~In which Nana is a sports star~
**This is an au requested by eunnie_lee**
Nana was sweating. Before every match, she liked to jog around the building two times; it was like her good luck charm. Usually, she'd get it done early–way before people started coming in, but today she was running late because she missed her alarm.
As her breath began to quicken, thoughts of stress and anxiety left her head, giving her the opportunity to calm down and just run. Despite her status as a badminton "legend", she still felt nervous before every game, and her quick warm-up gave her the chance to clear her head and prepare for the game ahead of her.
By the time she finished her two laps, it was about time for her to go in and get ready for the match. Applauding herself mentally for her good timing, she turned to go through the doors. At that point, hardcore audiences were beginning to line up to enter the arena, so she turned her face away and darted through the entrance.
Or, at least, she tried to.
Two buff security guards, who seemed to have no prior knowledge of the world of badminton stopped her just before she was able to go in.
"What do you think you're doing? You see this line?" One of the men gestured to the people behind her. "You'll have to wait like everybody else."
"No, you don't understand, I'm in the match! I'm Nana."
"Do you know how many people try to get in to places by saying they're some celebrity or that they're 'supposed to be inside'? Spoiler alert, it's a lot more than you'd think. I need more than words to let you in."
Shit, she mentally groaned, I left all my stuff inside–no phone, no id, no nothing.
"See, the thing is, I left all my stuff inside, in my room. I just came out for a quick jog and I seriously need to go in now."
"Sounds like an excuse. Sorry, lady, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Ugh!" She groaned in frustration. Everybody was going to be so mad at her, and she was going to be the reason they cancelled the match, and all because some stupid guy couldn't recognize her! Shouldn't they be carrying photos of the people that need to be inside, or a list of names? Well, that wouldn't help her anyway, considering she has nothing to prove her identity.
As she continued to frantically argue with the security guard, who was adamant that she was not who she said she was, a few people in the front of the line couldn't help but overhear.
"...what do you not understand? I. Am. Nana. I am supposed to be inside; without me, they can't start, you absolute idiot!"
The group glanced at each other, shocked at what they had just heard.
"Did she just say she was the Nana?" Questioned one of the boys with widened eyes. He lifted the sign in his hand that had her face and an encouraging phrase on it. Pointing to it, he repeated, "the Nana?" The others shrugged, just as confused, but they continued to listen for more information.
"Can you just like, radio it in or something? Someone inside will be able to confirm my identity," Nana pleaded.
"Everyone inside is way too busy to deal with some girl trying to get inside early. Just get in line–wait, do you even have a ticket?"
"Of course I don't have a ticket! I'm playing in the game! You absolute idiot!" Nana was this close to ripping off this stubborn guy's head. "If something goes wrong because I'm not there, you'll have hell to pay."
He scoffed, "yeah, whatever."
Fuming, and having no other choice, she stalked off, trying to come up with a solution. She was spending way too much time arguing with this dumbass. He smirked as if he had won.
When she turned, however, the group who had been eavesdropping got a good look at her face and were finally able to confirm that she was, in fact, their idol.
Unable to contain himself, Jungkook ran up to her and excitedly spoke, "Oh my god! You're Nana!"
Caught off guard, she reeled back, "...uh, yeah. That's me." She smiled weakly.
Somewhat embarrassed but glad that one member of their group had the courage to approach her, the other six joined him and apologized for his behavior. While they tried hard to contain their excitement, they couldn't hide the gleam in their eyes.
She scanned their appearances, bursting into laughter when she realized they were all wearing shirts with her face printed on it.
Namjoon couldn't help but speak up, "uh...so we heard what's going on."
"Yeah, that security guard is dumb as hell," Yoongi added.
She let out a few forced chuckles, "what can I say? This is what I get for not bringing anything with me."
"Still! How can he not recognize you?" Jimin interjected, finding the idea ridiculous. She just shrugged, tired.
"I think I might have an idea," Hoseok offered. She gave him a nod, wordlessly encouraging him to go for it; it's not like she had anything else to do.
He walked up to the security guard and spoke with him for a minute, gesturing wildly and showing him his phone. Then he called for Nana to come over, and pointed some more. As he did, the guard's face reddened and he took out his radio to talk to someone on the inside.
Seconds later, another guard showed up, seemingly having run a long distance to get to the entrance. He gathered himself and bowed deeply in front of her, apologizing for the misunderstanding. He forced the stubborn one to bow even deeper.
"Please, this way, Miss Lee." He said respectfully as he held the door open for her.
She had almost walked through the door when she turned around abruptly and gestured to her fanboys, "coming?" Before the guards could say anything, she glared pointedly, conveying her anger, and they let her do whatever she wanted.
The seven scrambled to follow her, bowing at any and all personnel they encountered as they walked through the building. The guard led them all to a door down a corridor marked "athlete only". Bowing and apologizing once again, he left them to themselves.
She turned the knob and was greeted by her coach, who was simply grateful that she was there. Then she noticed the boys behind her and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm giving them the premium seats," Nana explained. Their heads shot up, and their eyes got wider than they already were. Usually, those were reserved for family members or important people that were specially invited.
Pulling her aside, her coach whispered, "aren't there too many of them?"
"Nah, I got it covered," she winked. She had already reserved five for family, but they couldn't make it. On the way back here, she had spoken with the guard who arranged it with his superiors, who were willing to do almost anything after the incident earlier.
A knock sounded at the door. The coach went to answer, as Nana had disappeared to get changed, and the boys were just unsure of everything. The guard who had led them here was standing outside holding seven lanyards with badges, proving the wearers as approved VIP.
The seven looked at each other, excited. "Can I take pictures?" Hoseok asked.
"Go for it. Just avoid mentioning the incident and refrain from taking any pictures of Nana that could be misunderstood." After all of them agreed, she left them to fan over their VIP badges.
While they were in the middle of their photoshoot, Nana came out, dressed and ready to impress.
"I see you're enjoying yourselves," she remarked amusedly, catching Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook mid-pose (they were pretending to be Charlie's Angels as they held their badges between their finger-guns).
Blushing furiously, they separated immediately.Noticing their uncharacteristic bashfulness, Jin stepped forward to cover for them.
"We just want to say thank you for all of this. I mean, we're all really big fans of you and badminton, and it's really an honor to be here right now." He bowed respectfully, prompting the others to follow suit.
Embarrassed, Nana hurried to bow deeper, saying, "It should be me thanking you all. Without you, I doubt I would've got here in time. I wish I could do more." All rising, she was struck by an idea. She walked over to a small table where a stack of sticky notes and a pen lay–she scribbled on it quickly and handed it to Namjoon (he just gave off leader energy somehow). "On it is my personal number and my Kakao ID. Feel free to talk to me whenever, and let's plan to watch a game sometime." She smiled, then left to meet her coach at the court, adding that she had called for someone to lead them to their seats.
The seven were flabbergasted. Did their precious idol THE Lee Nageum just give them her contact information and tell them she wanted to hang out? Were they all just having one mass hallucination?
"I think I'm gonna pass out," Jungkook breathed out.
"That makes two of us," Jimin replied.
"I don't get why you're all freaking out. I mean, she's a person just like the rest of us," Yoongi said cooly, hiding the fact that he was also absolutely freaking out.
"Stop being such a poser, Yoongs. We all know you're the biggest fan here," Hoseok rolled his eyes.
"Wow," the others groaned.
"You think I don't love her as much as Yoongi?" Jin questioned exaggeratedly. "I'm hurt you think so little of me, Hobi."
Patting him on the shoulder, Namjoon comforted, "there, there, Jin-hyung. I, at least, have faith in you." Jin turned around and feigned crying on Joon's shoulder.
"You're all idiots," joked (but not really) Hoseok.
"Hyung," Taehyung whined. "You made him sad." Everyone crowded around the "crying" Jin, patting his back and murmuring words of comfort. Luckily, a knock at the door saved Hobi from the rest of the playful bullying.
"Are you Nana's special guests? I'm Park Jaewoo and I'll be showing you to your seats."
~~~
The fanboys cheered louder than any other member of the audience, at one point being shushed by the referee (to their embarrassment, but Nana's amusement). News reporters noted that this seemed to be one of her best matches in her entire career, and several linked it to the rowdy (yet oddly respectful) boys sitting in her section.
The next day, both groups enjoyed unexpected fame, after articles of the "pretty fanboys" and "gorgeous player" reached mainstream media sites.
Soon after, Namjoon created a groupchat that included the eight of them (named GOODminton boiiiiiiis + actuallegendnana) and they all became fast friends. It was to the point that they would go out to eat every so often, and visit each other's houses to play video games. She would invite them to official games, both local and overseas, citing them her "emotional support fanboys" (although they were more best friends than fans now).