Chapter 3

Jungkook rushed home and dropped his bag in the corner of his room. He grabbed a quick shower and threw on another set of clothes before heading out to the living room. He saw that Hoseok was there, sliding through his phone and not seeing Jungkook.

“Hey hyung,” Jungkook said as he sat down on the couch beside him. “What are you looking at?”

Hoseok didn’t look up as he continued to stare intently at the phone. “The choreo I worked on last night with Sungdeuk. I think we may be close to finishing Idol. It should be ready for you guys to learn in the next few days. Before we head to the lake house.”

Jungkook should have been happy. The dance studio was a safe space for him. A place to help release those tensions. And he loved being in there with the members. Learning the dances and joking around brought back memories of when it all started. But new dances meant hard work. Hoseok had already warned him that this set of routines would be the hardest they had ever attempted. He had seen some of the videos and his body hurt just imagining trying to accomplish them.

“That sounds good. Can’t wait to see it.” He heard the door of the apartment starting to be unlocked and he assumed that it would be Seokjin coming to meet him. “Hey, I have plans with Seokjin for dinner. Maybe we can hit the studio tomorrow and you can show me some of what you guys have. Maybe get a bit of a head start on it.”
Hoseok still didn’t look up but a smile curled his lips. Not a great accomplishment as he was the easiest one to get to share his positive energy. “I would love that. Maybe you can give us some of your ideas as well.”
Jungkook slapped Hoseok’s shoulder lightly, thankful for the offer. Hoseok and Sungdeuk, the choreographer who did most of their routines, were perfectionists and hated to show things before they had them ready. To offer Jungkook a chance to give feedback before the rest saw it was nice to hear. They may not make any changes but it was a start to showing how much he wanted to contribute.

“Hey, JK! You promised me dinner!” Seokjin strided in to the room. The eldest member of the group, he had a natural energy that made everyone think of their favourite uncle. His voice was loud as he came in and ruffled the magnate’s hair, a habit he had started from the beginning of time. “And I skipped lunch to make sure I get my invitation’s worth.”

Hoseok set down his phone at Seokjin’s entrance, looking up at his two bandmates.
“You’re in trouble now JK. Better get that black card ready.”

“I am more than happy to pay for whatever he wants.” Jungkook came and stood beside Seokjin. They were similar in height at 5 feet 10 inches but Jungkook definitely had more muscle definition. Seokjin worked out, sometimes with Jungkook, but it was to maintain stamina but not to build definition. “I called the place to let them know we were coming. They should have our table ready.” Jungkook had called on his way to the studio earlier. The restaurant they were going to, both not having to say the name, was about fifteen minutes away. It was a place they members had gone to at least once a day in their trainee days. The owner, a sweet aunt figure who took pride in the success of her boys, had always slid that extra bit of food on the place for them with a sweet smile. She was still there and making the noodles the members enjoyed so when they called her and told her they wanted to have some of her food, she was quick to set up an area in the back with some privacy where they could return to their younger days.

The pair would have loved to walk but the streets were full and they didn’t want to deal with being recognized on the way. They loved the fans but Jungkook found it stressful when he couldn’t give them the time he felt like they deserved. They called down to get a car so they wouldn’t have to worry if they wanted to drink and it showed up five minutes later.

The drive was short and when they arrived, the owner was immediately at the from to welcome them.

“Kookie, Jinnie,” she said as she rushed forward to give them a hug. If anyone else used the nicknames she did, they would have hated it. To her, it was a sign of affection and they felt it. She was a half a foot shorter then them so she had to reach up to wrap her arms around their neck. “I haven’t seen you guys in ages! I made everything you like!” Her voice was excited but wrapped them in a warm hug as she gave them one more squeeze before taking a step back and ushering through the restaurant.
Both of them had worn clothes that would hopefully make a passing glance pass them by. But the other patrons had seen their greeting and a few had recognized them as they made their way to the table in the corner. The owner had set up a screen to hide the table from most of the restaurant and Jungkook appreciated it. Tonight was when he was supposed to be focusing on his hyung and worrying about the people looking at them would have made it hard to do that. When they reached the table, she fluttered them down on their seats and said she would be back in a few minutes with the food, not letting them bother to even crack open the menus.

“So,” Seokjin said with a smile as he took of a sip of the beer that had appeared beside him. Beer and lamb skewers made the man very happy. “What brought this invitation about? I thought I would have to grab throw a smoke bomb in your room to get you out of there before we left for the retreat.”
Jungkook squirmed in his seat, taking a sip of his own drink of soju. “Like I said on the phone earlier, I just wanted to hang out with you hyung. I felt bad for saying no the other day and wanted to make it up.”

Seokjin cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting his chin on folded hands. “You heard us talking yesterday, didn’t you?” Seokjin waited for Jungkook to answer and when he didn’t he leaned forward a little bit more. “Don’t be embarrassed JK. If you heard us, just tell me. We don’t keep secrets between us. Those are things we have told you before.”

Seokjin was right. Ever since the group had been formed, there had been two rules. No secrets and all fights were discussed with all seven members involved. You may have nothing to do with the fight but you were probably going to be there when it was resolved.

But yesterday had felt different. The members had been talking softly and in tones that they may not have wanted to impress on him.

“JK, this is your hyung talking to you. You know that means you have to answer, right?” Seokjin’s elder voice had creeped in and Jungkook recognized it immediately. Even though the younger member Namjoon was the declared leader, Seokjin still pulled the spot from him if he needed it. “Did you hear us talking in the living room yesterday?”

Jungkook nodded, a weak ‘yes, hyung’ passing through his lips. Seokjin leaned back in his chair and sighed. With their age difference, he should not have understood his dangsaeng so well. But he did. Because many of his feelings were mirrored in Jungkook. The feeling of the other members being better, his desire to find his place in a group of talented men. To many it may seem like many things came so easily to Jungkook but Seokjin saw the work he put in to get there. And his fear that someone would find out and ask for his BTS card.

“How much did you hear?”

Jungkook knew he had to speak truthfully now. And he also knew that Seokjin would not judge him for what he was about to say.

“Just the last few bits. I heard you talking about how you had asked me to come here with you and I said no. And how Jimin asked me to play games and I told him I was tired.” Jungkook looked up, his large doe eyes quivering but holding back the dam of tears. He would not cry in front of his hyung again. “I really wanted to just make it up to both of you. I never should have said no to my hyungs.”

“You don’t have to do everything we ask about, except for doing the dishes and laundry. I hate doing that .” Seokjin had wanted to illicit a smile from Jungkook and he got a slight lifting of the lips. “If you weren’t feeling up to it, you didn’t have to do it. I appreciate dinner tonight but I don’t want you to be guilted in to it.”

Jungkook quickly leaned forward in the chair. “No hyung, no. Please don’t think I don’t want to be here. I do. I love hanging out with everyone.”

“Then what’s going on? It’s more than just you being tired.”

Jungkook took a deep breath and leaned back again. “It’s a few things but mainly that song that Namjoon and Yoongi asked me to write. The last time he asked, he had to write it for me. And I’ve tried to start hundred of times this time and I can’t get anything down. I don’t want him to have to do it for me again. I want to make them happy.”

Seokjin understood that feeling completely. The song challenge had been given to all of the members and he too had struggled to complete it. He had finally gone to Hoseok to ask for help and there was a piece slowly being crafted.

“Your hyungs wouldn’t want you to be so worried over this. They asked us to do it because they want us to grow within ourselves, to get in touch of another part of us. And when we do, we can give more to each other and the fans.” Seokjin hoped he said it bravely enough so Jungkook believed it. “Talk to Yoongi. Tell him you need help. He can give you some guidance but you know that bastard won’t write it for you. He’s not that nice.” Seokjin’s high pitched laugh filled the restaurant and the slight lift from a few moments more started to reach Jungkook’s eyes, a sure sign a smile was about to appear.

“That’s true,” Jungkook said as he took another sip of Soju. “He’ll say I’m not committed enough.” Jungkook stopped speaking as food started to appear in front of them. The owner really had cooked all of their favourites. Plates of food spread out in front of them. Not only lamb skewers but grilled pork belly, japchae and several other dishes she knew her boys liked. Jungkook groaned a bit as he knew he should be on some type of a diet but alcohol made the food go down much too easily. And as the food and beer went down, Seokjin worried less and Jungkook laughed more.

The duo had only planned to stay a couple of hours but the sun had long gone to bed before they finished up. The screen that had been set up helped to keep their privacy and the owner had shooed away several photographers looking to snag a shot. Nothing could be scarier than a Korean auntie wielding a wooden spatula. The subject of the group discussion was not brought up again and Jungkook appreciated Seokjin letting it go. Instead, they talked about possible plans for the next taping of Bon Voyage. A travel show they group taped for their fans, this would be the third instalment. The company had told them already it would be Europe again but hadn’t confirmed an exact location. Jungkook had been hoping for Italy so he could get some good pizza and pasta, Seokjin something a little less touristy. Germany maybe? They were so engrossed in the conversation, that they didn’t notice they were the last ones left and had stayed past when the restaurant was supposed to be closed. It was Seokjin who finally let the quiet of their surroundings in and looked up to see the owner falling asleep in the corner of the room as if she was still trying to keep watch over them.

“Aish,” he said as he tapped Jungkook’s plate with his chopsticks. Not very polite but the only way to get the food-centric man’s attention. “We need to get out of here. Noona is falling asleep over there.”

Jungkook looked over and red creeped up to his chubby cheeks. He felt so badly that they hadn’t realized the time earlier and had made the sweet woman stay up. It looked like she had let everyone else already go.

“We should help her clean up or something. I feel so bad.”

At that moment, her eyes lifted open and her chin raised from her chest. She smiled at the men staring at her and stood up, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Do my boys want some more food? I think I have a bit of pork belly left.”

Jungkook and Seokjin stood up and bowed deeply at the waist several times before looking at her with deep apologies in their eyes. Both of them started to pile the plates they had emptied on top of each other, scraping them as they went.

“No, no,” Seokjin said as he bowed again. “You’ve given us plenty. Actually, we would like to help you clean up. We really didn’t see what time it was and we feel horrible for making you stay here.”

Jungkook took a pile of plates and started heading towards the kitchen, carefully balancing them so that he wouldn’t break any. She quickly came to his side and strongly plucked the plates from his hands.

“I won’t let you. I don’t get to see my boys very often any and it makes me smile to see you eat so well.” She let her eyes drop down over Jungkook’s slim frame. “You are all too skinny now. Need to get some meat on those bones. Jimin-ah and Taehyung-ah were here the other day and they looked like they don’t eat more that a cup of rice a day. And you two aren’t much better.”

“Please Noona,” Jungkook said as he grabbed another stack of plates and walked behind her. “Let us help you clean up. You shouldn’t do it all yourself.”

She set the first stack of plates down on the counter in the kitchen and waved her hands towards him without looking. “Ay,” she said as she took the second stack and put them beside the first. “I will put them in the dishwasher and clean the rest in the morning. Don’t worry about me. You boys should get home. And don’t wait so long to come back.”

Jungkook went to insist they help again but Seokjin shook his head no. They had offered and she had declined. To insist more would cause offence. Jungkook took a step back and bowed again.

“We won’t. Your pork belly is still the best. I dream about it at night,” Jungkook said as he followed Seokjin to the door.

The car waited for them as they exited the restaurant and headed back to the dorms. Jungkook noticed that Seokjin followed him to the dorm apartment and not his own and he felt his heart smile. Another promise made and kept. Now he had his afternoon with Hoseok planned. Only Namjoon left. He still had to think about that one.

While Jungkook and Seokjin had been enjoying their large spread of food, Calista had been working on the edits she had promised Sung-Ho. She was starting to get a headache from staring at the screen for so many hours but she had to get them done. She clicked on the screen, making one more tweak to the picture on the screen. She was halfway through the edits and was glad for the distraction. Her phone call with him the night before had ended awkwardly after he had told her who the mystery client was.
ing BTS! The biggest k-pop band in her adopted country. When he had said it, he had looked at her with expectant eyes. To anyone else, they would have never hesitated to saying yes to the contract. It would be career defining to have their photos released to such a large and insatiable audience. To the logical mind, there should be no answer but yes.

But to Calista, it was not that simple. Her life had been chaotic before her move to Seoul. Her mother’s death and father’s sickness had made her environment confusing and difficult for most of the time she had lived in that small white house in Texas. But in Seoul, she had found stability. A place where she wasn’t waiting for the next shift underneath her already unsteady feet. And she was also making a living by pursuing her passion.

She closed her eyes and went back to the phone call. He was expecting the photos the next day but the conversation would not leave her.

After he had dropped the name, Calista had remained quiet. Sung-Ho waited for a pause before leaning towards the camera.

“Come on Calista. Freaking BTS!” He was completely fanboying and not caring. “And their leader himself asked to talk to you. He was that impressed.”
That did surprise her. She had heard that Namjoon was the art buff of the group. The fact that he was that impressed by what he had seen, if only briefly, was a bit heady.

“I understand this is big but I need to think about it.” Calista had twisted in her chair, tapping her finger on the top of the desk. “I mean, I haven’t committed to a job longer than a week since I started working for you full-time. And now, you’re asking for six months. That is a bit intense.”

“I know.” Sung-Ho knew her history, at least enough to know how much she had craved stability and non-commitment at the same time. It was how he had lured her to the company in the first place. Stable pay to help with the medical bills but freedom to design her own life as she wanted. “But I don’t think you understand how talented you are. You have an eye that is very hard to find. You see the world in the way that makes people stop and want to see it that way with you. That’s a skill that he wants to use to share his group with the fans.”

“You talk like I’m the only photographer in Seoul. I’m sure he can find someone who is more talented than I am.”

Sung-Ho was probably shaking his head. “You need to stop doing that. I would never have given him my recommendation for you to do this if I didn’t believe you. And Namjoon never would have picked you out if he wasn’t impressed with those photos. I’m telling you, he looked at them for an hour. Five photos and he just stared at them, like he wanted to jump inside of them.”
Calista shook her head. “That’s probably just because he is so used to the commercial stuff that Big Hit does for them. Mine is definitely not the same vibe as theirs.”

“No, it’s not. And that is the selling point.”

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

Sung-Ho smiled through the phone, knowing he had won the battle and was in the process of winning the war. “No, I’m not. But will let it go for the moment as long as you agree that you will take a video call with him. I told him you had to finish the edits first so he was expecting for it to happen the day after tomorrow. Do that and you will be left alone until then.”

“That’s blackmail. Peace in exchange for me doing something I don’t want to.” Calista rubbed her temple where a blooming headache was starting to grow. “You play dirty sometimes.”

A soft chuckle eased itself through the phone line. “I do. But only on the things I believe in. Does this mean you will do the video call?”

A sigh came through her lips. “Fine. You win. I will do the call. And when he realizes he is making a mistake, I will get to call you right away and tell you I was right and you were wrong. Okay?”

“Absolutely. Although I am sure that you won’t have to chance to do that. I have some other samples of your work I’m going to send over before the call. Namjoon wanted to see a wider sample.”

Calista nodded. “Just send me a copy of them so I know what he has seen. And let him send me the details on how he wants to connect.” Calista’s heart began to beat quickly, hard against her chest. “You know this is crazy, right? Like the fact that you think I’m talented enough to work with a group like BTS tells me that we should maybe get a psych evaluation done on you.”

“I’ll book it for next week if you want.” The soft laughter that was on his voice left quickly. “But you need to go in to this with belief. Know that you are being asked to do this job and not the other way around. He is coming to you. He is requesting you. Be proud of your for once.”

Tears priced Calista’s eyes as he spoke. His belief in her had always been so passionate that it was cringy at times. And while he believed in all of the photographers in his agency, he had a special spot for the dark-haired Texan who his son had said was his favourite teacher. It had been there since his first sight of the photos at the school.

“Thanks Sung-Ho,” she said as she wiped the escaping tear away. “You always are my biggest champion, even if I don’t always understand why.”

Sung-Ho paused and Calista wonders if he too was feeling the emotion of the moment. But he spoke again and the lightness in his voice had returned.

“I know you don’t. Thankfully you’re not your own agent or you would never get a job.” He had said that before to her and she knew it was truer than she would have like. “Now, I’ll send you and Namjoon the photos and confirm the time. As soon as I have it nailed down, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay. I will wait for the emails.”

And with that, Calista had hung up. Forcing air in to her lungs and back out allowed her to calm down enough to calm her again quickly beating heart. Sung-Ho had sent the email earlier that afternoon and she had seen the photos he had chosen to share. It surprised her to see he had chosen mostly landscapes with a few portraits. Surprised her because she would be taking shots of people and not buildings and scenery. But at least it was an honest representation of her work. A true selection for Namjoon of what she had to offer.

And as she looked through the photos, she found herself drawn back in to each one. The moment she had taken the photo impressed upon her skin. The rain falling while she had photographed on the beach. The burning sun as she captured the streets of Seoul. And one of her favourites, the small temple on the rock in what looked like an underground cavern. She had found it by accident. A day hike she had taken on her own. The feeling of dampness and moodiness was what came over her as she looked at the photo. She had even framed it and placed it on one of the treasured spots on her walls.

Calista forced herself to get back to the photos that were her actual paying job now, not the one she might be getting. She had done about half and had promised the rough edits for Sung-Ho by the next night. Her call with Namjoon was going to be in two days so she wanted to make sure she could focus on just that. And as she looked at the next photo, the call with Sung-Ho was gone and she was back to where she needed to be.