The Day Before the Forward

2019 Mnet Asian Movie Awards, Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Japan

In one of the most anticipated music awards in Asia, the most popular Kpop Artists gathered to win awards for the year. Standing out heads and shoulders from the rest was BTS, with their 2019 Album Map of the Soul: Persona.

It should have been a rather exciting occasion for its members. Their years of hard work, sweat, and tears would be shown through the winning of awards and breaking of records. 

Except for one of its members. Their normally most humorous member was not only silent but also grim. In the waiting room, where all of the members were getting ready or just waiting, Jin was sitting by himself in the corner, staring out with no smile on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jin turned and saw Namjoon looking at him concerned. "You seem a bit tense." 

"What? I'm fine." Jin gave him a small smile. "Just tense. That's all."

"Tense? That isn't like you." Namjoon frowned. "Normally you're telling everyone to have a good time and relax. But this time, you seem to be the one who needs to."

Jin took a big breath. "I just don't know how to break it to the rest of the guys." He spoke as he saw the rest of the BTS members who were getting ready for the award show. 

"You haven't told them yet?" Namjoon sighed. "Seokjin, I thought you told me you would."

"How am I supposed to tell them?" Jin grunted uncharacteristically. "I don't want them to feel like I'm leaving them."

"You won't be leaving forever, right?" Namjoon glanced at Jin. "It's just two years."

"At this stage of the career? You're the smartest of us, RM." Jin turned to Namjoon. "How many Kpop groups performed better after its members came back from the military?"

Namjoon was silent as the question sank in his head. Jin's military draft. In the group, only he and Jin knew about that, and outside that, only the management knew. A few weeks ago, a notice of military draft for Jin had come, and it said that his conscription could not be extended by ANY means. Sure, BigHit tried to fight it, but the military did not budge. So as things laid out, MAMA 2019 would be Jin's last musical concert before his draft. 

"But I don't get it." Namjoon sat down next to Jin. "I know other celebrities who did their draft in their 30s. Why is it that you HAVE to do yours so early?"

"I don't know." Jin rubbed his head. "Probably it has to do with the military reforms that Korea went through. Korea changed so much in the last 5 years, after all."

"I don't know if those two are related," Namjoon grunted back and put his hand on Jin's shoulder. "Have any idea about which branch you want to go into?"

"The marines." Jin grinned slightly. "Like my dad."

"Your dad was a marine?" Namjoon raised his eyebrow. 

"Yup. And my oldest uncle. Both of them served in the Gulf War and were awarded National Merit." 

"Damn." Namjoon leaned back. "But...I did meet your father before, and he did seem like a badass."

"I know, right?" Jin shook his head. "But the real badass is my grandfather. He survived through 3 wars in his entire life." 

"3 wars?!" Namjoon gasped. "No way."

"Yup. World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He's very old now, but he went through hell and back." 

"I wouldn't have noticed that you were from a military family. From your humor." RM nudged his ribs.

"Haha, very funny." Jin sarcastically laughed and suddenly turned grim again. "How am I supposed to tell this to the rest of the guys?"

"Just tell them the truth, man. The whole truth?" Namjoon patted Jin's shoulder reassuringly. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

The truth? The WHOLE truth? Yeah, they wouldn't believe me. Jin thought and spoke up. "The worst? Let's see. Taehyung will definitely throw a fist. JungKoook will throw me. Jimin and Hoseok probably won't talk to me. Yoongi, I'm thinking he might do all three." 

"You're exaggerating," Namjoon spoke. "You know what? Just tell them right now. And if what you say does happen, at least I'll try to help."

"Try to help?" Jin gave him a suspicious look, and Namjoon smirked back. Jin sighed and stood up. "Hey." He spoke loudly to the rest of his bandmates who gave him their attention. "There's something I have to tell you all right now."

"What is it?" Suga asked as they all approached Jin. 

And then Jin told them what he'd been holding back. That he would be leaving for his military draft after MAMA and that it was beyond his or the management's ability to delay it. This truth brought upon an air of tense silence that filled the entire room, with all of the members looking at Jin.

"How long did you know?" Jimin asked Jin. 

"For about a month." Namjoon replied instead of Jin. 

"Wait, you knew?" J-Hope asked Namjoon. "He told you first?"

"The management told me earlier. That was back when he management and CEO thought they could fight or negotiate this, delaying it for a few more years." BTS's leader shrugged.  

"And they weren't successful?" Jungkook scoffed. "Why not? There have been so many celebrities who went to draft in their 30s."

"It must be the damn military reforms." Taehyung cursed. "I swear it must be the military reforms. Why the hell is military draft necessary still? We're no longer at war with the North!"

"Cursing the military won't do anything, Taehyung." J-Hope scratched his head. "So when do you have to leave?"

"Right after the MAMA." Jin sighed. "After that, I've to take a plane back to Seoul and show up at the military conscription center." He looked at all the other members apologetically. "Look, this is not something that I wanted to tell you guys, especially when it's our night to shine. But I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not leaving voluntarily. And that I'll be back." 

"You better be." J-Hope put his hand on Jin's shoulder. "No wonder you seemed so serious today. I thought it wasn't like you. But you know what, the draft is something that all of us are going to have to do anyway."

"Or risk getting slammed by the public," Suga added, ignoring J-Hope's glare. "Anyway, we'll be waiting for you, hyung. Because I know you'll be doing the same once it's our turn."

"Of course." Jin smiled at J-Hope and Suga. 

"And once you come back, we can work on the best album that we made yet," Jungkook added. "It'll be as if you never left."

"Oh hell, yes." Jimin added. Jin then hugged all of those members until he saw V. "Hey, you alright?"

V looked to the side. "Look, I...you know I'm not good with this kind of crap. So yeah. Just do your thing and come ba