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“Park Jimin, over here!” Taehyung calls, and Jimin searches for his friend in the crowd until he spots him by the entrance, waving a couple of tickets in the air. Jungkook stands next to him, bouncing on his feet and looking at Jimin like he’s got some strong opinions about him being fifteen minutes late.
“Hey guys,” Jimin greets, grabbing one of the tickets from Taehyung’s hands and ruffling Jungkook’s hair when he reaches them. “Sorry, I got caught up at work.”
“Hmm,” is Jungkook’s response, who turns on his heels and heads inside the area of the park delimited by barriers for the open air concert. It’s a free show, put together by the organizers of some major sport event finale taking place in the city, and even though tickets could be claimed at no cost on their website they did warn about not letting people in once they reached capacity. Jungkook wanted them to be there when the gates opened so they could be as close to the stage as possible.
“Don’t mind him,” Taehyung says as they follow him and show their tickets to access the venue. “He can’t wait to see RM live for the first time.”
“He will probably be the last one performing tonight,” Jimin replies, moving through the crowd with his friends. “Either him or Kim Seokjin.”
“I heard rumors they prepared a song together for this concert,” Jungkook says, bouncing with excitement this time. “If Namjoon raps and sings I will probably die.”
“Probably or most certainly?” Taehyung teases, but Jungkook seems to give it some serious thought.
“Most certainly,” he replies gravely, making Jimin chuckle.
Halfway through the concert, Jimin takes his phone out to film himself, Taehyung and Jungkook singing along to one of their favorite girl group songs, complete with point choreography and adlibs, and Jimin sends the video to their group chat with a smile, like the rest of the photos he’s been taking so far, only to realize he’s got twenty percent battery left and about an hour to go until the last performance of the night.
The crowd moves violently when the group performing ends their set and Jimin’s phone slips from his hands, landing between someone’s feet, and Jimin loses sight of it. He looks around in panic until the movement of the crowd subsides and a guy pats his shoulder, Jimin’s phone in hand.
“I think this is yours,” the guy says, his bright orange wristband catching Jimin’s eye. He remembers seeing staff at the entrance and around the venue wearing them.
“Thank you,” Jimin sighs in relief, grabbing his phone, so grateful he unintentionally clutches the stranger’s hand and bows. “Really.”
“You’re welcome,” the guy chuckles, his smile in the shape of a heart, endeared by Jimin’s genuine reaction.
Jimin then looks him in the eyes and wants to melt in embarrassment. Jungkook and Taehyung seem to have been pushed further away towards the back; the guy is kind of Jimin’s type and his wingmen are nowhere to be seen.
“You know, the thousands of pictures and videos, it would have sucked to lose them with the phone,” Jimin says, trying to explain himself, fidgeting with it.
“I understand. I would have done the same,” the guy replies, earnest, offering Jimin another heart shaped smile. “My name is Hoseok, by the way.”
“Jimin. Nice to meet you,” Jimin smiles, shaking Hoseok’s hand after placing his phone back in his pocket. Somewhere outside their little bubble, the next artist has appeared on stage and the crowd cheers.
“Are you here to see anyone in particular?” Hoseok asks, pulling Jimin slightly closer to him by the forearm when a group of boys tries to squeeze past them to go from one side of the venue to the other. “Watch out.”
“Thanks,” Jimin says. “Uhm, Kim Seokjin, definitely, and RM. I’m a casual fan but my friend would kill for him.”
Hoseok laughs wholeheartedly. “Good to know.”
“How about you? I couldn’t help but notice your wristband. Are you part of the concert crew or something?”
“I guess you could say so? I’m here for moral support. I was getting bored backstage so I decided to check some of the artists before my friend performs.”
Jimin gapes. Hoseok says this so casually he cannot possibly be making it up. “I suppose I can’t ask who your friend is?”
Hoseok hums playfully like he’s considering whether or not Jimin is worthy of this information. “Then I shouldn’t tell you it is–”
“Jiminie, my dear friend!” Taehyung hugs him from behind, startling Jimin and Hoseok as well. “I thought we lost you to the crowd.”
“I’m here, safe and sound,” Jimin chuckles.
Jungkook stops in his tracks, looking at Hoseok with bigger eyes than usual. “Oh my god,” he slowly says, “are you Jung Hoseok? as in RM’s choreographer friend Jung Hoseok?”
“I am,” Hoseok laughs, a bit shy, then looks at Jimin with a smile. “I guess this is the friend that would kill for Namjoon.”
“Only if he asked me to,” Jungkook says, starstruck.
“So, that is Jungkook, and this is Taehyung,” Jimin supplies, and then, it hits him just who he was about to flirt with. “Oh my god, you are famous and I didn’t know!”
“I’m really not,” Hoseok dismisses.
“Is someone going to explain how Jimin knows the mastermind behind last year’s most iconic girl group dance of the summer?” Taehyung interjects, and when Jimin gives him a questioning look, he adds, “I read up on my choreography. I know names but I don’t know faces.”
Hoseok laughs quietly, clearly amused by all of this, and when he realizes Jimin is still too stunned to talk he says, “We just met. Jimin lost his phone when people started pushing around and I found it.”
“Just like the beginning of a romantic comedy,” Jungkook says, and Jimin mumbles ‘you brat’ as he not so subtly tries to kick his shin repeatedly but fails. Of course, he loses his balance and guess who’s there to catch him by the shoulders?
“Gotcha,” Hoseok smiles at him (he seriously needs to stop doing that), and they can’t seem to take their eyes off each other as Jimin stands up straight. Huh. So the attraction is mutual. Jimin smiles at him when he thanks him.
“Wanna try going all the way to the barricade before RM or Seokjin perform their sets?” Taehyung asks Jungkook, looking up front.
“Hell yeah. If we are lucky we are gonna get soaked during Persona,” Jungkook replies.
“We’ll call if we can’t find you when the concert is over,” Taehyung tells Jimin, pinching his cheek and mouthing ‘good luck’ with a wink.
“Nice to meet you,” Jungkook tells Hoseok, then wiggles his eyebrows at Jimin before they head up front.
Jimin now remembers why having Taehyung and Jungkook as his wingmen is not always the best of ideas considering their lack of subtlety. He just hopes Hoseok will pretend he didn’t notice.
“Your friends are lovely,” Hoseok comments, and Jimin agrees. “But I think you are the loveliest.”
“You are right,” Jimin replies, sweeping back his hair, trying to play down his blush at Hoseok’s statement.
Hoseok chuckles. “What do you do for a living, Jimin?” he asks.
“I’m a professional ballet dancer,” Jimin answers. Somewhere a few meters away the singer announces it is their last song.
“Oh,” Hoseok’s eyes light up. “So you are in the dance business and you didn’t know who I was?” he teases. “I’m hurt.”
“It’s not like that! I just, tend to keep to my circles,” Jimin hurries, gives Hoseok a playful shove on the shoulder when he realizes he was joking. They laugh.
Jimin’s phone beeps loudly, a warning to tell him he’s only got ten percent battery left. Jimin takes it out of his pocket and sighs.
“What’s wrong?” Hoseok asks.
“My phone has almost run out of battery and if I want to text the guys later I won’t be able to film the rest of the stages.”
“Do you want me to take pictures and videos for you?” Hoseok suggests. “Mine’s almost fully charged.”
“If it’s not too much to ask, that would be great,” Jimin says, so effortlessly cute Hoseok wants to squeeze him like a plushie.
“Ok,” Hoseok nods. “Can I have your KakaoTalk ID?” Jimin tilts his head. “So I can send you the videos later.”
Smooth, Jimin thinks. “Sure,” he replies with a smile.
“RM-Jin, RM-Jin, RM-Jin,” Hoseok chants like the crowd had been chanting an hour ago when he enters his friend’s backstage room, making Yoongi turn to him with a very confused expression.
On the couch, Namjoon looks up from where Seokjin is showing him something on his phone, an arm around his broad shoulders, and he laughs, standing up to hug Hoseok when he congratulates him on a job well done. Hoseok hugs and congratulates Seokjin too, moving to sit next to Yoongi.
“What is that RM-Jin thing about?” his friend asks.
“Korea’s future rapper-singer duo of the century. I can tell you people cried. I was there. You should have been with me but you decided to stay here.”
“I don’t particularly like crowds,” Yoongi says. “I’m a producer, I’m more of a behind the scenes kind of guy anyway.”
“Do you want to have dinner with us to celebrate?” Seokjin asks, holding Namjoon’s hand. Hoseok and Yoongi answer affirmatively, so they all gather their stuff and make sure nothing is left behind.
“So where have you been the past two hours, Hoseok?” Namjoon asks as they exit the venue through the artists entrance. “We thought you would be back before our stages to hype us up,” he adds in a playful tone.
Hoseok’s phone vibrates and he opens KakaoTalk to see Jimin has replied to the selca he took of them together with a smile emoji and a wanna grab coffee tomorrow?
He chuckles. “I was falling in love at first sight,” is all Hoseok says.