A few cans of beer were running in and numbing their system. A serene silence had enveloped them, one that had taken over the sounds of the city around them. Or maybe it was their slow heartbeats that were threatening to be heard.

Jieun never thought that she would ask someone to accompany her or that someone would even accept her silly request. Especially when that someone was a guy she had just met, but in retrospect they had the same things running in their minds. Somewhere or the other, they were kindred spirits looking for someone to understand their sorrows, to see the person behind the masks they wore every day.

Her voice failed her the moment he asked about it. For a moment she wanted to construct another convincing lie and step back into the image of IU, like how she usually did. It's almost like an auto pilot for her by now. 

But there was something beguiling about the way he stared at her, the way his blunt words pierced through her heart. It was like he stripped her from the mask that she had always held onto so tightly, it was almost as if he could see right through the walls she had built around her.

Or maybe, she was just tired with all of the pretending and wanted to lay her cards on the table and come clean for once. 

--

Yoongi sensed her anxiety, he knew that he should probably stop caring. It was so unlike him to meddle on someone else business. But his body didn’t let him step away, and there he sat, waiting for her to speak. Just like him, she had been staring at the bridge in the distance for a long time.

"Have you ever thought of quitting?" she asked after asking him how old he was when he had entered the industry.

Hearing the question, Yoongi released a deep sigh, "I can't count how many times I have thought of it."

Jieun hardened her gaze, her eyes not straying from the blazing city light. "Then, why are you staying?"

"This is the life that I've chosen, I could have been a good civil servant, an engineer, or even a businessman. I could have a stable job like what my parents wanted, but writing lyrics and making music has always been my passion even when my parents strongly opposed my decision back then." She was still stay silent, so he continued, "if I am ever given a chance to go back in time and have the choice to change my fate, I would still choose music. This is not only my passion or just a job for me. It has become an outlet as well."

Jieun smiled softly because she probably also felt the same. He heard that she got rejected and failed so many times in the beginning, but she still never gave up, and that was what made her who she is now. But just like others, she must have think about quitting and wanted to just give up sometimes, especially when things were hard. That's human nature. 

"You really work hard, don't you? To get to where you are now." From the way she talked, it was clear that she knew for a fact that BTS was like an underdog in the industry when they first debut.

He chuckled at the bitter memories that suddenly resurfaced in his mind, the memory of him and s clutching desperately onto their debut. Hoping and praying everyday that the next day would be better before they fell asleep. 

"I've sacrificed a lot when I choosed this path. But I'm not really complaining. It has fed me for these past few years, as you know, I didn't come from a wealthy family. Heck, we didn't even have proper ventilation back then. I remember how I had to choose using the money for food or to use it for a bus ride, I was starved most of the time, and I thought once I debut everything would change. But it didn’t, I had to go through a long and harrowing journey before I got here. It finally work in the end, though."

He didn't know why he told her all of those things. He wasn't the type who can easily open up to someone, let alone to someone that basically a stranger for him. But at that time,  he felt like his mouth has a mind on it's own, so he just blurted out everything. It could be due to circumstances or the alcohol, he wasn't sure. 

His words made Jieun nod her head. He told her that without having an intention to make her pity him or something, so he was glad when he saw that she didn't. She grabbed another can of beer and chugged it down.

"How about you?" Yoongi asked, his voice was laced with seriousness.

"Me?" Jieun pondered on his question for a while. Since he already told her his story, it's only fair to share hers as well. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I used to think about it all the time. Unlike you, you have your members to lean on and be with you through the hardships. Being a solo artist with great expectations on my shoulders, it became really hard at some point. We have similar reasons as to why we chose this path. More than myself, I actually did it for my grandma. She wanted me to pursue my dream even when we lived in poverty. We used to live in a small one room house over