Her hair had gotten longer, yet her chants were still unwavering.

The crowd of people behind her were masked by her sole existence as she continued to stare into the distance.

There they were, seven men with all-new looks, their hair the colors of the rainbow, and their smiles still as gentle.

"HEVE HO HEVE HO!! PROTECT BTS!!" she yelled, whistling every third beat to get the rest of the people in sync, a line of women and men pushing themselves between the horde of fans who crowded the Seoul Airport.

They had practice, they had rehearsed.

She was determined.

It had been two years now, Namjoon's eyes scanning the line of protectors in hopes of finding her, his hand fiddling with his newly chopped bangs.

Where choppy bangs her type, he wondered?

Was she even there waiting for them?

She was there, he just knew it.

She had to be, not for his sake but for that of his bandmate.

In the two years they had now known each other, Namjoon had witnessed the creation of the BTS Defence Force, a union of volunteering ARMY who would make a path for BTS from the airport entrance to the plane, or from the plane to their van.

After the youngest members' attack, their agency had gotten in contact with Nia and some of the other people who first started the force in hopes of setting up a way to get more volunteers to help them, and also to find a way to pay them back.

He remembered giving Nia that badge, the way the agency paid them back being a private "meet and greet" with the members.

He didn't care about it anymore, about her type, right?

How could they hurt someone so precious to him, he wondered many times, and the image of Nia would always appear.

She was different, no?

Continuing to look through the mob, he spotted her signature RJ Hat, the golden whistle she used, tucked between her lips, lips he had caught himself staring at more than usual.

"DEFENCE TWO LINE UP BEHIND US! HALF A FOOT BACK AND HOLD ON TIGHT!" May yelled, Nia smiling at her friend who held a small megaphone as she chanted.

They had coordinated it, the first row where Nia stood pulling out the long yellow tape and wrapping it around the first person's waste to the person furthest away, the second line of tape around their ankles in hopes of creating a barrier between the members and the crowd. The second line of volunteers would create a human chain by linking their arms and keep the first line of volunteers safe from any fans by pushing them half a foot away from them. Nia knew she was both hated and loved by the community, having to change living arrangements with May twice, until she had enough and almost moved out on her own, May convincing her not to just so they could keep one another protected.

It was a headache, but at least she wasn't chosen as the leader of the force, her eyes falling on a small boy who stood in front of her.

They were called the Men in Roses, each one used to push any stragglers back into the mob, a red rose and specific uniform worn. They stood closer to the boys and were fans who so happened to be Police Officers on their time off. Somewhere using this to train while others used it for extra credit in some classes. For the rest of the volunteers, that wasn't the case, just a simple good deed to help their idols.

Namjoon locked eyes with her while passing by, her face occupied with a couple of girls who had gotten their way past the human chain. They pushed and shoved at her back, but Nia simply held on tighter.

Not for herself, but for them.

It happened in the blink of an eye, the push that made Nia trip on the tape and fall forward, her hand gripping the yellow tape tightly.

"Not as safe as I thought," she considered on her way down, her face hitting the floor hard, knocking all the air out of her lugs and knocking her unconscious.

"NIA!" May yelled, her eyes darting to her friend before shouting, "PLAN B PLAN B!!"

The Men in Rose rushed to push the stragglers back, many of the fan using the opportunity to push past Nia's body in hopes of getting to the members however, the row of taped people shuffled to fill the hole left behind by Nia, all of them smoothly closing into a semi-circle.

Namjoon's eyes went wide at the sight of her, her beloved RJ hat on the floor next to her.

Without thinking twice, Jin pushed past Namjoon, who had stood still in shock, and picked her up, his hands pushing the tape out of her legs, before swinging her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

For a second, Nia's eyes opened, the feeling of a gigantic shoulder making her panic for a second before her vision blurred, a small trail of blood dripping onto the floor, her hands unconsciously going to her nose.

It hurt like hell, but it wasn't the pain of her quickly swelling nose that made her cry, no, it was having to be seen by her favorite idols in such an embarrassing situation.

Two large hands began moving her, her eyes hardly able to recognize the two faces that appeared, closing quickly into the darkness out of tiredness.

"Miss, Miss," one voice echoed, another voice heard in the background grabbing her attention.

"Nia! Nia wake up!" someone said.

"May?" she whispered as she was carried off, but the voice was masculine.

Namjoon looked up, the members all looking worriedly at him.

They had pulled her into their Van, Namjoon placing her head on his lap while Jin attempted to find something to stop the bleeding, Jungkook and Jimin taking off her broken glasses and RJ mask, to help her breathe.

"Driver, to the hospital. Manager, we should have some guards line up so we can get off safely. Everyone suit up, we need to go low-profile alright?" Jin ordered, the members-only tilting their heads for a second to look over at Namjoon before following the commands.

"You okay, Joon?" Jin asked while the members shuffled to take off any bright clothes and putting on face masks.

The man sat quietly, his heart aching with each breath he took.

"Yeah, just startled that's it," he mumbled to himself, clutching the discarded RJ hat that he had placed between his legs.

~

"What did they say Jin-hyung?" Yoongi asked, walking over to both Namjoon and Jin after leaving Nia with doctors.

"Nose fracture most likely, with signs of internal bleeding. It was pretty bad, and she might need cosmetic surgery afterward. The poor girl," Jin responded softly.

"Speaking of, Namjoon-hyung, you seem the most worked up. You doing okay?"

"Thanks for the worry Jiminie but I'm fine, just surprised," he pushed out, hoping to ease their curiosity.

"Nia, how did you know her name before we looked at her ID in her wallet, Hyung?" Taehyung taunted him, his eyes going into that mischievous shape that everyone avoided.

He knew more than he should, Namjoon thought. He always did, and it was something everyone both liked about him and feared. When Taehyung looked into your eyes, he could read your entire mood and thoughts.

"H-her badge," Namjoon stuttered out while picking up the lanyard they took off of her chest.

Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows as to test his words, but gave up after seeing Namjoon not backing down.

"You guys should head to the dorm," Jin directed, "It's getting late and we don't more accidents."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be staying behind. She is part of the Defence Force and got hurt protecting us. The least I could do is wait for her to wake up to explain and apologize. Plus, something tells me she'd appreciate that," Jin smiled at the rest of the members while showing them the RJ mask she had worn.

"I'll stay with you, Hyung. It's best if the rest of you go. We will call you if anything happens," Namjoon assured them.

"And you are staying because?"

"L-leader," Namjoon mumbled at Yoongi, whose eyebrows knitted, suspicious of Namjoon's eagerness to stay behind.

Yoongi was the second one of the group who could get a confession out of you without having to even mutter a word.

The members simply shook it off and said goodbye, asking Jin to apologize for their absence as well.

"Well, you sure are bad at lying, Joonie," Jin smiled after all the members had gone.

"Lying? About what?"

"About-"

Jin paused.

He wasn't sure if Namjoon was bluffing or just naive, but the tinge of pink on his cheeks told another story. The moment the young girl had fallen, Namjoon had basically lost years off of his life. In his many years of knowing the man, Jin had never seen him get so panicked. It was a new side to their leader that he was beginning to enjoy.

"NIA!! NIA WHERE ARE YOU??" a young woman's voice echoed through the halls, interrupting the still air between the two men.

Jin and Namjoon both turned to look at the woman adorned in merchandise that related to Namjoon. A mask with his name on it, earing with his mascot on it, and even her shirt had a big picture of his face. Namjoon began blushing out of sheer embarrassment when looking at his own face smothering the woman's body.

"Looking for miss Nia?" Jin asked cautiously, helping her bypass the bodyguard's standing at the end of the hall.

"Y-yes," the woman muttered, her eyes fixated on Namjoon.

She was studying him, her eyes devouring every bit of information she could get off him.

It was her, Nia's friend, and the girl who was obsessed with him, Namjoon confirmed.

"Here, we can take you to her-"

"No need, I'm not even related to her. Namjoonie Oppa!! I love you!" the woman cooed, her eyes spewing hearts while her mind completely forgot about her best friend.

She could care less at that moment, May's mind glued to her favorite idol's presence. She walked up to him and attempted to steal a hug, Namjoon passing right by her and walking out a set of double doors to a patio outside, May in close pursuit behind him.

She just had to get to confess her undying love to him.

She just had to.

◈◈◈◈◈

Just a small chapter. I did plan to have this finished by the end of this year, and although I doubt I'll be able to do that, I will do my best to get us at least halfway there!!

Marili Cruz

~♡~