I was headed to a concert of a random K-Pop group when I saw this guy holding a sign asking for an extra ticket, so he could join his friends inside. I happened to have an extra ticket, so I approached him and told him he could walk in with me, then join his friends, if he wanted to. He was wearing a hat, a mask, and sunglasses, but nodded, so I motioned for him to join me in the entrance line.

We got the two tickets scanned, then I pulled him over to the side, so I could transfer one of the tickets to his account, so he would be able to stay in the stadium just in case anyone asked. He shook his head, removed the sunglasses and mask, then asked if I wanted to meet his friends in their section. I said sure, because the concert still had about an hour until it started and I was not in a hurry. He asked me random questions as we walked, then I asked for his name, and he said it was Yeon Kimin. I hid my laugh, then pretended to ask about it, knowing it was fake, but wanting to respect his privacy for now.

We were in an empty hallway suddenly, when he asked if I could rap for him. I had told him I was a writer, not good at anything musical, so this request caught me off guard. He promised to encourage me with a beat if I would just give it a try for him, so I thought I should do it, since nobody else was around. What could it hurt?

He dropped a beat, using his voice and the pipes as drums, then I began,

“Yeah, you know school is out,

So it’s time to scream and shout,

Teachers be everywhere

Putting colors in our hair,

Relaxing by the pool,

Thinking we be lookin’ cool,

Jammin’ to the beats,

Dancing in our seats,

Checkin’ all the travel deals,

Airplanes, hotels, and wheels,

Where can a teacher go,

To get the most for their dough,

Crossin’ the country, side to side,

No matter where, we enjoy the ride,

Now I bet you wonderin’ why they say,

Don’t disturb a teacher on their holiday,

It’s cuz we only got a few weeks to recharge,

Before we back in control, yes sarge!”

When I stopped, I expected him to react in some kind of way, but he literally just stared at me, completely silent, not moving, not giving me any type of feedback at all until I asked, “Kimin (the name he had asked me to call him), are you ok? Was I that bad and now you can’t believe how terrible I am? I told you I’m a writer, not a rapper…”

My talking must have broken his trance because he rushed up to me and gave me a giant hug, grinning from ear to ear, exclaiming, “Dang girl, you really can rap! I knew you were a rapper the moment I met you. Something about you just has a musical soul!” I shook my head, but then he continued, “You have to meet my friends now, so they can hear you and be just as surprised as I am!”

He held out his hand, now pulling me along, excited for me to meet them, I guess. We went into a doorway that clearly was made for special VIP guests because there was a security guard standing there, but once he saw Kimin, he opened the door and waved us both in, as Kimin explained I was his friend. I heard lots of voices, but couldn’t see anyone yet, then heard Kimin explaining something in another language and was suddenly picked up and spun around by a giant man, who was babbling in the same language as Kimin, very excitedly. I smiled, since his attitude was contagious, then waited for him to put me down. I recognized him as well, but again, wanted to respect his privacy, so I didn’t say anything right away.

A calmer guy was sitting on the right side, now conversing with Kimin, while glancing over at me, but when they saw me looking, Kimin motioned me over, smiling widely. I followed the giant guy and when we reached the two of them, I noticed Kimin’s phone in his hand, then I asked, horrified, “Kimin, did you record me just now?!” He smiled sheepishly, then admitted, “Yes, but only because I knew you were going to be amazing and I wanted others to believe me when I told them about your secret rapping skills that even you don’t know about. Please don’t be mad.” I couldn’t blame him honestly, but I still covered my face, mortified at what was about to happen.

He played the impromptu rap, both the giant and the other guy bopping their heads along with Kimin’s, when it was done, the giant grabbed me and hugged me again, while the calmer guy simply nodded his head, agreeing with Kimin that the talent was real, just waiting to be discovered. I truly had no clue what was happening at that point, as they began discussing what I assumed were possible ways to get me to rap either with them, or for them, or about them, or who honestly knows what, as it was not in English and I was purposely being left out.

Luckily, right about that time, another group of guys came into the room, all four rather loudly, so that’s when I truly knew I had been right about their identities and expected them to tell me their real names, but nope, they came over and shook my hand, one patted me on the head, then they listened to the rap Kimin had on his phone, silent for the time being, then exploding with comments once it was done.

I was now annoyed at their obvious desire to exclude me on purpose, so I stood up and began walking to the door but was stopped by the one I knew was Jimin, even though he hadn’t officially told me his name yet.

“Why are you leaving when we know how talented you are?” he asked, concern all over his sweet face.

I sighed, then pointed to the large group across the room as I explained, “I hate being excluded when the topic is obviously about me, so I am leaving because it’s very frustrating and unfair.”

Kimin heard me, then came right over, apologizing, then saying, “I am sorry for ignoring you. I just wanted to explain to them how I found you before I scared you with the truth.”

I rolled my eyes and replied, “If you are talking about the fact that you are BTS and your name is definitely not Yeon Kimin, then don’t worry- I already know.”

He stared, just like before, then quickly commented, “Wait, was it that obvious?”

I put my hands on my hips as I answered sassily, “Yes, Yoongi, it was. It would have been the same if Jin had told me his name was Bread Genie, or JK had told me his name was Justin Seagull. I understand why you need to use fake names for protection, that’s not why I’m upset. I don’t understand why you invited me into this room, then completely excluded me, speaking only in Korean, even though I was clearly the topic of your conversation. That is unfair and I refuse to be here if it continues.”

He realized his mistake and apologized, “I am sorry for being so rude, but I was really excited to share your rap with the others. If you stay, I promise to include you from now on, although not everything can be translated directly and I think you know that already.”

He smiled down at me, waiting, a hopeful look on his face, when I took my hands off my hips, apparently signaling JK to run over and grab me again, which resulted in everyone laughing, including me. I joined their group again, this time being included, and was so happy I forgot about the actual concert until the music started, surprising me and making me jump, grabbing the arm of the member next to me. I looked up at his shocked face, then apologized and instantly let go, but he said it was ok, he didn’t mind.

I was careful to avoid touching any of them from then on, although, multiple members decided it was their personal mission to see how far they could push my boundaries. It started with JK tickling me, then Tae tried taking my shoes, Jimin was playing with my hair, and although it was annoying at times, I ignored it mostly, assuming it was just for attention. I didn’t know it at the time, but the older members were watching my reactions as well, so when Tae literally untied my shoes and carried them away, I took a deep breath and continued dancing, pretending nothing unusual had happened. Joon saw this and walked over, giving me his slide-on shoes, which were way too big, but I appreciated the gesture anyway.

Jimin had been attempting to “braid” my hair, but it was getting annoying because when I would stand or move, it pulled my hair and I finally turned around to ask him to stop, which he laughed at, then I guess Yoongi felt bad for me, so he gave me his hoodie, which I used to cover my hair. Now that I had shoes that were way too big and a hoodie that literally covered most of my face and arms, I must have looked hilarious as I was attempting to dance, constantly tripping or tilting my head so I could actually see the band.

Jin came over to help me roll up the sleeves, which was very sweet, considering he doesn’t really interact with girls in public very often. I tilted my head so I could see his beautiful face, not realizing how tall he truly was, and accidentally fell backwards in the process. Luckily, Yoongi saw it happening and rushed over to save me, then shook his head- I was clearly disaster prone and needed to be supervised.

After the younger members realized their jokes wouldn’t work on me, they focused on just making me laugh, including Hobi, so I spent most of the concert giggling or struggling to breathe. Joon was watching me struggle, gasping for air, when he stepped in, mentioning it might be a good time for them to go backstage to say hello to their friends, since the band had told him when their intermission would be. Jimin, JK, Hobi, Jin, and Tae all left then, leaving me alone with Joon and Yoongi.

Joon made me drink water, then turned to Yoongi, saying something about me needing to be separated from the others if we ever worked together, since I was a distraction and wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything if they didn’t leave me alone. I thought he meant me, like I was the problem, and felt tears pop up instantly, afraid I had made him mad on our first day of meeting. I looked at Yoongi, who saw my eyes, then removed the hood and once Joon saw my face, he asked, “Why are you so upset?” I answered shakily, “Aren’t you mad because I was causing the others to be distracted? Didn’t you just say I was a problem for the group?”

He shook his head, then exchanged a glance with Yoongi, before replying, “No, that’s not what I meant at all. I was talking about them distracting you, not allowing you to be your best, and how that would not work if we recorded something together, since you would need to focus and be left alone. You could never be the problem; we have both seen that for ourselves today.”

Yoongi nodded, then took one of my hands, Joon copying him and taking the other, as Yoongi added, “I know we just met, but I think we can all agree you fit into our group easily and perfectly. We were just commenting on how the others think it’s ok to tease you, but it won’t be ok when we need to get stuff done. You are definitely not a problem for any of us but might actually be a distraction because of how adorable you are.”

I stared, not exactly sure of what he meant, which he figured out quickly, and explained, “I mean, when you tilt your head to see from under the hood or you trip while dancing in Joon’s shoes, or your little fingers peek out from the sleeves that are too long, it’s adorable, which is distracting, but in a good way. I doubt anything bad could ever be associated with you, if I’m being honest.”

I blushed, then tried to hide it by looking down, using my long hair as a partial curtain, but neither one of them was fooled, so when Joon muttered something under his breath to Yoongi, I knew it was about me. I chose to ignore it, then asked, “So how can I get them to leave me alone if they also think I’m adorable?”

They both laughed, then squeezed my hands, saying, “We don’t know yet, but we will come up with a plan and let you know. For now, it seems they want to test your boundaries because you are new and exciting, but I think if they saw you often enough, you would just be like a sister, and they would leave you alone.” I nodded, then sat up and looked right into their eyes as I proclaimed, “I will be the best sister in the world to them, so they will treat me with respect and kindness.”

Again, they both laughed, then Joon said something under his breath to Yoongi, who grinned at me, then ran his fingers through his hair. Just then, the other five returned, so I threw the hood back over my hair and prepared for the attack. This time, however, they all entered calmly, came over to me and either patted my head, squeezed one of my hands, or rubbed my back gently, then sat around me, like I was old news. I stared at them, perplexed by their actions, until Jin patted my head, sat next to me, then leaned over to whisper, “I had a talk with them about respecting girls and now they will not bother you so much.”

I tilted my face, so I could see him, where I saw he was smiling, then he tucked some of my wild hair back into the hood, winking at me afterwards. I don’t know who started it, but somehow the second half of the concert became about comparing themselves to me, since I was smaller than all of them. It started with my feet, which were still borrowing Joon’s slides, then my height, and finally my hands, which were still mostly hidden in Yoongi’s hoodie.

JK was very gentle as he held my hand against his, proving, as with everything else, that I was smaller than him, which led to Tae taking a turn, then Hobi and finally Jimin, who was extremely proud of the fact that I was definitely smaller than him, since most of the time he is the smallest in the group. I was so excited for him that I jumped up to hug him, accidentally tripping on one of the slides, so he had to catch me.

After that, I was carefully watched by Jin, who found multiple excuses to “test” that his hand was, indeed, larger than mine. I didn’t think anything of it until I noticed Joon and Yoongi exchanging glances, then whispering to each other, attempting to get his attention, but it seemed he was intentionally ignoring them.

I stood up to use the bathroom, which was also in the room, so Jin also stood, making sure I didn’t fall, then offered me his arm as he escorted me to the bathroom door. I thought it was sweet and polite, but when I finished and opened the door, I found JK standing right in front of me, grinning. He grabbed me and pulled me to the opposite side of the bathroom wall, peeking around the back, pointing at his hyungs, whispering, “They are talking about you, and I want to know what.”

I laughed, as he was inches from my face, looking like a teenager who was spying on their parents. I tried to eavesdrop, but since it was in Korean, I whispered back to JK, “I can’t help you this time, but maybe Tae can understand their words better- let’s go get him.” JK nodded, then pulled me a few feet back, carefully setting me down, motioning to Tae, who definitely looked suspicious as he crept over to JK.

I covered my mouth because it was so hilarious, both of them crouched down, intently listening, while I went the other way and saw Hobi and Jimin just enjoying the concert, ignoring their surroundings. They were pleased when I joined them, and we had fun for about fifteen minutes, when I heard loud noises behind us and turned to see JK and Tae surrounded by Jin, Joon, and Yoongi, having caught them eavesdropping and now scolding/laughing/shouting at them for being so foolish.

I’m so thankful that room was soundproof, otherwise I’m sure the band would have heard them, especially Jin, as he was the most passionate about whatever they were yelling about. I tried ignoring them, but once Jin gets upset, he needs to do his thing, so I quietly sat down in the corner, hidden by Hobi and Jimin, then covered my ears, almost completely hidden by the hood and sleeves, intentionally.

I didn’t notice when it stopped, or when Jimin and Hobi moved away to reveal me, since the hood was covering my eyes, but I was aware of someone near me when the hood was lifted, revealing my tear-stained cheeks, and someone’s gentle touch tracing my lips, me biting the bottom one to stop any sounds from escaping. Yoongi’s face was the first I saw, concern all over it, asking if I was ok, then immediately sitting next to me, his arm around my back, telling me he was sorry for the loudness and it wasn’t about me, he promised. Joon knelt down in front of me, also apologizing, also assuring me the shouting had nothing to do with me, then taking one of my hands and squeezing it repeatedly.

It was sweet of them to console me, but they could tell I didn’t believe either one of them, since they had not been the one doing most of the shouting, so I continued to stare alternately at both of them, not speaking, just crying silently, hoping I would eventually disappear into the floor because I was so embarrassed.

Jin finally came over, knelt in front of me, took my other hand, and began apologizing very calmly, his voice gentle and caring, unlike a few minutes before. He saw my face, then said, “I am sorry for startling you, but I needed to let JK and Tae know it was not ok to spy on their hyungs like that. I didn’t mean to scare you, and I hope you can give me another chance to prove I am a nice guy.”

I stared up at him, wanting to believe him, but also being slightly afraid of him now, since I had never experienced his angry shouting until a few minutes ago and it was not something I wanted to ever have directed at me, if possible.

Yoongi and Joon whispered something, then got up, allowing Jin to swap places and sit next to me, his arm around my back, his other hand holding mine, as he continued, “I am sorry for scaring you, but I promise nothing I said was about you, or had anything to do with you. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

I blinked up at him, still not speaking, so he sighed, wiped my tears, then leaned his forehead on mine and whispered, “Can you please stop?” I whispered back, “Stop what?” He was still only inches from my face as he replied, “Stop looking at me like that. Stop being adorable. Stop stealing pieces of my heart. Stop being so cute. Stop smelling so good. Stop making me want to be near you to protect you. Stop making me want to keep you safe.” He could tell I was overwhelmed by his answer, so he allowed me time to process, then continued to rub my back and hold my hand, waiting patiently, until I replied, “Jin, I don’t think I can stop all of those things at once, since I’m not doing any of them on purpose. Does that mean you will now be mad at me and yell like you did before?”

He immediately shook his head, then responded, “I would never yell at you like that- they are like my younger brothers, so it’s totally different. You are special and very important, so I will treat you very differently, always with respect, never with anger.” He then smiled at me, tracing my lips with his fingers, adding, “I know you can’t stop being adorable or cute, but it makes it hard for me to focus on anything else when you are around. How can you do that when we just met?”

I shrugged, unsure of everything at that point, now pretty sure he was attempting to flirt with me, but I wasn’t sure how to respond, given that I am just a regular girl while he’s a majorly popular K-Pop idol. He asked if I was ok to join the group again, I nodded, so he helped me stand, then gave me a hug, which I appreciated, but didn’t understand the significance of, until I saw Yoongi and Joon staring at us, then giving me very excited thumbs-ups. I started walking over to them, caught the edge of a shoe on a chair, fell forward, but was caught by Jin, who shook his head, but wasn’t mad either. He delivered me to them, then disappeared to use the bathroom, leaving me alone. Both Joon and Yoongi started exclaiming excitedly, having never seen Jin interact with a female like this before, let alone touch one in public, but since I thought he was just being friendly, I was confused.

“When he sat next to you, it was so surprising…” Joon exclaimed.

“How can you be near him like that and look so calm about it?” Yoongi asked.

I just replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about- Jin was just being sweet and trying to make me feel better. Does he even know how to flirt? How would I know if he was trying to flirt with me?” They both shrugged, then Joon offered, “I can ask him if you want?” Yoongi mentioned, “We can find out for you, then you can know the truth.”

I immediately threw my hands on my hips and started lecturing them, “How dare you offer to bother him, or give me second-hand information. He was literally just yelling at JK and Tae for doing that- do you think I want to risk him yelling at anyone else for the same exact thing? No, that is what scared me in the first place. You are his best friends and he trusts you, so I would never risk that for anything. Not for myself, not for private information, not for anyone on the planet. Leave Jin alone and let me handle him myself. We are all adults and don’t need help to figure things out. I appreciate your kindness though, since I believe you have good intentions.”

I didn’t know it at the time, but Jin had returned and had snuck up behind me, just listening, smirking as he overheard me telling Yoongi and Joon to mind their business, proud to have me on his side. Joon and Yoongi tried to warn me, but I was so focused on being sassy that I didn’t see their hand motions in time, so when I stopped, they were fully pointing behind me, where I spun around, to find Jin literally standing directly behind me, smiling widely at me.

I meant to only tilt my head up, but I guess my body decided to lean back as well, forcing him to catch me and pull me closer, whispering, “Are you always going to find a way to be close to me if I don’t make the choice first?” I blushed, just staring up at him, obviously wishing I could stop being so clumsy, but also not being able to explain that right then. He smiled, then hugged me, resting his head on mine, as he said quietly, “I don’t mind saving you, but I do worry about your safety.”

I just hid my face in his neck for a few seconds, then gave him a tentative smile when he leaned back to check if I was ok. He guided me to the seat next to his, then we finished the concert, me not really paying attention anymore, as Jin continued to hold my hand, rub my back, pat my leg, lean over to whisper to me, play with my hair, and other little things that were confusing me greatly, based on the looks I was getting from Joon and Yoongi, who were grinning from ear to ear every time I made eye contact.

When it was over, I knew they would want to go chat with the band backstage, but of course I was just a nobody, a random girl who happened to be friends with BTS, so I assumed I would leave and go my own way. I began looking for my shoes, then was surprised when JK brought them right to me, with him and Tae each putting one on, then tying them for me, giving Joon his shoes back, thanking him for letting me borrow them. He smiled and hugged me, whispering, “I think Jin likes you and wants to spend more time with you than just this concert, so please be gentle with his heart. He’s our brother and we don’t want him to get hurt.”

I blushed, looked up at him, then asked, “Really? Are you sure? What if I make him mad?” He shook his head, but couldn’t continue because Yoongi appeared, commenting, “Looks like we need to go backstage for a bit, so once you are ready, you can join us.”

I must have looked shocked because he continued, “We need to keep you close for the moment, so we can plan how best to use your newly found talent, but mostly Jin wants to spend more time with you and asked for an excuse, so here it is.” Then Yoongi also hugged me, let go, and guided me to Jin, who was clearly waiting, with his hand out. I took it, still wearing the giant hoodie, but Jin didn’t seem to mind.

He led me out of the room and down the empty hallway, turning right, then down some stairs, which of course I tripped on, forcing Jin to use his other arm to literally grip the back of the hoodie, in case he needed to grab me when I fell. At the bottom, he laughed and joked that I was now his full-time job, since keeping me safe was taking all his concentration, so I blushed, but he winked, so I knew he was joking.

Backstage, the band was super happy to see BTS and ended up taking some photos for their PR and social media accounts, which I was happy to be left out of, still wearing Yoongi’s giant hoodie, my hair most likely a tangled mess because I didn’t have a brush or comb with me currently.

They chatted for a while, then decided they wanted to eat, with everyone included, but I assumed I would definitely be left out of that, until Jin came back and put his arm around my waist, saying, “I am so glad we get to have dinner with you. I wanted to spend more time getting to know you and now I have the perfect reason.” I was shocked, which he saw, then frowned and asked me why I was surprised.

“Jin, first of all, I do not expect to be included in everything you guys do, just because you met me and believe I have some undeveloped hidden talent. Second, I know you need to do things for both fan bases and bringing a strange girl along will not help either one of your groups, so I really don’t mind being left out. Finally, I think I’m confused about your intentions because I thought you were flirting with me, then I thought you were angry with me, and now I cannot tell if you are flirting with me again or just being polite and friendly because I am somehow stuck with your group for now.”

He laughed and pulled me into a hug, then leaned his forehead on mine, saying, “I am definitely flirting with you. I am very attracted to you and have been since the moment I saw you in the room with Yoongi and Joon. I want to spend more time with you because I won’t get a lot of chances with me being on tour for a while still, so every second counts. Please don’t ever doubt my intentions when it comes to you- I am 100% determined to show you how much I care.”

He could see my cheeks catch fire, which he obviously loved because he squished them in his giant hands and kissed my nose, whispering, “Please don’t ever stop being adorable for me.” I tried to nod my head, but he was still holding my cheeks, which made him chuckle and let go, then kiss the top of my head, as he pulled me over to JK and Tae, who were listening in the back of the group for the plan. I guess they had reserved a local restaurant, the entire thing, because with both bands, their bodyguards, and managers, it was going to be a very large group of people. I did not make a significant difference, so it didn’t matter if I came along or not.