Work Text:
You blinked once. Twice. Thrice. You almost wanted to slap yourself hard after hearing this man in front of you telling you that he wants to practice with you. Your inner fangirl would’ve jumped and somersaulted around the room but you just froze in shock with mouth agape. You want to decline his offer but when will you be given another chance as rare as this? This was a golden opportunity and you weren’t going to let it slip away from your hands.
A quick look back at the mirror and you see a stressed out reflection of yourself. You lack the rosy complexion and was now replaced with pallor all over your face. If it weren’t for your tinted lip balm, your pale lips would have completed the look. The fatigue was now evident on your face. You never bothered to doll up and fix yourself after you finished your shift since you were so tired. You were determined to just wear a cap and mask when you take the commute home. Your self-consciousness was now creeping up in your mind but your greed to spend time with this man was greater than any thought you have.
He stays there, standing in front of you, anticipating the music to start. Noticing the way he fidgets his fingers on his cap makes you realize that he’s feels just as shy as you. You open your mouth to say something but you quickly turned around heading towards your phone on top of the speakers. You press play on your music app and quickly ran beside Jungkook. Both of you were now facing towards the huge mirror on the wall. His eyes were still on you and you try to avoid his gaze. A few more seconds and the music started to serenade your ears.
It’s as if your limbs has a life of its own. Dancing to their song seems like a reflex to you now and it makes you happy. You try your best to focus on getting the choreography right but you can’t seem to stop staring at Jungkook. Everything about him keeps on pulling you towards him. Your moves were now relying on muscle memory as you take in the glorious sight of Jungkook dancing. He always did take your breath away whenever you would watch their dance practices and performances uploaded online. The way he moves and his intense expression when he dances always pulls you in. Despite him looking like he just jogged outside with sweat beading down making his locks stick to his forehead, he still looks so goddamn attractive. Enchanted, you kept your eyes on him throughout the dance. The way he breathe in between steps and the way his hair bounces up. Everything about this younger man is gorgeous.
Jungkook noticed you gazing at him midway through the music. Your eyes haven’t met his yet but he grins at how vastly different you look compared to just moments ago when you shy just before the music started. During this morning’s practice while he wonders why his Yoongi and Namjoon were distracted by you, he noticed that you were the most quiet and timid one among all the dancers. When his fellow members would take the dance floor while the dancers stand behind to wait for their cue, you would nervously fidget your hands on your pants as your fellow dancers interact with each other. Not that you were anti-social with the other dancers but you would prefer to stay quiet to concentrate and learn. Dancing beside you, Jungkook quickly took notice at how hard you dance and it reminded him of Hoseok. Hoseok would always be playful but when he dances, it’s like J-hope and Hoseok are two different people.
A few more beats and the part that you were having a hard time perfecting was coming up. You wanted to take a last look at Jungkook’s face to hope that he doesn’t see you make a mistake with the steps but you could clearly see that he was staring straight at you when you looked at him. His intense eyes were now making you feel hot inside. Slightly aroused by his deep gaze as if a predator were now staring at his prey. This younger man was now burning you. Caught by his gaze, you didn’t realize that your feet tripped over the other as you perform the complex footwork. You stumble and tried to stop yourself from falling but at that moment, your feet worked slower than your mind.
Jungkook was taken by surprise and quickly ran to you to try and catch you. You break the fall using your hands as you fell to your side. You soon lifted your head and looked at him while the music was still playing in the background. He ran to your phone to stop the music and back to you.
“Are you okay, noona? Are you hurt?” he offers out his hand to try and help you up as he walked away from the speakers to you.
It was embarrassing but all you could do is laugh. Jungkook, with his hands still stretched out, wondered why you were laughing. Relieved, he relaxed his shoulders down as your hand took his as he helped you stand up. He was still worried if you were hurt but you quickly dismissed him.
“I’m fine. I told you I’m still having a hard time getting that part right.” You giggle as you remove your hand from his.
“But you were amazing. Better than some of the male dancers if I may say.” His praise made your cheeks burn. You wanted to praise him in return but your stomach grumbled so loud just before you opened your mouth to talk. Your eyes opened widely and saw that Jungkook also noticed the sound. This moment was now even more humiliating compared to tripping in front of him a while ago. All you could do now was laugh to hide your embarrassment.
“Sorry about that.” You giggle as you bury your face in your hands.
“You haven’t eaten dinner?” he asks, amused as you nervously try to hide your embarrassment.
“Only a sandwich and it was an early dinner. I was too busy with work to eat a proper meal.” You nod up towards the direction of the gym just outside the tiny studio.
Jungkook looked at his watch and it was now almost 11 pm. Being the worrywart he is, he quickly analyzed your face as you try to talk. You look tired and pale. He now felt bad that he didn’t notice it. You were obviously tired but he just asked you to dance with him. He thought that obviously you would be hesitant to refuse since you work for them.
“How will you get home?” puzzled as he dart his eyes back at you.
“Huh?” you froze.
“Will you be taking the bus? Train? Or do you drive yourself home?” he continued as he took his phone out of his pocket.
“Um… I take the bus home.” Your brows furrowed at his questions. He was unlocking his phone, not looking at you.
“Noona, Can my manager and I drive you home?” He lift his head up.
You swiftly waft your hands at him in refusal. It wasn’t even your place to accept his offer. A moment ago you were just dancing and now, one of your idols is offering to take you home. You won’t be alone with him in the car but nevertheless, you felt like you were now invading his space.
“Please you don’t need to. I can just take the bus home and…” you said as you fumble through your words.
“It’s late and anyways, you’re now part of the team. Besides, Jiyong Hyung told us to take care of you.” He quickly cut you off. “Noona, let us drive you home. Please.”
Your eyes tried to wander away from his eyes and you noticed his left hand beside his hips. He was fidgeting with his pants. He was nervous and you realized that despite he wants to come off manly and as a gentleman, this was the Jungkook you knew (from various online videos) that is famous for being nervous around women that he’s not close with.
Jungkook felt guilty and he was determined to get a sounding approval from you to take you home. He saw how hugely confused you are at his offer. He felt a slight responsibility towards you tonight as he remembers Jiyong’s word when all of you met just outside the practice room that one day.
“I can’t. It’s too much Jungkook. I promise I can go home on my own.” Before Jungkook can contest your refusal, you quickly cut in through the conversation once more. “My route’s pretty much safe. Don’t worry, I have been going home at this hour for so long and nothing has happened. I can handle myself. Besides, don’t take Jiyong’s word so seriously. He just said that to tease all of you. Don’t feel obligated to actually take care of me.”
He was not happy with your refusal. He wanted to offer you a ride home once more but he thought that maybe he was pushing your boundaries. You’re new to the team and he wanted to keep a good relationship with all of the Big Hit staff especially you being Jiyong’s twin sister. Jiyong was like a brother to him aside from the members so he also wanted to establish friendship with you. He wanted to respect your personal space but he was also worried and guilty that he made you even more tired and hungry.
“Okay. I won’t ask again.” You saw him pout as he accepts your refusal. There it is. The bunny-like pout you have always loved when you would watch him in their videos online. The very same pout that puts your chest in knots whenever you would see him do it when he interacts with his hyungs in Run BTS, Bon Voyage and other shows that they have. “But thank you for letting me practice with you.”
“No. I’m the one who should thank you. I hope I didn’t take too much of your precious personal time.” you quickly bowed in response.
“So see you tomorrow at practice again, noona?” He has called you noona a few times already but looking at him now trying to slowly walk back towards the door after calling you with that term, you felt giddy inside. Of course, he was not saying it in a way that he looks forward to see you specifically tomorrow but you try to imagine it is. That’s it, just a dream. Just your imagination that your idol would be eager to see you in practice. That short daydream quickly pulled you back to reality. You just work for them and it’s only out of courtesy that he offered you a ride home. Nothing more.
“Yes. Thank you for also working hard.” You smiled at him as he put his cap back. He softly smiled back at you just before he opened the door and exited the small studio.
There was a brief moment of silence in the studio as you look around before you gazed at yourself in the mirror. You checked if your cheeks were heavily blushing after your short encounter with Jungkook. He actually danced alongside with you, held your hand when he helped you up and even offered to take you home. No words came out of your mouth. Suddenly, you started shrieking and jumped up and down. You couldn’t contain your happiness anymore.
….
A few more days have passed since your encounter with Jungkook. The practice for the group dance routines were almost done. The BTS boys have already finished learning the steps for the whole dance and our dance director was present at our every practice to polish every detail. You were looking forward to finish the practice for a specific dance because so far, it was the hardest piece you’ve danced to yet. Combined with the fatigue from your two jobs, it’s taking everything you have just to stay sane. This month is almost up and you’re almost back to your normal grind. Your bank account is slowly getting back to normal and the repairs at home are now 80% done. Lisa will also be back in a few weeks so you don’t have to worry about rent for a while.
Jiyong is now regularly checking up on you at work. He discovered that you’ve been doing extra shifts in the gym for your additional expenses and knowing well that you tend to neglect yourself once overworked, he would stop by on the floor where the practice rooms are located to bring you sandwiches bought from the café downstairs. You did tease him for being overly clingy but he did jokingly admit that he loved taking care of you now that you work in the same company as him. It’s so comical to see your brother hovering around but you admit that it felt good that you can now physically be close with him again.
“Before I forget, you remember Mark? The one I introduced to you last time?” Jiyong asks while you were chowing down your sandwich.
Both of you were having your lunch break at the café on the first floor. You jokingly forced him to eat there today despite him repeatedly saying that he craves for Thai food from the restaurant you both love two blocks away from Big Hit building. You did grew a liking to the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and iced Americano combo that the café offers and your day somehow felt empty if you did not at least have it.
“A fellow sound engineer or a producer if I remember correctly.” You try to remember all the people your brother has introduced to you ever since you started working in Big Hit. It’s no surprise that he has a lot of acquaintances here since he’s a very sociable person.
He nods while he now takes a bite from his sandwich. “Producer. We’ll be having a surprise birthday dinner for him. You can come.” He offers as he look at you taking a huge bite of your sandwich.
“I’m not even close with him. Do you really its okay for me to be invited?” you took your drink and swirled it around, making a loud noise from the ice crashing with each other.
“Of course and believe me, you’ll want to come to the dinner.” He smirked and moved his eyebrows up and down.
“Okay. As long as there’s free food, I’m in.”
“Trust me. You’ll regret it if you won’t come.” He smiled widely and you chuckle at your brother’s antics. “How’s work?”
“Still intense. I’ve been doing a good job catching up with the other dancers on the choreography. I’ve gotten close to the other dancers as well and a part of me is still getting used to staring at the boys.” You shyly grinned as you take another bite of the sandwich. “I’ve been a big fan for god knows how long and here I am working so close with them. Seeing them up close and personal as they work hard and witnessing how they stay humble to their staff lets me see them in a new prospective.”
“Makes you even prouder now that you work with them, right? I’ve spent a lot of time with those boys in and out of the recording studio. Even though they’re renowned superstars now, I still feel like I’m with my close friends whenever I’m with them.” A small smile slowly appeared as you intently listen to your brother praise the boys. You never conversed with him about your fangirl journey because you felt it was too personal despite him having a good relationship with the group.
“Still, this is a fangirl’s dream and I’ll work even harder to stay where I am right now.”
“But don’t do it at the expense of your health. Take good care of yourself.” He muttered. “As the boys say, love yourself.” He chuckled as he poked your hand that was on the café table.
“I know. I’m doing my best to break that habit.” You teasingly hit his shoulder as both of you laugh. “Thank you for always bringing me this sandwich. It’s now my favorite.” You raised what’s left of your sandwich towards him.
“No problem. I like taking care of you and besides, I’ll do what I can to lessen your worries. A few more days and you can stop taking extra shifts in the gym.” He chuckles.
“I’m just bothered whenever someone would take care of me.” You glanced at your brother. “But thanks. I promise I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t. It’s my treat and don’t you dare refuse.” He glared. “You always try to refuse whenever I get the chance to take care of you.” As you were looking straight at him, you noticed that his eyes wandered away from you. He smiled brightly and called the attention of someone behind you.
“Hyung!” you turn your head behind you and saw Jungkook walking up beside you to give your brother a high five. Your brother stood up and exchanged greetings with Jungkook.
“Drinks for the boys?” your attention was now brought to the small clear plastic bag hanging on Jungkook’s hand as your brother pointed it out. The five coffee-based drinks and two juices was carefully supported by his other hand on the bottom of the bag.
“Yeah. I lost the bet and they made me pay for their order.” The maknae smiled so wide and you realized that the last time you’ve interacted with him this close was that night he stopped by the gym. You stood up but remained silent. You didn’t bother to get a word in since he was busy talking with your brother. “Oh hello noona!” he smiled.
“Hello.” You did smile back but you felt a bit sullen that your exchange of greeting was so generic and short. Despite having that short dance practice with him alone in that studio, a small glimmer of hope stayed with you that somehow that made you a bit different from the other dancers.
“I should get back. They’re waiting for me.” He took a few steps away from your table before halting again. “See you later in the practice room, noona!”
…..
You arrived in the practice room the next day and was surprised that you were the first person in the room. Today’s a new day and you couldn’t contain your excitement because the dance team will get to learn new dance routines for the concert. The BTS members will not be joining the dance team today. That’s always the routine. The dance team gets to be taught first by the choreographers separately from the boys. If there are unit performances by the boys, they get to practice in the other rooms while the dance team occupies another practice room. Secretly, you were hoping to see them every day in the practice room but you know well that they have a lot on their plate while preparing for the online concert. It’s not just the dance routines that they have to worry about.
It’s not long before everyone arrives in the practice room. All the dancers sat down on the floor and gathered around the choreographers, dance directors and stage directors for the concert. You were all ears as to what they were going to announce. The dance director stepped forward and announced that they prepared a special stage performance for the concert, a concept never before done by the boys. They called the attention of the female dance team and informed all of you about the female dancer/s and BTS stage. Each member will be dancing together with female dancers. A minute and a half performance before the next member takes the stage for another dance with a different set of female dancers.
All in all, there are 14 female dancers on the dance team. The dance director then informed everyone that one BTS will be accompanied by three dancers, the other 5 members with two dancers and a sole member will dance alone with a female dancer. Upon hearing this, you are definitely sure that they must have secretly evaluated all the female dancers since the start of the practice sessions. Having a stage with them is a big blessing already. Whichever member you will be assigned to, you’re grateful for the opportunity.
Suddenly, you heard your name being called out by the dance director. You were taken by surprise and noticed that everyone turned their head in your direction. You were nervous that maybe the dance director noticed that you were contemplating on your own about all the new information and was about to scold you for not listening well but a fellow dancer nudged your side and encouraged you to stand. You stood up as you stare at the dance director, nervously anticipating on what he has to say.
“I would like to commend your performance these past few practice sessions. We all agree…” he stopped and turned to address the other choreographers from both left and right and then back to you. “that we’ll give you the sole dancer role.”
A loud roar from the dance team erupted. The other elder female dancer sitting down beside you grabbed your legs and shook it. The male dancers were cheering loudly, raising their hand in the air and clapping. Despite being the youngest among the female backup dancers, your elder female dance mates were now looking at you and cheering for you proudly. I could see that the choreographers were also giggling at how the dance team were cheering you on. You’ve just been working with them for a few weeks but you already established a parent-child relationship with all the choreographers especially Ms. Lee, the only female choreographer on the team.
The dance director then proceeded to assign the other female dancers for the dance. He also informed the male dance team that seven of them will be taking place as the members for practice sessions. One of the dancers asked the choreographers on who will they be dancing with but the director just said that they haven’t finalized yet on which member will be taking each role.
Distracted by the thought on which member you’ll be dancing with, you sat on the ground in silence. Why did Jungkook’s face suddenly pop up in your mind? Was it because you already had the chance to dance with him one on one? Maybe Jimin or Hoseok will have the chance to dance with you since they are the main dancers of the group. You didn’t forget that Taehyung was now also a part of the dance line. Yoongi, Namjoon and Jin were not part of the dance line but who knows, they might just be given a privilege to be center. Like a train, you see the faces of the remaining members flowing through your mind like an image slideshow. Who was it that you secretly wish to be your partner?
After the meeting, you walked across the crowd towards the male dancer you will be dancing with. You called his attention and he quickly turned around at the sound of his nam. He ran to you and eagerly congratulated you for your sole dance stage.
“Congratulations again! I’m looking forward to dancing with you.” You both shook each other’s hands. Although you will be dancing with him only for practice sessions, you still want to keep a good relationship with him. After all, you’re determined to stay within the company as a dancer and this will be your new second family from now on.
Although you are now acquainted with all of the male dancers, you weren’t as close with them yet compared to the female dancers. Taeyang was one of the best backup dancers among the male team. He’s also very sociable and cheerful, a bit opposite to your personality. However, you know that with his skills in dancing and years of experience working for BTS, he might be the perfect partner to learn a lot from.
The dance team occupied three practice room for the day, one for each of the choreographers. Everyone started on their own dance routines and just like that, the BTS’ dancers were working like a car engine roaring for the whole day.
On another floor, all of the BTS members were gathered in one room to discuss about the concert. The stage director presented their plans for the concert and the boys also let their inputs flow through the meeting. The dance director then announced the very special stage that the dance team are now practicing at the moment. Once the boys learned that they finally get to have a special dance stage with the female dance team (which is a first for them), all of them got nervous. They were then informed of the 7 different dance roles and how many dancers were assigned. Everyone was taken by surprise when they heard that there will be someone who will be dancing with one female dancer. Everyone, especially the dance line, were eager to know who the choreographers appointed to be the sole BTS member who will be given a solo dance. Namjoon raised his hand and the dance director, disrupted from revealing the member’s name, let the leader speak up.
“I know that this might be weird but I’ll say this because I want to give the best performance every time.” All eyes were now on him. “The female dance team is new here unlike the current male team that we have. If we want to deliver this concept the best way possible, should we at least do something to make everyone comfortable with each other? I can still feel a bit of awkwardness either from some of the members or with the other female dancers.” He worriedly look at his members and to his surprise, majority of them were nodding their head in approval. Some of which once voiced out their worry to Namjoon about awkwardness towards the female dance team even before the female dancers started working in the company.
“Good thing you mentioned that.” One of the managers, Se-jin, stood up from the corner of the room. All of the members turned their head as their eyes followed him walking towards the front of the room. “We have already set a date for a team MT. The dance team, newly hired essential staff and of course, you boys will be going as well.”
Hoseok, Jin and Yoongi exchanged looks. Namjoon was glad that his suggestion was helpful. The maknae line were excited at the sound of another MT especially now that they are in dire need of a short break from working very hard to prepare for the concert. Big Hit takes very good care of the staff and the relationship between its idols and staff can almost be similar to family. To maintain a good working environment in the entertainment industry, everyone should have a good relationship with each other as Bang PD once said to the boys. Of course, this also applies to the newly hired female dance team. The managers know that the boys were not used to working very close with females despite having female stylists so they already planned this MT ahead once they were informed of the intention to hire female backup dancers.
“When’s the MT? And where?” Jimin enthusiastically raised his hand and asked the manager.
“We’ll inform you ahead of time, don’t worry. We’re still in the process of finalizing your schedule. It’ll be 3 days and 2 nights in Busan.” Their manager grinned at the two Busan boys. Jimin and Jungkook quickly looked at each other and grinned so wide. They were elated that they’ll get a chance to visit their hometown again despite being there for work. “This is also a short break for you boys. We know how hard you’ve been working.” Chatters between the members were getting loud as they were getting excited for the MT.
“Okay. Let’s go back to the topic of the dance stage with the female dance team.” The dance director took his place once more towards the front of room as he gladly look at each member eagerly talking about the MT. “We haven’t yet assigned a member to each role and who you’ll be dancing with. We’ll announce it after the MT.”
Your name suddenly popped up in Hoseok and Jimin’s mind. Ever since the evaluation, you were the one that caught their attention. Hoseok has stolen a few glances here and there during practice sessions. He can’t help but admit that he strongly admires someone who can strut gracefully and powerfully, and someone he can dance with. Same goes for Jimin. He was eager to share a stage with you even if there will be other female dancers with him. Something about the way you look when you dance amazes him.
Honestly, you were the only one that was familiar to the other members. Aside from the fact that you are Jiyong’s twin sister and them having a very good and close relationship with him, you had also already encountered some of them one by one in various ways with the exception of Taehyung and Jin.
…..
You were running a bit late to the surprise dinner of Jiyong’s friend. You received a lot of text from your brother this afternoon telling you to dress nicely and told you the location of the restaurant. Surprisingly, it was one of your favorite dimly-lit comfy Korean restaurant and you were glad. He also told you that a private room will be reserved under his name for the dinner party. You comb through your closet to look for a dress suited for the ambience of the party. Just to be safe, you picked a little black dress amongst your brightly colored clothing. You don’t want to attract any additional attention since you’re a guest and a bit of outsider to their group. You consider yourself as someone who would prefer a night in, rather than constantly going out to socialize.
With 5 minutes to spare, you dashed to arrive at the restaurant after you got off the cab. The waitress ushered you through a hallway and to a room. Voices were now starting to get louder as you walk towards a door at the end of the hallway. The waitress opened the door for you and you were surprised to see familiar faces amongst the crowd sitting around the long stretched table. Your brother sat closest to the door but what caught your eyes amongst the other people in the room were the faces of four handsome men.
Hoseok, Namjoon, Yoongi and Jin were sitting down side by side on the right side of table. You froze in your place as you gulp down, trying to take in that you’ll be spending this dinner with them. The crowd in the room were non-existent and all that matters is that you’re only a step away from your idols. The dim light in the room somehow softens their faces yet they were the brightest among the people in the room. The four of them were wearing dress shirts, each a different shade of white or black. You try to gulp down but it seems that your throat has gone dry.
Now you realized what your brother meant by regretting it if you would not come to this dinner and the way he emphasized to you to dress nicely. Normally when he would invite you to dinners, he doesn’t force you to come or give an opinion about your choice of wardrobe.
Jiyong stood from his seat and welcomed you. You surprisingly react to him when he put his hands on your back and this made you conscious that maybe the four boys noticed how shocked you are at their presence. Your brother introduced you again to his other fellow co-workers, some of them you just met for the first time tonight. While you were being pushed by Jiyong across the length of the room, the eyes of the four bangtan boys were glued to you. Jiyong definitely didn’t mention to them that you would be included to the dinner party. Not that they have something against it but they were surprised by your presence tonight amongst all the familiar faces. You try to get rid of the thought that you have eventually interact again with those four by talking to Jiyong’s co-workers but your hands felt clammy as you slowly get near them at the table.
Majority of the people in the room were either producers, audio and sound engineers and of course, it’s not a surprise that Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi were in the dinner as well. They hugely participate in every album production wise. Being the hyung of the group, you guess Jin was here as well since Jiyong mentioned that he was one of the members he’s closest with all of the producers and engineers. Jiyong being Jin’s favorite, as your brother would boast but you don’t know if that’s actually true or not.
Jiyong pulled you towards a seat on the right side of the table farthest from the door, beside Jin. Jin, still seated in his chair, pulled out the chair for you and he smiled. You gladly accept and quietly sat down. Jiyong left you and went out of the room. Probably he’s waiting for his friend’s arrival any moment now. As if you’re like a music player on pause, you’re now totally silent observing everyone else across you. It was awkward, to say the least.
“So how’s dance practice?” As he noticed how quickly you became awkward after Jiyong left you, Jin turned to you and starts a conversation. You shuffle in your seat from being startled by the sudden conversation. However, you’re glad that he remembers you being their backup dancer and not just a stranger who joined tonight’s dinner.
“Getting by. Your choreographies are so intense, even by my standards.” Admitting the difficulty of dancing to their songs warranted a chuckle from Jin.
“Right? It’s like they want to increase the difficulty for every comeback.” He giggled. Your eyes are glued on him as you try to admire his every feature. Indeed, he deserves the title of Worldwide Handsome. He looks so delicate at how his eyes squint when he laughs. His black hair compliments his milky complexion. You can’t stop to admire as if a statue of a god was this close in front of you.
“But you look so good when you dance so I’m sure all your fans will like it.” You praised him, grinning sheepishly. He chuckle at your sudden flattery. When he was about to say something, a hand landed on his shoulder and Hoseok popped out from his side.
“Don’t flatter him. He won’t let that go and then before you know it, he’ll make you his favorite member of the dance team.” Seated beside the eldest member, Hoseok leaned his head on Jin’s shoulder and cheerfully teased his elder member. He flashes a sunshine-like smile, eyes squinting. You smile at their silliness as they continue to banter.
“I know I am handsome and she’s already my favorite member.” Jin turns to Hoseok then back to you. “She’s Jiyong’s twin sister. He’s one of my closest friend so by proxy, she’s my closest friend too.”
You were silent, observing how easy it was conversing with your idols. You felt your body relax and you think Jin has noticed this too as he lets out another soft smile at you.
“I’m sure that doesn’t work that way, Hyung. Silly.” You now heard Yoongi who was seated beside Hoseok. Hoseok leaned back on his chair and Yoongi was now in view. The cool and silent member was now facing the three of you. You saw the corner of his mouth smile and you gave one in return. Remembering how soft he looks while he apologized to you that one particular day, you felt at ease seeing his smile. The awkward and heavy air around the two of you is now gone. “Nice to see you again.” He nods at you as you hear your name slip out of his mouth. It still feels surreal whenever you would hear them say your name.
Before you try to greet him back, Namjoon called your name. “Both you and Jiyong-nim are wearing black. You definitely look more like twins tonight.” He laughs. Between you and your brother, you were the one who adorns black most of the time. His fashion style is more on earthy tones and bright colors. Whenever you and your brother would wear the same color, people would always tease both of you since you would look like a couple despite looking a lot like each other.
“That’s because they are, Joonie.” You heard Jin giggle. “Don’t worry. Between you and Jiyong, you look more beautiful tonight – like me.” He winked at you.
You almost choke in your laughter. This Jin in front of you is definitely the same as the one you have watched a lot of times in every show they’re on. You remember the moments that you would bury your head in your pillow laughing or screaming from seeing Jin be so adorable at praising himself.
You’re thankful that Jin had started a conversation with you because if he didn’t, you would totally feel out of place beside them. Some of Jiyong’s co-workers have also started to talk to you and asked you questions. Not soon after, Jiyong ran inside the room to inform everyone that Mark, the birthday celebrant, has arrived. He was carrying a cake in his hands and his other co-worker pulled out a lighter from his pockets and then lit the candles. The room was now dead silent as we all wait for the door to open. When it did, everyone sang Happy Birthday loudly at the birthday celebrant.
It was fun observing everyone from where you sit. Jiyong was on full cheer mode as he tries to wave his hands, encouraging everyone to sing loudly. The four bangtan boys did what he asked. Jin was the loudest one and soon, his other members followed. You giggle at their ridiculousness as you quietly cheer at the back.
After the cheers soon came dinner. As the waitresses bring in all the food and glasses of wine to the table, Hoseok called your attention.
“I hope your ears are fine. All of us are really loud, aren’t we?” Hoseok leaned his chest towards you as Jin leans back in his seat. Your eyes were still following the food being served because aside from the nerves being seated next to BTS, food will always be number one to you. The people from the other side of the table were all standing up and laughing together. Namjoon was also chatting with a few of them.
“It’s okay. I’m used to being around Jiyong’s crowd.” You wave your hands to assure him. Your chest felt warm with Hoseok’s concern for you.
A bowl of soup was placed in front of Jin followed by yours. Hoseok sat back on his chair as others returned to their seats to begin eating. Sounds of utensils hitting each other and plates clicking were replacing the sounds of chatter. You took a sip of the soup when you saw across from you that they have already started eating.
The hot soup hitting your tongue was comforting. You miss eating good food. Nowadays, you’re stuck to eating sandwiches and ready-to-eat food. You’ve been constantly teased by Lisa that if it wasn’t for convenience stores or restaurants, you would definitely be bone and skin right now. One thing you like about coming to dinners with Jiyong like this is that you get to eat good food. You took a second sip as your eyes roam the room to look at the faces of the other people in the room and eventually lingering on the faces of the four BTS boys seated next to you.
As you were looking at them, you try to figure out the flavor of the soup. Potato soup wasn’t your favorite but this one was so good. Chef’s kiss! You can’t wait to taste the other dishes if the restaurant intends to start with amazing soup. You heard Hoseok commend the soup out loud as well as you see Jin letting his spoon scoop the soup.
As Jin’s spoon slowly worms its way to his mouth, both you and Yoongi were still trying to enjoying the soup when a thought suddenly hit you both.
“Wait hyung!”, “Jin stop! It’s potato soup.”
You and Yoongi were both raising your hands at Jin. Jin, surprised at the both of you, froze with his mouth open and the spoon just inches away from his lips. Yoongi looked at you in confusion when you shouted at Jin as well.
“You can’t eat that. You’re allergic to potato.” You continue as took your hands back on your lap. Namjoon was now also looking at you. Not long, you realize that the four of them were now staring at you. Their faces painted the same way. Why do you even know that fact? That Jin is allergic to potato? They all thought the same thing.
Shoot. You froze in realization that you didn’t bother to think before you tried to shout and stop Jin. You know this fact because Jin has mentioned this on one episode of RUN BTS. Now they will definitely know that you watch their shows. This is embarrassing. You can’t seem to find words to explain on how you know this detail about Jin. If this was your fellow Armies, you would be proud to know these small details and other information about the seven of them but this was a different situation entirely. Do they find it creepy? What would they do if they discover that you’re a big fan and that you know these details?
You try to explain but words can’t seem to form. Your throat getting dry as you feel their stares piercing through you. You definitely don’t want to come off creepy. Your chest felt heavy from the attention you’re getting from them as your eyes were now on your glass of wine in front of you.
“Oh right. Jiyong, you mentioned before that your sister is a big fan of the boys. Right?” Mark blurted out. The four of them turned their head towards the other side of the table where the birthday celebrant and your brother was seated. “You would always adorably praise your sister for her undying support to the boys.” Mark continued as he took a sip of his wine.
Stop. Please stop talking. Just stop. You wanted to scream at Mark but all you could do was hunch down towards your hands.
Your stomach dropped when you saw that everyone was now looking at you. They also stopped from eating when they heard both you and Yoongi shout at Jin to stop eating.
“Yeah, she is. That’s why she knows your allergy. She’s the biggest fan you’ll ever m…” He giggled. You gulp down the whole glass of wine in front of you as you try to shut out everything you’ve heard from the other side of the room. Jiyong stopped midway through his sentence when he saw your eyes after you chugging down the wine. He didn’t mean to embarrass you and seeing your gloomy face, he quickly felt his insides turn.
Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jin were now looking at you. Jin’s hands raised to try and attempt to stop you from finishing your glass of wine. Yoongi, deeply worried especially with the way you’re still silent despite the obvious discomfort evident on your face. Hoseok wanted to lighten the mood as he saw you tightly gripping the stem of the wine glass but can’t seem to do so as he’s lost in his words.
Great. You’ve just made this night more humiliating for yourself.