Luna II(A BTS Soulmate AU)

62

Genuine was the word that Luna thought about first when it came to Bang PD and Sejin.

Sympathetic was what they were towards the situation, the appropriate reaction to friends or family being hurt.

They came baring gifts and sympathy cards—both talking a mile a minute as they expressed genuine concerns over the soulmates' well being. Dinner sort of acted as a briefing—the  soulmates taking turns recalling the incident—none of them having trusted the PR department to have told them the whole truth. Both men were reeling afterwards after confirming that they did end up getting a very doctored version of the story.

Seeing that no one was interested in dinner anymore, Jin proposed a break before they got into what happened next—him, Hobi, and Yoongi taking away all the plates while the group moved over to the living room so they could sit comfortably while they talked; and once those three were back from the kitchen, Joon wasted no time starting.

"It's clear that they lied to make themselves look better, and it's only fair that we tell our side of the story. I don't know what they told you, but let me tell you why we are upset. Yesterday, they insisted that we needed to talk right away, came into our home, and not one of them asked how any of us were doing. Choi Ilsung, new head of PR, just jumped right into the plan they discussed without us, which was to release a statement saying we're all fine and that the tour would still happen next week but on different dates; we as in all of us would do a Vlive defending the company; and that Luna would apologize—and had the nerve to threaten us—"

"I'm sorry, what? This is the plan he was referring to?" Bang PD says, looking over at Sejin, who was rubbing his temples.

"He didn't say any details, only that they all refused to participate and threw him and the other executives out," Sejin says, causing a bit of an uproar in the living room as everyone tried to express their distaste at the same time.

Tae was explaining the concert ticket situation when Joon notices that Luna is quiet amongst the chaos and just felt that she had something to add, but was waiting for the right time. She was calm, but her lips were twisted to the side, an indicator that she was thinking hard about something.

"You okay Lu?" he asks, inadvertently drawing the attention to her.

"Yeah, I want to say something, but I'm trying to figure out how to soften it," she says.

"You don't have to do that for my sake. I'd rather you just say how you feel. We're all family here and families discuss things openly and honestly," Bang PD says and Luna sighs before speaking.

"Okay um, before I start, I just want to let you know that none of what I'm about to say applies to you as a person. You and Sejin-ah feel like family. You're two of the most genuine people I've ever encountered in the music industry. That's something to be proud of," she says and they both nod, shooting her small smile of appreciation.

"So...coming straight out with it—I'm sorry to say that Bighit is no longer that family oriented company you envisioned. Even your mission statement—"music and artist for healing"—has been lost. It's not your fault. Bighit has grown tremendously and I understand that you can't micromanage every detail anymore. I think that with the need for more employees, the hiring criteria changed from who would fit with the team to who is better qualified—again, not unlike anything other companies do. However, that's how you get employees like Choi Ilsung, the majority of the executive board, and the PR team," she says, and Jin takes a moment to jump in.

"It's true. These people are hardcore professionals, not an empathetic bone in their bodies. I was talking about tighter security protocols and one of the executives fed me a line about not being able to point out a sasaeng. That was the most insensitive and non productive answer she could've given," he exclaims and everyone agrees.

"See that's the thing. College qualifies you for jobs right? You learn what you need to know to get the job done. One thing they don't teach you is morals. You could be the best at your job and simultaneously be a trash human. I'm speaking unabashedly, but this is exactly how I feel. The majority of the executives, the PR team, and a lot of the higher ups are more than qualified for their jobs, but they're lacking in morals—all willing to do whatever necessary to make the company look good—even if the artists have to suffer in the process," Luna adds.

"Usually, we just go along with it because it's best for the company. A lot of these issues don't even come to you because it's just easier to conform and not make a big deal about it. You know how invested we are in this company. We will never not be grateful for it, but we've got to stand up for ourselves this time around. We've all been heavily affected by what happened and we don't know how long it'll take to get back to normal. JK is not ready to tour yet,  Luna is physically hurt, and we're all struggling mentally. Under no circumstances will we be going on tour until we feel comfortable and ready," Yoongi says, his face completely serious.

"And we don't approve of a statement being released on our behalf's about it. We'll do a Vlive explaining what happened ourselves. I don't trust that Choi guy," Hobi adds.

"And we won't lie to our fans, so please do something to fix all these problems. I'd love to be able to tell them that the company has learned from its  mistakes and are taking action to fix them," Tae says, his lips set in a pout.

Bang PD nods, his body language telling of how deep in thought he was. He looks stressed beyond relief already and they can't help but feel for him.

"I want to add that it's not our intention to stress you out—and I'm sure me just saying that doesn't help. I do have a few suggestions if you're willing to hear them though," she says and he sits up, interested.

"What do you suggest?" he asks, pulling out his phone to take notes presumably.

"First, I'd suggest cleaning house—starting with the executives and the PR team. They have more power and influence so they need to be vetted properly. Fire them all—except me of course—and appoint employees who have seniority in their departments until you find replacements. Crack down on the HR department and double down on the rules. Let them know that you want to get back to your roots and hire good people with strong senses of morality—maybe have them use some sort of questionnaire during the application process. Have a code of ethics class or something that's mandatory for all staff to complete; and have them sign a waiver after that holds them legally accountable for their actions. I could go on but lastly, like Tae mentioned earlier—I think that the company should publicly take full responsibility for this and take the appropriate steps to ensure that this type of thing doesn't happen again," Luna says.

"All great ideas, especially the first one. The executives and the PR team has got to go. I don't trust any of them as far as I can throw them, especially that Choi guy. We don't throw our weight around often, but I for one, am going to insist that he goes," Jimin says, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Yeah, he cared more about the fans being upset about the concert and the money we'd lose more than anything else," JK finally contributes and Luna lays her head on his shoulder, noticing the far away look in his eyes.

"Consider it all done. I know I said it before, but I truly am sorry that this happened to you all. I love you like my own children and to hear that you were treated like—like pawns afterwards pisses me off. This situation was mishandled in every which way, but I'll make it right starting now. Disregard everything the company has said up until this point. I want to call off this tour and give the fans their refunds. You all should take all the time you need to heal—no rush. You're not required to do a Vlive, but if you do, I won't ask you to lie. Speak your truths like you always have. The company will handle the pushback by releasing a statement detailing what happened and measures we are going to put in place to prevent it ever happening again. Thank you for all these suggestions Luna. They'll be put to good use starting first thing in the morning. Thank you all for telling me your true feelings on the matter. It's something I needed to hear," Bang PD says sincerely.

Although they knew that they would be able to resolve this with Bang PD, it was still a relief how smoothly this discussion had gone. It gave them hope for their future together at a company they could be proud of and a workplace they could feel safe in. It wouldn't happen overnight, but it would happen and that's all they wanted to hear.