XXXI. THE PURPLE WITCH AND PRODUCER STRANGE

"Taehyung, I need you."

He stopped walking towards the house and immediately made his way to her, eyebrows knitted together in concern. "I'm here."

As promised, Gyeoul brought Taehyung along with her to the music video shoot so he could meet Kieran Park. They've been so busy for the past two weeks that they've barely been able to interact with each other outside of practices. Whenever they passed each other in the halls, fleeting looks and passing touches were exchanged between the two. 

After work hours — or when Gyeoul would get off work, they'd hang out in his studio. Taehyung would tempt Gyeoul to indulge in unhealthy food every time and she'd agree to eat with him right away. He then would let her hear the countless songs he'd been working on that he'd trash later on, much to her dismay.

Two weeks have passed. Still no answer.

On the way to the filming set, Gyeoul played Kieran Park's song while she drove. Taehyung was crying ugly tears the whole time and kept asking her to repeat the song until Gyeoul just handed him her phone and made him put it on loop. He kept wailing about how the song was a representation of what love was supposed to feel. The dancer was smiling the entire time because of him.

It was those simple things that made her grow fond of Taehyung — his gentle heart, his beautiful soul. The way she could practically feel his heart of gold swell whenever he'd see something adorable, the way he would get emotional with songs, the way he'd spew out something wise beyond his years so suddenly, and much, much more that it'd take her forever to finish listing them off because she always found a new reason to fall deeper every single day.

Gyeoul breathed heavily, standing a few steps farther from him. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and started to wiggle around. Albeit a little confused, Taehyung mirrored her actions, making her laugh slightly.

"I need your superstar magic."

Taehyung leaned his upper body forward, afraid that he might have heard her wrong. "Pardon?"

She opened her hands, shrugging her shoulders. "You know, your superstar magic." He still looked a bit confused. Gyeoul smiled, clearing her throat to prepare herself. "You're Kim Taehyung, V of BTS, a legendary idol, the idol of idols, one of the most renowned vocalists in the world, actor, fashion icon, face genius, the most handsome man in the world, one of my greatest friends. My darling, you are a superstar and the key to the success of this music video."

He swore he could feel his face heat up. "First of all," he started, connecting the pads of his fingers together in front of him. "Thank you for the compliments, it really made my day more than you already have." Gyeoul pounded her fist twice on her chest and pointed at him. "And second, how on earth will this superstar magic be the key and how do I give it to you?"

"All you have to do is act like the Scarlet Witch—" she cut herself off, shaking her head. "Or the Purple Witch, whichever you prefer."

Taehyung nodded, already getting the whole gist of what she was trying to insinuate. "Alright, I'm the Purple Witch and I'm going to blast the mystical borahae superstar magic in your direction so you could garner my energy and perform well and attract more viewers."

Her jaw slacked. She slowly clapped her hands, "Be honest with me, are you secretly the Scarlet Witch? That's exactly what was going through my mind!" Taehyung smirked and shook his head, raising his fist for a fist bump, and Gyeoul high-fived it. "Bro, no one understands me as well as you do."

"I got you, bro."

Standing at a proper distance away from her, Taehyung shook his shoulders as if he was warming up. He started moving his hands delicately as if he was focusing on building a ball of actual energy between the growing gap between his hands, his eyebrows knitted in pure concentration. Gyeoul stood before him with her eyes screwed shut and her chin up as if she was bracing herself for the impact.

It started as a silly joke but now they were serious. Dead serious.

Just as Taehyung was going to 'blast' his friend with the superstar energy, a voice rang through the air.

"Are you shooting some kind of skit? Are the cameras already set up or is this just a rehearsal?"

Gyeoul opened her eyes and beckoned the older one to approach them, "Come on, you can help." Taehyung stepped sideways and made space for Yoongi to stand beside him.

"He can be Producer Strange," Taehyung suggested. Gyeoul grinned, nodding approvingly. He looked back at his older member and proceeded to explain, "All you have to do is direct your mystic superstar arts in her direction to help with the music video."

Yoongi opened his mouth to assert a comment but was interrupted by another voice.

"If that's the case, then can I get some of that superstar energy too?" They turned to the right, seeing Yongsik walking up to them with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. The three greeted him with welcoming smiles. Yongsik turned to Taehyung, waving at him, "It's nice to see you again."

Lips parting, Yoongi looked between the two. "You've met?"

Yongsik nodded, "We met at Gyeoul's house last month."

"In her house?" Yoongi repeated as if he wasn't hearing things right. The three nodded. Yoongi blinked repeatedly, the information not sinking into his brain properly. With one look at how Yongsik gazed at Gyeoul, something clicked in his brain. It was a love triangle waiting to happen. With a brief gaze at his younger member, he nodded at Yongsik, "I'm Min Yoongi, a friend of Kieran's."

The dancer nodded eagerly, gulping to contain his excitement. "I know, you're my bias." Clearing his throat, he quickly dismissed what he just blurted out. "I mean, I'm Yongsik, Gyeoul's dance partner for the music video."

Taehyung laughed lightly, gesturing for Yongsik to prepare himself alongside Gyeoul. "Are you ready?"

Gyeoul bounced on her heels with an excited smile that reached her eyes, shaking her shoulders. Beside her, Yongsik was just standing there, hands in his pockets as he leaned on his hips. His eyes were glued on her and her only with one corner of his lips tugged upward, thoroughly amused by the childish side she didn't often show him. A new discovery, in a way.

Eagerness depleting slightly, Taehyung's Purple Witch hand motions froze as he saw the familiar look in Yongsik's eyes. The fact that the other dancer likely had feelings for his friend completely slipped his mind. Yoongi noticed his younger member's lack of movement and looked at where he was staring. Realization clicked in his mind and he sighed inwardly, nudging Taehyung's elbow to bring him out of his thoughts before anyone could notice.

She did notice, but she didn't know the reason why.

The younger idol tore his gaze away and faced him. Yoongi gave him a tight smile and positioned his hands the way Doctor Strange would, directing them towards the pair of dancers. "Let's get this over with, I'm cold."

Gyeoul nodded and stood still, screwing her eyes shut.

Taehyung couldn't help but smile, "One, two, three..."

He and Yoongi then blasted their superstar energy in their direction.

After a few seconds, Gyeoul's eyes fluttered open, and saw the two idols still standing in their superhero positions. Her shoulders sagged as she laughed at the ridiculousness of their positions. Taehyung wasn't satisfied by the softness of her laugh and proceeded to make more crazy gestures, even going as far as to almost breaking his back while trying to do the famous backbends usually seen in the movies when the Scarlet Witch would use large amounts of her powers.

Yongsik chuckled as Gyeoul fell into a fit of laughter even though he thought there wasn't anything funny at all with Taehyung's antics. "Are we done? Do we have the superstar energy?"

The other dancer nodded, walking back to her place next to Taehyung, their knuckles brushing slightly. "I feel it. Can't you?" She bumped her hip to Taehyung's, noticing the shift in his energy earlier. Turning to him, she brushed her finger under his chin. "And if it doesn't, we have the superstars here anyway. They can be our lucky charm."

"You don't need them, you have me."

Four heads turned in the house's direction, seeing Kieran lazily smirking back at them. The singer approached them, raising his hand to pat Yoongi's shoulder but caught himself, remembering that his shoulder was still recovering. Instead of letting his hand hover awkwardly above Yoongi's shoulder, Yoongi took his friend's wrist and made him pat his other shoulder. Kieran chuckled, nodding at him in thanks.

"Not to be a party-pooper to your little playtime here, but Gyeoul and Yongsik need to be inside by now to get ready. I hope you guys don't mind."

Yongsik nodded, obediently going inside the house they were going to film in while Gyeoul stayed in place.

"Kieran-ssi," Gyeoul called, bringing his full attention to her. She gestured her hand in Taehyung's direction, "This is Kim Taehyung, Yoongi-oppa's member and a good friend of mine. He's been asking to meet you ever since I told him about your offer."

Taehyung smiled gratefully at Gyeoul before turning back to the singer, "That's right. I truly admire your music and it's inspired me a lot as an artist, especially when it comes to writing love songs. I'm looking forward to the success of this comeback. Gyeoul's a talented dancer, you made the right choice choosing her for your music video."

"I believe that I made the best choice as well." He smiled fondly at the younger singer, "If my music is the one inspiring you to create love songs, then you're probably wrong about that. Those types of music are rooted directly in what your heart tells you."

Yoongi didn't miss the way Taehyung briefly gazed in Gyeoul's direction as his friend spoke.

❆

"Not to be delusional, but the two dancers would look like a really good couple. I've worked with a ton of artists and never came across a pair like them."

"You're being delusional. Quit daydreaming about them and focus on your job."

Taehyung followed the two staff, entering the room Gyeoul and Yongsik were discussing with the director. Getting a clear view of the scene, she was sitting on the bed with the other dancer, wearing silk nightwear that appeared to be thin. Yongsik was wearing a t-shirt, still a bit thin, but it looked like it would provide him with enough warmth. He approached Kieran, tugging the back of the singer's thick jacket to get his attention.

"Isn't Gyeoul cold?" he asked, making Kieran raise a suspicious eyebrow. He noticed and laughed awkwardly, "Both of them, I mean. There's no radiator and they're wearing thin clothes in the middle of winter."

From the bed, Gyeoul curled her knees to her chest, bundling the blanket to her shoulders. Noticing her shivers, Yongsik scooted closer to her until there was no more space between them and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, gently rubbing it up and down to give her some heat. Albeit a little surprised, she thanked him for the friendly gesture and wrapped the blanket around her so he wouldn't be obligated to keep doing such.

"I think they're doing just fine with sharing body heat," Kieran chuckled. He turned back to Taehyung and saw the serious look in his eyes and faltered. Clearing his throat, he motioned his hands to some of the staff, "Will you please provide the dancers with some layers? Thank you!"

Once they were given the jackets, Taehyung smiled at Kieran, "Thank you."

"You seem to really care about Gyeoul," the singer started.

"I do, I really do." He drew in a sharp breath, remembering that he still hasn't given Gyeoul an answer. "She's one of my greatest friends."

Kieran raised an eyebrow, "Friends?" Taehyung nodded, his mask hiding the frown plastered on his face. "That's a relief, it would be really uncomfortable if you two were together. You see, the two dancers will be really close as the director will instruct them to be. When the director sees a clearer image of Gyeoul and Yongsik's chemistry, he'll go all out. He usually directs romance dramas."

Taehyung, having a background in acting, nodded understandingly.

"It'd really be awkward if you were together. Although I shouldn't have assumed. The two of you being together would only mean that there are too many setbacks and obstacles that it'd be stressful to keep up with, especially since you two are well-known," Kieran continued, piquing Taehyung's interest.

He pursed his lips, "Do you really think so?"

"Well, it can differ for anyone, of course. See HyunA and Dawn, for example. Their relationship sparked a lot of controversy and hate in the media, but they're still going strong like every couple dreams of." He stopped talking for a moment, a sheer glaze of sadness veiling across his features. "You know how I used to date Yoon Sohee?"

The younger artist nodded solemnly, remembering how cruel the media was to the both of them a few years back when sasaengs took pictures of them holding hands backstage in an award show. Although, the media was more ruthless to the actress as she was — well, a woman that managed to snag one of the most sought bachelors in the country. He despised how normal that was in the entertainment industry. The amount of hate Yoon Sohee received forced her to take a year-long break from acting while Kieran had to cancel two major shows that year.

It was all fucked up. Taehyung hated how the media just brushed it off as one common scandal. That scandal ruined their careers and their love and they were forced to end their relationship.

"If I were you, just go for someone not connected in the industry in any way. It's safer that way and at least it'll be easier to hide."

From the side, Yoongi heard all of his friend's advice to Taehyung and immediately made his way beside them. He smacked Taehyung's arm, feigning a laugh, "Yah, don't listen to him. You can love who you love without repercussions. If you ever fall in love with Gyeo— someone famous, the company will protect both of you. If it's meant to be it will be. It'll be the two of you against the world. Love conquers all and all that shit."

Kieran grinned, poking Yoongi's side, "Look at this guy getting all cheesy."

Yoongi smacked his arm next, "And you." Kieran raised his eyebrows, pointing at himself in question. "You're so high and mighty with writing love songs and here you are bringing someone down."

"What do you mean? It's not like Taehyung's in love with Gyeoul."

The way Kieran said it was louder than he intended. Gyeoul momentarily tore her attention away from the director and turned in his direction. When she did, she met Taehyung's eyes.

Looking away, she bit the inside of her cheek. Although the statement didn't come from Taehyung himself, pain wormed its way to her heart and lingered there. Yongsik noticed this and patted her shoulder, smiling at her as he knew what situation she was in. She nodded at him in thanks.

Taehyung gulped, silently cursing the singer that he admired so much for planting the thought of unrequited love in Gyeoul's head before he could make up his mind. He drew in a sharp breath, watching how tender and attentive Yongsik was to her. Heat started to spread in the back of his eyes and nose as he turned away, reminding himself that he had no right to feel the slightest bit green because of that simple fact that he had to remind himself of every single day.

Gyeoul was never his to lose.

Minutes later, filming started and most of the staff had dispersed, waiting downstairs in the living room for the take to finish. Taehyung, Yoongi, Kieran, and a few other camera directors remained outside the room, watching run after run as the main director instructed so.

It was becoming more and more painful to watch, but Taehyung couldn't stop watching. Gyeoul was a captivating dancer.

A drop of heaven graced before him. The same drop metamorphosed into an angel gleaming in pure divinity as the first notes of the song started to fill the closed space. Her body was in symphony with the soft blues and grays with the gentle melody, her movements telling deeper complexities of stories than any piece of written text he has ever read in his lifetime. Ahn Gyeoul was the master of versatility. But she was also a master of taking his breath away.

Taehyung was utterly bewitched.

He felt as if he didn't believe magic existed until he found himself being lulled in by the enchantment of her artistry.

Yongsik was good too, he supposed.

As the part of the song neared its end, Yoongi turned to Taehyung to share his awe only to find the younger member appearing more stupefied than anything, with his eyes transfixed on every move the dancer made with his mouth slightly agape in astonishment. Yoongi smirked and pushed Taehyung's jaw up before anybody else could notice. Though a bit startled by the older member's action, Taehyung's concentration on the woman's movements didn't break.

"They really look good together," one of the camera directors gushed, capturing Taehyung's attention.

The director made them run the scene again and Taehyung then focused on the entirety of the performance and not just on Gyeoul herself.

Alas, they were right, they did look good together. He was finally seeing what everybody else saw. As much as it pained him to admit it, those two were made to dance with each other. The way they moved complemented each other so well that it was as if they were handcrafted specifically to dance with each other. In that scene, they were lovers that probably had the entire universe rooting for them.

And Taehyung? He was a mere bystander — an obstacle getting in the way of a relationship bound to make Gyeoul the happiest woman in the world. He knew Yongsik would treat her right. All that mattered to him was her happiness. Nothing more, nothing less.

Kieran's eyes caught sight of a single tear rolling down Taehyung's face and smiled, nudging his elbow, "It's pretty touching how they portray the song, right? I almost cried too."

The mention of crying alarmed Yoongi. He turned around to see if his younger member was indeed crying, only to see him wiping the lone tear away with a swipe of his finger while wearing a fake smile. Without Kieran seeing, Yoongi patted Taehyung's shoulder as a small gesture of comfort.

"They're amazing dancers," Taehyung agreed, nodding inconspicuously at Yoongi as a thank you. He looked back at the screen, breathing out a heavy sigh, "They're even more amazing when they're together."

❆

"Something's missing," Kieran hummed, looking at the director in thought. "What do you think?"

The director clicked his tongue. "The romance factor isn't as strong." He observed the two dancers, calculating every single solution possible in his mind. What he said next made Gyeoul look at him incredulously. "What if they kiss?"

Taehyung couldn't take it anymore.

He breathed out slowly, clenching his fist. "Hyung, I need to take a breather. I'll be right outside if anyone looks for me."

Without leaving any room for questions, Taehyung walked away. Yoongi stared at his retreating figure with a frown tugging at his lips. Looking back at the dancer and the director, he sighed. He wanted nothing more than to smack the director upside in the head for suggesting such a preposterous thing and for making his younger member fall into the depths of despair with all his directions to make the music video 'romantic.' It was all bullshit to him, they were only supposed to be dancing.

"Don't you think that's taking it too far?" Yoongi retorted, keeping his voice polite and his expression passive to disguise his indifference. "I think you should just stick to what you discussed in your contract. Judging from Gyeoul's expression, the idea was probably never suggested in the first place."

Gyeoul nodded, turning to Yoongi to give him a thankful look. She paused, finding that her friend was nowhere to be seen beside the older idol. Looking around the room, she tried to see if she can find any sign of him. Figuring that he probably wasn't in the room, she turned back to listen to Kieran and the director's conversation once again.

"You have a point, but the dancers can do it if they're willing," Kieran responded. He nodded at the two, "Would it be okay for you two to kiss?"

Yongsik turned to Gyeoul, signaling to her that the decision was in her hands. Making her uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted to do. She looked back at him with pursed lips, unsure of what to do. All that went through her head was the memory of her and Taehyung's almost-kiss last Christmas Eve.

"I'm sorry but kissing is out of the question," Gyeoul answered, bringing down the mood of the entire room. Beside her, Yongsik gave her a genuine smile to show that he respected her choices, albeit a little disappointed.

The director clicked his tongue, "Then would you be willing to compromise instead?"

Yoongi perked up, "What compromise do you propose?"

"You only pretend to kiss," he explained, "Gyeoul will put her thumb over your lips and we turn so that the camera wouldn't really catch the 'pretend' of it."

Nodding, Yongsik agreed, "Sounds good enough to me."

Gyeoul sighed, "Okay."

The director finally smiled, "Alright. Let's do it."

They ran the part again, doing better than their last take.

'I'm already missing...'

Gyeoul's hands which were entangled in Yongsik's locks traveled to his jaw, connecting their foreheads and leaning to kiss him. She made sure to keep her thumb between their lips. Yongsik snaked his arms around her waist, moving them and dipping her slightly to hide their faces from the camera.

'You.'

"Cut!"

She immediately pulled away while Yongsik took a second longer to let her go.

The director motioned them to the screens and they watched the cut, trying to see if there was anything to be modified in the take. Seeing as there was none, they all celebrated for a moment, congratulating the dancers for dancing relentlessly throughout the day in the harsh cold of the winter in pajamas. The moment they were dismissed, Gyeoul immediately got dressed.

She walked out of the house and found Taehyung sitting on the porch. He turned around as he heard the door open and close, smiling softly as he saw that it was only his friend. Gyeoul sat beside him, burying her hands in her pockets to protect herself from the cold. Taehyung wordlessly unraveled the scarf around his neck and placed it on hers before taking his beanie off and putting it on her head. She laughed slightly at the gesture.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him, scanning his features.

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was worried when you left the room. I would have thought that you were cold and went to the car to warm yourself up, but then you're here." She took off his beanie and placed it on his head, patting it right after. Taehyung chuckled at her. "And you should stop giving me your layers. Out of the two of us, it's more important that you don't get sick."

He smiled slightly, "That doesn't cancel out the fact that you need it more than I do, though." Gyeoul smiled, shaking her head. Flashes of the earlier events projected in his mind, "You know, you'd make a pretty good actress. It's not too late to make a debut."

"I can't act to save my life. It's just a little different from dancing. You, on the other hand, I'm still waiting for a new acting project. It's been years since Hwarang."

Laughing, he shook his head, "Highly unlikely. We're too busy these days." He side-eyed her, observing as she stared at the white snow decorating the naked trees. "So, how was that kissing scene with Yongsik?"

Now it was her turn to laugh. "We faked it. You'd know if you were there." She placed her head on his shoulder. "Whatever it is that may have upset you to the point that you walked away, I hope that it doesn't burden your mind that much." Stretching her hand on her knees, she opened her palm. "I'm here for you."

Taehyung placed his hand on top of hers, lining the bottom of his palm with hers and gently comparing their hand sizes. They shared a laugh as they saw a large difference.

Testing the waters, Gyeoul moved her hand diagonally. He smiled, taking the opportunity to interlace his fingers with hers. Without saying anything, Taehyung placed his head over hers which was still resting on his shoulder. The world fell into solace, allowing the two friends that small pocket of peace that was felt harder and harder to attain as time went by.

But it was an assurance they'd always be by each other's side.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

Gyeoul and Taehyung let go of each other's hands but didn't pull away from each other, both of them knowing that if they did, whoever it was might assume that they were doing something they shouldn't be doing.

"There you two are!"

They inwardly sighed in relief upon hearing that it was only Yongsik. Pulling away from each other, they stood up, facing him. From the door, the director, Kieran, and Yoongi followed.

"We've been looking for you," Yongsik continued, a growing frown on his face at the closeness between them. Taehyung noticed and discreetly stepped away from Gyeoul. "Kieran-ssi invited us to an early dinner. Would you two like to come? Consider it as a celebration for finishing the music video."

Taehyung smiled, "I'll join next time. I have to get back to work as soon as possible."

Beside him, Gyeoul turned to him with question marks floating above her head. As far as she was concerned, he had no other schedules for that day and the next. "Then I'll join next time as well."

"No, you should join them. You're one of the two stars of the show," Taehyung insisted.

Gyeoul only grinned at him, "I can join them on the music video release day." She bid the others goodbye with a polite bow, "Thank you for including me in your music video, however, I have some things to attend to that cannot be pushed forward so I have to refuse your offer for early dinner."

"Just say that you're not going if Taehyung-ssi is not going instead of lying," the director teased, a knowing smile stretching across his face as he observed the two friends' body language. "It'd soften the blow, at least."

"Then I'm not going if he's not going."

Taehyung fell into a fit of coughs, turning around and leaning on the porch swing to recover.

Gyeoul's dance partner hummed, took her hand, placed a cheek-to-cheek kiss on her cheeks, and hugged her. Yongsik chuckled at Gyeoul's stunned expression and walked off to his car. Taehyung, who was still red-faced by Gyeoul's blatant confession, saw the whole ordeal and sat on the porch swing to mask his surprise.

He was jealous of Yongsik for a multitude of things, some of which were his more favorable chances of making Gyeoul happy, but he was most envious of his boldness. Never would he be able to bluntly do those actions without overthinking it for an hour or more. Never would he be able to fearlessly declare his love for her so easily. Never would he be as straightforward as he was.

While Kieran and the director were smiling as if nothing was wrong in the world, Yoongi couldn't bring himself to share the same enthusiasm. It was so painfully obvious that Gyeoul would always choose Taehyung over anything else. Always.

The moment they finished with their little superhero skit earlier, Gyeoul went straight to Taehyung's side. The moment they finished filming the last scene of the music video, Gyeoul went straight to Taehyung's side. And now, she was staying declining free food just to spend more time with him. There was a pattern here that's been apparent ever since last year. Gyeoul will choose him again and again.

He didn't think his younger member could see that.

🌷

vp leni's facebook lives and thanksgiving rally provided me with a lot of clarity. i'm still angry, and i am disappointed (and still scared). i would like to extend my apologies to the martial law victims and their families.

activism and speaking out about the government will most likely be more dangerous for the next six years. be careful. to the 31 million that voted for the presumptive president and vice president despite them not attending any debates and not presenting their plans and platforms for the country, i hope you're right about them.

song(s) mentioned in this chapter — missing you by blake mcgrath

11/19/22 — another political rant that i forgot about HAJAHSHAHAH