Evenstar

38. A New Beginning

Winter was ending and Taehyung was almost done shooting his first and last series for 2034. After this, he had no acting projects lined up since Bangtan would be going on tour. Although he had been given scripts to review, he didn't want to take on new projects until he had done all that he needed to do for the year, including his plans for Dae Eun.

They had rehearsed the whole setlist, and he could sense that Jimin was really struggling. It wasn't obvious to the others, but he knew what kind of pressure the tour was putting on him. His friend always occupied the center position in their choreography. He was the best dancer, next to Hobi, and was always on fire on stage. But the accident had affected him and, coupled with age, he just wasn't as lithe as he used to be. He would tire easily and it took longer to catch his breath.

One afternoon soon after Dae Eun returned from the Philippines, Taehyung handed Jimin the flask of the tonic he received from her. Since taking the tonic regularly last year, Taehyung felt that it had given him more energy and he was eventually able to manage his acting and Bangtan schedules with ease. There was still time for the same effects to manifest with Jimin before their tour started.

"Jimin-ah, I've been taking this since September last year. I think it works. Drink a bit every morning, and give me back the flask once it runs out."

Jimin took the flask from him and hugged his friend. He hadn't said anything but he had been very anxious. He felt he would let everybody down at some point, and he didn't want to disappoint his members and ARMY.

"Thank you, Taetae. I will. Where did you get this?"

"A doctor prescribed it for me."

Jimin hoped it would work for him, too. He was always surprised at how Taehyung had several schedules daily but was able to manage them all.

"But how about you?"

"I can always get more, don't worry," Taehyung lied. He couldn't really ask Dae Eun for more of the tonic. He suspected it was made of high quality ginseng. Dae Eun would never allow him to pay for it, and he wouldn't know how to ask her anyway. But Jimin needed it more now. He was really worried about what would happen to them on this tour. They were not in their 20's anymore and Jimin had been inactive for ten years. Some of his muscles had actually atrophied and he was still recovering, trying to build muscle to replace the cells that died.

"Thank you, my friend." He opened the flask, took a sip and almost gagged.

"It's bitter. Just bear with it. Bitter is good for you." Taehyung put his arm on Jimin's shoulder and wished that the tonic would improve his stamina in time.

By March Taehyung observed that the tonic had a good effect on his friend. Jimin was performing better. He was glad and wished he could share the news with Dae Eun. Probably when the tour was over he could come clean.

In mid-March, a month before the first leg of their tour, all the members were in the JKL main conference room for a meeting. Jungkook, their CEO, presided.

"Hyungs, we're getting ready for the press releases. What shall we call this tour?" All the preparations were done, all the designs were ready, he just needed the final title.

"Our farewell tour," Yoongi said.

"Hyung, ARMY might think this is the end." Jungkook protested.

"Well, it is the end for the young BTS. We will be young forever at heart, but the high precision choreography, the energy level we had in our 20's, let's face it, we have to prepare ARMY to say goodbye to that." Yoongi didn't want to lie to their fandom. As Bulletproof, their new persona, they would have very little choreography to present to ARMY. But he knew that their music would more than make up for it. He just wanted to give ARMY an honest heads-up.