Taehyung knows IU's music. Almost everyone in South Korea knows her music. She has good songs, but Taehyung would never consider himself a fan of hers, which doesn't explain why he's so nervous to attend tonight's concert. He's been restlessly pacing around the small room all morning already, until Namjoon picked him up to bring him to dance practice. Now that the showcase is over, there's no more need for just the six of them to practice, which means that Taehyung is a permanent fixture in the constellation of the band again.
It's a relief. As dumb as it sounds, at the back of his mind there had been a constant nagging voice that had taunted him about Bang PD realizing that a six-member group would be much more efficient. So when Namjoon knocked on the door with a bright smile, the stress and bags under his eyes he had been carrying around with him over the past few days finally gone, and announced that he's Taehyung's escort to dance practice today, Taehyung had been so happy that he went in for a hug. Namjoon had been surprised as he's not one of the more physically affectionate members and neither is Taehyung, but was quick to hug him back and squeeze tightly.
"Someone's in a good mood today," the leader casually mentions as they walk down the hallway after Namjoon made sure that it's empty.
"I'm just really happy to be able to regularly practice with you guys again!"
"And about going to the concert, I assume?"
Taehyung blushes and shrugs.
"Is everything organized? You and Kook-ah are meeting at the venue, right?"
"Yeah, we'll arrive and leave separately."
Namjoon nods. "Good. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun together!"
They arrive at the practice room before Taehyung can answer and the topic gets dropped as the rest of the members greet Taehyung enthusiastically. The tension that had been lingering in the air around them is dissolved, at least for now. Everyone is in high spirits, and everyone is willing to practice hard, as they're learning the choreography for what will be their concept trailer. And it's intense. At one point Taehyung even does a backwards roll over Jimin's back, and each time Taehyung's heart does a spin as well with nerves in fear of that move going wrong and one of them getting hurt. It never does, but Taehyung's back already hurts after half an hour of practicing only doing that particular move over and over again. Jimin's back can't feel much better.
BTS has never been a group of slackers, Taehyung had been made aware of that from the very moment he joined them. He's never met a group of people as hardworking as these six other individuals, never met people so willing to improve themselves and their skills. It's inspiring to be a part of a group like that. They've always been hard workers, but now that the pressure is temporarily gone, they go even harder.
And Jungkook is glowing today. He's giving two-hundred percent, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he's going through the moves, and his nose scrunching up as he displays his widest smile when their choreographer compliments him on his outstanding performance.
There's teasing and bickering when someone takes a wrong step, but it's more light-hearted than it had been in the past. Yoongi declares Namjoon and Jin to be the worst dance couple of the group when the dance teacher steps out of the room.
"They are the only couple of the group," Hoseok helpfully points out as Namjoon hides his face in his hands and Jin's ears turn bright red.
"I'm aware, but what I'm saying is that even if there was another couple to form within this band, it could never be worse at dancing than the combined power of the two of them."
Jimin doubles over laughing as Jin rants about Yoongi not respecting his elder, and Namjoon tells all of them to shut the fuck up. Taehyung quietly watches and hides a grin behind the towel he uses to dab the sweat off his face.
They practice into the hours of the early evening, before it's time for Jungkook to go back to the dorm to get ready for the concert. Yoongi plays Taehyung's chaperon back to his room, and then to the public bathroom that rarely anyone at BigHit frequents. Once again, it's the perk of a small company that not too many people linger in the washing facility, and once Taehyung has slipped into one of the shower cubicles and closed the door behind himself, there's no immediate risk of being found out anymore.
He's not a particularly big fan of the shower, but at least BigHit does provide cubicles, and not those open shower rooms that are nothing more than a bunch of shower heads on the walls providing no personal space whatsoever. Yoongi turns around when Taehyung undresses and waits outside the room with the cubicle, whistling a melody that Taehyung isn't familiar with over and over again and tweaking it.
When Taehyung is done, towel-dried and wet hair sticking into all directions, Yoongi turns around and whistles approvingly as he sees Taehyung's outfit.
"I don't think I've ever seen you in a shirt before in your spare time," he grins and Taehyung avoids eye-contact, trying to supress the blush he knows will colour his cheeks red. He's usually a t-shirt person, that much is true. The only time he really wears button-down shirts is when they go for fittings or photo shoots, but even then the Hip Hop concept doesn't allow too much wriggle-room for fancy clothing like that.
Not that his shirt is particularly fancy. He bought it at a second-hand shop three or four months into being a trainee at BigHit. He's very frugal when it comes to the little money he earns, preferring to store it away for possible bad days to come instead of spending it on something as unnecessary as fashion, but he saw the shirt in the shop window and couldn't bring himself to leave it behind.
It's nothing special really, dark blue and a bit ill-fitting on his skinny body. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, the double-sided fabric a lighter blue that adds a bit of a contrast to the rest of the shirt. He's wearing his usual black jeans and scruffy black sneakers with it, so it's not like he's put a lot of effort into his outfit, but he's bought that shirt and then never worn it, not sure what kind of place would fit the occasion of him wearing something more sophisticated than a simple t-shirt.
He's finally found that occasion.
Taehyung's never been to a concert before, so he's not entirely sure what people are supposed to wear to one, but Yoongi looks him up and down approvingly, so he thinks he's made the right choice.
"You should get that mop of hair under control though, or you'll look like there's a bird nesting on your head," his hyung says nonchalantly after having appraised Taehyung's outfit for longer than Taehyung thinks was necessary.
Once Taehyung's hair is in place, they make their way back to his room with about ten more minutes to spare before one of the managers is going to pick him up.
"Are you excited?" Yoongi asks.
"Why does everyone ask me that today? I have no clue what to expect."
Yoongi's answer is nothing more than a humming sound that grates on Taehyung's nerves as he gets more antsy with every passing minute. He's excited, yes, but he's also on edge. He expects there to be many people at the concert, which he isn't all that thrilled about, and for some reason the idea of being alone with Jungkook outside their usual setting also frazzles his already frayed nerves.
He doesn't know why he's so jittery though. It's not like he's never been out with Jungkook before, but this time around it feels different. He remembers how thrilled Jungkook had been when Taehyung had asked him to join, and the heart on the mug that he's hidden away in his bag so the other members won't see it (although he's sure that they know about it anyway).
But the heart doesn't mean anything.
Taehyung had to repeat that over and over in his mind throughout the day, whenever his gaze caught on to Jungkook. It was nothing more than a kind gesture to help him relax, and he shouldn't read anything into it at all.
He just wonders why his hyungs didn't stop Jungkook from drawing it, knowing full well that Taehyung is harbouring a crush for the younger that surely won't disperse if Jungkook does cute things like that.
When Taehyung and Yoongi return to his room, he notices his phone blinking on the table, indicating a new text message. Yoongi flops down on the couch, complaining about his aching shoulder, as Jungkook grabs for the phone, expecting the message to come from Jungkook to tell him he has finished getting ready.
What he finds instead makes his blood run cold.
Where are you, you little worm? You can't hide from me. You need me. Don't play coy now. I know you need my money.
"Is everything okay?" Yoongi asks, and Taehyung realizes that he's clutching his phone so hard that he fears it might break in his grip. He quickly flips it closed and puts it in his jeans pocket, clearing his throat and praying that his voice doesn't tremble.
"Everything's fine."
There's no reason to freak out. Taehyung had expected something like this to happen, for Mr. Kim to try and contact him. He knows that there's no way that he'll actually find him, Bang PD-nim having promised him that any and all actions will be taken to keep Taehyung safe. The text message still causes an unsettling feeling to fill up his stomach, squashing the nervous butterflies that had previously housed there in anticipation of the concert and quality-time spent with Jungkook.
It's okay. He's not going to let Mr. Kim ruin tonight.
His phone vibrates again in his jeans pocket, but Taehyung ignores it. Yoongi squints at him, but doesn't say anything else after Taehyung's assurance that everything is fine.
Mr. Kim is looking for him. Mr. Kim knows that if he's on his own now, Taehyung is left with nothing again. The street corner he used to frequent comes to his mind, and he wonders if Mr. Kim already passed by it last night after the showcase, on the lookout for Taehyung. Why is this terrible man so terribly obsessed with him?
Taehyung swallows as Yoongi continues to look at him in suspicion. Today is supposed to be a good day. He's going to spend the evening with Jungkook. He's going to his first ever concert. Mr. Kim won't ruin this for him, Taehyung refuses to allow him that. So he'll suck it up and ignore the message, and tomorrow he'll show it to the members. That's it. That's going to be what he will do. If anyone will try to ruin this evening for him, he's going to hunt them down and kick their ass into the next dimension. Figuratively, of course, because Taehyung can't deal with violence.
When the manager comes to pick Taehyung up a few minutes later, his heartbeat accelerates. Yoongi tells him to have fun once more and pats his back affectionately, before calling Taehyung back once again because he forgot the concert tickets on the table. When his hyung hands them over, there's amusement glinting in his eyes.
"Don't lose your nerves now," Yoongi teases, and then Taehyung leaves for real, the tickets clutched between his fingers like a lifeline.
"We'll meet Jungkook at the underground parking lot of AX-Korea, and that's where we will be picking up the two of you right after the concert has ended," the manager explains to him as he navigates them through the evening traffic of the streets of Seoul. "You will have direct access to the venue from the underground parking lot. For your own safety, make sure to not leave the venue."
Taehyung nods along. He's heard this talk before. He's been given it by his hyungs and PD-nim already. He's going to play by the rules, because being discovered by Mr. Kim isn't in his best interest anyway.
His phone vibrates in his jeans pocket once again and he takes it out with a trembling hand. With a sigh of relief, he opens the text message from Jungkook that lets him know that the other has just arrived at the venue and where in the garage to find them.
"I hope you two have fun today," the manager says as they too make their way down the underground parking lot a few minutes later, "with everything else going on, you really deserve it."
There's an unspoken rule between the few BigHit employees in on Taehyung's secret to not talk about his situation. Taehyung is taken aback by the sincerity of the manager's words, and he bows his head slightly as he thanks him. His manager glances over at him and smiles, before focusing back on driving.
When they pull up next to the car that Jungkook had been brought with, the younger teen is leaning against the black surface with his arms crossed, talking to their dance teacher, who had been in charge of chaperoning Jungkook to the venue. As soon as Jungkook spots them, he straightens up and starts to smile so brightly it lights up his entire face and makes his nose scrunch up. Taehyung inhales sharply before he realizes that he's not by himself and quickly bites his bottom lip, waving outside as he waits for the manager to park.
Jungkook looks good. He's wearing a white shirt and a light-blue denim jacket on top, paired with his favourite black pair of jeans. His short hair – he had gotten a haircut before the showcase and complained that it's too short, but it fits him so well – is styled upwards and his forehead is showing. With how he looks right now, Taehyung doesn't think he'll be able to concentrate on anything or anyone but Jungkook for the entire evening.
"Hyung," Jungkook cheers as Taehyung gets out of the car. He's bouncing on the balls of his feet and waves at the manager behind the wheel, who calls out once again for Taehyung to come to this very spot immediately after the concert is over before leaving. Their dance teacher bows to them, which Jungkook and Taehyung both reciprocate, wishes them a fun evening at the concert as well, tells them to take notes on the performance, and also leaves right after.
"I'm so nervous to see IU," Jungkook gushes when they're alone in the parking lot, bringing his hands together to clap in excitement. "She's perfect, you know? Her voice, her stage presence – and she's so pretty too, hyung."
An unreasonable pang of jealousy jolts Taehyung out of just fondly listening to Jungkook's ravings. He shakes it off quickly though, because it's stupid. There's absolutely no reason to be envious of a famous and well-established singer that Jungkook seems to have a tiny crush on.
"You're going to absolutely love her too, hyung," Jungkook continues to swoon.
"Whatever you say, Kook-ah," Taehyung humours him. "Should we go in? The concert starts in one and a half hours."
The noise of excitement that Jungkook makes at that suggestion doesn't sound human at all, and Taehyung chuckles.
"Cute."
Jungkook stills, blushes, and then smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry, hyung. I'll try to tone it down a bit."
"Nah, you're good," Taehyung reassures him. "I'm glad you're so stoked."
Without really thinking about it, he grabs Jungkook's hand – smaller but warm against his own palm – and pulls him along towards the staircase that leads to the entrance. Jungkook follows along with a giggle and tells Taehyung to slow down. They run up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, their fingers still intertwined and neither of them showing the intention of letting go any time soon.
Once through ticket check and a small security pat-down that Taehyung knows was meant to be non-invasive, yet still made his skin crawl, they're finally inside the event arena.
There are people everywhere, queuing up for all kinds of things. The smell of popcorn wafts through the air and Taehyung watches as Jungkook scents the air, hand coming up to cover his stomach.
"I've been so nervous that I barely ate anything today," the younger admits, and yes, Taehyung had noticed that during lunch time. While the others had heartily dug into their takeout boxes, Jungkook had played around with his chopsticks more than eating anything.
"So we're getting popcorn now," Taehyung declares, and again he grabs for Jungkook's hand and pulls him along, singling out the queue that sells snacks and drinks. "And coke while we're at it. Let hyung treat you, I can't have you faint from lack of energy as soon as you see IU on stage. That'd be just sad."
"I wouldn't faint," Jungkook sputters, but once again he allows Taehyung to pull him along without any resistance.
It's easy, being with Jungkook these days. In a way, it's easier now to be with him than when Taehyung had still kept his past a secret. They joke without Taehyung constantly having to put in the effort to not make a wrong remark that could give him away. They laugh, make fun of their hyungs, complain about their choreographer's strictness – surrounded by the positive energy of so many other people, in a place like this that Taehyung has never been to before, he feels both foreign and yet at ease. Like somehow he belongs. Like somehow, just this once, he leads a life that's ordinary by the books.
It's nice.
They share the popcorn and coke after having found their seats, and while Jungkook is busy licking salt from his fingers, Taehyung takes in the size of the concert hall in astonishment.
"This is insane," he says as he watches the seats slowly fill up with more and more people.
"One day," Jungkook says and wipes his fingers on his jeans, "we're going to have a concert in here as well."
"At AX-Korea?" Taehyung snorts. "Don't be ridiculous! How many people fit in here?"
"I think it's about five-thousand," Jungkook says and starts drumming his fingers against his thighs nervously. Taehyung can feel the shift of the energy from the crowd as well that seems to make him more nervous, can feel how the excitement starts to rise.
Taehyung barks out a laugh. "And you think we would be able to attract that many people?"
Jungkook looks over at him and his eyes soften as he gives a bright smile. "Once we debut, that will be my new dream. Something I can work towards, a goal to keep in mind. Namjoon-hyung said that anything is possible, so this can't be out of our realm. Don't you have a dream, hyung?"
"To be honest I haven't had all that much time to look for one yet. Been kind of preoccupied with other stuff," Taehyung jests, but he knows the joke falls flat when Jungkook's expression falls.
The younger teen cocks his head. "Then it's about time we find you one."
"Let's start on that quest after I have a giant target off my back," Taehyung says gently. "Come on, we're supposed to enjoy tonight. No talk about stuff that could bring the mood down. There's still enough time to ponder all these things tomorrow. Let's just have fun right now, yeah?"
Jungkook looks ready to argue, but then he just nods with a resigned look. "Okay. That means we're going to shift to serious topics now: how many IU songs do you know?"
"Like four, maybe?" Taehyung answers after thinking about it for a few seconds, "I think."
The look of absolute and sheer terror on Jungkook's face is enough for Taehyung to quickly forget their recent topic, and just be endeared by how Jungkook tries to give him a crash course on IU approximately ten minutes before her concert starts.
Seeing a concert live for the first time is an unbelievable experience to Taehyung. He's seen people busk on the street before, especially in Hongdae, and had always enjoyed the atmosphere that came with it, but it's nothing in comparison to a professional singer with a professional stage. He can't help but to flinch when the screams start at first as the lights go out and the opening VCR starts playing, but then Jungkook's hand lands on his shoulder and the younger teen gives him a bright smile, before starting to cheer along with the crowd as well and that is all it takes for Taehyung to get lost in the moment.
He loves it. He loves it so fucking much, that line between artist and audience that is visibly there and yet still crossed. He sways to the music even if he doesn't know the songs. He screams so much that his throat feels hoarse halfway through already. Most of the time, he doesn't even take notice of Jungkook because he is just so focused on all the new experiences that are taking possession over him like waves that dominate the shore. Occasionally though he's able to pull away from that daze, to look over at Jungkook, and in those moments it seems like time stops completely. Jungkook's eyes are always trained on the stage, wide-eyed as if he can't believe that he really sees IU in the flesh, his face illuminated by the colourful stage lights. He's laughing when she says something funny, nose crinkling up, and once Taehyung even spots a tear at the corner of his eye during a ballad. He'd like to tease Jungkook for that, but he bites his tongue. It's obviously an important moment for the younger, and who is Taehyung to ruin his joy by making fun of him for being emotional?
When the show ends and the lights come back on, Taehyung feels as if in trance, like the last two hours of his life had been a dream. Even seconds later, looking back on it he's not entirely sure if what he witnessed has actually happened.
Jungkook is beaming. He's clutching his hands to his heart, eyes also still focused on the stage as if he can't believe this moment had happened either, probably for entirely different reasons than Taehyung. Seeing your unattainable crush live for the first time must be quite the experience. The people next to them in the row that want to get out are starting to get antsy, but Taehyung doesn't care for them because fuck. He needs another minute.
"You enjoyed it, hyung, didn't you?" Jungkook asks teasingly, and all Taehyung can do is nod. At this point the people next to them are just pressing by, but Taehyung doesn't pay them any attention.
"That was...," Taehyung starts, swallows, tries to find the right words but he doesn't know how to explain it. He feels dumb, trying to explain the relationship between the artist and the audience, but it was so beautiful that it's all that he can think about. Clear boundaries and mutual respect for each other. For someone like him, a job like that seems unbelievable. "You really think that one day we could be the ones standing on that stage?"
Jungkook nods enthusiastically, obviously intrigued by where Taehyung's thoughts are going.
Taehyung clears his throat and looks at the stage once again. Jungkook believes in this. Jungkook believes in them enough to think that one day, they too can have this mutual respect with their audience, can have enough fans to scream their name and sing along to their songs and-
Fuck, Taehyung has to stop thinking now or he's actually going to tear up. This is beautiful. He never thought it could feel like this. He's never thought about wanting to do a concert, because for him joining BigHit had always been about something different. Of course the idea of being an idol had been alluring, but the idea of stability and safety and money even more so. He's always been impressed by how the others are living and breathing music every second of the day, dying to put themselves out there into such a vulnerable position. Have concerts. Gain fans. Touch them with their songs. Taehyung understands it now.
"A concert," Taehyung says. Jungkook cocks his head and waits for Taehyung to elaborate, having patiently waited for Taehyung to obviously gather his thoughts. "I want to have a concert. That's my new dream."
"Well, then you should already pick out the one to follow after that," Jungkook says with confidence, "because that one isn't all too far away."
___
The fall comes right after the high when Taehyung looks at his phone to text their manager that they're on their way to the parking lot after queuing for the toilet, and finds at least twenty text messages from Mr. Kim, becoming increasingly more vulgar, angry and incomprehensible.
Jungkook notices. Of course Jungkook notices the second the smile slips off Taehyung's lips and the blood drains from his face, and he grabs for Taehyung's phone before he has time to protest.
They don't drive Taehyung back to the BigHit building, but instead take him back to the dorm. He can't breathe. He's shaking and he can't breathe, and the final message keeps ringing in his head over and over again.
I will find you, you ungrateful bitch. And then you're going to pay.
Jungkook holds his hand the entire way back, and oh god, Jungkook has read the messages as well. He's telling Taehyung that it's going to be okay, that there's no need to worry, but the more he talks the more Taehyung panics because this was supposed to be a nice night for the both of them, and now it's fucking ruined, and Taehyung is reminded once again of how fucking disgusting and ruined he is – how happiness isn't a thing that exists in his world, and how he should stay away from Jungkook to not suck that piece of innocence out of the younger teen as well.
"This is fucking unacceptable," Yoongi scoffs after having read the messages, and for a second Taehyung thinks he might throw the phone against the wall. Maybe that would be a good idea, so he couldn't read the offensive words anymore.
"We're going to get you a new number first thing tomorrow morning," Jin says, "so he can't contact you anymore. Honestly we should have done that all along."
Taehyung is slumped over on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and listening, but not really listening either. He's tired. He's been so happy and now he's so sad, and all he can think about is how he ruined Jungkook's night. So much for having a fucking dream.
And he knows what his members are worried about. The text messages sound aggressive. Possessive. Mr. Kim is mad at him for disappearing, for investing money into this band only for Taehyung to drop out again. They're scared that now that he's angered, he'll release the video anyway, just so he can get his way. Taehyung wouldn't be surprised if it's already out there, for the world to see.
He tucks the blankets tighter around his body as Hoseok lets his fingers run through his hair comfortingly.
"It's going to be okay, you'll see," he tries to reassure him, but words are nothing than empty promises to Taehyung right now. There's no guarantee he can keep them.
"A new number," Namjoon agrees with Jin, "and Jimin, you're going to set up a meeting with Tae and Eun-Ji soon. We've wasted enough time; we finally need to act."
Jimin nods grimly, already on his phone.
Taehyung can't stand listening to them talking anymore. He knows that they only mean well, but he needs quiet. He's going to stay with them at the dorm tonight, but secretly he wished it wasn't like that. He'd love nothing more than to curl up on the black couch and cry himself to sleep, too overwhelmed by all the emotions he's feeling. Instead he'll have to hold it all in.
"If you excuse me," he murmurs and gets up. "I'll go to sleep."
"Do you want-" Jimin offers, but Taehyung just shakes his head. He knows that none of them are going to go to bed anytime soon. There's too much to process. He appreciates any amount of quiet he can receive right now.
The mattress feels familiar, yet so strange. It's softer than the couch, but Taehyung can't value it right now. He bites back a sigh when only after a few minutes the bedroom door opens and closes again.
"Hyung?" Not having expected Jungkook to follow him of all people, he shuffles around in surprise to look down at the black-haired teen staring up at him in his bunk bed. "Can I join you?"
There are bags under Jungkook's eyes and he's changed into sweatpants and an oversized pyjama shirt, his earlier carefully styled hair a tousled mess on his head now.
Without a word, Taehyung raises the blanket in silent invitation and Jungkook quickly climbs up the ladder, as if he's scared that if he waits for just a second too long, Taehyung will change his mind.
"I'm sorry," Taehyung says after Jungkook has gotten as comfortable as can possibly be on the narrow space up high, both of them facing each other.
Jungkook furrows his eyebrows. "What are you sorry for?"
"Ruining your night," Taehyung elaborates, and saying it out loud makes him choke up.
Jungkook's frown only deepens. "You didn't ruin my night, hyung. I had fun today. It didn't exactly end like I hoped it would, but I still enjoyed it. And it's not really your fault that it ended like this."
"How would you have liked for it to end?" Taehyung asks quietly, and stupidly enough his heart skips a beat as Jungkook's eyes just for a moment linger on his lips.
"Happier. You were glowing after the concert ended. I wish you could have held on to that feeling for longer than just a few minutes."
"Jeon Jungkook, are you pitying me?" Taehyung asks with a teasing lilt to his voice, ruffling Jungkook's hair, the younger teen swatting his hand away playfully. He's trying to hold it together for Jungkook, he really is. He doesn't want Jungkook to see him be even weaker than he already is.
"I'm not. I just enjoyed tonight. I wanted you to know that. Thank you for taking me."
"You should thank Jin-hyung for the tickets, not me."
"I already did that," Jungkook says, "but still. I really had a good time tonight. Please don't feel more upset because of me."
"Why- wait, how do you even realize that that's bugging me? When did you get so perceptive?" Taehyung asks with a groan.
Jungkook rolls his eyes. "Well, the fact that you're apologizing to me for something absolutely ridiculous that's completely out of your control is a dead giveaway. Also I've always been paying attention. It's just that none of you guys ever noticed."
Taehyung can't argue with that.
"Is it okay if I sleep with you tonight, hyung?" Jungkook asks as he stifles a yawn.
"As if you'd ever leave," Taehyung snorts, and Jungkook takes that invitation to shuffle closer, resting his face so close to Taehyung's t-shirt-clad chest that he can feel his warm breath against his skin through the fabric.
"I'd leave if you'd tell me to," Jungkook says.
Taehyung doesn't respond. Instead he carefully wraps his arm around Jungkook's shoulder, pulling him just the tiniest bit closer. It's odd how earlier he had wished to be left alone, but now finds comfort in Jungkook's presence. He doesn't want to think about the fact that if it was any of his other friends on the mattress with him, he probably wouldn't feel this way. He won't allow his mind to wander there.
"Good night, Kook-ah," Taehyung murmurs. He doubts that he will fall asleep anytime soon, as there are still too many thoughts racing in his mind, but he closes his eyes nonetheless.
"Night, hyung," Jungkook answers, and he already sounds more asleep than fully conscious. "I hope you have a good dream."