First Love -- Min Yoongi (BTS)

Chapter 6

It was Saturday, the day of the competition. You paced back and forth. It was nearly your turn and you were freaking out. Yoongi was supposed to come watch you perform which added extra pressure.

Your hands wouldn't stop shaking. You smoothed out your dress, trying to calm yourself, but nothing was working. Your mind kept racing.

Maybe I should just leave. It's not like I'm gonna win anyway, you thought.

Grabbing your bag, you left the waiting room for the performers and headed out to the lobby. In your haste, you knocked into someone. Your bag went flying as you fell to the ground.

"Y/N? Are you okay?"

You could recognize that voice anywhere. As you looked up, Yoongi was gathering your things.

Yoongi knew that coming to see you at the competition was a big risk. If he had been recognized, then his whole cover would be blown. But he had to see you. He couldn't stop himself. He was wearing all black with a baseball cap pulled low over his face to conceal his identity.

He handed back your bag.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Where are you rushing off to? Aren't you performing soon?"

"Uh, yeah, I.... um..."

You didn't know how to tell him about how anxious you were. You felt even more anxious now that he was actually here. You kind of assumed he would forget.

No one ever really came to watch your performances. Your parents lived in Busan, while you were here in Seoul for university. They didn't really have time to come out to watch you every time that you performed, but they always made sure to text and call you afterwards.

"Stage fright?"

You nodded, wringing your hands.

"Take a deep breath. Breathe in. And breathe out." He took a deep breath in and out, gesturing for you to do the same. You took a deep breath but it came out shaky.

"I just don't know if I can do it," you admitted. "Every time I go up there, I feel everyone's eyes on me, watching me, waiting for me to mess up like I always do. And then I just freeze and forget the music."

Tears started welling up. You ran your hand through your hair, letting it fall in front of your face.

"Hey, you play for me all the time. Don't worry about everyone else. Just pretend that you're playing for me in the music shop."

Yoongi brushed a lock of hair behind your ear, wiping away a tear.

"Here, take this." He took a guitar pick bracelet off his wrist. He gestured for you to hold out your hand. He carefully slid the bracelet onto your wrist. "This is my good luck charm. Whenever I get nervous I just look at this bracelet and remind myself just to have fun."

"Thank you Yoon." You rubbed your fingers against the bracelet, calming yourself down.

"You look really pretty by the way."

You smiled. Yoongi never failed to make you blush.

A woman in all black carrying a clipboard rushed into the lobby. "Song Y/N?"

You nodded. "That's me."

"You're up next. You have five minutes." She disappeared backstage.

"Just remember. I'll be right there in the crowd. Just look for me and think of the music shop. You'll do great! I know it." Yoongi gave you a thumbs up before heading into the concert hall.

Taking a deep breath, you walked back into the waiting room backstage. A few minutes later they called your name. You kept repeating Yoongi's words in your head to calm yourself as you stepped out onto the stage.

Deep breaths Y/N. In and out. You got this, you repeated over and over again.

You squinted against the bright lights. The stage was empty except for a lone grand piano. Sitting down at the bench, you looked out at the crowd. The judges sat at a table in the front row. Your eyes quickly scanned the crowd before landing on Yoongi sitting in the back.

Your fingers hovered above the ivory keys. Taking one last deep breath, you let the song flow through you.

You had spent hours listening to the song and practicing it. Whenever you felt the pressure building inside of you, you looked down at the bracelet Yoongi had given you and all of your worries melted away for a bit.

He believed in you. He knew you could play this piece without messing up. You just had to believe in yourself too.

As the piece came to an end, you took another deep breath. You had done it. You finally played an entire piece without messing up once. Yoongi smiled and gave you a thumbs up. You bowed before leaving the stage.

Yoongi was waiting for you in the lobby. "Y/N! That was amazing! See, I knew you could do it!"

He pulled you in for a hug. He smelled good, really good, like he had put on cologne. You almost didn't want to let go, you felt so safe in his arms. But you quickly came to your senses and let go before it became awkward.

"Thank you for coming and for giving me that pep talk beforehand. I couldn't have done it without you." You fidgeted with the sleeve of your dress before noticing the bracelet still on your wrist.

"Oh, your bracelet." You went to take it off when he stopped you.

"Keep it. I think you need it more than I do. That way even if I can't make it to all of your competitions you can still have something to remind you to stay calm and just have fun."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It's yours now."

His phone chimed. He moved his hat lower over his face, glancing around at the people leaving the concert hall warrily. "Hey, I have to run, but next time I come by the music shop you have to tell me what place you got, okay? Then maybe we'll go out and celebrate."

Your face lit up. "Really? I'd like that."

"Perfect. I'll see you around then!" He waved goodbye before heading out.

Was he asking you out on a date?

Your heart fluttered at the thought. You had never officially hung out with Yoongi before outside of the music shop. You squealed, doing a little dance in your excitement.

Yoongi sighed, smiling as he looked back and saw you dancing.

He wanted to spend more time with you. Yoongi had missed you like crazy in the week that he hadn't visited to work on the song. His visits to the music shop had become even more frequent now.

He knew he shouldn't have promised to go out to celebrate with you. He'd for sure be recognized then. But he couldn't help himself. He liked you too much. Yoongi was willing to risk it if it meant spending time with you.