━━━༻ ˚✩‧₊ november 2020₊‧✩˚༺━━━
The atmosphere was tense inside the dorm as Jimin, Namjoon, Jungkook and Taehyung sat on the couch, eyes trained on the TV. It was Grammy nomination night and they were waiting to see if they had received any. The others were sleeping whilst Narae was back at her company to record her own reaction, similar to what BTS was doing.
Jungkook and Namjoon were rocking back and forth in their seats as they waited to see if they would hear their names being called, whilst Taehyung sat to the side unmoving.
"... Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. And the nominees are..."
"Pop Duo/Group! That's our category." Namjoon said, clutching Jungkook's and Jimin's legs for support. Jungkook had his hands held to his face in the prayer position as he stared unblinking at the screen.
"Un Día (One Day) by J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy. Intentions by Justin Bieb—"
Jimin and Namjoon were up shouting before their names were said, reading the words "Dynamite – BTS" on the screen as the host stumbled over her words.
Jungkook clapped loudly before covering his mouth in shock. He couldn't believe it. His heart was racing a mile a minute, but they'd done it. They'd been nominated for a Grammy.
"Wait, be quiet! We have to see if Narae got any nominations, I know her label submitted one of her songs she released earlier in the eligible submission period and Dangerous Woman too." Jungkook hushed them, pausing his inner jubilance to hear the rest of the nominations in the Pop category.
It wasn't long before they heard her name.
"And in the category for Best Pop Solo Performance... RÆ with Dangerous Woman!"
The boys erupted into cheers again as they heard her name, all of them immensely proud of her achievement, and still high off the buzz from their own nomination.
After celebrating, processing the nomination and calling their parents, they all gradually dispersed to their various places; Jimin and Taehyung heading to their rooms whilst Namjoon left the dorm, presumably to meet up with Kamaiyah. The staff all packed up their equipment as well, bidding Jungkook goodbye as he stayed in the living room waiting for Narae's return.
Forty minutes later, Narae's hands were shaking as she unlocked the door to the dorm. As soon as got it open, she hurried to the living room, catching sight of a figure getting up from the couch at her entrance.
"Jungkook." Was all she managed to say before he was colliding with her and scooping her up in his arms, twirling her around as her joyous laughter rang out.
"We did it! We were nominated!" He exclaimed as he placed her back on solid ground.
"I know! I saw. I'm so proud of you baby." Narae cupped his face and used her thumb to rub at the tears that slid from his eyes. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead, both cheeks, then one last one tenderly on his lips, "You did it Koo."
He rested his forehead against hers, exhaling slowly as he stared into her eyes, watching as tears pooled in her eyes as well. He copied her earlier actions, wiping away her tears, kissing her forehead, cheeks and lips before wrapping her in a tight hug that communicated way more than words ever could.
It was so surreal. Jungkook wasn't sure if he was dreaming or whether this was actually his reality. Grammy-nominated. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he made sure to congratulate Narae as well.
"I saw you were nominated for Dangerous Woman. Well done nae sarang, you deserve it more than anyone else I know."
"Thank you." She smiled as she led him over to the couch, letting him sit down first before sitting in his lap.
"How do you feel? I know it's not your first nomination but I'm sure you're happy."
"Happy isn't even enough to describe my emotions right now. I don't think the novelty will ever wear off. It's like wow, there are people that actually like my music, and not just like it, they think it's good enough to nominate for a Grammy. It almost doesn't feel real."
"I feel the exact same way."
Narae tilted her head up to search Jungkook's eyes, "But it's really real isn't it?"
He kissed her again, "It's real. We're both Grammy-nominated artists."
"And you're real too? You're not just some figment of my imagination that I made up?"
Jungkook laughed and shifted so that she could rest her head on his chest and feel the way his heart pounded, "I'm real too."
"Good. Because if this is all a dream then I never want to wake up."
"Me neither."
Narae lifted her head up from his chest to press a long kiss against his lips. "I love you."
"I love you too Narae. So, so much."
✩ ✩ ✩
Later that week, the members of Bangtan sat in one of the meeting rooms with Bang Si-hyuk, their managers and inner circle of staff. They were there to discuss the upcoming tour, promotions and a general close to year-end summary. The most important topics had been covered and they were now on to the next item on the agenda.
"So, are there any significant others I need to know about?" Bang Si-hyuk asked the seven men, "You guys are grownups now so I won't pry into your personal business, but I need to know ahead of the tour so we can deal with any situations that may arise, and know who has the authorisation to be around you."
He looked around the room, glasses perched on his nose, pausing to nod at Namjoon's raised hand. "Yes Namjoon-ah."
"Kamaiyah is my girlfriend. She's the designer for the merchandise."
"Okay, noted." He moved on to the next person, deciding to just go in fanchant order, "Ah, Jin, I already know about yours."
The boys in the room shifted in their seats as Jin cleared his throat awkwardly, "Um, no we broke up. Quite a few months ago actually."
"Oh." Bang Si-hyuk didn't seem too disappointed. In all honesty, he had never really liked the girl Jin had dated for the better part of three years, "Yoongi what about you?"
"Asa."
"RÆ's producer?" Yoongi nodded in confirmation, "Great! And you Hoseok? You better be dating that girl after all the trouble you put me through."
A grimace took over Hobi's face as he remembered the events from a few weeks ago, "Again, I'm incredibly sorry about that." He didn't want to lie and say it wouldn't happen again, because if a similar situation arose, he wasn't sure he wouldn't respond the exact same way. Still, he was apologetic for the trouble it had caused the man. "And yes, Tianna is my girlfriend now."
Jimin clapped his hands with a teasing grin, "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day! She's finally claiming you now?"
"Shut up Jimin." Hoseok mumbled but a tell-tale flush had risen up his neck and a small smile played at his lips.
Bang Si-hyuk continued his line of questioning, "Okay and none for Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook – is that correct?"
Jimin and Taehyung nodded whilst Jungkook shook his head and spoke up, "Actually, I'm seeing someone."
"Really?" At this, Bang Si-Hyuk grew interested. Since debut, Jungkook had never once dated anyone. This was the first time he was attending these meetings with news of a proper relationship.
"Yes. Narae."
"By Narae, do you mean the Narae that you're currently doing the collaboration album and tour with?"
"Yes sir."
"Hm okay..." He pushed the glasses up his nose as he wrote something down. "Thank you all for letting me know. We'll continue this meeting, and when it's over Jungkook can you stay behind for a minute?"
At his tone, the others exchanged looks which made Jungkook grow apprehensive. Bang PD didn't seem angry, but he definitely didn't seem that pleased either. God knows what he wanted to talk to him about.
✩ ✩ ✩
When the meeting was done, the others cleared out, leaving a nervous Jungkook behind with the CEO.
"So Narae is it?" The older man was the one to break the silence.
Jungkook nodded, still tense, but was surprised when Bang Si-hyuk's face broke out into a genuine smile, "I like her! I've only had a few conversations with her, but from what I've observed, she's got a good head on her shoulders. Very focused and ambitious without the greed, talented yet humble. A very pleasant girl."
Jungkook sighed in relief and relaxed, "Yeah, she's amazing."
"That she is." Bang Si-hyuk's expression grew serious which made Jungkook straighten up in his seat again. "Now, let's get into why I told you to stay behind. This is a talk I had with all the other members when they entered their first relationships."
That explained the looks they had exchanged, they all knew the conversation that was coming.
"As you go into this relationship, I want to make sure you're acknowledging the risks. Every outside interaction you guys have, has the potential to be leaked. One slip and it's out there. Especially more so now. You guys are the biggest group in the world right now. The Billboard number ones and the Grammy nomination are only just the beginning. All eyes are on you and your popularity is only going to increase from here on."
Jungkook listened intently, his leg bouncing under the table from nerves.
"I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to be aware. The stakes are much higher now and you have to ask yourself what you're willing to do and accept. I'm not saying you should break up with Narae - far from it actually. I just want you to assess the risks and know what could happen."
He paused to gather his thoughts before speaking again, "We will always try our best as a company to minimise leaks and shut down rumours, but we are not God - we can't control every little thing that happens, as much as we might try to. There's always the potential for it to get out. The thing you have to ask yourself is: What is more important to you? Is the relationship worth it? Acknowledging that there's always the chance that your relationship could be released to the public, you have to decide if that's something you're comfortable with happening. I trust you'll manage yourself in the way that seems appropriate for you and Narae, and the rest of the group. I'm wishing you both the best, you're free to leave now."
✩ ✩ ✩
The next morning, Jungkook looked down at a sleeping Narae snuggled in his arms. He wanted to wake up like this every day for the rest of his life. She was partially cutting off his air supply, but he thought oxygen was overrated anyway.
He watched as she stirred in her sleep before gradually waking up, eyes blinking slowly, a smile growing on her face as he came into focus, "Morning Koo."
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "Good morning nae sarang. How did you sleep?"
She buried her face into his chest, "Not long enough."
He stroked her hair gently, "We have forty-five minutes till we have to be out, I'll wake you up when it's time."
"Okay." And with that, she effortlessly slipped back into sleep, soft snores soon filling the room.
As he watched her features relax, her legs tangling with his in an effort to be closer to him even in her sleep, Jungkook couldn't help but think about Bang Si-hyuk's words. They had been on a continuous loop in his head ever since the meeting.
Losing Narae wasn't, and would never be an option. But neither was losing the support of ARMYs. They were both too important to him.
Jungkook didn't even understand why he had to choose one. He was sure he could keep the girl he loved, and the love of ARMYs if he tried hard enough.
Couldn't he?
━━━━༻˚✩‧₊☽₊‧✩˚༺━━━━
a/n: 🌚🌚🌚🌚 hehe
+ thanks for 25k omggg !!! big love to you all for still reading 🥺🥺❤️
~ zookie <3