A few days later
Two days passed by in a blink as we practiced vigorously day and night. I barely saw Jeon, as I was always at practice. All day with the crew and after practice with Tony and the BTS. Tony and J Hope took it upon themselves to bring me up to speed with the choreographies.
Vienna still trash-talked about me. Tiana continued to deal with her making things easy for me.
It was my last chance to get my moves perfect before I officially joined BTS in practice along with the crew tomorrow. I was already familiar with the steps by now, I just have to make them perfect. I was ready to give it all.
" Okay, guys. That's it for today. Good job. Let's meet tomorrow.", Tony called out. BTS was practicing in the front while I worked on my moves in the back. The crew was long gone while stayed back.
" How's the practice going?", J hope came running to me.
" I don't know, I wish I had more time. ", I said a little disappointed that the practice was over.
" You are doing great. Don't be so hard on yourself.", J Hope said but I knew I could do better.
Everyone was there except Tony. I looked around for him but he was nowhere to be found. He was here just a few moments ago. Just when I was about to ask the guys, Tony walked in, rushing towards me, with his hands behind him and a broad smile on his face.
" What?", I asked him curious.
" Everyone attention.", he said loud enough . The members immediately turned their attention to him and gathered around.
" Hereby, I officially pronounce Korie as a member of our family.", said Tony as he hung something around my neck. The members started clapping cheerfully and J Hope put his arms around me as he told me how proud he was of me.
I got hold of the card that hung at the end of the ribbon around my neck.
It read
' BTS CREW'
'KORIE'
'BACKUP DANCER'
'TEMP'
With my picture on it.
" Wow.", was all I could manage to say. My heart ached as I looked at the card. It felt like a huge achievement. I didnt know if I deserved it but I felt this urge to work harder than ever .
I wish I could show it off to people back home. Something like,
'In your face, I have got it in myself. I am so much better what you guys think of me.'
" You must be tired to get in on my card. So I thought you should have your own. It says temp for now, but soon you will be a permanent member once the paperwork gets through.", Tony said with a hand around my shoulder.
Yeah, Tony and I got pretty close.
Yes, he still is the duality king.
Yes, he is still annoying.
No, I am not tired of it anymore.
Showing off his duality has became more of a regular routine for him now.
He gets rude early in the morning when he comes to pick me up, he turns all sweet when he is teaching me. He becomes all hulk when the whole crew doesn't do well. And after the practice, he becomes all cocky. He has become predictable and now I am pretty much used to the schedule.
" This calls for a celebration. Let's have dinner together.", V screamed and Jungkook started jumping excitedly at the mention of food.
V and I haven't had many conversations but whenever we did end up interacting, he'd say something that seemed weird to everyone but strangely made sense to me. We also shared a major quality. We daydream a lot. During practice, half of the time, the members keep calling out for me or V, cause we are lost in our own world. Sometimes alone , and sometimes together.
Whereas Jungkook and I really bonded over fried chicken. He'd always sneak in fried chicken and we would eat it secretly, while the members ignored us even though they were fully aware of what we were doing. We'd talk about so many different things from marvel movies to cultural differences to music to anything. We always found a common ground no matter what we talked about.
Jimin is really sweet. He always made sure I was comfortable and took care of me along with his members.
I am a little scared of Jin. I don't know if it's because he was dangerously handsome or because he is elder to me, but I tend to feel intimidated by him, even when he acts cute and childish. He'd say something to me out of the blue and would just walk away immediately even before I could process it. Just like a blow of wind. I tend to become a little timid around him in contrary to J Hope, the one person I am the most comfortable with.
I almost always stick by J Hope and I love it. We hit it off the instant we met. He is so professional but at the same time he is super casual. It's like, he would build up the stress by trying to teach me complex steps, but then he would melt away all of it with his naturally bright and funny persona. When I talk to him, I feel like I am talking to one of my friends back home. I keep forgetting that he is a famous Idol, that's how comfortable he makes me feel.
Suga and I barely talk to each other. But at least once a day, he would give me that intense stare which gives me the chills. The good kinda chills though if you know what I mean.
RM though is a completely different story. He always looks at me, through narrow eyes as if he is trying to figure something out about me. Every time I speak, he hears me intently as if he is trying to decipher some unknown code hidden in my words. He tries to ask me something but we always end up talking about art.
" We can celebrate. Should we go somewhere?", Tony's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
Wait! Celebrate? With the members?
" It's not such a big deal. We don't have to.", I said a little concerned .
" What are you talking about? It's not easy to be a part of my crew. It's definitely worth celebrating.", said Tony a little surprised but majorly offended.
" I didnt mean it that way. Of course, it's a big deal for me but you guys must be busy. You don't have to celebrate with me.", I said looking at the members with a nervous smile.
" Hey, don't be like that. We are friends and friends celebrate together. I thought you were comfortable around us.", came J hope as he put a hand around my shoulder.
He is right. I do feel comfortable around them but...
" Hey. Let's not put too much pressure on her. She shouldn't do anything that makes her uncomfortable .", said RM even before I answered.
" Yeah. Remember what we decided on.", Jimin said and everyone except Tony nodded while I looked at them in confusion.
" What was that about?", I asked unable to follow them.
" It's okay Korie. We get it. You wouldn't want to get attention because of us. We are used to it. We have lost a lot of friends that way.", Jin said as his eyes turned dark and his face became gloomy.
What are they talking about?
" Yeah. We barely socialise with anyone outside the 7 of us. A lot of our friends walked away from us scared of the attention or scared of being criticised by the haters. I don't want to lose your friendship too. None of us want to.", J Hope said holding my hand.
I was on the verge of crying. The fact that these people thought so far about someone they just met showed how genuine and kind these people are. They shouldn't be losing people because of their fame.
" What are you talking about? I just thought that it would be a burden for you guys given your busy schedules. I would love to hang out with you guys anytime. Yes, I don't like attention cause I can't handle it but I wouldn't give up spending time with friends, for that. Moreover, I am good at disguising so, we will be fine.", I said shooting a thumbs up.
All the frowns around turned into smiles washing away all the gloominess in the room.
" I know it's been just 4 days, but I feel a special connection between all of us. It might sound too soon but, No matter what, you won't lose me. None of you will. ", I said looking around with my hands still in J Hope's, who looked at me in awe.
" Hajima. Don't. I know what's coming next.", Suga screamed.
" Please, we are not ready.", RM said clutching his heart.
" Let me say it. Let me say it. Saranghae. I love you.", Jimin said making a heart with his hands and everyone cringed.
" Umm. I was gonna say, let's go chill. But that's good too.", I said as Jimin turned away, too embarrassed.
" But really. Are you sure?", RM asked.
" Yes. I am 100% positive. Moreover, I haven't been anywhere except the hotel I live in, this building and the Academy. I would love to see a new place for a change.", I said getting a little excited.
RM smiled a little reassured.
" Here's to my ID with the weirdest photo ever.", I said raising my ID and everyone cheered with smiles way too precious.
We got our backpacks and walked out.
" Where did you get the picture from?", I asked Tony as we followed the others out of the practice room.
" We didn't have your photo and you were always busy practicing so we captured a shot from the audition video.", Tony said chuckling.
" Oh my God. It's so cringy.", I said whining.
" Stop it. It's just a temp card.", Tony told me.
" Still.", I pouted.
" So cute.", Tony said pulling my cheek and I slapped his arm away.
" You don't have to act so cute. You have my attention.", he said and I smacked my head.
What did I say?
On schedule. His cocky side is up.
" Yeah. As if.", I rolled my eyes at him and walked ahead as he laughed after me.
I caught up with J Hope but as we walked, I felt weird. The last time I remember the stairs weren't so far away from the practice room. I looked around and the walls looked a little unfamiliar. It didn't feel like I was here before. That's when I realised we were on a new route as I just blindly followed the members.
" Aren't we going out?", I asked confused.
" We are, after getting changed. Did you think we would go out in these sweat soaked t-shirts?", J Hope asked as he slowed down his pace to walk by my side.
" Of course not.", I said a little flustered. I totally forgot that we had to change. Disgusting? Sure , but more like lazy to even think about changing.
I suddenly wondered if I had a change of clothes. I checked my backpack and there was an extra t-shirt but that wasn't something I would want to wear when I go out. I stared at the t-shirt in the bag, contemplating whether I should just go with it or not when J Hope nudged me.
" What happened?", he asked.
I just shook my head and smiled at him stuffing the t-shirt back into the bag.
The members walked into a room labeled recreation room and I followed them in. Everyone was completely familiar with the room so they threw their bags around, and made themselves comfortable on the couch while I stood in a corner feeling a little out of place.
" Okay. That's the changing room.", RM pointed to a navy blue door by a big bookshelf.
" Why don't you get changed first?", RM suggested and I nodded. Just when I was about to go, Jungkook stopped me.
" What are you gonna wear?", Jungkook asked taking me by surprise.
I just stood there stammering, trying to find my words at the sudden question.
" JK. Why do you care? Let here get changed in peace.", J Hope yelled at him.
" What? I just asked her cause she needs a disguise. What did you think?", Jungkook asked innocently.
" Oh! I am just changing my t-shirt.", I said and every head in the room turned to me.
" That's your big idea of disguise?", Jin asked and I nodded timidly.
" Waaah. Come on man.", V said disappointed.
" For a person as cool as you, I thought you would bring out a whole set of wigs and moustaches out.", said Jungkook.
Funny enough, I do have a stash of moustaches and wigs back in the hotel. I got them just in case I needed them to run away. It felt funny, but I didn't want to take any chances. You never know when they would come handy .
" Ok. A t-shirt won't work but, maybe wear an oversized hoodie. You can keep the hood up, put a mask on and some goggles. That should work.", V said, going through a cupboard on the wall.
" I have an oversized hoodie. That should be fine.", Jungkook said as he got up to get it.
" You guys are way too lean for your hoodies to fit me. Like way too lean. Don't you think your oversized hoodie would not be so oversized when I wear it?", I asked Jungkook.
" Oh stop it. You are not that fat.", Tony said wavering a hand at me trying to make me feel good. But I didn't need it.
" I don't mind being fat. I am pretty proud of my body. Though, I wouldn't want to rip off Jungkook's hoodie.", I said.
Yes, I don't have a body anywhere near the 'perfect dimensions' but does it really matter. This body is healthy, dances to every rhythm, knows how to have fun, and feels pretty about itself. What else do you need for your body?
" It would be oversized on you. Just try it on.", Jungkook said handing me the hoodie. I took it and walked hesitantly to the changing room.
I closed the door behind me and changed into the hoodie that said, ' STRIKE' on the front. Surprisingly, the hoodie was quite roomy. I wonder how roomy, it felt on Jungook. He must really love his comfort.
" It's a fit.", I screamed from the changing room and the people outside hooted.
IN THE RECREATION ROOM
" Didn't I say she was too brave to be bothered by the attention?", Jungkook said while Korie changed.
" Yeah. She really is fearless.", J Hope said as he stared longingly at the changing room.
" Or she doesn't really understand the full impact of being seen with us.", Suga pointed and everyone started to wonder about the possibility.
" I hope that's not the case. ", J Hope said worried about her.
" Either way we need to try to avoid any kind of problems. Prevention is better than cure.", RM said and everyone nodded.
" By the way, Namjoona. Did you tell the fans about the name of the author being a pen name?", Jimin asked.
" I didn't get a chance to. I will tonight.", RM said.
" Oh yeah. I saw the live. Are you still fixated on that book? How long has this been going on for? A month?", Tony asked familiar with his obsession.
" More like two.", Suga snickered.
" Really? Wow. I really hope Army would find the author. I still remember when his obsession got so bad that I had to ask RM to leave the book outside the practice room so he won't be distracted. All he could talk was about the book for the first few days.", Tony said remembering the old times.
" Yeah. He is so much better now. I haven't heard him talk about the book in a while now.", Jin said a little surprised himself.
" Yeah. He hasn't talked about it for two whole days.", J Hope teased RM.
" Come on guys. It wasn't that bad.", RM said sulking.
" Yeah speak for yourself.", Tony said giving JHope a Hi Fi.
" Didn't you say she was an Indian author? Why don't you ask Korie? She is from India, she might know something.", Tony suggested.
" I did think of it but the guys said it was a stupid idea.", said RM.
" Everyone. Twitter. Now.", Jimin said as he sat up looking into his phone.
Everyone immediately fished out their mobiles worried.
#FoundHer
#RM'sAuthor
#She'sTheOne
#SomeLoveIsForever
These were some of the trending hashtags.
" Did they find her already? Wow, you lucky man.", JHope said slapping RM's back.
" What are you talking about? How could they with just a pen name?", RM said as his fingers lingered over the hashtags, too hesitant to open the tweets.
" I can't do it guys. Someone take a look at it and tell me.", RM said throwing away the phone.
Everyone dived into their phones, going through the tweets as if their life depended on it. They may tease him but secretly everyone hoped he could meet her.
Just then Korie stepped out as she looked at 7 heads, immersed in the phones and RM who sat there biting his nails off.
" What happened?", she asked but none of them budged except for RM who looked at Korie and calmed down a little.
" You are drowning in that hoodie. That's one less worry for me.", he said and went back to biting his nails.
" Namjoona. Supposedly her bio somewhere says she loves South Korea.", said V.
" She could be an Army as she has a purple heart in her Instagram handle. Though it hasn't been active for a while so they are not sure if it's really her.", said Jimin.
" Okay, I have got better news. So this book is also available online and on that page, she mentioned that taking a trip to South Korea was the first thing she was going to do in her break. If calculated, her Break could be anytime now.", Jin said enthusiastically.
RM got more and more nervous. The fact that she could be so near to him was overwhelming.
" No one could find who she was because the publisher denied to give away her identity as she wanted to be anonymous. But those are the things they could find about her.", J Hope said.
" Oh and she loves fried chicken.", Jungkook read a tweet as his mouth started to water.
" Doesn't she sound familiar?", Suga said.
" What is it about?", Korie asked as she felt like she had skipped a chapter.
" Oh, it's a long story. Why don't we discuss it over dinner? ", said V as he flirtatiously approached Korie and handed her a mask and a set of goggles.
" Um Thank you I guess.", Korie said as she laughed at V's silliness.
" It might not be much but its more than I ever found out. Our fans can really go to lengths for us.", RM said thankful to his fandom.
" Namjoonshi?", came a voice from the door. It was Dong Hyun.
" Yeah hyung nim?", RM asked but didn't get a response as their manager's eyes were fixed on Korie who under his stern gaze, sunk into the oversized hoodie.
" Hyung nim?", RM called him, and Dong Hyun broke his stare.
" Yeah. Namjoonshi. The reservation you texted about. I made them for 9. Are you sure it's 9?", Dong Hyun asked as his eyes kept going back to Korie.
" Yeah, The boys, Tony, and our friend Korie.", RM said pointing at her.
" Hi.", Korie said timidly as she put her hand forward to officially introduce herself to Dong Hyun.
" Hi.", he said shaking her hand with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Korie felt a weird chill in the air between her and Dong Hyun.
" Oh okay then. Let me get the cars ready.", Dong Hyun said and excused himself.
" I don't think the manager likes me so much.", Korie whispered to JHope.
" What made you think so?", he asked a little surprised.
" I don't know. Something felt weird. His suspicious stare, his kind of fake smile, and his hesitant handshake.", Korie pointed out.
" Aish. Don't think too much. I am pretty sure you are wrong.", J Hope said.
" If you say so.", said Korie still not convinced.
" Come on boys, go get ready. ", RM ordered and everyone started scrambling around.
To give them their privacy Korie sneaked out of the room and looked around.
Korie had never been to this part of the building. The only area of the building she was familiar with was the practice room and the steps that lead to it. She glanced around admiring the paintwork on the walls and the beautiful view of the city right outside the glass window opposite the recreation room. She leaned onto the glass, as she let herself get hypnotized by the night lights of the city. The view below looked like the reflection of a star studded night sky.
Korie loved the night .
As her eyes moved up to the sky, she got awestruck by the beauty of the moon. She stood there admiring the moon when someone appeared behind her but her eyes refused to gaze away from the enchanting moon.
" It's beautiful, isn't it.", came a voice. She wouldn't commit the same mistake twice. This time her ears recognised the deep soulful voice of RM in an instant.
" It truly is. I love the night skies. Despite the darkness, that the night is known for, things seem to appear more clearer during the night. Every detail of life seems to be highlighted by the lights, the beautiful moon and the bright stars. ", Korie said and they stood there in silence.
Korie admired the moon and RM's eyes were focused on Korie. The way she thought seemed so familiar. As if she took them right out of his mind.
" Is that why you wrote the song Moonchild?", Korie asked bringing RM out of his thoughts.
" You heard that song?"
" Are you kidding me? I have been a fan of yours for the last 3 years. Your mixed tapes got etched in my heart. I wanted more and through you I found BTS. That was the beginning of a new era in my music world."
RM chuckled slightly and that was when Korie realised that she was fangirling over him. Embarrassed , she covered her cherry-red face with here little hands .
" I am sorry. I just got excited.", she said with a muffled voice, her hands still on her face.
RM started laughing and slowly pulled her hands away.
" What are you embarrassed about? I am glad that someone with a deep insight and great perception like you admired our music. I am really honoured.", RM said still holding her hands.
Their eyes met and it was as if time went still. RM couldn't help but feel some kind of connection. Some kind of familiarity as he looked deep into her eyes.
" Umm. Namjoonshi?", came a voice and the two stepped away from each other with a jolt.
" Hyung nim. Yes. What happened?", RM asked as he fidgeted with his hands, too nervous to look into his manager's eyes.
" The vehicles are ready.", said Dong Hyun. Though the words were meant for RM, his eyes were on Korie.
Korie took a step back, intimidated by his stare, as she felt the familiar chill between them.
" Okay. ", RM said and stepped closer to Dong Hyun.
" Hyung. It's not what it looks like.", he whispered into his ears.
" I do hope so.", Dong Hyun whispered back and walked away.
" Let's go down. The boys will follow.", RM spoke to break the tension in the air and cracked open the recreation room door.
" Boys. The vehicles are ready. Korie and I are heading down. Be down in 5.", he said peaking in.
" Wait, are you guys gonna go together ?", J Hope asked as he got off the couch.
" Aren't we all going in the same car?", Korie asked from behind.
" We travel in 3-4 cars. Safety purposes.", RM said glancing at Korie.
" Oh. Okay.", Korie muttered a little disappointed. RM turned back to J Hope.
" I am fine with anything. Let's get down first and then we can decide. ", RM said and closed the door.
" Shall we?", RM asked Korie and she nodded.
They were walking towards the stairs when a staff member came running to them.
" Sir. The manager asked me to give this to you. You forgot it in the shoot.", the staff member said handing him a book.
" Whoa. How could I forget it there? Thank you so much.", RM said bowing. The staff bowed back and walked away.
" Aagh. This book is my favourite. ", RM said bringing it close to his heart.
" You seem to love it.", Korie said looking at him hug the book as if it was his baby.
" You said you were a fan. You should know about it. ", RM said chuckling.
Korie didn't understand.
" What do you mean?", Korie asked confused.
" You would know what I am talking about If you follow us on V Live.", he said flipping through the book.
But Korie wouldn't, cause she logged out of all the social apps the day she left home. She wanted to erase every trace of her so she couldn't be tracked. But she didn't want to embarrass herself so she played along.
" Oh, that book about art. Yeah. I know.", Korie guessed confidently as they reached the elevator.
" Aish. You don't know.", RM said laughing and Korie looked away too embarrassed.
" I am sorry. The social networking scene is not my strong suit. I have never been on it. I am more indulged into the world of music, books, and art .", Korie said which was partially true.
' The Korie ' that she made up had never been on the social network.
" Oh. That's okay. You admire our music and that's what matters.", RM said stepping into the lift. Korie followed him in.
" So what is so special about this book?", Korie asked curious.
" The story isn't that special to be honest but the way the author worded the story is amazing. Her insights into little things are mesmerizing. Her take on life, love, and friendship is very different. That's why I love this book. It gives me hope.", he said still hugging the book. They reached the parking, and the two stepped out of the lift.
" Wow. That's amazing. To be honest, I have read my share of books. Do you think I would know this one?", Korie asked as she peeked around to catch a glimpse of the name of the book.
" This actually isn't that famous, I accidentally found it online. Though it was the best find. The author wrote it under a pen name, but give it a try. ", RM said handing her the book.
Korie took the book from him. As soon as her eyes caught the name of the book, her heart skipped a beat. She started to wonder if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She couldn't believe it. She went through the name, again and again, just to be sure of what she was reading.
" This can't be right.", Korie muttered out loud and started sweating.
" What happened?", RM asked confused at the sudden change in her.
Korie ignored him and flipped through the pages. Her body froze, as she went through the familiar words in the book.
'One week'
'London to India.'
'The heart locket.'
'Art museum'
'The essence of love'
Every word of the book was at the tip of her tongue.
She looked at the spine of the book and it read
'Some Love Is Forever by Levina Littman'
Her heart stopped.
How is this book still alive?
All the memories rushed back to her.
" Where did you find this book?", Korie asked RM.
" Agh. It was difficult. I read a review about this book and for some reason, I wanted to read it but the book was out of production. I went through the internet and finally found it on a book website.", RM said quite proud of himself.
" The author...", Korie muttered with a blank stare.
" Do you know her? She is an Indian.", RM asked suddenly hopeful and Korie nodded.
RM couldn't hold it in anymore.
" Are you kidding me? Wow. I told the guys that we were destined to meet. I told them there is a chance you might know her. They called me crazy, but I was right. Let them get down, and I am gonna laugh in their face. But first, who is she? Where does she live? Can you help me reach out to her? ", RM rambled away as he couldn't wipe that smile off his face.
The air in the parking lot changed. A cold wind blew by them as they stood in front of the elevator. It was just the two. Korie looked straight into RM's eyes.
" It's me. I am the author of this book. ", Korie said holding her gaze and his smile faded away.
*******************************
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Manny❤