XXXIX. MUSIC VIDEO RELEASE

It was exactly like when they were kids.

Sleepovers weren't common in their childhood, but there were at least a few nights where either of them would spend the night in the other's house in their respective rooms.

They stayed out late on the staircase until 4 AM talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Large fractions of it were spent in comfortable silence as they didn't need to speak to enjoy each other's company. In the last hour, Taehyung kept yawning. He wasn't in the state to drive and they both knew that, so they decided to use the futon from the last time he slept over last February.

When Gyeoul woke up, dream-like sunbeams kissed her face. Her eyes fluttered open, repeatedly blinking to adjust to the light. A certain wistful type of warmth filled her insides upon seeing the glow of the sunlight against her white curtains. That warmth transitioned into something more tender as she recalled that her friend was sleeping on her bedroom floor.

Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and ran her fingers through the tangles of her hair. She looked over to the side, chuckling slightly at the position Taehyung was sleeping in. His hair was sticking out in all directions, his arms were outstretched, and he was halfway out of the futon on his back. His mouth was ajar and Gyeoul was pretty sure that there was dried saliva on his cheek.

Adorable, she thought, smiling to herself.

She shuffled to the other side of the bed and stepped out, inwardly shuddering at the coldness of the wooden floorboards. Creeping to the bathroom as silently as she could, she went inside and quietly closed the door. She tried to keep the sound of the water splashing against the sink as silent as possible as she washed her face to start off her day, among other hygienic things.

Once she was finished in the bathroom, she walked out and saw that Taehyung was still in the same position as earlier. She walked to her nightstand where her phone was charging to check the time. It was 11:57, Gyeoul estimated that Taehyung would wake up at around 2 PM at the most. Pursing her lips, she walked over to Taehyung's side on her bedroom floor.

"Xiaolongbao," she whispered, laying a hand on his arm.

It took a few seconds, but Taehyung then audibly responded, "Hmm?"

"Come sleep on the bed."

Gyeoul prided herself on being strong, but there was no way she could carry Taehyung to the bed without almost dropping him a few times. She doubted that he'd still get any sleep if she did.

Luckily, Taehyung sluggishly stood up without any protests and without opening his eyes, plopping down on her bed, and curling into a ball. Gyeoul smiled softly at his actions and pulled the blanket over his body. After a few short seconds, his breaths evened out and she was sure that he had already fallen asleep again. Chuckling, she pushed herself from the bed and went back to the bathroom to get her watering can to water her plants.

After watering them, Gyeoul went back to her phone to text Hoseok because he was the one she was sure would reply. Taehyung told her earlier that he let his other members know that he was sleeping over at her place, but he never specified if he had anything to attend to at work today.

GYEOUL
hello!! do you guys have any schedules today?

HOSEOK
we have an important meeting at 5 but anything before that is adjustable

HOSEOK
why??? he's still asleep isn't he

GYEOUL
yeahh and id feel bad waking him up since we slept pretty late but at the same time i dont want him to miss anything at work and get in trouble yanno?

HOSEOK
how very gf of u (^_< )〜☆

HOSEOK
oh shit I forgot are dating someone

HOSEOK
ignore that hehe

Gyeoul was ripped back into reality. Yongsik. They haven't talked since their date the other day, but she intended on talking about everything tonight. He was picking her up later so they would go to Kieran's agency together. The music video was set to release in a few hours and Kieran invited the two dancers to go on V LIVE with him to react to the music video and celebrate. After that, she and Yongsik were going on a date that they set beforehand.

Quickly thanking Hoseok, Gyeoul put her phone down and crept out of the room.

"Good morning," Gyeoul greeted her parents who were lost in their worlds in the dining and kitchen area.

Her father was in the kitchen, jotting down a few notes in his notepad with a steaming pot on the stove while her mother was on the dining table with her laptop in front of her and portfolios beside her tea. Gyeoul walked past her father and went to get a glass in one of the cabinets. They didn't attend work on-site that day because they wanted to be one of the first ones to see the music video right when it would premiere on YouTube in a couple of hours.

"Taehyung's here, by the way. He came over last night to hang out and we lost track of time."

Mihyang let out an 'ah!' as she snapped her fingers, "I knew I wasn't dreaming when I thought I heard the gate open and close."

Around one and a half hours later, the doorbell rang, startling the family.

Gyeoul had already showered and was helping her father in the kitchen for lunch while Taehyung was still sleeping in her room.

"Are we expecting anyone?" her father questioned with perplexed eyes. He turned to his wife, "Did you order things online again?"

"I already paid for my packages so I doubt the deliveryman would ring the doorbell. Some critical thinking would be nice, honey."

Chuwon sighed, rolling his eyes while Gyeoul laughed at her parents' antics. "It's probably Yongsik, he's driving me to the agency today." She looked up at their grandfather clock to check the time, "But he is a bit early, though."

"Then he can stay for lunch," her mother proposed.

Gyeoul hummed, making her way to the front door and wearing her sandals. Once she opened the door, she saw him standing outside the gate. "You're early," she stated as she opened the gate for him.

"Sorry, I thought that I'd make it here later, but there wasn't any traffic," Yongsik chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He scanned her outfit, "Are you ready to go?"

"I am, but we should probably eat lunch before we go."

Yongsik nodded, following her inside the house. Gyeoul handed him a spare pair of slippers and led him to the dining room. Her mother's laptop and folders were already put away and the table was already being set by her father. Briefly telling Yongsik to make himself at home, she made her way to the kitchen to help his father bring the food to the table.

Not long after, they heard slow footsteps bounding down the stairs and Taehyung appeared before them. Once the idol laid his eyes on the guest, he froze. He still hasn't washed his face so he was sure that his puffy face was still oily, and his hair was probably sticking out in all directions. He was wearing a loose white shirt and green sweatpants, both of which were undoubtedly from Gyeoul's wardrobe as she liked wearing oversized clothing for dance.

Taehyung blinked, his sleepiness slowly disappearing as he looked between the Ahn family and Yongsik with embarrassment creeping into his system. Yongsik, especially, looked at Taehyung with his lips slowly parting. The idol didn't meet his eyes and stared back at Gyeoul with a dry expression, inwardly whining at her for not telling him that there were other people around to see him in his groggy state.

"Morning, son," Chuwon greeted, sitting down at the table. "Lunch is ready."

Taehyung cleared his throat, "I'll be back in a minute." He nodded at them and went back up the stairs, discreetly raising his hand and showing a V-sign before curling his fingers down into claws at his friend. Gyeoul pursed her lips to keep herself from laughing at the childishly vulgar gesture.

The moment he was out of earshot, Yongsik gaped at Gyeoul, "Good god, what did I do to be blessed with such a beautiful sight." He placed a hand to his heart, "How can someone look so good when they just woke up? Is that physically possible or is Taehyung just built differently? Is he real?"

Gyeoul smiled amusedly, shaking her head at him, "Come sit down, you can admire him more when he comes down."

A few minutes later, the family and Yongsik had already started eating, and Taehyung made his way down the stairs with his face fresh and his hair tamed.

"Afternoon," he greeted, sitting in his usual spot across Gyeoul.

He lightly kicked her foot under the table, earning her attention. As their eyes met, he pouted at her, eyes flickering in Yongsik's direction for a millisecond. Gyeoul, knowing exactly what he was telling her, reached over the table and served Taehyung with more pork, giving him an apologetic smile. A smile, that of which, made him smile back against his will.

For the whole duration of their lunch, Taehyung couldn't help but judge Yongsik. Yes, he was a nice guy. Yes, he treated Gyeoul well. Yes, Taehyung was just being unreasonably envious. But he was still hung up on the fact that Yongsik left her the other day after their date and left her alone in the rain where she could get sick. Taehyung was trying to pick out all of the imperfections Yongsik had and it all just came down to that. Yongsik was almost perfect.

He was direct and purposeful (just an ass for leaving his date in the rain).

Taehyung knew that Gyeoul wouldn't second-guess Yongsik's feelings for her if they officially got together.

After dinner, the whole table dispersed. Gyeoul and Taehyung cleaned up the table while her parents went on with their business around the house. Yongsik was talking to someone on the phone and stepped out.

"Look, I get that you're part of the family and all, but you're technically still a guest," Gyeoul tried to reason with Taehyung as he started to do the dishes by himself. He only laughed at her and continued to do the dishes with his pink rubber gloves. "Scoot over, Kim Tae. My house, my chores."

"But then you'd get water splashes on your blouse and you'd have to change all over again," he responded, giving her a gentle smile. "Yongsik's already at the door waiting for you. You better get to Kieran Park's agency now or Yoongi-hyung will scold you."

"He never scolds me."

Taehyung gave her a pointed look, "Well, if you're late then you're giving him a reason to scold you." He bumped his forehead on her shoulder, seeing as he couldn't pat it with his hands, "Go, I'm fine. It's either you leave now or I'm kicking you out."

Gyeoul chuckled, "How kind of you to kick me out of my own house." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. She reached up and ruffled his hair, "Alright. You know which drawer in my dresser is yours, and you can borrow anything from my closet if you want to. I have other shampoo bottles in the cabinet under the sink if you don't like the shampoo in my shower."

"I know, now go," Taehyung whined, bumping her again with his hip and taking his slippers off to kick her butt with the back of his foot. Gyeoul laughed, looking over to where the front door was before turning back to Taehyung. His smile dropped slightly along with his voice, "Don't keep Yongsik waiting."

The dancer pursed her lips, giving him one last uncertain look before walking off, "Alright, I'll talk to you later."

Yongsik was already inside his car when Gyeoul got there. She placed her small backpack on her lap and buckled her seatbelt.

"So, Taehyung...?" Yongsik trailed off, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Does he regularly sleep over at your house or is this a one-time thing?"

Humming, she answered, "He doesn't usually sleep over, but he does when he has no other choice. This would be, like, the second time he has."

"And you two must be really close best friends for your parents to let him?"

"Well, yes, but Taehyung is both family and friend. I don't know if you've noticed, but my parents adore him. They like him more than they like me," she laughed, massaging her temples.

Yongsik nodded, about to buckle up when he jumped as if something hit him. "Hold on, I think I left something inside," Yongsik groaned, undoing his seatbelt.

Gyeoul did the same to her seatbelt, "Let me get it for you."

Yongsik was quick to stop her with a gentle smile, "Stay here, I can get it on my own."

With that and a light poke to her cheeks, Yongsik got out of the car and jogged back to the house. Luckily, the gate wasn't closed totally because there were people inside the house so he went straight inside. Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it.

It didn't surprise him when it was Taehyung that opened the door. The idol looked a bit shocked at Yongsik's reappearance, but moved out of the way, going back inside the house.

"Come in. Did you leave something?"

Yongsik pursed his lips into a smile, taking off his shoes and following Taehyung to the kitchen. It was as if the idol also lived there. He watched as Taehyung slipped the rubber gloves back on and returned to the dishes. In Yongsik's eyes, Taehyung was a difficult book to read, most likely because he had some experience as an actor and had a very intimidating resting face. But he could see a hint of emotion in his eyes that he couldn't place.

"I just wanted to ask you something."

Taehyung bit the inside of his cheek, closing the faucet. Now, a thick and incredibly awkward deafening silence crossed between them. He didn't say anything in response, only keeping his eyes on the small window behind the sink as he expectantly waited for him to be done with whatever he was going to say.

It was hard to look at him.

"Tonight, I'm going to ask Gyeoul to be my girlfriend," Yongsik said slowly, gauging the idol's reaction.

"I don't think that's a question," he replied in a heartbeat. Taehyung realized that his statement was rude and cleared his throat. He turned his head for a moment to give Yongsik a tight smile. "But congratulations, it's about time you did. If you don't mind me asking, what does that have to do with me?"

"I wanted to know what you'd think."

Taehyung clicked his tongue, a small laugh, which sounded more like a scoff, bubbling out of his lips as he shook his head. Those two really are made for each other. He recalled the times Gyeoul asked him for advice and how he royally screwed up each time. "Let me get this straight, you're asking me for relationship advice? Me, of all people?"

"She told me that you're one of her best friends. It seems like you're my best option. Plus, I don't really think Songyi and Yunseo would give me an answer that's as meaningful as you would."

Break whatever you have with Gyeoul, he wanted to say but knew that he didn't have any right to do so. From what he could see and from what Gyeoul had told him, Yongsik (if he were to look over the fact that he left her in the rain) was proper boyfriend material. As much as he hated the idea of someone other than him being with her, he knew very well that Yongsik would treat her better and be a way better boyfriend than Taehyung can possibly be. Everything Yongsik had to offer, like time and safety away from the horrors of the media, he can't give her. Taehyung didn't want to stand in the way of something bound to end up happily ever after.

He was too slow and now he had to make way.

"She acts like she hates cliche and cheesy lines, but she secretly enjoys it. On the days she doesn't feel like talking, learn how to be comfortable with her in silence. On her bad days, buy her choco pies or burgers and joke around to make her feel better. Carry her around when her body gets too tired. She likes eating crabs but finds it a hassle to crack them open so you do them instead. Make sure that you're there for her when she reaches a milestone in her life, make sure that you're there for her when she's had a little too much to drink — actually, no. Make sure that you're always there for her no matter what."

Taehyung paused, passive-aggressively opening the faucet to continue the dishes. Yongsik pursed his lips, unsure of what to say, and just watched Taehyung, knowing that he still had some things left to say.

"Before you ask her to be your girlfriend, I want you to make sure that you're sure of her. Be sure to never let the light in her fade away to darkness. When she gives you her heart, don't safeguard it in a box, connect it with your own and make a home out of it and it's up to the both of you to keep it safe. Just—" he closed the faucet again, cutting his statement off to take a deep breath. "—be good to her, alright? Please love her, she doesn't deserve any less." He took his gloves off and fully faced Yongsik with a frown. "Is that all? I need to get to work."

When Yongsik only stared at him in, perhaps, bewilderment, Taehyung sighed and walked off in the direction of Gyeoul's room to get washed up.

"Taehyung-ssi."

What now? He stopped walking, turning back at him expectantly but looking at the space beside Yongsik's shoulder.

"Do you like Gyeoul?"

The idol met his eyes, "I think you already know the answer to that." With that, he turned away and kept walking.

❆

"How are you liking BOUNCE Entertainment so far, Gyeoul?" Kieran questioned as he waited for the stylist to finish fixing the dancer's hair.

"It's nice," she replied with a polite smile.

"Nice enough for you to transfer here?"

Gyeoul laughed at that, "I'm sorry, but I already committed myself to BigHit."

Kieran turned to Yongsik who was already sitting on the couch and ready to start the V LIVE, also waiting for the stylist to finish with Gyeoul, "What about you, Yongsik? Any plans on becoming a performance director soon?"

"Never."

The singer pouted as he sat down next to him, "It wouldn't hurt you to phrase it a little nicer."

Giving Gyeoul one last scan, the stylist smiled ang nodded at her, giving the dancer the go-signal to join the two others on the couch. The stylist didn't do much to her, only applying some lip balm on her lips and fixing her hair. Her hair was styled in a way that it looked like she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast with how they pulled two sections of her hair from to front to the back. It was enough to keep her hair from being messy but still had a slight roguish look to it, making it not look too formal.

"Okay, let's discuss the flow," Kieran started, "We're going to start with introductions, make a little small talk, then we go on to talk about the music video production. After that, we'll react to the music video, and we'll talk about the things we missed, then we answer some questions."

He gave the two dancers a look, silently asking if they had questions or had anything to add. After confirming that there was none, he stood up, motioning the staff to start the live. He was handed another tablet to screen the live and read the comments.

For the first minute, they were silent, both of the dancers looking over Kieran's shoulder as they all waited for more viewers to come in. Gyeoul pursed her lips into a patient grin, crossing her legs and leaning back slightly on the couch. There were three boxes of pizza on the center table, one for each of them. She couldn't resist the temptation and pulled a slice.

They all stayed like that for a moment that the viewers probably thought their connection was lagging if it wasn't for Gyeoul trying to stifle a laugh at the awkward silence in the air.

Kieran grinned, "Okay, I think we're good enough to start." He looked at the camera, "Is everyone feeling good? The music video dropped an hour ago. Was it good?" Turning to the dancers, he asked, "Have you two watched the music video?"

Yongsik shook her head, "We haven't."

"Everyone, if you haven't noticed yet, these two beside me are the dancers from the video," he announced. He turned to Yongsik and encouraged him to talk, "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Hello, everyone! I'm Do Yongsik, I'm a dancer and manager from Stip-Step Studios. I had the pleasure of being seen by Kieran-ssi's eye for talent and here I am. It's a pleasure to be here and I hope you guys like the music video."

Kieran nodded, applauding the dancer. He turned to Gyeoul with a humorous smile, "That was a pageant-type introduction. Think you can top that?"

Gyeoul opened her mouth to speak, but only a shy breathy laugh escaped her and she turned away for a moment, clearing her throat. "Well, I'm Ahn Gyeoul, a dancer, choreographer, and a performance director for BigHit Entertainment. As Yongsik said, we hope that you like the choreography. We worked hard on it and we hope that the message it portrays touches your heart one way or another."

"She's more of a romantic," Kieran commented to Yongsik with an amused chuckle. "Gyeoul, you mentioned 'message,' what do you mean by that and how did that affect your thought process while you two choreographed?"

"The whole essence of the song is about missing someone even if they're right there in front of you — you can't get enough of their love. Missing You, as I interpret it, is that moment when that person you love becomes a home with a heartbeat and a comforting smile, and without them, you start to become homesick. In the choreography, we wanted to portray, like, a love letter in motion. 'How to say I love you without saying I love you?'"

Yongsik hummed, nodding his head in agreement, "Like, imagine a scene where two souls are intertwining to become one. That's the type of flow that we wanted to put into action. As much as possible, we took into account the perceptions of love of other people other than ourselves to fully capture that relatability."

Kieran's mouth formed an 'o' and he turned to the tablet in front of them, "I never knew about this." The staff moved from behind the scenes, ready to play the video upon his signal. "I've only seen parts of the video itself and they haven't seen it at all, so to those who haven't seen it yet, please watch and react with us."

Throughout the video, Gyeoul watched attentively, her eyes making it obvious that she was being a bit more technical with the scenes presented as she ate her third slice of pizza. Meanwhile, Yongsik and Kieran freely spoke as the scenes went on, making comments every once in a while.

Once the ending scene came in, which was the fake kissing scene, Kieran acted like a naughty elementary student that sat in the class and would hoot and 'ooh' whenever two of his teachers acted a bit too friendly with each other. Gyeoul's eyes averted, looking at the screen of the tablet in front of them for a quick second to gauge Yongsik's reaction.

His face was passive and didn't show any interest in the bigger screen, giving her mind the slightest bit of assurance. She still hasn't forgotten that she had to talk to him tonight.

"You two did really well," Kieran complimented, smiling genuinely at the two dancers. "What are some of the obstacles while you were filming? I mean, I was there, but I want to see it from your point of view."

Yongsik pulled a piece of pizza from his box, "For me, it's the time constraints. We're filming in a house somewhere on the outskirts of Seoul and we kind of had to rush while filming the takes because the natural light was disappearing."

The other dancer smiled slightly as they turned to her expectantly, feeling a bit embarrassed at how childish her answer was going to be. "I was cold the whole time." The two of them started to laugh at her, thoroughly endeared. "I thought my toes were going to fall off. I was wearing these thin silk pajamas and it did nothing for me even with all the heat packs and jackets."

Kieran's eyes flickered to the tablet he was holding, "Someone here is asking if the kiss was real." He smiled teasingly, "Was it?"

Gyeoul was quick to counter the question with a polite smile, "No, it was fake. I had my thumb over his lips and the camera panned so it wouldn't be too obvious."

"But even though it was fake, we still hope that you got the gist of it all. We don't need to kiss for real for you guys to see the portrayed love we wanted to depict through the choreography itself," Yongsik added.

Humming, the singer went on to read more of the comments, occasionally joking with the viewers whenever he saw a funny one. It was he and Yongsik that were conversing the whole time. Gyeoul, on the other hand, was a bit more on the quiet side, listening to their conversation and providing her input only whenever the situation called for it. Other than that, she was more focused on munching on the pizza in front of her.

Kieran read over the comments until one of them caught his eye, "One user here commented, 'What is it like working with your friend and seeing them every day? #WinterBear #VGOVGO #Via.' They must be pertaining to V, right?"

Inwardly grimacing, Gyeoul nodded. She knew that questions regarding the idols she worked with would arise, especially ones that involved the one she had dating rumors with last year. A part of her was beyond glad that a large fraction of ARMYs accepted her friendship with him and even made memes about it, but the other part of her also knew that endless amounts of hate comments were going to be inevitable if she chose to answer the question truthfully. She didn't mind the comments, but she didn't want anyone from the agency to worry about her, especially Taehyung.

"I hardly work with him, but he seems like a genuinely down-to-earth person. I admire that."

Laughing slightly, Kieran shook his head, "And the truth?"

The way the singer phrased it made Gyeoul fear for her job. "Well, he's very kind and incredibly sweet. I consider him as one of my friends."

The singer hummed, "We all already know that he's very sweet and all that, but can we know something else? Please indulge us with how you see him in your eyes, preferably something that anybody but you know."

Kieran Park was starting to get on her nerves and she wanted to chuck a slice of pizza at his face for putting her in such a spot. Of course, it would be up to her if she wanted to answer or not, but if she didn't answer, it'd seem like she was hiding something scandalous and that would only worsen everything. If she did answer, she'd probably be scolded rather harshly. There was no right answer.

She scratched the back of her neck, smiling awkwardly to hide the pain she was going through from inside. There was a high probability that she was going to regret everything, but there was an even higher chance of her getting fired for being an accomplice sparking rumors yet again by the end of the day.

"Kim Taehyung is like, you know, the gentle daybreak that opens your eyes every morning. You'd see him on an early Monday schedule and immediately get a wider smile. He's incredibly energetic, kind of like a sugar rush that would be enough to get you through the week. His presence itself is warm and comforting, and he has this sense of play in him that brings out my inner child. Seeing Taehyung every day—"

She cut herself off, tracing the top of the can of her soda as she wondered if she had gone too far with the description.

"—it's really fun seeing Taehyung every day," she finished, smiling at the camera before going back to the food.

❆

She stood in the parking lot, rocking on her heels as she waited for Yongsik to walk through the sliding doors. He had a bit too much liquids to drink and the bathroom called for him at the last minute.

Knowing that he probably got lost in the building, she pulled her phone out and started drafting a formal letter of apology to be addressed to Bang PD and the CEO of HYBE. After what happened three hours ago in that live, she was starting to prepare herself for the worst. She hadn't checked her messages yet, afraid that one of the messages in her inbox was a notice that she was suspended.

She loved her job, now she was probably going to lose it.

Letting out what could be a humorless maniacal laugh, Gyeoul ran her fingers through her hair with her eyes wide. She held her phone to her heart, "To my parents and my aunt, I'm sorry, but your daughter is soon to be unemployed."

"You're being dramatic," a familiar voice from behind her spoke.

Huffing, she turned around, "I'm being realistic, you know how the entertainment industry people are."

Yongsik shook her head at her, smiling slightly. He remembered everything that Taehyung told him earlier that day.

"Ready for our date?"

username1: someone describe me like gia describes tae pls
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       username2: we all need a gia on our shoulders to cheer us on :')

username3: ngl kieran was outta pocket and shouldnt have put her on the spot like that

username4: yongsik and gyeoul next power couple omg

username5: knowing that tae has a friend like gyeoul makes my heart all warm and fuzzy i love them so much omg

username6: does anyone else think that the way she described him was kind of you know......
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       username6: romantic?
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       username2: i think she made it clear that theyre just friends

username7: i wish i could hug gia rn you could really see the conflict in her eyes :(( dont worry bby we love you and will protect you

NOTE

this author is currently missing that person in korea, in the city of seoul, who understands me.

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