her head. Jimin, Jungkook, San, Mingi, and Wooyoung, who had been at the front of the stampede, all shrieked as they fell, the force of the other members behind them pushing them forward.
"No one comes between me and my banana milk!" Jungkook yelled, already scrambling to his feet, having spotted the familiar yellow and brown cartons on the long table by the pool.
Yoongi strolled over to where Elizabeth was watching the chaos unravel, hands shoved into his pockets.
"I think that went pretty well, don't you?" he asked her, bumping her shoulder with his affectionately.
"It did," she agreed. "You did amazing. I'm so proud."
Yoongi smiled shyly, scratching the back of his neck.
"I had to do it, you know? For Jiminie and Jungkookie."
"I suppose the fact that Wooyoung beat Jimin had nothing to do with it," Elizabeth commented dryly.
Yoongi scrunched up his nose, annoyed at the mere mention of Wooyoung's name.
"He's not a bad guy, Yoongi. He's just... loud. He feels terrible about the whole thing. Just cut him some slack."
"Fine, fine," Yoongi grumbled, slumping against her shoulder. "Maybe later."
Elizabeth laughed.
"Come on. I ordered you an iced Americano."
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CHAPTER ONE
“Can you make sure that box is taped up securely, please?” Elizabeth asked one of the movers as they walked by.
“Hey,” Yoongi said, walking over to her and taking one of her tightly clenched fists. “Everything is going to be okay.” He pried her hand open, seeing the indents her nails had left in her palm. “You can maybe relax a little bit.”
“I know, I know,” she muttered. “I’m just nervous. The whole company seems to think that we can’t do this and I want to show them that we can.”
“You’ve all been managing your groups very well. You’ll do great,” he assured her.
She kept her eyes fixed on the moving crew as they packed the last of the boys’ belongings into the truck. Bang PD had found an extravagantly large three-story house for the fifteen boys, her, and her two friends, who were also assistant managers. They would mostly be doubling up but there was also a lot of professional recording and producing equipment that still needed to be packed up and transported–and she didn’t trust this moving crew to do it.
“Some of the other producers and recording technicians from the agency will move your equipment, right?” she double checked with Yoongi.
He nodded and his confirmation eased some of the tension she had been holding on to. KQ staff was taking care of moving ATEEZ’s things to the new house and they would all meet there officially for the first time. She couldn’t deny that she was excited to meet them–she was a huge fan of their music and that was one of the reasons why she was happy about having been chosen for this project. She just wished that her career wasn’t on the line.
~
Later that evening, Elizabeth, Reynna, and Jailene gathered in the living room of their apartment–which was mostly empty at this point–to go over the final check lists and timeline for the next few days.
“Okay, everything that can go in the car is already in the trunk, right?” Elizabeth asked.
Reynna and Jailene both nodded. The movers had already finished loading up their van earlier that day while they had been supervising BTS’s move. All that remained were a few last-minute things that could go in the car when they were ready to leave.
“Moving day is tomorrow,” Elizabeth continued. “Since the video announcing this project has already been posted and BTS and ATEEZ both did VLIVEs to talk about it, fans are now aware and will be expecting fresh content. In collaboration with VLIVE, we will be airing a new show to replace RUN BTS and the first episode will be filmed tomorrow.”
“That’s when they’re going to compete for which floor of the house and which rooms they’re going to get, right?” Reynna confirmed.
“Right.”
“And they already have their roommate assignments?” Jailene asked.
“For BTS, it’ll be Namjoon and Seokjin, Hoseok and Jimin, and Taehyung and Jungkook, and Yoongi will be rooming alone.”
“Why is he alone?”
“He asked for it to be that way. He’s also getting the biggest room on the floor because they’re moving his Genius Lab studio in there as well. For ATEEZ, it’ll be Hongjoong and Seonghwa, Yunho and San, Yeosang and Wooyoung, and Mingi and Jongho.”
Reynna and Jailene looked like they wanted to say more about Yoongi rooming alone but stayed quiet. It was well-known within the industry that he and Elizabeth were related and many had criticized Bang PD for hiring her for this reason. It was also known to fans that the two spent a lot of time together and it had caused some rifts in the fandom that had taken some time to recover from. It wasn’t too difficult to figure out that Yoongi didn’t want a roommate so it would be easier for his cousin to visit him but no one was going to bring that up now.
“According to the floor plans, the second and third floors have eight rooms each,” Elizabeth went on. “Apart from the four bedrooms on BTS’s floor, the other four rooms will be used for Namjoon’s Rkive studio, Hoseok’s Hope World, Jungkook’s Golden Closet, and a meeting room. The other four rooms on ATEEZ’s floor will be used for Hongjoong’s studio, Mingi’s studio, Yunho’s choreography studio, and a meeting room.
"The ground floor has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a very expansive living room that doubles as an in-home theater.” Her brow furrowed in concentration. “There’s also a separate building from the main house that includes two dance practice rooms and an exercise room with equipment. And there is also a pool in the backyard, apparently.”
“Bang PD’s real estate agent really did get us the biggest house he could find,” Reynna said in amazement. “Wow.”
“After the games tomorrow, the boys will take the rest of the day and the day after that to unpack and settle in,” Elizabeth said, flipping through the packet of papers before her. “Then they will each film a VLIVE as a group to talk about how they feel after moving in and they will also film individual room tours. I think that covers everything for the first few days.”
Jailene reached out to squeeze her hand.
“We’re ready,” she said. “You can stop worrying so much.”
Elizabeth looked down at the papers in her other hand, pretending to not be affected by Jailene’s words, although she squeezed her hand in return.
It was hard for her not to worry. She knew that Bang PD had faced a great deal of criticism for hiring her after word had spread that she was related to Yoongi. Not too long after, he had received even more push back when he had hired Reynna and Jailene as well, although he had cleverly defended his decision by saying that sometimes fans make the best managers, especially the ones who study the trends of the industry closely. She knew that even within the company, people were expecting them all to fail and she couldn’t let that happen.
They had a lot of people to prove wrong
“Let’s go to bed,” Reynna suggested. “They’re expecting us at the house pretty early tomorrow morning.”
Elizabeth and Jailene agreed and they headed to their rooms.
“You’re still worried, I can tell,” Jailene pointed out as they settled under the covers.
Elizabeth turned over onto her side so that she could look her girlfriend in the eyes.
“There is a lot at stake here,” she told her. “Therefore, there is a lot to be worried about.”
Jailene rolled her eyes.
“You’re always worried. I’m surprised you don’t have gray hairs yet.”
Elizabeth scoffed.
“Let’s just see what happens tomorrow, okay?” Jailene said. “For right now, we should sleep.”
~
Morning came and Elizabeth was still staring up at the same spot on the ceiling. She sent a text to her assistant to have the strongest espresso available ready and waiting for her when they arrived at the house. She was going to need it.
~
“You didn’t sleep at all,” Yoongi accused.
Clutching the steaming cup in her hands, Elizabeth just looked at him.
“You look awful,” Seokjin told her, a little too honestly.
“Hyung!” Jimin scolded, hitting him on the arm. “That’s not nice!”
Seokjin shrugged unapologetically.
“It’s okay,” Elizabeth muttered. “I’ll just rig the games today so that he loses.”
“But Team Kim Seokjin never loses,” Namjoon said, joining them. “Besides, if he loses, I lose because I’m his roommate.”
“Look! They’re here!” Jungkook interrupted, pointing excitedly.
They all turned to look in the direction he was pointing. A large moving van followed by several company cars was heading up the road, signaling the arrival of ATEEZ. They all came to a stop and the other members of BTS gathered around Elizabeth, Reynna, and Jailene as they waited for the members of ATEEZ to get out of their cars.
“You guys should get in formation to do your greeting,” Elizabeth told Namjoon softly.
Taking the lead as he often did, Namjoon quickly spread the information to the other members and they got into position next to their managers.
The doors of the cars all opened and the members of ATEEZ started piling out in pairs. They organized themselves around Hongjoong, their leader, as they approached BTS. The cameras were all fixed on the scene that was about to unfold, as the footage would be used as part of the introduction to the new VLIVE show the two groups would be doing together.
“One, two, three,” Namjoon counted, signaling the start of their greeting.
“Hello! We are BTS!” the seven of them said in unison, bowing to ATEEZ.
Hongjoong smiled at the greeting before also counting down.
“Eight makes one team! Hello! We are ATEEZ!” the eight of them chorused, bowing back.
Once the camera crew had gotten the footage of their greetings, the boys relaxed immediately, dropping some of their earlier formality. Through the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see that Reynna was shaking slightly with nervous excitement and that Jailene was trying to keep her expression carefully composed. As two peas in a pod who wore their emotions on their sleeves, she knew that they were eager to meet ATEEZ as fans, not as managers, so she cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention.
“Welcome to your new home,” she said politely, addressing the eight younger boys. “We are so glad that you have joined the Big Hit family and we are looking forward to seeing the things that you accomplish.”
“Are you the leader?” Wooyoung asked.
Elizabeth was taken aback by the unexpected question.
“N-no, there is no leader,” she replied, trying to conceal her surprise. “The three of us are all assistant managers of the same ranking, essentially.”
“You seem like a leader,” he said, staring her down.
“It’s because she is,” Yoongi spoke up from behind her, his voice slightly sharp. “But the three of them are all highly qualified.”
“They’re shy,” Elizabeth said, waving at Reynna and Jailene next to her, making her tone light and teasing in an attempt to diffuse the sudden tension. “But as Yoongi said, we are all experienced members of our agency and we are thrilled to be taking on this project.”
Namjoon stepped forward, trying to take control of the situation by making it about the two groups and not about the managers.
“I’m Namjoon, or RM,” he introduced himself. “This is Seokjin, who goes by Jin; Yoongi, who goes by Suga; Hoseok, who goes by J-Hope; Jimin; Taehyung, who goes by V; and our golden maknae, Jungkook.”
Hongjoong also stepped forward, his stance friendly and open.
“I’m Hongjoong. This is Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and our maknae who breaks apples with his bare hands, Jongho.”
“Really? Can you show me?” Jungkook asked excitedly, moving away from his other members.
Elizabeth smiled then signaled to the head cameraman to come over.
“Film their interactions while they mingle but don’t get too close,” she instructed. “I don’t want it to look staged or forced.”
He nodded then left to relay her directions to the rest of his crew. Jailene and Reynna both left to start preparations for the games that would be filmed for the VLIVE show, while Elizabeth hung back to supervise the two groups as they mingled.
Jongho had managed to get his hands on an apple and was showing Jungkook how to break them cleanly, a trick he was well-known for. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hongjoong were clustered together, most likely talking about writing and producing. Hoseok, San, Mingi, and Yunho were in a small group off to the side while Jin and Seonghwa had situated themselves in a location that allowed them to keep an eye on everything. Jimin, Taehyung, Wooyoung, and Yeosang were in the last group, with Jimin turning on the charm to make everyone feel at ease.
“Everything is almost ready for the games,” Jailene’s voice came in over the headset.
“Okay, keep me updated,” Elizabeth replied.
“Hey.”
She looked up. Wooyoung was standing a few feet away from her, hands in his pockets, a sheepish smile on his face.
“I’m sorry I called you out like that in front of everyone,” he apologized. “You just seemed like the person in charge.”
“An honest mistake,” she said, keeping her tone neutral. “They trust me to speak for them. That’s all.”
“Yoongi… He’s your cousin, right? I don’t think he likes me,” Wooyoung commented.
“He will get over it if you make the effort to redeem yourself in his eyes. He’s a very kind and caring person. He just needs the time to warm up a little.”
“Good to know. I’ll see you around.” Wooyoung nodded at her before heading back towards Jimin, Taehyung, and Yeosang.
“Everything is set up and ready for the game,” Reynna informed her over the headset.
“Great. Can you two come back here, please?”
“On our way.”
Once Reynna and Jailene returned from setting up the games, Elizabeth locked eyes with Seokjin. He nodded then immediately started herding the rest of BTS together, with Seonghwa following his example as soon as he realized what he was doing.
“As you know, BTS and ATEEZ will be filming a new VLIVE show together, starting today,” Elizabeth announced to the fifteen boys gathered before her. “For the first episode, you will be competing against each other to choose which floor of the house you would like, as well as your bedrooms and your studios, for those of you who have them. This means that there are many layers to this competition. The two groups will be competing against each other but you will also be competing against your own members for the spots you want. Now, if you would all please follow us…”
The three managers led the two groups around the house to the detached unit in the back, where the larger of the two dance practice rooms had been set up with a large flat screen television, a Wii console, and two controllers.
“For the first part of the games, one member of each team will compete in a round of Just Dance,” Elizabeth told the members. “One round of rock-paper-scissors will be played to determine who gets to spin the wheel that picks the song. The winner of each round wins a point for their group and the group with the most points gets to pick which floor of the house they want.”
“We only have seven members,” Seokjin pointed out. “How are we going to make this fair for everyone?”
“Excellent question, Seokjin. Either one member of BTS will go twice or one member of ATEEZ will not participate. You will all vote for which option you prefer.”
The two groups immediately started whispering among themselves, trying to figure out which option would work best in their favor.
“If one member of BTS has to go twice, do we get to decide who it is?” Taehyung asked.
“Yes, that is up to you. Now, the second part of the games will be in pairs according to your roommate assignments, except for Yoongi, who is rooming alone and whose room has already been picked for him. You will be playing against each other in a game of Chicken Fight to determine the order of who gets to pick their room first. We will explain the rules to you further once we reach that part of the games.”
The fierce competitive drive could easily be felt in the practice room. The three managers knew from experience that everyone in BTS was extremely competitive and they felt that ATEEZ would be no different.
A staff member began passing out pieces of paper and markers to each of the boys.
“On your paper, write the letter A if you want one member of ATEEZ to not participate or write the letter B if you want one member of BTS to participate twice. One of the managers will collect your responses.”
The boys started moving away from each other, trying to disperse as much as they could with the limited amount of space available. Reynna and Jailene stationed themselves at opposite ends of the room, taking each of the folded pieces of paper from the members. Once everyone’s votes had been collected, they were separated into two piles, counted once, and then counted again for good measure.
“And the results are…”
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PROLOGUE
A few weeks before move-in day…
“I don’t understand why you want to give this project to three assistant managers with little experience. Why not let Manager Sejin take control of the two groups?”
“Actually, the three assistant managers in question are more than qualified to take on this project,” Bang PD disagreed, furrowing his eyebrows at the naysayer. “Youkyung has been working with Sejin for more than a year and as Yoongi’s cousin, the boys are very comfortable with her. Reynna and Jailene have also done a great job managing their rookie groups over the past year and I think this would be a good challenge for the three of them.”
There were a lot of mutters and side glances going around the room but no one dared to question Bang PD, regardless of how many doubts they had.
This idea of his was very experimental and very risky. Complaints had arisen almost immediately, most of them about why he had not chosen TXT as the group that BTS would take under their wings. It would have been the logical choice, many said. TXT was already a Big Hit group, born and raised. ATEEZ had been acquired through the merger with KQ Entertainment. It was unfair to Soobin, Yeonjun, Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai to deny them this opportunity.
The truth was that Bang PD had already considered having TXT be part of this project and had dismissed the thought almost immediately. Fans already knew them as being the little brothers of BTS and while he knew that there was mutual love and respect there, he didn’t want TXT living in BTS’s shadow. They had their own unique appeal and he didn’t want them being associated with their mentors forever just because they belonged to the same agency. It was, however, no secret that ATEEZ were fans of BTS and he knew that they would learn many valuable lessons from them.
“We have the chance to do something that hasn’t been done before,” he said, addressing the entire room, “and we have the chance to set a strong example for the rest of the industry. The members of ATEEZ are good boys and they will be successful under BTS’s guidance. Thank you, that will be all for today.”
After the room had emptied, Bang PD sank into his chair, sighing. He had faith in his chosen assistant managers but he wished the rest of his staff did as well.
“Bang PD-nim?”
He looked up. TXT, led by Soobin, were hovering in the doorway, their expressions slightly anxious.
“Come in, come in,” he said, waving them forward. “What are you all doing here?”
“We just wanted to let you know that we’re not upset about not being chosen to be in the dorms with our soonbae-nims,” Soobin told him, his hands laced together tightly. “We understand that you want to give us the chance to make a name for ourselves and we are grateful for the opportunities you have already given us.”
“And we look forward to meeting ATEEZ as well,” Yeonjun added. “We should all learn from each other.”
“We think this new project will be very successful,” Hueningkai said, smiling brightly.
“Thank you for your support and understanding,” Bang PD said, placing a hand on Soobin’s shoulder. “I’m very proud of you boys.”
They all bowed respectfully before scurrying off, Beomgyu saying excitedly, “Let’s go congratulate Youkyung-noona and her friends!”
Bang PD smiled to himself. Big Hit’s journey to the top had taken many years and he always felt like they had so much further to go, but he was proud of how much they had all accomplished together. This new project would turn out well, he was sure of it.
He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket, dialing the number of his most trusted real estate agent and property manager.
“I need you to get me the biggest house you can find.”
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BTS X ATEEZ DORM AU
✨D E S C R I P T I O N ✨
With BTS at the forefront of the Korean music industry, Big Hit Entertainment has grown into a superpower, steadily acquiring smaller agencies and the groups signed to them. After buying the agency called KQ Entertainment, Bang PD has the idea to have BTS and the rookie group known as ATEEZ live together in a large three-story house under the supervision of three Big Hit staff members. Their goal is to manage the two groups while fostering an environment of collaboration and mentorship, with ATEEZ hopefully learning everything they can from BTS, whom they look up to and admire.
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BTS Imagine #13: BTS Summer Package 2020 (Part 5)
Word count: 1,660
Members featured: All
Description: The finale. All the loose ends get tied up, all the drama is resolved, and we all return to Korea closer than ever.
“Did you have a good time?” Yoongi asked me as our car started to pull away from the row of beach houses.
I turned my gaze away from the window to look at him.
“Yeah, I did,” I said honestly. “Even with everything that happened, it’s still one of the best memories I will ever have.”
Yoongi smiled at me warmly before his mouth stretched open in a huge yawn. He leaned against my shoulder, his eyes closed.
“I’m so glad I have you,” he murmured sleepily.
“Me, too,” I said, stroking his hair.
While Yoongi slept, my mind replayed the events of the night before. Having toasted way too many things, the boys had performed their own drunk rendition of “Boy With Luv.” I had joined in, of course, accompanying Yoongi during his rap, much to the delight of everyone else.
“Noona is part of rap line!” Jungkook yelled. “Yoongi-hyung, you’d better watch out!”
Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook later ended up chasing each other down the beach, splashing each other and shouting like lunatics. I was standing by myself, watching them affectionately, when Jin came up to me.
“I understand why you did it,” he said calmly, his gaze following mine. “Our family is so precious, not just to you but to me also. I don’t want to disrespect Yoongi and I don’t want to make things uncomfortable for the rest of the members if things don’t work out between us so that they feel they have to choose sides. It makes complete sense and I’m sorry that I didn’t see it at first.”
“Jinnie…” I bit my lip. “What I said… about choosing Yoongi over you… I–”
“No, you were right to say that,” he cut me off, shaking his head. “Family is important and I admire your loyalty. There will always be plenty of boys.”
I reached out and took his hand.
“But there’s only one Kim Seokjin,” I said quietly.
He looked down at our hands and then back up at me.
“We’re doing so well, it seems like this path that we’re on never stops,” he said. “But I know that we’re not going to shine this brightly forever… So maybe… when things slow down… When I’m only Seokjin instead of BTS’s Jin…”
He trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished, but I knew what he was saying.
“Maybe,” I said.
He leaned forward slightly, then stopped, hesitating as if unsure. Then he seemed to have gathered up all his resolve because he moved closer. I closed my eyes, bracing myself.
When I felt his lips brush my forehead, I felt relieved. I wanted to thank him for understanding but when I opened my eyes, he was already gone.
Now, sitting in the car with Yoongi on our way to the airport so we could catch our flight back home to Korea, I was reminded that I had something very special. There may have been some tense moments during this trip but in the end, we all came out of it as one happy family. That was all I ever really wanted.
I shook Yoongi awake gently when we arrived at the airport. We went through security and then waited to board our flight.
“Are you glad to be going home?” Yoongi asked me as he handed me an iced coffee.
“It’s always nice to be going home,” I said, accepting the cup gratefully and taking a sip. “But we’ll have to come back here for a real vacation someday.”
“I would love that,” he said, smiling as he sat down in the chair next to me.
We still had about half an hour until our flight and the airport had graciously provided us with a private waiting area away from the other passengers. The others were all getting food so only Yoongi and I were in the waiting area.
“I saw Jin-hyung approach you last night,” he said nonchalantly. “How did that go?”
“It went well,” I replied truthfully. “He said he understands where I’m coming from.”
“Did you tell him that you have feelings for him?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That would only make things harder. Besides, after this trip, I think that he still has a lot of growing up to do. He needs to focus on himself and the group right now. I don’t think that now would be a good time for either of us.”
“You’re so wise, it’s annoying sometimes,” Yoongi teased, taking a sip of his iced Americano.
Soon, the rest of the members joined us in the waiting area.
“Oh! You guys have to wear your penalty outfits when we arrive back home!” I remembered.
Jimin, Hoseok, and Jin all grimaced. As the losers of the game they had played on the last episode of RUN BTS, they had to show up at the airport back home in penalty outfits designed by Taehyung and Jungkook.
We boarded our flight, eager to return to the dorms and sleep in our own beds. Yoongi buckled himself in to the seat next to me before stretching out his legs in front of him.
“I think ARMY will really enjoy this year’s Summer Package,” he said thoughtfully. “We look the happiest we’ve ever been.”
“I hope you actually are the happiest you’ve ever been,” I told him.
“We are!” he assured me. “The happiest.”
I smiled, reaching over and squeezing his hand.
“Good.”
The flight back home was long. Yoongi was asleep for the first half of it, despite having downed a large iced Americano right before boarding. I used the time to work on some new lesson plans for the boys and to catch up on some reading. Having expended so much energy over the past several days, the other members were quiet, making the flight a peaceful one.
Almost sixteen hours later, we landed in Seoul.
“I don’t know how I can go back to working after such a nice vacation,” Jungkook said wistfully, stretching his arms over his head. “All that sun and ocean breeze felt so good.”
“Don’t you guys have to go film a new ad with VT Cosmetics?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s still work,” Jin said. “It’s not easy being this handsome.”
I laughed, glad to see that he was acting like the Jin I knew and loved most. It would take time but things were already on their way back to normal.
After collecting our luggage, Jimin, Hoseok, and Jin disappeared to change into their penalty outfits. As we exited through the sliding doors of the airport, they reappeared at the last minute and I couldn’t help but burst into heavy laughter.
The three of them were dressed in head-to-toe onesies, Jimin resembling a chick, Jin a mouse, and Hoseok a squirrel. We could hear the rapid sounds of cameras clicking as we were greeted by the usual reporters. Hoseok waved enthusiastically at them, his energy unmatched even when dressed up this way. Jimin looked adorably shy as he bowed to the cameras before sliding into a waiting company car. Jin blew a kiss towards the reporters, owning his outfit the way only he could.
We all got into our respective company cars, still laughing as we drove away from the airport.
“I’m a little disappointed that you don’t get to wear a onesie,” I told Yoongi, teasing. “Yours would’ve been a cat.”
“It would’ve,” he agreed, “but I’m not putting that out there just so that ARMY can pull up a picture of a similar-looking cat and compare us side by side.”
I grinned knowingly. He wasn’t wrong–that was exactly what would’ve happened if he had to wear a cat onesie as a penalty.
By the time we arrived back at the dorms, the photos of Jimin, Jin, and Hoseok were already trending on Naver’s home page and were all over various social media platforms. I saw myself in a shot someone had managed to snap of Yoongi and I getting into the car and had to force myself not to look at the comments.
I dropped my suitcase on the floor, not wanting to unpack just yet. I slumped face down on my bed, feet dangling off the edge. My mind started replaying the entire trip, from the moment we arrived to when we left–the good and the bad. My life here in Korea would always be made up of the good and the bad, but as long as I had my family, the good would always outshine the rest.
“Don’t feel like unpacking either?”
I lifted my head to see Yoongi leaning against the door frame.
“No, because then it’ll feel like it’s really over,” I said, sighing.
Yoongi curled up on the bed next to me and started rummaging around in his hoodie pocket.
“I got you this while we were there,” he told me, taking my hand and dropping something into it. “I just wanted to wait until we got back to give it to you.”
Hanging on a black leather cord was a perfectly scalloped shell in a dainty hue of pale blush pink.
“Yoongi, it’s so pretty,” I whispered in awe.
“In ancient times, the shell was a symbol of protectiveness, especially towards someone you love,” he said, once again amazing me with his vast knowledge. “I know I didn’t really go about it the right way while we were in Bora Bora but I promise that I will always protect you from anyone or anything that would hurt you.”
I slipped my arms around him, one hand forming a protective fist around the necklace while the other rested flat on his back as I snuggled against him.
“You’re the best oppa in the world,” I said sincerely, “and I love you more than words can express.”
He shifted so that his chin was resting on the top of my head.
“‘Yoongi-oppa, I love you’ would be a good start.’”
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BTS Imagine #13: BTS Summer Package 2020 (Part 4)
Word count: 2,817
Members featured: All
Description: It’s the last full day in Bora Bora and the boys are wrapping up the last of the activities on their schedule. The thing that I’ve been dreading most happens, feelings are hurt, the environment grows tense, and then family prevails.
When I woke up the next morning, there was a plate of food on the nightstand. I had a text from Yoongi saying that they had all gone out early to film again and that he would be back later to check up on me. It wasn't that early anymore so I figured he would be back soon.
I decided to wash up and get dressed so that I would be ready when the boys returned from filming. About an hour later, I was nibbling on a piece of toast that had been left for me when I heard Yoongi calling for me.
"I hate waking up early," he grumbled, throwing himself on the bed next to me, his face smushed into the pillows.
"Everyone knows that," I teased, patting his hair gently. "How was filming?"
"Fine," he muttered. "I looked really cool, as always."
"Did he mention that he fell off the boat and into the water?" Jin asked, walking into the room. "It was hilarious."
"No one asked you."
I eyed Jin surreptitiously. Nothing about his expression indicated that anything was going on. He was just being his usual teasing self. Maybe I had been worried for nothing.
"What's left on your schedule for today?" I asked them.
"Snorkeling," Jin answered.
"I hate getting wet," Yoongi complained.
"Everyone knows that, too," I said, pinching his cheek. "Snorkeling isn't so bad, though. Besides, you're in Bora Bora. What else are you going to do?"
"Sleep."
"Yoongi, you can do that literally anywhere."
"Your point is?"
"Nothing," I told him, leaning back against the pillows. "I'm content to stay in bed if you are."
"This is why we get along so well."
Jin rolled his eyes.
"You should go snorkeling with us," he said to me. "Once they're done filming us, I'm sure they'll let us stay in the water a little longer."
"I don't think so," I said, shaking my head. "I don't like snorkeling. I don't like having the breathing tube in my mouth."
"There are worse things," Jin muttered.
"Excuse me?" Yoongi's voice sounded unusually sharp as he suddenly snapped his head up.
"Nothing," Jin said hastily.
"That's what I thought."
I laid a comforting hand on Yoongi's back, feeling the tension in his muscles. I rubbed in small, soothing circles, hoping that he would relax.
"Jin-hyung!" we heard Hoseok call from the front door. "The staff made smoothies! Come get one!"
"Be right there!" Jin called back. "Are you coming?" he asked me.
"I'm staying here," I said quietly, still rubbing Yoongi's back. "You go ahead."
Jin looked like there was more he wanted to say but instead he turned and left without a word. After I heard the front door slam shut, I sighed. This was not going to be easy but it was going to have to be done.
After a few minutes of quiet, I realized that Yoongi had fallen asleep. I smiled down at him affectionately, his mouth slightly open as he breathed slowly and evenly. He always looked so cute when he was sleeping. I brushed his hair away from his forehead gently, wishing that he could always be this peaceful. He seemed so tightly wound these days.
About half an hour later, I heard the front door open again and Jin walked into the room, a smoothie in each hand. He handed one to me and set the other one down on the nightstand for Yoongi. I was touched. Even after that tense moment between them, Jin was still looking out for his younger brother.
"Thank you," I said softly, taking a sip. "You picked all my favorite fruits."
Jin shrugged nonchalantly.
"I... need to talk to you about something," he said slowly.
I froze, the straw still in my mouth. I could feel my stomach churning. I knew that this was coming yet I couldn't believe that it was happening already.
"Yoongi and Namjoon have both been trying to talk me out of this but it's not really something I can just try to ignore," he went on, seemingly oblivious to my panic. "Ever since you moved to Korea and became a part of our lives, I always felt that you were someone I could always enjoy being around. You're someone who understands me and who I am and what I need... And it makes me happy to be with you. So what I'm trying to say is--"
"Jinnie," I interrupted, knowing that I couldn't let him say it. "We're friends, just like the other members are my friends. I love you--I love all of you--and our friendship as a group is the most important thing."
I could see the hurt in Jin's eyes and there was a hint of anger in his voice when he spoke.
"If this is about how Yoongi doesn't like the idea of us--"
"It's not," I disagreed, "but even if it were, Jinnie... You must know... I would pick him every single time."
Jin's face fell completely.
"Jinnie, I'm sorry... but he's family. We--BTS--we're all family." I bit my lip. "I can't risk ruining it. When I came to Korea, this is what I wanted. I wanted to be close to Yoongi--to all of you. All of us being friends is what makes it so perfect. I can't lose that. We can't lose that."
Jin was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice sounded eerily calm.
"You're right," he said. "I wasn't thinking about the group. I'm sorry I made things uncomfortable for you."
He bowed his head then turned and walked out of the room.
I felt a single tear run down the side of my face. I had never wanted to hurt him but I couldn't let things develop any further. This... it had to be done.
"Youkyung-ah..."
"Hmm?" I sniffled, wiping my face with my arm. "Oh... Yoongi, you're awake."
"Are you okay?" he asked me, raising himself up on his forearms. "I know you like him."
"You were awake the whole time?" I demanded.
"Not the whole time. I woke up when Jin got angry thinking that you were rejecting him because of me," he admitted.
I covered my face with my hands.
"Now the rest of this vacation is going to be so awkward," I muttered. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Why did he have to do this now? Why did he have to do it at all?"
"To be fair, he's been wanting to confess for a while," Yoongi informed me, sighing. "He kept asking me for my blessing and I kept saying no. It's not that I don't want you two to be happy but apart from the thought of one of my closest friends being with someone I consider a sister being completely and utterly bizarre to me, I knew that you were going to choose the group over him." He paused. "You don't have to pick me over him, though. I don't want to be the reason you give up on something that would make you happy."
"Yoongi, I have this wonderful group of brothers because of you," I said earnestly. "They became my family but you've always been my family, and family comes first. That means you and it also means BTS. I'm not risking that for anyone, not even Kim Seokjin."
"What if it was someone else? What if it was Jungkook or Jimin?"
"It doesn't matter," I told him firmly. "Also, Jungkook is a troublemaker and Jimin is a flirt."
"If I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to date Namjoon," Yoongi said thoughtfully. "He's the only one with a sane head."
"Okay, stop," I said, shoving him playfully. "I couldn't date any of them. They're my brothers just like they're your brothers. That's all there is to it."
"Jin-hyung will get over it eventually," Yoongi assured me. "He knows why you shut him down and he knows that it's for the best. Just give it some time."
I sank deeper into the covers, shifting so that I was laying with my head on Yoongi's chest. He put his arm around me in a gesture of comfort.
"We leave for Korea tomorrow morning so let's try to enjoy the time that we have left," he said quietly.
"Let's go to the beach," I said. "I just want to sit and watch the ocean."
"Okay," Yoongi agreed. "Let's go."
We gathered up our towels and flip flops and headed down to the beach. We spread out our towels on the sand and sat side by side, my head leaning against Yoongi's shoulder as we watched the waves crash upon the shore again and again. Every time the waves came back, I thought about the look on Jin's face when I told him that I would always pick Yoongi. I tried to tell myself that I had done the right thing but the hurt in Jin's eyes wouldn't leave my mind.
"Noona," I heard a voice say softly.
Yoongi and I looked up and we saw the three youngest members standing before us, all of them with concerned expressions on their faces. Jimin had been the one who had spoken but Jungkook's eyes flickered towards Yoongi, as if asking permission. Yoongi nodded and the three of them kneeled down on the sand and wrapped the two of us in a big group hug.
Tears ran down my face, soaking the sleeve of Yoongi's shirt. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. We stayed like that for what seemed like ages until we heard Hoseok calling out to us.
"It's time for snorkeling!" he shouted, waving his hands over his head excitedly.
Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Yoongi all pulled back, concern reflected in their expressions as they looked at me.
"Are you going to be okay?" Yoongi asked me, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly.
I nodded.
"Go," I told them. "I'll be here."
Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook all gave me a reassuring hug before they left. Yoongi lingered for a little bit before bending down and kissing the top of my head.
"I'll be back," he promised before turning and jogging down the beach towards where the staff and the rest of the members were.
I saw Jin standing next to Namjoon, arms crossed over his chest. He was smiling but even from where I was, I could see that it wasn't quite reaching his eyes.
I looked away.
I sat there on the beach, staring out at the water without really seeing anything. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, I hugged my knees to my chest, burying my face in my arms. After a while, I felt someone's hand touch my hair.
"Youkyung-ah, the staff is setting up a bonfire to celebrate our last night in Bora Bora," Yoongi said. "Come on. We should have fun."
I looked up at him. He was holding out his hand expectantly. I accepted it, letting him pull me up. We picked up our towels, shook the sand off of them, and then headed back towards where the staff were setting up a giant bonfire. As we approached the rest of the group, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook came running up to us.
"Noona, we don't want you to be sad," Jimin said quietly. "Please smile and be happy, okay?"
"We're all still your family no matter what," Taehyung added, reaching out and squeezing my shoulder gently. "We understand and it's okay. No one's mad at you, not even Jin-hyung."
I could see Jin standing a good distance away with Namjoon and Hoseok, the three of them laughing. Jin still looked like he was trying to put on a happy face for the others but he was keeping himself together better than I was at this point.
Jimin reached out and squeezed my other shoulder and then he and Taehyung walked off towards the water. Now that it was just the three of us, Jungkook took a slight step forward. He hesitated for a second then quickly ducked down to kiss my forehead before running off to join Jimin and Taehyung. I peeked at Yoongi out of the corner of my eye and saw that his face was scrunched up in annoyance but he didn't look angry. Who could ever stay mad at Jungkookie anyway?
"Alright, children! Gather around!" Namjoon called.
The staff had finished setting up the bonfire and new a huge red-orange pillar was burning brightly in the sand. The eight of us all scrambled to sit on the logs circling the fire, Yoongi and I on one, Jimin and Taehyung on the one next to us, Jungkook and Namjoon next to them, and Jin and Hoseok across from Yoongi and I.
"As we're wrapping up another successful Summer Package, I just want to say that I'm so thankful for this group," Namjoon said solemnly. "Every time we do this, it's different but it's always fun because we have each other. And this year, it's even more special because we have Youkyung with us." I buried my face into Yoongi's shoulder, embarrassed. "She came into our lives in the most unexpected of ways but she has become so important to all of us, not just because of the work she does for Big Hit and for BTS but for the love and friendship she gives to each one of us. Summer Package 2020 will definitely be a most precious memory for Bangtan."
The other members applauded at Namjoon's words. Yoongi rubbed my shoulder soothingly, his arm around me as I kept my face hidden. The staff then passed around plates full of food that they had prepared and we all ate and laughed as we talked about all the fun things that had happened over the last three days and skipped over the sad things. I had to step away from the bonfire for a few minutes while the staff filmed the boys discussing what each of their favorite memories were.
"Our first night here when we were having dinner together," Namjoon said. "It just set the right tone for the rest of the trip."
"Going on the jet ski!" Jin said, smiling at Jungkook. "For once, I found out that I'm better at something than Jungkookie!"
"When all of us were just lying on the beach doing nothing after filming," Yoongi said to no one's surprise. "It was so relaxing."
"I really liked going to the marketplace!" Hoseok exclaimed. "There were so many amazing things to look at!"
"My favorite part was snorkeling," Jimin revealed. "The water was so clear and I could see everything. It was so pretty."
"I liked taking pictures with Yoongi-hyung," Taehyung said shyly, smiling affectionately at his older brother. "It made me really happy."
"I liked surfing the best!" Jungkook said, jumping up and balancing on the log as if he were on a surfboard. "I want to do it again soon!"
The crew wrapped up their filming and I was able to rejoin the group. Yoongi pulled me closer when I sat down.
"I'm so full," he groaned.
I started rubbing his tummy gently, knowing that he loved belly rubs more than almost anything.
"You're just an overgrown baby," I teased him.
"Maybe so but when it comes down to it, you know I'll always take care of you," he said seriously. "Besides, I made a promise to your mom."
I laughed. Yoongi had indeed made a promise to my mom the day I had arrived in Korea. He had bowed so low, his head had almost touched his knees--right in front of everyone at the airport.
"Noona!" Taehyung shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts. "What was your favorite memory of Bora Bora?"
"My favorite memory... Hmm..." I thought about it for a while. "I think this is it. This moment right here. It's the most wonderful moment there is, being here with all of you."
There was a chorus of loud "aw"s from around the bonfire and Jimin leaped up from his log to hug me from behind. The staff then poured us all shots of soju that they had mysteriously procured from somewhere and we raised our glasses in the air.
"To Bangtan," said Namjoon, "and to family."
"To family!" we all cheered.
Yoongi locked eyes with me as he touched his glass to mine.
I love you, he mouthed at me.
I love you, too, I mouthed back, smiling.
We threw our heads back as we downed our shots quickly. The staff poured us round after round as we started toasting to random things, like lamb skewers and WiFi.
As I looked at each of the boys around the bonfire, the flames illuminating the big smiles on their faces, I thought that maybe--just maybe--we would all be okay.
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BTS Imagine #13: BTS Summer Package 2020 (Part 3)
Word count: 1,875
Members featured: All
Description: Jin takes advantage of Yoongi’s temporary preoccupied state to misbehave. This causes some tension within the group as everyone tries to find their own way to deal with it and we all realize that things can’t stay the same.
The next morning, I woke up to find that Yoongi was already gone. I reached blindly for my phone and squinted at the screen.
"Went to go eat breakfast with Jimin. I'll see you later."
I smiled, glad that he was spending time with his younger brother. I stretched my arms over my head, thinking about what I should do with my free time.
"Yoongi left already? Great!"
"What the--"
Jin had gotten into bed next to me, pulling the blankets up to his chin as he closed his eyes.
"Jinnie, what are you doing?" I asked him flatly.
"Going back to sleep," he murmured.
"You can't do that in your own bed?"
"It's lonely."
I sighed.
"I was going to get up and look for something to do," I said, frowning. "Don't you have to be at the beach to start filming?"
"We all already went," Jin told me, his eyes still closed. "You slept in really late."
I double checked the time on my phone, realizing that he was right.
"Well, all the more reason I should get up," I said, starting to shove the covers off of me.
"No, you can stay a little longer," Jin muttered sleepily, moving so that his head was resting on my shoulder.
I tried not to tense up. All I could think about was the possibility of one of the other members walking in and teasing us or Yoongi walking in and being furious. I tried to set boundaries with Jin again and again, if only to keep the peace and avoid making things weird. I couldn't get involved with him. It could ruin everything.
"You're all stiff," Jin complained.
"Then why don't you let go?" I snapped, my voice coming out a little more harshly than I had wanted it to.
Jin didn't seem fazed.
"Yoongi's not here, you can relax," he told me.
"That's not--"
"Besides, he already told me that he would back off a little."
"You're taking advantage of the situation," I said.
"Of course. I have to take what I can get."
I rolled my eyes, resigned to the fact that I couldn't move and was stuck until Jin decided to get up. Before long, I heard the sounds of soft snoring. I looked at him, his handsome features more childlike in his relaxed state. He looked so peaceful but I couldn't let Yoongi find us like this so I picked up my phone and texted the only person I knew I could count on.
Five minutes later, Namjoon tiptoed into the room, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Help me, I mouthed at him, pointing furiously at the sleeping Jin next to me.
Namjoon sighed then walked over to the bed before grabbing Jin by the shoulders and shaking him.
"What's going on?" Jin murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"There's lunch in the maknaes' house," Namjoon told him. "Let's go."
Finally free, I leaped out of bed and made a bee line for the bathroom so that I could make myself presentable for lunch with the boys.
When I returned to my room, teeth brushed, face washed, and freshly showered, I noticed that Namjoon and Jin were still in my room. Jin was sitting up in my bed while Namjoon stood in front of it, arms crossed over his chest.
"You know that you have to give up," Namjoon was saying quietly. "I know Yoongi said that he would back off but that doesn't mean he's happy about it. And knowing Noona, she wouldn't want to do anything that would cause fighting between members."
"I know," Jin replied, "but I can't just... turn it off..."
Namjoon didn't have anything to say to this. I figured now was as good a time as any to make an entrance, so I walked in, whistling "DNA" cheerfully as I nonchalantly rummaged through my suitcase for something to wear.
"I thought you guys would've gone to eat by now," I said, pulling out a loosely fitting top and a pair of shorts.
"We were waiting for you," Namjoon said.
"What is taking you all so long?" Yoongi demanded, storming in impatiently.
I looked up at him and he froze. He looked at me, still in my bathrobe with wet hair and at Jin sitting on my bed, his legs still under the covers, then looked at Namjoon, his eyebrows raised.
"What's... going on here?" he asked slowly, as if he didn't really want to know the answer.
"Youkyung was taking too long to get ready," Jin answered casually, "so I decided to take a nap."
"And I came to get them for lunch," Namjoon added.
Yoongi glanced at me sideways, checking my expression to see if what they were saying was true. I shrugged then gathered my clothes and went back to the bathroom to change.
When I came back, Jin, Yoongi, and Namjoon were all standing up, their heads very close together as they whispered furiously about something.
"Aren't you guys hungry?" I said loudly. "Let's go eat!"
Yoongi was the first to detach himself from the huddle. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.
"Did you already eat?" I asked him.
"No, I was waiting for you," he said, sounding agitated.
I tugged on his arm, forcing him to come to a stop a few feet away from the maknaes' house. I took his other hand so that I was holding both of them, squeezing tightly. He locked eyes with me and soon the tension left his features. I would never say it out loud but no matter what, if it came down between choosing Yoongi or someone else, I would always pick him. I was on his side and he was on mine and nothing was worth jeopardizing the connection that we shared.
"Let's go eat," I said.
Yoongi nodded and I released his hands. We walked into the house, heading for the kitchen where the other members had left food for us. Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were sitting on the couch, having already eaten. I went to go sit with them and they all immediately threw their arms around me for a big group hug. I patted all their hands affectionately.
"I always wanted adorable younger brothers," I told them. "Now I have the most adorable younger brothers in the world."
"But we're manly too, right?" Jungkook asked me, flexing his bicep jokingly.
"Of course," I agreed. "The manliest."
"Okay, okay," Yoongi grumbled, walking over with two plates of food in his hands. "She needs to eat."
The three boys reluctantly let go of me and I moved over to the other couch so that I could eat comfortably. Yoongi sat down next to me.
"How was breakfast with your hyung this morning, Jimin-ah?" I asked.
"Oh, it was so much fun!" he replied excitedly. "Hyung cooked all of my favorite foods!"
Yoongi looked down at his plate and kept eating as if he hadn't heard what Jimin had said, although his cheeks were slightly pink. I smiled, pleased to know that they had enjoyed their time together. I patted his knee gently then started eating. Soon Namjoon and Jin walked in, heading straight for the kitchen to get their own food.
"What are you guys doing after this?" I posed the question to the group.
"I think the staff said we're getting free time?" Hoseok said, strolling into the room as he towel dried his hair. "I really want to go check out the marketplace."
"You should go do something with Taehyung or Jungkook," I whispered to Yoongi.
He nodded in agreement, chewing thoughtfully.
"Hobi, would you like someone to go with you?" I asked Hoseok now that I knew Yoongi would have plans of his own.
"I'm always down to spend time with my girl!" Hoseok said in English, putting on what we called his swaggy voice.
"Your girl?" Jungkook repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Officially my girl," Hoseok added, winking at me.
I giggled, just knowing without looking at him that Yoongi was fuming on the inside.
"I thought Halsey was officially our girl," Taehyung said, confused.
"Never mind, Taehyungie," Jimin told him, patting his shoulder.
"Jin-hyung! Namjoon-hyung!" Jungkook called out. "What are you doing after lunch?"
The two of them emerged from the kitchen with their plates of food and sat down on the floor.
"I was thinking of going back to the beach," Namjoon replied, tilting his head to one side. "I want to see if I can find some crabs."
Jin looked at me as if to ask me what I was doing and I shook my head slightly. There was no way I was letting him tag along, regardless of what I had planned. I needed to put some distance between us--for the sake of the group.
"Jin-hyung, let's go on the jet ski!" Jungkook suggested.
"Okay," he agreed easily.
I locked eyes with Jungkook and nodded. Whether he had picked up on the exchange between Jin and I or not, I was grateful that he was taking the initiative to occupy his eldest brother's time.
"Taehyungie, do you want to go take pictures with me?" Yoongi asked.
Taehyung's entire face lit up. He loved taking pictures but he also really loved Yoongi and he was absolutely delighted to be doing one of his favorite activities with one of his favorite people.
"Jimin-ssi, why don't you come with Hobi and I?" I offered, knowing that Hoseok wouldn't mind.
"Yay!" Jimin cheered. "Does this mean you're my girl too, Noona?"
"No!" Hoseok interrupted at once. "I said it first!"
"That's not fair!"
"Well, too bad!"
The two of them started bickering and I couldn't help but grin. This group of boys in their twenties were no more than overgrown children, even at the best of times, but I loved them so much. There was nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for them.
"Alright, children, that's enough," Namjoon said, crumpling up a napkin into a ball and throwing it at them.
As I strolled through the marketplace later, arm-in-arm with Hoseok and Jimin on either side of me, I let them steer me in whichever direction they fancied. I wasn't really thinking about the things on sale or even the fact that I was in Bora Bora of all places.
I was thinking about Namjoon sifting through the sand looking for tiny crabs.
I was thinking about Taehyung posing elegantly while Yoongi took his picture.
I was thinking about Jimin telling Hoseok that a floral printed shirt at a nearby stall would look great on him.
I was thinking about Jin expertly riding the waves on the jet ski and Jungkook being so impressed with his hyung.
Most of all, I was thinking about how I never wanted this to change. I wanted us to all stay like this forever, the friendship between the eight of us strong and enduring. As we all gathered back in the rap line's house to spend some time together before bed, I glanced at one of them out of the corner of my eye and knew that even as I desperately wished nothing would change, change was right on the horizon.
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