Way Back Home

Awake

Maybe I can't touch the sky.
Still, I want to stretch
my hand out

Yoongi put the microphone back on the stand and walked off the tiny barroom stage. There was only two people in the bar and they were hardly even paying attention. It was a crappy gig, but it was one of the first he'd managed to get. And even if nobody was paying attention, at least he was performing, that was all he really wanted.

It was already late, past midnight, so Yoongi picked up his backpack and stopped at the bar to get his meager pay for entertaining that night, then he left. As he walked back to the apartment he wondered if Chaerin was already home. He hoped she was, he didn't want her to be walking around in the dark by herself. Yoongi's footsteps unconsciously sped up.

He made it to their crappy apartment building and trudged up five floors worth of stairs. This stupid building didn't come with an elevator, which sucked in his opinion, but Chaerin said it was good cardio. She was crazy, in his opinion. Yoongi unlocked the door and stepped into the living room.

The apartment was dark. Yoongi flipped on the ceiling light and cast a glance around the room, coming up empty. Chaerin wasn't home yet. That made him worry. He didn't like it when she worked late. Her normal shift at the restaurant was supposed to end at 8 but she tended to pick up shifts even though Yoongi told her not to. Chaerin argued that they needed the money, which they did, but that didn't mean that he liked worrying about whether or not she would come home safely that night.

Yoongi dropped his bag by the door and sat on the couch, trying not to worry too hard. His head flopped back and sleep began to creep in. Just as Yoongi drifted off the front door banged open and the ceiling light flipped on, startling him back into the land of the conscious.

"Oops! Sorry Yoongi," a soft voice chuckled as Yoongi blinked rapidly, trying to get his vision back after being blinded by Chaerin's surprise homecoming.

"Oh my god, I'm blind," he complained.

"Well I seriously doubt that, but if you are blind at least you'll still be able to eat dinner with me," Chaerin grinned and set a bag of takeout on the coffee table.

"Food, I'm starving." He didn't bother taking the time to scold Chaerin for staying at work late, there was no point getting into an argument this late at night.

"Yup! This old lady at the restaurant left me a huge tip so I went out and got some food. You're welcome." Chaerin flopped down beside Yoongi on the couch and they both dug into the food.

Even though it was well past midnight at this point, neither of them had eaten dinner yet. So they ate quickly and by the time they were finished Chaerin started to feel the exhaustion of a fifteen hour shift. She yawned and stretched out on the couch, laying her legs across Yoongi's lap.

"How was the gig tonight?" Chaerin asked in a small, sleepy voice.

"It was fine." Yoongi pulled the worn shoes off Chaerin's feet since he knew she was too tired to do it herself and picked up a blanket to lay over the both of them. "Did any of the agencies call you back yet?"

"No," she sighed, "But it's only been a couple weeks since I sent out my head shots so it's okay."

She lied. Two of the talent agencies she'd applied to had called back and both of them had turned her down. Chaerin tried not to let it get to her. She'd called a dozed different agencies, there was still a chance one of them would call her with good news. But in the meantime, she didn't want Yoongi to know that her first attempt at breaking into the acting world was shot down before it even took off. He would just get upset. Chaerin had noticed it lately, how he doted on her in a way he didn't used to. He constantly asked if she's eating, telling her to not work so much, making sure she actually goes to sleep at night. Ever since her grandmother died it's like Yoongi had taken on the responsibility of taking care of Chaerin. But he was busy taking care of himself as well, so Chaerin didn't want him to worry too much about her. And most of all, she didn't want to disappoint him.

"They'll call," Yoongi assured her. "They'd be stupid not to. Anyone who passes up the chance to know you must be an idiot." A small smirk rested on his lips as Yoongi leaned back and got comfortable on the couch.

Chaerin observed his resting face. The late gigs had been getting to him, he was exhausted. But of course he would never show it, stubborn as he was. He loved his music, that was for sure. If he wasn't out at some midnight gig, he was in his studio writing. The studio itself wasn't anything much, just a table scattered with pages and a keyboard he'd managed to buy with some scrounged up money. Chaerin knew he was desperate for recording equipment but they just couldn't afford it right now. That's why she had been working so many extra shifts, she was determined to get him that recording equipment. Because when you love somebody, their dreams become your dreams. And Chaerin wanted to make Yoongi's dreams come true.

"Hey," she whispered, "Yoongi." He didn't respond. "Don't you want to lay down on the mattress? It's more comfortable than the couch." She nudged his legs with her feet, trying to get a response out of him.

"I'm plenty comfortable right here," he grumbled back. "Now shut up and go to sleep, Chae."

"So bossy," she chuckled but did as he said.

Chaerin relaxed into the old couch and snuggled further into the blanket Yoongi had thrown over them. She'd been having trouble sleeping lately. But right now she was beyond tired and their crappy couch had somehow never felt so comfortable before.

When Chaerin had stopped moving, Yoongi peeled back one eyelid to glance at her. For once she was actually asleep. She hardly slept anymore, she was always working too much. He really worried about her. Yoongi tucked the blanket around her feet so they wouldn't get cold and lay his arms over her legs, making sure she wouldn't try to escape in the middle of the night and pick up another shift. She needed to sleep. Besides, he missed his friend, he didn't want her running off and leaving him.

Authors Note
Let's all please take a moment to appreciate the wonderful human being that is Kim Seokjin and the beautiful song that he created. Seriously, I will fight anyone who has the audacity to undermine or under appreciate Jin, because that boy is sunshine walking. BTS would not be that same without his flying kisses and his windshield wiper laugh and his uncanny ability to pull hearts out of thin air. Let's all remember that.
ARMY loves you Jin ❤️
–A