[Suga's POV]

                After stopping by Hansol Oak Valley to get Tae Bi’s stuffs, we drove to our apartment. It’s safer to take her there than in our company’s building. It was a 10-minute drive before we arrived in our place. I took a break when I saw a small crowd in front of our dorm, most are on their uniforms. ARMY. I park the car not too close from our building so that we won’t get their attention. Before, it’s normal to see them there, and yelling our names, but now I feel a bit tight because I’m with Tae Bi. They would see her and commotion would rise. There are no media or reporters so I’m at ease even for a bit. I took my phone to call Jin hyung.

                “They’re too many,” I hear Tae Bi spoke of the fans, worried. I turned off the engine and held her hand, hoping it could make her feel better. She smiled and we both waited for hyung to answer my call.

                “Yoon Gi,” Jin answered. I nodded at Tae Bi so that she would know that Jin’s already on the other line.

                “Hyung, we’re here,” I said.

                “Where?” he paused for a while to do something. “Where’s the car? I don’t see it.” Probably he’s looking outside the window right now because the fans start to chant and raise stuffs. Those who were sitting on the ground all stood up to take a look at our apartment as well. Tae Bi leaned forward to see what’s happening among the crowd.

                “We’re just a block away. Fans might see us, hyung.” That’s my way of calling for help.

                I heard Jin called the other guys over the phone. “Okay. We’ll try to distract them. Run as fast as you can.”

                “What’s the plan?” I asked, but he ended the call already. “Hello? Hyung. Jin hyung!”

                How are we going to run if those people are blocking the main door? Distract? How would they do that?

                “What did he say?” Tae Bi held my shoulder. She smiled but her eyes couldn’t hide her anxiety.

                “They will distract them. I don’t know how,” I tried to call Jin again, but he’s not answering. “We’ll get your things later. But right now, we have to run really, really fast.”

                “That’s impossible. Run or walk, they would still see us, Yoon Gi,” she told me, and whenever she calls me by my real name I feel stronger. “Wait, look!” she pointed at the crowd and I saw each one of the fans jumping. The car’s windows are all shut but their screams were heard. Later on, I saw Hoseok, Jimin and Taehyung waving their hands in the air as if they’re on a show in a circus. They’re shouting but I couldn’t understand what they’re saying. The three of them sprinted away from our dorm and ARMY followed them. Some were hesitant because they looked back before following the three musketeers. They’re waiting for others to come out, too. But thankfully, all of them are convinced that other members won’t come out so they left the place quickly.

                “Let’s go,” I told Tae Bi, and we both hurried outside the car. I took her hand and we ran quickly in the apartment. I didn’t look behind us or even at the fans running ahead of us because all I could think of is reaching the dorm safely and quietly. Jin hyung and Nam Joon were waiting for us by the door. I let Tae Bi got inside first and then Jin closed the door immediately.

                Tae Bi and I were panting. Our hands were still clasped. I wiped off sweat from her forehead using my sleeve, and she beamed at me. I chuckled when I was able to catch my breath again, then she copied me.

                “I don’t know but it was fun,” she said, still catching her breath.

                Jin hyung patted her back, “You must be hungry. Come,”

                I felt my stomach grumble when I smelled the cooking Soondubu Jiggae from the kitchen. I missed Jin’s cuisine, honestly, and I couldn’t wait to eat whatever dish he has to cook. Tae Bi followed him with careful steps and she beckoned to me when she noticed that I wasn’t following.

                “I’m so surprised to see her in person,” Nam Joon whispered with awe. He’s talking to me but his eyes were on my girlfriend. I slapped his chest jokingly to take my suspicions out of me and shake him off, too.

                “She’s a huge fan of BTS so she might feel the same,” I answered back. Tae Bi’s smile was so wide as she observed Jin preparing our food. “Help me clean the living room.” I told him, and we started to clean up so that we could eat in a spacious room. I picked up our clothes first even though it’s really hard to distinguish dirty ones from the clean ones. Nam Joon swept the floor and vacuumed the couches. This is my first time seeing him cleaning like a clean jerk. Is it because a girl is in our house? But why isn’t he doing it when female guests pay us a visit?

                “I’m writing songs these past few days,” I suddenly spoke words that could help me identify Nam Joon’s real intentions. He paused from cleaning to look at me. “And most of it are about Tae Bi.”

                “Stef, you mean?” he asked. Right, they don’t know Stef’s Korean name yet.

                “Kim Tae Bi is her Korean name. I prefer calling her Tae Bi,” I clarified, managing a smile.

                Nam Joon nodded, “Kim Tae Bi. Tae Bi. Okay, I’ll call her by her Korean name too.” With that, he continued cleaning. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. What am I thinking? It’s not like Nam Joon also admires Tae Bi so why should I worry. I’m just paranoid. “By the way, I want to see your new compositions.”

                I nodded plainly.

                 Later on, Tae Bi came with a hot pot. I quickly get a cloth and spread it on the center. I was going to get the pot from her but Nam Joon has it already. He carefully put down the pan on the cloth and smiled at Tae Bi.

                “Next time, wear cooking gloves,” he said to my girlfriend. My insides are boiling. Tae Bi’s cheeks blushed and I really want us to teleport back to Ansan.

                “Next time, let me carry the pot,” I told her. Both of them gave me a confused look as if I just disturbed their moment together. Did I sound mad for them to look at me like that?

                “Okay, I will,” Tae Bi walked to me and took my hand. She motioned me to sit down with her on the floor and every bad thoughts in my head vanished. What’s wrong with me?

                We heard the door opened and the noisy kids came back. They’re laughing together as they entered the house. Tae Bi looked at the boys with anticipation. That’s when I realized that her smiling eyes for Nam Joon a while ago were also for the other members. She’s a fan of ours so it’s just normal to see her cheeks go red when we’re around. There’s no need to be mad. Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jimin halted when they saw my girl.

                “Whoa, it’s Stef!” Taehyung pointed at Tae Bi. He seemed like he just saw an extraordinary creature with those wide eyes. And mouth. Ho Seok jumped beside her and asked for a handshake.

                “I can’t believe this,” Tae Bi looked delightful. She kept on covering to hide her excitement, but it’s not helping because of her red ears. She took Hoseok’s hand shyly, but the boy shook their hands exaggeratedly and grinned.

                “Hey, that’s enough man,” I shooed him away.

                Jungkook came out of his room and joined us on the floor. Jimin helped Jin hyung place all the dishes in our middle and V settled next to J-Hope. Nam Joon sat across us, his eyes were roaming but it always landed on Tae Bi.

                “So where did you take the fans?” Jin hyung asked the three once he took his seat on my right.

                “Believe it or not, HoSeok hyung bought them bubble teas. Each one of them,” Jimin emphasized the words ‘each one of them’ because we all know that J-Hope is a frugal. “I’m sure entertainment news will talk most of what he did there.”

                “Thanks, man,” I jabbed HoSeok’s arm. If they didn’t do it, fans would really catch us. I also nodded to Jimin and Taehyung to show my silent thanks.

                “No probs. I enjoyed it,” HoSeok smiled. Then, we all started to eat.

                “Actually, entertainment world is talking about their Ansan trip,” Jungkook caught our attention, and he handed his phone to me. I took it and saw an article about our vacation in Ansan, it’s entitled ‘Hit or Miss: Public dating for idols’. The photos attached were taken by some people we encountered at the empty basketball court. Tae Bi saw it, too but she didn’t utter a word.

                “This is expected,” I told them and gave back to Jungkook his phone. Everyone continued eating when I ignored the news. It’s because they know I, we, could handle it. Besides, it’s not a controversy so why should we feel afraid? Tae Bi gave me a small smile and I felt more at ease.

                “So how’s your Ansan trip?” Nam Joon asked the question that could either hype up my anxiety or make me boast a lot. We all looked at him, and Jimin gave him a what-do-you-think-youre-doing stare because he thinks it’s a sensitive topic.

                “It was beyond fun,” Tae Bi suddenly speaks without my anticipation. I thought she would remain silent beside me because she felt down or something like that. She put down her chopsticks to drink from her cup. “I learned basketball, went to this beautiful beach, and met new acquaintances. It all happened to me because of Yoon Gi.” She patted me on the back and smiled. “There are more incredible things that happened during our stay there.”

                The boys, altogether, cleared their throat and coughed exaggeratedly, which lead to Tae Bi’s laughter. I’m sure I was blushing because of that. Her last sentence has more than one interpretation especially in other members’ head. If I was her, I would be embarrassed for saying those cheesy words in front of the members. Well, my girl knows how to be swag in her own way. She just killed the whistling kettle in me.

                “I wonder what those ‘incredible things’ are,” Jimin laughed naughtily and Hoseok joined him. These doofus are starting again.

                “Hey, we have Jungkook here,” Taehyung covered Jungkook’s ears, and we all chuckled until our stomachs ached.

                “I never thought you’re as playful as you are on Bangtan Bomb,” Tae Bi shared, her ears were red due to laughing hard. We all nodded to what she said. Actually, we can’t distinguish ourselves on-cam from ourselves off-cam. It’s because we don’t pretend in front of everybody, and we prefer showing our true colors to everyone.

                In the midst of our silent eating, and Tae Bi giggling beside me, we heard the door opened. We all know it’s manager because if there’s a knock prior to that, definitely it’s not him. Jimin stood to meet him by the door. Tae Bi’s teeth hid and her eyes looked nervous. I took her hand and shook my head, telling her not to worry because we’ve already talked about this right before we went to Ansan.

                What made me wonder were the footsteps and unfamiliar voices approaching. Manager’s not alone. I followed Jimin to check who they were, and I was right of my suspicions. Reporters from Dispatch are here. Again? Four people wearing IDs from Dispatch greeted us as they made it to our dining area. One is a lady wearing knee-length tight skirt, and the others are boys wearing casual outfits, one of them is a photographer. The members were surprised as me, and they all got up to greet these unexpected visitors. Jin hyung stood in front of Tae Bi, trying to hide her but she’s very noticeable because, apparently, she’s the only girl in the house - well, aside from that reporter.

                “I see that they’re having their lunch, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? We’d clean up first.” manager told the guests. His smile was fake because I know deep inside him, he’s still uncomfortable of the fact that we’re the center of dating issues. Four of them nodded politely and followed manager outside.

                Later on, he came back alone and walked to me. It’s quiet around probably because of the intense atmosphere. He told the guys to clean up everything and saw Tae Bi. He narrowed his eyes, then he looked at me again.

                “Take back whatever you said last time,” he said. His voice was audible but it sounded like he’s shouting at me. “Tell them you’re not really dating that girl, and that you two are just good friends.”

                “What?” I asked, and found myself dropping my politeness. “I’ve announced it already. Tae Bi is my girlfriend. What’s so wrong with that?”

                “Do what I told you or I’ll send you to the army. Think of your group, not just of yourself.” he said, like he just a dagger in my chest. He stormed outside right away and didn’t wait for my response. I’m so pissed off. What kind of manager is he? Choking his own child? So that’s the reason why he called Dispatch’s attention once again? To let me tell them the false truth? This is stupid.

                I just a few second, the reporters came in. This time, people from Mnet joined Dispatch. These two media outlets could really spark a fire easily because of their names, and if I did the wrong thing, they could make it worse. But if I said the right thing, they could make it more believable – but that’s not what manager wants me to do.

                All of them greeted us but I remained standing still. I looked back to the members and they all looked bothered. Their worried faces and these trashy people who just came in didn’t bother me at all. But, when I saw Tae Bi nodding at me and mouthing the words ‘Do it,’ I couldn’t comprehend what she meant about that.