Jimin's Struggle

6

The day after MAMA, Jungkook checked Twitter. It was only about 7 a.m., but he had a lot of notifications on his phone. An article caught his eye, and he became suspicious. After opening the link, he began to read.

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"Bangtan Boys are rude and disrespectful at MAMA 2015. Stage manager Lee Jun Shi claims the boys attacked him while he explained stage instructions. Here's what Mr. Lee had to say. 'They answered me shortly, without any form of respect. They followed the example of their leader, Rapmonster. He began it all. And the worst part was their manager's unwillingness to discipline the boys, even after they rose their voices at me.' The fans of BTS are heartbroken. What will Bangtan say in their defense? We will soon find out."

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Jungkook didn't know what to think. He re-read the article, twice, before even thinking about telling the others. Most of them were still sleeping, but Yoongi was awake. Jungkook approached his hyung, who was sitting on their small hotel couch reading. Jungkook could tell he didn't want to be bothered; when Jungkook sat next to him, there was no response. But this article was too important to be ignored.

"Yoongi hyung, you need to read this. It is important."

At first, Yoongi gave Jungkook the "Get away from me child" look. But when he saw the expression on Jungkook's face, he decided it was worth a look. Taking Jungkook's phone, he began to read. The article caught his full attention. He read it, then re-read it. Finally, he looked up at Jungkook.

"Where did you find this?"

Jungkook frowned.

"It's all over Twitter."

Yoongi grunted.

"Well, this stinks. What should we do about it?"

Jungkook knew Yoongi wasn't really asking him, just talking to himself. After a moment of silence, Yoongi stood up. Without a word, he walked out into the hallway to wake up the other boys.

After waking them all (which took longer and more energy than he expected), Yoongi came back to his room. Jungkook sat cross-legged on his bed, picking at his nails. He was nervous about what would happen. Would their fans be upset? How are they going to explain? Yoongi looked at his Maknae, seeing the nervousness in his eyes. He sat next to Jungkook and placed an arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry Jungkookie, we will figure this out. Don't let it get to you. Our true fans will understand once we reveal the truth about that ______ stage manager."

Jungkook gave his hyung a nervous grin. He wasn't like Yoongi. He couldn't just relax about things like this. He cared too much about the public opinion. He knew he should heed his hyung's advice, but he couldn't push the article from his mind. He didn't regret the way they had acted last night, but he was afraid of the repercussions it had created.

A couple minutes later, there was a knock at their door. It was Taehyung and Namjoon. Their hair was crazy, both still in their pajamas. Neither one cared; they were wide awake and attentive. Without a word, Jungkook handed Namjoon his phone. After reading the article, he passed the phone to Taehyung. Meanwhile, the rest of the boys showed up. Jimin and Jin were last - they had been working out in the gym. One by one, each boy read the article. Jimin was the most upset. He felt that he was the reason this had happened. If he wouldn't have let his cheeks become so, so... He tried not to think about it.

When everyone was done reading, nobody spoke. Namjoon texted their manager, who was already aware of the situation. He told the boys whatever decision they made, he would support. However, it was their responsibility to deal with this problem. He would let them figure it out.

Well, that didn't help much. The boys were confused and scared, especially Namjoon. He felt responsible since he had set the example. But he didn't shame for doing something wrong. Although conflicted, he didn't regret standing up for Jimin. The least affected was of course Yoongi, who usually didn't care what others said. But even he was nervous at the outcome this article could have on their band. After a long moment, Namjoon spoke up.

"Guys, you know what? I'm not sorry for acting the way I did. I would rather this happen than let someone speak to any of you like that man did to Jimin. I'm nervous about the consequences this article may bring, but I don't regret anything."

He smiled at Jimin, but Jimin didn't look at him. He was too busy staring a hole into the ground. His thoughts flew through his mind at light's speed. His body shook as emotions raged through him. Namjoon noticed first. The others saw Namjoon's expression. All attention turned to Jimin, but he didn't notice. He didn't know what he felt, what he though. Why was he angry? Was he angry at the manager, at the other boys, at himself? Why didn't he know?

Hoseok sat down next to Jimin. He gave no response. Jimin was tense and agitated. The others were hesitant; no one spoke. Gently, Hoseok placed a hand on Jimin's arm. But his touch didn't help. Jimin roughly shrugged it off and angrily stood up. His sudden action scared the others. They had never seen him like this. Jimin couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Why did you guys have to say anything?! Why did you have to stop me in the first place?!" He pointed an accusing finger towards Hoseok. "If you wouldv'e just left me alone, this wouldn't have happened!"

Everyone was silent. The oxygen seemed to be sucked from the room. Hoseok frowned, becoming defensive and angry.

"If I would've left you alone, you would be dead by now!"

Tension clung to the air. No one dared move.

Jimin was overwhelmed. He could feel his face burning. His hands twitched uncontrollably. He glared at Hoseok, who glared back. But his hyung's glare softened after a while. Hoseok looked down, a sigh leaving his lips.

"Jimin, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Jimin softened some, but he was still too angry to reply. He just stood there, not knowing what to do. He wanted to punch something, or throw something. Jungkook was frightened by his hyung, his eyes a window to his confusion. Jimin saw the fear he inflicted on the Maknae. It was too much for him. Some tears escaped his eyes, silently rolling down his cheeks. Without a word, Jimin stormed from the room.

Everyone jumped when the door slammed. Hoseok had tears in his eyes, guilt washing over him. Jimin had already been through so much, he shouldn't have been so mean. Taehyung hugged Hobie hyung from behind, placing his chin on his shoulder. Hoseok grinned through his tears, but he couldn't forgive himself.

"What are we going to do?" Jin asked.

Namjoon met his eyes.

"Well, we have two options. One, we can ignore the article completely. Or two, we could release a statement about what happened, backed by our manager and anyone else in our staff who will testify. I know our fans will support us if we tell the truth, including admitting our own disrespect. If we tell the honest truth, this Mr. Lee can't hold anything against us, and everyone will know exactly what he said to Jimin."

Everyone agreed option two was the best, and it was settled. They texted their manager, who fully supported their idea.

After all was decided, Yoongi asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Who's going to talk to Jimin?"

He looked around at the others. Hoseok shook his head, tears still threatening to spill down his cheeks. Taehyung was still hugging Hobie hyung, and Jungkook didn't meet Yoongi's gaze. For the first time, Namjoon didn't think he could properly speak with Jimin. Jin didn't know what to say. Yoongi sighed.

"I guess I'll talk to him."

Without anymore said, Yoongi left the room to go find Jimin.