September 2019
Even a whole month after the release of Winter Bear, the internet is still going crazy over the music video. Whoever disliked the couple before can't deny how perfectly they fit together now. The whole video is filled with wholesome shots of Moonhae exploring the Japanese city and romantic moments of them dancing or cuddling between fluffy covers together. They have officially become K-Pop's favorite sweetheart couple, despite their underlying raunchiness. Luckily, the sex tape they filmed that very same day will never come to light.
"Hehehe, read this", Moonhae pokes Taehyung as she sits on his lap in the Big Hit studio.
"How Moon and V have become k-pop's hottest couple", he reads out with squinted eyes, not having his glasses on. Both of them start laughing as they exchange looks. They've been going over articles for a couple days now just enjoying the ridiculousness of reporters.
"You guys suck", Jungkook pipes from his seat across the room.
"Why?", they gaze at him innocently.
"How is the media so chill with you being a couple? Any of us would get torn apart if we ever went public with our relationships", he pouts in response.
"It's not like we don't get negative feedback", Moonhae starts explaining, "I think it's just that everyone called me a whore even before I started dating Taehyung, so nothing changed much when I did."
Taehyung huffs at her answer, but knows he can't contradict it. He hates the fact that she gets all the hate for their relationship while he gets babied by his fans. When he's able to, he shuts down mean comments about her on weverse by leaving sweet remarks about her instead, but he can't help feeling it's not enough.
"Jin, why haven't you gone public with Hyunae yet?", she then asks the boy sitting not far with his phone.
"Well, for one: what you just said", he looks up at her seriously, "Hyunae not being an idol or famous in any way at all would definitely put her under more fire and I don't want her to go through that. Besides, I have no desire to flaunt my private life."
"Are you implying that we flaunt our relationship?", Taehyung seems offended.
"I mean...", he grins slyly.
"He's not wrong...", Jungkook agrees with his hyung.
"Whatever losers", Moonhae turns her attention away from them and snuggles into the crook of Taehyung's neck, who puts his phone down and wraps his other arm around her as well.
"Is Jin here?", a manager suddenly pops into the studio, peering at the figures sitting around, "Ah, Taehyung and Moon! You're here as well."
"What's up?", Jin questions him curiously.
"Do you know the show Kitchen Secrets?", he taps his fingers against the doorframe in anticipation.
"Oh I love that show", Moonhae pipes in an unenthusiastic manner as she lifts her head from Taehyung's neck.
"The one where everyone spills the beans while cooking?", Jungkook cuts in.
"Yes", the manager nods excitedly, "So you've been selected as the next celebrities to go on it."
"All of us?", Jungkook's eyes go round.
"No, actually just Taehyung, Moon, Jin and Jimin. They'll be joining the hosts", he informs him, "Speaking of which, have you seen Jimin?"
"No, he's probably off doing whatever- Why didn't they invite me?", Jungkook immediately whines.
"You should be happy, Jungkookie, at least you're not going to have a scandal because of something you say on the show", Jin tells him.
"Are you sure you want us on the show then?", Moonhae turns to the manager with raised eyebrows.
"Well, yes...", he chuckles nervously, "But PDnim wants to brief you on your behavior first."
"Great", both Taehyung and Moonhae exchange unamused glances.
They all dread the day at the Kitchen Secrets studio. Although the hosts treat them well because of their status, they know they'll set some kind of trap questions to get them to reveal some gossip. The whole premise of the show is to have the host teach them new recipes while the hostess encourages conversation and the spilling of secrets.
The four of them wait on the set that looks like an American kitchen in the 60s with a flashy dining table and all, before the cameras start rolling. Moonhae catches Taehyung eyeing her low-cut outfit from the other side of the counter, causing her to smirk.
"I wore it just for you", she mouths to him and his questioning look slowly subsides.
Jimin runs his hand through his light brown hair repeatedly while Jin just starts slapping the metal whisk he's found against the countertop. Eventually the hosts join them on set and cameras are ready to roll.
"Welcome to Kitchen Secrets everyone!", the hostess cheers as she claps her hands together excitedly, "Today we have V, Jimin and Jin from BTS and soloist Moon joining us in..."
"... Making a full course meal!", the host continues, "Our menu consists of Bibimbap, soft Tofu Stew and Spongecake! Let us begin!"
The atmosphere seems light-hearted when the host starts assigning them tasks to do to prepare the food. Jin has no problem keeping up with instructions as he even differs from what he's being told, to go by his own better judgement. Moonhae takes her time in chopping vegetables, answering the hostess's questions for her as they come. On the other hand, Jimin tries to do some cooking, but is too distracted by laughing at Taehyung's antics. The boy who's never been gifted in preparing food, comes up with strange ideas as to how he can help the rest of the group. Not actually helping much, he only causes more and more laughter.
"Taehyung is the worst cook I know", Jin says between breaths of his unique laugh.
"Really?", the hostess giggles while covering her mouth, "So you must be the one doing the cooking in your relationship then, right Moon?"
"No, we don't cook", she admits nonchalantly, "We usually eat out."
"I'm a restaurant connoisseur", Taehyung nods seriously, but everyone laughs.
"He really is though, he has a whole notebook where he writes super strict reviews", Moon adds.
"That's really something", the host chuckles, "So he can't cook, but he's the toughest critic there is?"
"I can cook!", Taehyung immediately protests, but Moonhae shakes her head adamantly for only the cameras to catch.
"Then show us what you got", the host challenges him, shoving an unpeeled carrot towards him with a knife. The boy accepts, getting to work on the vegetable as fast as he can, meticulously peeling and slicing with utmost care.
"So you Bangtan boys have a break from a very tiring world tour right now, don't you?", the hostess steers towards the next topic, "What's something that helps you going through all of it?"
"Of course...", Jin focuses on one of the cameras and blows a kiss, "It's you army that gets us through!"
Although the hostess is amused, it's not the type of answer she wants to get out of them for the sake of the show. There's a reason why their ratings are so high and it's because the celebrities say things they aren't allowed to or simply don't on other shows.
"What helps you through a long, tough and tiring day, Jimin?", she turns towards her next target.
Jimin licks his lips before answering bluntly, "A bottle of Soju."
Everyone laughs at that, the hostess pleased with her choice of words.
"Our dishes are getting along quite nicely, everyone. It's now time to prepare the spongecake!", the host announces excitedly for the viewers.
Preparing the spongecake turns out to be a whole mess in itself however. The hostess barely has any time to ask questions as the kitchen bursts out into chaos. With Jin yelling at Taehyung, who's dropped egg shells into the cake mixture and Jimin spilling flour everywhere in an attempt at mixing the ingredients together, the host frantically tries to regain control of his kitchen. Moonhae has completely shut off from following any type of direction and starts making her own little spongecake in order to prove to herself that she can in fact cook. At one point Jin yells at her for not helping and she merely flips him off, something that'll either be blurred out in post-production or cut completely.
When the whole ordeal comes to an end with them placing the unsteady spongecake into the oven, the hosts put their hands to their hearts in exhaustion.
"Alright, let's sit down and talk while we wait for the food", the host suggests and they follow him to the table.
Moonhae being the last to catch on, she walks over to find all five chairs already occupied. Immediately knowing this was done on purpose, this is Kitchen Secrets after all, she goes along with it, clearly not giving two shits about the boundaries Bang PD had given them. She sits herself on Taehyung's lap, who welcomes her with a cute grin and wraps his arms around her to keep her steady. The hosts look too pleased with themselves.
"Tell us a little more about your relationship, you two", the hostess smiles warmly, "When did you meet and when did you actually start dating?"
"I met Moonhae at the ISACs. We all met her there and became good friends", Taehyung explains curtly.
"You all as in the seven Bangtan boys?", the hostess confirms and he nods.
"We started dating last year in... April?", Moonhae looks down at Taehyung and he nods in assurance. Again, she knows that it'll cause a stir when people find out they had been dating a while before they announced it, but it's also exactly what the interviewers want to hear.
"You've dated for about a year and half? That's amazing!", the hostess clasps her hands together in excitement, "Do we see a wedding in the near future?"
Taehyung's eyes light up and he bites his lip from grinning, but Moonhae looks annoyed and like she wants to whack the hostess over the head. Turning his head towards Moon, Taehyung beams at her, but she merely shakes her head.
"No", Moonhae simply states in English and holds her palm out to signal a stop.
The expression on the boy's face drops a little, but when Moonhae leans into him to whisper something in his ear, he seems fine again.
"Alright then", the hostess chuckles, moving onto her next targets, "What about you, Jin? Anyone special in your life?"
"There are many special people in my life. The most important one being me", Jin deflects the question with a laugh and a cute pose.
"Oh you know what I mean!", she doesn't let it go easily.
"Well...", Jin gazes over at Jimin, who's playing with a fork on the table next to him, "Jimin has someone he likes."
The fork nearly stabs the boy in the arm when his hand slips. His eyes darting from the cameras to Jin and then to the hosts, Jimin seems highly confused and flustered.
"W-what?", he chuckles nervously.
"Do tell!", the hostess urges.
"Jimin has a crush on one of Moon's friends", Jin folds his hands on the table.
"Wait, really?", Moonhae turns on Taehyung's lap, now highly interested in the affair and definitely glad Jin managed to divert attention from revealing his relationship with Hyunae.
"Ah, um... Well, she's cute", a blushing Jimin admits reluctantly.
"Who is it?", Moonhae's eyes are widened in curiosity along with Taehyung's.
"I'm not going to tell you that!", he retorts, almost slamming his hand against the table.
"Aw, boo", she complains, but knows she'll drill him later.
"She's not Korean though", he pipes and something clicks in her mind. Something she doesn't like the thought of.
"Oh, this is so fun!", the hostess jumps in again, "Jimin the hopeless romantic!"
"Far from it", Taehyung can't help scoffing, earning a glare from his friend.
"Do you plan on asking her out, Jimin?", the host cuts in.
"Ah, no, no. It's just a crush, everyone. Let's all calm down", he raises his hands with a squinty smile, the blush still apparent on his cheeks and his ears red, "Army will forever be my girlfriends!"
With the cake's timer going off, they all know the worst has passed. The food being ready means no more secrets to spill, so they gather around the kitchen counter again, getting their chopsticks ready. Trying the three different dishes they've prepared plus the mini cake Moonhae made on the side, they enjoy their last few moments on the show. Along with a big goodbye, they're finally sent off, breathing a sigh of relief as they hit the dressing rooms.
"What the hell, Jin?", Jimin immediately pesters the man when they reach their room.
"Look, I'm sorry", he speaks honestly, "But having my relationship come out would've been a disaster. You played your crush off perfectly, it was completely fine."
"He's not wrong", Taehyung agrees and Jimin sighs at that, knowing they're right.
When Moonhae bursts in, however, her mood seems different from the rest though.
"There's no way, Jimin", she shakes her head slowly.
"What?"
"You don't actually have a crush on Aya, do you?", she places her hands on her hips, staring him down.
"...I do", he admits in a small voice.
Her mind flashes to their first encounter when Jimin had flirted shamelessly with her, kissing her hand and telling her she's pretty. It's a thing he does often with girls and guys alike, so she wasn't worried, but the thought of Aya must've stuck with him. Remembering the Japanese fashion magazines she found piled in his room, it dawns on her that Aya models for that exact brand. It was so obvious, especially when he joined them on a FaceTime call and acted like a complete idiot a couple months ago.
"Jimin, no", she scolds him, "She just turned nineteen! You're twenty-three!"
"I never said I would pursue her, but for your information: I don't think age matters as long as you're both consenting adults", he purses his lips.
"B-but she's like a child. You have no idea", she somehow tries to convince the man to see her the way she does. As the innocent little girl she needs to protect.
"Well, I'd like to get to know her", Jimin reasons.
"She has a thing with Kaito though", she finally says.
"What kind of a thing?", he cocks his eyebrows.
"I don't know! Young people are complicated!", she admits in exasperation, "But it's definitely not nothing."
There's a lingering pause before Taehyung cuts in, slightly butt-hurt, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Cause you would have told Moonhae and then this would've happened", he explains to his best friend, the only member he hadn't mentioned it to, which definitely wasn't easy for him.
"Okay, look, Jimin", Moonhae sighs deeply, "Do you honestly like her?"
"Yes", he answers without hesitation.
Taking in his unfaltering expression, she mulls everything over for a moment. Considering his feelings, she slowly comes to a silent resolution.
"Okay, alright", she says calmly before turning to leave.
"Wait, what are you doing, Moonhae?", Jimin suddenly panics, not knowing what she's thinking, "Moonhae, wait!"