As the reflection of LED lights around the vanity mirror glimmered in her eyes, she looked beside her, at the seat which was yet to be filled by her co-MC. After sparing her attention on the empty seat for a second, she shifted her gaze back to her reflection in the mirror. Straightening her back, and lifting her chin slightly up, she checked up on her makeup and hair for a while longer until, she heard her stylist, “Is the time passing away just looking at the mirror?”

Struck at the moment for being caught red handed, Sohyun shook her head in denial.

“Then-”, before her stylist could start teasing her, entry of a person into the waiting room shut her words.

“Did you all miss me?”, Taehyung asked, as he dashed into the room with brightly lit eyes.

“I heard BTS have separate waiting room…”, the stylist added.

“Today I’m a full-time MC and part-time idol… And I clearly see an empty seat beside her reserved just for ME!”, he answered with a plastered smile.

Out of the blue, “How far should we go to get a cold coffee?”, Sohyun asked her manager and stylist who were the only people with her in the room besides Taehyung.

Understanding where she is hinting at, her manager said, “Mistake, girl… A big mistake!”

“Just felt like having some… to clear my tension…”, Sohyun defended.

“To clear the tension?”, her stylist asked.

“Absolutely”, she answered.

The manager sighed saying, “I shouldn’t encourage this… You have 10 minutes…” and made her way out of the room.

“No need to hurry since the coffee is already cold!”, Taehyung added the spice.

As they took their leave, Taehyung took his ninja steps towards Sohyun. He stopped behind Sohyun who sat facing the vanity mirror. Holding her bare shoulder, he bent down while leaning forward. With his cheek against her head that was styled in a messy bun, he scanned her reflection which showed her dressed beautifully in high neck halter dress…

“What do you see?”, she asked him softly.

“My gorgeous one…”, he whispered.

Accustomed to his sweet talks, she responded calmly asking, “What else?”

“My smart one…”

“What else?”, she asked waiting for the right answer.

“My angry headstrong girl…”

“Do you notice any changes? Look carefully…”, she asked again.

He knitted his brows and strained his eyes trying to notice the changes in her through the reflection in the mirror.

“I cut my fringes…”, she said in a low tone.

“Hair?”, he puzzled still blinking his eyes at her reflection. Though he couldn’t recognise the changes, he said, “That looks really good on you…”

“Don’t bluff!”, she grimaced.

“Did you notice anything else?”, her eyes casted a tinge of sadness.

“What else?”, he gave a sly smile asking, “Can my hands do the looking?”

“I’m serious… Don’t play jokes…”

“Ok…”, he said obediently and asked playfully, “How serious? Is it critical?”

Not pleased with the way he reacted, “See, we are polar opposites…”, she said, “Look at us…”, she said as her eyes fell on their costumes but hinting at their profession.

As she looked at his eyes in the reflection, he gazed into hers. He walked to the front, supported his hands on the armrest and gazed straight into her eyes.

“I can’t choose between you and my career!”, she confessed.

“I know… Even I don’t dare to choose!” He took her hand in his, “I am over the top in front of camera, and I’m short tempered, I can’t handle my emotions well… I wanted to run away from reality, even tried…”, he paused for a deep breath and continued, “Those are the two sides to me, both poles apart, but both genuine!”, he pursed his lips feeling hesitant to continue. But he blurted his thoughts, “You know… I have survived few years without you by my side… It’s a lie to say ‘I can’t live without you’… But-”, he took her hand and struck against his chest saying, “From here, I say… Without you, there is no one! You are my cry of joy and my tears in grief!”

“You just said you CAN live without me!”, she sulked. “It’s embarrassing to hear that, while I believed the otherwise…”

He chuckled saying, “I was scientifically speaking. If you want me to speak romantically…”

“No need… its embarrassing enough…”, she interrupted him, “No need to draw the poetry…”

“If you need a song, just say so, …”, he said as he closed in.

Rolling her eyes, she said, “You should get back to your seat!”

He grimaced at her remark and got back to his seat playing obediently.

“Don’t play any trick while we’re emceeing! Please forget the wager… at least for today…”

“You are such a worrywart, aren’t you?”, he said and leaned on the chair saying, “This crazy heart, this frenzied youth, in this torrent of music, I should be cradled in my sweetheart’s arms!”

She shook her head in disbelief and asked, “Is it really good in your imagination?”

“Very much…”, he said delightedly, “Do you wanna-”

She cut in saying, “Then continue feeling good in your imagination…” and occupied herself with her phone.

“You devil!”, escaped his lips with his hopes being shattered.

When the spotlight showered on emcees Sohyun and Taehyung, the audience’s deafening screams gave them the bright smile and confidence to start the festival. When their first ‘Anneonghaseyo’ chorused, the audience’s gleeful cheer made them to stand as wholehearted MCs with exuberance forgetting all about their hidden relationship status. But the affection they had took its form as ‘chemistry’ on screen.  The way they stood facing each other and the comfortable proximity between them were new to the audience since emcees who are idols or actors will give out an awkward and distant vibe without the companion of a comedian as a third MC. As moments fleeted… giggles, smiles and the quick glances added spice to the chemistry. Taehyung’s energy filled follow up dances of other idol groups was caught by many cameras and his face always managed to make it on the monitor for every performance.

When the first half came to an end, the articles which covered idols’ performances never failed to add a note on the MC’s chemistry. There were even exclusive articles praising the K-Broadcasting company’s apt selection of the MC who were not ‘just some famous celebrities’ of the year.

Unlike Sohyun, Taehyung kept himself updated with the article during the break and felt elated by it. Changing into a new suit and vest for the second half, he listened to the instructions for upcoming BTS’s performance with the members while holding the MC cards in his hand. Taking leave earlier, he went to the backstage and waited for Sohyun to join him and take the stage.

When Sohyun walked in, Taehyung froze on seeing her. He had seen her in many dresses and costumes, but that look of hers really shook him.

Wearing a white button-up full sleeved shirt and a tapered black pants with a layer of wallet chain she treaded towards him. She stopped beside him while adjusting her black gothic scoop-neck waist coat with a lace-up back which accentuated her curves. As she swept her 2C wavy hair to one side, Taehyung stood with his mouth agape. Instead of lending his arm, he extended his hand suggesting to walk hand in hand. Keeping her hand to herself, she stared at him and shook her head not giving in.

With her brows knitted, she pulled her waistcoat down, feeling awkward with the gothic styled suit.

He took her hand away from the waist coat, and held it tightly saying, “You’ll stretch it…”

“How do I look?”, she asked feeling all nervous from head to toe.

“I’m sure you spent the entire break in front the mirror…”

“So?”, she asked puzzled.

“I’m sure your eyes and senses know well that you look stunning! These questions…. are traps set for men, right?”

Freeing her hand from his hold, she warned, “Maintain an arm’s distance!”

Throwing his arm over her shoulder, he said, “I’m poor at discerning distance… So, I need this arm between us to measure!”

“Are you poor at math too?”, she rebuked while playing along.

With his pride on the line, he claimed, “I think… On that day, I was suffering from fever and missed that particular lesson in school!”

The moment his words hit her, Sohyun broke out in laughter.

“I think we should hit the club with our outfits today!”, he said abruptly.

“I’m sure we’ll hit the headlines the next day!”

He chuckled at her worries. “Life is to live!”, he said and led her to the stage with his hand on her back.

As soon as they stepped on to the stage, she kept her distance from him while he kept his sly smile. His sly smile set her heartbeat on the high which heated her breath despite the cold winds.

The second half was too smooth and comfortable for them. While most audience enjoyed the chemistry in giggles and smiles shared between Taehyung and Sohyun, there were few who were at loggerheads.

Minutes before BTS’ performance, when he was with her on MC stage, the performance was all that he could think of. And, while he performed leaving Sohyun alone on MC podium, she was all that he thought of.

Sohyun stood amazed by Taehyung on the performance stage, the one who stood with pride and no hesitation beside her, was also the same person who stood humble afar with the award.

As soon as the performance ended, Taehyung rushed to her, even though his emceeing were scheduled later to give him a breather. When he made his way towards the MC stage, Sohyun knew that he couldn’t be stopped and decided to go along with his wish. Grabbing few bottles of water and a pack of tissue, she waited for him to join her. While reading out from the script, with her eyes darting between the MC cards and him, she handed him the bottle. As she emceed, he drank the water and just stood beside her entertaining the audience with his reactions to her lines.

As the lights dimmed for the next performance, and as everyone’s eyes shifted to the main stage, she gave him the tissues to wipe the sweat and told him to be careful of smudging his makeup. While he tried his best to tap the sweat away with the tissue, Sohyun pointed his forehead with a giggle. Though Taehyung understood that she was hinting at the piece of tissue that was stuck to his face, he arched his brow and leaned in seeking help from her. Not risking it, Sohyun leaned back and pointed again. Not giving up, his fingers pretended to get lost while purposely missing the tissue that was adhered to his forehead. Frustrated, Sohyun took his wandering hand and placed it over the glued tissue. While Sohyun felt relieved thinking that she evaded the situation, Taehyung was clearly taken aback by her action. Moving behind her and masking himself from audience and camera, he asked, “Are you relieved?”

She nodded.

“Why?”, he asked her with a smirk.

She slowly turned towards him, and murmured, “If I helped you by taking it off, people will think that we’re close!”

He pursed his lips tightly to seal the laughter and said, “You just grabbed my hand…”, and whispered, “You took my hand, ssooo… casually, ssooo… naturally!”

Her eyes widened at the realization and she immediately took a step away from him to maintain further distance.

Taehyung’s antics started that moment when he saw her all anxious and worried about the exposing their relationship. To add spice to the play, when the monitor focussed on them, he took off his coat to match his shirt and vest combo with her blouse and waist coat and struck a ‘V’ pose while nudging Sohyun to pose with him. With a plastered smile on her face, she posed for the camera awkwardly earning Taehyung’s and fans’ big laughter.

After few performances of the solo artists went by, Sohyun recovered her comfortable stance and began to enjoy the songs, until the unusual buzzing of the staffs made her feel apprehensive. Soon they were approached by one of the directors with sweat ridden hairline, he said, “Can you improvise your lines for about 10, no, 15 minutes after this performance? We seem to have a technical fault…”, breathing in the frustrations he continued, “Security breech, it seems…  Fortunately, we have backup. But we need time to check the new setup and to set the stage for the orchestra!” Sohyun and Taehyung remained composed though their request took them aback. Director continued, “These 15 minutes will be covered by commercials and albums… so it won’t be telecasted alive! So feel free to interact with the audience”.

 “We’ll manage…  will manage well”, while Sohyun assured, Taehyung nodded in agreement.

“Keep up with the chemistry!”, the director said with a smile before he took his leave.

With battle of Camelot in the background, Taehyung and Sohyun confidently treaded towards the main stage despite having nothing prepared or rehearsed. As soon as they took the stage, the music stopped leaving them empty, but the cheers from the crowd made them stand with a wide smile and Taehyung started, “Everyone…”, presenting her, he said, “This is Actress and MC Sohyun!” After bowing to the audience, Sohyun presented Taehyung, “And this is BTS’ V and MC Taehyung!”, and Taehyung bowed.

“Sohyun-sshi… I’m an actor too! Did you forget that fact? Or am I not that well known as an actor?”, Taehyung said sulking.

 “Ani (no)…”, she flustered but maintained her composure and continued, “Actu-”

Before Sohyun could finish her clever answer, Taehyung said, “Then, if you get casted alongside me, you won’t reject it?”

“Taehyung-sshi, you’ll never be the reason behind the rejection of a script…”, Sohyun tried to polish it.

“Oh… Then what about appearing in my upcoming solo album Music Video?”, the instant those words left his lips, deafening cheers from army lasted for a full minute.

While Sohyun stood dumbfounded, BTS members laughed hysterically while clapping on seeing Taehyung’s efforts to trap Sohyun. Not willing to push Sohyun into corner, Taehyung diverted his attention to the audience, “So, how did it feel to see your idols today?”

The screams at the top of their lungs, conveyed their happiness impactfully.

“Are you happy to see us (idols)?”, he asked again.

The cheers hit the sky.

“What?”, Taehyung asked again.

The fans’ joyous screams never got tired.

“What are they saying? Are they happy seeing us?”, Taehyung asked Sohyun while feigning ignorance.

After gazing into his eyes for just a split second, with a glad smile she explained, “They are saying, ‘The days I do not catch a glimpse of you, are the wasted days of my life!’” Her answer earned the fans’ approval with loud cries and screams. Even many idols applauded satisfied by her answer and Yeri gave her standing ovation to her witty response.

Taehyung who clearly knew her lines were meant for him, turned away and tried his best to hide the never-ending smile under his pursed lips. When she threw a corner smile and an endearing gaze at him for just a fraction of a second, the feeling of love that until then just stood as his bystander, started boring in like a crab. In the cold winds, he felt the sweet fragrance that muddled his mind. Like that, 15 minutes went by and the night was about to witness the end of the festival.

Gathering all the idols on the stage for the final performance of a veteran singer, the ceremony reached the . Taehyung who was expected to stay by s, dragged Sohyun along with him. As Sohyun wondered where he got the confidence to bring her on stage with him, Taehyung danced like there is no tomorrow. In a few minutes Sohyun stepped aside and watched him dancing his anxieties away. But his gaze towards her in the corner of his eye, slowly but surely, attracted all her unconscious attention. When the end hit them, their gaze never left each other and their eyes spoke with unspoken silence.

I don’t really know, but I felt too reluctant to bid goodbye to everyone. Not that I was really fond of this song festival, but a chance like this where I can beside her confidentially without any worry is very hard to come by. Judging by her downcast eyes, I knew she felt the same. As soon as our thankyou speech ended, everyone started dispersing, but we just stood on the stage for a second longer. I never wanted to let go of this moment and stood refusing to disperse. Of course, I left with my members to our waiting room and changed out of those sponsored clothes. But as soon as she was out of my sight, she was all that I could think of. I never said anything… we never said anything to each other. While she took the left exit of the stage, I took the right… just like that we left the stage without saying anything to each other. Before I could realize my ground state, I was already hurrying to her waiting room! It’s been almost an hour since the show ended. ‘She must’ve left’, I told myself as I knocked on the closed door. But when I heard her voice inside, I immediately turned the doorknob and rushed in to find her waiting for me. ‘What if I just left like that?’, ‘What if I never came back here?’, ‘What if I left you waiting?’, ‘What if you grew tired of waiting’, ‘What if you grew tired of me’ and ‘What if we…’, as the words that I never dared to speak out clouded my mind, my arms reached out to embrace her. That familiar scent that I inhaled always gave me solace.

That scent that I never dared to embrace is now stuck on me.

To me, she was someone across the skies… in those days… the days when I just finished bachelor’s degree and did a few odd jobs… finally… jobless! To me music is life, it has always been. So, I went in search of agencies and auditions. The money I had was just what my father gave me. Good friends… Plenty of dreams… When there was no breath of fresh air… dried and withered… That’s when I saw her… Kim Sohyun. The soft oriental scent that she left in my memory as a token… of that incident where I foolishly and mindlessly tried to confine her.

After that, I never met her. Training to debut as an idol was hard… But even in that plight, whenever I come across that fragrance, my mind never failed to replay the images of her. Her scent was my only remembrance during those days…

‘Of all girls, why is it Sohyun?’, there was never a day that passed by without that thought. If I took Sohyun home and told my mom, ‘I want to marry her’, she’ll happily agree. So, if someone asked me ‘Then, what’s the problem?’… I would say, ‘She was in love with someone else…’ But, can we choose whom we fall in love with? We shouldn’t go in search of love. It won’t last. It has to happen of its own accord. It has to hit us… make us whirl our world. That feeling and anxiousness has to be with us… always… that’s true love. It happened to me… Actually, I didn’t choose Sohyun… that love hit me!

Chapter Pic Credit: Instagram account crackshipp. I don't own the pictures or the edit. The pic belong with its rightful owner.

Author’s thoughts:

Hello! Long-time no see! Really very happy to see you again :) How are your days going?

First, I thank you for staying on with our story :)

Second, I’m sorry, really, sorry for this late update! Before I knew it, weeks have relapsed >_< But, I’m back on track! Things have cleared :) :) :)

Thank you for staying with me :) Have a wonderful and beautiful week :) Life is packed with sweet surprises and bitter revelations… Sometimes, the better way to cope with all life’s uncertainties is to just go with the flow… So, keep on moving and keep on trying! No matter what happens life must go on :)

Take care and see you  next week.

P.S: Well… I’m not really good at sharing things about me, but I have to be responsible and explain for the long absence, right? I hope you give me sometime to open up… how about a week’s time?