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“For fuck’s sake.”
Jungkook’s eyes almost roll back into his head with the stupidity of it. Some idiot had locked their bike chain around what was most certainly Jungkook’s bike and no one else’s, and now he was going to be late.
He had just come back from the studio, and fuck was it late – Seokjin had been a bit on-edge and kept asking Jungkook to record his lines one more time. And Jungkook, being the closet-optimistic he was, had decided to ride to the studio instead of drive in with the others on vocal line.
So here he was. It wasn’t as if he could ask around the studio building for who had locked his bike, though; he had locked it by the convenience store a block down because he was peckish on the way. So, the culprit was highly likely to be some kind of hoodlum who made a habit of strolling outer-Seoul past 3am. To be honest, Jungkook wasn’t sure it was even safe to be waiting for the stranger.
He did though, because to hell if he was walking home or calling one of the members to pick him up. They’d all be sleeping, and despite the hyung line being particularly soft to the maknae, niceties didn’t really exist at this time of night.
Having leeched off the studio’s insane levels wi-fi (he’s a block down, what the hell) for twenty minutes, he stands to stretch and realises that if the bike-locker had used their chain on Jungkook’s bike, there wouldn’t be one on theirs. However, a quick scan told him that the culprit was extremely stupid – either the bastard didn’t even have a bike and had locked Jungkook’s bike for shits and giggles, or he’d left his own bike to be stolen.
It’s about 4:50 by the time Jungkook hears a set of shuffling feet approach the racks. He’s leaned against his bike, face smooshed into the spokes and legs tucked under his massive hoodie, so he figures it’s not the best position and quickly gets himself upright to confront the bike-locker.
“Hey.”
The stranger, clad in a hoodie with a weird white splotch on the front, snaps his head up towards Jungkook’s voice. His eyebrows raise and his eyes get even bigger than they already are.
“Is this your chain?” the singer jangles the end of the chain twisted around his poor bike for the stranger to see.
“Ah…” the boy, who doesn’t seem much older than Jungkook himself, looks sideways and then back. Jungkook stares.
“Yes? Um, sorry? I didn’t mean to lock your bike instead of mine.” He bows just a little bit. “I’ll unlock it now.”
It’s insufferably awkward as the stranger steps forward and tries five different combinations before getting the right one. Jungkook doesn’t trust the boy not to make a repeat performance, and subtly glances at the correct number so that he can remember it for next time. His bike is free now, and the stranger is winding up the chain to stow it in his front pocket. He bows again with a grimace-smile and turns to leave.
“Wait.” Jungkook is curious still. “How the hell did you lock the wrong bike up? And what’s your name?”
The stranger halts and hums again but doesn’t say anything for a while. The smile he eventually cracks is enormous and boxy, and he says, “I wanted to meet you.” He doesn’t give his name.
When Jungkook stops frowning, the stranger is gone and his bike is waiting. He rides home.
*
That night (morning? He gets home at like 5:10 and discovers that Hoseok is already up and off to the practice rooms, whisper-hollering something about the lift-run in No More Dream. Morning people) he can’t stop thinking about the stranger’s words. He wanted to meet Jungkook? What the hell?
God, he was so weird. Massive eyes, massive nose, massive mouth. He looked so foreign. Maybe because his facial features were so big, his brain wasn’t.
He huffs, rolls his eyes for the millionth time and burrows deeper into the covers.
*
Namjoon’s banging on the walls again to get everyone up, so Jungkook slides out of his bed and ghosts into the living room on three hours of sleep. Jimin’s right behind him, but peels off to force Yoongi out of bed before Namjoon starts putting holes in the wall.
It’s just toast for breakfast, because they have to get to BigHit before 9 – by the looks of his hyungs’ faces, something important is happening. As always, their success hangs in the balance, and Jungkook prays that Bangtan Sonyeondan won’t disband before they get to debut.
“Hey Kookie, why were you back from the studio so late?” It’s Hoseok. The youngest sighs and tells him the story of the brainless bike-locker as he rips through his toast.
“Well… it’s not like he meant to do it, right? It was an accident?” Seokjin has joined in on the conversation, and raises a perfect eyebrow as he asks.
Jungkook feels blood rising to his ears, and utters, “Uh, no.” He realises that the stranger might have been some kind of uber-dedicated fan who already knew all of BTS and has simply wanted to interaction. It’s embarrassing, really – he’s a singer because he’s a singer, so he’s not that interested in the public side of being an idol. “He said he wanted to… meet me?”
Just like Jungkook did last night, everyone frowns (having all leaned in to listen). “Did he seem creepy though?” Jimin asks, and the maknae doesn’t really know what to say. Sure, the bike-locker was creepy-looking (like an alien, honestly) but he didn’t push any boundaries, thankfully. “No, it was fine.”
The conversation ends when Namjoon gets a call from the manager, asking where they are. They’re late again, but fortunately they’ve become pro at hauling ass and are all packed into the car in under two minutes.
*
As usual, it’s dead silent in the meeting room with the PDs and their manager. Everyone’s sweating buckets, and Jungkook can tell the hyungs are ready to simultaneously apologise for any slacking and voraciously defend each and every member. Their heads are bowed as they wait for someone to speak.
“Bangtan Sonyeondan.” He feels Jimin tense next to him. “There’s something lacking. Your performances aren’t as full as they should be, and your tracks don’t sounds as round as we need them to.”
That’s it. Bangtan is done. He can practically hear his members screaming it inside their heads, taking the works like a punch in the gut and regretting the years they’ve worked so hard.
“We’ve decided that BTS will no longer be a six-member act.” What? “You will be a seven-member act.”
Yoongi swears silently, Seokjin just about cries and Jungkook feels his heart restart. They won’t be disbanding. Thank fuck.
“We’ll send him over to your dorm tonight, and you’ll get to meet him, etcetera etcetera, just like you did with everyone already in BTS.” PD-nim grins just a little, and Jungkook swears that he phrased his wording like Bangtan was going to disband because he thought it would be funny. Maybe it’s a hidden camera.
Hearts beating fast, six-sevenths of BTS pile back into the car and set off to the practice rooms. No More Dream is getting to the point at which everyone knows the timing of every single flick and drop, and the rap-switch part at the end is more fluid than ever. But now the choreography has to be made to accommodate seven members instead of six. Subconsciously, everyone knows that having an odd number of members allows their V formations to be more polished-looking, but it’s difficult to alter a dance they’re already worn into the floorboards.
They leave a gap for the new member, and Seokin keeps dropping into the empty spot out of habit. Most difficult, however, is the lift-run. Hoseok can barely keep Jimin up across four members’ backs, and it looks like the move might have to be cut. But it’s not just the dance they have to change – it’s the song itself needs to change, too. Jungkook isn’t the happiest about losing his ‘I gotta say’ line, but he knows that Yoongi and Namjoon will have to re-write again to fit this new member.
The poor new member doesn’t know what he’s going to stumble into.
*
Everyone’s wiped even though they get home a good four hours before they usually do. Hoseok zombie-walked to the wallphone ten minutes ago to order chicken but the dorm has been dead for over an hour. No one’s even showered yet.
It’s 10:30 when a knock breaks the silence. Everyone knows that it’s the new member, because they never get visitors, but no one is willing to haul themselves up and open the door just yet.
*
Outside the dorm, Taehyung slumps against the hallway wall and plays a game on his phone. Because he knows he doesn’t have nearly enough data, he stops after a while and tries to infiltrate nearby wi-fi networks. He’s got no chance at guessing the password to ‘SK Communications 1487Q72’ and the password to ‘Ilovefish ^3^’ is not ‘fish’ so he tries to get into one called ‘Hey You’ with ‘What’s your dream?’ on a hunch. It works.
Who knew Bangtan would be so sentimental?
*
Ever the forward-thinking hyung, Seokjin asks Jungkook to answer the door. It’s not like the youngest is going to refuse, but that doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it. He slides to the door on socked feet and finally opens it.
Massive eyes, a massive nose and massive mouth greet him. They drop as the stranger bows again, and Jungkook realises he still doesn’t know the bike-locker’s name.
“Kim Taehyung.”
The mouth turns into a square and the eyes scrunch up, and Jungkook truly worries for the future of Bangtan Sonyeondan.