On the second floor of Dr. Bean's coffee house in Seoul, Park Jimin sat in the crowd of fifty-ish people, with his attention directed to the stage in front of him, and his iPhone set to record. His best friend, Jeon Jungkook was performing a cover of one of his favorite songs, 'Sofa' during Dr. Bean's weekly open mic night. Jimin made sure to capture the song for Jungkook, who told Jimin to sit on the far left side to get his 'good side'. Jimin agreed with an eye roll. 

The music began to die down, and the crowd clapped excitedly. Jungkook's smile beamed as he bowed and waved. Jimin stopped the video, instantly forwarding it to Jungkook, and setting it down on the small coffee table he was sitting at. Jimin was happy for his friend who was brave enough to go up every Friday night to sing in front of so many people, but Jimin also felt slightly envious. 

Jimin wasn't exactly the type of boy to courageously go up on a stage and sing like his friend, even if it meant sitting in the crowd instead of doing what it was that he truly loved. 

Jimin was passionate about singing. Singing in the shower, singing around the house while he made macaroni and cheese, singing on his way to get the mail from the mailbox. A singer was something he had always felt destined to become. That was until he began to grow older, and begin picking himself apart bit by bit. It started with a bad haircut he got when he was 13 and all the kids in school called him coconut head. After that came braces and pimples, and then he watched as his friends grew much taller than him, voices deepening and even some facial hair. But Jimin didn't get facial hair, and he sure as hell did not get any taller. Much to his disdain, Jimin's voice did not get any deeper either. But his best friend who was a year and a half younger than him, Jeon Jungkook, assured him that his voice was unique for boys his age: 'It makes your singing voice different from the rest! You can hit notes that I never will!'

Jimin figured that he was simply cursed. So when his best friend Jungkook motioned for him to join him on stage, Jimin shook his head repeatedly.

"God no!" Jimin mouthed to his friend, who was now announcing Jimin's name, mentioning that he had signed him up behind his back.

"It's your time, hyung! Come on, you can do it! Crowd back me up on this!" Jungkook said, starting a chant.

"Jimin! Jimin! Jimin!" the crowd began to yell, clapping along with Jungkook, who was stepping down from the crowd to take matters into his own hands. Literally.

"J-Jungkook, I c-can't...some other time..." Jimin said, shaking his arm from his friend's tight grip. 

"C'mon, Jimin hyung! You're really talented!" Jungkook said, holding his hand out for Jimin to grab on to.

After realizing his friends sudden loss of words, Jungkook apologized and returned to his seat next to Jimin, who was just about to finally catch his breath.

That is, until the next performer in Open Mic Night approached the stage, fiery orange hair and dressed in black leather. Jimin could smell the cologne dripping off the cute yet bad looking boy. 

"My name is Kim Taehyung, and I'm going to sing a little song I made with a few of my friends a year or two ago." 

Jimin felt a smooth vibration throughout his body upon hearing Taehyung's voice. It was deeper than any teenage boy he'd ever known, contrasting his cute face with a cute smile to match.

Jungkook cheered for Taehyung, who was now clearing his throat and adjusting the mic to his height. The music began, a jazz feel to it and then suddenly switching course to a wicked piano and drum combo, taking both Jimin and Jungkook by surprise. Jungkook and the members of the audience swayed their heads back and forth to the beat, and even Jimin couldn't help participating. 

Taehyung's singing voice was just as deep as his speaking voice. It was harsh and low yet still made Jimin melt on the inside. His eyes couldn't look anywhere else, even when Jungkook mentioned he was getting up to use the restroom. In that moment, Jimin felt his heart race along with the rhythm of the drums, and then feeling as though it stopped momentarily as Taehyung began to rap. Taehyung moved around the stage, dancing with the now standing crowd and Jimin could've swore he winked at him (or maybe that was just his stupid imagination.) 

The song ended exactly how it started, jazz music flowing through the air and cheers coming from every direction in the Coffee House.

"Thank you, everybody!" Taehyung yelled, bowing and smiling sheepishly as he tried his best to catch his breath. 

"Hey, What'd I miss?" Jungkook said upon returning to his seat, but Jimin didn't have any words. He couldn't really explain what Jungkook missed because his stomach was kicking from the inside, and he felt just as out of breath as the performer, Kim Taehyung.

"Are you okay? Like, you can go home if you're not feeling well." Jungkook said, slurping his iced coffee through an orange straw.

"No, I'm okay." and that was all Jimin could manage as a taller, orange haired boy approached their table.

"Jungkook right? Nice to meet you, I'm Taehyung. Loved the performance out there. Sofa is one of my favorite songs as well." Taehyung said, shaking Jungkook's hand who nodded and smiled in return.

"And...Jimin? I apologize, I'm terrible with names." Taehyung said, swooping his bangs out of his eyes with a childlike smile. "Sorry to hear about you not performing, I was looking forward to it. It's rare to see a new face around here."

"Yeah...me too." Jimin said, internally face palming himself 900 times. He felt a sudden rise in temperature as he tried his best to cover the red appearing on his face.

"He just felt a little nauseous. What was that you had, the diarrhea?" Jungkook said, laughing out loud at his friend's misfortune, who growled at him and was murdering him inside his head.

Taehyung laughed along, and then leaned his elbow on the table they were sitting at. He seemed to look around the room in a silence that felt awkward to Jimin, but comfortable to Taehyung.

"Anyways, I should go. Hopefully you feel better by next week, Jimin." Taehyung said bowing his head with a slight wave. Jimin laughed a little too loudly, earning a surprised glance from Jungkook. The two friends then waved to Taehyung as he made his departure.

"Ok, you are so singing next week. That guy totally likes you!" Jungkook said with excitement in his voice.

Jimin didn't agree, obviously. "He doesn't. And if he did, why? I'm not the one with the confidence, that's you!" Jimin said, swirling the final sips of coffee left in his cup and slouching in his chair.

"You have confidence, Jimin. You have confidence when you're alone and when you're with me. You don't even think about how you look or if what your saying might sound a little stupid. You even sing around me! And you write songs too!"

"How did you know I write songs?!"

"Um...I didn't."

Jimin sighed in exhaustion. This was totally frustrating. He wanted to have the same confidence he had around his best friend on stage and around his new infatuation with Kim Taehyung. But he didn't know how that was possible.

"Ok, so like...pretend I'm Taehyung and we've been together for a year. You just wrote a song for me, and you've decided to sing it for me at Dr. Bean's."

"Jungkook, as much as I appreciate it, I'm pretty sure it's been established he doesn't like me. So we don't have to worry about impressing him, we just need to focus on my ability to sing in front of a crowd."

"Fair enough." Jungkook replied, clearing his throat. "Well, why don't we practice with a duet? And if you feel comfortable doing it, we'll perform this Friday?" Jungkook suggested, which in return Jimin raised an eyebrow.

A duet would be manageable for Jimin, considering if he felt nervous or like he was going to faint he would just let Jungkook finish the song. But, Jimin also had his doubts. If it was a duet he was going to do, he'd want to do something simple yet in his vocal range.

"What about 200% by AKMU?" Jungkook suggested, to which Jimin nodded and pulled out his laptop to look up the lyrics.

After about an hour of rehearsing and adding their own little changes to their cover song, Jungkook and Jimin both felt confident with it. 

"Ok, I'll sign us up for Open Mic Night this Friday!" Jungkook said, high fiving Jimin who finally felt excited to sing in front of a crowd, and he knew with his best friend's help it would be that much more fun. And...maybe it would impress Taehyung. Maybe.

Friday night could not come sooner. Jimin was practicing his verses in '200%' from the time Jungkook left up until it was time to perform. The nerves were there, and they probably always would be, but Jimin knew that he was capable of this. He knew that even if he screwed up, he could laugh it off and work on the mistakes he made later. Jimin smiled into the mirror, giving himself a thumbs up as he double checked his appearance. Jungkook insisted they wore matching ensembles. A white botton down shirt with a turquoise bow tie and a matching colored waistcoat. The pants were black as well as the shoes. Jimin exhaled silently, picking up his phone to text Jungkook that he was on his way to pick him up.

Until a certain text message from a certain boy made him lose his place.

From: Unknown Number

Hey Jimin! It's Taehyung, hope your performance goes well tonight! Fighting (*~▽~)

Jimin smiled at his phone, before wondering how Taehyung could've possibly got Jimin's cell phone number.

"Jeon Jungkook I'm gonna kill you..."

Tonight at Dr. Bean's was different from any other night Jimin has been there. Tonight, he was no longer a member of the crowd. Tonight, he was a singer.

"Jimin, we go on in a few minutes. We're after Minah." Jungkook said as Jimin and him sat at their usual table.

With a brief feeling of butterflies in his stomach, Jimin nodded and tried to stop himself from shaking. The performer before them, Minah, was definitely an outstanding singer, with her voice reaching as high as it possibly could without breaking tune.

The crowd applauded her as she made her exit off the stage. Jimin was now short of breath, one side of his brain telling him that he can do this while the other telling him to get up and run. But running was not an option as Jungkook stood up, grabbing hold of Jimin's arm so he would stand as well. Jimin remembered something on the way up to the stage.

"Is Taehyung performing after us?" Jimin asked, now stepping up the steps leading to the stage.

"No, he didn't sign up. I thought our focus was to help your ability to sing in front of a crowd?" Jungkook said, shaking Jimin out of his nervous statement for a brief moment and replacing it with a touch of disappointment.

"Oh, I did...right." 

Jimin and Jungkook sat on the two chairs that were placed on the stage at their request, mics in their hands and smiles on their faces. But for some reason, the music wasn't playing. 

"Kookie, you did tell Hoseok which song to play right?" Jimin said through a plastered smile, trying his best not to show his discomfort.

Jungkook sighed impatiently and nodded, standing up. "I'll go check what the hold up is." And then Jimin was left on stage alone, in front of fifty-ish people.

Jimin gulped loudly, looking out into the sea of people, obviously confused at the silence on the stage. Jimin panicked, standing up to leave to run home and never, ever return to this stage again until the beginning beat of '200%' began to play through the speakers.

Jimin stopped in his tracks, eyes wide with confusion as he mentally argued with himself to either run or stay.

He decided to stay, returning to his seat slowly. Jimin nodded his head to the beat to cover up the fact that he felt like peeing from the anxiousness he was actually feeling and then heard it.

Jimin heard the deep voice of the boy he met a week ago, once again sending vibrations throughout his body and looking up to see the boy.

Taehyung made his way over to his seat with his signature childish smile, orange hair messily arranged on his head and turquoise waistcoat plus bowtie combo that was supposed to be Jimin and Jungkook's matching outfits.

Jimin peeked behind Taehyung to see a waving Jungkook, smiling and throwing a reassuring thumbs up to his best friend.

Jimin felt confidence flow through his body while listening to Jungkook Taehyung's verses, and sure enough felt confidence when he began to sing his own.

The crowd wooed as Jimin hit his first high note successfully in front of a crowd, earning early applause and a smile from Taehyung, who harmonized with Jimin on such a heavenly level that it made Jimin's stomach create butterflies all over again, but not because of nerves, because of the boy who was now singing along side of him.

As the song ended, Taehyung reached out for Jimin's hand as he stood up, and pulled Jimin into a surprising hug. Jimin couldn't help but feel his face start to heat up as the crowd cheered even louder, even throwing out a few whistles. After releasing Jimin from the hug, hand still in hand, they bowed, and Jungkook cheered from the side of the stage.

Upon exiting the stage with a heavy heart and a shortness of breath, Jimin felt a hand on his back.

"That was amazing, you have a very beautiful voice. I'm glad your friend asked me to sing with you." Taehyung said, now facing Jimin and making Jimin's shortness of breath even more of a difficulty.

Jimin glared at Jungkook who was behind Taehyung, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend and making kissy faces.

"I'm glad he did too, it was a lot of fun performing with you." Jimin replied, blushing at the deep laugh Taehyung replied with.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Taehyung said, now suddenly appearing closer to Jimin than he remembered. 

"Sure, I'll text you." Jimin spoke, earning a smile from the taller boy and a wave in his direction. 

Once Taehyung departed, evil Jungkook appeared.

"Am I great, or am I great?" He said, smile spread across his face. "How did it feel getting up there for the first time?"

Jimin held back his urge to tackle Jungkook to the ground and choke him (which would surely make Jimin feel better but would probably be unnecessary) so instead Jimin simply shrugged and replied:

"I feel like I'm...finally free."

End