Legend

Underline - Sentences/phrases spoken in Korean

Italicized - Inner thoughts/song lyrics

Bold - English translation

Normal - POV

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Jungkook’s POV

I reclined back in my seat, crossing my arms as I pondered over V – hyung’s plan. The other member’s wore similar masks of concentration, our dinner forgotten, while V – hyung sat back with a smug smile on his face.

I guess it could work. The question is how?

Suddenly, Rap – hyung slammed his hands on the table and we all flinched in surprise. Then a huge smile split his face as he exclaimed. “That is actually a brilliant idea Tae! But how do you propose we do it?”

V – hyung recovering from his earlier fright flashed a bigger Cheshire smile. “We’ll need insiders, of course. We can’t do it on our own. And I know just the people to ask.”

Leaning forward with his arms on the table, Jin – hyung asked. “Who?”

“Oh just the people closest to her, of course.” At this the members grew even more mystified. “Namjoon – hyung, you have their numbers right? Can I borrow your phone for a bit?” V – hyung asked.

Instantly, Rap – hyung’s face lit up in understanding and he handed over his phone to V – hyung. “Oh, now I get! Sure! Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Hyung said as he quickly punched a number and put the phone to his ear.

The other members and me just looked at each other, having no clue as to what the heck is happening. “Yah, who is Tae – Tae talking about?” Suga – hyung asked Jimin – hyung who shrugged in response and glanced to Hoseok – hyung in confusion. “Hyung, do you know?” Hoseok – hyung gave him a confused look. “I’m just as confused as you are.” He turned to me, and I just pointed to Jin – hyung who gave him a reproachful look. “Yah! Don’t look at me! I asked the question first, inma!”

Drama Queen Jin eomma is back at it again.

Finally, at a loss for an answer, we then looked to Rap – hyung who just winked at us in response as V – hyung exclaimed, his call having been received. “Yeoboseyo? Somi – ssi? Annyeonghaseyo!”

Wait a minute. Hmm. Smart move Hyung. I inwardly chuckled in comprehension.

“Did Y/N make it home alright? Oh, she’s asleep already? That’s perfect then! Listen, Somi – ssi can I ask a little bit of help from you and the girls? It’s about Y/N.” V – hyung requested cheerfully, doubt clouding his face for a bit.

The members chose to wait instead for further explanation and kept quiet waiting for V – hyung’s reaction to Somi – ssi’s reply.

A few beats later, V – hyung’s face split into a triumphant grin.

“You will? Daebak! Okay, are you free tomorrow? We need to go somewhere.”

He paused.

“Lunchtime is fine. It won’t take long, I promise. You’ll be back before your afternoon session starts. Ok then. Here’s what you’ll have to do.” He began and we all paid attention to the second part of his “grand” plan as he revealed it in detail to Somi – ssi.

Moments later, he finally wrapped up his spiel. “So that’s my plan. Any questions?”

Another pause then.

“It’s no trouble. She’s a good person that we’ve come to treat as one of our own. Plus she also went out of her way to help our maknae. It’s a pleasure for us. So, it’s a deal then! Annyeong!” V – hyung finished as he hung up.

Instantly, Jin – hyung rushed over to V – hyung and clapped him on the back, smiling widely. “Yah Taehyung – ah! Daebak! That was a brilliant idea! It could really work!”

Hoseok – hyung gave him two – thumbs up. “Now that I finally understand, your idea is truly genius!”

“Yeah, I agree. Who knew that for an alien like you, you’d have ideas as awesome as this?” Suga – hyung interjected with a smirk as he saluted to V – hyung, who looked a bit affronted.

“Yah! Suga – hyung I am NOT an alien. I am just UNIQUE.” He said as he made another one of his weird faces.

“Nope. You are an alien.” Jimin – hyung teased.

“Yah!”

At his outburst, we all laughed like a bunch of whales, while he made a grumpy face this time. Recovering first, I placed a comforting hand on top of his. “But seriously hyung. It’s an awesome idea.” I complimented him with a big smile and he returned it with one of his own.

“Thanks Kookie. But I’m not going to be doing it alone. You’re coming with me.” He said with a cheeky grin.

“Bwoh? Wae?” I asked confused.

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Well, she is your teacher right? Plus she went to all the trouble of going here just for you even when she wasn’t fully up to it. Aren’t you even the least bit grateful to her? Don’t you want to help her?”

At this I felt guilty. He had a point. And I was grateful to her. She was an excellent teacher and even though we only met a few times, I could see myself steadily improving. More than that, I could see that she was overall, a good person. She was incredibly polite yet blunt, straightforward and very down – to – earth. Most of all, she had a sharp mind, and was hardworking and committed to everything she sets her mind to.

And I did want to help her.

Way to play the guilt card, hyung. You know me too well.

Sighing, I replied. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”

By this time, our hyungs have fully recovered from their earlier mirth and was listening intently to our conversation.

“Wahh. Our Kookie has now become a man.” Jimin – hyung snickered.

“Hyung!” I protested eliciting chuckles from the members.

Suddenly, our ever alert and responsible leader Rap – hyung raised a concern. “Wait, do we even have the time to take this plan into action?”

“Actually, we do hyung.” Hoseok – hyung corrected him. “We only have three schedules tomorrow. In the morning, we only have that radio show guesting and the photoshoot which is until 11am only. We’re free after that until 3pm, where we have a commercial ad shoot that will end at around 5pm then we’re done for the day.”

“Hmm. You’re right Hobi. Ok, let’s do it then!” Rap – hyung affirmed and the other members murmured their agreement.

V – hyung smiled. “Ok let’s go over our assignments then. Jin – hyung the usual.”

“Yup!” Jin – hyung replied.

“Suga – hyung.”

“I’m on it.” Suga – hyung said with a nod.

“Hobi – hyung you’re with Jiminie.”

“Ok!” Hoseok – hyung and Jimin – hyung chorused.

“Kookie and Namjoon – hyung, you’re coming with me.”

“Got it.” I replied.

“Copy that.” Namjoon – hyung responded.

When all the instructions were understood, Jin – hyung clapped his hands. “Alright guys, let’s get cleaning. We need to turn in early. We’ve got a full day tomorrow! “

“Ne!” We spoke in unison as we set to our task.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

 

Somi’s POV

Creasing my eyebrows, I followed Y/N’s limping form with worry as she excited the bathroom from her quick shower and entered our bedroom.

We were in the middle of dinner when she arrived after being driven over by Namjoon – sunbae and Jungkook – sunbae. We quickly greeted them in shock but they left just as abruptly as they arrived. Turning to Y/N and taking in her exhausted appearance, I asked her. “Maknae, waegurae? Kwaenchanha?” (Maknae, what’s wrong? Are you ok?)

She nodded weakly. “Just really tired. I’m sorry unni but I’m turning in early. I’ll just take a quick shower. But I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Good night.” She turned to leave when Haru stopped her.

“JJakaman! Have you eaten yet? Come join us.”

She looked back tiredly. “Nope. I’m too tired to eat. Sorry unni.”

Feng Jiu asked her to be certain. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

I nodded uncertainly. “O-ok. Good night.”

“Good night unni.”

Now as the door into our room shut, the three of us looked at each other in concern.

Sighing, Feng Jiu palmed her face. “This is serious guys. I haven’t seen our maknae this drained before.”

Wearing a frown, Haru added. “True. We have to do something guys. Remember the next time we meet ssaem expects us to have a perfect performance. We have to help Y/N.”

I nodded in concern. “You’re right. We have to do something. But what?”

At this the three of us were stumped and let out defeated sighs, our dinner set aside, wracking our brain for ideas, when my phone suddenly rang.

Picking it up, I checked the screen gasped in shock and quickly took the call.

It was Namjoon – sunbae!

Hearing my reaction, Feng Jiu and Haru looked at me in curiousity.

“Yeoboseyo Namjoon – sunbae.” I answered respectfully.

“Yeoboseyo? Somi – ssi?” An unfamiliar cheery voice echoed back.

Huh. It can’t be.

“Tae – Taehyung – sunbae?” I guessed in confusion.

“Annyeong!” He said in confirmation. “Did Y/N make it back home?”

“Yes. Namjoon – sunbae and Jungkook – sunbae drove her home. She’s asleep now.” I replied dubiously, wondering what the purpose of this call was.

Also, how did Namjoon – sunbae even get my number? I mean I did save all of Bangtan’s contacts after he gave me that calling card, but I haven’t contacted any of them yet.

Wait. Maybe they got it from Bang PD – nim or from Mi Kyung – unni.

“That’s perfect then! Listen Somi – ssi can I ask a little bit of help from you and the girls? It’s about Y/N.” Taehyung – sunbae confessed

At this I started, and shot a panicked glance at the girls who looked back at me in confusion.

What about Y/N?

“About Maknae?” I asked in worry.

“Yeah. Tonight, she collapsed twice in our dorm and didn’t really tell us what was wrong. She just apologized and said she wanted to call you guys to fetch her but then Namjoon – hyung offered to drive her and that’s why he and Jungkook were with her when she arrived home. Anyway, when they both arrived home, they told us what happened and why she was like that. And after thinking about it, we decided we wanted to help her. However, we need your help to do it. Will you help us?”

At this time, my brain was already overloading with the fact that maknae collapsed twice and I was partly to blame to for that since I didn’t stop her from leaving home. (I was the freaking eldest, for crying out loud!) But then the important thing is finding a way to help her. And if BTS had an idea how, we are definitely in.

Releasing a taught breath, I replied with conviction. “Yes we, will. What can we do?”

Taehyung sounded relieved when he replied. “You will? Daebak! Ok, are you free tomorrow? We need to go somewhere.”

I thought for a bit. “Well we are free during lunch and then around 7pm when our session ends. But are we going far? I just don’t want to be late. Our lunch break lasts only for an hour.” I replied with deliberation.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Lunchtime is fine! It won’t take long, I promise. You’ll be back before your afternoon session starts.”

Well, then I guess it’s fine.

“Oh that won’t be a problem them.”

He replied with a joyful voice. “Ok then. Here’s what you’ll have to do.”

“I’m listening.” I assured him.

“Okay. So I’m guessing the real problem here is her inability to dance in heels right? What do think prevents her from totally mastering it?”

I pondered for a bit. “Well, she can walk fine in heels now. But she’s still not that confident in herself when she’s in heels. She basically hates heels.” I grouched.

“Correct. That’s what I’ve concluded too. It’s not really dancing in heels. It’s her aversion to them that’s the problem. We know that she loves dancing but when you put heels into the equation, it irks and frustrates her, am I right?”

Slowly, I raised my eyebrows in understanding.

Whoa. Now that I think about it, he’s right. He’s pretty sharp.

“Yes. Now that I think about it, she was fine yesterday when we practiced walking in heels. She even made her own walk. It was awesome. But when Seonsaengnim told us to dance in them, her confidence just vanished and she was back to where she started. I think, instead of thinking of dancing in heels, she separates the two into dancing and heels. One she likes and one she hates.” I surmised

Taehyung – sunbae hummed in agreement. “Right again. Whaa you’re pretty quick to grasp things. Anyway, why do you think she hates heels so?”

What is with all these questions? I feel like a psychologist analyzing Y/N’s behavior like this. It’s weird

“Because she’s boyish in nature and she doesn’t want anything to ruin that image of hers and because she stereotypes heels for those “girly, chic” women. And that prevents her from truly embracing the idea and the act of dancing in them.” I concluded.

Whistling in appreciation, Taehyung – sunbae retorted. “Daebak Somi – ssi! And that is what pretty much leads me to my plan of teaching Y/N to dance in heels. I’m going to show her that men can dance in heels too and that doesn’t make them any less of a man, in fact it just makes them even cooler achieving such a feat, just as much it doesn’t make her less of a boyish woman. I’m going to show her that dancing in heels can be fun and empowering and that it’s something that she should be proud of.” He elaborated with a flourish.

I went over what he just revealed, my mind reeling from such an elaborate plan. Finally I gasped in awe as I replied. “Wahh. That does make sense. That is a lit plan. Nice Taehyung – sunbae!”

He chuckled. “Kamsahamnida. But I can’t really take all the credit. I only thought of it because our Golden Maknae seemed so concerned about her.”

“Hyung!” I overheard Jungkook – sunbae snap in embarrassment.

I giggled and gushed as another thing nagged at my mind. “Aww. How sweet of him! So, what’s to be our role in all this?”

Guffawing imperiously, sunbae answered. “You’re roles are the key in making this plan a success. The plan will have two parts. The first part is the Training and the second is the Celebration. For the first part, the key players will include you, Feng Jiu – ssi, me, RM – hyung and Kookie. Then the second stage will be in the care of the other Bangtan members plus Haru – ssi.”

Taking this all in, I hummed in understanding. “Ok got it. What’s in the first stage?”

“Why buying the right shoes of course! We’re going to the mall tomorrow at lunch and we’re buying heels for her. I’m guessing part of why she was so frustrated earlier was because one, she didn’t have her own and two, she didn’t really have the perfect pair of shoes and that affected her progress. Am I right?”

I recalled the session earlier and had to admit he had a point. Granted the shoes fit her, but the heels were too thin and too high and the straps didn’t have enough ankle support and that’s why she just clopped around like she was wearing horseshoes.

“Yes. Her shoes fit her but they didn’t have the right ankle support.” I affirmed.

“Which is why we need to find the perfect pair of ankle booties for her. Those have the perfect support. And that’s why you and Feng – Jiu need to come with me us. We need women’s opinion in choosing the shoes.”

By this point I was trying hard not to scream. It was so grand. Leave it to the alien to think up such a crazily splendid idea! Plus, finally seeing our maknae appreciate heels could lift my spirits. She’d look so gorgeous in heels if she’d only learn to love them!

I squealed into the phone. “Omo! We’re totally in! Heels are our thing! We’ll pick in less than an hour! So what’s in the second stage?”

Chuckling, sunbae answered. “Glad to see you so pumped up! The second stage will be the party! No success will be complete without a party! And it will be a success because we’ll make sure that by the end of the day, she’ll be dancing in those heels like she was born to. I’ve asked Jin – hyung to be in charge of the food. Suga – hyung will be in command of the music and Hoseok – hyung and Jiminie will man the festivities. Haru - ssi can choose where she wants to help.”

I took note of everything he said as he wrapped it up. “So that’s my plan. Any questions?”

“No. But I just want to say thank you so much. For caring about our maknae. For going out of your way to help her. From the bottom of my heart, kamsahamnida.” I conveyed to him with utmost sincerity.

“It’s no trouble. She’s a good person that we’ve learned to treat as one of our own. Plus she also went out of her way to help our maknae. It’s a pleasure for us. So, it’s a deal then! Annyeong!” He bid me goodbye.

“Annyeong Taehyung – sunbae!” I cheerfully said and ended the call.

Then turning to Feng Jiu and Haru who had their mouths agape in confusion, I flashed a giddy smile.

“Girls, get ready. We have a mission.”

 

Y/N’s POV

“Okay girls. Now that we’re done with our vocal exercises, we’ll now go to our main agenda for today: practicing your harmonies.” Jennifer seonsaengnim declared as she handed each of us music sheets.

I woke up that morning feeling a lot better and a lot worse. Better, because I slept soundly and was able to recharge my drained body after yesterday’s fiasco. Worse, because I was so curt with my unni’s last night.

Parang ang bastos mo nung umuwi ka kagabi. Hindi astig, yon Y/N. Nagmukha ka tuloy walang modo. Naku dapat magpaliwanag ka nang mabuti sa mga ate mo! Mukhang nag – alala pa naman sila sa’yo kagabi.

(You were so rude last night when you arrived home. It’s not cool, Y/N. You looked like you had no manners. You have to explain everything to your unnis! They looked like they were worried sick about you.” My conscience reprimanded.

Aba siyempre naman noh! Magpapaliwanag ako. (Of course! I’ll explain to them.)

And so getting up from bed, I was already psyching myself to explain to my unnis. So imagine my surprise when at breakfast, they stopped me from doing so.

“Hwaksilhaeyo? (Are you sure.) I was certain you’d want to know after last night.” I asked them doubtfully.

“Ne. We thought about it and decided that you really don’t have to tell us anything. Just, get better okay.” Somi – unni said with her usual sunny smile.

I nodded as Feng Jiu – unni quipped. “Speaking of which, how are you feeling?”

“Definitely better. Although I am a bit sore in some places, but don’t worry I’ll be fine.”

She nodded slowly. “Ok. But take painkillers just in case. We might have a rough session today.”

“Ok unni.”

“Oh also bring extra clothes. Mi Kyung – unni just texted me and it seems as though Seonsaengnim has something extra planned for us.” Haru – unni reminded me meaningfully as she shot conspiratorial looks with my other unnis.

Just what is going on?

“A – alright.” I agreed unsure of what was happening.

“By the way, around lunch, Feng Jiu and will be out shopping for shoes. The department store is having a sale and I’m just dying to buy a new pair! Haru, will have lunch with you. Is that ok?” Somi – unni inquired.

I wrinkled my nose.

Ugh. Heels again. I don’t want to think about heels today!

“Yes unni. Don’t mind me. Have fun shopping!” I chose to cheer for her instead.

Right. Just because I hate heels, doesn’t mean I have to drag down everyone with me. I’m not that selfish.

“Oh we will.” Feng Jiu – unni declared mischievously.

Now, looking at my unnis while keeping my ears peeled for Ssaem’s instructions, I can’t help thinking that something was definitely up. But I refrained myself from asking them.

They’ll tell me when they are ready. I just have to be patient.

So, I glanced back to Seonsaengnim who was in the middle of explaining our exercise.

“So the assignments will be. You, Y/N will be the melody, while the rest will be harmonies. Arasso?”

“Ne!” We replied.

“Oh and before I forget, I will be dismissing you earlier than usual today. I have a prior appointment today so I’ll be ending the session at 5pm. Kwaenchanhayo?” She asked us.

“Ne! That would be totally fine, Ssaem.” Somi – unni said cheerfully.

Maybe a litte too cheerfully. Weird.

“Ok then, since it’s settled, let’s begin.” She intoned.

And so for the whole morning we had an intense but undeniably fun harmonizing session. It was really amazing how different sounds and pitches can create beautiful music. And that’s what we did for half the day.

Ssaem took it up a notch, when she played different keys that I had to match pitch and my unnis had to harmonize with me. That was definitely one of the more challenging parts. Despite that, we learned a lot about techniques, breathing and staying in pitch and in tune when harmonizing.

By 11:30, Ssaem called for a break and bid us to come back at 1pm. Breathing a bit raggedly, the members smiled at each other then bowed at ssaem. We excited the room in pairs and at the doorway, Feng Jiu – unni and Somi – unni said goodbye and giddily went off shopping.

I rolled my eyes at their reaction and Haru – unni chuckled at my expression as she looped her arms around mine, while we walked towards the cafeteria.

“Just let them be. You know how much they love shoes!” She teased me good – naturedly.

I sighed. “Yeah I know. I guess it’s different when I see them all hyped up like that.”

Haru – unni snickered as we soon arrived at the cafeteria. She turned to me then. “So what are you having maknae?”

I gawked at the incredible selection of food and felt my mouth water. I glanced to unni with a wacky expression on my face. “I don’t know about you unni, but I am having one of everything!”

At my sudden outburst Haru – unni was caught in a fit of mirth and pretty soon I joined with her.

I don’t know about heels, nor do I particularly care. BUT FOOD IS LIFE MAN!

I thought as we lined up to get our food. Little did I know, I’ll be facing heels again later in the day.

 

Jungkook’s POV

Rap – hyung, V – hyung and I waved to the girls as soon as we saw them enter the restaurant. As they noticed us, they rushed over and bowed in greeting.

“So how’d it go?” V – hyung asked excitedly just as they sat down.

“I don’t think she suspects yet. We’ve been quite discreet.” Somi – ssi reassured with a thumbs up.

“And that other thing, have you taken care of that too?” I asked in concern.

Feng – Jiu ssi nodded confidently. “Ssaem took care of that for us. She has an appointment later in the day so we’ll be ending our session earlier than expected.”

I sighed in relief.

“Perfect! Thanks guys! Now shall we order? We still have to buy shoes after this.” Rap – hyung interjected.

We ordered after that and the food arrived quite fast. We ate a little bit quickly and soon were on our way to the department store to pick the shoes.

However, after arriving there Rap – hyung and I soon became overwhelmed and a tad bid anxious, while V – hyung and the girls pored over racks and racks of shoes. I mean we were in the women’s section for crying out loud! As a result, most of the customers were giving us weird looks as we made a pretty weird scene: Three guys: two awkwardly standing, one persistently looking for heels, with two overly excited girls.

Aish. I hope they finish up soon.

I guess my wishes were heard because shortly V – hyung gasped with glee.

“Daebak! How about this? I think this’ll suit her very well!” He exclaimed, holding a shoe up.

Glancing at each other, Rap – hyung and I rushed over the three wondering what great find they discovered.

Somi – ssi took the heel from him and examined it closely. I took a closer look at it too.

It was sleek, made of suede and black.

Definitely for her. I thought as I remembered her penchant for wearing monochromatic colors.

“Hmm. Four inches, thick heels, lightweight, great ankle support. What do you think Feng Jiu?” She murmured as she passed the heel to Feng Jiu – ssi.

“Thick heels mean better balance. Ankle support also helps her move around freely and with confidence that she won’t fall on her again.” Feng Jiu – ssi appraised positively. Then she looked to Rap – hyung and me. “What do you guys think?”

“I think it looks cool.” Rap – hyung affirmed as he shot me an inquisitive stare.

I looked at it a bit more.

Yep. This is it.

I smiled at the others, nodding my head in appreciation. “I think the zipper at the sides makes it look less feminine and more edgy, which will suit her tough, boyish style. It’s perfect for her.”

The others smiled back in triumph, thrilled in finally finding the perfect shoe.

“Okay then. This shoe it is! Let me just get a pair in her size. I’ll be back!” Feng Jiu – ssi waved to us as she set off to her task, leaving the three of us behind.

Suddenly, V – hyung smirked at Rap – hyung and me and we gulped in nervousness.

What now?

“Don’t think you guys are done just yet. You’re going to buy heels too!” He cried in amusement.

“Bwo? Wae?!” Hyung and I asked in outrage.

“Well I did say you are to help me right? I refuse to be the only one to dance in heels. You guys are doing it with me, too.” He snapped with hands on his hips.

Hyung and I glanced at each other and sighed in defeat.

“Ok fine. You win.” We chorused.

“Perfect! Ok than now to find the perfect pair!” V – hyung clapped his hands in merriment as he scampered around to find us heels.

Soon, Feng Jiu – ssi returned with Noona’s shoes and by then Rap – hyung and I had shoes of our own as well. (Luckily, the department store carried heels in bigger sizes so it was easy to find shoes for us. Ours even had ankle support too!) So, we paid for our purchases and were soon parking by Big Hit entertainment to drop the girls off.

They smiled at us in gratitude as they got off the car. “Thank you sunbaes for everything. This really means a lot.” Somi – ssi said sincerely.

“Yes. I only pray this will work.” Feng Jiu – ssi said with a bit of trepidation.

V – hyung waved off their worries. “Don’t worry. It will. Now off you go! You still have the afternoon session to attend to.”

They bowed to us in farewell. “Ok then. See you sunbaes later!” They said together as they ran inside.

Then V – hyung turned to us with another weird expression on his face. “Now guys, the real work begins. Time to practice some choreo.” He said as he turned off the ignition.

Rap – hyung and I echoed our sighs.

“How do you guys feel about Beyonce?”

Aish.

 

Y/N’s POV

The afternoon session flew by in a rush.

At quarter past twelve, Somi – unni and Feng Jiu – unni arrived looking flushed and excited. Strangely, they didn’t bring their purchases. When I pointed it out to them, they just laughed it off and said they dropped it back home before they came back.

Strange. Very strange. I thought then as we raced back to our room.

Right off the bat, Seonsaengnim gave us 3 sheets of songs to perfectly harmonize and sing together: Bruno Mar’s Just the Way You Are, Mamamoo’s Yes I Am and BTS’s Spring Day. She gave us the free reigns how to go about it, so we spent the greater part of the session brainstorming on our harmonies (we opted to stick with our earlier roles: me on melody and my unnis on the harmonies) and then practicing it to a tee. Then at 3pm, Seonsaengnim asked us to begin our performance, and with a mixture of excitement and nervousness we did so.

Overall, it went pretty well. She commended us for how creatively yet pleasantly our voices sounded together, and how we had brought a new sound to the songs. Still, she gave us a bit of flak for some pitchy parts and coached us on how to prevent that from happening. Aside from that, it was pretty productive and a bit more fun than the period in the morning.

Eventually, 5pm came. She promptly dismissed us and we all breathed a sigh of relief as she hurriedly exited the room.

“Oh! I forgot I had to buy something. I’ll be going ahead guys! Annyeong! See you at home!” Haru – unni said as she dashed off going to who knows where.

“Wait unni eodi- (where) “I called to her but she was gone and I was cut off as Somi – unni dragged me in a rush behind her.

“Yah unni! Wae gurae? (What’s wrong?)” I asked in alarm.

“Don’t say anything and just come with me please.” She said in rush.

“Huh? Wae? (Why?)”

“Just do as she says maknae. Jebal. (Please.)” Feng Jiu – unni added grimly behind me.

Ano bang nangyayari! Pwede pang may magpaliwanag! Para akong tanga rito!

(What the heck is happening? Can somebody please explain to me! I look like a fool here!)

“O–okay.” I replied unsurely as we came upon one of the dance rooms in the building.

Teka nga lang. May dance practice ba ngayon diba wala naman? Next week pa. Linggo na bukas eh. Ano bang gingagawa namin dito?

(Wait. Do we have dance today? No we don’t. It’s still next week. Tomorrow is Sunday. Then what the heck are we doing here?” My mind screamed as Somi – unni opened the door and we went inside.

What I saw made me stop in my tracks.

There in the middle of the room stood RM – oppa, Tae and Jungkook – ssi decked out in heels. Not just any heels. Sleek, black high heels that looked like boots. Let’s see what did Youngie call those again? Ah yes ankle booties!

Wait a minute. Is this what I think it is? So this was why my unnis were so weird earlier? Seriously?! I internally yelled in realization.

I looked to Tae‘s imperious grin then to Jungkook – ssi’s serious, “this is business” expression and finally to RM – oppa’s sheepish face.

Yup it is. Sigh.

I didn’t know if I should laugh or get mad. But then as I took in their weird hands-on-hips-diva poses and how ridiculous they looked, the former won. I sputtered a surprised laugh as the two guys, relaxed their stances and chuckled, with the exception of Jungkook – ssi who feigned mock hurt and stayed in position.

I walked over to them. “Are seriously doing this? For real?” I asked them in a blend of skepticism and mirth.

“Of course! I am master!” Tae – hyung harrumphed in English (it was pretty good, despite a few grammar errors. Are all the guys learning English now?), crossing his arms. “They,” He pointed to the other two guys, “They,” he gestured to my unnis. “Help me.”

At this I crossed my arms, disbelief in my face. “Uh – huh. Nice try. But my unnis already did that yesterday and all I managed to do was fall on my trying to dance Beyonce in heels!”

RM – oppa quickly translated to the two guys and they gave me disapproving looks.

Tae clucked his tongue and said something in Korean that I didn’t understand. I turned to RM – oppa for a translation. He smiled. “He said that that was when you didn’t have the right heels. But now you do.” He gestured to Jungkook who grinned playfully, revealed a black parcel from his back and handed it to me.

Holy crap. They didn’t.

I slowly opened the box and gasped in surprise and well, anxiety.

Inside was a pair of black heels, but unlike the ones I borrowed this had thick heels and looked a lot sturdier than those stick thin, stilts.

I picked one up and turned it over, inspecting it even further instantly being amazed by its smooth texture. Twisting it to the other side, I saw that it had a zipper at the side, lending the shoe a tougher appeal.

Sighing, I put the shoe back in the box and turned to my unnis with my brow raised.

“Thanks for the shoes. But, are you sure this is going to work? We’ve already tried yesterday and all we’ve managed to do is make me look, as Haru – unni most accurately said, like a flapping duck.”

Somi – unni winked at me. “Positive. Just give the shoes a try. I’m sure you’ll love them.”

Feng Jiu – unni just nodded at me to go on.

Then I glanced to RM – oppa and Jungkook – ssi who had hopeful looks on their faces.

I put my hands on my hips, a playful smile on my lips. “I’m surprised you guys got dragged into this. I didn’t think you were that into heels.”

RM – oppa ducked his head guiltily. “Sorry, V asked us to help him. We couldn’t say no.”

Jungkook – ssi raised his hand hesitantly, speaking in English. “I was worried about Noona. V – hyung wanted to help me. Don’t be mad.”

Wait I thought he didn’t like me? What’s with this sudden change in behavior?

I glanced quickly at Tae who just shrugged his shoulders.

Well I’m bruised already so having more bruises won’t really matter. I’ll just try it.

I blew a breath. “Geulae. Let’s do it.”

The others’ faces broke into victorious grins as I put on my heels. Slowly, I stood and tried to balance on them, feeling the familiar, uncomfortable feeling of yet again being on air. I stumbled and luckily Jungkook – ssi caught my arms before I could fall over. I murmured a quick thanks and he smiled in return.

Okay. Try again Y/N.

I stood again and tried to walk in the heels. They were surprisingly soft at the soles and light, so each step felt like I was wearing my usual sneakers. And they fit just right so I didn’t have to wobble around.

They are perfect.

I walked back to where I came from and stood, while the others waited with baited breath for my reaction.

“Ok. Fine. I like them. They’re really comfortable and easy to wear.” I begrudgingly admitted.

At once, there were cheers of joy and big smiles. When everyone settled down, I asked. “So what’s next?”

Tae smiled cheekily. “We dance Single Ladies.”

I smirked. These guys got guts.

“You know the steps already right?” RM – oppa asked me.

I nodded.

“Ok then. We’ll dance first and then you do it on your own. Finally we all do it together. Call?”

“Call.” I replied.

The guys got into position while Feng Jiu – unni went over to the small stereo by the side to man the music. Jungkook – ssi gave me a teasing wink as he posed and I flinched in shock. Then the music played and all hell broke loose.

Have you ever seen anything so extraordinarily shocking and funny that your eyes popped out of their sockets and your mouth hung open like a fish?

That’s what happened to me while I watched Bangtan dance to Single Ladies in heels like they were Single Ladies. They danced with so much femininity and sass and flourish yet pretty much looked like a bunch of silly guys in heels but still managed to pull it off. Not once did they fall on their butts. They even managed to add their Bangtan swag to their moves which made the whole performance even more memorable. When the music ended, they gave their own poses and pasted on smiles of exhilaration.

Somi – unni and Feng Jiu – unni whooped in applause while I snickered and clapped at the same time.

Bangtan is Bangtan after all.

What a bunch of talented dorks.

The boys straightened and went to the side and Tae waved for me to go.

Well here goes nothing.

I went to the center, got ready then gestured for Feng Jiu – unni to play the music.

All the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies

I bopped my hips to the beat as my body instantly remembered the steps. Seconds later, I stumbled for a bit, my feet still readjusting to the new heels. Luckily, I managed to prevent myself from falling and kept on dancing.

Whew. Nice catch. I won’t fall. I won’t fall. I REFUSE to fall!

Unintentionally, I glanced toward Jungkook – ssi’s direction and he shot me a goofy, encouraging smile.

Kung kaya niya eh di kaya ko rin noh! (If HE can do it than so can I!)

Feeling my confidence and determination grow, I dug my feet into my heels and got into the groove.

Eventually when the chorus came, I could feel myself getting used to the heels and I decided to let loose and just enjoy the dance.

And amazingly I did enjoy it. The feeling of dancing in the right heels was liberating and fierce and just indescribably fun. Finally, the music faded and I turned to the others in pure disbelief.

What the hell just happened? Did I just dance in heels without falling?

“Daebak.” Was all I said as they swarmed me and congratulated me, all the while cheering in celebration.

“Maknae! YOU DID IT!” Somi – unni squealed as she and Feng Jiu – unni enveloped me in a hug.

The boys gave me big smiles and double thumbs ups in congratulations.

“Wow! Chukahae!” Tae said with an awed smile.

“You did it Noona. Nice!” Jungkook – ssi inserted with his bunny smile.

“Chukahae! So do you feel less “boyish” now that you’ve learned how to dance in heels?” RM – oppa asked.

I thought it over.

No, I didn’t.

I gave him an exhilarated smile. “Aniyo. (No.) In fact, you may think it strange, but I actually feel even more ‘manly’ in them like I could crush anyone who dares mess with me. Also, the heels don’t look very feminine so they suit me very well.”

RM – oppa chuckled then quickly translated to Jungkook – ssi and Tae who laughed in amusement.

“Noona is weird.” Jungkook – ssi teased me.

I scrunched my face up at him. “Wahh. Kamsahamnida Jungkook – ssi.” I retorted sarcastically and he laughed again.

Suddenly, Tae put a hand on his shoulder and I glanced at him. “You wear shoes. Not shoes wear you.”

“I wear the shoes and not the shoes wear me?” I clarified to him and he nodded happily.

He was right. I was the fool all along.

“V is right. Just because you know how to dance in heels now, doesn’t make you any less of who you are. I hope you’ll always remember that.” RM – oppa reminded me with a gentle smile.

True. I’ll always be boyish. But now I’ll be a boyish woman who kicks in heels. Assa!

Feeling extremely, overwhelmingly relieved and happy at once, I gave everyone a bow and a grateful smile. “Modudeul gomawo. (Thanks everyone.) For not giving up on me even when it seemed like I did. Neohuideul-eun choegoya. (You guys are the best.)

“But wait, it isn’t over yet. We still have to dance together!” RM – oppa announced in mirth. Everyone got into positions while unni went to play the music. Then when everyone else was settled we danced together as the music began.

Dancing with Bangtan and my unnis was honestly, a blast.

It was the most fun I had recently and it was just awesome to let the tension off my body.

As the music stopped I was about to change into my spare clothes and go home when Somi – unni grabbed my arm.

“Wait, the day isn’t over yet! We are still going somewhere!” Somi – unni shrieked in excitement as the others shared knowing glances with one another.

Okay. What can they possibly have in store for me?

 

Jungkook’s POV

I laughed in amusement while I sipped my cola, as I observed Hoseok – hyung and Jimin – hyung cajole Noona into playing Di Bi Di Bi Dib. She was getting confused and it didn’t help that the two of them were just laughing at her. However being the good – natured person she was, she just laughed it off and tried to do the gestures again.

The party was in full swing by now and everyone was having a great time. The other unnis were hanging with the hyung line chatting and drinking sips of red wine. (Why Jin – hyung decided to serve red wine was beyond me. Maybe he just didn’t want everyone to get dead drunk.)

Anyway, we arrived at the dorm at around 7pm and by then an incredible Korean feast was laid out at the table. Hyung and I gasped in awe as did the other girls, except Noona who gawked at the mountain of food laid before her. Jin – hyung gave us a flourished bow, proud of his handiwork.

Shortly, we had dinner and it honestly was the most fun dinner we’ve ever had in the dorm. I mean sure it was never boring with seven guys around the table but when you add no – nonsense, incredibly charming, easy-to-get-along-with women to the mix, well it’s a boisterous, fun event.

And then there was all that food. Jin – hyung honestly outdid himself this time. He prepared all of our usual favorites with an addition of even more extravagant dishes. There were also an assortment of desserts which he said was made by Haru – ssi who was an astonishingly good pastry chef, and who bowed embarrassingly when we complimented her on her sweets.

There was also no absence of good music as Suga – hyung whipped out one of his awesome mixes and of course there were Hoseok – hyung and Jimin – hyung who just adds the fun to everything by their natural sunny demeanor and by coming up with games and festivities.

Chuckling again as I saw Hoseok – hyung drag Haru – ssi this time into one of their games, I decided to get some fresh air and sauntered to the balcony. Once there, I once again was in awe of the beautiful Seoul skyline and all the lights that dotted its surroundings.

Suddenly, the glass door slid open and I glanced behind me to see Noona walk into the balcony.

I bowed to her in greeting and she smiled in apology as she also bowed in response. “Mianhamnida. I didn’t know anyone else was here. I just wanted to get away for a bit. Do you mind?”

I shook my head smiling at her. “Aniyo. It’s fine.”

She smiled in relief and joined me by the railing and for a while silence filled the night air.

Moments later, she said to me. “By the way Jungkook – ssi, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the concern. And for believing in me. Really. Kamsahamnida.”

I glanced to her and saw her grateful smile that lit up her face in a pleasant way and I couldn’t help but smile in return as well.

I shook my head. “Aniyo. Kamsahamnida. For being such a good teacher. And for taking the extra mile for me.” I finished the rest of my sentence in English.

She looked Jungshook (mehehe). “Whaa. Jungkook – ssi! You’re English is so much better! I better be careful of what I say then.” She joked.

I put a fist to my heart, mocking hurt. “Of course! I am the Golden Maknae after all.”

“Ne. Ne.” She said in a sarcastic manner with a funny expression and I chuckled.

Then deciding to take it another step, I extended my fist towards her and she looked at it in confusion.

“Wae gurae?”

I pointed to her. Then I pointed to myself and gestured to my extended fist.

“Noona, will you be my friend?”

This time she looked even more Jungshook (bwohoho). “Wae? I thought you never wanted to be my friend.”

I gave her a sheepish smile. “I was wrong. I was babo ughh s-stupid.” I quickly corrected myself and she chuckled.”

“You are a good person and I was bad for judging you. Mianhamnida.” I apologized with a bow and was about to retract my fist when Noona grabbed it, bumped it to her own fist before putting it down, with a big smile.

“Kwaenchanhayo. You are a good person too. When you’re not being babo uhh stupid that is.” She joked.

I chuckled as she readied her stance. “So yes Jungkook – ssi. I would be honored to be your friend. Friends?” She asked, eyebrows raised as she poised her fist for another bump.

Laughing in pure joy, I joined my fist to hers to make the perfect fist bump.

“Friends!”