Why Me?

I woke up after what felt like the best night’s sleep I had gotten in a while. The warmth from last night was gone. I didn’t expect him to stay, but couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed when he wasn’t there. I guess it would look bad if he wasn’t in his room when the other members woke up. I stretched my arms before sliding out of bed to begin my morning routine. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t stay to see me like this. After making myself look somewhat decent, I headed to the kitchen to please my growling stomach. There was no one in the kitchen or the living room. Did I really wake up that early? I went to check Tae’s room to see if he and his two roommates were still asleep. No one. All three beds empty and made. The whole dorm was completely deserted. Either they all left really early, or they were playing a prank on me. The latter didn’t seem too much of a stretch knowing them. I walked back to the kitchen and noticed a small note taped to the fridge.

Paisley,
We have rehearsal in the morning so we will be gone when you wake up. You can join us for lunch at 12:30 if you feel like it. I wrote down the address below and there is some cash for a cab in the envelope. Be safe if you decide to come!
Jin

I looked down at the address and copied it into my phone. This would be my first real Korean meal in Korea! I looked at the clock. 8:15. I can’t wait to eat until 12:30, so I’ll just make myself a quick breakfast. I poured myself a bowl of cereal before sitting down on the couch and switching on the TV. I flipped through the channels, hoping to find something decent to watch. I settled on some comedy show, before diving into the somewhat soggy cereal. I finished and washed my bowl before heading to my room to make myself presentable for public eyes.

At noon, I called in a taxi to pick me up down the street, and gave him the address after sliding into the back seat. After 20 minutes of staring out the window at the unfamiliar scenery, the driver stopped in front of a tall building. I quickly thanked him and paid the fee. Was this really the building? It was in such a strange part of town, but I trusted Jin. I walked up the steps and opened the door to the mysterious building. How am I going to find them in here? This place is huge! Plus, they weren’t going to let me in that easily. I just look like a foreign fan. No one here knows who I am except the members. I walked up to the front desk and waited for the lady to notice me
“What can I do for you today?”
“Um… I’m supposed to meet the members of BTS here at 12:30.”
“Do you have a pass?” A pass? That would’ve been nice to have Jin.
“Uh no they didn’t give me a pass. Just the address.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you in if you don’t have a pass. I’m sorry, it’s just the company policy.”
“No, it’s fine! That’s completely understandable.” What do I do now? This lady was staring at me like I was a psychopath, and I have no way of communicating with any of the boys. At that moment, I looked up and saw Bang PD-nim step out of the elevator. Oh wow it’s the PD-nim of Big Hit Entertainment. WAIT! I KNOW HIM! I waved at him when he looked up, and he began to walk towards me. He always looked so dang jolly.
“Nice to see you again. Have a nice first night in South Korea?” You could say that.
“Yes I did! Thank you. The boys actually told me to meet them here at 12:30, but they neglected to provide me with a pass to get in.”
“Ah yes. They aren’t very prepared for that kind of thing.” He talked to the front desk lady and I was finally let in. “I’ll print you a pass so that you can get in when you need to.”
“Thank you so much PD-nim,” I said bowing to him.
“They’re on the third floor. You’ll probably hear the music blasting from the room they’re in.” I nodded and once again bowed as he walked off. I got into the elevator and took it to the third floor. PD-nim was right. I could hear the music all the way from the elevator. I took a deep breath after I got to the door. This would be my first time seeing him after last night. I had to act like I didn’t hear any of it. The music stopped and I took the opportunity to knock on the door. It opened and I was met with a sweaty and panting Jungkook. My body grew stiff.
“Noona!” A chorus of curious “noonas?” came from the other side of the door. Jungkook opened the door for me to come in and I saw all of the members as equally sweaty and panty as Jungkook.
“PAIS!”
“Ew Tae. You’re all sweaty,” I whined as he threw his arms around me in a big bear hug.
“Hey don’t hog the foreigner,” Jimin complained.
“I found her first.”
“So?”
“What am I, a dog?!” I flicked both of the boys on the nose and walked towards the other members to greet them. We spent the next two hours eating the lunch that had been prepared for us before the boys had to get back to practice. I said goodbye and went outside to catch a cab home.
“Pais!” I looked towards the sound and saw Tae running towards me.
“Tae! Be careful! Someone might see us!”
“Be careful getting home. Here’s my number in case anything happens. Just give it a call if anything does, ok?”
“You ran out here because you wanted to make sure I was safe?”
“Well yeah.” I smiled and gave him a light peck on the cheek.
“Thank you Tae. Now get back to practice.” I watched him disappear through the doors of the building before hailing a cab.

I got to the house and wondered what the heck I was supposed to do for the 1,200 hours I would be stuck in this house alone. I looked around and decided to play house wife while I waited. I washed the boys’ sheets and vacuumed the floors. I pretty much cleaned everything. They may not be here that often, but they are still boys. I looked around, pleased with my work. I collapsed onto the couch, feeling immediate relief in my aching muscles. Cleaning was so dang hard. Maids must be like macho and buff or something because I know I’m going to be sore tomorrow. Minutes after closing my eyes, sleep took over my fatigued body.

Taehyung

The rest of practice I couldn’t stop smiling. My stomach was fluttering, and my face grew hot every time I thought about her. When practice was over, I collapsed into the chair by my bag, tired from the long day of rehearsing.
“What’s got you grinning like a mad man?” I looked up at Jin, after taking a sip from my water.
“Can’t I just be happy? Is that unnatural?”
“Normally I would say it’s weird, but coming from you, I never know what to expect from you.” I shot him a wide grin. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not suspicious.”
“What are you suspicious about hyung?” Jimin had come over to join the conversation.
“Why Tae seems so giddy all of a sudden.”
“He’s been like that since after lunch.” Jin narrowed his eyes.
“You’re right. He was like a completely different person after he came back inside from making sure Pais got out safely. What exactly happened between you two?” I stared at him blankly. I had to throw him off, and pretend it had nothing to do with Pais.
“Nothing happened hyung. All I did was make sure she got a cab safely.” He was about to say something when Namjoon called us.
“Are you guys coming or not? I’m starving.” I smirked when the two interrogators turned around to follow Namjoon out the door. I quickly packed my stuff, and followed. I wanted to get home too.

Paisley

I was woken by the banging of the front door and the sudden flood of boys’ laughter sounding throughout the dorm. Aish, they’re so loud. I was mid-yawn when they walked into the living room.
“Did we wake you Pais?” Jin asked.
“Oh no, not at all. The none existent chirping bird woke me up right before you guys got here,” I said dryly.
“Point taken.” I looked at the chuckling boys before standing up and heading for my room.
“Where are you going?” I heard Jimin ask.
“To my room where I can continue my nap in peace. That darn bird is just too noisy. Oh and I cleaned the whole house. You’re welcome.”
I got to my room and collapsed on the bed. I didn’t even care that I still needed to wash my face. I would live if I didn’t wash my face for one day. Still tired from the full day of cleaning, I quickly fell back asleep.

What time is it? Oh, like four in the morning. No big deal. That’s what I get for going to bed at seven. I was really thirsty though. I got out of bed, and headed for the kitchen. To my surprise, the light was already on. Guess I wasn’t the only one with a parched mouth at this early in the morning. I walked into the kitchen and saw him sitting at the bar staring intently at the cup of water in his hands.
“Are you trying to become a water bender or something?” He jumped a mile at my voice, and I laughed at how startled I had made him
“Aish. A warning would’ve been nice,” he grumbled. After getting my own cup of water, I joined him at the bar.
“Couldn’t sleep?” No duh he couldn’t sleep Pais. Why would he be here if he could sleep?
“Nope.”
“Going to bed at seven wasn’t really smart. Didn’t really take into consideration that when you go to sleep earlier, you tend to wake up earlier.” He chuckled lightly at my rambling. “Why didn’t you come to my room if you couldn’t sleep?”
“Why would I do that?” I sighed at his reply.
“I was awake last night.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you came in…” I saw his body stiffen.
“So you heard everything?”
“Yup.” I heard him sigh.
“Well it was true… All of it. While I wasn’t expecting you to hear any of it, I did mean what I said.”
“So you weren’t…”
“Pais? What are you doing in here so late?” Was that Jin? “Oh Tae you’re in here too? You two sure are suspicious.”
“We’re just settling something Jin. I promise we’re not planning to elope or anything weird.”
He had gotten his glass of water and was walking out of the kitchen. He stopped half way and turned around to look at us.
“I believe you, but it’s so obvious you guys like each other.” I watched his retreating body disappear with a dropped jaw.
“Well. There’s no use in arguing with him.”
“I never said I liked you,” I retorted. I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it when I saw his hurt face. I watched him stand up and walk towards the door.
“Tae that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Why do you even care how I feel?”
“Why would I not care about how you feel?”
“Are you saying you actually like me?”
“What if I do?! I know you said you didn’t want a boyfriend yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like you.”
“Tae…”
“Why else would I come into your room in the middle of the night, and spill my emotions to you when I thought you couldn’t hear? It’s not like you were supposed to hear any of that.”
“Well I did! Every last bit of it! From the time you laid beside me and pulled me into your arms to when you said goodnight… I couldn’t help being disappointed this morning when you weren’t there when I woke up!” I watched his eyes widen, and my hand flew up to my mouth as my eyes widened too. I quickly stood up and pushed past his frozen form towards my room. I felt my eyes sting with tears, threatening to spill over. Why was I even crying? It didn’t matter anyways. I wasn’t going to date anytime soon. I wasn’t ready no matter how much my heart wanted to give in. I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor. But why did I need to wait? Yeah I moved to a new country, but I haven’t dated anyone my whole life. Wasn’t my plan to start over here? Isn’t that one of the reasons I moved to South Korea straight out of high school? What was holding me back?
“Pais…” I looked up and saw Tae through the crack of my door.
“Come in. I’m sorry. I had no right to blow up like I did. I don’t even know why I’m crying.” He sat down next to me as I wiped my damp cheeks, and I heard him sigh. “We sure do like sighing don’t we.” I heard him chuckle and a small grin spread across my face.
“I’m sorry for accusing you of all that stuff. I was just frustrated.” He ran his fingers through his hair before looking at me.
“Tae I’m ready.”
“Ready? Ready for what? You’re not about to make some huge life changing decision are you?” I laughed at how daft he was being. I looked at him with a cheeky grin.
“You pabo… but I’d say dating you could be pretty life changing.”

Notes