The truth untold

-three-

Regala Skycity Hotel (Hong Kong) - December 2015

Kim Taehyung was tired, and because of his natural aversion to alcoholic drinks, he was feeling out of place as the other idols drunk-danced and partied. Namjoon kept an eye on his members, making sure their drinking didn't get out of hand.

M.A.M.A. after-parties were truly legendary; even an ice cone machine was kept for the idols to enjoy. From the food and karaoke, to the lit dance floor and photo booth, these guys really knew how to throw a party; which Taehyung wished he could enjoy better if he wasn't so exhausted. He stood by the bar, and watched scenes unfold, like Jimin's shameless flirting with a few female idols, and rumoured dating k-pop artists exposing their relationships. As long as there were no reporters, they didn't really need to worry since the idols valued each others' privacies and affairs. It was an un-said code. In addition to that, they were required to sign non-disclosure agreements before entering such parties.

Taehyung turned his gaze away as Joy of Red Velvet and Sungjae of BTOB were getting a bit too comfortable, and his eyes met Tzuyu's. His heart fluttered and, though she smiled, she was equally uncomfortable as him in the surrounding. He tilted his head towards a balcony closed with a curtain, signalling her to meet him there. He pushed the heavy curtain out of the way and opened the door to the balcony, and left it that for Tzuyu to enter. She followed him a few minutes later, closing the curtains and the door, which drowned the noise from the party. Taking a place beside him by the railing, she took a deep breath and admired the view of Hong Kong city. "It's iconic."

"Agreed," he said, with a side glance at her.

"Have you been to Hong-Kong before?" she asked, and before he could answer, she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Sunbaenim! What a stupid question to ask! You're an idol, of course you've been here to Hong Kong before. What am I saying?"

Taehyung laughed lightly. She's adorable. "It's completely fine. Don't worry about it." It slightly bothered him that she still approached him as her sunabe, but he let it slide. For now.

She couldn't stop a smile from creeping over her delicate features. "This is my second time in Hong Kong. The first time I visited was with my family, when I was about six."

"Are you having a good time, at your first M.A.M.A.?" Taehyung asked.

"Yes, of course," she exclaimed. "We didn't expect any win, so when it happened, we were truly shocked. And grateful."

"A win only a few months after debuting is huge," he complimented. "You girls should be proud of yourself."

He noticed the blood rush to her cheeks, as she smile and tucked her hair. For a second, it stopped his heart; he didn't understand why this girl had such a effect on him, but he didn't necessarily want to understand either. He obviously reminded himself that she was still under-aged, and would never dream of pursuing her, but even if she was the right age, their circumstances created its own set of obstacles. Twice, being a new group, would have a dating ban of some number of years. Taehyung just got out of a dating ban. A dating scandal could ruin them and their bands. This is wrong, Kim Taehyung, he reprimanded himself. This innocent, sweet girl trusts your company and here you are ogling at her like you've never seen a girl before! Get it together, man!

He coughed, in an attempt to clear his mind. "How is it like being an idol?"

"It's everything I wanted," she sighed. "I've always wanted to sing and perform. My dream coming true means everything to me." She brought her head towards his, causing a mild racing in his chest, and whispered. "I don't like the dieting though."

He grinned, memories with her from January coming into mind. "I see; we share the same opinion. But I've heard that the girls' diets are much harder than the boys'."

"It is tough," she murmured. "That's why my unnies go a bit haywire around the food at parties like this."

He burst into a light laugh again. "If you could eat anything in the world right now," he spread his arm slightly for extra effect, "what would it be?"

A 'hmm' escaped her lips, as she rapped her finger against her chin in deep thought. "I think I would have cheese crackers."

Taehyung's heart threatened to explode. He wondered if she felt something about him that night the same way he did, since she referenced him or that night for the third time. If she did, or if it had an effect on her, why did she never return to the playground?

He snapped out of his trance and nailed a smile to his face. "Really? Anything in the world, and you'd choose cheese crackers?"

"Why? What would you have?" she asked back.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Where do I begin; how do I choose? In & Out burgers, McNuggets, mozzarella sticks, ooo and rice mochis, dumplings with three different dips, cheese fondue, pizzas with every kind of topping..." He glanced at her, as she watched him intensely. "I should stop before I make myself drool."

"And me," she giggled.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, knowing that he now definitely was.

She nodded, so he asked her to wait while he got them some food. Back in the party, Taehyung studied the food counters, with a plate in his hand, wondering what Tzuyu would like. As he picked some sausages, a whack on his back made him drop a few. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Ya, JIMIN!"

The boy laughed at Taehyung's reaction. "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm hungry," he stated, placing two sliders on his plate.

"You've been missing for a while, Tae."

He didn't respond.

Jimin eyed his plate curiously. "Is the second slider for the your lady friend?" He laughed again at his friend's shocked expression. "Oh wait, she isn't a lady. She's a kid."

"We're just talking," Taehyung grunted. Why does this guy see everything!? "She's outside because the party is getting too wild, and I'm keeping her company."

"How chivalrous," Jimin teased.

"I've got to go," Taehyung claimed, carrying his plate with him, ignoring the 'She's 16' comment Jimin whispered as he left.

Tzuyu was admiring the view again when he entered the balcony. She thanked him and the duo quietly ate the food in comfortable silence. After they were done, they continued to watch the scenery, not really saying much, until Tzuyu pointed to the sky in delight. "Sunbaenim, look, it's the Aries constellation!"

The familiar cluster of stars revealed the famous December constellation and Taehyung nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, good work! It is."

She looked at him. "Ever since you showed me the constellation at BigHit, I was really curious about them, so I did my own research."

"That's really good, Tzuyu-sshi," Taehyung commended, feeling proud of her. His words made her blush like a school girl again. Because she's still a school girl, you idiot!

He looked up at the beautiful constellation. "Aries represents courage, boldness and inspiration," he stated. "You and your unnies are exactly that, Tzuyu-sshi. And you...coming from a foreign land, sacrificing so much to achieve to dream, and winning a M.A.M.A. award at a very young age; you're very brave and you're going to be an excellent inspiration to girls around the world."

When he didn't hear a response from her after a few moments, he turned to look at her. There was a smile on her face, but tears rolled down her cheeks. The unexpected reaction made Taehyung feel really bad. "Tzuyu-sshi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset."

She shook her head, wiping the tears with her sleeve. "You didn't, Sunbaenim. These are happy tears."

"Can I get you a tissue?" he asked, slightly relieved.

"I'm okay," she said, with a laugh. "How embarrassing."

"It's completely fine, Tzuyu-sshi," he commented. "Tears are a good way of letting loose. I find myself having a good shower-cry twice a week. Free therapy."

She giggled and took a deep breath. "I didn't know you'd be like this, Sunbaenim. To be honest, of all the BTS members, I thought I'd have the hardest time getting along with you, since you're so outgoing and jovial and playful on stage and with others." She shrugged. "And I'm not like that. But you're actually very understanding and wise as well. I really enjoy your company."

While his insides churned and his heart did a happy dance, he fought hard to maintain his cool. "I really enjoy your company, too."

They smiled at each other, and then gradually turned their attention to the view. There was no where in the world Taehyung would rather be at that moment.

.....

JYPE (Seoul) - December 2015

Chou Tzuyu sipped some water as she sat with her members and some managers in their rehearsal room. They were discussing what needed to be done for the 'Christmas Gift; Cover Project' for ONCE.

Minutes passed by and the meeting came to an end. The managers left the girls in the rehearsal room alone, so they blasted some music and fooled around while they could. Tzuyu laughed as Sana chased Momo around, begging her to do a couple dance, when she felt someone crawl beside her. Nayeon Unnie.

"Chou Tzuyu," the oldest said, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I've heard you're becoming a little extra chummy with a certain, handsome, BTS member."

Tzuyu expected this, since she saw Momo observe her and Taehyung return back to the party at Hong Kong. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ya, Tzuyu, don't you think we wouldn't know when you're lying," Nayeon chastised. "I even saw you speaking to him when he came to visit the GOT7 boys after Hong Kong."

"And she was being so obvious," Momo added, joining their conversation. "You looked like the human version of the heart-eyes emoji."

"Nothing like that happened," Tzuyu retorted, fighting hard at the heat rising to her cheeks.

"See, you're blushing even now!" Nayeon pointed out with a loud laugh. "Tzuyu-ah, it's okay to admit that you have a crush."

Before Tzuyu could even reply, Jeongyeon came to her rescue and beat her to it. "Tzuyu does NOT have a crush!"

Nayeon rolled her eyes. "Ya, she's not a child, stop babying her around."

"She's still 16, and a minor," Jeongyeon protested, with a protective arm around their maknae.

"So what? It's a crush," Nayeon debated, with a wink Tzuyu. "They can worry about dating later on."

Tzuyu's face was probably redder than the surface of Mars. "Unnie, there is nothing like that going on!"

"What's going on?" Sana asked curiously, sitting with their circle.

"Tzuyu likes Kim Taehyung," Momo told her.

"She does not!" Jeongyeon cried out.

"Yoo Jeongyeon, she's not your baby!" Nayeon scolded. "Tzuyu, you can love whoever you want."

Love!? "Unnie, you're getting out of hand. We're just friends!" the maknae explained.

"Friends to lovers," Nayeon joked, wiggling her eyebrows. Jeongyeon hit her head.

"Our group is frequently going to have interactions with BTS," Ji-Hyo announced, in an attempt to settle the conversation she was over-hearing. "Let's not read into everything. We're idols, so are they. Friendships will come about, so just don't make a big deal about everything."

There was a silence after the leader spoke, but that didn't stop Nayeon secretly make kissy-faces at the maknae. Tzuyu sighed.

....

A/N : This update is slightly late but I've been really busy these days :'( the next update will be up soon, so stick around.

Much love to my readers! Please do vote and comment what you guys think about this chapter. Stay safe :)