Gyung Mi puffed up her cheeks, exhaling slowly in irritation. Checking her phone for the umpteenth time that night, she let out another exasperated sigh. It was past 11 on a Friday night. And not just any old Friday, the first Friday of her long awaited summer break! Having just survived her first year of university, shouldn't she be out celebrating with friends, or getting a well-deserved 12 hours of sleep? But noooooo. 

Your mother had been unsympathetic to your pleas earlier that very week. 

“It’s your brother’s opening night! He just released his first full length album and as his sister it is your responsibility to attend and support him.”

“That’s right Gyung Mi-ah, come support your oppa.” Stupid Kim Taehyung. Gyung Mi glared at the maddeningly attractive boy currently blowing her a sarcastic kiss across the kitchen. Couldn't he at least have the decency to wear a shirt around the house? 

“Technically, he’s not my brother. And I’ve already heard all the songs, at least 500 times,  and I’m not so sure my ears will be able to handle round 501,” she reasoned, batting her eyelashes at her unrelenting mother. She gave her “the look”, the one she always gave right before she shut someone down with a smile on her face. 

“You’re going, and that’s that. Now, go get your dad and wash up, dinner’s nearly ready!” 

Gyung Mi had gotten so caught up in her little self pity party that it took her a minute to realize Taehyung was on his final song. Finally! Forget partying with her friends, nothing sounded better to Gyung Mi at that moment than the comfort of her own bed. The song came to its conclusion and the crowd cheered. 

“V! V! V!” “We love you!” “You’re so hot!” “Marry me, oppa!” She rolled her eyes. No wonder her step brother had such an inflated ego. Girls see a hot boy and that’s all it takes for them to lose their minds. Little did they know he was an irritating weirdo who was obsessed with One Piece and never put the seat down in the bathroom… Two muscular arms wrapped around Gyung Mi’s shoulders in a back hug, breaking her out of thought. Yeah right, more like a choke hold. 

“Aren’t you gonna praise me baby sister?” He was speaking right into her ear, making sure he could be heard over the still roaring crowd. Damn brat Taehyung. 

“Gross, you’re covered in sweat! Get off me!” Stepping back, the boy mock pouted, wiping away an imaginary tear. Despite her sour mood, Gyung Mi couldn't help but smile at his dorky behavior. “Alright, nice job, it sounded like you got most of the notes right. I’m so proud,” she teased. 

“Waaa? Most of the notes? I treat you to a VIP backstage one of a kind concert experience and this is how you treat me? So cruel!” 

“One of a kind because no one would agree to pay for this! I’ve been on my feet for three hours, I could barely see anything, and-“ 

“Alright, alright, I get it. The princess is exhausted and needs her beauty rest before she turns into an ugly troll.” With these words, before the girl could protest, Taehyung had slung her over his shoulder and was heading further backstage towards dressing rooms. “Your chariot awaits!” Gyung Mi opened to tell him off, but stopped herself. She wasn't even mad, she realized, and that was what she hated most about this boy.

“Kim Taehyung, you’re lucky you're so cute…” She found herself snorting in laughter as he casually thanked his staff and said his goodnights all while carrying her on his shoulder like some human handbag. He wasn't even questioned, as this sort of erratic behavior was common for the young idol. V the alien. With Taehyung, you just had to learn to expect the unexpected.

“What was that you just said?” Gyung Mi found herself set down on the ground beside the company van that was to take her and her brother back home. Avoiding eye contact in hopes of concealing her flushed expression, Gyung Mi gazed up at the magnificent lights of the city around them, ignoring the question posed at her. 

“Yeah, thats what I thought. You know, brat, you’re lucky you’re so cute.” Gyung Mi felt her blush deepen at those words. So he had heard her. 

Gyung Mi was truly exhausted from the day now behind her. The last of her exams in the morning following by frantic packing and finally the train ride home, and then this concert. Of course she was proud of Taehyung and his accomplishments, but she could never admit that to his face. He would never let her live it down. Ever since he and his father had entered her once peaceful life, nothing had been the same. And while she couldn't really complain, it could be exhausting at times. Taehyung was constantly moving, pursuing his ever-expanding goals diligently without holding back. Despite his rising celebrity, however, Taehyung had a secret. More specifically, Taehyung was a secret. That’s not to say he was some sort of secret bastard child of a millionaire or something, nothing like that. But after deciding to pursue his dreams of becoming an idol, Taehyung had made a wild decision. He would live a double life. After hearing about how harsh and regulated the world of idols was, he knew that sort of lifestyle would never suit his free spirited personality. So he constructed a scheme, one so dumb and so wild that only Taehyung could think it was a good idea. And only Taehyung could somehow manage to pull it off. Honestly, that boy watched too much anime. It was a simple formula: Taehyung + Wig = V, rising pop sensation with a growing international fanbase. Taehyung - Wig = Kim Taehyung, ordinary 21-year-old citizen of the People’s Republic of South Korea, an attractive albeit average young man who worked at a local cafe. It was truly… Stupid. How dense could people be? And yet somehow, he pulled it off. Only in Kim Taehyung’s world could this sort of thing happen. And that enough should explain why sharing in this particular world with this particular boy could be, well, exhausting. Exhausting, but also amazing…

“Don’t bother switching the vans tonight, nobody’s following us.” Part of the key to keeping V’s true identity under wraps was keeping absolutely no hint to the idol’s private life, and not allowing any parallels to be drawn to Taehyung himself. This meant that after each public appearance, two departure vehicles were required to throw off lurking paparazzi. About halfway through, Taehyung would transfer vehicles, discarding the wig and returning home in a seemingly normal car while the large carrier van went off in another direction. Gyung Mi wondered why he was throwing caution to the wind on a night like this, after such a large event. Her question was soon answered as Taehyung rubbed her back soothingly. 

“It’s about an hour and a half back home Gyung Mi-ah, so close your eyes and get some rest. Thank you for coming to see me tonight, it really means a lot.” Stupid, sweet Taehyung.

“No, thank you… I’m sorry for being a brat. You were seriously amazing oppa… Ha, I really must be tired huh, to be saying something like that?” Taehyung chuckled, leaning over to give the girl a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“Yeah, you must be. Rest up, princess.”

Gyung Mi jolted, her eyes shooting open. There was a bright flash, then another, followed by an sleazy cheer. Gaining her bearings somewhat, the groggy Gyung Mi recognized her location to be the front stoop of her family’s apartment. And, uh, in the arms of her step brother. As for the rude interrupter of her peaceful trip to dreamland, it was a middle aged man in a dark hoodie holding a large black camera. Paparazzi. 

“!” Gyung Mi and Taehyung cursed simultaneously. If it weren't for the gravity of the current situation, it may have been funny. 

“I knew if I followed you far enough, I could find were you live! Man, I’m gonna make millions. The first piece of information to be released to the public on the oh so private life of “V”- or, should I say Mr. Kim?” The greasy old man cocked a eyebrow, gesturing towards the mailbox with the family name blasted across it. Double . Gyung Mi noticed that Taehyung still had the V wig on, although at this point that wouldn't be of much help. She felt so stupid. It was her whining and laziness that had made him call off the switch for the night. It was her fault he was in this situation. Gyung Mi felt tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. A voice broke though the haunting silence however, causing her to briefly compose herself, as much as anyone just woken from a nap in the arms of her soon to be exposed mega handsome step brother could be.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’re misunderstanding the situation. This house isn't mine. You see, my friend here, Miss Gyung Mi, was attending my concert as a special guest, and I wanted to see to it she got home safely.” That brave idiot. Did he really expect that to work? Gyung Mi felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but was still entirely speechless in the face of the situation. 

“Friend? Looks more like a girlfriend to me!” 

“What?!” Somehow, Gyung Mi managed to find her voice once more. Again she and Taehyung found their voices in total sync. Cackling to himself, the reported snapped a few more shots before running off gleefully. Still in a state of shock, Taehyung set Gyung Mi down on the stoop, opening the door and walking it in dazedly allowing it to slam in the girl’s face. Rubbing her now sore nose, she followed him inside, equally dazed. Their parents greeted them at the foot of the stairway, faces glowing with pride and anticipation.

“So? How was it?!” 

“My boyfriend… V…”

“T-There’s gonna be trouble.”

The two shaken step siblings walked numbly up the stairs to their respective rooms, leaving their utterly confused parents to decipher the meaning of their cryptic utterings.