Before They Were Bulletproof // OT7 BTS FF x OC ᵖʳᵒˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ

8. Karaoke

"Try to stay calm and not faint, okay Jia?" I turned to him, about to poke his cheek but was stopped by the sound of Kookie's voice. Left completely awestruck as I watched him. The way his eyes half-closed as he concentrated was mesmerising. Smooth beyond belief. There wasn't a girl in the entire world who wouldn't have fallen in love with him right then and there.

Jimin got up, moving beside Kookie so he could try and hassle him, leaning into him and mock-singing along. Tae chuckles from beside me. I'd been so entranced that I'd nearly missed my part.

Luckily Kookie nodded at me, causing me to snap out of it. I quickly picked up from where he'd left off. As I began to sing, the boys all looked at me, initially astonished, then cheering and singing along. Jimin stood up and started slowly dancing along to the melody, it was over the top. I was trying to keep a straight face and sing instead of laughing.

Tae swayed from side to side, gently bumping into my shoulder and Kookie started singing with me in harmony. His gaze met mine occasionally as we sang but I couldn't hold it long, it made me feel so timid. Our voices sounded nice as I listened, the song coming to an end. In all honesty, at times like these I wish I'd taken K-Culture as a major too. The boy's light cheers were comforting. I put down the mic and reached for my drink. I needed it after that.

"Jia, your voice is pretty" Jimin compliments as he squeezes in to sit between Tae and me.

"Oh no, it's nothing compared to you three.. I can't believe how talented you all are" I shook my head. Jimin took a sip of his drink before rebutting.

"No seriously, Tae talk some sense into her" Jimin puts his arm around Taes shoulder pulling him into the convo.

"Yeah. It's pretty and really soothing... Why don't you become a singer?" He asks plainly. Kookie had finished picking the next song so he leaned in closer to hear what we were talking about.

"Nooo really, it's nothing special. Anyways! What's the next song?" I quickly changed the subject. Kookie took that as the cue to press play.

If you by Big Bang. The familiar melody started floating through the air. Jimin and Jungkook grabbed the mics and doubled up on their vocals and it sounded amazing. The two stood up to sing and it quickly turned into quite the performance. It seemed to come so naturally to them. Tae slid closer. I finished my glass, then Tae offered to pour us both another.

"So, why'd you dodge the question earlier?" Tae hummed, inquisitively.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I gave an innocent smile, still trying to avoid confrontation about it.

"Ahh. Don't be like that, C'mon, tell mee" Tae whined. I took a few sips as I considered. Maybe telling him wouldn't be so bad... If he wants to know then...

"Well, I guess I'm just not confident about it," I admitted, "I love singing, rapping, and writing lyrics.." I held my breath, it was hard to say this out loud, "But.. Just because I like it doesn't mean other people will."

At first Tae didn't say anything. Then, after a moment he heaved a sigh before wrapping his arm around me. I topple into his chest. Usually, I would freak out at being this close but the way he held me there was just so comfortable.

"That makes me sad to hear, but I get it," He says, softly patting my head. I laid there indulging in his affections. "If you need courage come to me, I'll always be here to cheer you on and believe in you, Jia." His words creep in, tucking themselves into a vulnerable crevice. I slowly sat up, the way his hand rested in his lap called to me so I reached out and traced light circles into it.