[ Escaping The Iron Hand ]

 

You used to date and in high school but then broke up so he could pursue his dream, and now you have to take your younger cousin to a fan signing where he confess he still has feelings for you but you're still hurt and reject him so your cousin gives him your cellphone number and tells him to try again.

Genre/s: Angst, Romance
Appearance of other BTS members: Author's pick: none

xx

"Ah seriously ______! Hurry up or we'll be put at the back and I wouldn't be able to see them clearly!"

Keeping her eyes on the road and one hand on the wheel, ______ lifts her other hand and ticks four fingers off. "One, you don't tell your driver to "hurry up" unless you want to end up in the hospital. Two, what do you mean by we? As far as I'm concerned, I'm not really interested in coming all this way just to see a group of six boys-"

"Seven."

______ flicks her eyes at her cousin through the rear mirror in an annoyed glance before returning them back onto the road. "Seven boys and have them sign whatever you have brought with you. Three, it's not my fault you're short and four, you should have known better and worn your contact lenses today. And you're just lucky that my mum is paying me. My friends are having fun without me you know."

 ______'s cousin gives a huff and folds her arms in the passenger seat. "They're celebrities and they're holding a fansigning here. Of course I wouldn't miss seeing them."

"Show some consideration for the others," ______ says but the dreamy look on her cousin's face proves that the former's words has fallen on deaf ears. ______ sighs. She just hopes that this fan meet will be over soon so she can get back home and relax with some hot chocolate. 

"No way."

"Seriously ______?! We're like going to be near the front of the line and you're just going to stand out of sight?" 

______ thinks for a few seconds and looks around at her surroundings. "Actually I wouldn't be out of sight because there isn't anything blocking me, and also I have to keep an eye out for you. Mum would kill me if something went wrong."

"Do you know how many fans would kill to see them up close?"

"Are they really that famous?" ______ her head at her cousin.

The latter sighs. "They're so hot they should already be the Kings of kpop." Her cousin throws ______ one last look. "Whatever, suit yourself." ______ watches her cousin younger than her by three years run to the already flocking crowd, and snorts. She walks over nearby to the trees, not too far from her cousin so ______ would be able to catch up to any kidnappers. ______ takes out her phone and plugs earphones into her ears, sliding down to the bottom of a trunk. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply, relishing the cool feel of nature. 

Screams awaken ______ from her trance and she rips her earphones out of her ears, swivelling her head to the noise. ______'s body slumps and her eyes roll as she realises the boy band has arrived and are taking their seats at a long table. What did her cousin say their band name was? BTF? BTC?

______ eyes land on a member's shirt and the letters "BTS" are emboldened on his outfit. She notices that the other six boys are wearing the same black vest. From below them, the girls are shouting, one hand up in the air trying to catch the boys' attention, cameras and phones in the other.

Before she can stop herself, her eyes are lazily sliding across the members, scoffing at how flawless they look even from where ______ is sitting. Unlike her cousin, ______ has almost perfect eye sight and can easily analyse the idols' features. The boys stand up and bow in a synchronised manner, mouthing some words that can not be audible from the squeals, and bring their hand forward in a pistol gesture. The girls seem to go even crazier at their greeting and the noise level must have grown but ______ does not hear it as she has stiffened up and her eyes are directed at the idol sitting at the end of the table, filled with horror.

Kim Namjoon.

"No way," ______ breathes and stands up, slowly walking forward to make sure her eyes haven't tricked her. 

Those eyes, those lips, that smile. Her ex-boyfriend from high school that ______ has devoted all her love to is sitting less than twenty metres from her, a grin lighting up his face from his fans' excitement. ______ notices how handsome he has grown, and she finds a small smile growing along with Namjoon's big one, but stops herself just in time. 

Suddenly, pain engulfs her heartbeats as ______ turns away, clenching her eyes. The years come back to her. Years filled with depression and hurt, from the break-up they had both endured. Namjoon had chosen to pursue his dream rather than spend time with his girl and ______ knew that there is no such thing as a long-distance relationship.

It simply wouldn't work.

Namjoon wasn't expecting ______ to propose the break up. He had expected ______ to be happy for him, to jump with glee and run into his arms when he gave the good news. And when ______'s face turned into shock, Namjoon had taken it the other way and his smile grew even bigger. However, the slumped shoulders and heavy intakes of breath weren't supposed to follow afterwards. 

"You can't be serious."

Namjoon face dropped as ______ looked on with her surprised eyes. "What do you mean babe? I'll never joke about this. It's my dream job."

"And that's it!" Namjoon jumped from ______'s sudden outburst. She was never the abrupt person. "It's your dream job. Dream jobs are always the hardest, because you're putting everything on the line to achieve it."

"That's what I have been doing." Namjoon's voice was filled with confusion. "I've been trying so hard to get accepted . . ."

Tears brimmed her eyes. "Do I mean nothing to you?"

"What . . .  What do you mean? You mean everything to me." Namjoon started covering the distance between them but stopped when ______ took a step back and held up her hand.

"More than your dream?" Namjoon's eyes widened and he stayed silent. ______ shook her head and gave him her back, all the while trying to keep her tears in. "We're done then."

"What?! ______, please. Why are you doing this? You should be happy for me-"

"Happy for you?!" ______ whipped around, her eyes ferocious. "Don't tell me you never once thought that our relationship will degenerate when you disappear into that building. Don't tell me you never once thought that we'll hardly be able to see each other again because they will not stop working you until after the contract ends. Don't tell me you never knew that if there's a them, then there's no us."

The tears spilled out of his eyes. "I- I, I didn't want to think that . . ."

"You didn't have to think it, or even darn believe it, because it will happen whether you want it to or not!" 

Namjoon took a step forward. "Please ______, don't." He managed to grab her wrist but she slid out of his grip the minute they made contact. She breathed heavily, not being able to hold the tears back any longer. They stared into each others' eyes for a long minute, both seeing the love they felt for each other woven between angered and upset feelings. ______ broke the gaze and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was filled with pain, her heart hammering against her ribcage, begging not to say the words. "I wish you the best in your career. Goodbye, Namjoon."

Without looking back up, ______ turned around and walked away, her strides gradually picking up pace because her back couldn't stand to hold his hurt gaze any longer.

"No," ______ whispers and digs her nails into her palms. The memory happened five years ago and has been locked away in the back of her mind all this time. She has worked so hard to recover, to heal up from her own words that she had forced herself to give up the internet to not catch sight of Namjoon's debut.

______ knows he is talented and that it wouldn't take long for him to debut. She just didn't know when he had made his appearance to the kpop world, and how far his success had progressed.

Is just pure bad luck that she has to be the accompaniment for her cousin today?

Her eyes yearns to be back on Namjoon and it takes most of ______'s self control to root her feet into the ground. Has all her effort from the past five years resulted in so weak of a s