#jikook big bang

[goldenhickeysandramen]

Evolution of their narrative

I admit it. I also get confused as to what kind of couple Tae& Koo is supposed to be to their shippers.

When I first joined the fandom they were the “hidden couple”, and jikook was “fan service”, cause is what the masses demanded from BH/Bang PD.

It didn't take me long to realise that the "masses" in this fandom are actually the taek00kers (humaluvre is bigger than the majority of the most famous JK's focus accs) … So I've never really understood who the masses-asking-massively-for-"jikook"-content were 🤷‍♀️

Then, I read them that the big proof that taek00k was real was, precisely, that they couldn’t do all the things that jikook could do so well (you know, travel together only the two of them, stare at each other in rapt attention, sucking ears and necks, treat each other as a married couple, support each other to the fullest, holding hands whenever they have the opportunity…). The reason of them not doing all of these things was South Korea, since it is an homophobic country.

That’s why the company edited the content and didn't let them interact. It was all cuts and so on. Everything they did was private, and that's why there was no evidence, other than some witnesses of people with telescopic sight and facial recognition (maybe they were androids?)

I had more or less understood the narrative, until the LOVEGRAM era started, and that's when it all blew over!

Their insta accounts were no longer professional accounts (like twitter or weverse), but personal… and from then on, their selfies were some short of engagement pics or couple confirmation and their funny comments about boxing hooks were actually whipped messages of love.

Btw it seems South Korea was no longer homophobic at that time.

INSTAGRAM WAS THE LAW

When JK closed his Instagram account (forced by the company 😌) we were already in chapter 2. The lovegram didn't matter anymore…because Jungkook hanging out sometimes with Tae and wooga became the confirmation of what Instagram -in reality- failed to confirm. Never mind that their hanging out concentrated during some months when they both had more free time or that they actually just did what good friends do: having fun at the movies, bowling or skiing together with other friends… but hey, those tiny details don't matter in the great love story that is told.

And from there we move on to the part where the CHAOS really started, when the COMPANION SYSTEM news dropped

And guess what? Korea became homophobic again

Some said that they were forced to part ways (the company, the government, themselves because they wouldn't last a second without f?….). Gays dont enlist together they said.

Another line of argument was that Jimin had asked JK to enlist with him… I guess because he was going to be terrible at the military. LOL

But we all can sense that the most extended opinion was "I can't understand this plot twist for shit".

(Maybe the problem is they never understood their favs but that’s for another post)

And in the midst of CHAOS it was no longer possible to think of a new narrative...that's why the strategy became "attack". If they can't prove that their favourites are a couple, they'll go and debunk the rest.

At this point they don’t seem to care if ta3k00k is real or not… they simply choose not to surrender and ignore some facts. If they freaking ignored Jennie during a year, they will do the same with jikook being glued for 18 months.

So in the next months, we'll probably see part of fandom (solos and tkkers) attacking jikookers, and another part trying to ignore us. I fear the chaos will continue… pretty sure some toxic ones will watch the travel show just to diss jikook..

But we shouldn’t care too much because as we have seen, Jimin and Jungkook will never stop taking their decisions and behaving with authenticity

The boys have chosen their own path this year, not to please the majority of their fandom (jikookers are not the mass), but because they wanted to.

At the end of the day, they care about their fans, but we don’t own their lifes and they have shown us. And I applaud 👏 them

And yes, maybe their country and the careers they have chosen dont allow them to be fully free…. but they dont prevent them to stay one next to the other. They know how to choose the battles worth fighting for.

Don't you think it's beautiful and says a lot about the quality of love and respect that Jimin and Jungkook have for each other?

I think so

"standing in the fire next to you"

💜💛

[seoul-bros]

Jikook Week 18 Complete ✔️(09/04-16/04/2024)

Their eighteenth week in the military is now complete. It's time to celebrate this milestone with a look back at this week in 2020.

The world was at the beginning of the COVID pandemic lockdowns and nations across the world were seeing a sharp rise in fatalities from the disease. The US leg of the Map of the Soul tour was on indefinite hold and to fill the gap, on 09/04, BTS announced Bang Bang Con a streaming event of their concerts between 2015 and 2018 to be held on 18th -19th April 2020.

On 14/04, the one hundredth episode of Run BTS was released. BTS had hired out the whole arena used for the ISAC games (IYKYK hee hee). It was sponsored by and they were all kitted out in FILA.

As with most BTS big days there was a cake to celebrate. Jimin suggested they cut the cake together (like VIPs) which was a cute idea but didn't quite work so the maknae had to do the honours and promptly got told off by RM for turning his back to the camera. The injustice!

Then it was on to team selection. A quiz about previous episodes of Run BTS was held to see who would be the team leader.

Taehyung wiped the floor with everyone. He really was the Run BTS mastermind. He then got to pick his team - JK, Jin and Jimin. It was rap line (100 jin) against vocal line (seok 100).

The teams have to play badminton with weird rackets.

All is going well until Suga hits JK's team members twice in a row. The first time it was Jin and the second it was Jimin. At this point JK springs into protective mode and I wouldn't have wanted to be Suga at this point. Check out Hobi's reaction.

Cr. to OP

First round the rapline dominate but the vocal line stage a comeback and take all three games and the match. Man of the Match though has to be J-Hope whose skill with the pot cover was outstanding. The 95 line really enjoyed it.

The second game was Foot Volleyball. It was the hopeless three moment for 100 jin. Needless to say seok 100 won again.

Finally this week, Boyfriend had Jimin choosing their massage chair over JK's capable hands. Yeah that's believable (heavy sarcasm) 🤣😂🤣😂

Post Date: 16/04/2024

[jikookuntold]

Sorry but don't you think it was already for Jikookers the moment JK's video was leaked ?

Saw many explanations and excuses saying it's made up, set up, fake etc. But really? There was no original source of video to prove it was edited. We can clearly see it's him in his apartment and bam running around him. It was filmed in Feb from his hairstyle, when bam was still with him. I saw some of big Jikokkers here having a relieved sigh when he said he don't have a gf now but He only said he don't have a gf in September. Tbh enough time to casually date and breakup with a girl.. which I've always thought his dating pattern is. So technically he wasn't lying either. And didn't he said he don't feel like wanting anyone and just want to concentrate on work for now? Doesn't that mean he don't have any partner but will have a gf in future ? In short not only he denied he had gf at the moment but also anyone special in his life. I don't think 'homophobic country' excuses applies as they literally enlisted together infront of everyone in the same country's military.

Also saw someone saying it can be a friend. But think.. who hugs some random girl in their apartment when their partner is not present there? Imagine spotting your bf hugging some random woman like that in apartment when they are alone at night. Doesn't make sense right ?

Another category of jikookers was going with 'open relationship' explanation but still not accepting Jikook is not romantically involved and everything was just them reading it wrong. Because if anyone listened to things Jimin said its clear af he only want to be in exclusive relationship.. maybe JK too but he was not even available for a serious relationship then.

Only a small percentage of Jikookers accepted its real and he has a gf irl or atleast not dating Jimin.

When i see Jikookers trying to deny it and find every excuses, it sounds like taekookers who still think Taennie was fake and army who think it's fake videos and pics.

But even worse for taekookers because one was seen holding his gf's hand in Paris while another was hugging his gf in his apartment all while choosing songs only about fucking women 😭 ik he said its not about his real life but only he chose songs like that. Others wrote their own songs but Tae's songs weren't autobiographical either and none of them were about fucking women or hetero sex. If it was rhythm he liked them they could've wrote some meaningful or even funny lyrics but nope all were about sex with women. If that doesn't tell about JK's sexuality and interests idk what will, 3D's choreo was fucking gross too. He's naturally drawn to what he likes. Tkkrs survive by lying and living in delusional world denying reality.. now jikookers also doing the same thing imo 🤷‍♀️ so idk why you have to make taekookers understand their ship is not real when Jikook isn't real too and 90% chance JK is straight af.

First of all, there is no reason for me to believe that blurry video posted on a chinese platform is Jungkook. Look for yourself, where is his lip piercing? Or the scar on his cheek? Or the mole under his lip? Huh? 😼

Wonder why that sasaeng who was spying for hours on a perfect angle on his window to catch him with the girl, didn't use a better cam instead of a toaster so their faces don't look like bread loafs? Even a normal phone has a better camera. Why in the other photos they leaked of him alone in his house the quality is good and the angle is completely different? When they explain this, I can agree that this ghost-face is JK. Otherwise it's just someone with bangs backhugging a giant pregnant lady wearing a night gown behind an open window on a breezy night.

About your mental gymnastic, in the listening party, fans were leaving comments asking "do you have a girlfriend?" And his answer was addressing that repetitive question, not the video. And don't give me this category of jikookers that percentage of jikookers thing. I don't care about anyone else's opinion, they can have their own, I have mine.

Don't you dare to compare that thing with Taennie. Taennie had 10 different HD photos leaked together and many obvious clues and hints proving the photos and the relationship was real, and even biggest and the most reliable media sources like Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, Dispatch, JTBC, etc wrote articles about them dating and being spotted together. JK didn't even wait for two days to react to that nonsense, but Tae was totally silent about it for almost two years. On the contrary, he started it all with following Jennie on IG, and then fueled it with more hints and wearing matching jewelry. Kmedia said they have been separated for months, so he could come up and say "I don't have a girlfriend" just like his dongsaeng but he didn't 🤷‍♀

Did you know Ricky Martin, George Michael, Freddie Mercury and many other queer singers for decades sang songs about having sex with women? Some was even their own lyrics while they were gay af lol. And you say Tae is gayer than JK because he didn't sing about having sex with women 😹

And how Jikook enlisting together has anything to do with this at all? Who said anything about homophobic country? Do guys deny having girlfriend in a homophobic country? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Did Jikook went to apply for buddy system and say "Sir, we are gay and in love, we can't stand being separated, please let us enlist together 😃🏳‍🌈" Nope.

The military of this homophobic country made this system available for close friends and relatives between the ages 18 and 28 to minimize the mental and physical traumas of mandatory service, and they are not going to ask them if they are having sex.

We always said Jikook can't live without each other, but it was people like you who come up with things like "they can't stand each other" "they only look close on cameras" "they don't care about each other" "they have different and separated lives" "they broke up" 🤡 Now that it is proved that Jikook is the closest and the most inseparable duo in BTS you are still brave on your shit? 💩

And since that video is your last straw I made this edit for you, I hope you like it 😻

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP, lemme pick your beautiful brain abit if you don’t mind. So i think it is really beautiful that jikook decided to enlist together using the buddy program. But no matter how much i think about it, i can’t seem to figure out why they decided to do that if they are not more than friends. Don’t get me wrong, i am not saying that people who are just friends cannot do the buddy program, no, they definitely can and they have in the past but my thing is, with the way almost everyone was kinda convinced that jikook had grown distant and were not as close anymore in chapter two, how do u explain them choosing to go together, being joined at the hip for 18 months? Plus they have to have talked about this at some point way before they applied. So while many of us sat here thinking they were not as close anymore, they were making plans to enlist together as buddies? Why would they even consider this if they weren’t really close to each other and if they were still so close to each other enough to consider using this option, why did they both sometimes act like they were a little distant?

I can understand not wanting things to be so obvious but u could really tell that Jimin especially seemed very…, i dunno, different about Jk in chapter two. I don’t know of i’m making alot of sense rn or if u even understand where i’m coming from (i hope u do) but i’d love to hear what u think.

***

Oh god. I wish you sent me this ask an hour ago when I was still sober because I really want to answer this right this moment but there's at least 6 fingers of Lagavulin in me. Sorry in advance for whatever you read below - I've been told I ramble and I'm more of a cunt when I'm intoxicated.

I want to say I told you so. It was clear that whatever distance jikook showed in Chapter 2 was self-imposed. It looked like a caricature of what an actual breakup would look like, in my opinion. And mind you, I've never been certain that jikook are dating. They might not be and it wouldn't make a real difference to what we've all observed them to be: something more to each other than whatever is normal.

Any distance that showed in Chapter 2 was simply spatial. The way I saw it, Chapter 2 was a period for each member to present themselves to the world as individuals. It's something I believe every member took extremely seriously. It's possibly one reason Jungkook agonized over his album to the point Bang PD intervened and we thankfully got Golden. Chapter 2 was a big deal for them. Necessary. At the same time, all the boys know the narratives they have in the fandom. They know there's a faction of fans who believe either Jimin or Jungkook uses the other to remain popular in the fandom, they likely know most of the least flattering ones floating around. They know external critics are also likely to conflate their individual efforts and motives, whether positively or negatively.

I think it was important for every member to present themselves as a singular artist in Chapter 2, and this was even moreso for jikook because of their reputation of being stuck at the hip and/or overly dependent on each other. So on one hand I think they were more careful about showing their intimacy because of external critics and perceptions, but I also think they did it for themselves. They've always had lives outside each other and they had things they needed to pay attention to in any case, with enlistment looming over the horizon.

But now that it's happened, it feels very obvious that if they had the chance to do the Buddy program, they'd do it. I think part of what you're asking Anon, is which came first - did they decide to 'appear distant' in Chapter 2 before they decided to enlist together? Or was it afterwards?

Personally, I don't think it matters much which came first. They have always and always were going to choose each other. Jikook excite me because they are literally always jikooking. I'm not sure if people think I'm joking whenever I say it, but I mean it when I say I don't worry one second about those lads because they are always jikooking.

Even while they were apparently not so close in Chapter 2, some of those times they looked tormented. What was Jungkook thinking going live, just to stare at Jimin's tattooed chest in SMF Pt 2?

What was that bit with JK naked in bed and Jimin saying he could handle him? Jikook were messy as hell during their supposed 'distance' in Chapter 2 lool. Whether or not they were fucking a girl on the side makes no difference to how I think about what's gone down in the last 18 months, and it likely won't influence what I think of them during the next 18 months.

[mrs-monaghan]

Hey I’m new to bts and I love Jikook although I don’t believe they’re a couple yet because. My friend advised me to watch the original bts content before watching the shipper videos because they’re misleading. I’ve been watching all vlives, bang tan bombs, award shows, Bon voyage, and ITS. When I watched all those, I noticed that Jimin gives Tae more attention than any other member, I noticed that Jk gives Jin, and Tae more attention, V gives Jimin and Jhope more attention. I also noticed that the way Jikook communicate is normal and nothing suspicious about it. I then decided to watch Jikook videos because I accidentally watched one when I was searching for Jimin’s song serendipity and came across the Jikook serendipity analysis. I’m now in the rabbit hole. I came across your page and you talked about “the news article that was ready to out Jkk’s relationship back in 2018”. I just wanted to know where you heard that and if there is any proof because I’m a person who doesn’t dwell on conspiracies but rather proof. Another thing, did they really get married because most of the videos mentioned how they got married during their trip to Tokyo. Another thing, are there any pictures of them hangout and living together. Thank you.

You watched BV and noticed Jimin gives V more attention? You watched original content and noticed that JK gives V and Jin more attention?

I am so confused as to what you're talking about. I would bite if u said JK giving Jin more attention but V? What exactly are u watching? Are you sure its not that shipper content that you say you're avoiding? Specifically tkk content? Which ftr you will rarely find Jikook manipulated content. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but its rare. We don't need to manipulate. They give us everything on a silver platter.

I shared the dispatch thing not long before this scroll lower u will see it. No, Jikook are not married. They can't be married. And even if they did it wouldn't be recognised in SK. And at the time of them going to Tokyo, Japan hadn't recognised gay marriage yet. Jikook married as far as I know its something Jikookers like to say coz they act like a married couple. But they have been spotted with matching rings on more than one occasion which is a reason for suspicion.

I already don't like u from your V comment but sure let's look at a few things.

I always bring this up because no one ever talks about it but I honestly love it so much and it really tickled me.

BV season 5 episode 6. Vmin sleep on the bed

JK makes the bed the next morning. Because Jimin is one spoilt boyfriend, alright? But when Vmon slept on that same bed, JK told them

JK definitely favoured Jimin over V there anon.

Run BTS episode 71 JK makes a big pancake for Jimin because he had a penalty to do

The kicker is though, anon. That Jin too was doing the same penalty.

Why didn't JK make him a pancake too? Doesn't that seem like JK played favourites with Jimin and not Jin? 🤔

In the Soop season 1 episode 6. We found out V asked JK to speak casually with him

But JK refused because;

Meanwhile we have him going Jiminah! Jimin! Jiminssi! Everywhere all the time. So again anon, JK refused V one thing but has no issue doing it with Jimin.

Bon voyage season 3 episode 4 after Tkk did laundry they went upstairs and JK only checked on Jimin.

He did not check on Jin behind him.

At this point I'm just offended that you haven't picked up on my favourite thing about Jikook and that's satellite Jeon/Jikook. You don't even need compilations to see this. Anything you watch. Anything at all. They are always next to eo. Always.

They're literally always together. And JK always chooses Jimin. Not V and not Jin. Not anyone else. No matter what you watch.

Me thinks you need to rewatch what you already did because you missed everything.

Like Mizgator said, you're blind if you don't see it

[jmdbjk]

This is literally my brain when it starts overanalyzing:

Anyone else like that? My brain won't stop thinking about Jikook in February-March. It has decided to go into overdrive on the Jikook chronology of those two months and the only way to appease it is to obsessively obsess.

Let's review: back when Cedric Murac of Calvin Klein posted on his Instagram story that he was on his way to Seoul on January 29, we all got excited, and then what?... crickets.... Then we had the audacity to be angry at Calvin Klein for using Army for clout hahahahahaha. We didn't know!! Who turned out to be the clowns? We were skeptical up until the first images dropped of Kookie's bare abs.

We have no idea exactly when the CK ads were photographed but the one big clue we have is JK's hair. Jungkook emerged from deep hibernation at the beginning of February. His hair was long, long on Feb. 3 and a week later on Feb. 11, he had bangs and it had a lot of waves in it when he was working out at Coach Tommy's gym. Much like the way his hair looks in the CK photos.

We saw JK on Feb. 27 and his hair was long in the back.

Not relevant but, in a way, also relevant: on February 28, Jungkook deletes his Instagram account. We are shooketh. At that moment I thought for sure there will be no ambassadorships for him, the whole point of having a large social media following is to harness those followers and turn them into cash money.

Ok back to the task at hand: We saw both Jimin and Jungkook on March 3 and JK's hair still looked long in the back. By March 14, JK had cut some of the length off the back.

My brain also wondering: when did JK's visit to Jimin's rehearsal happen? between Feb. 3 and March 13 when Jimin left Seoul to go to NYC to tape the Jimmy Fallon show? Or that week AFTER when he was rehearsing for the Korean television music shows? That would have been the week of March 20-27? The car live where he told JK it was ok that he didn't come to one of the pre-recordings was on March 28.

[Regardless, that's a quick turnaround for a Bangtan Bomb.]

My brain on a tangent: what is JK doing there at work to begin with? During this Bangtan Bomb he was already decked out in a CK ball cap and CK denims and not dressed for a workout or rehearsal. Who knows, maybe he was there for his own meetings, fittings, reviewing photos, or other activity. Yelling at my brain to FOCUS on the topics already being discussed!

March 15, Jungkook posts his ramen recipe on Weverse and he and Jimin proceed to have a back and forth convo with Jimin who says he needs to head to JK's house when he gets back to Korea.

March 19, Jimin returns to Seoul from New York after his Tonight Show filming and his feature video for Vogue magazine.

Mar. 23 at 3:06 a.m. Jungkook wants a midnight tuna/chicken goulash snack.

The next night, Mar. 24 at 12:58 a.m., Jimin does a Weverse live in the car on the way home following Music Bank taping.

On Mar. 26 at 9:39 p.m., Jimin does another live in the car following MCountdown taping.

On Mar. 27 at 2:53 a.m., Jungkook sits down with us to watch Suchwita with Jimin, a Jimin MV, a fan-made Jimin compilation video and more Jimin, Jimin, Jimin.

The Calvin Klein campaign dropped on March 28 at 6:30 a.m. after being teased 24 hours prior. That would have been 8:30 p.m. KST.

Mar. 28 Jimin starts a live at 6:00 p.m. in the car (heading east by the way... my brain geez) after Inkigayo recording and Jungkook jumps in the comments. He had seen Jungkook's Calvin Klein teaser images by then.

Confused yet?

Me? I'm a visual person so I had to do this to see how it all played out:

On April 3 at 3:30 a.m., Jimin comes on live to receive our love over his history making #1 BBHot100 achievement.

Jimin is still working. He is not sitting at home. There is something in the works, we just don't know what yet.

Jungkook is probably about to be on his way home because we suspect Hobi's induction day is this week [sobs]. Time rolls on and waits for no one.

ANYWAY!

I hope you were entertained. We still don't know when that Calvin Klein photoshoot was or when JK visited Jimin's rehearsal, but now you have a visual calendar where you can see the possibilities.

You're welcome. [finally slams that door in my brain.]

[mimikoolover]

those who adamantly say that jikook didn’t see each other in 2023 (or now they after the travel show release say only saw each other for “work”) well.. they literally *had* to talk about enlisting together at some point. And it simply can’t just be one quick conversation then done. I’m like 99.9% sure they would have really had to talk it out, all the possibilities, what each of them wanted/was comfortable with - then not to mention the signing up process etc

the company can’t sign up for them, they have to do that process themselves. No one forced them into it, they literally can’t do that. So of course, jikook had to have be still a constant in each others lives in 2023, even with such busy individual schedules. It might have been different than before, yes, but to say they didn’t meet up/don’t even have each others phone numbers?? bfr, idk how people so confidentially say that😂

(also side note, if they do talk at all about enlisting in the travel show, that also isn’t proof that that’s the only time they talked about it 😆 can already see what people would say on twt lol)

exactly and I said this before...to think they'd enlist together on a whim or when they do it they wouldn't talk to each other is wild. I bet almost no one knew that they were going to enlist together though otherwise I still think it would have been leaked or at least there would have been 'rumours' about it so I think they kept it to themselves, their families, the members, bang pd and maybe one or two managers who most likely helped with the application. but what we've already heard is jimin mention that they wanted to do a travel video together before enlisting anyway, which they probably also talked about when they decided to enlist together so it was likely way before they actually sent in their applications.

jikook used to be together 24/7 literally so yeah it was a big change for them but that's also a reason why they enjoyed the travel so much. still they knew each other's schedules and it never sounded like they had no idea what the other was up to. I mean jungkook kept track of the release dates of jimin solo material and even interviews I mean come on😂

it's just the same as usual cause nothing about this has to be romantic so we have to fight people to acknowledge reality in the first place which is that jikook are close. there's no doubts about it when they keep proving it every time😭

and it's not even like jikook necessarily flaunt anything, they're just themselves and that's it. when we have the taejoonjikook live before they left, jikook were acting like we all know about their companion enlistment (I mean we did but😂) they made no mention of it or anything so it's just like...they don't even have to tell us stuff tbh and if they don't want to, they shouldn't. people assuming wild stuff in bad faith because they have an agenda and they want to validate their thoughts and feelings isn't cool when it's nowhere near what the reality is more likely to be, aka that jikook are best friends in the first place, which these people can't even admit😭

[kanmom51]

So, I wake up this morning to a NJ Weverse live announcement.

Before anything else, well obviously after I brushed my teeth, I sat down to watch it, all 8 minutes of it, NJ doing a big part of it in English.

So, I'm watching it and NJ answers a comment saying something about hurting his neck doing cross-fit. Ok, didn't know what it's all about but moved on.

Fast forward half an hour and I'm on SM.

Oh, and then I see how the shit hit the fan.

Well, actually, if to be blunt, and in this case I feel the need to be blunt, how the fucking fandom hit the fan, cause man, this fandom is shit. Putrid utter shit.

So, maybe RM has a hickey on his neck.

Maybe the cross-fit explanation was a bit of a lie, you know, a white one that is at times necessary.

And first I saw the hickey I was rofl, cause yeah, it's funny, if indeed RM was caught with his big ass jacket closed up to cover his neck (asked btw if it's cold, as it did seem a little strange), and not actually managing to do it properly.

But then this surfaced on my timeline:

And it just went on and on.

Yet once again JM dragged through the dirt for the fun of it. Yes, the band slut is just going around biting all their necks. Because not only is the fandom unwilling to see JM in a long term relationship with the Golden Maknae, the manly man they all want for themselves (or for Tae for those other twisted freaks out there), but they also see him as the one person they can legitimately hate on. JM is free game. And he is free game not only to the vile bunch but also to the ot7's and, well, whoever feels like it too.

I've seen other bloggers here going off at what's been going on, and rightfully so, it's like there is no limit.

You think you'd reached that limit of vileness and bang, they manage to cross it once more.

And it's not only the vile bunch, nope, not that they aren't joining the party. You're seeing supposed ot7's doing this. Because like I said, JM, he's fair game.

And yes, not everyone is part of that shit, there is a piece of the fandom that is ok, that isn't pure shit, that does love and appreciate all of the members without a need to drag one of them through the mud time and time again, but why is it that the only voices I hear screaming blue murder about this are either Jikookers or JM solos?

So yeah, I'm kind of sick of it too.

[jimpagne]

(😦) *levels of jungkook excitedness radiating in me* <———me when i saw how long your response was LOL

first off, oh my gosh. . . i was not expecting your post to be that long and detailed!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! i appreciate you taking time out of your day to compile such a lengthy post 💖 also I LOVE TYPING GAMESS!!! that website is about to be scared of me :P

questions:

1. do you have any specific ad blockers you use?

2. what are song diaries? is it you translating songs on your own? do you recommend that as something to help while learning?

3. do you know of any beginner friendly books to read? or recommend any youtube channels to watch to accustom my ears more to hearing korean? (since you mentioned doing these in your post)

i don’t have any specific questions in mind for korean (i will probably send another ask if i start stumbling) but the idea of a linguistic-centered post sounds interesting! maybe you could do bts and/or jikook related posts?

Welcome back! I'm glad you enjoyed my post!

adblocker: I like to use uBlock Origin... this thing is one of the most powerful extensions that I have EVER used. It blocks ads, popups, and most importantly it blocks random downloads/unsafe websites that might give your computer a virus. I mean, this thing is so powerful that it can even block ads on streaming services that usually require you to pay up a tier to get rid of them. Insane. The only website where I have found this adblocker not to work on is Twitch, which is really odd... but everywhere else it works 100% fine!

I seriously have no idea how I used the internet before an adblocker...

song diaries & social media diaries: basically these are my own personal journals where I break down the lyrics of a song and focus on grammar and vocabulary. This can be a little difficult for someone who is not super experienced with the foundations of Korean, because they might not be able to recognize all the individual parts, or they might choose a song that's pretty difficult. A song that that I can think of that's (in my opinion) pretty simple, would probably be If You by Big Bang, to be more specific, Jungkook's cover of the song. I just like it so much... Also, Jungkook's pronunciation is very clear, so it can help your listening skills as well.

So if I were to the look at this, I would start breaking down the lyrics & all the individual parts. If you're doing this on a document or on paper, you can color code or make up your own system.

"시간이 지나면 또 무뎌질까" Will this go away after time passes? Will this become dull over time? 시간이 지나면 또 무뎌질까 noun, particle, verb, grammar point, adverb, adjective

시간 - noun; time

이/가 - subject marking particle ... [I could sit here and explain the usage but particles need a whole post by themselves tbh]

지나다 - verb; to pass, elapse. There is also another similar verb form of this, which is 지나가다. You might of heard it in Namjoon's song everythingoes. 지나가다 has a very similar meaning, but it can be translated more like to pass by, to go by.

~(으)면 - grammar; if/when [v]. This form can often be confused with 때, which also means "when", but this is more representative of a hypothetic situation and not something that is necessarily guaranteed.

또 - adverb; again. Here it can be to emphasize/refer to the potential state this couple was feeling before their separation/relationship. In Korean, there is another way to say "again", namely 다시. Although some Korean use these forms interchangeably, there is a slight nuance between them. 또 might indicate "again", as in addition to what has already been done, whereas 다시 might mean again, but from the start.

무디다 (adj; to be dull) + 아/어지다 form = 무뎌지다 - adj; to become dull. ~아/어지다 is added onto ADJECTIVES to basically indicate that the state of the adjective is changing/has changed. Usually this grammar point is expressed using the past tense, since many already observe that the change has already occurred.

~(으)ㄹ까(요) - grammar; invitational/question form conjugated into the lower present tense. A way of asking a question where it might prompt the response of the listener. [Then here I could do what I did on my 이게 맞아?! post and link it to the other question/similar forms].

But yeah, this could be a way to do a song journal! Of course, like I said, depending on the difficulty of the song, this might not be super enjoyable, so you need to pick wisely! But you can see just how much content I got from a singular sentence.

I also included the additional notion of a "social media diary", and basically these work the same way as your typical song diary. Find a social media post from one of your favorite idols that has a caption or any comments on it. Then you can try to translate the material from there.

I chose this post from Jimin on Instagram!

There is no caption on this post, but there are two different comments, one from Hoseok, and one reply from Jimin.

호석: 쨔마나 우리한테 보낸 사진 올려야지🔥😂 지민: 천천히 올리겠습니다 😊

For the sake of the length of this post, I won't go into too much detail on this one, but I'll try to sum it up as much as possible.

"쨔마나 우리한테 보낸 사진 올려야지" Jimin, you should upload the photo you sent to us. Jjyamana, you have to/gotta post the pic you sent to us* *wrote it more this way to try to capture Hoseok's vibrant tone.

쨔마나 - Jimin's name in Hoseok's signature aegyo!

우리 - us/our

~한테 - an grammar attachment meaning to. Not used for locations or time, that's more for forms such as ~에서, ~까지, ~부터 etc. This is also a more colloquial/informal usage of this form, as there are two others, ~께 & 에게. Here's a vid on the topic.

보내다 (verb; to send) + (으)ㄴ form, which is NOT a particle here, but a way to express the past tense, as 보내다 is modifying/describing the next word, which is 사진, picture/photo. So it's like the photo that you sent.

올리다 - verb; to upload + ~어/아야지(요). ~어/아야지(요) is a grammar form that means should/must. So when added onto 올리다, it becomes 올려야지 (inf.), meaning you should/must upload.

"천천히 올리겠습니다" I'll be posting/uploading them slowly.

천천히 - adverb; meaning slowly.

올리다 - again, this means to post/upload.

~겠 is a form that Koreans use to indicate the future/certainty. There's a few ways to express future tense in Korean, but this has a feel that it is most probable, most certain.

~(스)ㅂ니다 the deferential form in the present tense, aka a very polite way to conjugate. Jimin often uses this form, its a very humble sounding way to form your speech, and it is often used toward your superiors (like teachers, professors, the elderly).

If you're not entirely sure as to how to translate some of the boy's posts, I highly recommend @/bts-trans, as they have an entire collection translations for each member's posts on multiple platforms. So if you get stuck, you can look at the translation, and try to draw conclusions from what's being presented.

books & youtube channels: In my previous post, I mentioned the Easy Korean Reading for Beginners by TTMIK, I think that's a pretty solid book. Also they have a conversations book, Real Life Korean Conversations for Beginners, and if you graduate from that one, they also have a intermediate one as well.

I also really like this book! Not only does it combine language learning with traditional folk stories, it also lays out the vocabulary very well and slowly gets more complex as you advance through the book. A lot of the other stories that I have read have been print outs from my Korean professor, so unfortunately I'm not sure if I could link those. But these three books are very good in my opinion. Also you could also google Korean short stories/books for beginners.

As for YouTube channels... did you know that the account, PinkFong, that made that crazy viral Baby Shark video, is actually a Korean kid's channel? Crazy. My professor used to turn on the videos and had us watch them. So, if you want to watch what Korean toddler's watch, you can definitely turn that on. Here's a vid of them teaching Sino Korean numbers!

Also, I don't have a specific channel recommendation for certain listening practices (on an academic scale, I mean), but if you want to practice listening in a quiz like format, or expose yourself to certain curated levels of Korean, I recommend looking up TOPIK listening practices. You might not be interested in taking that test, but I think the listening practices that many people post online are extremely valuable!

For more fun, less toddler-like channels, I do like the home decoration channel of 집꾸미기, 집 meaning house and 꾸미기 meaning decorating. A lot of the vocab in their videos is geared toward 가구 (furniture), but the speakers are clear, concise, and they sometimes have English subtitles on their videos.

There's also the prank channels like 드립팩토리 & 동네남들, aka "HoodBoyz" ... interesting translation of their own name (동네 meaning neighborhood and 남 meaning male + 들 plural) ... but I digress. Anyways, these channel do a lot of pranks, and although I haven't watched every video on their channels, the few that I have watched are ridiculous. Some of their vids have English captions, but they often have Korean all over the screen, so you can watch and practice reading while listening.

Here's a few of their pranks:

Ultra Oversized Clothing

Jewelry Store Thieves Scope Out the Store

Broken Up With While Stuck in a Chair

There is also a channel, and although she's not super active anymore, I really enjoyed watching her life and school vlogs. She gave an interesting perspective into South Korean school life, so you might find her interesting as well. Her name is 하나달 Hana Dal.

Also, believe it or not, but RUN BTS was one of the first programs that helped me learn Korean. You can definitely learn from BTS! BangtanTV has subtitles, and you can change them to Korean as well to definitely practice those listening and reading skills. The only negative of learning from them is that I default to banmal (informal/intimate speech), since I was so used to hearing them talk. Haha. Oh well.

And my last rec is not necessarily a YouTube channel, but it's more like a TikTok account. It's called 공감.mp4 or @/gonggam.mp4. They post a lot of, well, 공감 videos, which 공감 means sympathy, but in the way that everyone can relate to. So it's almost like when English creators make posts like "that feeling when..." or "that moment when...", basically anecdotal incidents that everyone can relate to. Also this account is ridiculous as well but I enjoy it greatly.

버스 탈 때 공감 | That moment when you ride the bus... or something like that, lmao. 버스 bus, 타다 to ride, ~(으)ㄹ 때 when [verb], 공감 sympathy

Well, that's all for now. Someone else in my ask box asked me to do a little lesson on Batchim, so I suppose that'll be my next move.

Good luck on your study journey, anon!

[parkminijiminie]

Let me start this by saying I love Jungkook. However, do I feel he is the best partner for JImin? No. Do I support Jiikook? yes! because Jimin sincerely loves JK, he adores the guy. In the BPD interview it was implied JK needed nudging to produce something. JK himself say it all the time. He can be lazy and he can be greedy. He was initially lazy to work but when he was nudged his "greedy" side wanted it all. From spending his Chapter watching Anime and drinking he suddenly wanted to be the biggest Popstar. I believe he is extremely busy much like how Jimin was busy during FACE production. I feel like JK can blow hot and cold when showing affection BUT I feel JM is cognizant of this trait. I believe if JM wanted JK to greet him publicly JM has enough pull for JK to do it. I hate Chapter and I hope it ends soon.

So many of you, Anons, seem to think JK isn't deserving of JM, and I have to wonder why? It seems to me it might be because so many people are disappointed in the possibility of Jikook not being together and are secretly blaming JK for it, even though we actually have no information what happened between them, (if anything happened at all), and who's fault it was.

Let's be objective here. Jungkook is gorgeous, rich, talented, he has the same interests as Jimin- music, dancing, performing, he is in the same industry as Jimin so he understands very well the downsides and risks of it. He is sensitive yet assertive. He works hard. He loves his family and is close to them. He loves animals. He has a kind heart.

Do you honestly not see why Jimin could want him? Not to mention, he has always supported Jimin through all the ups and downs they have been through. For a long time, he was the member Jimin willingly spent all his time with, the one who knew Jimin the best. Not to mention, Jimin's family loves him, which speaks a lot.

So, really, objectively speaking, why do you think JK doesn't deserve Jimin? Because he was filmed with a woman? What's the big deal if they were not together or if she was just a friend? We don't know what JM does in his personal life, too.

Is JK undeserving because of the direction of his solo work? If so, you must know there are many factors at play with his debut, and not everything is as simple as it seems. JK mentioned last year that his album would be next, that he was almost ready to go after Suga, so that means he was working on it at the time. Obviously, something happened, and the project fell through. He really was in a bad place at the beginning of the year. Maybe he was suffering from a writer's block. I also think he felt immense pressure to make and release an album before he enlisted, a successful one at that, yet it seemed he didn't have any ideas at the time.

He must have felt stuck and pressured, and the time was slowly ticking away. Then Scooter and Band came and offered him an easy way out with Seven, and he took it. Does this make me happy and proud of him? Not in the least. Do I feel slightly disappointed in his approach and direction to Chapter 2? Definitely. Just like many other people, I wanted something more personal and authentic from him, but may be he couldn't give it to us at the time. Not to mention that Bang obviously wants more success in the US, and JK seems to be the way for him to do it. I am not happy that JK cares more about charting and fame and proving himself as a pop star than actual artistry, but I also don't think that makes him an awful person. If anything, he is at least honest, because so many singers nowadays want fame and money, but would never admit it.

Jungkook is definitely not perfect. He has flaws, but so does everyone else. As a Jimin biased person, I don't think there ever will be someone truly worthy of Jimin , but I know it is not my place. That is his decision to make.

[muserinterface]

confessions of an ex-jikooker turned jm solo

I’ve been a Jikooker first before an ARMY.

The first K-Pop group I stanned was Seventeen, and I’ve heard about BTS every now and then but never bothered to check them out. I was scrolling mindlessly on Youtube when a video recommendation popped up about Jikook and their bond. I took the bait, watched it, and became an Army a few months after.

Jungkook was my bias, and then Jimin stole my attention around 2021. Being a Jikooker was a fun time, since we were constantly being fed content. I loved their bond, the company emphasized their closeness, and there’s definitely some palpable tension between them.

During the FACE era, things took a turn for the worst. I lost trust in the company, seeing how they left Jimin high and dry in the midst of his newfound popularity as a history maker and record breaker. They did not support him, not even one bit. I felt hopeless, requesting Like Crazy to radio stations everyday to getting inevitably blocked by them.

Fast forward to today. I am utterly disappointed about how Jungkook turned out. He’s become the typical macho, alpha male prototype. His interviews shone light to who he really is. He has become arrogant and airheaded. He’s confident about how well he’s going to do because he’s backed up by big players of the industry. He’s expressed his ambition to become a giant global pop star. Sure, there’s nothing bad about having ambition, but not through cheating. He thinks he’s above BTS and sees his members are competition. Scooter and Bang PD has fed the idea into his brain that he can be the breakout star in the group, but why can’t they prove that organically?

Moreover, the difference between how each member was promoted left a bitter taste in my mouth. I love Jin and J-Hope, and I feel like they were also robbed of their full potential. It’s disgusting how HYBE turned out: greedy, power-hungry, and corrupt. They didn’t even bother acknowledging the achievements Jimin made, but instead dimmed the light. What kind of company would not take advantage of the heights Jimin brought the company during the phase where people were wary if BTS can be the same after military service?

I have grown utter distaste for Jungkook. It hurts my feeling because out of all the members, I least expected him to turn out like this. I have been a Jikooker for a long time, but now I’m done.

[theboytatu]

I recently came across the term 'government assigned ships', who are the worst offenders in your opinion?

not sure what a government assigned ship is.. is it like when a company pushes a ship for fanservice?

in that case nothing beats jikook. most god forsaken cursed ship in kpop it's as bad as larry.

other worst offenders include jeno/jaemin, irene/seulgi, jennie/lisa, yuta/mark is horrible like it actually makes me want to throw up... uhh johnten another cursed example like free ten!! kaisoo too like kaisooists need to shut the fuck up forever tbh... who else uh hunhanists and the fact that they're still active today is a testament to how horrible the luhan/sehun ship was. the felix/bang chan ship is also horrible but I think they don't push them as much as they used to. I know the jisung/lee know ship is also pretty big but somehow it's not as bad.

[justmorebtsffs]

Love Yourself | Jikook

This is the first time I'm writing for Jikook. Wish me luck.

Summary: When comments from antis send Jimin's mental and physical health into a downwards spiral Jungkook is there to catch him. Angst then fluff with a happy ending.

Sickie: Park Jimin (Snow Leopard hybrid, not really that big a part of the story, hardly mentioned actually but I couldn’t think of another reason why anyone would make fun of Jimin, he’s just so pretty.)

Caretaker: Jungkook

WARNING: This is a whole 19 albeit short chapter fic so it is very long

JIMIN’S P.O.V

It’s our day off and we’ve  gathered around the table to watch a fan cover of The Truth Untold that Tae said was really good.

The fan is a female k-army, under the username ARMY-BLINK💜. Her voice is beautiful and I agree that we should definitely like the video and leave a nice anonymous comment. Tae scrolls down to the comments to type out our compliments when I see it:

@anti1357 - wow ARMY-BLINK💜, this cover is so good, especially Jimin’s part you sing some much better, you should take his place

I look away, and focus on listening to the cover again, ignoring it.

—

Jin hyung makes a delicious dinner as usual and we all eat together, but I can’t stop thinking about that comment. Of course I know about antis but I can’t believe someone would write something so rude, I mean they don’t even know if we’re going to see it.

When it’s time to go to bed Kook and I head off to our room.

“You’ve been quiet, Minnie. Something on your mind?” Kook asks, hugging me from behind as I brush my teeth.

I finally answer “No, just tired.”

He seems to accept this and heads to bed, I join him soon after.

—

I can’t sleep, do people really think I’m that bad? I have to know.

Releasing myself from Kook’s grip (not an easy feat) I open my phone and find the video, scrolling straight to the comments section. The comment is still there but now it has a reply . . . several in fact.

@anti1357 - wow ARMY-BLINK💜, this cover is so good, especially Jimin’s part you sing some much better, you should take his place

> @hybrid-hater - totally! This song is actually great without that ugly hybrid.

> > @btsucks - yeah and people say he’s the visuals, ugh! 🤮

> > > @Jimin-has-no-jams - ikr freak! 🐈🤡

I look at more comments, these ones from my latest selca titled: Sunny day with Jungkookie.

It’s a full body mirror photo of us with the sunny skyline visible from the balcony behind us. I was so happy when we took this but now the smile on my face feels foreign.

There are comments here too, many good but a lot negative. One from a supposedly army user catches my eye.

@Taekook4life - literally ewww! Beautiful Jeon Jungkook . . . with him, but like Jimin is soo ugly tho. And you can see the fat on him. Jungkook needs to just get with Kim Taehyung instead.

> @Jimin’s-jams - first of all that’s so rude, that’s muscle, from dancing, and I bet he can dance so much better than any of us can! so pls be quiet.

> > @OT6 - if they’re muscles from dancing then why’s he so terrible at dancing then, honestly he’s a joke, I bet Bang Pd just felt bad for him.

> > > @Solo-stan - he must have because Jimin can’t even sing that well, he is literally so whiny.

And there are more on each of our music videos, mainly about how freakish my ears and tail are, how I should hide them, how a hybrid like me belongs on a circus stage not a concert stage.

Jungkookie always says my ears and tail are cute, he wouldn’t lie to make me feel better would he? I look over at Jungkook then stand up to look in our mirror. They’re right, I am fat, how did I not notice before. What else have I missed, I put in my AirPods and click on a BTS Run dance practice episode.

It gets to a part where I start singing my lines, I wince. It does sound awful and whiny, and as I watch the dance I can’t help but notice that everyone else is so much better than me, my ears and tail swish awkwardly. At one point my unwieldy tail smacks Hobi-hyung. He laughs it off but can I see a hint of disgust in his face? Then I watch myself do aegyo to the camera, I don’t look cute at all, I look like a fool then Tae joins in with his signature boxy smile. He looks so cute and yet still supernaturally beautiful at the same time.

Jealousy courses through me, I’m an awful person for being jealous of him but how can I not be when someone as perfect as Kim Taehyung is who Jungkook deserves, not me.

I click over to our channel looking at the comments sections. Each video is only more of the same, dozens and dozens of them. I see some of the same names but mostly they're all different. Do this many people actually hate our music just because of me? How many more fans would the other members have if I wasn’t in the group? A lot. It’s my fault, I’m dragging them down, but I can’t leave the group, I’m far too selfish for that, and I hate it.

As I watch more Run Episodes I notice small things and realise something big: the other members don’t actually like me, Hoseok-Hyung is always correcting me in dance, I’m always picked last or second to last for a team and Jin always serves me last. And Jungkook, well I knew he was too good to be true.

(A/N poor baby is reading all the social cues wrong)

I know what I’ll do . . . I’ll make myself worthy.

My eyes are wet with tears as I open my notes app and start a list.

Lose weight (at least 2 kg so small portions only)

Improve singing & dancing (practise longer)

No aegyo (don’t embarrass Jungkook)

I set an alarm for 5:00 AM. I’ll start early with dance practice tomorrow.

—

My alarm vibrates at 5:00 AM. I’m exhausted from staying up so late last night but I can afford to delay my plan.

I change taking care to hide my cumbersome tail and pressing down my ears, it kind of hurts but it’s bearable. Then I get a taxi cab to the studio. It’s cold and I realise I forgot my coat. Oh well, dancing will warm me up.

—

About 90 minutes later my phone dings, I don’t need distractions but I catch a glimpse of the caller ID Kookie

I pick it up too hopefully. I shouldn’t bae hopeful, he’s probably just mad at me for leaving him. I’m such a horrible boyfriend, I make myself sick.

“Minnie! Where are you? I woke up and you were gone! No note or text or anything! Your coat’s still here, it's freezing out, you'll catch a cold.”

I listen carefully, the concern in his voice doesn’t sound superficial but I can’t be sure.

“I-I was just at the studio.”

“The studio, since when?”

“I got up at 5:00AM, don’t worry about me please. I just wanted to get a headstart on the routine.”

“Minnie, of course I’m going to worry . . . we were all worried.” Jungkook says, “Have you eaten? Please come back for breakfast, I’ll come pick you up myself. I miss you.”

Breakfast sounds wonderful right now but I remember the first item on my list. “It’s okay I’ve already eaten, I packed a snack. You don’t need to bother yourself this early, we'll just be coming right back.”

“Oh.” is all Jungkook says. My brain says he sounds disappointed but why would he be disappointed to not see me. Yet at the same time I feel like a terrible boyfriend for not spending time with him. Dancing more will surely make me feel better. Jungkook will be glad once I start losing some of this extra weight.

“Um well I’ll see you soon.” I say and hang up guiltily.

(A/N: Where HaVe you been?! Car gone, no note! You could’ve DiEd, you could’ve been SeEn!)

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

By the time we arrive at the studio I’m practically bouncing out of my seat with excitement to see Jiminnie. It was a nasty shock not waking up to his warm body next to me with his fuzzy tail curled around me.

I called him as soon as I found my phone and his coat which he left. On the phone he sounded weird, I don't know but definitely off, I hope he isn’t getting sick from being out in this early cold snap without a coat. He said he wanted to practise more but I don’t see why he needs to (especially at 5:00AM) when he’s already progressing fine with the moves.

When I open the door to the studio he's in the middle of the routine, we watch as he finishes it, flawlessly. He shakes his head, clearly dissatisfied and is about to start again when Namjoon-hyung clears his throat.

Minnie jumps about a metre into the air in fright. I run over and hug him, he looks pale and he has dark circles under his eyes. He’s sweaty like he’s been dancing for hours already.

What sparked all this. None of us have time to ask because the dance instructor comes in and instructs us to begin warm ups, even Jimin who is obviously very warmed up puts his all into the stretches.

I notice something though, his eyes don’t look alive like usual, they look desperate. But that’s just my imagination being overprotective. He’s fine, we all get like this sometimes.

-----

If Minnie looked worn out before practice he looks awful now. Well maybe I’m exaggerating because I’m so worried, but I mean has no one else noticed?

I walk over to Tae watching as Jimin talks to Hoseok with an almost sad expression.

“Hey Tae!” He’s on his phone

“Wha- Oh Kook! You look worried, what’s wrong?”

I step back a bit shocked, he read me so easily, maybe he can read Minnie too.

“Well, yes. Have you noticed something off about Jiminie or is it just me?”

He looks at Jimin for a moment then back to me. “He does seem tired but that is probably just from being up so early and dancing so long. I’m sure he’ll perk right up as soon as you cuddle him.”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “I guess I’m just being overprotective.

He shakes his head. “You both did very well today.”

“Thanks.” I say

JIMIN’S P.O.V

After we’re all changed from dancing it’s time for vocal practice.

I sing as well as I can, it’s still not nearly as good as the others (especially Tae) but the satisfaction I get from actually making an effort is amazing, my whole body buzzes with it.

Soon everyone’s getting up, why it’s only been  . . . 2 hours. Two hours, already! I guess time flies when you’re working hard. My stomach grumbles. I look around embarrassed but nobody seems to have heard, no one is paying attention to me. I guess that’s what happens when I just put my head down and work like I’m supposed to.

I am about to get up when I remember my pact with myself. I skipped breakfast but dinner would be impossible to skip completely without the other noticing or offending Jin-hyung so I must skip lunch. I sit back down.

Jungkook lingers by the door.

“I’ll be there in a second. I just want to get this one part.” I lie.

“Come on Jungkook-ah! They're serving udon in the cafeteria today, if we go we can get in line first.” Taehyung says

Jungkook nods excitedly and hurries out the door behind him. “Bye Jiminnie!” Not sparing a glance behind him.

My face feels hot and tears well up in my eyes. I fight them down. Why should I be crying, this is what’s supposed to happen right? Jungkook deserves someone like Tae.

I push the feelings down, I’m wasting my time here doing nothing, being useless. I hit the play button for the track and get to practising. After what seems like no time at all the track stops. What? I have it on a loop.

“Park Jimin!” It’s Jin-hyung, with Namjoon-hyung right behind him. “What are you doing?”

His intensity scares me, I fight down tears again wondering why I have too, I’m not usually this weak. “I was practising hyung.” I tell him.

“Practising! Through lunch break!” Oh no I can tell he’s about to start rapping . . .

“But you need to eat, you’ve been dancing since 5:00 AM and you probably didn’t even have a proper breakfast. How disrespectful to yourself and to me not to have the food I make every morning. You won’t be healthy if you don’t eat, you'll die! Do you want to die?”

I look down “No, hyung I just was-”

The technician comes in. “Alright, I hope you had a yummy lunch, it’s time to do the test recording. We can try the beats Namjoon-ssi was talking about earlier.

Earlier, I wonder? I was so focused on my part I didn’t hear that.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V.

“Lunch time, yess!” Hoseok-hyung says.

I smile. It has been a long morning, from worrying about Minnie to a satisfying recording session. We all get out of our seats to head for lunch, almost all of us.

I wait by the door for Jimin, he’s still looking over his part. I wait for him to get up and I start to call his name when he notices me.

“I’ll be there in a second. I just want to get this one part.” He smiles, does it not look as bright as usual?

I want to believe him, I really do but . . .

Tae taps my shoulder, “Come on Jungkook-ah! They're serving udon in the cafeteria today, if we go we can get in line first.”

I turn, if he needs to be alone then I’ll let him. He said he won’t be long and I am excited for udon, I’ll get Jiminnie his favourite so we can share. “Bye Jiminnie!”

It’s been 15 minutes and he still hasn’t come down. I cover the food so it won’t get cold, I don’t feel like eating much anyway. Lunch is lonely without Minnie, anything is lonely without Minnie.

After 20 minutes nobody else is eating either, they’re looking at me, expectantly.

Oh. “He said he’d be down soon.”

“Hmm” says Namjoon, “Should we . . .?”

“Yeah.” agrees Jin-hyung, replying to the almost silent communication.

We pack up our leftover food and get up then all at once like a six-way-telepathy, we start running. We pass TXT, who bow. We bow back as we run.

Whe Jin opens the door, music spills out. The track. Jimin is singing his part. Flawlessly, but not beautifully. Normally when I listen to him I feel my knees going weak, and I think that maybe I can sink into the music. Now it feels empty. I feel like the sound is hollowing me out inside. I watch Jimin’s face as he sings, his expression is empty too, like his music, void of personality. He looks . . . vacant. He looks awful. I feel like I’m going to cry, seeing him like this. What happened to him? Was I too harsh this morning? He doesn’t deserve to look like this, no one does.

I watch Jin walk over to the and practically slam the pause button. He looks as upset as I feel.

“Park Jimin! What are you doing?” Jimin looks up, he looks shocked and confused, he blinks and looks around Jin-hyung to Namjoon-hyung.

“I was practising hyung.” He says, his voice sounds dry. How many times has he practised his part?

“Practising! Through lunch break!” Jin-hyung looks furious. I want to tell him to be easy on Minnie, but I’m angry too. He left me all alone for lunch. He said he’d only be a second, he lied to me, and he didn’t eat.

“But you need to eat, you’ve been dancing since 5:00 AM and you probably didn’t even have a proper breakfast. How disrespectful to yourself and to me not to have the food I make every morning. You won’t be healthy if you don’t eat, you'll die! Do you want to die?”

He looks down, I wish he’d look up so he could see the concern on my face. I hope my face is conveying the depth of it.  “No, hyung I just was-”

Someone opens the door, the technician. Already? I check the time, he’s right on time, we are early.  “Alright, I hope you had a yummy lunch, it’s time to do the test recording. We can try the beats Namjoon-ssi was talking about earlier.

Jimin looks confused again.

—

When we get home Jimin goes straight to bed.

I look at Jin-hyung.

“It’s okay.” he says, “He’s tired, he can have a big breakfast tomorrow, I’ll make sure of it.”

“Thanks hyungie!”

“Of course.”

JIMIN’S P.O.V.

I open my eyes, everything feels foggy and dull. The bed is cold, Jungkook isn’t here. Feelings rise up inside me and I stifle them. Why should he be here? I hardly talked to him at all yesterday. He doesn’t deserve me and I’m not doing anything to make it any easier for him.

I look at the clock, its bright red numbers glare daggers at me. 8:00! That means only an hour and a half until scheduled. I missed my morning workout! I’m so useless I can’t even keep to a simple regimen. I sigh, I can’t go now, I just have to find extra time.

I walk into the kitchen, where something smells really good. Pancakes, eggs- I feel hunger pangs, then disgust washes over me. How can I be so greedy? I resist the hunger pangs (dancing will distract me) and debate who to sit next to. All the hyungs might notice me not eating and get worried but I shouldn’t sit next to Jungkook or should I, should I try not to be so cold. Maybe then he would love me again- what a selfish thought. That leaves . . .

They see me. “Jiminnnnnie!!!” Jungkook flings himself at me. I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to pretend in front of the other members, that they would understand but he’s crushing me too tight. “You’re up! I missed you, Jin hyung made food just for you since you didn’t get lunch or breakfast yesterday!” he turns serious, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” I realise how stiff I sound, like Yooungi in the morning and then I realise even he looks more awake than me. “I’m still groggy.” I sit down next to Taehyung and take a glass of orange juice. I can’t make myself take food I don’t deserve.

A plate is placed in front of me anyway. “Thank you hyung.” They’re trying not to be obvious but I can easily tell that they’re watching me. Slowly I force myself to eat, fighting disgust at how much I enjoy it.

Dance practice goes the same, I work as hard as I can and manage to slip away from lunch early to practise more. By the end of the day I’m exhausted. The buzzing happiness of effort has turned into a persistent ache.

Hobi bounds up to me as we’re packing up.

“Hey, since we’re already here, why don’t we just film the dance practice video now!” He says.

The others agree. I have a theory I want to test.

“Umm, hyung I’d love to but I’m really sore. Can I just lay down in one of your studios?”

“Aww, sure. Here’s the key.” Namjoon says cooing and handing me the key. His smile fades in his eyes, I can see that he’s concerned. I brush it off and turn away.

I don’t intend on going to Namjoon’s studio. I head to the gym. I’ve been dancing all day but I still feel heavy, I need to burn the extra calories from breakfast.

After working out I race back to Namjoon’s studio (it’s the first place they’ll look for me) and curl up. It feels good and I tell myself not to get used to it. I need to push myself and make myself uncomfortable if I’m going to get better at dancing and singing.

I still have a few minutes so I tune into the live stream and scroll straight to the comments section.

My experiment was to see how many likes and positive comments the other members got without me there ruining everything.

We already have millions of likes and as I keep scrolling there are only a few negative comments. Such mean things, how could anyone say that, it’s all so stupid. I want to delete everyone so none of the members think that people don’t enjoy all of their hard work.

@Taekook4life - Awww! Taekook are looking so cute together, my dreams are coming true.

> @OT6 - Yasss QUEENS! They are slaying that choreo

> > @Solo-stan - yep, it was meant to be.

Still I can’t help the despair that crashes down on me (so selfish) people clearly like the group much better without me there. There aren’t any comments asking where I am. I look around Namjoon hyung’s studio. All the awards and records and trophies, none of it’s for me, there would be more if I wasn’t around. I should leave and yet I can’t bring myself to (again selfish).

I will work hard and maybe then I can justify continuing to drag down such a talented group. I am such a horrible person.

I vaguely hear the members open the studio door, then a warm body slam down beside me, he pulls me closer. Jungkook.

“Minnnieee!” He coos, “Are you feeling better?” His voice is soft and beautiful and his touch feels warm, cosy and safe. I wish it didn’t it would make it easier to let him go. This is the closest we’ve been in two days. Why is he doing this? Could he still possible want to be friends with me? I try to move away but his grip is iron. Then he loosens it and I move over. When I look back at him he looks confused, a bit taken aback and sad. I feel so guilty that I move just a bit closer pretending to stretch out so he won’t get suspicious.

“Yeah” I say, attempting not to sound so stiff again.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

The dance practice video goes smoothly but I miss Minnie, dancing is boring without him. At the very start of the video Namjoon told all the viewers that Jimin wasn’t feeling well so nobody was worried why he wasn’t there. I was worried. He’s seemed so tired the past few days.

We all go to Namjoon’s studio, and I go in first. Minie is laying on the couch curled up almost asleep but not quite. He’s so cute I begin to pull out my phone for a picture but he looks up groggily.

“Minnnieee!” I say pulling him close to me until he’s in my lap. “Are you feeling better?”

Jimin shifts in my arms, I hold him for a moment then decide if he wants to move I should let him. He scoots to the other end of the small couch. It’s not that big a distance but I’m a bit confused, he always loves sitting in my lap. I want my Mochi back.

He looks at me with an expression that I’ve never seen on him before. It’s confused but almost . . . hopeful? He moves back to me stretching his arms and legs out and rolling his neck. Ah, that’s why. I welcome him back into my arms.

He breaks the silence with a small “Yeah '' It takes a moment for me to realise he's answering my question from before.

Since practice is done for the day we leave the building to go get dinner somewhere. Minnie stays on my lap almost the entire time and he seems happier than he has in two days. I think we should watch a movie when we get back home.

JIMIN’S P.O.V

All through dinner I sit on Jungkook’s lap, greedily soaking up his attention. It’s hard but I manage to escape the hyungs’ notice by eating a few slices of bell pepper. I hate that I’m so happy when I’m with Jungkook. It’s not fair to him, he only wants to be friends after all. And I shouldn’t be this happy right now, I don’t have time. I need to focus on work.

~ T ~ I ~ M ~ E ~ ~ ~ S ~ K ~ I ~ P ~

Today is a meeting day. We’ll listen to the recording, decide if we’re happy with it, then plan the music video.

—

In the meeting room Namjoon plays the song for us. I feel dizzy and try not to swoon when it gets to Kook’s part. Then it gets to mine . . . It's okay but compared to the others it sounds amateurish. I worked so hard only for it to still sound like this, I want to cry. Everything is spinning so I put my head down on the table hoping to sink right into the wood surface.

I hear voices around me but they sound muffled like I’m underwater and everyone else is on the surface. They’re laughing. I would be too if I heard something that awful.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

Namjoon presses play and I can immediately tell how good it’s going to be. When we get to Jimin’s part it’s so amazing I want to start making out with him right now. I’m so absorbed that I fall out of my chair. Everyone laughs and Tae helps me up.

“Are you just becoming Jimin now?” Namjoon asks

“Yeah, Jimin is that you?” Jin jokes

“JIMIIIINN-SSSIII!!!” Hobi shouts.

I turn to look at Jimin, his head is on the table. Everyone stops laughing.

“Minnie! What’s wrong?” I ask

“Do you feel sick?” Namjoon asks

He doesn’t look up, “Just tired. I’ll be fine”

I nod and start petting his hair.

“You’ve been tired a lot lately Minnie, are you sure you’ve been getting enough sleep? You always go to the studio so early.” Jin worries.

“Yeah I’m fine.” He says that but he doesn’t look fine at all. He looks like he’s about to cry. I’m worried.

“Heavy schedules are hard on anyone. This will get better soon. Then we can do something fun together.” Hobi says brightening the mood as always. I’m still worried. I’ve never seen Jimin like this and honestly, it scares me. But then again haven’t we all gotten a bit intense at some point. I mentally battle with myself the entire rest of the day, making sure to be extra affectionate to Minnie.

He goes back to normal as if nothing happened but I keep a close eye on him.

After the song finishes he looks thoughtfully at Namjoon. “It is great but does it really need my part though?”

“Oh. Did you want to do another part? You should have told us sooner. We could-“

“No,” I can tell that he’s choosing his words carefully, “what I mean is. Does the song really need my voice?”

“What!?” Namjoon looks very confused and I’m sure I do too.

“You’re part of this group Jimin-ah, besides we’ve already finished we can’t take it out now.” Jin says, adding a joke at the end. I swear something on Jimin’s face looks like he didn’t take it that way.

JIMIN’S P.O.V

I try to brush it off like nothing happened but the hyungs, and Jungkook are all watching me now. Great, I’ve caused trouble again. I hate this feeling. I can tell they’re all disappointed with my work but too polite to say something. I wish they would.

Next, the planning for the music video begins. We don’t do it all by ourselves but it’s good to come up with a basic outline. I already did one experiment and there were less hate comments and more likes and views without me so with this in mind  I try again gently, casually suggesting, picking my words every so carefully so that they don’t realise what I’m doing. One by one I manage to either minimise or remove my parts of the music video.

Everything is going okay at least, I’m getting better in shape and somewhat improving my singing. It is a little upsetting that all my effort isn’t paying off as much as I expected because I still have a long way to but when I’m ready I start being in the music videos again. When I’m worthy of the fans.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

I’m still shocked at Jimin wanting to take his part out of the song. Is he thinking about leaving the group? He would have told me . . . Right?

——

~ T ~ I ~ M ~ E ~ ~ ~ S ~ K ~ I ~ P ~

It’s been two weeks since Jimin first went to the studio early and he’s been doing it everyday since. He’s been working so hard. He’s amazing but I hardly ever get to spend time with him anymore. We are of course with each other all the time but we’re not really focusing on eachother (for me it’s hard not to focus on him) he’s been so focused on work these days and we haven’t gone on a date in so long.

Most of the time he doesn’t eat meals with us and he comes home later so tired that he ends up falling asleep on the couch. I understand working hard but this, this is too much. I miss him. I miss my mochi. (Yeah that’s right ARMY, he’s mine! Are you jealous?)

I wake up as usual, stupidly hopeful that he’ll be there, actually resting, with me. And as usual it’s only me. I head aimlessly toward the kitchen where Jin and Hobi-hyung cook breakfast. (Namjoon-hyung was banned from the kitchen years ago)

We eat together, the hyungs chat and Tae smiles sympathetically at me. I sigh trusfratedly I want to do something for Minnie. Then I get the idea.

“Hey it’s Minnie’s birthday in two days, why don’t we throw him a surprise party?”

“Yeah”

“That’s a great idea.”

“We should have enough time to get a cake made.”

The hyungs are all in agreement and the plan is set. We won’t breathe a word of this to Jimin, he’ll be so surprised.

JIMIN’S P.OV.

Two days later: 13th October (Jimin’s Birthday)

I wake up earlier than everybody else as usual. The dorm is quiet and calm and dark and lonely. I ended up sleeping on the couch again and my tail is sore and stiff. Not only from sleeping in an awkward position but from keeping it hidden it’s a necessity but still I selfishly wish i didn’t have to. Especially today, my birthday. None of the members have mentioned anything about it.

I guess they forgot. I try to be happy that I’m not distracting them or being a nuisance anymore but I can’t. I’ve barely spent any time with Jungkook since I’ve started my new regimen. He stays up late, but I stay up later and when I get back to the dorms I’m always so tired that I fall asleep in my clothes. I shower at the company gym so I don’t wake the members.

Silently I grab some clothes from my closet and then I head out. I can’t help myself from crying. I still love Jungkook so much and I know that it’s awful but I wish he’d love me even though I’m still so ugly. But I’ve gotten so much better haven’t I? So why doesn’t he love me? Then I remember that perfect, beautiful, glorious Kim Taehyung exists. I sob again.

I don’t know why I ever thought it would be a good idea to walk today. I guess I thought it would be good to clear my head today. Now I feel awful, my body feels heavy and I have the beginnings of a headache. Then I remember that this is what it’s supposed to feel like, this must be however one else feels in order to look so perfect, right? I just had to start working a bit harder.

—-

~ T ~ I ~ M ~ E ~ ~ ~ S ~ K ~ I ~ P ~

It’s been 10 minutes since dance practice was supposed to start and not one of the members has shown up yet. The ache has settled deep into my bones. They’re probably just stuck in traffic or something. I force myself to keep dancing. Just as I’m going to break down and call Jin-hyung, choreographer-nim comes in.

“Jimin-ssi I came to tell you that your schedules have been cancelled. You can go back home and rest. You should.” He says looking slightly awkward then he leaves.

I just stand there for a moment in shock. They cancelled my schedule, the company must not want me here anymore. I mean I guess I always knew that I wasn’t good enough and all my effort is too little too late but so suddenly. I feel myself sinking to the floor. Then I get up, I can’t be sitting here uselessly.

I get to work. I do the routine over and over until I find my mind drifting off to other places while my body moves. My mind drifts off to the dorm, where I want to be lying in bed . . . With Jungkook. I want him to massage my back and kiss me and tell me he loves me. I force the happy memories down.

I’m so tired and sore that I can hardly stand. I hear the click of the door opening.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

I wake up and press the feeling of loneliness down. I’ll see Jimin soon.

We woke up early but I guess Jimin was earlier because he’s nowhere to be seen. It works out for us but still sends a stab of longing through me. After we eat breakfast we do the decorating and Namjoon and Jin-hyung go to pick up the cake while Hobi picks everyone’s outfits and cleans the kitchen and living room again. Yoongi, who for his part did a lot of the ecorating, sits at the table sipping his morning coffee. He’ll be fully awake in about half an hour.

When Jin and Namjoon come back with the cake they don’t let me see it. They were in charge of the design so it’ll actually be a surprise for me as well.

We should be leaving for the company by now but we got manager-nim to cancel our schedules for the day. I text Jimin and tell him to come home. He doesn’t reply so I text again. I even try calling him. I get worried then remember he probably just has his phone silenced so I call the choreographer because he’s probably still at the company today and tell him to go and tell Jimin that schedules will have been cancelled. I explain the surprise to him and he enthusiastically agrees.

15 minutes later I am still waiting. The choreographer should have told him by now, my Jimin should be home. I text the choreography and he says that he told him. I am very worried now.

“We have to find him, what if something happened?!” I shout

“What! Who?”

“Jimin.”

“Is he not at the studio?”

“I don’t know but he should be here by now.”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

We run downstairs and run to Tae’s car, somehow Namjoon-hyung ends up in the driver's seat and has to switch with Jin-hyung. We race off towards the company.

When we get inside we immediately split up, Namjoon takes the gym, Jin takes the cafeteria, Hobi and Yoongi take the bathrooms and recording rooms respectively.  

I take the dance studios. I go to the room we normally use first.

I hear footsteps and throw the door open.

Jimin is dancing, he does our latest routines flawlessly, but robotically and his eyes look far away. I can only see the back of him so I watch his reflection in the mirror. He looks empty, pale with dark circles under his puffy eyes. He’s crying. I run over to him.

I wrap my arms around him, encircling him in a big hug.

“It’s okay, don’t cry, I’m here.” I whisper

He sinks into my arms as if he can’t support his own weight anymore. “Jungkook, what are you doing here?” He asks.

“Didn’t the choreographer tell you? Our schedules were cancelled today.” I ask

“Yes, but I thought It was just mine.” He explains, freeing himself of my grip.

“Why would it be just yours?” I’m really confused. He doesn’t answer.

I persist, “If you knew why you didn't come home, why did you stay here.”

“I just wanted to practise some more.”

“But Minnnnie!” My voice cracks, “you’ve been practising so much, I never get to spend time with you anymore. I miss you!” I’m crying now.

JIMIN’S P.O.V

Jungkook is crying, now I’ve really done it, I’ve made him cry. I can’t do anything right. I want to ask him if he knows about the company cutting me but my worries feel silly with him in my arms.

He’s crying and I have to comfort him. It's the least I can do. I know this is necessary but I’ve been a terrible friend.

I pet his hair and rub his back until he calms down. His grip on me is tight and I can tell he won’t be letting me go anytime soon.

“Come one Kook, let's go home.” I say, I can feel less guilty cutting my practice short because it’s for a friend.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

Now I feel even worse, Jimin is clearly tired but now he has to comfort me. I make sure to keep a tight grip on Jimin so he doesn’t fall over like he looks like he could with only a single gust of wind.

I text the hyungs quickly and they drive back to the dorm. I managed to stall by telling Jimin to take a shower.

I go through his bag and realise he doesn’t have any clean clothes to change into, apparently he realises this too because I hear the bathroom door opening. He comes out shirtless, only a towel wrapped around his waist, normally I enjoy ogling at his chest but now I just stare. He’s somehow lost enough weight, you can see it. I think back to the last half month, I haven't seen him eat anything, but he must have at some point or he’d be dead by now. I let this keep me from completely spiralling out of control. Stress causes people to lose weight right? He must have been very stressed out these last few weeks but what could possibly have stressed him out to this point?

“Park Jimin!” I can only gasp but then I stop seeing how shy he looks. I remember that he’s been under so much stress that yelling won’t be of any help at all.

“Jungkook, I uh, I don’t have any fresh clothes. Can I borrow your sweatshirt, I can just wear the same pants from before?”

I’m still in shock. “Sure.” We can talk about this later. I hold Jimin close to me supporting his frail looking body with my own. He looks ready to fall asleep, or pass out, or both. I know I should probably take him to the hospital but for right now we both need a relaxed environment. I’m sure his surprise will cheer him up and we can get some food for him even if it’s only cake or sweets.

We get back to the dorm and I knock loudly on the door. I hear footsteps. I open the door and we walk into the decorated living room. Jimin doesn’t notice at first then he does. He looks around, a bit in awe.

“You did all of this . . . for me?”

I smile.

JIMIN’S P.O.V

Jungkook smiles the biggest cutest bunny smile I’ve ever seen.

“Happy Birthday hyung!” He says still smiling.

I want to kiss him, I want to kiss him so, so bad, but I resist.

Then I hear more footsteps. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMIN-SSI!!!” The hyungs and Tae appear out from behind the wall carrying a handmade banner reading “!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY WE LOVE YOU MOCHI!!!” In big colourful letters.

They all hug me. I haven't had much physical contact with any of the hyungs or Jungkook in ages, the warmth surrounds me and takes away the aching feeling.

“Annnd, guess what? We have cake!” Hobi, Tae and Kook shout.

I smile, trying to match their level of excitement but the cake could be a problem. It’s probably full of sugar and calories in the frosting alone. I can’t eat it and ruin all my hard work.

“Alright,” Jin-hyung commands, “Hobi, Yoongi you two cut and serve cake. I’ll set up the V-Live.”

V-Live, what’s the point it’s not like anyone will watch it? Then I get an idea that I can hide my face with a mask. If any of the members ask I’ll just say that I’m not feeling well, it will also give me an excuse not to eat cake.

I grab a mask from the bathroom cabinet and put it on.

Hobi-hyung sees me first. “Are you feeling alright Min?”

“Yeah, I just think I’m coming down with a small cold is all.”

“Okay, do you want some tea or anything? Hyung will make you some.”

“Oh, no it’s okay. I really don’t feel that bad.”

“That’s good but tell us if you start feeling worse.”

“Of course.” I sigh, I almost made hyung go out of the way for me again.

Jungkook is immediately concerned when he sees my mask. I assure him it’s just a tiny cold. He seems to believe me.

We greet ARMY and show the cake. People ask why I have the mask on and Jungkook answers for me.

“Minnie’s caught a little cold, he’ll be fine.”

Lots of comments of "feel better, get well soon” and “stay healthy" appear in the comments section. I actually smile. Then I see another hate comment and the smile disappears.

Jin holds the cake while we sing and I blow the candles out. We all sit down on the sofa. Hoseok snuggles next to Yoongi, Namjoon sits on the floor in front of Jin, while Jin massages his head, Tae sits next to Jungkook and I sit in Jungkook’s lap.

Cake plates are passed around until everyone but me has one. Tae begins to pass me a piece of the cake.

“Um, I’m not very hungry right now, maybe I’ll have some later.” I say trying my very best to smile. Then I remember I have the mask on.

“Do you want something else, hyung can make you some other food. It might help you feel better.” Namjoon asks. I can tell he’s concerned.

“No it’s alright I just don’t have much of an appetite today.”

Jungkook gives me a look, I know he noticed that I lost weight. I didn’t mean for him to notice in case him or any of the other members got unnecessarily worried. I purposefully wore clothes that hid it but when he saw me without a shirt it was obvious.

“Min, you should eat something. It really would help your cold.”

I nod, “I’ll eat later.”

—

A few minutes into the V-Live I almost kiss Jungkook. I’m grateful for the mask which reminds me not to. Then it happens again. I scoot farther away. The members are talking but I can’t hear anything over how chilled I suddenly feel.

Now that I’m not right up against Jungkook, I notice how cold the room is. I shiver and tuck my hands into the pockets of Jungkook’s hoodie, thankfully he let me wear it. I feel a tickle in my nose and stifle five thick wet sneezes into the crook of my elbow. The mask does most of the work but it’s all snotty now so I should probably get a new one.

I feel miserable. I almost ask Jungkook for a hug. I have to get out of here before I do something that embarrasses him. Besides, I don’t have the energy to pretend to smile anymore.

“Sorry everyone, I’m tired, I’m going to lie down for a bit, okay.”

“Alright, at least come say bye before we end the Live.” Hoseok says

“You don’t have to end the Live, just continue on without me.” I say, heading towards the room. I feel dizzy, black spots dance across my vision and then consume everything.

JUNGKOOK’S P.O.V

We’re all talking about our favourite moments with Jimin that we’ve had this year when I heard someone sneeze. It’s so quiet I can barely hear it over the conversation but then I see Jimin his elbow pressed to his face despite the mask. Though the sneezes soft I hear the mucus.

“Sorry everyone , I’m tired, I’m going to lie down for a bit, okay.” Jimin says suddenly. He looks almost as pale as Yoongi. I can hear the congestion seeping into his voice.

“Alright, at least come say bye before we end the Live.” Hoseok, like the rest of us, looks confused. He can’t just leave his own Birthday V-Live.

“You don’t have to end the Live, just continue on without me.” Jimin says, he shrugs and turns toward our room. He only makes it a few steps before he falls with a hollow thump, to the floor.

My legs are moving before my brain can process what has happened.

“Jimin," I shout shaking him, he doesn't move.

“It’s okay, he’s just fainted.” Namjoon informs us.

“He’s burning up! Someone get the thermometer, quick!” Hoseok yells.

“What could’ve caused this, he said he only had a small cold.” Jin-hyung asks.

“Well he hasn’t bee-” I start but tae cuts me off

“We should probably end the V-Live now.”

“Oh yeah.” Joon runs over to the camera. “Salanghae ARMY!” and cuts off the broadcast.

We take Jimin back to our room and set him on the bed.

“I think he just over exhausted himself.” Yoongi speculates

“Yeah, he’s been working very hard lately.” Namjoon nods.

Jin still has the V-Live app open and something catches my eye.

@Taekook4life - Oh-em-gee!!!, Taekook were so cute, shame they had to cut the live off because of that stupid whiny cat boy

> @OT6 - Yeah, did you hear Namjoon say that he fainted, how pathetic

> > @Jimin-has-no-jams - I can't believe they even let someone so weak be part of the group

> > > @hybrid-hater - seriously and like I said, freaks belong in a circus.

The comments make my blood boil. How could people still ship Tae and I when Jimin and I are in a public relationship. These people are saying such mean things I want to punch something.

“Hyungs, look” I point the comments out to them. They shrink back, aghast.

“Is this like a common thing?” asks Tae

“I don’t know, let’s check other places.” Namjoon suggests.

We check all of our most recent content and find tons more comments, some screen-names keep coming up but there are just so many.

The cover we listened to comes up in our suggested results and when I accidentally click on it instead of the video below it I see it. At first it sounds like the user is completing the singer but then it takes a turn.

@anti1357 - wow ARMY-BLINK💜, this cover is so good, especially Jimin’s part you sing some much better, you should take his place

> @hybrid-hater - totally! This song is actually great without that ugly hybrid.

> > @btsucks - yeah and people say he’s the visuals, ugh! 🤮

> > > @Jimin-has-no-jams - ikr freak! 🐈🤡

I’m full of rage but I can’t stop looking, the next thing is a selca I took with Minnie about two weeks ago.

@Taekook4life - literally ewww! Beautiful Jeon Jungkook . . . with him, but like Jimin is soo ugly tho. And you can see the fat on him. Jungkook needs to just get with Kim Taehyung instead.

> @Jimin’s-jams - first of all that’s so rude, that’s muscle, from dancing, and I bet he can dance so much better than any of us can! so pls be quiet.

> > @OT6 - if they’re muscles from dancing then why’s he so terrible at dancing then, honestly he’s a joke, I bet Bang Pd just felt bad for him.

> > > @Solo-stan - he must have because Jimin can’t even sing that well, he is literally so whiny.

We’re all horrified. Jimin must’ve seen these comments and started believing them. It all makes sense now. Why Jimin has been hiding his ears and tail and even himself. Why he didn’t want to be in the dance practice video, why he tried to take himself out of the music video and even the song.

I can feel the tears dripping down my cheeks and not only mine but the other members are crying as well, we seem to have reached the realisation at the same time.

“Gahh, we’re such bad friends, how come we didn’t see it?” Hobi wails.

“No, it’s my fault,” I say, “I’m his boyfriend, I should've seen it.”

“It’s in the past now. All we can do is to make sure that our Mochi gets better.” Namjoon says, patting the sleeping Jimin’s hair.

We all nod.

“We’ll make Jimin some soup and tea and leave you two alone.” Jin-hyung says

“Thank you.” I say quietly.

JIMIN’S P.O.V

I open my eyes and everything is blurry. Slowly my vision clears and I see a familiar face standing over me. Jungkook. A feeling of calmness washes over me, as long as he’s here I’m safe.

Then before I even realise what he’s doing he plants a kiss on my forehead. His lips are soft and warm against my skin. I try to sit up but can’t. Panic sets in, if I can’t even sit up how am I supposed to dance.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here.” He motions for me to breathe with him. I do and it makes me feel better almost immediately. I try to sit up again and this time he helps me.

“Take it easy. You’re not well, Min.” He croons, helping me sit up. I am acutely aware of his hand on my back.

“Not well?” I question not only my condition but his delicate phrasing.

“You fainted, do you remember that?”

“I just remember really wanting to just sleep, then everything went black and now I’m here.”

“That’s good, I don’t think you hit your head.” He says, sounding a bit more like himself now.

I’m so tired and his voice is so soft that I can’t help bursting into tears. Before I can stop it it all comes flooding out.

“Kookie, I don’t feel good.” I hate the whine in my voice but I can’t stop it

“I know, baby, I know. Can you tell me what hurts.” He hugs me, his grip is gentle but I can still feel his warmth.

I think for a moment “Everything.” Then I feel a tickle in my nose and sneeze thickly right into his neck. My face heats up.

“I’mb ‘orry.” I sniffle pathetically. The last thing I need to do is get Jungkook sick. “I’mb a bess.”

“No, no you’re not. It’s okay, you are not a mess, you have a cold. It happens to everyone.”

“You should go, I don’t want to get you sick. I’ve caused enough trouble already.”

He looks sadly at me, “Is that how you really feel, Minnie.”

I can’t help but nod.

“You have never caused me any trouble.” He says taking a tissue from the bedside table and wiping my nose. I blush again.

“But” I sob, “I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“No. You have been dealing with a lot, the only person you've been terrible to is yourself.” He cups my face in his hands and kisses me.

I try to push him off, what is he doing?

“So what if I get sick?” He shrugs and kisses me again. “You’re my boyfriend, I love you.” He mumbles the words softly as we kiss. He must see the look of hesitation on my face because he sighs, “Minnie, I sleep right next to you. I’m going to catch this cold anyway.” He starts kissing me again and I can’t help but reciprocate the actions, an automatic reflex.

When he stops I look straight into his big doe eyes, they’re sad. I bet he wishes he didn’t love someone like me and even though I know I shouldn't be, I’m so disgustingly happy that he does. Something he said surprises me belatedly.

“You're still my boyfriend?”

He looks a bit shocked. “Yes, I mean if you still want me to be.”

“Of course.” I answer back too quickly. Again, it’s a reflex, a reflex to love, maybe, maybe, just maybe . . . . . I’m not such a very bad terrible person after all. I try to squash down this hope but it won’t go. There is still one thing though, in his arms it feels so stupid but I have to know.

“But what about Taehyung?”

His face morphs into an expression of extreme confusion, “Taehyung? . . . . .” then it changes to one of horror. “You didn’t think . . . You didn’t think that- that I-” His voice breaks into almost nothing. “No, I love you and ONLY you Jimin. Taehyung is like a brother to me, nothing more. YOU are my love, the love of my life. You are my life. You and only you. Do you understand what I just said?”

“Yes.” I say quietly. He smiles and hugs me tighter. I crush the disappointment in my chest. I selfishly want him to kiss me again. He still looks sad.

He pulls away so I can fully see his face. “Did-didn’t” he pauses, looking like he’s trying not to cry, “Didn’t you miss this bed?”

I don’t understand immediately, then I remember I’ve been sleeping on the couch for the last two weeks. The difference is vast once I actually pay attention. The bed is soft and warm and cosy with a fluffy blanket and pillow that both smell like Jungkook. I much prefer it over the couch.

“I did.” I admit. I hope he doesn’t think I’m selfish.

“Well then come back. Sleep with me tonight, we can just sleep right now if you want.”

I’m so tired but I’m afraid that if I go to sleep now that when I wake up I’ll realise that this was all a dream and Jungkook doesn’t actually love me. I wanna stay in this dream. I need a way I can dream on. I shake my head.

“Alright, we can do whatever you want.”

I shiver, still feeling cold despite the comforter.

“How about a nice warm bath?”

I nod. Jungkook helps me out of bed and to the bathroom where he starts getting the bath ready. He takes off his shirt, and then his pants leaving only his bare chest and boxers. He’s beautiful. I could never look like that.

“Like what you see?” He teases, I blush right up to my forehead.

“I could never deserve you.” I sigh the words to myself, the look on his face says he heard.

He shakes his head and comes up to me, forcing me to face my reflection in the mirror. He takes off my shirt.

“You, Park Jimin, are a masterpiece.” He whispers into my ear.

I can’t stop myself from smiling. He continues, trailing his hands over my chest, his fingers leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. “You can sing and dance beautifully and you’re incredibly cute.” He continues listing good things about me but I just focus on the sound of his voice. The voice of a man who loves me, he’s beautiful and he’s mine.

He ends his speech with a kiss on my lips. “Now come one, you’ve got goosebumps, let's get you warm.” I lean into his touch as he strips me down completely and helps me into the bath.

I sit back and let Jungkook work, pausing occasionally to kiss me, on the neck, on the shoulder, on the arm until he’s kissed almost every surface of my body.

“I saw the comments.” He says as he begins massaging shampoo into my hair.

I don’t know what to say to that but I feel the tears roll down my cheeks.

“Those people are stupid, cowardly trolls hiding behind screen names because they can’t bear to say those things to your amazingly good looking face.”

“I know.” I sob, suddenly feeling very stupid. “How could I let those people control my life like that?”

“It’s not your fault, Minne, anyone would crumble under all that pressure. You’re so strong and I hate to see you doubting yourself like this just because of some stupid shit people said on the internet. You’re beautiful just the way you are. And as for me I much prefer you healthy than stick thin. You need to stay healthy so you can do what you love. You’re never home, I’ve missed you.” He kisses my shoulder.

“I’ve missed you too.” I turn around to face him, pulling him closer and kissing him deeper. His lips are soft and warm against mine, everything I’ve missed, everything I need to feel good about myself. A warm sensation fills my body, taking the cold and the aching away. I feel a tickle in my nose try to turn away but I sneeze on Jungkook anyway.

“Ah, I’m going to give you my cold.” I half sigh, half laugh and try to pull away.

“I don’t care.” Jungkook whispers kissing me again

“I do.”

“Don’t.” He argues and for the moment, I really don’t care, until I feel goose bumps forming along my arms again.

“Kook the water’s getting cold.”

He pulls away and turns the tap to add more hot water to the bath. He resumes washing my hair, it feels good, not as good as kissing but still good all the same. He tips my head back to rinse the shampoo out. I smile at him.

“I’ve missed this,” he says, “I’ve missed us. Next time something is bothering you please just come to me or one of the hyungs but please don’t sit on it and let yourself treat yourself badly.”

“Of course.”

“You promise.”

“Yes.”

We get out of the bath and dry ourselves off, Jungkook wears only a shirt and joggers himself but gives me one of his hoodies to wear and some of my fluffy pyjama bottoms. I love Kook’s hoodies, the scent and the softness relaxes me. It reminds me of how tired I am. The bed with all its soft pillows and blankets looks more tempting than ever, I lay down.

“Do you want to sleep now?”

Once again I hesitate, I’m sure now, that this isn’t all a dream, but I don’t really want to be alone either.

“I’ll be here, right here. With you.” He says it as if he’s read my mind.

“You're sure?”

“Absolutely.” He says climbing under the covers next to me. I feel his warmth against mine. I fall asleep listening to his whispers of “I love you.”

(A/N: I'll probably do a Jungkook P.O.V. chapter and then a final one from both of their perspectives maybe. Sorry if the formatting is strange.)

[irishhorse-blog]

How can you call yourself jimin biased or say you love jimin and being happy for Jungkook at the same time, knowing that Jungkook broke Jimin itunes records because of PRE ORDERS and he will broke all jimin records thanks to RADIO, PLAYLISTS and Ads. Jimin's fans worked so hard for Jimin and his achievements and then Jungkook and his squad - Bang Pd and Scooter - arrive and ruin everything to make Jungkook successful at Jimin's expense. Tell me how can you ship jikook, do you love Jimin and you care about his career or not? If you ship jikook and support Jungkook the answer is clear.....you don't love Jimin.

Hi. You're a stupid solo and I don't want to play with you.

I support Jikook - BOTH of them. And charts happen. Nobody stays at the top forever. There will always be the next big thing, the next hit song, the next... whatever.

I don't really care about chart placements and such. I care about the music and the men. You would do well to consider why you might call yourself a jikooker and yet hate one half of the pairing with such virulence. It speaks more about you as a person than about JK, if I'm honest... and what it says isn't very nice.

Now take your toys and go home to sit in your bitterness and die mad about it.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP after Moonbin's sad news today so many of your older comments came to mind.

https://www.tumblr.com/beautifulpersonpeach/700319666060541952/bpp-i-sent-you-an-ask-abt-this-topic-months-ago

Some time back I remember what you replied about how you never take lightly when an idol tries to communicate how they feel however they do it even if they don't sound polished or intelligent or even if they sound scripted or vapid.

How you never trivalize BTS mental health songs as marketing because you understand how the industry is.

I'm so sad and wished more people were compassionate instead of trying to be sassy, contrarian or edgy in "calling things or people" out.

Idk how old you are but you have a wisdom in how you talk and handle issues and I'm so glad BTS and jikook have fans like you.

*

Ask 2: BPP did you hear about Moonbin passed?? Didn't you say before Astro is one of the groups you like in kop outside of BTS? I'm so shocked! How could this happen? I thought the dark side of kpop days were behind us?

**

Hi Anon(s)

Anon in ask 1, your link.

[ I wouldn't call it wisdom... I'm not a very patient person so I suppose that sometimes helps me filter out the BS. But I've got my vices same as everyone else. I appreciate the compliment and your compassionate reading of that post though. ]

Moonbin's passing is terribly sad.

I can only hope his family finds some sort of peace. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans, of which he has so many.

I liked him. I liked him from the jump. He was an excellent performer. A true all-rounder of an idol. He seemed like a genuine sweetheart to the people around him and his interactions with his sister always warmed my heart when I saw them. If anyone is inclined to, I suggest you celebrate his memory by watching his performances and listening to his music. I've done the same thing myself today, going to the first performance I saw of him that caught my eye:

His group showcase when they performed War of Hormone by BTS and Good Boy by Big Bang. The whole group was (is) very good but Moonbin was one of the strongest and most expressive performers on that stage.

*

There's nothing else I want to say now. It's just all so sad.

[humanuser0613]

OHHHHHHH I AM GLEEFULLY JOINING THIS CONVERSATION! 💃💃💃💃💃

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

Does it logically make sense for Bighit to force two people to interact?

(lots of links coming your way because of image limits 😜)

I saw people talking on my twt tl earlier about this and this narrative about how they're controlled and can't make their own decisions, ESPECIALLY, concerning their personal lives is such 🐮💩! So laughably crazy! So unhinged! It speaks more about the people who believe that trite 💩 (they're crazy, racist, brainwashed, delusional, and in need of therapy and a personality reset) because the answers are all over the internet, in the way the members speak about each other, the company, how BH has revealed how their training is different from other agencies, and in the relationships they've been able to develop with us, because they had the freedom to do so.

So saying that two members are forced to interact together in ways that make them uncomfortable, make the fans uncomfortable, results in so much hate that people cancel orders, or never purchase something, trend hateful (👈HATEFUL so click with caution) hashtags globally, make dts 💀 to the members and mass email the company to keep them away from each other is illogical and asinine.

Big Hit capitalizes on what already exists. (👈NEW LINK) Bang PD has spoken on this many times. They see their role as refining and presenting what's already there. The members have also spoken out about doing what they want to do and not doing fanservice. 👈 (Example here of what they mean)

Let's look at different things BH has done that are all about the fanservice:

Vope kiss

Yoongi paper game

Jhope in AHL

Rookie Kings

Know what they have in common??? THEY WERE PRODUCED BY OTHER PRODUCTION TEAMS FOR OTHER TELEVISION SHOWS! NOT JUST BH!

Cause when BH does fanservice 😭😭😭

WE GET THOSE DAMN BT21 CHEST COVER EMOJIS! 😓

We don't get the full story of jikook jumping together in ITS, or cuddling in ITS2, or we get so much of their ATV travels edited out, or we don't get video leading to the April Fool's Day jikook cuddle, or that tracing body lines Run! BTS game where Jungkook was blindfolded and in front of Jimin and ✂️✂️✂️!

If the agency was controlling all of their personal time then how come jikook never did a welive together in 2023? We know Jimin and Tae were at JK's apartment because Tae went live and Jimin was there, but they didn't go live ALL TOGETHER. We don't get all their selcas together either. 😮‍💨 When the fanservicing ISN'T servicing...

Here, Jin is wearing a shirt and we still got a damn emoji! WITH A SHIRT ON! WHAT FANSERVICE?!? And Again.

Inconsistent fanservice and certainly not the kinda thing that would make BH money as it's more likely to make fans upset - taekook example . (Actually I'm wondering if this account is gonna get suspended soon 🙄. I clicked on the tag to see if it was jjks doing it related to this topic and....well found some examples to include instead.)

Now we have taekook ITS where they repaired their relationship when Jimin brought Jungkook to Taehyung. That's something they would have needed to feel comfortable to do in front of cameras. And people saying it's scripted have never understood how much BTS shows us 👈(NEW LINK) of themselves. They have never accepted how much freedom the members truly have. (They've also never accepted reality a day in their lives, 🤡 but....moving on.)

Now let's talk about BE and Namjoon objecting to showing so much of the process to the fans... BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE SHIT THAT HAPPENS ONLINE. What we got were the BE interviews and behind the scenes meetings about the album (infamous kitchen meeting 👀).

Here we have an example of Jhope ASKING FOR THE CAMERA AND STATING HE'S GONNA MAKE A BANGTAN 💣. The significance of the staff just handing over expensive equipment for the BTS members to PLAY with should not be overlooked. It's not the first time. This is also significant because it shows how the members DIRECT THEIR OWN CONTENT.

Now if Korea is as homophobic as people say, then why do we get two men and one camera and aborted kissing maneuvers POSTED? How do these examples differ from Sana and Jihyo? Or these?

👉Sana and Jihyo are IN FRONT OF FANS 🪭 - key difference right there (yes, this is queerbaiting). The guys all act EMBARRASSED AF afterwards. Taejin and this kiss is PURE LOVE AND FUN. Tae is smiling and Jin reacts without getting mad at Tae, but still making it fun for fans.

Jikook make it fun for themselves. They don't react like they're embarrassed. Their smiles get bigger. (And they don't stop or become more careful not to repeat.)

NOW more of the BH side.

Times Article 2019

Vox article highlighting the differences in training between BTS and other groups.

HYBE T&D stories training and development YT vids

Another video

Another Time article with Bang

Me letting the man speak for himself 😌

Suffice it to say that anyone claiming how controlled the members are and that they don't have freedom or choices is full of 💩.

They were taught the importance of certain things, but left to make their own choices. They were treated as a mentor would treat a mentee and not as an autocrat would treat those under their control.

There's give and take, compromise, but if you hadn't noticed 👉 I'll tell you how the members talk about THEIR OWN EXPECTATIONS when it comes to their performances. That the members even give their own creative input into choreography, music, ad libs, lyrics, etc. They have their own lawyers and even their families that will fight for their interests and they're encouraged to use those resources to settle contracts with the company.

And there's precedent of other groups leaving their companies and remaining together - Girls' Generation, GOT7 (who are friends with BTS so if they wanted pointers, they had help ready and available). BTS could have taken this option if they felt oppressed, ignored, used, mistreated, unfairly given divided resources, disgusted with the fanservice, harassed by other members, or if they disliked each other.

Instead THEY decided to enlist together. THEY decided to stay together as a group. THEY decided not to promote as a group without a single member (minus the time Yoongi had surgery, but NO ONE sang his part). HELL THESE MEN ALL GO TO THE BATHROOM TOGETHER!!! Seriously inseparable. 😒

They agonized over continuing as a group with all the pressure they face multiples times. They all re-signed their contracts EARLY. AGAIN. They constantly talk about wanting to remain together as a group.

So why are we still at a point where people on this planet exist as if their eyes and ears are constantly closed? With the same lies becoming stale AF 🐮💩? IT'S 2024 ALREADY! LET THAT SHIT FLOW OUT OF YOU ALREADY! Excrete it. ❄️Let it go. 🧘‍♀️Raise yourselves to a higher plane of existence. Elevate your brains. Evolve your thinking. Become better humans.

Unless you're not actually humans capable of growth and intelligence. ✨👽 Then we should probably talk about permanent placements in better fitting fandoms. 🪤

I can't believe I'm even making this post especially in light of the buddy enlistment...but this topic has gotten so loud lately...

Is JIKOOK the company "ship"? Do TPTB at HYBE/BigHit want JK/JM to act "close" to each other for business/profit reasons?

Obviously I have seen them called this all over the internet, but I never really took the time to ponder this because it just seemed crazy to me. I can't imagine a company based in S. Korea would actively try to promote 2 men in what could be perceived as a romantic relationship.

Now subunits are one thing...kpop...BTS members...the company all know that fans like the bonds between group members just as much as the music. And the companies do play into that and promote it. We see that in BTS with all the different combos of interactions we see in Run episodes or during Bon Voyage...BTS themselves have said that they know the fans like to see them with xyz member. That is one thing, but that is not what I am talking about in this post.

I am talking about "ear sucking"..

I am talking about hickeys...

I am talking about thirst trap bday greetings...

I am talking about weLives from a home couch dedicated to one member...

Tokyo...

THIS...

I could go on, but you get the point.

 We have seen jikook be close since debut...and visibly "differently close" since 2017 (imo). Can we believe that the company orchestrated things all of these years?

 Is the fact that these things happened on camera or have been featured in books proof that it is all JK and JM acting to help promote their group? And if this is all a promotional act....why not have TK and JK involved too, especially with their popularity? Or why not have some of the other pairings do more interactions together? The company could capitalize on them too.

I am trying hard to not let my skepticism of this topic bleed in here, but it is a struggle. I still find this almost unthinkable...homophobia is real.

But I am hoping that I can have a real discussion about this....asks...comments...I'd love to hear thoughts.