Jennie stood in line silently squealing. The handfan covered with a picture of Min Yoongi shook as she covered her face to save herself from embarrassment. She silently whispered to herself, repeating and orienting herself on what she would say when she was face to face with her idol.
She paraded a big grin on her face as she examined the anterior part of the once lengthy line. Only five people were left until she would be able to talk with the Agust D, Min Yoongi.
She had been a fan of the man since he released his debut album; Agust D. She was awed by his rapping skills (or tongue technology— as how he referred to it), his talent, calm stature and his endless list of relatable moments. Because of him, she was inspired to try her own hand at rapping and she loved every single bit of it. She made friends along the way and managed to gain a following because of it. To her, Yoongi has influenced her life so much. The long line of fans she encountered from outside the venue and the awfully warm weather Seoul was experiencing were no match for her ardency in meeting the Korean rapper.
She released a huge puff of air when his manager signalled her to come forward with a smile. She returned the kind gesture before setting her eyes on Yoongi who was flaunting his signature gummy smile. Jennie swore her heart skipped a beat. The HD photos she gathered didn't do him justice.
"H-hello," she stuttered from all the excitement that was building up inside of her. What was she supposed to do again?
"Hey," he greeted in return.
For a whole 5 seconds she stared at the man in front of her. She was overwhelmed with a joyous feeling that her brain malfunctioned since her attention was focussed elsewhere. Her eyes were glued towards his face and adorable smile. Suddenly, Yoongi's palm was in front of her—waving vigorously in an attempt to make sure she was still okay.
"Uhm, sorry, I spaced out a bit," She awkwardly chuckled before placing her copy of the latest mixtape he released. Yoongi repeated her actions as he signed the album.
"It's alright," he replied, looking up, "I was concerned for a quick moment."
'Huh. Great job, J.' She thought to herself.
"Can you also sign my fan too?" She asked shyly, placing her fan on the table - praying mutely that Yoongi would agree to sign the merchandise.
"Sure," He grabbed the plastic material from her grasp before painting it with soft strokes.
"What's your name, by the way?" He asked.
"I didn't introduce myself yet?" She asked. The blonde-haired male shook his head after he put his signature in the middle of the hand fan, "My name's Jennie, but most people call me J."
"Pretty name for a pretty girl," He remarked, but he left no time for Jennie to ponder about his statement, "You're foreign?" Yoongi asked. Jennie looked completely Korean to him, but who knows? Maybe the Asian genes overpowered the other.
"Nope, but I was born in Australia." She explained.
"Oh you lived there?" He asked, There were still several seconds left before she would be asked to move aside so that the next enthusiast would take her turn.
"Kinda? I was born in Australia, mum took me to New Zealand when I was ten and asked me if I wanted to stay. I was there till I was 13 before my mom made plans to let me continue my studies in Florida. I told her I didn't want to, so she took me back here to SK. Honestly, that was my best decision yet. So, now I live here with my mum and dad, because—"
Yoongi's interruption made her beet red once more.
"You wanna take me home to them?" Yoongi, who had a hand below his chin and the other tapping the marker on the table- chuckled at her flustered state.
"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away." She reasoned.
"Don't be shy about it. You looked cute, anyway." He said, and though it may have sounded like something you would say because of the spur of the moment, he meant every word he uttered. He found it adorable how her nose scrunched slightly when she talked about her childhood and how a sheepish smile made its way onto her face when she found herself in a flustering situation.
She smiled widely at his compliment, but her cheeks remained tomato-red.
"I like your smile too." Yoongi winked at her.
"Time's out now."
Jisoo, his manager, blurted out from the side of the rectangular table. Jisoo smiled mischievously when she saw Jennie hand a letter to Yoongi when she was about to depart from his station.
...
Jisoo bumped shoulders with Yoongi while he was drinking from a bottle of water. He immediately swallowed the liquid before closing it with the blue cap.
He looked at her through slitted eyes. "Jisoo, I swear, sometimes, I think you wanna kill me on purpose."
It was already late in the evening. The long line of his fans have finally been entertained and diminished. He was already inside his private resting room at the back of the venue, taking a quick rest before they headed home.
"Now, why would I do that?" Jisoo plopped down onto the sofa across him, "If I killed you, no one will be paying me. I still need the money so that me and Jin can finally start a family." She joked while sending a flirty wink towards one of Yoongi's producers, Kim Seokjin. The said professional shook his head- amused by the woman's antics before returning to whatever he was doing on his computer.
"Anywhoo, I saw you giving extra fan service to someone a while ago," Jisoo glanced at him knowingly, pertaining with his interaction with Jennie a little earlier today.
"What do you mean extra? I did what I would do with any other fan." He reasoned as he wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead with the towel Jisoo handed a while back.
"Come on," she exclaimed, not buying anything Yoongi was saying, "you even flirted with her."
"I wouldn't call it flirting. I was just complimenting her good looks."
Yoongi was gonna admit to himself, he found Jennie very attractive, but of course, he wasn't gonna openly say it to Jisoo. The red-haired girl would tease him to no end, and he had enough of that from his friends.
Jisoo snorted loudly before getting up and checking the company bags to make sure that everything that belonged to the organization was in its place.
"Why are you even making a big deal of this, Soo? Don't you have anywhere else to
tansfer your attention to?" Yoongi placed everything he was holding down onto the table and placed his head on the headrest. Relaxing for a bit.
"I do, but Seokjinnie's too busy working for our future. Right, babe?" She asked, glancing at the producer who was still hunched over his work. When he heard Jisoo's statement, he smiled slightly.
"Whatever you say, Soo." Seokjin replied. Tapping away on his keyboard.
Yoongi chukled at Seokjin's reply before shutting his eyes.
...
"Jisoo?" Yoongi called when they were inside the van on their way home. The 24 year-old woman was at the front, checking the latest schedules for Yoongi's appointments tomorrow while Seokjin was beside her, silently driving around the darkened streets of Seoul.
"Yea?" She asked, looking up from her phone. The light from the gadget illuminated her face giving Yoongi a clear view of the raised eyebrows and tired expression she had on.
"Can you please hand me my bag?" He asked. Jisoo reached down the floor of the vehicle and passed the black duffle bag to Yoongi on the other side.
He quickly opened it and grabbed the beige envelope at the side. He only remembered Jennie's letter just now, feeling a little guilty that his slight negligence made the envelope crumple at the sides. He opened it slowly and flicked the light on the roof of the van; settled back into his seat before he started to read the hand written note.
He smirked when he came across a line saying that she was an underground rapper. Thank the heavens Jennie was a self-admitted blabbermouth.
'Maybe it's time to pay the boys a visit.'
...
The night life of Seoul was in full blast when Yoongi left his apartment. The smell of barbecue and the echo of chatter wafted through the air, the streets were elucidated by the lights from the establishments, and the sound of music boomed through the walls of the underground compartments of buildings.
Yoongi made his way down the steps of the old building— a former company, run by a poweful business tycoon back in the 80's, but ever since it closed in the early 90's, it's been abandoned. Blue electronic lights accompanied his line of vision when he first stepped into the room. The Root (a pseudonym he and his friends made up when he was younger) had a bit of minor changes since the last time he visited. The once empty corners were now gussied up with worn out couches and chairs; the DJ station had a minor upgrade, yet the makeshift stage platform was still against the back wall of the spacious room.
"Hyung?"
Yoongi smiled widely when he spotted Jimin calling for him from the punch bar not too far from the entrance. He was with the rest of the boys that were apart of their group of friends and currently, all six of them were huddled around Jimin trying to see if Yoongi was there or if Jimin was simply smiling too much.
...
The spotlight lit to its full extent signalled the beginning of the duel between two contenders— as he heard from the others, the other was a newbie while the other one was a senior rapper.
Yoongi was huddled with the rest of his group of friends. Namjoon and Hoseok were on either side of him as they waited for the two performers to take the stage and start their competition. Jungkook and Taehyung insisted on grabbing drinks for all of them (proceeded by Jimin following them to the punch bar since both of them were clumsy as fuck and could get distracted easily).
"GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE!" Adora's voice hauled the attention of the by-watchers inside the venue. She was the local hostess of The Root, which was why she had always been a familiar figure.
"We've got a newbie trying out tonight," She continued once the cheers started to dissipate, "And guess who she'll be battling? The one and only legend, Jessi."
Howls were heard from the crowds at the mention of Jessi. Currently, Jessi was working under a company since she was hell-bent on breaking into main stream media. Nowadays, it was rare for her to be inside the club to perform.
"GIVE IT UP FOR JESSI!" Adora yelled once again at the top of her lungs, "and her opponent, JRJ!"
A woman clad in a black leather ensemble stepped on the stage first. Jennie looked the least bit bothered as the spotlight shone on her. She gripped the microphone in her hand tightly as she waited for her opponent (but real life idol), Jessi, to step on the stage and give each other a piece of their mind.
Adora started to reiterate the rules and regulations while both of the contestants started to get ready. With one last round of yells from the spectators, the face-off officially begun.
Jennie sighed deeply before a small smirk formed against the metallic material. "Hold up, your time's up. Time for me to take the crown. Say bye to the throne, 'cause I'm taking you down. All the years prior, you felt superior. Well, guess what, hon? Your reign is done. I'm the new HBIC, a fresh face to see. Gotta look me up and down; you can't miss my new crown."
Jessi's eyes narrowed into slits before she copied Jennie's actions mere seconds ago and placed her mic in front of her mouth. Another spotlight focussed on her as she began to circle around Jennie's figure on the platform. "You're a bit rude, don't mistake it for attitude. You talk like you know shit, but let's face it, you're probably just stupid. Replace me? That's an attempt I'd like to see. I'm at the top of the chain, that's something I gained. I'm self-made unlike you who probably found someone to pay. Yes, you can rap, but my ears don't hear any claps."
Jennie pushed her tongue against her cheek. Freestyle was never really her thing, but these days she was more open to trying out new hobbies, especially if it involved rapping. It was a craft she was willing to sacrifice her time and efforts to master. She took a deep breath before jabbing her mic not too far from her lips. "Stop being jealous, they'll chant my name in chorus. I'll have them bowing at my feet, you have to accept defeat. I'm straight to the point. I never disappoint. I have talent, something God-sent. It's something you don't have, which makes me laugh. I wonder why? I think the heavens took a pass on your shitty ass."
The said rap battle continued for several more minutes, and when it did end, it finished in good spirits. Jennie wrapped Jessi around in a tight embrace after their little duel, to which the older replied with a message of luck. After bidding each other good bye, Jennie went to find Lisa, her companion, but was sidetracked when she passed by the punch table. She was incredibly thirsty and since water wasn't an option, she had to settle for the cheap beer on top of the table.
"You did good."
Jennie was a bit shocked when she heard a voice speak behind her. She almost dropped the beer bottle because of the small jolt that coursed through her body. Her eyes widened immediately as she realized who spoke to her. Like earlier today, she was face-to-face with Min Yoongi. He was out of the dress shirt he wore at the fan meet and was in a black sweater with a mask tucked under his chin. Jennie couldn't help but ponder over how adorable he was.
"Lil meow meow," She whispered to herself absent mindedly — a habit she formed whenever she came across clips or photos of Yoongi looking cute.
"What was that?" He asked. The loud music was turned on again which made his hearing abilities function less than normal.
"I said thank you! I didn't know you hung out in these places." She said over the blaring noise. Yoongi, for lack of better options, stepped towards her to make their conversation more comprehensible.
"Oh. This was where I first started rapping, actually," he explained, his gummy smile coming to life.
"Really? So you come here often?"
"Not as often as before. Life gets in the way of things."
"That's true. I guess it's a miracle that you got the time to come here tonight."
Yoongi shrugged his shoulders in reply. Jennie was now in disbelief as to how she managed to talk so casually with him, when at the fan meet, she was very close to exploding because of the nervousness and giddiness she felt.
"Expect more miracles. I'm actually planning on visiting regularly after promotions."
"Oh? That's good news."
'Are you kidding? That's fucking fantastic!' Jennie thought to herself as she sipped from her beer. It wasn't every day that she would get the opportunity to see her favourite artist constantly.
"It is. Especially if it means I'll get to see you perform every night." He winked.
Right at that moment, Jennie swore that she was about to combust.