I was minding my business on my walking tour of Boston, through the historical district, when I noticed one of the older ladies on our tour having trouble with her walker and a curb, so I rushed over to help, not knowing it would require more than just me. She had taken the corner too fast and was somehow caught on the edge, her walker tipping into the street, so I grabbed her, stopping her from falling, then out of nowhere someone else grabbed the walker and set it back upright. Unfortunately, her handbag wasn’t attached, so it began sliding off and even though I was too far, I still tried to catch it, scraping my entire left palm on the cement in my attempt, but managing to keep everything from falling out when it landed, which I still considered a win. With this kind stranger’s help, we got her across the crosswalk and back with the group, which is when he noticed me hiding my left hand behind my back and asked to see it.
I shook my head and refused at first, telling him I was fine and he should join the group too- I would catch up. He literally stepped closer and held his hand out, just waiting, so I knew there was no escape. Sigh. I carefully placed my left hand in his, palm up, which is when he saw the blood and gravel and dirt that was now under my skin. He started exclaiming things in a language I didn’t understand, startling me, and when he saw my face, afraid of him, he instantly stopped and said, “I am sorry for scaring you. I am worried about your hand. Will you please let me help you?” I nodded, thinking there was nothing we could do, since we were literally on a sidewalk in a busy city, but he called someone over who had a backpack and spoke his same language, then got the first aid kit out and zipped the backpack back up. He used some water to attempt to clean my hand, then one of the disinfectant wipes they always put in the kits, which stung, but I was brave and didn’t cry. It wasn’t perfect, but he knew it was better than nothing, so after that, he put some of the antibacterial medicine on my palm and wrapped it in the white gauze from the kit.
I just stared at him the whole time, confused about why he was helping me, wondering how I could ever thank him, feeling like I knew him from somewhere, but also not recognizing him at the same time. When he was done, he put the kit back into his friend’s backpack and turned to me, saying, “Hello, my name is Seokjin and I am from Korea. This is my friend Hajun. We are here as visitors like you. I want to make sure your hand is ok after you helped the woman from our group. You have a kind heart because you helped her without thinking and I admire that quality in people I meet.”
I smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you, Seokjin. I am Abby and I am also visiting, which you guessed because I look like a tourist. I would help anyone who needed it- that’s just who I am. Thank you for your help with her and with my hand. I appreciate your kindness as well.”
He motioned for me to walk ahead of him, so I did, being careful not to hold my left hand out near anything bordering the sidewalk, as it was still hurting and I didn’t want to show Seokjin. The tour was uneventful for the rest of the two hours; then it was time for everyone to head their own ways, so I thanked him again and turned to walk away, only to have him reach out and gently hold onto my right arm, asking what I was going to do now. I looked up into his kind eyes, as he was much taller than me, and told him, “There is an outdoor market where I was planning to get lunch, then I have another tour this afternoon, so it’ll be a busy day for me. What are you guys doing?”
He didn’t answer me, but asked, “Can we join you for lunch? I want to make sure your hand is ok before you leave.” I nodded but didn’t see the big deal- I could have it checked later. I showed him the map on my phone that gave us directions, which he took and showed Hajun, then handed it back to me.
He motioned for me to lead the way, so I began walking, only to realize he was holding onto the strap of my backpack, clearly not trusting me to take care of myself or not get injured again. I ignored it for now, focusing on getting to a lunch spot. We found the market and began searching for a shady spot to claim, then we could decide which foods we wanted. Once we found a good table in the shade, he asked Hajun to use the backpacks to save our seats while we went to get the food, so we began wandering around inside the market. He was confused about some of the food for sale, as was I, having never seen such a huge outdoor market before, but we both agreed that having hot foods like soup or noodles on this scorching summer day would not be the best choice, so we ignored those vendors.
We finally found someone selling fresh fruit and drinks, then right next door was someone selling kebabs, which was perfect! I asked if he cared about which type of fruit or juice we got, but he said all of it looked good, so I laughed and ordered three different drinks, then three fruit cups. I handed the vendor my bank card, then put it away and began handing things to Seokjin to hold, which is when I saw the shock on his face and had to ask what was wrong. He stared at me for a full ten seconds before finally blurting out, “You didn’t have to pay for all the food! How could you do that for us when we just met?!”
I ignored him, but laughed, as I stepped up to the kebab vendor and ordered a couple different kinds, some with veggies and some with just meat, which I also paid for, once again sending Seokjin into a tizzy, as he exclaimed, “Ah, why are you buying all this food for us when you don’t even know who we are?!”
I was now laughing, but had my hands full, so I stumbled back to our table and set everything down, then helped Seokjin set his stuff down, while he was loudly explaining what had happened to Hajun, clearly upset that I had paid. Hajun did not seem bothered at all, answering Seokjin calmly, which is when he turned to me and said, “Thank you so much for buying our food. We will find a way to repay you, as it turns out we don’t have any money with us right now. We didn’t know we would need to buy anything today and I am sorry for taking your money.”
I was already sitting down on his left side, when I answered, “Seokjin, it’s fine. You don’t need to be worried or upset- I know we just met, but I feel like we are going to be good friends, so let me do this nice thing for you and one day, you can do something nice for me, ok? Now please enjoy this food before you have to walk in the hot sun again!” He laughed when I got bossy and nodded, then began handing everyone something to eat. My hand was throbbing, but I hid it from Seokjin by making sure to keep it resting on my lap and never looking directly into his eyes. Because we were eating and talking, it wasn’t hard to keep them both distracted and it turns out, they are both really funny, so I was laughing more than chewing and Seokjin would have to pause, force me to chew and swallow, then continue his stories.
I had shown him the tour I was going on for the afternoon and somehow, miraculously, he just happened to be going on the same exact one? I was suspicious, but also in pain, so I chose to ignore the coincidence for now, wondering how long I could last without him noticing something was wrong. We finished our food, then cleaned up our table and began walking to the afternoon tour, which was at the harbor, only a few blocks away. He tried asking me for the directions, but I was having trouble getting my phone out of my pocket, since I could only use one hand now, so he stepped in front of me, pulled my phone out and lifted my chin to see my entire face.
Instant worry appeared on his, once he saw my cloudy eyes and me biting my bottom lip, causing him to ask, “What is wrong? Is it your hand? Please tell me the truth.”
I admitted, “Seokjin, my hand is hurting a lot, so I am trying to be a good friend to you and Hajun, but the pain is really distracting right now. Please don’t be mad.”
He closed his eyes for a second, thinking about something, then asked what I was doing after this next tour. “I am going to change into my concert outfit and then ride the train to the concert.”
He nodded, then replied, “They have a medical area at the concert, so that will be the best time to have your hand looked at. I approve of this plan.” I had no clue why that mattered, since he clearly wouldn’t be with me still, but didn’t argue as he gently looped his arm in my right arm and led the way down the path, towards the harbor. We got to the tour meeting area and got us all checked in, then he helped me cross onto the boat, as it was windy and the gangplank was rocking, so I stumbled when I attempted it by myself. We toured the entire ship, and it was so amazing! I remembered to take photos for my students, and he even helped me reenact a few things, so by the time it was over, I was distracted and had forgotten about my hand. Then he helped me off the ship and looked at the gauze, which now showed little red dots that had somehow managed to leak through, forcing him to worry again.
He had somehow decided that I was no longer allowed to take the train to the concert, even though I was perfectly capable of traveling alone, but insisted I come back with him to the hotel and ride in his car to the stadium where the medical staff could check my hand. This confused me, as I still thought he was a regular tourist, visiting Boston like me. He got closer and whispered, “I know BTS, so if you promise to trust me, I will get you to the stadium safely with the band.”
I was upset about not being able to ride with other concertgoers, as I wanted to hand out my freebies, but he would not budge and I just couldn’t fight him, so I gave up, getting into the black SUV when it arrived to pick him up.
Once we arrived back at their hotel, he helped me get my shoes off and then brought me straight to the bathroom, where he told me to change into my concert outfit before anyone else arrived to interrupt me. As he closed the door behind himself, I was confused about his words, but did as he told me, just in case. Sure enough, ten minutes later, the door was swung wide open and two sets of happy eyes appeared, exclaiming, “Ah! You are the girl with us today! We have a girl in the bathroom, and it is fun!”
I laughed as they each ran over to hug me and spun me around, then stood directly in front of me and said, “I am JK. I am Tae. We like you. We want to be friends for life.” I smiled back and nodded, then grabbed my backpack and followed them out into the main area, where I assumed Seokjin was waiting. Yes, he was there, on his phone, talking rapidly in Korean, pacing back and forth. JK and Tae were clearly eavesdropping, not very secretly, so when they pulled me over to the couch, pretending to look innocent when Seokjin turned around, they started whispering, “He is talking about you. Something about the concert. Something about your hand.” I was worried about making his life difficult, so I was extremely upset, but once JK and Tae saw my face, they assured me that I wasn’t a problem and Seokjin just wanted to keep me safe and help me.
When he hung up the phone, he turned to all three of us and declared, “It is time to go to the stadium. Bring what you need because we won’t be back for several hours.” They were clearly used to hearing this all the time, but I wasn’t, so I asked cautiously, “Seokjin, when were you going to tell me you are actually part of BTS, not just that you know them? Should I bring my backpack to take the train back from the concert, or should I leave it here because I will be riding back with you guys?”
JK and Tae heard and immediately got on their knees, begging Seokjin to let me stay with them, but it was clear he was not in the mood for their antics, so he simply said yes, I would be returning with them, to which they began chanting my name and came over to squeeze me into a very tight hug.
Seokjin stopped them quickly, then led me to the front door, helping me get my shoes on and seeming rather distant, which I assumed was based on how I had become a burden to him. JK and Tae soon came running towards us, each one arguing over who got to carry my clear concert bag but then deciding it would be fun to take turns, so JK got to do it first, grinning smugly as he walked into the hallway- I had a feeling he gets his way a lot around here and when Tae winked at me when he walked past, I knew I was right. We went down in the elevator and got into the same SUV, with me at the very back, between JK and Tae, Seokjin riding directly in front of us with Hajun, and another bodyguard in the passenger seat.
Since the drive was an hour long, Tae and JK decided it would be the perfect time to go through my concert bag and ask me about every single item I had packed. Luckily, nothing embarrassing was inside, but once they found my freebies, they began exclaiming loudly in Korean, causing Seokjin to turn around and ask what they were so excited about. They showed him and his eyes got wide- then he asked me if I had made them, I said yes, and he continued to be shocked. I took this as another bad sign, thinking he was mad at the trading cards I had made for each member, but I was trapped in a situation where I could not escape, so I took a couple deep breaths and hoped to survive the journey.
JK and Tae thought they were fantastic and made me read each one, since I had written different moves for each member, based on their personalities. They spent most of the trip laughing or exclaiming excitedly, which made me feel better, since Seokjin was still mostly ignoring me, or so I thought. Right before we arrived, I was getting pretty carsick and had leaned my head on JK’s arm, my head now pounding. I was really pale, but trying not to vomit in the car, which Seokjin noticed and somehow all the windows got opened, allowing fresh air in, helping me feel slightly less nauseous.
When we arrived, Seokjin got out, then told JK to hop out, so he could reach me, seeing how sick I was and knowing I would not be very good at climbing out of the backseat on my own. Seokjin carefully helped me out, then leaned me against the SUV door, seeing my face for the first time and realizing how much I was struggling. I was blinking slowly as he told me what was going to happen, not truly comprehending what he was telling me, which he realized after a few minutes and stopped, just staring at me, looking up at him, looking extremely unwell. He sighed and brushed a few of my wild hairs away from my face, then whispered, “We need to get you inside to the medical area faster than I planned. I am sorry for not noticing how sick you are.”
I did not answer, but was suddenly swooped up by JK, who proudly carried me inside one of the side doors to the stadium, Tae happily carrying my concert bag, having his turn and loving it. Once inside, JK shouted to Seokjin who told him where the medical area was and JK turned to walk there immediately. Luckily, it was super close, so he didn’t have to walk far and once inside, he set me down on one of the cots they had, then kissed my cheek and left, followed by Tae who did the exact same thing, except he set my concert bag down near my legs. Seokjin was the only one who stayed, as he was explaining what had happened to the medics, while they got gloves on and began unwrapping the gauze from earlier. I was now lying down on my left side, unable to sit up, looking extremely pale.
Seokjin noticed how bad I looked and knew the medics would help but was still such a gentleman and took his hoodie off to cover my legs, so my skirt wouldn’t reveal any skin. If I had been mentally aware, I would have noticed how he hovered, asking questions, constantly reassuring me, or just patting my feet while they worked. Unfortunately, he had to go because soundcheck was starting and he had to do his job, but he promised to come back as soon as he was done.
While he was gone, the medics had to numb my left hand with a few little shots, since the scrapes turned out to be deeper than expected and they had to clean inside every part. Seeing my pale face and looking at my hand, they had decided I needed an IV as well, so I had that in my right hand, while they worked on my left one. Once it was clean, they actually used the special liquid skin glue to avoid stitches, then wrapped my hand up securely. I was now crying, but of course they didn’t notice because they had been so busy working on my hand that their priority had to be my safety and the cleanliness of the area to prevent infection.
When Seokjin returned shortly after they were done, he found me with my left hand carefully wrapped, an IV in my right hand, and tears pouring down my cheeks. He stopped just inside the door, freezing for a second, then came right in front of me and knelt down, touching my forehead and saying, “Please tell me what I can do to make you feel better.”
I just looked at him, blinked, and whispered, “I am sorry for being such a burden today. I am sorry for making you regret meeting me. I am sorry for making you mad. Please don’t hate me, Seokjin.”
He obviously had no clue what I was talking about, but leaned his forehead on mine and asked, “What are you talking about sweetheart?” I took a shaky breath, then tried explaining, “Earlier you were angry when you were on the phone and after that you ignored me in the car and then you just wanted to abandon me here with the medics forever.” I was now sobbing so hard I could not speak, which is when he had to decide what to do- walk away and pretend I was just some random girl he had met in Boston, or stay and prove how much I meant to him in just the short time he had known me.
Anyone observing would have seen the obvious choice, but I was so upset I couldn’t tell what was happening until he kicked off his shoes, climbed behind me on the cot and literally pulled me into his arms, making sure my legs were still covered with his hoodie. He held me and assured me that everything would be ok if I would trust him and give him a chance to prove it.
After a few minutes, I was calm enough to ask, “Seokjin, why do you even care what happens to me?”
He kissed the top of my head, then chuckled and replied, “I knew you were amazing from the moment I saw you this morning, helping that woman without a thought for your own safety. Then, at lunch, when you bought food for strangers you had just met, I knew your kindness was never ending. When I was on the phone, I was talking with the staff here at the stadium to make sure the medics would be ready for you and in the car, I didn’t want to sit near you because I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stay calm and focused on doing what was best for you. I find myself very distracted when you are close to me, or looking directly at me, or touching me and I knew your safety had to come before everything. Then when I just arrived and saw you crying in pain, I knew it was time for me to express myself truly, showing you how much you mean to me, even though we just met this morning. I hope you can forgive my actions from before and see how much I care right now.”
I didn’t answer right away, but he did feel me nod my head, so he took that as a good sign. One of the medics mentioned that since I clearly would not be attending the concert anymore, it might be a good idea to give me pain meds through the IV, so I would sleep and he wouldn’t need to worry about me being safe while he was performing. He agreed and once they injected the pain meds, he waited for me to fall asleep, which he knew because my arms went limp and my head flopped backwards, allowing him to lay me back down and wipe my remaining tears from my cheeks.
He adjusted his hoodie to continue covering my legs, promising to tell me how cute he thought my outfit was once I was awake, then he kissed my forehead and left, going to do his job. He took my bag of freebies with him, knowing I would want them to be passed out even if I couldn’t do it myself, then gave it to a staff member, who found a fellow ARMY who was willing to pass them out to the others in the stadium.
After the concert, he changed back into his regular clothes and came to check on me, but I was still asleep, so he had the medics stop the IV and remove it, then re-wrap my hand to make sure it would be ok overnight- he told them he would return with me the next afternoon, so they could check it again and make sure it was healing properly. Once the IV was out, I was beginning to wake up, but didn’t recognize anything or anyone, which sent me into a panic, but Seokjin stepped in, kneeling down in front of me and hugging me tightly, saying, “Abby, it’s me, Seokjin, and I want to make you feel better, so you need to come back with me, ok?” I stopped fighting and leaned back to look into his eyes, then whispered, “Will you keep me safe and protect me?”
He knew in that moment he would absolutely do anything for me, so he nodded and leaned his forehead on mine as he replied, “Yes, honey, I promise to do everything I can to protect you.” I accepted his words as facts, then allowed him to help me move to a wheelchair, since I was unable to walk and was basically a noodle. Seokjin carried my concert bag and shoes, which had been removed earlier, while one of the medics pushed me to the exit they would be using- on the other side of the stadium where the fans were currently exiting. This time it was Jimin and Yoongi who were in the very back of the SUV, so I knew it would be a much quieter ride. Seokjin lifted me into a seat, then buckled me, thanking the medic for their help and setting my shoes on the floor near my feet. Once he was in his seat, he set my concert bag on the floor between us and told Yoongi and Jimin what had happened, since we hadn’t officially met.
While I had been asleep, all the other members had “met” me, as in, Seokjin walked them over to show them who I was, but I obviously had no clue, so it didn’t really count to me… I smiled and waved at both of them, then wobbled in the seat and looked like I was going to fall sideways, so Seokjin pulled me closer and kept his arm around me for the entire car ride and I was thankful for him.
