Blood Sweat & Tears: A BTS Story ✅

Chapter 24: The VMAs

"I think you should be good now." The medic says. He just finished up wrapping Jimin's ankle with a temporary brace.

Namjoon is consoling him as best he can but Jimin still has tears running down his face. Not from the pain, from the disappointment in himself. He injured himself in the middle of the concert.

Richard tried to pull him from the performances in the middle of the show but Jimin refused and danced through the pain. He still made it but it wasn't at his usual standard.

"Is he going to be okay to dance for the VMA's?" Richard asks the medic.

The medic scratches his beard, "If he stays off his foot and continues to ice it then he should have a pretty good chance of feeling up to it. But it's ultimately up to him how it feels." He shrugs and then leaves the dressing room.

Namjoon lifts Jimin up onto his back to help him up, but the shorter man complains.

"Joonie, I can walk on it with the brace." I can tell he's embarrassed and upset that this happened and I think he wishes we would all just pretend that it hasn't happened.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll be carrying you everywhere until it's better." Before Jimin can complain again he hoists him up onto his back and heads for the SUV to take us back to the hotel.

The ride to the hotel is silent. Normally all the boys would be hyped up after a show but everyone is somber feeling the pain of one of their own. They are taking this injury as a whole.

"I'd really like you to rethink your decision—"

"The decision is final, Richard." Namjoon's voice is strong and his words have an air of finality to them. "If all seven of us can't perform then we're not going to."

All the other members nod in agreement except Jimin.

I've been gnawing on my lip ever since we got into the car and I can feel the dead skin flake off and the threat of drawing blood loom. I'm worried that this will trigger Jimin's disordered eating. I mentally chastise myself for not calling it what it is. An eating disorder. But I guess I'm in as much denial as Jimin.

I'm sitting behind him in the car and I reach my hand up to stroke his hair in comfort but he flinches away. He tries so hard to be perfect that anything less makes him self-destruct.

"I don't want the group to miss out on this opportunity just because I hurt my foot—" Jimin tries to protest, but Jin cuts him off.

"I agree, we need this performance if we want to be a real contender for a Grammy this year. Not performing could set us back in the forward momentum of our career. Performing without him might be something we need to consider—"

Namjoon is livid, "How can you even say that, Hyung? We have always been one unit, one group. Performing without one of us would be like trying to swim without water."

The eldest curses under his breath. "I know what it would be like to do it, doing it without him would be considerably hard. I just said it was something to consider." He crosses his arms over his chest, "But we might not even have to if his foot feels better."

Richard pipes up, "Let's prepare for the worst but hope for the best." And that's the end of that.

My feelings over Yoongi and Jin seem so trivial now that the group is dealing with an injury that could make or break their American music career. Obviously, they have an American fan base, but for how popular they are and how many albums they sell the American Music Industry doesn't take them seriously.

This is why the rule is in place. Thinking of the boys in ways that distract me from the job is exactly why they don't allow it. I have more important things to worry about like Jimin backsliding with his eating disorder and the VMA performance in two days. Even just the anticipation of seeing my mom so soon when we get to my hometown. Who cares what my heart is worried about when I have other people that need my help. I was hired to make their lives easier and if I end up making things harder then I'm useless.