It should have mattered this time.

~ ♡ ~

Hoseok had been in an accident that evening. He'd run a stop sign, and hit another car, which unfortunately resulted in the passenger, a 19 year old girl, being paralyzed from the waist down. Hoseok hadn't been hurt, except for a bruise on his knee.

Our agency had been sued, and the payout to the victim's family was huge. The victim's father had wanted BTS to end then and there. Of course, that wasn't something that happened, at least not right away.

But Hoseok had never been the same. He'd had to serve 500 hours of community service, which was nothing compared to what the victim and her family had gone thru, and would deal with for the rest of their lives.

Hoseoks life could have gone back to normal, but it didn't. The guilt ate at him day after day. He vowed never to drink again, a promise he's kept to this day. But he lost interest in everything, including music, dance, and BTS.

Eventually, as word got around, we started getting invited to perform less and less, our popularity dwindled, and a year after the accident, we officially disbanded.

Each of us had alternatives, so it wasn't the end of everything.

Jimin and Jungkook continued dancing, eventually opening a dance academy, teaching anyone who wanted to dance. They were doing well and had a waiting list of people wanting to learn under them.

Namjoon and Yoongi had both stuck with writing, composing and producing music, each of them by now having written and produced many more songs that were high on the charts.

Jin had ended up working at his restaurant, he and his brother doing very well. Both locations were always packed, reservations never lacking.

Hoseok, well, for the past six months, believe it or not, he had been spending time with Mae-lynn, the girl whose life he felt he ruined. He had felt so guilty, and at the suggestion of his therapist, as an exercise to help him reach self-forgivness, he had eventually written to her, apologizing for what he had done. To his shock, she had written back.

After 3 months of writing back and forth, she wanted to meet him in person. They met and have been inseparable ever since. Her father hadn't been pleased, but she was old enough to make her own choices.

Me, well, I had been offered modeling jobs at a few places, but I turned them down. I recorded a single that Namjoon had written, and it had been released and climbed to number 3 here in Korea.

But I was craving peace and quiet, anonymity, I guess.

I wanted to be able to exist without being looked at with sympathy. Everywhere I went here, people knew me, and always expressed how sorry they were. I didn't need anyone to be sorry.

Life was full of ups and downs. We'd all dealt with both, and come out of it just fine. The past was just that, the past. I had the memories, but I chose not to pair those memories with sadness.

That, among other things, made it hard to be here, and I decided maybe I would take a break from Seoul. I could speak English fluently, thanks to Namjoon, and my desire to learn. I had wanted to be able to communicate well with our english speaking fans.

I liked America. So that's where I decided to go. I wanted to live in a place we hadn't been, and after reading up on a few places that looked interesting, I settled on Michigan.

We had played in Chicago a few times, which was basically just across the lake, so I realized that I may be recognized at some point, but I wasn't really worried about it. I wanted secluded, country living, someplace I could spend time enjoying nature, taking pictures, and just relaxing.

I scoured the realtor listings, finding a few potential possibilities. But one looked like exactly what I wanted. It was listed as a small farm, on a dead end dirt road, with no neighbors. It was being sold as is, needed work, but the house was livable. Everything that was there was included.

I called the next day, and bought it. The realtor thought I had lost my mind, not even curious to see it. I told her it didn't matter, I planned to fix it up.

Because I was willing to pay cash, the sellers agreed to a quick sale, and a week later, I officially owned a farm in Michigan.

When the guys heard what I'd done, they honestly didn't seem too surprised. They knew I was tired of Seoul, of everyone's sympathy. I was tired of never seeing anyone smile at me, only looking at me with sadness.

I was happy. Sure, I missed singing and dancing, I missed the fans, and touring. I missed BTS. But that part of my life was over, and I accepted it. Everything happens for a reason.

I made plans to fly to Detroit the following week, then spent time visiting my parents for a day, and hanging out with the guys the rest of the week. We were all still extremely close, and I knew we always would be. They were family to me.

Jimin was the most upset, claiming he'd never get to see me now. He and I were the closest, so it was understandable. I promised to visit, and made him promise the same.

The day I left, they drove me to the airport in Incheon, and said their goodbyes. Jimin had cried, in turn causing me to cry.

"Tae, I'm really gonna miss you. I'm used to seeing you every day."

Namjoon handed Jimin a tissue, and he sniffled, blowing his nose.

I smiled sadly, I was going to miss them all too. I hugged them all, and when I got to Jimin, I rolled my eyes at him, the look on his face causing tears to build, and roll down my cheeks.

"Stop Jiminie, I'm not leaving forever. I'll be back." I hugged him tightly, knowing I'd never have a better friend. "I'll video call you every week, ok? Plus, you have to visit soon." He'd nodded, wiping his nose again.

Hoseok was last, and he raised his eyebrows at me, his lips pressed into a thin line, eyes shining with tears. He still held onto guilt, but he was working on letting it go a little at a time, with the help of Mae-lynn. But I knew he felt like me leaving Seoul was mostly his fault.

"Take care of yourself Taehyung. Visit often, cause we're going to miss you."

I nodded, giving him a smile.

"Guys, don't be sad. This is just an adventure for me. I won't be gone forever. I just wanna try something different for awhile."

Jin was the first to smile back at me. "If anyone can make an adventure worth going on, it's you Tae. Send us pictures, will ya? I wanna see what you've gotten yourself into."

I laughed. "I will Jin-hyung, and I'm serious, I want you guys to visit, but not until I fix the place up."

They called for my flight to board, and I smiled at them all. "I'll let you guys know when I get there."

I waved, and turned, walking towards the boarding gates, trying to get the image of Jimin, tears rolling down his face, out of my head.

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A/N: Surprise. I decided to publish chapter 1...hoping to pique your interest. Hope you enjoy! Please vote. Comments welcome. 🤗