Pic Credit: kth95_ksh99 (Instagram account)  *Kim Taehyung's and Kim Sohyun's Instagram update for Christmas 2018*

Securing her passport inside her handbag, Sohyun took her seat in waiting area near her boarding gate while her manager went to check in their bags. Placing her arms against the hand rest, she held her phone in her hand and unlocked the screen. With her head bent 60 degrees and eyes glued on to the screen, she smiled on reading Taehyung’s text and tapped her thumb against the screen typing the reply. But, halfway through, a call interrupted her unexpectedly. The caller name which existed only in her phone’s contact list and never on the contacted list, appeared on the screen. Plugging in her earphone hurriedly, she picked up the call hastily before the call ends. Not sure of how to respond or what honorific should be used to address the person, she hesitantly said, “Anneonghaseyo… (Hello)”

“Sohyun-sshi!”, Namjoon’s raspy voice sounded. “We heard about your trip to LA!”

“Oh… Dae(yes)”, she said waiting to receive their ‘All the best or Safe journey’, as she could hear ’s rustles.

“Thank goodness! Actually… we couldn’t place the order online…”, Suga’s voice sounded so relieved.

“Thank-”, she stopped her thanks in midway on listening to them and asked, “Dae? (what?)”

“So, we need some things to be bought from there-”

She was almost touched upon their call, but a ‘meh’ face just flashed in front of her upon listening to them, “Huh?”

“We’ll send you the list later…”, Suga said. “Ah…”, Namjoon sounded distracted, “Taehyung-ah!”, he shouted, calling out to him.

Confused by the conversations at the other end of the line, she remained silent.

“Hyung!!”, Sohyun heard Taehyung exclaiming, who was oblivious about Namjoon’s call to Sohyun. Amidst the dilemma if she should hang up or not, she heard Taehyung conversing with members, “Hyung… I’m really worried…”. “About Sohyun-sshi?”, Namjoon asked him. On taking his silence for a ‘yes’, Namjoon asked, “Wanna talk to Sohyun?” “I talked with her yesterday, told her about our previous trips to America… She scolded me for talking for hours together and not letting her to pack things…” Namjoon handed over the phone to him saying, “Talk to her then… And tell her our ‘all the best and safe journey’!” Sohyun who concluded that she was forgotten, felt like a third, no fourth wheel on listening to their conversation.

Not really taking a look at the phone, Taehyung said, “She might be in the airport, she may on pick u-”

“She is on the line!”, Namjoon cut in his sentence and took his leave, leaving Taehyung stunned. He immediately turned the phone up and saw the ongoing call, he immediately rushed to the corner of the room and talked whispering while the other members giggled before exiting the room.

“Sohyun-ah?”, Taehyung called her name through the phone.

“Tae?”

Silence filled the gap between the conversations.

“Tae?”, she said again.

“Mm?”

“Is your trip with members is confirmed too?”

“Mm”, his tone sounded down.

“So, we can’t meet even after I come back?”

He remained quiet.

“Shall I extend my trip in LA so that we can meet? It’s been almost a month since we met and I can’t wait for another 20 days… Nowadays, you’re too busy and we can’t even be sure of the possibility even if after your trip ends!”, she asked eagerly.

In a monotone, he replied, “We’ll be there filming… I wouldn’t get the time to meet you… Besides, some people at your agency are already sniffing things around us, if you extend the trip… then-”

Though what she suggested might sound absurd, she expected him to at least play along. But his serious reply wiped that eagerness of her face and brought in the disappointment. With the phone against her ear but the words within her, she sat in silence. Silence engulfed them until someone at the airport called out Sohyun’s name.

Her eyes looked up on hearing her name and found a man around her age dressed in formals. His white sweat shirt and tapered khaki pants made him stand out in the crowd enunciating his fit physique. “I’m your big fan Sohyun-sshi!”, he said while handing over a bouquet of yellow acacia and yellow tulips arranged beautifully with green trachelium. Taken aback Sohyun’s eyes darted between bouquet and him. Taehyung who was flustered on knowing that she was approached by a fan continued to call out to her through phone, but her phone long left her ears but was still in her hand. “I was here for my flight too”, the guy said showing his boarding pass to Jeju Island to clear the suspicion of being a stalker. “Oh! Thanks!”, Sohyun said receiving her bouquet. He was delighted to see his bouquet in her arms and smiled brightly. “Did you get the bouquet here? Looks like they made it in a hurry!”, Sohyun remarked on seeing the loosened knot on the bouquet. Perplexed by her question, he said, “Yeah, I just heard about your arrival… I was afraid that I would miss you… so, I rushed the florists!”, he said shyly scratching the back of his neck. “SOHYUN-AH!!!”, Taehyung screamed through the phone, which sounded like a soft mumble in their ears. Reminded of the phone call, Sohyun quickly answered Taehyung saying, “I’m here! I’m sorry!” “Be careful with strangers! Don’t talk with them for too long!”. Taehyung wanted. “Looks like you’re busy! Thank you Sohyun-sshi! Meet you later!”, the guy said as if he heard Taehyung and bowed thanking her with a smile which fit his face perfectly.

She bowed back and returned to the call, “I was a little lost, I’m sorry!”

“Are you alone? Where is the filing crew? Where is your manager? How can he leave you alone with a stranger?”, he fumed, “A fan is also a stranger! You should be careful with them? Why did he say, ‘meet you later’ instead of ‘Nice to meet you’? Be careful with the bouquet, don’t carry it around-”

His words certainly didn’t get on her good side. “I’ve to go… Boarding call!”, she spelled the broken sentence and hung up the phone.

“Soh-”, Taehyung’s broken words never made it through her phone.

Taehyung felt unsettled and couldn’t handle the 5 minutes that ticked his life away. He tried to contain himself, but he called her back. Meanwhile, Sohyun who boarded the flight, felt bad about dropping the call like that and held her phone in her hands contemplating whether she should call him back before the flight took off. The moment her phone rang, all her anger faded away. She immediately picked up and uttered, “It’s me! Your girlfriend no 7!”

He chuckled and answered, “Oh! I thought it was no 4! It’s alright anyway! Can we talk? Or is it the wrong time?”

“Sure! The seats near me aren’t filled yet…”

“It’s off season, so you might get lucky with the empty seats! So… what do you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to hear some Hangul before I leave!”

“Jinjja? (Really?)”

“Is that all the Hangul you know?”

“Of course not! I can quote Hangul poetry, literatures and speak in Busan, Geochang and Daegu dialects!”

“Isn’t Geochang your native…”, her voiced cadenced lower as she found some passenger occupying the seats in the adjacent cubicles.

“Why are you mumbling? Is someone there?”, Taehyung asked, puzzled by her tone.

“Yeah… Ghosts, ghouls, banshees…”, she listed.

He chuckled at her figure of speech and asked, “Are there any Korean ghosts?”

“No…  just a foreign businessman ghost!”

“Then we can talk in peace…”, he said relieved.

“We can’t, it seems…”

“Why? Did he recognise you?”

“No, flight is gonna take off soon… flight mode…”, she said reluctantly.

“Ok, sweetheart! Have a safe flight and don’t leave me in Korea when you land there!”

“I won’t forget you… ”, she replied gleefully.

“I love you!”, he said and showered her with kisses through the phone.

“OK… I’m gonna hang up!”, she said, with her face flushed pink.

“Wait! Aren’t you gonna kiss back?”

“I’m on board!”

“Oh! Ok… then why don’t you spell the word ‘kiss’ in hangul, so they won’t know?”

She let out a sigh at his antics. She looked around and bend forward to hide herself. After securing her perimeters after scanning with her eyes, she kissed him back through the phone and said, “Get by with your members and Yeontan (Taehyung’s pet dog) till I return. And don’t forget to visit Mongsukie (Sohyun’s pet) in the pet care centre… I’m afraid she’ll get lonely!”

“Don’t worry, Yeontan will take care of her! And don’t forget to take the lactic acid supplements before eating!”

On hearing the same words that her mom uttered, she replied giggling, “Arasso (Got it)! I’m hanging up!”

“Don’t forget to call or send me texts and pics!”

With the anger that got lost and a smile that lasted throughout the flight hours, she flew with a light heart.

Her days in United States started with camera and filming. When she came across the places which were mentioned by Taehyung, his memories morphed in hers which obviously brought smiles to her lips. More than her selfies, she sent him the landscape photos that she took with great care. Because, she guessed that given his busy schedule, her selfies will only yield some pretty words with a smiley and hearts, but a landscape earns sentences from a photo enthusiast like him. Since texts were the only means of communication and a call was too difficult to make, she found her solace in long texts. But towards the end of filming the variety show, the day before the photoshoot, she received a text that read, ‘Guess if I’m interested in the photographer more than the photos, SNS is the only way…” She replied with, ‘???’ But she actually answered him with her multiple photo updates on Instagram on same day. With just a day for her own in LA, she got herself busy with the list that BTS members sent her. She got Taehyung a cardigan, a pair of coolers and lots of chocolates. Unable to stuff the souvenirs in her luggage, major spaced being occupied by those things on the list, she bought a new trolley bag to contain everything.  

With the help of the bodyguard, she safely passed the things to them to which she received a photo of them smiling widely with their things and a thanks written on the pic. The last time she saw such a kind of photo was during his trainee days, when their seniors treated them to dinner.  Those days where they struggled to become accomplished in their early 20’s. While she got lost in the past, just at that moment, her manager came up with a proposal on MC-ing a program called ‘Under Nineteen’. With the memories of his struggles during trainee days flashing before her, like it was her call, she said ‘Yes’ without a second thought. She knew how hard it was for Taehyung to debut and gain the fame that they have today, so she thought of it as a chance to stand by such talents and encourage them. She believed that if even one of her fans watches the show for her and become attached with the talents, that’s her biggest accomplishment as a entertainer.

While Sohyun juggled between emceeing and her new drama shooting, Taehyung strode through the concerts with their new album.

The winter and its white blanket soon invited the Christmas eve… but a date where they can walk side by side holding hands became their far away dream.

By the time the concerts for the year got over, music awards demanded BTS’s presence. The tension that enveloped the band and the pressure and expectation put forth before them and the uncertainty about tomorrow, all together ed them to give their all on stage. Being away for long and with Christmas around the corner with all the lights and celebrations, members missed their home. A call to their loved ones before going to bed gave them solace but they never were enough, not to Taehyung.  And the timings were never compatible to maintain a periodic communication between Sohyun. Jimin of course knew about those since he shared the room with Taehyung which made him speak up, “Taehyung-ah…”, he called softly asking for Taehyung’s attention who was busy with his phone in the late night.

Taehyung hummed responding while having his eyes fixated on phone.

“Are you texting? Busy?”, Jimin asked carefully.

Jimin’s conscious question, gained Taehyung’s attention entirely. “I’m just looking up the trending searches…”

“So… what does it say?”

Taehyung chuckled and answered, “What got my attention was…”, he modified Jimin’s question and continued with a smile, “Sohyun will be emceeing the Seoul Music Awards with Heechul sunbaenim and Shin Dongyup sunbaenim… just like last year… It’s been a year already!”

“You heard it through the news?”

“She once mentioned… a week ago, I guess…”

“You seem okay… Even I feel awful that you two are torn by our schedules… If these lasts, how will Sohyun-sshi cope?”

 Looking at the last year picture of her in the news article, where she stood smiling with the other MCs on the stage, he helplessly sighed and confessed, “My biggest mistake…”

“Sohyun-sshi?”

He shook his head in denial and said drowning himself in thoughts, “Holding on to her…”

“Do-”, Jimin stopped his sentence midway on hearing Taehyung’s phone buzzing with a call.

Taehyung’s eyes widened and then turned delighted, he quickly got up holding his phone against his ears, “Sohyun-ah?”, his elated voice was filled with yearning. Jimin smiled on seeing them holding on to each other through the distances.

But Taehyung heard her sniffles in response.

Sohyun-ah? Are you ok?

I’m ok (She replied curtly)

Then why are you crying?

I’m not! (she replied curtly again)

I can still hear your sniffles! (Her denial frustrated him)

Why are you picking on me? Anything I do bothers you…

That’s not what I meant! (He tried to explain)

Sure, you did!

Fine, I won’t say anything…

Don’t I even have the freedom to be sad? (She poured her anger)

Will being sad solve the problem?

Then not being sad will? (She breathed out while fuming inside)

After a moment of silence, he regretted starting off their conversation like that and so did she.

Why are you upset? (Swallowing his pride, Taehyung asked softly)

I’m upset that I can’t be like you! We haven’t met for a month, we rarely talked, you don’t have the leisure to send long texts… (Her voice softened) but you aren’t upset at all unlike me… You’re dancing away happily in the concert… Grinding and Jiving

(He chuckled)

Why do I feel like I have been mourning over a lost soul!

Should I mourn with you? (he asked as he sat by the bed near the glass window looking at the street lights burning for no one on the empty street. In a serious tone, he asked) Have you ever thought, what if you forget about the opinion of others and stayed right by my side without any boundary?

Every minute… Emceeing the music awards, I have to be careful and avoid you even though you would be right in front of me… I wouldn’t be able to talk to you no matter how much I yearned for it… I didn’t like that… that’s why I didn’t tell you…

Mmm… Do you remember the last year’s red carpet in Melon Music awards? We were scheduled to walk just before yours?

Ah… I do remember that! I wanted to avoid you… I never thought I would run into you in the waiting area even before walking the red carpet! I tried so hard not to look in your direction!

That memory was so vivid in my mind! That first encounter after many years… everything went out of focus because you were standing next to me!

(Sohyun laughed on hearing his honey coated words)

Even after gaining the fame… the past 6 months have been the best in my life yet! Thanks to you! (Taehyung confessed softly) let’s not spoil it … I’ll talk to Heechul Sunbae about us… he’ll help us!

I think… No, I’m sure Yeri might’ve already blew some info into his ears…

Then… that makes it easier for me to bring up the topic, isn’t it?

Is this the same guy… the guy who was too careless and lost his temper often?

Taehyung let out a quick smile in reply and started off describing in detail about the rehearsals and the concerts. Halfway through his narration, Taehyung noticed that Sohyun was quiet for some time, without utterings even an interjection. Not really sure of the reason for her silence, he softly called her, ‘Sohyun-ah?’

He listened keenly to hear her answer. But only her soft breath hit his ears through the phone. Listening to her breath for a moment he chuckled on the realization and gently whispered, “Good night… Dream of me” and carefully cut his call to not disturb her sleep.

Author’ note:

Hello! Hope you’re giving your best shot! Writing a story of celebrity life with bits of facts into the imaginary story is my first time… so it’s kinda difficult to incorporate the original draft into the facts *I hope the story isn’t too dragging…*

For Taeso Shippers:

There’s been lots of taeso videos or post these dayss… Or is it just me? Am I seeing things I want to see? BTW, hats off to kth95_ksh99 (ig account) … her posts and videos are really beautiful and amusing!

For hopeless romantic person:

‘No need for any alluring words… his/her eyes are doing all the talking!’- have you ever experienced it? *Just wondering*