“Ya, our Jungkookie is looking better than ever,” JHope shouts as he pats Jungkook on the back.

 

The BTS members were practicing in BigHit’s dance studio as always, preparing for another comeback and a promotional concert in China. The THAAD conflict was finally resolved and China-Korea relations were back to being on good terms, which meant the re-entering of Hallyu back into the Chinese market. All the Korean celebrities, agencies, and Kpop idols were going to take advantage of this opportunity and go back into China with a bang, including BTS.

 

“Jin hyung can finally put his Chinese skills to the test,” Jimin says, with a sly smile.

 

“Hey, you’ve all had lessons too. I’m not planning on carrying the team if that’s what you were hoping” Jin says, crossing his arms. “I’m not about to be the Chinese version of Rap Monster in America”. RapMon rolls his eyes and shakes his head with a smile at Jin’s comment.

 

“Acting like he’s not about that life, but really just lacking the skills” Jungkook jokes making everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

 

“But hey, our Kookie’s supposed to be really excited, right?” Jimin says, turning his attention to Jungkook now.

 

V walks over and slings an arm around Jungkook’s shoulder.

 

“He’s meeting the parents” V says with a wide grin.

 

“Oooooo, the parents” JHope says, stopping in the middle of his dance move. Making the other members react in similar teasing way.

 

“Guys, can we all just calm down and focus on the concert?” Jungkook says, clearly embarrassed. His hyungs haven’t stopped teasing him about his relationship ever since it was official, and this was another one of their playful ways to get back at the maknae for being the first in BTS to start dating.

 

“Aww, our baby is nervous” Jin says, making a pout with his lips.

 

“Hyung!” Jungkook says, making the other members laugh at how cute he was acting, getting all defensive and flustered.

 

“It’ll be fine kiddo.” Suga says, walking over to pat Jungkook gently on the shoulder.

 

“They’ll love you as much as we do.”

 

 

 

…

 

 

 

 

“Most people get here and immediately complain about the smog, but you actually like China?” You ask, surprised.

 

You were walking with Jungkook to your parents’ apartment in Beijing, in a district that was eerily similar to Seoul’s Gangnam. But the tall skyscrapers were shrouded in the smog, which was very dense and heavy because it was winter and pollution was always several times worse in the winter.

 

You had originally wanted to invite your parents to “your boyfriend’s” concert, but they were busy and almost disinterested. You were disappointed and almost verging on angry at how they responded to you announcing you had finally found a significant other. Scratch that. They were overjoyed when you broke the news, but then their reaction changed when you told him he was a Korean idol.

 

When you said it through the phone, there was a long silence, and then your mother asked you if you were drunk or taking drugs because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Of course you couldn’t really blame them because it does sound ridiculous and even you, yourself, thought you sounded insane as the words left your mouth. But it’s true, and as much as people try and convince others that these things don’t happen in reality. They actually do, and beautiful things like this happen in the world every day.

 

Being with Jungkook was real, and you were going to prove it to your parents.

 

“Of course, it’s a part of you. How could I not like it?” He replies with a smile.

 

You reach over and grab his hand, a gesture that causes a surprised look to spread across Jungkook’s face because he was usually the one to initiate intimate acts like this. But his surprise soon transforms into a loving look of relief and excitement as you squeeze his hand more tightly.

 

The nerves start to creep up on you as the two of you enter the elevator, and you wonder if Jungkook is just as nervous as you are or if he’s even phased at all. You look over at his expression, but he just has a natural smile and he nods at you reassuringly.

 

You take a deep breath and ring the door bell. You hear some shuffling sounds, and when the door opens you’re greeted with the aroma of a mix of various Chinese stir-fries. Your mom had clearly been cooking and preparing a sufficient amount of food for this dinner.

 

“Oh, come in!” She says when she sees you and Jungkook standing awkwardly by the doorway. Jungkook walks in and bows 90 degrees speaking in Korean to your mom.

 

You father walks out at that moment and him and Jungkook exchange a handshake as a greeting. It was awkward because this was the first time you had brought a guy to meet your parents, and you didn’t know if they were acting polite or if they genuinely liked Jungkook.

 

But at least they weren’t judging right off the bat, right?

 

“So, Jungkook, was it? Uh, Minchan told us you were, uh a singer of some sort?” Your dad asks trying to get some small talk going, as you and Jungkook are seated at the table by your mother who rushes back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

 

“Umm yeah” Jungkook says brightly. “I’m a member of the Kpop group BTS”

 

Your father nods, unsure of what to ask next. You knew that if Jungkook was any other person, your dad would’ve drowned him in questions about his career, his financial situation, his future plans and all that stuff. But it was clear he did not know how to handle this situation with Jungkook.

 

“We sing, dance, rap, and participate in song composition” Jungkook continues, sensing the slight tension.

 

“I see” Your dad finally says. “And you graduated college already?”

 

Jungkook hesitates a bit, and you forgot to tell your parents that he’s 3 years younger than you and postponed college because of a world tour.

 

“I’m planning on attending Seoul Institute of Arts next year. I already got accepted.” Jungkook says.

 

Your father nods, recognizing the name of one of South Korea’s most famous performing arts schools. You were quite shocked that Jungkook hadn’t told you this before, but glad that he was able to impress your father.

 

“And your parents live in Seoul?” Your mom asks, walking in from the kitchen, bringing over some plates and chopsticks.

 

“Actually, I’m from Busan and that’s where my family lives now” Jungkook explains. He continues to introduce his parents and his older brother and their occupations, when your mother suddenly interrupts him.

 

“You’re Jeon Soojung’s son?” Your mother asks in shock as she walks over to the dining table with another steaming dish of stir-fried vegetables.

 

You look at your mom and then back at Jungkook who nods with a warm smile.

 

“Unbelievable, she was my childhood best friend, we even went to the same college. We used to joke about how one day our children might get married and we could become sisters, funny thing is we even went to this temple up in the mountains and prayed for that to happen. It’s sounds so silly now, but what a coincidence.” Your mother says, now sitting down and looking at Jungkook with eyes full of wonder.

 

“I guess ever since I got married to your father and moved to America, we lost contact because technology wasn’t as developed back then, like email wasn’t even a thing yet. I didn’t know her son was a famous Kpop idol, how amazing!” She’s laughing now, and all that tension in your stomach was starting to go away.

 

This is turning out better than you had expected or even hoped for. Fate was at it again. You think to yourself as your mom continues to talk about Jungkook’s mom and even making plans to visit his family in Korea.

 

That night after dinner, your mom was still busy talking to Jungkook. It was like she was obsessed, asking him about how his mom was doing and how he ended up going to Seoul and stuff.

 

You look over at your dad who had walked out to the balcony to get a breath of fresh air. He had been quite quiet throughout dinner, mostly just observing Jungkook because your mom was doing most of the talking.

 

“Hey dad” You say, walking up to him.

 

“Oh, hi darling” You dad says, turning to look at you.

 

“So uh, Jungkook’s pretty great right?” You say, a little hesitantly, not sure what kind of opinion your dad has formed of Jungkook.

 

He sighs, with a smile tugging at his lips. “He seems like a good kid” Your dad finally says, after a moment of thought. “I can tell just by looking at his face.” He chuckles.

 

“You can tell by physical appearance?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not just saying his face is attractive?” You jokingly ask, questioning now if your dad has fallen for Jungkook’s handsomeness as well.

 

“No, I’m telling you, I can tell a person’s character by looking at their face. And this Jungkook looks like he has a heart of gold. It’s just the feeling he gives off.” You dad says, getting a little defensive now.

 

You laugh. “Since when did you become an expert at categorizing people like that?”

 

“It’s a skill you need in the business world,” You dad says, matter-of-factly. He sighs again, as your laughter dies down. “I’m glad you finally found him” He says, looking out at Beijing’s skyline. “I wish you two a happy life, and don’t forget to come visit often.” He smiles, turning back to you.

 

“Thanks dad” You say, as you go in for a hug.

 

 

…

 

 

Question 1: “A couple of years ago, you guys came out with a series of albums that you titled ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’, it was a turning point in your musical careers wasn’t it?” The camera is pointed at Rap Monster, who is sitting in a chair in front of a green screen. The members were filming a documentary on their road to success, and each of the members was individually selected to answer a couple of questions.

 

The camera lens zooms in on Rap Monster’s face as he begins to answer the question.

 

“Yeah, it was a project centered on the concept of ‘Youth’, and we believed a lot of the songs could resonate with our audiences around the world at the time. “ Rap Monster nods his head gently. Although he’s explained the concept and the idea behind it several times he wanted to make sure his thoughts were well organized before proceeding to explain. “Part 1 of the series was the first album were all of the members participated in the production, composition, and/or lyric-writing of the songs. Our goal was to tell some really good stories and relate to our fans who are either going to go through the trials and tribulations of youth, are going through it now, or have already past that period in their lives.”

 

 

“We were so surprised with how well ‘I Need U’ did. I think it’s a song that holds a special place in all of the members’ hearts.” Jimin says as the camera turns to him.

 

 

“It was an important transitional phase in our music” Suga adds. It’s his turn now and he’s describing how BTS evolved over the years. “We started out very hip hop, but we were always confident we could be successful experimenting with all kinds of styles and sounds. I’m really grateful for the HYYH album.”

 

~

 

Question 2: “Being such an important part of your musical growth, I have to ask: what DOES ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ means to you?”

 

“I always tell my girlfriend that the moment I met her was the moment the rest of my life was destined to be happy. It really fits the title of being the most beautiful moment in life.” Jungkook says, he pauses getting a little shy saying all this in front of the camera, but he takes a deep breath and continues anyways. “When we came up for the concept of that album, we were young and wanted to embrace our youth, but I think over the years our definition of HYYH has changed and I think it will continue to evolve with time.”

 

 

“We used to talk about this a lot, and say that it’s different for everyone” V says, while chuckling and looking down. He his lips, buying some time to think before proceeding. “But I like to think that the most beautiful moment in life begins during that youthful stage and then extends to the later years. Like a seed that is planted and grows into a giant tree.”

 

 

“There’s no limit to how long beautiful moments last” Jin says. “I am hoping that BTS’s ‘Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ never ends.”

 

~

 

 

Question 3: “Where do you see BTS in the near future? Do you guys have plans to go on another world tour, release another full album or…?”

 

“Haha, we’re actually preparing for our next tour. We’re really excited to visit our fans in other countries, and even have plans to go to some countries that we haven’t been yet.” Rap Monster says, smiling from ear to ear. “Our fans are really supportive, and we’re so grateful to have them by our sides.”

 

 

“We’re planning on making music for a long time, and of course, we hope that our fans will enjoy what we put out there for years to come.” Suga says.

 

“J-Hope-ssi has become really good at coming up with amazing choreography, so please look forward to seeing us perform it live” Jimin says, shamelessly slipping in some promotional words for BTS.

 

~

 

Question 4: “Does it ever surprise you how successful you’ve become?”

 

“It still feels unbelievable” J-Hope says, shaking his head and making an ‘in awe’ face. “When we see our fans waving army bombs in sold-out concert stadiums, it really feels amazing. Before HYYH we didn’t really have a unique sound. After ‘I Need U’ became a hit, we gained confidence and we just took advantage of that and kept ‘Run’ning.” J-Hope laughs at his own joke and almost falls out of his seat.

 

“We wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without ARMYs” V says. “To this day, the members still find it surprising. It’s like living a dream, and it really all kicked-off with ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’”.

 

“It’s just proof that sometimes the best and most beautiful things in life are the most unexpected” Jungkook adds, before the camera crew and staff call “cut” and the filming ends.

 

 

 

~Epilogue~

 

 

“And so they lived happily ever after?” The young girl with large doe eyes and silky black hair looks up at her mother with an expectant gaze.

 

“Oh, it was the most unexpected thing that happened in her life, but yes they never separated after that because she was his muse and he was her home” The mother says, softly brushing the child’s hair, ready to tuck her into bed.

 

The little girl smiles and lies down in her soft fluffy bed. The bedside lamp shining warmly on her pillow, casting shadows across the room.

 

“Mommy, what do I tell people when they ask me where I’m from?” the child asks, right before closing her eyes. She was clearly thinking of the girl in the story and wondering if her own situation was of similar nature.

 

“Tell them you’re a quarter Chinese and three quarters Korean” The mom replies. “ And someday when a person tells you it makes you even more beautiful, you’ll know they’re the one” She winks and the little girl begins to laugh.

 

“One day honey, you’ll discover the most beautiful moment in your life. Just know that no matter what happens, whatever hardships you face, decisions you have to make, wherever life happens to take you, just remember that your home exists and it’s written in the stars that you’ll find it” The mother continues to smile at the child who’s slowly drifting off to dreamland.

 

 

 

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Thank you guys soooo much for reading and subscribing <3 Hope you enjoyed this story! 

I've started a new story called "Our First and Last" , which is also Jungkook centric and science fiction-y for anyone who's interested hehe ^_^