Seokjin shoves aside his own hurt when their dance instructor lashes out at him and Namjoon, spewing hurtful insults about their dance work.

"What kind of an example do you set, huh? You're not working hard enough. Your dance is equivalent to a toddler's, because that's exactly how wobbly it is. Namjoon, you are their leader, and Jin, you are the oldest...what kind of an example does it set for your group?"

They stay quiet, heads bowed in shame and once their instructor is done with his rant, they bow.

"Sorry, hyung-nim."

Their dance instructor leaves the premises, still fuming and Seokjin sighs. What a great start to the day, he thinks sarcastically.

The words of their instructor stick around, echoing softly in his head. Seokjin shifts his gaze to Namjoon and straight away he knows that those words became daggers that stabbed their leader's heart.

Even though Namjoon doesn't meet his eyes, Seokjin sees it. His body is tense as he glares down at the floor.

"Namjoon?"

"I'm sorry I'm failing you."

"Namjoon-ah..."

"I try, hyung. It's not enough. I don't know what to do."

"Joon—"

"I keep letting you down."

"Joon—"

"I'm a fuck up."

Seokjin tugs Namjoon in a hug, "stop that. What's all this degrading you're doing to yourself? I won't stand it, Joon."

"But it's true. I'm letting you all down. I—"

"Hush, Joon. You aren't letting anyone down. As you've said, you try and I know you try hard. Your dancing has improved, Joon, and I think you need to give yourself some credit before you snatch it all away and dump it down a drain. The instructor may not have had the best day and he took his frustrations out here. Maybe our dancing requires more improvement and that's alright. We're not perfect, but then again, who is?"

Seokjin pulls away so Namjoon can look him in the eyes.

"I, for one, do not expect to see perfection when I look at you, Joon. To me, you are, you have always been, and will always be the best leader for our group. The imperfectly perfect leader. If you set any example for us, it's that you're not born perfect, rather you work hard to reach where you are. And that's the best example you can set."

Namjoon sniffles and Seokjin brushes away a stray tear on his cheek.

"You're most certainly not a fuck up, Namjoon-ah. Everyone fucks up somewhere but how do you respond to it, what do you do next about it. That's what matters. And I know you. You work extra hard for us, Joon. So give yourself some credit, alright?"

Namjoon nods, suddenly speechless, and swallows down the lump in his throat.

"Thank you, hyung."

"Hush, don't mention it."

14 June, 2023