Way Back Home

Cypher Pt.4

Namjoon drew a shaky breath and tried to speak but couldn't form the words because of the tears that drowned his voice.

This moment was unbelievable.

"ARMY," he pulled away from the mic, pausing to look out at the crowd and gather himself. "Thank you so much, really. From debut, there were many people who thought we couldn't do it and said it wouldn't happen. But thank you for believing in us right till the end... This was something we only dreamed of. Thank you for making it come true like this."

Jungkook, who stood at the far left end of their line was crying like no tomorrow. And Jin, their oldest, their most reliable and responsible member, was trying to hold back his own tears. Taehyung and Jimin looked to be holding their own, but they were on the verge of breaking down themselves.

"Bang Shihyuk and Big Hit, who always lead us. P-dogg, Slow Rabbit, and Supreme Boy, who make us great music. And along with our teacher Sungdeuk, Sunghyun hyung, all our staff who always stay by our side, we are so grateful to you. Thank you for making our dreams come true."

As Namjoon spoke, Jin's tears finally fell, he didn't even bother trying to hold back the waterworks. Hoseok and Yoongi, who stood to the right of Namjoon, hadn't yet shed a tear. However, Yoongi hadn't planned to cry, but he was already feeling the uncomfortable pressure behind his eyes.

Jungkook glanced out at the audience, all those people, all those fans. They were all clapping for them.

"And...ARMYs all over the world, let's fly with our beautiful wings in 2017 as well. BTS love ARMYs as always! Thank you very much!"

As Namjoon spoke those final words, Yoongi broke. He couldn't help it, the gravity of the situation finally hit him and he broke out in tears, turning his back to the audience so they wouldn't see him cry. Hoseok put a comforting hand on his shoulder and the boys pulled each other into another hug, right there on the stage, not caring that most of them had broken out in tears at this point.

"Thank you. We really love you a lot."

Yoongi's hand was clamped tightly over his mouth as he tried to keeps the sobs in and not show his tears.

"I hope that our stage and our performance and our music could be the hopes and dreams for many people of the world. Thank you very much."

"Thank you!"

Yoongi finally moved his hand and took a deep breath. He looked out over the crowd and clapped along with the others. Hoseok raised his arms to the ceiling, his smile lighting up the room and his joy radiated from him with a palpable energy. The boys all bowed to the audience in gratitude and slowly made their way off the stage.

They walked the narrow hallway that led backstage. Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jimin were the only ones who hadn't shed any tears. The others, however, were all crying unabashedly. Some of them were openly sobbing, not even trying to hide it, while others were wiping their cheeks and sniffling quietly.

Yoongi dragged his red sleeves over his cheeks and quickly made sure there were no more tears rolling down his face. He couldn't believe it. They won.

After all those years of hard work, grueling labor, and struggling to write music or just make a living, they'd finally made it. All the sleepless nights and practice injuries didn't matter in this moment, because they won. Every second, minute, hour, day, and year of Yoongi's life had led him to this moment. He'd made it. He was a musician. He had six great friends at his side. He was living his dream.

It wasn't all easy. But it was definitely all worth it.

ㄴㅇㄱ

Her eyes watched the television screen in complete awe. The boys of BTS bowed to the audience and slowly walked off the stage, taking their Artist of the Year award with them.

Chaerin wiped away stray tears as her eyes followed Yoongi's retreating figure until the camera zoomed out and a new frame popped up on the screen. Her heart swelled with pride. She couldn't remember ever being this proud of anyone.

Those boys struggled so much and worked so hard for everything. They helped build up Big Hit from the ground up. They spent countless hours practicing and rehearsing and making music for their fans. Those seven boys deserved that award. They deserved that and so much more.

And Yoongi, he'd been working towards this for years, and he finally made it. He was a musician, just like he always wanted to be. He had thousands of fans screaming his name, he had all the money in the world, and he had six wonderful friends at his side.

Chaerin flicked away another tear. The cold, silent apartment felt horribly lonely as she whispered her words to thin air.

"You deserve it, Yoongi. You deserve the world... I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you."