Chapter Text
‘Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start’. It’s a simple idea, but one that do-rey-mi-far too many people seem to struggle with when telling a story, too enthusiastic to skip to the good part, to focus on setting the scene when it comes to telling a story. You’ll start with character fact files, maybe add a fleeting mention of he does this, she says this, but does it really matter when x and y are replaceable names, and z lives in a bubble that doesn’t encompass either identity? Who care’s about the beginning, the introduction, when the pace is so slow. Why can’t we just skip to the good part?
(And by the good part, they mean the bit where it all goes horribly wrong, because that’s what makes a story a story in the first place, and that’s the reason we all listen so easily to the smallest hint of tragedy. It’s not about liking the misfortune, it’s just that there seems to be something in our minds that latches onto the bad or the sad; a segment hidden in the cerebral cortex tells us that we feel empathy, and it’s good when you feel it tug, because at least we’re feeling something now.)
Can’t we just skip to the good part? But that’s not how things work. And when someone asks, “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” you’ll find yourself asking the same question, when your brain decides to come up with anything but those first steps, too overwhelmed with the ending. Skip to the good part, but there’s so many bad parts, start from the beginning, but you’re not sure how to erase everything that came after.
The nature of forgetting is one which is inevitable, which is why it can sometimes he hard to recall the past, especially when there’s newer elements of the past, older elements of the present (No future though. Not this time.) getting in the way. Psychologist will call this ‘retroactive interference’ - new information interrupting the recall of the old. A non-psychologist will call this ’i swear i left my keys here’ and ‘i swear this is the route i used to take’ and ‘i swear we weren’t always like this’.
Let’s start at the very beginning. You remember he had dark hair in the beginning because he also had dark hair at the end - there’s nothing new getting in the way of that. But you’ll also remember that dark hair pushed back, hands tugging at the stands in frustration, tears on his face because he’s crying and it’s your fault- no. That wasn’t the beginning.Take a breath, relax, try again. He had dark hair. And you focus on that because for a while his appearance was all you knew. Dark hair, but if you go right back (the universe started from a singularity, and then suddenly, it wasn’t anymore), you’ll remember that it was covered at first. He was wearing a hat. Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Maybe the beginning is where we need to be.
“Why don’t you tell us about the first time you met him?”
Except sometimes there is no beginning, as such. Or maybe there is, but there’s far too many false starts and trial runs, to consider once instance as the concrete start of whatever this is. Perhaps was, is the right term, but perhaps it doesn’t really matter about tenses, when the past, present and future are laid out in the spaces between the microphones that are angled in his direction. They’re there to amplify words, but what’s the point when you’ve always believed your thoughts are already far too loud?
Maybe there’s no one beginning as such, but there are common themes in every fresh start.
There was Taehyung (eyes too wide, hands too loose, and heart too curious) and there was a meeting (it should be plural, because it’s hard to describe a first interaction when you’re not even sure who you’ve met in their first place) and there was-
(“He has a name, you know.” “We know. We just don’t care.”)
And there was him. Its a word, a pronoun, but it’s not just a word. Of course it’s not, because him, relates to a person, the person relates to Taehyung, but not in a good way. Or maybe, yes in a good way. It depends on our perspective of the situation.)
The journalist who asks the question doesn’t even blink when Namjoon, sitting to Taehyung’s right, send’s them a glare in warning, merely blinking once, twice, hands poised over the keyboard of their laptop. It used to be pen and paper, but that’s far too slow a medium these days, deciphering handwriting being an extra step that takes time that you can’t afford to waste.
The thing about journalism, is that it’s a game of chance. Things will always be happening, but the number of clicks a link gets, depends of the nature of those things.Without news, they don’t have a job, that’s how they justify the prying and the research and the investigation. Perhaps, that’s why so many wannabe writers go down the route of celebrity gossip, knowing that there will always be interest, and by extension, attention. You read the magazines, but never remember who wrote the article. You don’t really care about the fingers that typed the words, because why should you? But the writers behind them are the ones that look at website stats with curious eyes, spot popular trends and popular people, and take advantage of that fact.
In some ways, there’s an anonymity to it. That is, until you get here.
Here is sitting in a crowd of people identical to you, pressed suits and laptops propped on laps, every person trying to get the next big headline. Field work is more fun, gives you that burst of adrenaline when you find out something that you know you’re the first to hear, but you have to be a certain type of person to do it. Back in the office someone is creating a template - shocking secrets ready to be copied and pasted in as soon as they’re revealed (or made up when they’re not) - but your job is so get the next scoop. And deliver it before anyone else. And if you need to step on people to do so? Well, it’s just business.
Taehyung had learnt the hard way that these people, the ones that send photographers to trail behind every step you take and speculate about every move you make, are the same ones that will simper at you on the red carpet, complimenting your outfit choice, as if they weren’t already aware of the designer you always wear. Celebrities are fake, it’s a known fact, but the people behind the cameras are just as bad.
It’s two worlds, the life of the asker and the answerer, but it’s not clear with is better, when you’re the one being put on the judges stand, the jury made up entirely of people who are begging you to slip up. It’s not personal, that’s what everyone tries to remember, they just need to make a living. But it’s hard to think like that when these are the same people that are committed to making a strangers life a living nightmare.
Press conferences like this had never made him nervous before. He’s never had to worry about his palms being too sweaty underneath the conference table and he’s never had to worry about tripping over his words, and he’s certainly never been concerned about the consequences that could arise from the things he’s about to say. But maybe that’s because he’s never had to attend one of these to respond to rumours and speculation, as opposed to just participating it yet another press junket, the biggest controversy being in relation to how he and his co-star looked at each other when one of them was talking. Where there’s a stare, there’s a story.
This time, it’s not that simple.
In a profession like this, you learn quickly to ignore the rumours that people spread about you. After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, so anything that’s going to get into the papers (digital ones that is, because really, no one reads from physical copies anymore), is considered a good thing. Why address speculation, when it’s the theories and the gossip that’s keeping your name in peoples mouths?
But when there’s another person involved (a him), it get’s a little more complicated. Not everyone wants their name in peoples mouths. Especially not when it’s being spit out again, laced in negativity and bitterness, often compressed into 280 characters or less. It’s easy not to care about the spike in notifications, when they correlate to an increase in traffic and attention to your brand (that’s what celebrities are - a brand), but when your company has no company of their own, that’s when the trouble starts.
It’s especially hard when the rumours have too much truth in them, but in relation to the past. See it’s all very well that Person A and Person B are speculated to be dating, but what happens when dating is dated, and A and B are only together in terms of the alphabet. Taehyung wants to tell them that none of this is anyone else’s business. But of course, it becomes everyones business when you give them your name. From that point onwards, it’s fair game. So he settles back, doesn’t care if the mic picks up on his voice or not since he knows full well the world is silent for him right now, and goes back.
“The first time I met him, I didn’t know I was meeting him.”
To the beginning.
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“The Stars Are Out For The Premiere Of Exodus
@OnAStar - bringing you the latest news on your favourite stars
Everyone’s favourite Hollywood stars were out in full force last night at the premiere of Exodus, the new coming of age story that is out in cinema’s now, with a few familiar faces gracing the red carpet. Stars including upcoming rap star, Min Yoongi and acting sensation and Kim Taehyung attended the event to show their support for their friends within the acting community.
Kim shone as usual last night, wearing a custom-made designer shirt, that I’m sure critics will agree put him on the Best Dressed list for the event. Kim attended the premiere alone, disputing rumours that he’s dating a foreign actress who was also attending the premiere, and looked to be in high spirits, taking the time to take pictures with fans who were lining the red carpet and praising both the cast and crew of the movie that he claims to be ‘incredibly excited for.’
Kim Taehyung is currently gearing up to start filming his upcoming movie, 4 O’Clock, with reports suggesting a star-studded cast will be accompanying Kim, making the film one of the most highly anticipated arrivals of this year. We wish Kim Taehyung the best of luck for his next acting project, as well as for his recently obtained partnership with Puma Korea, and we look forward to watching 4 O’Clock when it hits theatres at the end of the year.”
48 comments:
kimstaehyungs: he looked amazing wtf
taetae123: can't wait for 4 O'Clock !!! :D
taestoes: not sure why it was relevant that he was alone but okay
kimactor: @taestoes its because he hasn't been seen with anyone since jihan. though i do agree it's unnecessary
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When Taehyung asks Namjoon why exactly red carpets are red as opposed to any other colour, he's met with an expression that say’s ‘now is not the time to be asking about the relevancy of colours’ and ‘there probably isn’t a specific reason’ and ‘Taehyung - that should not be what you’re focusing on right now’. What Taehyung should be focusing on is the job at hand, but when you’re working on autopilot and you’ve done this as many times as he has, it becomes easy enough to let your mind wander to other matters.
They’re currently in a car on the way to a movie premiere of a film that Taehyung doesn’t know the name of, while Namjoon is at least trying to put up his act of ‘excited manager getting promotional opportunities for his favourite client’. He’s not doing a great job so far, since he’d gone off on a tangent for the first half of the journey, explaining the nuances between box office sales and internet downloads as a representation of film success. Namjoon say’s cinema is dead, and Taehyung says nothing at all. Not because he doesn’t have anything insightful to say, but because he doesn’t want to set his manager off again - not when they’re nearing so close to their destination.
All Taehyung is really sure of right now is that he’s tired, his suit costs more than the amount he paid for his college education (or at least, what he would have paid, if he hadn’t gotten a full scholarship) and he’s only going to this event to please his manager and make sure that his face is still ‘on the radar’. Everyone knows that relevancy has a time limit in this industry, and a dip from being in the public eye can be detrimental to someones career, what with the speed at which carbon copy actors and actresses are flooding onto the acting scene, ready to take your popularity.
It’s yet another routine event, wherein Taehyung is forced to show his face for a few precious minutes, talking to more cameras than people, just to make sure he’s still at the forefront of everyone's mind. Though, with his level of success, it’s unlikely that anyone is going to forget about Kim Taehyung. After all, the carbon copy acting prodigies had to have copied someone, and Taehyung is the perfect model for what it takes to be successful; handsome, talented, hardworking and possessing a squeaky clean record, so no scandals could crop up and haunt him in the future.
He’s got a learnt script, to make him seem at least partially enthusiastic about whatever film he’d come to see already on his tongue, and his lips are ready to slip into a muscle memory smile that he knows will be captured perfectly from all angles. The fact that he’ll sneak out of the movie theatre twenty minutes into the film does nothing to soothe his reluctance to go, though he guesses this is what he’d accidentally signed up for when he decided acting was the route he wanted to take.
It’s interesting that Taehyung makes a living from performing in front of a camera, but the most artificial part of the whole process occurs in front of an entirely different audience. See, in Hollywood everyone is friends, even if you don’t know their name or anything about them. People just love to imagine one big happy family of celebrities, even when it’s completely unrealistic. It’s either you’re friend’s or enemies, the idea of neutrality or even apathy a foreign one in this industry - you must have an opinion, whether it’s positive or negative.
Taehyung always chooses the positive, regardless of his true opinions, unwilling to get involved in the pettiness of a faux feud that he knows would get him more rt’s on Twitter, but is far too exhausting to keep up properly. At events like this, he’ll usually rave about the actors, recall a funny story related to one of them that isn’t true, but builds up the facade of familiarity between them that benefits the both of them, and compliments the director on their previous work. He hasn’t seen their previous work, probably couldn’t even name one if he tried, but no one needs to know, or cares enough, to know that.
In reality, the only knowledge he had prepared for the event was a halfhearted scroll through his phone on the car ride there, locating a brief synopsis of the film and sighing slightly when he learns that it’s yet another typical romance novel adaptation - boy meets girl, a lack of communication causes problems, maybe a kiss in the rain at some point, and the choice of two endings; a happily ever after or a random death that wasn’t necessary for plot or character development, but secures the film's place on ’10 movies that made us cry’ articles for the next few months.
Taehyung is only allowed to act exasperated because he’d already starred in quite a few of those type of films himself, especially when he was rookie. Fresh out of acting college, with his handsome face and natural charm, Taehyung had the perfect cookie cut, boy next door image that the film industry loved to pick up for their softer films.
Eventually, he’d grown into himself more, his shoulders broadening and his jaw line sharpening - a physical representation of the same growth that had occurred within his career, and he'd moved on to bigger, more serious productions. Time and handwork brought accolade and esteem meaning that, at the age 23, Taehyung is on the top rung of the industry; a household name among teenagers and above. This meant he was able to pick and choose his parts with more discrimination than others could.
Unfortunately, being at the top doesn’t mean that he can get out of attending public events that he has no interest in.
His manager says it’s important to make sure his name is always being spoken in the rare times that he’s between projects, as if he’s not on billboards across the country to remind everyone of his existence. Realistically, he knows Namjoon is right with the cut throat nature of the industry and the risk of becoming irrelevant in the blink of an eye, but it doesn’t mean Taehyung has to be happy about it.
While Taehyung knows how vital it is to always be in the public's mind, he can’t help but think he’d much prefer to be sleeping at home on a Saturday evening, as opposed to sitting in a car in his too crisp suit and not being allowed to run his hands through his hair at the risk of being verbally assaulted by the frenzied hair stylists who’d perfectly tousled it an hour before.
Taehyung is about five minutes from the venue, being sent off fashionably late of course, and is in the process of googling the names of the actors he’s supposed to be ‘a huge fan of’, ‘see as a great inspiration’ etc etc, when he discovers a news article mentioning that the lead co-stars of the movie are currently dating. Dispatch had ‘leaked’ images of the two a week prior to the premiere and cinema release of the film.
How wonderfully convenient for this to come out at this time, Taehyung muses, scoffing to himself as he imagines the movies marketing department blueprinting the details of this supposed relationship and emailing the details to the parties involved. Everyone knows how it works. It’s the typical situation - you grew closer while working on the movie, life imitated art, and they’ll laugh and act coy as if they’re not lying through their teeth. It doesn’t take long in this business to work out that acting doesn’t end when the director yells that its a wrap.
Actor one’s management says okay and actor two’s publicist says alright, and from that point on their clients are very much in love. That is, they’re in love as long as someone is watching and has a disposable income to spend on cinema tickets. After all, everyone's a sucker for their favourite characters getting their real life happily ever after. So much so that they’ll let themselves willingly fall perfectly into the promotional web spun to catch them.
Granted, happily ever after usually last about three months or until the promotional period is over, ending with a perfectly planned separation on good terms so that there’s always a possibility of a sequel to the initial film that won't be hindered by bad blood. Though, a bit of drama between the two co-leads would probably cause the film to do better. Drama sells.
They’re both too busy to maintain a relationship (and too not in love), they wish the best for their ex partner (they haven’t spoken to them in two months) and want to focus on their career for a while (until the next promotions come along). The breakup will often occur before another project is about to start anyway - any publicity is good publicity.‘I’m heartbroken, buy my new album on iTunes!’. Again, Taehyung knows this from first hand experience, though luckily it hadn’t taken long for him to upgrade from ‘The ex-boyfriend of [insert name of actress he doesn’t even talk to anymore here]’, to just Kim Taehyung. In this industry, that’s a feat in itself.
He knows they’ve arrived when he looks up to flashes coming through the passenger window, blacked out so no one can see inside. It’s probably a good thing too because all they’d see is Taehyung on his phone and Namjoon struggling to get the last skittle out of the complimentary bag that came with the rental car.
As soon as the vehicle stops moving, Namjoon’s professional mode comes into gear. He shifts to get out of the car first, unbuckling and sliding out, being quick to shut the passenger door fast behind him. The sounds of screams and cameras clicking seep in for a moment, before the soundproofing of the vehicle attempts to block it out once again. Taehyung can still hear them though, the screams increasing tenfold at the exit of a person from the car.
Sure enough, there’s the red carpet ready to step onto, with various famous people already scattered around, with some doing interviews further along in the press area. There are fans on either side hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrities, waving banners and clutching their phones to the chest, ready to strike and ask for a selfie at any given moment. Some of the more dedicated supporters will have recognised Namjoon as Taehyung's manager when he’d stepped out, explaining why the screams were becoming louder and louder every second. He can also see the cameramen and women crouched along the edges of the carpet, adjusting their lenses in anticipation, knowing who was to come.
It’s not bigheaded to admit that he’s kind of a big deal if its the truth.
Taehyung stuffs his phone into his pocket and adjusts his clothes in anticipation, checking for imperfections that he knows don’t exist - he wouldn’t have been allowed into the car if even a single hair was out of place. Adjusting his tie and brushing at the shoulders of the black sparkly blazer that the stylists had said would reflect the flashing light perfectly and make him shine (as if his personality wasn’t bright enough already), he prepares to exit.
He’s not waiting long before the door slides open a little and Namjoon pops his head into the gap, his body blocking Taehyung from outside view and vice versa. Though, there's no sound barrier anymore and the screams are deafening as they invade the car, so Taehyung can barely hear when his manager asks him if he’s ready to go. He checks the younger over once before deeming him acceptable, and Taehyung slides to the seat closest to the door, preparing for departure.
Namjoon grins and places his hand on the younger’s shoulder as if to offer reassurance that they both know isn’t necessary, but is still nice to hear.
‘You good?’ He asks teasingly, knowing that they’ve done this a hundred times before and Taehyung is never one to get nervous. Despite his complaints, Taehyung feeds on the attention and the lights more than he’d like to admit, maybe because he’s always been a little more stardust than everyone else, so being surrounded by lights just as strong makes him feel at home.
Namjoon nods in satisfaction when he sees Taehyung's body relax and his natural charm and confidence start to exude from his body. It’s more an extension of his natural personality than anything else, but it’s a presentation of himself that makes people want to drop to their knees for him or give them their first born child. It depends if his eyebrows were visible or not. Taehyung is untouchable when he’s like this, and he knows it.
‘Good luck, kid,’ Namjoon has to yell over the noise, before he disappears again.
There’s a few seconds gap and then the car door is being slid open, all the way this time, so he can step out onto the carpet. It’s showtime. Taehyung finds events like this boring, he really does. But nothing will ever compare to having hundreds of people screaming your name and craving your attention. The adrenaline rush he get’s from it feels like the first time, every time.
Taehyung has never relied on other people for validation, but he can admit it helps his ego when he sees the banners decorated with his name in various shades of glitter and he hears the shouts from photographers, desperate for him to give them a seconds glance. As always, Taehyung starts with the rows of fans, taking picture after picture, before making his way further along the carpet to reach the main area for photographs.
The carpet is long, and up ahead he see’s some familiar faces, posing for the camera and looking like they were wearing an outfit that was made especially for them. To be fair, in a lot of cases, its probably true - only the richest celebrities have designers clambering to make unique, only to be worn once pieces for them.
He thinks he can see Yoongi a few posing bodies along, a head of black hair that Taehyung somehow manages to pick out amongst the rest. As he was a musician who had his own rap career, but often composed for ost’s and movies, it wasn’t surprising that Yoongi was attending, probably as reluctant to come as Taehyung was. At least it gave him some material though; there wouldn’t ever be a time that Yoongi’s music didn’t find a way to call out and expose young Hollywood, and the superficiality of it all, even if he was neck deep in it.
There’s no time to get distracted though, not when Taehyung is standing on the main stage and has to get through the main bout of photo’s before he can move on to the interviews.
Luckily for him, Taehyung is a dream to photograph. Just by standing still he manages to get praise, letting his gaze lazily drift from camera’s to his left and to his right whenever he pleases. He’s learnt that listening to photographers demands to ‘Look at me, Taehyung!’ is not the best way to go about things, when the louder the voice doesn’t necessarily mean the better the photographer.
Every so often he flashes a peace sign, placing his fingers next to his eye in a pose that is iconic to him, and him alone and the cheering instantly get’s louder. He’s finally allowed to leave when one of the runners looking after the acts ushers him along, despite the press’ complaints. Taehyung was one of the top billed people to be there that night, excluding the actual stars of the movie, so it’s not surprising that they wanted as much of an opportunity as possible to capture him.
From that point onwards, Taehyung is thrown into interview after interview, being directed where to go by someone with a clipboard and lanyard, who barely looks him in the eye for more than a second - scared to look too closely. He’d always found it odd that people found him intimidating, despite the smile lines by his eyes and the friendly expression that was often on his face. But being a celebrity and looking the way he does had always made people wary of him
Taehyung gets ushered towards another reporter, though this time he’s told to wait for a moment until the current interview is completed, having a rare moment to pause and observe his surroundings. He’s still encompassed by people and noise, flashes and fake laughs to match, but it’s a break he doesn’t often get.
When you’re in demand, it’s not often that there isn’t someone already waiting for you to finish the last word of one interview, eager to hear you repeat the exact same thing to them, as if they hadn’t overhead your previous answers. It’s not like their questions are any different. ‘Are you excited to be here?’, ‘Have you got any upcoming projects?’ and ‘What would you like to say to your fans at home?’. The same questions generate the same answers. ‘I’m so excited to be here!’, ’I’m working on some secret projects right now’ and ‘I love you, thank you for the endless support.’ Tweak the phrasing, throw in a manager approved personal anecdote and you’ve got yourself a celebrity interview like every other no other.
Except sometimes, things are different. Taehyung almost misses him.
While he stands still for a moment, the rest of the world carries on moving, the press area so crowded that it’s hard to make out individuals among the throng. He can see a line of celebrity backs having interviews, copy and pasted suits and dresses that will be painstakingly analysed and matched with high end brands by those at home as they speak. Sometimes they’ll walk along the line to the next reporter, other times they’ll be directed to a certain person, since many managers have an approved list of interviews that their client should take and a blacklist of those to avoid at all cost. They’re the pushy ones that will slap your name on any rumour they can find if given the opportunity, and they’re the place most rookies begin, having no option but to use untrustworthy sleaze to get their names out there.
Through the myriad of famous backs, he can also see the reporters, standing slightly to the side of the expensive camera that a colleague will balance on their shoulder. Most often, this is the person that those at home don’t see, just a voice and a microphone as a humming noise in the space between their favourite stars talking.
Again it’s hard to distinguish individuals, but for some reason Taehyung manages to pick out one person in particular amongst everyone.
There’s a boy dressed entirely in black, with a plain baseball cap covering the majority of his face, lurking behind two men; one who’s lugging a camera and the other evidently the reporter, if the mic in his hand and the perfectly pressed blazer in any indication. The person is staring intently at the celebrity being interviewed, barely blinking and easily managing to fit in with everyone around him, despite the plain nature of his clothes in comparison to the fancy suits. He’s made to blend in, his face barely visible, clothing dark and his body hidden behind the broader man in front, but has somehow managed to do all but fade into the background to Taehyung.
It’s not a rare sight for people like this to be a part of the reporting team at events. Sometimes interns, but more often assistants, who will update the social media accounts throughout the evening and remind reporters of the Who, What, Why of the next person they’d be interviewing. This person seems completely at ease, his eyes unblinking but posture relaxed, suggesting he’s accustomed to this environment and doesn’t seem to mind the elbows digging into his side, due to the cramped space of the interview area.
Taehyung knows he’s seen the reporter in question, struggling to put a name to a face, but recognising him none the less. He’d never been interviewed by him, but he knows of a few of his celebrity friends that had, one being Min Yoongi. In truth, Taehyung doesn’t tend to recognise individuals in this line of work very often, not through lack of respect, but due to that vast expanse of different people he comes across on a daily basis. Snippets of information may stick (he’s sure person A owns a beagle, and he’s sure person B had an affair with the prop guy), but everything moves just a little too fast to build up a real picture of anyone, just chinks and fragments of a personality. Such and such from This Specific Company doesn’t tend to stay in his long-term memory.
The boy he’d spotted, the one tailing the reporter and the camera guy, clutching a clipboard in one hand and smartphone in the other, was a new fragment that Taehyung had never paid attention to before; a puzzle piece he for some reason wishes he had noticed before today.
Before he can look any harder, someone is at his side and guiding him to his next interview, which happens to be with a reporter just next to the one who’s assistant he had been looking at curiously a few moments ago.
He gets through his own interview easily enough for the most part, unsurprisingly considering the fact that he makes a living following a script, smiling at the right places and staring dead into the camera at appropriate points to emphasise his points. It makes him sound fake, the engineering of the whole thing, but really his use of autopilot isn’t through lack of caring.
He loves his job as much as the day he started, but the unnecessary press can become tiresome once you’ve done your first dozen or so interviews. Which is why he can so easily breeze through, half occupied on the questions being asked and half focused on subtly looking at the person on his right hand side, who had paused to take some pictures of the interview going on in front on him. They’re most likely going to be posted to twitter, with a convenient hashtag slapped on the end to draw the fans to their account, and an emoji for good measure.
It’s not really that strange for Taehyung to be so interested in a person he’s never met before, since thats just the type of person he is. His friends like to describe him as a magpie, latching on to any shiny thing he see’s before being distracted by something else, but in this case, the polished spoon or glimmering engagement ring comes in the form of someone he’s never met before and probably won’t see again.
Of course, the boy doesn’t say anything the whole time Taehyung is near by - after all that's not his job - which is probably a good thing as it kept Taehyung a little more focused on the job at hand. He’s sure no one would be able to tell that he was a little distracted, no one but Namjoon that is, but really his manager is far too perceptive for his own good.
He vaguely hears the interview next to his wrap up, as he himself is revealing some never before heard hints about his next film (never heard before, if you don’t count the four interviews he’s already done that evening), and he knows the reporter and his entourage are done for the night when the camera is removed from the camera guys shoulder.
The movement catches Taehyung’s eye and he glances over once more, and that’s when he accidentally lets his facade of focus and professionalism drop for a second. He’d like to say he’d just happened to lose his train of thought at the exact moment that the boy takes off his hat to fix his hair and his face, which had previously been cast in shadows, becomes viewable, because it’s easier to blame it on coincidence.
Taehyung thinks for a moment that an idol must have gotten lost and ended up on the wrong side of the camera because that’s the only way to justifiably explain what he’s seeing in front of him.
The boy is gorgeous. Big round eyes, dark hair that contrasts against his slightly tanned skin and a strong jawline that looks like it could slice through metal. He has gauges in his ear and when he ruffles his fringe it parts slightly to show his forehead and sloping eyebrows, and Taehyung realises that the boy is a man, and the boy has somehow taken away his ability to form coherent sentences. Nothing has changed - the rest of the carpet is still as loud as ever and he is still uncomfortable in his suit and there is still another interview after this - but when the man who is seemingly around the same age as Taehyung shows his face for a few seconds, before putting his hat back on and pulling the bill low, nothing feels the same anymore.
He realises a little too late that he’d paused mid sentence, distracted by what he’d seen, shaking himself when he realises the reporter he should be focusing on is staring at him expectantly. It’s just an attractive boy, he chides himself while seamlessly jumping back into his dialogue as if he hadn’t stopped at all.
He feels more than see’s the group leaving and he congratulates himself for not getting distracted once again, barely glancing over at the retreating backs as he rattles on sentence after sentence of forced enthusiasm. He does a good job at acting calm and collected, after all he is Kim Taehyung, and by the time the press is over he’s gotten through it without any others hiccups.
After sneaking out of the movie theatre, because who wants to see Girl Meets Boy Part 3425, he’s waiting in the foyer for Namjoon to swing by at the time they had agreed earlier in the evening. From there they will then go to a drive through McDonalds, as is the post-event tradition. Namjoon doesn’t like to call it bribery, but if he uses the fact that Taehyung becomes more pliant when food is involved to his advantage there’s really nothing wrong with that. If Taehyung wasn’t such a willing victim, he might be offended by how easily he’s manipulated into doing things, but it helps that these sessions with his manager also act as premium bonding time.
While he waits, Taehyung considers the goings on of the last few hours, and finds his mind drifting back to the boy all in black that he’d gotten so distracted by, despite not having any information what so ever. He doesn’t really understand what made this one so special.
He’d seen plenty of attractive people in his time, his job description almost exclusively asking for such, meaning that he’d spent a fair amount of time surrounded by beautiful men and women - even having had a few flings with a small handful of them while on set. See, when everyone is so pretty and everyone is so stressed, why the fuck not?
Taehyung had seen beautiful before. He’d touched it too.
There was Kim Minjae, who looked a lot like an angel but liked to take Taehyung on midnight drives to press sin into his mouth, leaving bruises on his hips, back, neck when he’d push him to lie on the car bonnet. There was Park Bogum, who he’d starred in a drama with one summer, a fondness developing a little after that first Lotto World bonding session and a little before his hands under the table during press releases started to rest too high on Taehyung’s thigh to be accidental.
Maybe it was romance, or maybe it wasn’t. Really romance is subjective in itself - red roses and candle lit dinners for some, tension fucks in dressing rooms under the guise of running lines for others. If it was love? That’s great. And if it wasn’t? Also great. Honestly, Taehyung thinks he’s better off without it. No strings, no feelings - it’s exactly what he needs, exactly what he wants. He'd tried differently before and that had been a mistake.
The point is, he knows what it means to be surrounded by beauty. Touched it, kissed it, bought the T-Shirt. So he doesn’t understand why this time it feels so different. He should just add him to list. The list of pretty people that are untouchable to the everyday person - unattainable. He doesn’t know why that certain boy, whose face he’d seen for all of two seconds, was still lodged in his mind even now but he doesn’t have time to think about it anymore when Namjoon’s car pulls up in front of him.
He dives in rather ungracefully, grateful that the best part of the night was about to start. Namjoon had been driving around for the last half an hour, as he usually does, ready to circle back when Taehyung sent him the mayday signal, and he laughs when Taehyung slumps in his seat, sighing dramatically.
‘Stop whining,’ He chastises.
Taehyung grunts in response, shrugging off his blazer that had leaked glitter down the back on his neck for the majority on the night and loosening his tie, so he can feel a little more relaxed. The windows are blackout, but he places a plain black hat on his head anyway, just in case.
For a second he's reminded of someone who wore a similar hat that evening, but he forces that thought out of his head as soon as he thinks it - he needs to stop thinking about this nameless boy, as if he was anything more than the hundreds of attractive people he’d set his eyes on before. He was nothing special.
‘You know I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier,’ Namjoon says later, when they’d parked in the McDonalds carpark and Taehyung had begun to use his expensive blazer as a tablecloth on his lap.
‘You’re going to let me find you a boyfriend?’ Taehyung asks, mouth full of food, making Namjoon glare at him for more reason than one.
Namjoon stares pointedly, quirking an eyebrow and refusing to answer until Taehyung had swallowed the food in his mouth and was prepared to at least act semi civilised. In public, Taehyung was the symbol of charm and grace, but in private he had the table manners of a starving animal.
‘Firstly, I would rather die than let you get involved with my love life,’ Taehyung opens his mouth to interject. ’My non-existent love life, that I am very happy with.’
Taehyung just nods, making a face that implies he doesn’t believe Namjoon was telling the truth for even a second. It was his belief that his manager was far too submerged in his work life and needed to find someone to drag him out of it every so often, but the other had always been against the idea every time Taehyung suggested it.
‘I was actually talking about your question about why red carpets are red, not any other colour.’
Taehyung vaguely remembers asking that question at the beginning of the night, but he can’t say he’d put any thought into it as the event had transpired.
Namjoon explains that the first recorded use of the red carpet was used in the Greek play, Agamemnon, and that it was used to signify the entrance of royalty - the red colour being due to the fact that the dyes used for scarlet were among the most expensive at the time. Initially, reserved for the use of royalty, it seemed that the colour red had been passed down to the kings and queens, if you will, of the entertainment industry. Red is expensive, and so are they.
He nods, showing Namjoon that he’s listening, but at the same time, his mind wanders back to the red carpet from earlier. All he can think of is the pretty boy that stood just beyond the red, hidden under a black hood but somehow standing out against the glaring colour of the carpet and the obnoxious flashing all around. He wouldn’t fit in amongst the gowns, but Taehyung can’t help but think the stranger belonged in front of the camera, instead of behind it.
If he could somehow hypnotise Taehyung just by existing, he has no doubt the boy would be able to do the same to the public, if they ever got to see him. He has no claim over the boy - hadn’t even talked to him - but that doesn’t stop him thinking that for now, Taehyung will view him as his own little secret, hidden from everyone’s eyes but his own.
Yes, red is expensive, but red is also danger. But for some reason, Taehyung can’t help but think he’d just looked danger in the face, disguised as a pretty boy dressed entirely in black.
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