"You guys are on in five."

The production assistant signalled to the group of boys huddled backstage, near the platform. Taehyung could hear the roaring noise coming from the front and his heart pounded from the excitement. It's not like it's their first stint on an international stage, no hardly. They had finished the North American leg of their Wings tour earlier that spring, but it's the first time that they were performing in the presence of American and other foreign celebrities in the glitzy City of Los Angeles.

Compounding to that fact was their performance would be broadcasted around the world, that the Microsoft Theater would seem small in comparison. Millions more people would see them dancing and singing in a different language, most of them probably not even knowing what K-pop was.

Taehyung was there now, trilling his tongue as part of a vocal exercise and trying to quell down his nervousness. He knew it wasn't the Grammy's but to him, it was a big deal, a step going in the right direction.

Not that being popular in their home country wasn't as important. After all, if it weren't for their ardent and supportive fans back in South Korea, they wouldn't even be well-received in Asia. Ultimately, it was their growing recognition outside of their not-so-little bubble that propelled them to new heights. And of course, the advent of social media helped too.

"Earth to Taehyung!" Namjoon shouted, pointing at the imaginary watch on his wrist.

The copper-haired boy snapped out of his wonderment and took a deep breath before standing in his appointed spot. He gave a furtive glance towards the others as they entered the stage illuminated with blue neon lights and covered with a thin fog.

The hard work his team members and management had put in the last few years seemed to culminate at this point: they finally arrived.