Chapter Text
Chapter 1
"Hey, help me pick a good username," Taehyung asked Jungkook as he lounged about on the sofa of the younger man's room while the other sat on the floor playing a game on his PS4.
It was the end of a long day full of rehearsals for the band as they prepare to kick off their new album and concert tour across the country. Usually, the band would eat out or in their rehearsal studio before going home but today, their leader decided that they can just order take out to their dorms so with nothing to do while they wait for their elder members to decide what to order for dinner and for the food to reach their doorstep, the younger ones decided to go to their respective rooms and spend their time there resting or doing whatever. V was headed to his own room to nap when Jungkook roped him into playing Overwatch with him to help him climb. The older one had since gotten tired of it and has left Jungkook to play on his own with his online game friends while he browsed stuff on his phone.
“Vante Point sounds good. It’s got your photographer name and it sounds cool.” Jungkook answered absently as he continued with his game, him being too absorbed in it to even pay attention to what his friend is doing.
"Okay then," Taehyung answered as he keyed in the aforementioned username on his phone, pausing for a bit to consider the suggested name if it really suits his taste.
“What are you going to use it for?” Taehyung’s silence piqued Jungkook’s curiosity, making the youngest BTS member put down his controller and turn his attention to Taehyung who is now sat upright on the sofa with his brows furrowed in concentration. Craning his neck enough to see what his bandmate was doing, Jungkook found himself gasping in surprise at what he saw on the screen.
“Oh my goodness, Tae! You’re really going to get in trouble for that!” The maknae exclaimed, not even noticing how his volume has increased due to his surprise. He has known Taehyung for a few years now, and the man was known for sometimes doing silly and random things. However, what Jungkook saw on his friend’s screen was by far the most stupid thing his friend is going to do to date.
“Shut up, Kookie! What the hell!” Taehyung had to place a hand over Jungkook’s mouth before the maknae can attract the whole dorm's attention. Jungkook can sometimes be a handful and he was not exactly that good at keeping secrets either and whatever Taehyung is currently up to, he would very much like it to be a secret at least for now. Once he was sure that Jungkook has substantially calmed down, Taehyung released the younger man who still sat there gaping at him.
“Why are you creating a private Instagram account, Tae? You know that we are not allowed to do that.” Jungkook asked the older member after he had collected himself enough to know that he wouldn’t start screaming again.
“They did not exactly tell us we cannot create one, you know," Taehyung answered with a pout, making the younger one falter. If there is anyone who can win people over with his charms alone, it was V. Heck, the guy even had the first lady of Korea hugging him like he was her own son once. Nobody can resist the charms of V from BTS and Jungkook is trying his hardest to do that very same thing in order to shake some sense into his friend.
“They did not, but you know how they have to approve all our posts before we can upload them on our social media or fancafe, and I think that’s almost the same thing. Why are you doing this when you know it can get you in trouble?” Sometimes, Jungkook feels like he is the more mature one in the whole band and this is one of those moments.
“Ever heard of creative freedom, Kookie? I'm making this private Instagram so I can post my photos freely." The older member explained, his hand still hovering over the button that would finally make his presence in Instagram known.
“Pictures? You mean your selfies?” Jungkook asked, not totally getting what Taehyung meant.
"No, of course not. I already have the BTS Twitter for that. What I meant is my photography. I've got this really good camera, but I can't exactly share everything without them being reviewed first. It's getting frustrating having the manager flip through every photo I take and them telling me which one to post and which one to discard." It was no secret to the band that V loves photography and their older members even encouraged him to pursue it as a side hobby to release some of the built-up tension from their line of work. However, Jungkook could not understand why his friend would go through the lengths of creating a private social media account when their management has been more lenient than most idol agencies when it comes to their artists exploring their own creative abilities.
“But aren’t you posting them already in our Twitter? Ante even commended you for your work and they usually receive some good feedback with our fans praising your work. Maybe you can talk it over with Mr. Sejin so he can allow you to post more as Vante?” It was not that Jungkook was against Taehyung pursuing what he loves to do. He just doesn’t want his friend to get in trouble with their agency and possibly lose his place in the band should it be known that V of BTS has a private Instagram account. Never mind that it was for him to post pictures he took himself as an artist and not to creep on underage girls on the internet.
"Exactly why I want this Instagram to be anonymous. Sometimes, I get the feeling that the only reason why I get all these praises for my work was that I am V of BTS. Of course, people would be impressed that an idol has other interests aside from just singing and dancing on stage. But what if I am not part of a group that is known worldwide? Would people still stop and pay attention to my work? I want them to appreciate the pictures I take as a form of art. Not just pictures that an idol took during his free time.” Taehyung ran his hand through his hair as he explained his reason to Jungkook who sat there silently as he listened. He was thankful that the band’s maknae is a very thoughtful one which made it easier for him to talk about his frustrations to the younger one. Jungkook sat there in silence for a few moments before sighing in defeat.
“At least don’t use Vante Point. It’s too obvious that it’s you.” Jungkook said and Taehyung smiled at him in gratitude.
The two then spent the rest of their time before dinner coming up of names that would suit him without throwing his secret out there in the open. In the end, they settled for mental.stigma which Jungkook suggested as it sounded mysterious and incorporates Taehyung’s role as the group’s mental carer in one of their web show episode as well as the title of his solo song from a previous album. After Jungkook gave his approval, Taehyung finally created his account and uploaded his first picture. Soon after, the two heard Jimin through the door telling them that dinner has arrived and both went to join the rest of their band while silently agreeing that the private account would remain a secret between the two of them.
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(Y/N) sat quietly in a booth inside a family restaurant as she scrolled through her Instagram while waiting for her dinner to arrive. It has been a hectic week for her at work and the long hours are taking a toll on her. Fortunately, it was Friday and she was finally able to get off work at a decent time and finally get some real food which doesn't consist of anything off the convenience store microwaveable menu. The woman decided to reward herself for a bit and chose to eat at her favorite family restaurant while she scrolls through her Instagram which she has been neglecting for this past week. Quickly browsing through her collection of unpublished photos, she chose one which she took one weekend when she went out to take her parent’s dog to the park. It was a picture of a little girl giggling as her huge German shepherd licks her cheek. After uploading the photo and adding some tags, she clicked out of her profile to see what her online friends have posted during the time that she was offline.
Only a few people knew that (Y/N) likes photography and has been doing it as a side hobby for some time now. She first got into it when she got a camera as a present for her graduation in high school and has been doing still life photography since then. A friend then invited her to a free for all concerts in which she decided to bring her camera to and that is what got her into concert photography. She usually keeps her photos to herself but at her friend's suggestion, she decided to create an Instagram profile for her photography. She was not like other girls who like to take selfies and post them online. She was too self-conscious to share the few ones she had on her phone and her Facebook profile picture was perpetually stuck to the one that was taken of her during a company party almost a year ago which was why she liked the idea of remaining anonymous on Instagram while being able to share the pictures she takes pride in. Her profile gained much attention, but not as much as when she was finally able to go to concerts of famous idols and bands. Truthfully, she had always wanted to go to those concerts because of how visually appealing the stages are, but tickets are so hard to come by. After her page has gained some recognition, she can finally apply for media badges to these concerts which allowed her to be as close to the stage as possible.
As (Y/N) finished liking the last of her friend's posts, she scrolled through the suggested users that she should follow. She was never a snob for these suggestions because she has met some of her great online friends through random follows like these. These people have since then become good friends of hers and she is now able to talk freely to them not only about photography but also life in general. As she scrolled through the profiles, she found one of a new user by the name of mental.stigma. Intrigued with the username, she clicked to the profile to find it full of landscape and architecture photographs, mostly in the monotone which was a big contrast from her style which had pops of vibrant colors that captures the atmosphere completely. Usually, she would think that monotone is such a lonely palette. Colored cameras were made to capture color and not wash it away in her opinion. However, as she browsed through Mind Stigma's photos, she found herself getting pulled into them and starting to like them more and more as she scrolled through each of them. She didn't know she was holding her breath until she reached the Mind Stigma's very first posts. It was the first time that she felt that way about monotone pictures. They were full of emotions, yet none of the emotions she felt while looking at the photos was that of loneliness. Mind Stigma was able to capture the atmosphere of the scenery without using too much color at all. Without thinking twice, (Y/N) clicked at the follow button on the profile and feeling a bit bolder than usual, she sent them a message about how she felt about the pictures. Sighing, she put her phone down as her dinner finally arrives.
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Taehyung had just finished his shower when he heard the notifications from his phone. Thinking that it may just be their group chat in LINE, he ignored it for a while and started applying lotion on his face. After putting on a face mask, he finally lies down in bed and unlocked his phone to check on his notifications.
ChaeParade and 3 others started following you. 10m
ChaeParade liked your post. 10m
ChaeParade liked your post. 10m
ChaeParade liked your post. 9m
ChaeParade liked your post. 7m
ChaeParade liked your post. 7m
ChaeParade liked your post. 6m
ChaeParade liked your post. 3m
ChaeParade Hi! I’m so…
Taehyung's brows shot up as he sees notifications from his Instagram continue to pour in from this ChaeParade person. It has only been over a week since he has created this secret account and he has made sure to update it with his photos from the numerous times he has gone exploring during his free time on tour and he has already gained some followers both travelers and photography enthusiasts alike. He thought he was used to receiving a flood of notifications through his band's own Instagram (which is why he always makes sure to log off after posting because it really affects the quality of his sleep), but getting spammed with notifications from a single person on his secret account was quite flattering. He really should not be communicating with other people without his management's knowledge, but this user already has his attention three likes into his posts. Clicking on his inbox, Taehyung decided to read what this person has got to say before deciding if he should really talk with them or just ignore them completely.
ChaeParade Hi! I’m sorry for spamming you with likes. m(_ _)m I was scrolling through my suggested people when I found your account and I thought I should message you because your works really interested me a lot.
ChaeParade I’m not a big fan of monochrome tones, but your photos have something in them that makes me feel like you’re really happy to be in the places you took photos of.
ChaeParade I usually find b&w photos too serious or lonely and this is the first time I find myself smiling and wanting to visit these places myself.
ChaeParade I thought I should tell you that. Please keep on taking the photos you like. I’ll be supporting you from now on.
ChaeParade Fighting!
He was smiling as he finished reading ChaeParade’s last message. It was the first time someone other than ARMY messaged him to praise his work. It meant a lot to him because this is exactly the type of recognition he was seeking when he made mental.stigma. This person does not have a clue that he was V of the worldwide famous BTS. This person only knows him as this budding photographer on Instagram and his work was enough to make them smile. Getting curious, Taehyung decided to open ChaeParade’s profile to see what type of content they post. Opening the profile, he smiled as he saw the profile icon which was a small dog seemingly fixated with the bubbles floating in front of it. As he waited for the profile to completely load, he decided that he’s done with his face mast and sat up from where he lay on his bed to discard it in the nearest trash bin. Laying back down, he picked up his phone again to see that the profile has loaded completely now. Sparing the profile icon one last glance, Taehyung proceeded to read the rest of the profile which was written in English and Korean.
ChaeParade
Photographer from South Korea. I do still life and concert photography during my free time. I am sometimes a food terrorist too! ^^
Please credit me if you repost my work.
Business: [email protected]
As Taehyung scrolled through ChaeParade’s profile, he saw that their style was a stark contrast from the things he usually does. The person behind the account enjoys taking photos of people going about their day to day life. One photo was of a child giggling as ice cream dripped down from the ice cream cone they were holding. Another one was of a young couple sharing an earphone as they sat at the train station. The next one was of a member from a famous idol group who was in mid-jump with a gleeful smile on their face. It looked like the photo was taken during his recent solo concert tour. As Taehyung continued scrolling and liking each photo, he noticed how vivid the colors on ChaeParade’s photos were. It made him smile as if he was in that moment standing beside ChaeParade as they took the photo, soaking in the feeling of being happy that they were able to have that experience. As he liked his 10th photo, the idol decided that it may not hurt if he were to contact this person. As mind.stigma, he can be himself without the labels of ‘idol’ or ‘worldwide famous’ being attached to his name. He was just Kim Taehyung who liked taking pictures. So, scrolling back up to ChaeParade’s profile Taehyung clicked the follow button and went back to their message.
mind.stigma Thank you so much!
mind.stigma Your compliments on my work mean a lot to me ^^
mind.stigma I checked your profile out as well and I must say that I really like your style even if it is really different from mine.
mind.stigma I hope I can learn more from you and the other great photographers here in insta! There’s so much that I need to do to catch up to you guys. ;;
mind.stigma Thanks for following me. I followed you back and kinda spammed you with likes as well. teehee
mind.stigma If you don’t mind me asking, why did you choose ChaeParade?
It was a few minutes later and Taehyung was almost falling asleep when his phone beeped, signaling a notification. It was a reply from ChaeParade.
ChaeParade I choose the username because I love japchae and my favorite song from My Chemical Romance is Welcome to the Black Parade.
ChaeParade It’s a username I have since high school and since I suck choosing usernames, I’m still using the same one.
ChaeParade my tastes in music have changed since then, though.
ChaeParade but I still love that song.
ChaeParade you don’t have to answer, but why mind.stigma?
ChaeParade if it’s from your rebellious phase as well, I would understand. ^^
Taehyung smiled, as he typed his response.
mind.stigma it’s actually the first time I’m using this username.
mind.stigma let’s just say that I’m trying to be a little bit mysterious right now.
mind.stigma is it working? Hehe
mind.stigma maybe I’ve just entered my rebellious phase?
mind.stigma I’m not going through puberty, though. Please believe me.
ChaeParade’s reply was almost instant.
ChaeParade no adolescent can afford to tour Europe during their free time.
ChaeParade unless you are one of the upper 1%
ChaeParade in that case, please hire me as your personal assistant
ChaeParade I really need the money. Lol
Taehyung could no remove the boxy grin from his face as he saw each message appear before him. He's got a feeling that he will be really good friends with this person he's just met over Instagram.