A Modest Proposal (Kim Namjoon/ BTS) (#SerendipityAwards)

15. I Like It

“Happy Birthday, Jungkookie!”

The maknae grinned widely and his members took turns squeezing him with tight embraces. Hoseok was popping party crackers while Seokjin unboxed the cake which he had picked up earlier from the bakery.

The rest of them were crowded around the dining table of their dorm, watching as their youngest member blew out the candles and made a wish. Their house was decorated with multicolored balloons, frills and glittery sashes adorning the walls, JUNGKOOK spelt in bold letters on the empty space opposite their flat-screen television.

“Kookie’s finally an adult!” Taehyung exclaimed happily, clapping the maknae on the back. “You know what that means!” The members looked at him in confusion, eliciting a deep laugh from the second-youngest. “I meant he’s finally eligible to drink all the alcohol we had stashed away especially for this occasion.”

“I thought he meant something else,” Jimin sighed in a low voice but Yoongi caught him. The rapper snickered as he placed a palm on the younger man's shoulder.

“I heard that, Jiminie,” he teased but Jimin just shrugged nonchalantly, claiming he had no idea what Yoongi was referring to.

Their attention was diverted by Namjoon who cleared his throat loudly. The members all turned to face him, bubbling with excitement which began to rub off on Jungkook who waited in anticipation with bated breath.

“Jungkook-ah,” the leader addressed the keyed up maknae, smiling fondly. “We thought long and hard about what you’d like for your birthday. And we finally arrived at the perfect idea.”

Hoseok and Seokjin nodded in assent, even Yoongi displaying more than usual energy. Taehyung and Jimin grinned, affectionate expressions on all their faces.

“I can’t wait to see what it is!” Jungkook could barely conceal his excitement and Namjoon smiled.

“Of course, but you’ll have to wait a little longer,” he said and the maknae’s eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. “Because it’s not here.”

“It’s waiting for you at Big Hit."
                                ***

To Jungkook, the car ride felt longer than their trips abroad, despite Big Hit being relatively close to their apartment block. He hopped out of the van as soon as it pulled up on the curb, bounding into the building after Namjoon. The leader chuckled at the waves of eagerness rolling off him and fervently hoped that Jungkook would like the gift they had all prepared for him.

It was just a little over midnight and the offices of Big Hit were deserted, save for the occasional guard prowling about on usual rounds. Namjoon bundled them all into the elevator, pushing the buttons for the floor which housed their studios. The members wriggled their toes impatiently, waiting to see Jungkook’s reaction.

The carriage doors pinged open and Namjoon led the way, his feet carrying him towards the end of the corridor. Jungkook followed at his heels, the others tailing close behind. The rapper halted before a room, stepping aside to pull Jungkook ahead. The maknae’s eyes widened, disbelief pooling in his mind as it struggled to make sense of the words carved on the door.

JUNGKOOK'S STUDIO

“Hyung…” Words failed the birthday boy as he dragged his eyes away from the door and rested them on all his Hyungs. “This…this is…Is this real?”

Namjoon nodded with a broad smile on his face. “We’d noticed your interest in producing music, Kookie. So we thought you’d appreciate a space of your own to engage in it.”

“And there’s another provision. Since our current dorm didn’t have enough rooms, we settled for a studio at Big Hit,” Jimin added, the words spilling out of him in excitement. “But once we move to our new dorm, you’ll be able to have a studio all to yourself.”