Under the Stars {Hani x RM}

Dec 11, 2013: The Night We Met

Wednesday (December 11th, 2013) - 11:15 PM

"But mom!"

The sound of a dial tone rang through Hani's ears. With a grunt, she slammed her cell phone onto the counter and buried her face in her hands. This was the 5th fight they'd had this month. With the holidays quickly approaching, Hani was not looking forward to dealing with her mother face-to-face. What was she supposed to say?

The sound of a glass clinking on the table next to her broke her train of thought.

"You seem a little old to be arguing with your mother."

Glancing up, she saw a young man sitting next to her with a glass of beer. He had on an oversized white hoodie with black sweatpants and wore a smirk that made her roll her eyes.

"It's not something you'd understand..." she responded before taking a sip of her red wine.

"Try me."

Hani hesitated for a moment as she examined the unwanted guest. The neon lights of the bar glinted between the strands of hair in his black mohawk. She noticed that he had some gold chains around his neck and black sunglasses resting on his head despite the fact that it was late at night. Who the heck was this guy? Was he just another weirdo at the bar?

A sigh escaped Hani's lips. What did it matter? Maybe talking to someone about her problems would make her feel better. It's not like she had anything to lose.

"Well, I'm actually an idol," she said, looking down in embarrassment.

"What? Really?" the man said, eyes widening slightly, "I don't recognize you."

She chuckled, "Shows how good my group is doing, huh?"

Most celebrities seemed to hate the limelight, always having to run away from screaming, adoring fans and being busy all the time. Hani wished she could relate to that. People always called her foolish for dreaming to be an idol, and deep down, she knew it was foolish. She just couldn't let go of her ambition.

"Anyway, my mom constantly wants me to try and break my contract with my company and just go pursue a 'real job,' but is it really so wrong to pursue my dreams? She even made me promise her to quit being an idol if I don't succeed within 3 years!"

Hani chugged a few big gulps of wine before continuing her rambling.

"I mean, I know she's just being a loving, caring mother who wants her child to be stable and independent, but it's only been a year since I debuted. I really feel like I haven't unlocked my full potential yet, and I just need more time to improve myself. It's not just about me either. My members are also really talented and hard working; they deserve to shine too, and I know we can all make it if we just-"

She was cut off by the sound of laughter. The man attempted to hide his smile with his hand, but the sound of his laugh rung loud and clear.

"Wow. OK. Rude." Hani's eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips into a pout.

The man took a swig of beer before speaking, "Sorry, you just remind me of myself."

She tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually an idol too."

Hani's mouth opened slightly in shock, but she quickly regained her composure and replied in a mocking manly voice, "What? Really? I don't recognize you."

This earned another laugh from the man, which made her grin.

"I guess we're both in the same boat," he said, lifting his glass up in the air for a toast.

The slightly tipsy woman giggled and clinked her cup with his before they both took a drink.

"So what's your group's name?" he asked, wiping a stray drop of beer from his mouth.

"EXID. What about you? Are you in a group too, or are you a soloist?"

"I'm in a group too actually. We're called BTS," the man turned more towards the woman and held out his hand, "I'm Namjoon by the way, but my stage name is Rap Monster."

Hani chuckled again before taking his hand and shaking it, "I'm Heeyeon, but most people just call me Hani. That's why I just kept it as my stage name."

They both smiled at each other before releasing hands.

"I can't tell if Rap Monster sounds really cool or really cheesy," Hani teased.

"Come on, girl. You know it's totally swag," Namjoon made a cool pose with an exaggerated face, making her laugh more, "I hope you don't come here to drink your sorrows away often."

"No," she said, "it's just been... worse recently."

The mood became solemn as the two drank in silence for a while. The bartender was cleaning glasses as he hummed a tune to himself, and people were dancing in the middle of the room, some more drunk than others. There was also a couple seated at the other end of the bar, romantically leaning against each other while watching one of the TVs. Hani wished she could be that carefree, but it was hard when the future seemed so bleak.

"So how long has it been since you debuted?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Only a couple of months. Our song was called 'No More Dream' if you wanted to check it out," he rubbed the back of his head, "I think it's pretty good, and we worked really hard on it."

She nodded, "I'll be sure to do that. Our debut song was called 'Whoz that Girl' if you wanted to return the favor."

He grinned, "Of course."

Namjoon waved the bartender over to pay and finished off his beer before standing up.

"Well it was nice to meet you, Hani. I hope you'll keep working hard toward your dream because you're too pretty to be sitting sad and alone at a bar like this."

He winked at her, which made her scoff and giggle at the same time.

"Thank you, Rap Monster," she said while making an obnoxiously fake gangster pose.

He couldn't help but chuckle before walking toward the door.

"EXID and BTS fighting!" Hani exclaimed toward him, pumping her fist in the air.

Namjoon looked back and smiled at her one more time before exiting the bar. Once he was out of sight, Hani gently laid her head down on the countertop. She knew now more than ever that she couldn't give up, not when there were other people working hard for their dreams too.

She glanced up at the TV behind the counter. A recorded episode of Music Core was playing. Miss A was performing their hit song, "Hush." Passionate fanchants enveloped the music as the girls danced fiercely in red, leather outfits. Hani sighed as her index finger danced along the rim of her wine glass.

One day... that would be EXID.

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction, so I'm really excited to get it out there. I know this chapter was rather short and uneventful, but I have a lot planned ^^ I'm trying to keep the dates accurate as far as when certain songs/albums are released, but obviously, I can't keep an accurate timeline of all EXID and BTS activities or there would be no story, right? Anyway, thanks so much for reading. I would love to hear any feedback you have :)