Jen ran around backstage to find her family as soon as she read a text from Vienna that they were here. It’s been ages. She couldn’t contain her excitement. It’s been so long since she’s seen her family. Tonight, was the BTS Begins concert and finally, her family could attend a BTS concert together.

“There she is!” Her dad shouts, running up to her. He catches her as she jumps into his arms, spinning her around.

“Jennie!” Her sisters squeal, joining in the hug with their mom.

Jennie couldn’t help but tear up as her chest tightened from the overwhelming emotion of seeing her family. When she pulls away, Alani giggles and wipes her developing tears. “Girl, don’t ruin your make up.”

“I’m just so happy you guys are here.” She sniffs.

“Wow, just look at you. You’re really growing up. Still, have a good head on your shoulders I see.” Her mom runs a hand through her hair, admiring how grown up she looked.

“And your butt got bigger.” Vienna points out, poking it.

“Hey! Hands off.” Jennie laughs.

“Your grandparents, aunts and uncle also made it. They’re in their seats.” Her dad informs her.

“Awesome. We’re definitely going out to dinner afterwards. Here, let me introduce you to the members. Come on!” She gestures the, to follow her. She heads into a room to see the members chilling around. “Hey, my family is here.”

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Hobi squeals and rushes out his seat, eager to meet them.

“Don’t make them deaf.” She laughs and opens the door, gesturing for her family to come in. “Guys, this is my mom, my dad, and older sisters, Vienna and Alani.”

“So, these are the guys who got you in good hands.” Her dad nods in approval. “It’s very nice to finally meet you.”

“We’ve been expecting you.” Namjoon politely greets. “I’m Rap Monster. Leader of BTS. It’s nice to meet you. Jennie has been working very hard. We’re really proud of her growth.”

“Oh, don’t gas me up.” Jennie feels her face warm up from his praise. “This is Jimin.” She points to him as he shyly waves and says, “Hello.” In English. “That’s Yoongi, Jin, this is our burst of energy, Hobi.”

“Hello, I’m your Hope.” He smiles.

“Taehyung. He was the first friend I made in Korea.” She smiles.

“Hello!” He happily waves, showing off his boxy grin.

“And this is Jungkook.” She points him out as he smiles politely, greeting them respectfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, fellas. Thank you for taking care of our daughter.” Her mom beams. Namjoon and Jen had to translate so the members and her family could understand each other. “We hope she’s not a handful.”

“No! I’m not a handful.” Jen defends herself.

“We’ll let the members be the judge of that.” Her dad laughs.

Her sisters catch Jungkook watching Jen with a smile as they glance at each other knowingly. “I saw that.” Vienna murmurs.

“I did too.” Alani nods. “So that’s Jungkook in the flesh.”

Jen’s mom had informed the members that she’s an orthodontist and if they need any help with their teeth, to give her a call. When the members found out, they were amazed at her profession.

“Whaaaa, so that’s why munchkin’s smile is so pretty.” Hobi confirms, staring at Jen and her mom back and forth.

---

The concert was going great as the members finished performing Boy in Luv. The members gathered around the stage after taking a short water break. Each of them was sweating from performing all night. And now it was getting time to close the show. Jen stood next to Jimin and Hobi.

“Okay, so that was it for BTS Live Trilogy Episode I. BTS Begins.” Rapmon says as the fans begin to aw in protest. “Thank you so much again for being here together with us. Let’s say our goodbyes one by one. Let’s start with our babygirl, Jennie.”

Miss Bangtan looks around at the fans with a smile as they cheer for her. “Did you guys have fun!?”

“Yes!” They loudly respond.

“I love you, all!”

“We love you, too!”

She looked content as she exhales. “Okay.” She pauses. “I’m not great at expressing my feelings. There’s always so much I want to say but sometimes I can’t express it into words. But I’m always overwhelmed with happiness because of your passion. ARMY, you give me that strength, that extra push to overcome anything. You make this experience exciting. It’s thanks to you ARMY, BTS is where we’re at today. Thank you for always cheering us on. We’re grateful for that. Our families are here tonight…” She trails her as she pauses, looking down at her feet.

“Awwww! Don’t cry!” The crowd starts to say as they notice her trying to pull herself together. The members look on, smiling because it was tears of joy.

“I’m trying not to cry!” She laughs, looking back up at the crowd. “But, the fact that I get to perform in front of my family tonight, is truly special. I dunno where they are in the crowd but I’m very happy that I get to show you how much I’ve grown as a performer. Thank you for always being there for me in spirit even if you’re not always here to visit me or vice versa. I love you.” She smiles and bows, waving at the crowd.

Next was Jungkook, “I’m not Rap Monster, the guy with sexy brains, so I’m not really good with words. After many international tours and shows, it’s been a long time since we’ve had this amazing concert in Korea. I was surprised at your voice again and was touched again. I’m not good with words so I’ll repeat what I had written before. It’s because of you that I am here. And we are here.” He says as he receives cheers. “Thank you so much and we’ll prepare more great shows like this. So please cheer for us with loud voices. Thank you.”

“I’ll go next.” Jin speaks up. “I make an effort to communicate a lot with our ARMY via our official online café. I sometimes blurt out some comment but that’s a lot coming from me. I talked on the phone with my mother and she said, ‘I feel so grateful that there are so many friends who stand by you’. So, I feel grateful that you’re here. Thank you.”

“Did you have fun today?” Hobi asks

“Yes!” The crowd responds.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

“I love you, too. Before the show started I was really nervous but now that I’m up here performing, it’s fun. I have something I really want to say, today. I was really happy today. In fact, what singers feel on their show are ‘really fun, excited, hot passionate’, these types of emotions mostly. But I was really happy today. It’s you. I am happy all thanks to you. It’s thanks to your cheers, that our songs can echo louder.”

The crowd starts chanting don’t cry because it looked like Hobi was tearing up as his voice became shaky. “It’s thanks to your applause, that we get more attention and focus from the public and the fans.” He goes on. “Thank you so much for coming and rooting so passionately for us. Today my family came here. I don’t know where they are but BTS’ families are here. My mom, dad and older sister. It was so nice to show them how we perform and I felt really happy. Thank you. I will improve more as well as BTS improving more. I’ll show you with actions, not words. I love you.”

“I am so sorry to keep you waiting for long.” Jimin speaks as Jennie chuckles and shakes her head. “It’s been so nice to see you like this. You know what I think? In the back, I went over what I was going to say on stage and I wanted to say something cool like Rap Monster.”

“I didn’t say anything yet.” Rapmon speaks on the mic with a smile.

“But I’m not good at that.” Jimin looks around.

“It’s okay, you have a great body.” Rapmon adds as Jimin shoots him a thumbs up.

“And I’ve made a lot of mistakes which I’ll regret later at home. Anyway, as J-Hope said, I’ve had such a happy time to be able to perform in front of you again, like this. Can you love us with the same passion on the next album?”

“Yes!” The crowd cheers.

“You’ll continue to love us?”

“Yes!”

“To all of those who love our songs and love our performances, I want to say thank you and I love you. Thank you so much.”

“Yes.” Yoongi looks around. “Of all the countries, we’ve been on a tour, there’s no place like Korea. I love it here. In fact, about this time last year, we had our fan meeting here. Some of you may remember and some of you might not have been there but today feels like that day and I love it. it’s been a year since our fan meeting but I honestly think that without you fans, BTS won’t exist. We’ll have no shape or form. But ARMY, thanks to you fans, we, BTS, can exist. And Suga, not Min Yoongi, can exist. Thank you so, so much and I want to tell you again, I love you. I love you, guys.”

“Yes, you guys…” V speaks. “I was really looking forward to this concert. This is our second concert after Episode 2. I have been waiting for this concert. And now we’ve had this show and I think ARMY is the best. Yes, and my mom and dad are here today. Can I tell them something?”

“Yes!”

“Dad, mom! Thank you for bringing me into this world with ARMY.” He grins and bows. “And I promise to make even better stages than American TV series. I’ll make them.”

“I’m done.” Jennie laughs.

“Why you?” Yoongi asks.

“What about us?” Jin asks.

“We should all make them together.” Jimin suggests with a giggle.

“VTS.” Hobi announces.

“Just kidding.” V says. “BTS will go on for 10, 20 years so…you’ll stay with us, right?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you so much.”

“I feel so proud.” Rap Monster finally speaks. “Last year here, in our fan meeting everyone was like, ‘what should I say? ‘What do I tell them?’, ‘How should I speak? I want to say something cool.’, But now they can all express how grateful they feel to those who are here. I recently released RM. It’s the first work in 8 years since I’ve started to rap. That’s not what I’m trying to say but there is Problematic man and I have my individual schedule recently. So, I was really worried to work for both that and concert preparation. I should be more invested in the concert to show you a good performance but I was worried if my schedule would make it possible. But a few days ago I thought, how lucky I am to have these kinds of worries. I was grateful that I get to be worried if I could pull off this concert well.”

He goes on, “Before then, I told my members, this is so hard, that is so hard, I am so busy, I’m so tired. I’d say this to them a lot. But one day I was sitting in the work room and realized how happy and lucky I was to be able to feel pressure about this concert and to want to do something more. So, after that, I felt really happy getting ready and waiting for the concert. It’s been so fun and now I’m having my own schedules but the other members are preparing a lot of individual things and have a lot to show you in the future. As a leader, I started my individual activities first but the other members are working hard and practicing for their thing, getting better and ready. So, please look forward to seeing them doing great things. Thank you again so much to take your precious time and be here with us.”

Jimin interrupts him because he wanted to give a shout out to his dad. “Father! Thank you so much for letting me be on this stage, father! Also, I am so grateful and happy that Rap Monster is our leader and that I have BTS members.”

“Yes, I have my parents and relatives here as well. And I want to tell them thank you and I love you. With this in mind, we’ll give you our last song. Hopefully, you enjoy it.” Rapmon says as the lights go out.

The members stand around in a circle as Jen stands in between Suga and Jimin. As soon as Jungkook begins to sing the first words of Born Singer, the crowd erupts into cheers. The stage goes around slowly as it spins them in a slow circle.

I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek (I swear)
eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo
I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good, whoa whoa, Yeah yeah yeah

Jennie looked down at her feet as she listed to Suga passionately begin to rap,

nansaeng cheoeum bangtaniran ireumeuro seon mudae
Samnyeon jeon cheotmudaeui maeumeul dashi geomunhae
Yeojeonhi daegu chonnom raeppeowa dareulge eobseotji but
Amachueoran daneo wie peuroran daneoreul deot sseotji
Geutorok weonhadeon mudae raepeul hamyeo choom choolddae
Ajik sala isseumeul neuggyeo pigonhago godwin chooltwindae
Ddawineun gyeondilmanhae naesaramdeuli jikyeobonigga
Momi apado beotilmanhae hamseongdeuli millyeo onigga
Debwi jeonhooui chauijeom aidolgwa raeppeo sai gyeonggyeeh
Salado yeojeonhi nae gongcheken raimi chaisseo
Daegishilgwa mudae saieseon peneul deulgo gasareul sseo
Ireon naega nideul nooneneun myeoga dallajweosseo?
Damn shit nan yeojeonhae
Naega byeonhaetdago? (what?) gaseo jeonhae
Byeonhameobshi bonjileul jikyeo I’m still rapperman
Samnyeonjeongwa dareumeobshi raebhago noraehae I’m out

Putting the mic up to her lip, she begins to sing softly, “I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek, I swear. Eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo, yeogi isseo…”

I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good
After Rapmon’s rap, the vocal line sung the chorus.
I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek (I swear)
eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo (yeogi isseo)
I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good

Placing the mic back to her mouth, she begins to her verse, “Every time I look in the mirror I see that little girl staring at me with big dreams. Be an Idol, I said, well look at me now. But it’s not over yet, this journey won’t stop here. I have a long way to go, I must not fear. And these haters dare try to define me and claim my color is wrong?” Her voice ends up growling as she closes her eyes, holding the mic with both hands.

“Despite the tears I’ve shed, I will remain strong. Every doubt these haters have, I will prove em wrong. From the countless guitar strumming to the dance practices, I knew the success was forthcoming. My daddy always told me to follow my heart. My mama always told me to take the risks. My sisters always told me these road blocks will be persevered. And my brothers always told me not let these haters define me.”

She opens her eyes, removing one hand from the mic. “I’m still that same little girl but with bigger dreams and motivations.” She places a hand over her heart. “I’ll continue to do my own thing, no one’s stopping my shine.”

I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek (I swear)
eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo (yeogi isseo)
I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good
uriga ddwieotdeon nal uri gachi gyeokeotdeon nal
Samnyeoniran shigan modu hanaga dwaetdeon maeum
Geureoge heulrin piddami nal jeokshine
Mudaega ggeutnan dwi noonmooli beonjine
Maesungan mada jashinege dajimhae choshimeul ilji anhge
Hansan nadamge cheoeumui naehge buggeureobji ahnge
So we go we go we go
Deo wiro wiro wiro

After J-Hope’s rap, all the members turn around, singing the chorus.

I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek (I swear)
eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo (yeogi isseo)
I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good

The members place their mics up in the air as the crowd takes over to sing. Jennie felt herself tearing up. Then they sing the chorus one last time.

I’m a born singer jom neujeobeorin gobaek (I swear)
eonjenna meolgiman haesseotdeon shingiruga noon abe isseo (yeogi isseo)
I’m a born singer eojjeomyeon ireun gobaek
geuraedo neomu haengbokhae I’m good

The crowd cheers loudly as the confetti shoots out from the ceiling. The members gather around, holding hands as they take their bows.

“Thank you! Thank you!” The members shout, waving at the crowd. Jennie tags a few hands, with a big smile on her face, walking around the arena as the members scatter around. She ends up blowing kissing with Hobi and she even grabbed some lucky phones from fans to take a selfie.

Afterwards, the members gather around again. “Yes, for over 2 and a half hours, I was truly happy. I hope you were too. Thank you so much again.” Rapmon says as they take their final set of bows, thanking the crowd once again.

“Yah, yah, yah, what are you guys doing?” The teacher speaks up from the stage. “I told you guys to get back inside after cleaning the music room! Hurry inside. And you guys, write down what is on the blackboard.”

The members walk up the stage as the teacher kept asking various questions. “Are you BTS or something? Hurry up inside, you troublemakers. I wonder what they’ll become when they grow up. I’m losing sleep because of you.”

The members walk up the steps and take a seat in the classroom before looking back at the crowd as the concert ends.

---

After the show, Jennie offered to take the family out to dinner to catch up before they would have to leave early in the morning.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you all came. I know how busy we all are but thank you for coming.” She smiles. Seeing her family tonight gave her an extra push to perform even harder, to show how much she’s grown as a performer. It was special performing in front of them, tonight.

“Of course, I wished that we came to your other concerts but we were fortunate to be able to attend this one.” Her mom smiles.

“So, what did you think of the concert?” She smiles nervously.

“Absolutely incredible!” Her dad praises.

“Yeah, can I just say that I felt attacked throughout that entire show?” Vienna raises her hand.

“It’s great to see you so loved from fans. Wonderful job out there.” Her Uncle adds.

“That dancing of yours, the body rolls, the hips, where did all that come from?” Alani asks in amazement.

“I agree, I never seen you dance like that with Amity. What changed?” Her aunt, from her mom’s side, decided to ask.

Jen smiles, thinking of Hobi. “A friend just told me to dance and I just broke the chain that was holding me back.”

“It’s going to take some time to see my granddaughter dance like that. But wonderful job out there.” Her grandma on her mom’s side spoke.

“So, what are you working on now, in BTS?” Alani asks.

“Well, I’m learning to rap.” Jennie proudly reveals.

“Eh…singing suits you better.” Her aunt declares, earning an annoyed look from her sister.“It’s like everyone wants to be rappers these days. You can do so much more.”

“I love to sing but I’d like to rap too. Been wanting to for a few years.”

“Why? You’re great at singing, why don’t you just stay with what you’re skilled in?”

“Because I want to branch out and learn more musically.” She strongly states her plans. “Yoongi told me how different I sound when I rap. My voice becomes rawer and we’re working on putting more emotion in my voice when I rap.”

“Rap? Hm…you don’t look like a rapping type of person…” Her grandfather on her dad’s side murmurs.

“It’s best not to judge a book by its cover, Pop Pop.”

Alani and Vienna snort in unison, feeling proud of their baby sister for standing up for what she wants to do in her life. If she wanted to rap, let her rap. It was interesting, yet sad to see their family divided on what Jen wanted to do.

“If she wants to rap, let her rap.” Their mom speaks up. “Your father and I support you. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Jen smiles gratefully. “I’m also trying to improve my dancing and vocal skills. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, y’know?”

“Are you making a lot of friends in Korea?” Her aunt on her dad’s side asks.

“Oh yeah, I have quite a handful. I want to get to know more idols as well. I do get stared at a lot. Sometimes I think it’s because of my hair.” She lets out a chuckle.

“Or it’s because of the skin color.” Her mom’s sister blurts out.

“Really?” Her mom snaps.

“I’m just saying.”

“Okay, but did you really need to bring that up? Ignore her, please keep talking.”

Jen lets out a sigh. She hoped they wouldn’t begin bickering. “I mean, it could be that too. But it doesn’t really bother me. I’ve been getting more accepted lately, and I’m happy about that. I seem well loved now than I was when I first debuted.”

“How’s school in Korea?” Her dad asks.

“English is simple, my guitar class is starting to get more challenging. But school is…school.” She shrugs.

“How long are you doing this BTS thing for? Will you be leaving the group anytime soon to come back to America?” Her aunt speaks up again. She clearly still wasn’t fond of Jen being in Korea in the first place.

“You never know what the future may hold. I hope that BTS lasts for a long time.” Jen answers calmly.

“You think you’ll ever leave BTS?”

“No way.” She answers immediately. “They’re my family. Why would I leave?”

“You really like asking questions about her leaving a group she’s happy with, huh Nicole?” Her mom frowns at her sister, shaking her head.

“I’m just curious.” Nicole shrugs.

“She’s staying in Korea.”

Jennie face palms as her sisters, sitting on each side of her start chuckling. “They’re worse when they’re back home.” Vienna informs.

“I’m sure.” Jennie murmurs.

“So how is Big Hit Entertainment?” Her uncle speaks up with a smile.

Jennie looks up at her Uncle, thankful he changed the subject. “I love the company. Everyone is so supportive, even the staff and managers. And I’m very happy that they take my hair and skin in consideration. Being in BTS, we always help and support each other. And we have heart to hearts. I feel like we’re stronger together when we work together.”

Suddenly Nicole sighs. “Sometimes I do wish you went solo instead. You have potential. I think being in a group holds you back.”

“I beg to differ.” Jennie stands her ground. “Being in a group helps me grow as we all grow together. I used to dance stiffly until Hobi helped me out. My breathing when I sing and as I practice rapping has improved thanks to Jungkook and Yoongi respectively. And I feel more like myself thanks to the members. Every one of us has changed musically and we’re only improving.”

“Going solo can give you more opportunities.” Her grandma on her dad’s side speaks up.

“I agree.” Her grandfather from her mom’s side nods. “I feel as though you can reach more success going solo.”

Jennie lets out another sigh. Seriously? Nothing they could say will make her not want to be in a group. She enjoyed working with a team. She understands that families will say things like this. They just want to see their younger ones strive for success but this right here was unnecessary.

“Sorry but a group is where I’ll be staying.” She asserts.

“Suit yourself.”

“Lately, we’ve been getting word that Songstress Entertainment would like you and Angelina to come back for an Amity reunion. Are you considering? Fans would love to see it.” Nicole reveals.

“Hell no. Fuck outta here.” Jen immediately retorts.

“Don’t curse Jennifer.” Her grandparents on both sides lecture in unison.

“Sorry.” She waves their lectures away.

“Don’t you think you’re being selfish to the fans? They’ve been anticipating it. Hoping you all would move past the bad blood.” Her aunt adds.

Jen stares at her as irritation filled her voice. “No.”

As the dinner progressed, with Jennie taking a break from being the center of discussion, a timid fan came over, bowing politely, speaking in broken English. “I’m sorry to bother, but I want you to have. I hope it the right candy.” The girl presents her a bag of smarties.

“Oh wow, thank you so much.” She bows, accepting them with a smile.

“You were amazing tonight. I hope you get lot of rest and eat well. I’m looking forward to next comeback.” The fan leaves, making Jennie feel good inside.

“Well, that was sweet.” Vienna smiles.

“Don’t you get annoyed by that? Fans coming over like that while you’re eating?” Her dad’s sister asks.

“Not at the moment. It always brings joy to my heart to see fans do the little things for you.” Jennie replies with no hesitation. The fan seemed to be in a hurry to get home although she waited patiently as long as she could. It was a sweet gesture. Everyone in the BTS fandom knew of her smartie obsession.

“So…you got a boyfriend, yet?” Her father blurts out, causing everyone to laugh. Jennie turns to him in shock.

“Dad!”

“What? I’m curious.”

“Yeah, when are you going to get a man? We gotta check him out, make sure he’s good for you.” Her Uncle chimes in with a smile.

“Alani got herself a fine, young black man at her college.” Her mom informs her. “He’s majoring in Political Science. Such a polite young man. Very handsome too.”

“Oh, is that so?” Jennie murmurs, disinterested.

Here we go…she was not in the mood to talk about anyone’s relationship. This was normal in her family. There were family members that weren’t even here tonight that would talk about how they looked forward to them dating. Vienna had suffered from her family setting her up with various guys back in high school and she refused every one of them when she vowed to never date again after being cheated on. It was a headache for the three sisters.

“Why are you telling everyone my business? Jeesh, it’s not a big deal.” Alani frowns. She tried to keep her relationship a secret but somehow, some way, someone spilled the beans and showed photos on her private Instagram. She was livid when her secret got out.

“Oh hush, be proud.” Her grandma on her dad’s side waves her comment away. “We’re still trying to get Vienna to get herself a man. She’s so stubborn.”

“Ain’t happenin’. I’m only hooking up with people. I don’t do relationships…” Vienna shrugs.

“We should just leave it alone. Clearly, she doesn’t want to date.” Her Uncle says.

“I hope you find yourself with someone in your race.” Nicole tells Jennie.

“Young love is a thing, y’know. I want you to be happy.” Her mom adds.

“I am happy.” Jennie insists.

“You could be happy-er…with a black man.” Her mom smiles.

“I’m happy-er with myself.” She bluntly counters.

“Has anyone been interested in you, yet?” Vienna asks.

“Uhhhh not that I know of? I mean I’m pretty sure the guys in Korea would want to date someone in their race anyway. But whatever happens, happens.”

“You mean to tell us that NO ONE is interested??”

“I mean I don’t think so. I’ve had a few guys have a small crush on me but I don’t think they’re looking for a relationship. I think they want to experiment if you know what I mean. Get an idea of how it feels to be with a foreigner.”

“I think you should put yourself out there, find yourself a nice fella. You’re not getting any younger.” Nicole points out. “Don’t drown yourself in your work. Go out.”

“I’m still a teen, jeesh. And no. I’m too busy anyway, BTS is only working harder. We have no time to date anyone. None. Nada. And whenever the time comes when someone has my heart, then I guess I’ll be dating. But jeesh, let me live.” Jennie exclaims.

“Do you still talk to that fella from American Hustle Life? The one that was in the Boy in Luv music video with you?” Her mom asks.

“Kevin? Yeah. We text each other, see each other’s Instagram posts. We always keep in touch.”

“What about him?”

Jennie stares at her mom with an ‘Are you kidding me?’ facial expression. “Um, no? He thinks of me as a little sister. I think of him as a big brother. Stop trying to force something.” She confirms.

She did miss him and hoped to see him soon, though. She would have to text him after dinner to see what plans they could make since they both were busy. Him with school and work, and her with BTS, but thankfully technology was there so they could stay in touch.

“Darn…”

“Well, I’m just really looking forward to her dating, whenever she’s ready. Maybe it can inspire Vienna to date. Don’t let a cheater make you not want to date anymore. There’s good men out there.” Her aunt on her dad’s side adds, causing Vienna to stubbornly frown.

“Just make sure you find yourself a fine, young black man when you’re back in America.” Her mom requests.

Jennie looks down on her food as she speaks up, “And what if I don’t date someone within my race?”

Her comment caused everyone to stop talking and look at her. Feeling the intense stares, she looks up from her food. “Is that a problem?” She goes on.

“You really want more heat on you if you date someone outside your race? Do you really want more hate on you? People talking about you? I wonder what people would think if you date a White or Asian guy. You’re already dealing with racism. You really want more stuff to deal with?” Her grandma questions.

“So, you think you’re too good to date someone within your own race?” Nicole questions.

“Did I say that? No.” Jennie fires back. “As long as someone sees me for who I am and treats me right, that’s all that should matter. Who cares about the race? I don’t care what people will think about me or how people will react. If I’m happy with the guy, and he’s happy with me, that should be all that matters. A relationship is with two people. Not fans, family and friends.” She states her opinion, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

How the heck did this family conversation turn into her personal life? That’s not what she wanted. She did not want to end up snapping on anyone because of their disagreement with her opinions as of late.

“Well I for one, don’t care who you date, as long as they treat you right.” Her father reassures her.

“We agree.” Her sisters add, and so do her Aunt and Uncle on her dad’s side.

“Thank you. Some people with some sense.” Jennie grumbles in irritation.

“Alani, Vienna, the both of you have your license, right?” Their grandfather asks as they nod. “Jennie, are you learning to drive in Korea?”

“Not yet.” She replies.

“You’re past 16. I know you’re in the group and all but don’t forget about other priorities.”

Jennie sets her chopsticks down. “Why do I need to follow the crowd? Let me do my own thing on my own time. I’ll get there. Just not today.” She retorts. “Let me do my own thing in BTS. Let me live my life how I want to. And when I get there, let me date who I want to date. Just because Alani is dating a black man doesn’t mean my dating experience will be the same. I could end up with someone that’s not my race. I could end up with someone that is the same race. I’ll end up who God wants me to be with. And besides, what’s the problem if I do end up being in an interracial relationship? It’s 2015, fam. Come on. I know what I’m doing in my life. I didn’t take you guys out to eat for you to tell me what I should and should not do in my life.”

Alani and Vienna smile at her statement. They were happy she was standing her ground. A few of her family members looked disappointed at her saying that she could end up with someone not the same race as her. They feared the public’s opinion and didn’t want her to deal with any hate.

“Now can we stop talking about my clearly absent love life?” She demands.

“Okay.” Her family backs off.

Jennie turns to her sisters. “How’s college?”

“We had a fire drill and I kid you not I was in the shower. How do you think that made me feel to have to leave the dorm building, with shampoo in my hair, in a towel? Complete bullcrap.” Alani groans.

“I’m kind of glad I don’t deal with that.”

“Oh, while we’re talking about school, I wanted to tell you that my play is coming up. I want you to come.” Vienna beams. “It’ll be around June.”

“Gotcha. I’ll make sure to see if I can make it. I hope so. I want to see you in action.”

“I hope you can make it. And don’t let them get to you about the dating comments. It’s worse for me. But just continue standing your ground. I’m happy that you spoke up. Maybe they’ll finally take a hint.”

“I hope so.”

“So, I must ask, what’s it like living with seven guys? Seven hot guys?”

“It’s interesting. Every day is a new adventure, that’s for sure.”

“You’re not hooking up with anyone are you?” Alani asks.

“No, Alani.” Jennie rolls her eyes.

“I’m just checking because-“

“They’re all so hot, how do you control yourself?” Vienna cuts her off.

“I mean, they’re my brothers so…” Miss Bangtan shrugs.

“No really, how do you control yourself and how do they control themselves when you all live in the dorm? I’m sure they’re aware of your big booty. You sure-“

“Bruh, we’re all like brother and sister!”

“Except one.” Alani murmurs as an inside joke with Vienna, thinking of a certain member.

“Female fans must be upset to know you live with them.” Vienna adds.

“It took a year to reassure them that we have a brother/sister bond and there’s nothing going on. They seem to have laid off on me. Boy did they want to kill me though…” Jennie sighs.

“Well just know I have bail money if I need to kick someone’s ass.” Her mom speaks up.

“That won’t be necessary, honey.” Her husband places a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve been doing some research, and I read that Korean men have to serve in the military. What will you do when the BTS members have that?” Alani asks.

“It’s too early in the game to even think about that. For now, we’re taking it one day at a time.” Jennie answers. She didn’t even want to think about when that day comes for the members.

The dinner had shifted back into a positive one without any more questions about dating. Her family was surprised when she told them she would pay for everyone’s meal as she went up to pay at the register with her sisters by her side.

“So, how’s Jungkook?” Alani smiles.

“He’s doing great. I’ll tell him you asked about him.” Jennie answers.

“Anything happen between you two?”

“Um, well we game and we work out together…”

“Oh, so you see him all sweaty and such?”

“That’s what usually happens when you work out. You usually sweat.”

“Y’know Jungkook is really cute, don’t you think?”

“I mean he’s just a baby to us but don’t YOU think he’s cute? You get to work out with him, check out his muscles.” Vienna adds.

“Yeah, I bet she loves his hugs. His strong arms wrapped around her-“

“Will you two shut up!? Thirsty ass hoes.” Jennie snaps, feeling her face warm up. “He’s my best friend.”

“Mm hm…Vienna, she doesn’t get it, yet.” Alani confirms.

“Yeah, she don’t get it.”

“You guys are weird.” Jennie goes back to the table. Why’d they have to bring up Jungkook suddenly?

“Mm hm…I’m betting they’ll get together before this year is over.” Vienna guarantees.
“Well, I believe they’ll get together early 2016. I’m the smarter one, I know I’m right.”
“Suuurrreeee….”

“Jennie…she seems like she’ll be in denial. So, it may take her some time to realize. But you know Jungkook’s lingering stares are more than enough.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Did you not see the way he was staring at her before the concert? Heart eyes muthafucka.” She quotes the vine.

Vienna giggles. “I ship it. And they are getting older, so, it should be a matter of time. I wonder if he’s even aware of how he feels.”

“Soon enough he’ll realize it’s more than just an admiration.”

“Man, I wish we could stay longer to see those two. We’ll have to just bombard her with questions when we’re back home.”

“That would be nice if we could stay.”

---

After saying her goodbyes to her family, leaving the dinner on a happy note despite the passionate discussions from earlier, Jennie went back to the dorm, not expecting any of the members to be back because they were probably out with their families. But then she saw Jungkook, gaming on the couch.

“Oh, hey. I thought everyone would still be out.” She sets her bag down.

“I came back 20 minutes ago. The Hyungs are still out with their families. How was your dinner?”

“It was…fine.” She shrugs, strolling over to the couch as he offers her the second player controller. She listened to him discuss how his family dinner went while they played 3 rounds of Dead or Alive 5. Jungkook couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t as enthusiastic while gaming with him and decided to pause the game.

“All right, talk to me.” He demands, placing his controller on the table.

“Huh?” She turns to him, in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t see your smile. Something is wrong. You always smile when you game with me. You haven’t at all. Please talk to me about it, I want you to be happy. Not troubled.”

Jennie exhales and places her controller down. “Sometimes I wish you didn’t notice the little things.”

“Well, it’s hard not to notice you upset when your cute smile isn’t showing on your pretty face.” He blurts out. He soon realizes what he just said and glances away shyly. He began to feel flushed, but looks back up at her in surprise when she chuckles softly.

“You’re really sweet to say that to me. Thanks, Kookie.”

“A-anytime. So, you wanna vent?”

“Yeah, that’ll be nice.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I dunno I just feel so…frustrated.”

“Because?”

She lets out another sigh. “It’s like people wanna tell me what I should and should not do. A few family members weren’t too fond of knowing that I’m learning to rap. They don’t see me as a rapper. It irks me. Why can’t you just be happy for me? A homeless person can be wearing the same clothes for months but could have a talented voice, so don’t judge a book by its cover, you feel me?”

He nods, gesturing her to keep going. “Okay, I don’t have my license yet but my sisters do. I’m happy for them, but I don’t need to do everything just because everyone else is doing things. I have a lot on my plate here. I’m doing what I love. I’m growing with all of you guys in BTS, musically, mentally and physically. I want to branch out, try new things, go back to old things I used to do when I was younger. And I’m doing that. But all you wanna ask me is when I’m going solo? When I’ll be back in America? Really? That crap hurts to hear.”

Jungkook stares at her. It surprised him that they would ask those questions. And it made him happy that she was eager to remain here in Korea with BTS. He had no idea how he would react if she did go back home.

“Being in a group does not hold me back, it motivates me to work even harder. I’m at my fullest potential with BTS. But some of them just don’t see that. It’s annoying.” She shakes her head.

She goes on, “What’s really bothering me is that some of them want me to date someone within my race. But what’s the problem if I end up in an interracial relationship? You never know what will happen in the future. Anything can happen in a blink of an eye. The love bug can bite you just like that and you’re hooked. Someone can just…take your breath away. Have a special place in your heart and…next thing you know, you’ll be in love. Why can’t we just…look past the skin color, look past the race, and just look at who the person is, personality wise. How that person makes you feel. How happy they make you feel. You get me?”

“Yeah…” He whispers. “I understand exactly just how you feel.”

“I don’t understand what the big deal is. They should be happy that I’m happy, even if I do date someone from a different race. Some have some sense, the others, like my mom and aunt however…they need to stop being so close minded. It is 2015.”

“Well, like you said, love is patient and unpredictable.” He speaks up. “All you want is someone who makes you happy, someone to be patient with you and respect you. I’m sure your family can understand that.”

She turns to him in surprise. “You remember that? That was back in 2014 when I said that.”

“Well…” He tilts his head to the side out of habit and smiles keenly. “It’s hard to not remember listening to you voice your opinion so passionately. Just follow your heart. Follow what you want. And whoever the guy you’ll end up with, if he’s not the same race as you, I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to make you happy and to prove to some of your doubting family members that he’s good enough for you.”

Jennie stares at him. “You know…you really…are something else, Jungkook. I swear, whoever is going to be your girlfriend is going to be one lucky lady.” She smiles and turns back to the game.

“Nah…I’ll be the lucky one.” He murmurs with a lingering gaze.

After three more rounds of gaming, Jennie asks, “You wanna watch a movie?”

“Yeah sure, let’s watch-“

“No Iron Man, this time, we watched it last time.” She cuts him off, as he pouts.

“But it’s so good.”

“Jeon Jungkook.” She warns.

“Fine, fine. Let’s watch a horror movie.”

“Horror? I don’t do horror.”

Running a hand through his hair, he smiles shyly. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

“Jeon Cena to the rescue. All right. I’ll take you up on your offer. I’ll make the popcorn.” She gets up from the couch, walking to the kitchen while Jungkook sets up the movie.

While waiting for the popcorn to finish popping, Jennie went through the cabinets to search for any snacks and poured a bowl of chips for them. When she went to place the chips back, she noticed a small box of cookies and cream pepero. “Oh snap, we’re eating these. It’s been a while since I’ve had some pocky.”

After getting the snacks situated, she turns off the lights and sits next to him on the couch. “Just a fair warning, if I scream or jump, I’m gonna have to be in your arms.”

“I don’t mind. It’s encouraged.” He chuckles.

As the movie progressed, Jennie found herself scooting closer and closer to Jungkook throughout the scenes of suspense, trying to predict when there would be a jump scare. When there finally was one, she jumps in fright, holding onto his arm.

“You all right?” He teases.

“Oh, I’m good. I’m good.” She quickly answers as she placed her legs on the couch to get in a more comfortable position. Jungkook enjoyed the feeling of her holding onto to his arm, and only hoped that she would get closer as he had a sudden urge to hold her.

“Oh God…” She groans at the gore, placing her forehead on his shoulder. She continued to cling onto him throughout the movie, while Jungkook enjoyed to skinship. She let out a scream during another jump scare, finally ending up in his arms as he chuckled and held her close. “Why are we watching this!?”

“Because it’s entertaining.”

“To you!” She exclaims. As she snuggled against him, she ended up making commentary for the movie. “You see, if I was there, I would’ve ran. Why would you go in the house!? I would’ve been like, deuces! And left so I would stay alive. There is no way in the world I would go in the house. WHY would you go in the house!? Are-are they about to go down there? RUN! Don’t go near the noise!”

“I don’t think they can hear you, Jennie.”

“Well, they should! They’d be alive if they listened to me-“ She shrieks in fright yet again. “Is this almost over!?”

“Jennie, we’re only 45 minutes into the movie.”

“Are you kidding me!? There is no way!” She grabs the remote and sees it’s been over 40 minutes. “Oh, mah God…why? You really tryna kill me tonight.” She says over his laughter. She grabs the pepero box and opens it, beginning to munch on a couple sticks.

“Hey.”

“Hm?” She looks up at him, with a new pepero stick, sticking out of her mouth. He glances at the end of the stick, immediately thinking of the last time they played the Pocky Game. He had the urge to bite the end of the stick, but his shyness got to him, preventing him from doing so.

“C-can I have some?”

Biting half of the stick, she nods. “Yeah, sure.” She hands him the box. They continue to watch the movie as the killer ran after the victims. As their fingers brushed against each other’s when digging into the box, they’ve noticed that there was only one stick left. Jen takes it out and examines it. “Last stick. Who gets it?” She turns her head to him.

“I want it.”

“Well guess what? I want it to.”

“What are we gonna do about it?” He challenges.

“I guess there’s only one way to settle this…” She turns her body to face him. “Pepero game?” She suggests.

“You’re on.” He competitively accepts her challenge, gaining confidence as his shyness started to go away.

She places the stick in her mouth, slowly munching while he bites the other end. Feeling mischievous and bold, Jungkook’s warm hands cup her face, causing her to look in his eyes instead of glancing at the stick. She stops munching as he suddenly leans forward, inching closer to her face. He bites down, almost taking the entire stick as he pulls away. Jen is left with a tiny piece, watching him chew his stick victoriously.

Taken aback at his sudden actions, she stares at him in disbelief. “H-hey! What was the for?!” She shouts. She watches the cocky grin appear on his face as he finishes chewing his large portion of the last stick. “You big bunny! That wasn’t fair! That’s not how you play!” She smacks him on the arm as he laughs hysterically, trying to stop her.

Grabbing one of the pillows on the couch, she strikes him, multiple times. He finally grabs a hold of her weapon and snatches it out of her hands, using her weapon against her. Their hair began to get disheveled from the assault of their pillow attacks. The 97 Liners tried to snatch the pillow out of each other’s hands until it Jennie pulls him into a headlock.

“Hey!” He shouts.

“What? What was that?” She taunts, squeezing his head tighter. “Huh? I can’t hear you!” She mocks over his protests. Her taunting would soon stop when he escapes her grip and wrestles her on the couch as they roll around.

Jennie enjoyed the days where Jungkook would show more of his playful side. And tonight, was a perfect night to boost up her mood.

Jungkook easily grabs a hold of her wrists and pins them down by the sides of her head, laying on top of her. Both parties panting softly from their physical activity as he stares down at her. A confident smirk appears on his face as he raises his eyebrows.

“Well, well, look who won.”

“You wish.” She tries to wiggle out of his grip but with no avail.

“I think it’s obvious that I won.”

“Nope.”

“Just admit it.”

“No.”

“Admit it.”

“No.”

“Well, do I need to…tickle it out of you?” He smiles mischievously.

“No!” She shouts in panic. That would be torture. She wanted to stay far away from tickling as possible.

“Then admit it, Jennie.”

“All right…” She sighs in defeat. “Victory is yours…” She announces unenthusiastically.

“The Golden Maknae always wins. If you can’t beat me, you might as well join me.” He smiles cockily.

She mocks his cocky smile, rolling her eyes as he laughs at her. When she finally saw an opening, from him believing he won, she swiftly uses her strength to slide out of his grip and shoves him off the couch. Jungkook grunts as he falls off the couch in surprise while Jennie laughs hysterically at the sight. His face was priceless.

---

Jungkook stares at her in disbelief as she smirks. “Oops.” She shrugs. “Wait, wait, what was that you were saying a few moments ago? The Golden Maknae always what? Wins? Looks like you’re taking an L tonight, my friend.” She teases

“So that’s how you wanna play, eh?” His voice goes down an octave, ceasing her laughter. He sounded serious as his competitive side began to take over.

“Wait, Kookie, it was all in good fun.” She giggles nervously.

“It was all in good fun.” He quips.

“Stop, hahaha, really. Come on Kookie, you have to admit that was funny.” She stammers, getting off the couch. She walks around, taking steps back as he stands up and follows her. When he launches forward, she shrieks, barely evading his attempt to grab her.

She makes a run for it around the living room, with him high on her tail. When she’s on one side of the couch, while Jungkook is on the other side, she analyzes his movements, cautiously pondering what could she do to escape whatever he was planning to do.

“Oh, hell no-behave!” She yells when he jumps across the couch. She makes a run for it again, aiming to run to her bedroom but he catches her by wrapping an arm around her waist. “No! Knock it off! Put me down!” She shouts with laughter when she’s picked up, over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He mocks, spinning her around as she bangs her fists on his back. The two end up wrestling again once he places her back on the couch. The two of them were determined to pin the other down.

Pinning her down in a strong grip once again, Jungkook watches in amusement, leaning in close as she groans in annoyance. Clearly, she was annoyed that she couldn’t pin him down.

“Guess who won again? This guy.” He grins.

“Seriously?” She throws her head back, sighing in annoyance.

All that was heard were their heavy breathing from their recent wrestling activity while her chest rose up and down with his.

“Relax and I may let you go.” He offers, watching her contemplate his idea. If he wasn’t in his competitive mode, he’d shyly notice the position they were in. His body on top of hers, making sure she was pinned down so she wouldn’t escape. They were too into the wrestling to notice their intimate position.

Jennie relaxes her body momentarily from trying to overpower him. When she feels him loosen his grip slightly, she attempts to wiggle out of his grip to shove him off the couch.

“Mm-Mm.” He shakes his head, restricting her from moving. “I think you might as well get used to this position, Jennie.”

“No way, I still got some fight left in me.” She attempts to sit up but his body weight keeps her in place.

“This’ll happen often. Might as well deal with it. You’re not pushing me off the couch like last time.”

She finally stops fighting. “Why do you have to be so strong?”

“Because I’m the Golden Maknae.” He happily announces.

“Must be nice, Kook.”

He chuckles and gets off her. “I actually wanted to talk to you about wrestling.”

“Oh really? What about it?” She sits up, fixing her hair.

“I know it’s early, but as you know, there’s going to be wrestling at ISAC. And there’s a 90% chance that you’ll be a part of it. I want to make sure you’re ready. I know how much you want to redeem yourself from last time.”

She fell during the running in her first appearance. He remembered how disappointed she looked that day and wanted to help her ever since. He knew how competitive she was. He was competitive too, and it was always disappointing to mess up and lose. He felt for her and knew how falling during the running relay shot down her self-esteem as she was nicknamed the black girl who fell.

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course. We can start in a few months, but I wanted to put it in your ear. If you’re able to take me down, these noonas you’ll face will be no match for you. First, I’ll show you to stand your ground, and then we’ll work on the wrestling.”

“Let’s do that! Thank you, I’m looking forward to it.” She beams.

Although the training will give him an excuse to be extra close to her and show off his strength, he genuinely wanted to see her win and prove that Miss Bangtan is a force to be reckoned with.

“I think it’s best to train early so when that time comes, you’ll be ready. So, we’re going to train extra hard in the gym now, okay?” He adds.

“You got it.”

The horror movie seemed to still be playing as Jungkook looks around. “Surprised the hyungs aren’t back yet.”

“Yeah. I’m surprised Jin didn’t walk in on us like he always does.”

“Yeah, he usually interrupts us at the craziest times.”

Jungkook grabs the pocky box, thinking about throwing it away but digs inside of it. “Oh wait, there’s one more stick.” He takes the stick out. “We missed one. I guess you tried to beat me up for nothing.” He grins sheepishly.

“Oh, I don’t regret beating you up.” She smiles innocently.

“Wow, Jennie.”

“Wow, Jungkook.”

“You’re mean.”

“Me? No, you’re mean. Let’s play again.”

“You’re on.”

“And don’t.” She playfully glares at him. “…cheat this time.”

“I wouldn’t call it cheating.” He shrugs with a smile.

“Uh huh. Don’t take the whole stick.”

“All right.”

“Jungkook, don’t.” She warns with a chuckle.

“Hehehe, okay, I promise.”

She places the stick in her mouth and leans in. He bites the other side as she starts nibbling, initiating the game. To get him back for what he did, she stands up on her knees, placing a hand on his chest while leaning forward.

He widens his eyes at her sudden movements as he watches her bite off a large portion of the stick.

“Now we’re even.” She smiles victoriously and gets off the couch, to go to the kitchen.

“What? Really, Jennie?” He huffs in annoyance, chewing the small piece he had in his mouth.

“Really.” She confirms as she pops another bag of popcorn.

They finish the horror movie after rewinding it to the part they stopped at. Jennie stretches. “I’m off to bed.”

“Yeah, I might as well turn in myself.”

“Actually, do you mind sleeping with me? I don’t want to be alone, tonight. I mean, if you’re cool with it.”

Jungkook stares at her seriously, before breaking out into a smile. “It’ll cost you.” He uses her quote against her.

“Really?” She crosses her arms.

“Really.”

“I’ll grab my wallet then.” She jokes.

“I’ll come in your room in a few.” He confirms.

“Thank you.” She heads into her room.

Jungkook took the time to turn off the TV and place the dishes in the sink. He was happy that she asked him to sleep with her tonight. He looked forward to getting to hold her. It felt like a normal thing for the both of them since they’ve done it so often.

---

As Jennie laid in her bed, snuggled up in the covers, resting her eyes, she thought about what her sisters said.

‘I mean he’s just a baby to us but don’t YOU think he’s cute?’

Yeah, she did think he was cute. They were growing up, and it was clear that Jungkook was becoming more handsome as the months go by. Puberty was hitting the both of them like a truck as their baby fat on their faces were no longer there.

He thought she was cute too. He would call her pretty and other compliments. She should make an effort to do the same. Tell him how much he’s appreciated. She was always proud of him. Proud of how much he’s been improving his English, vocals and dancing. She should say it more often.

Laying there in her thoughts, she hears her door open and close as happiness filled her body. Looks like he didn’t fall asleep or forget that she wanted his company in her room for tonight. She felt the other side of her bed dip as he got under the covers with her.

His arm wraps around her waist, pulling her to his chest as his body heat radiated to hers. As the night went on, she turns over and ends up watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful as she brushed some hair away.

Soon after, he opens his eyes, meeting hers. Nothing awkward, just a comfortable silence. It was like they were having a silent conversation with their eye contact.

“Thank you for everything.” She thinks out loud in a soft voice. “Thanks for taking my mind off things, tonight. I hope you know that I’m always proud of you. I’m sorry I don’t say it often. I’ll make an effort to do so. Remember when you told me that you cherish me when you gave us our friendship rings? Well, I hope you know that I cherish you too. Always. Even for the little things.”

She leans forward and kisses his forehead before snuggling against him. Jungkook stayed shooked for a moment, feeling his shyness come back. But a small smile came across his features as he held her, watching her sleep in his arms until he dozed off, minutes later.

Notes