BTS Kidnapped

Part Forty-Five

T/N: KOREAN VOCABULARY LESSON!!! WOOHOO!!!!! Here are the new words we used this chapter!

l Ma meohano: (Busan dialect) 'What are you doing?'

~oooOooo~

The next day guards brought fresh ingredients that Jin used to make an amazing smelling japchae. The brothers eagerly gathered around the table for a taste of home. It smelled like Jin had really tried, and when he had the time to do it right, his food always tasted like it came straight from a 5-star restaurant. For several minutes the room was filled with the sounds of utensils clicking and clacking as they served themselves, soft hums of approval leaving the members' mouths as they dug into the well-prepared meal.

"Hyung!" Namjoon moaned. "This is amazing!"

"Uh-huh," Yoongi agreed from where he sat, eyes closed in enjoyment.

"Remember when we were in New York and that halmoni kept her shop open for us so we could eat after the concert?" Hoseok said. "This tastes like that."

All of the members nodded in agreement. Then, just as now, it had been months since they had tasted food from home. The japchae there tasted like something that would have come from the auntie down the street from their building or the japchae Taehyung's grandmother would fix and have sent when his parents came to visit. Eating it felt good; cooking it felt good.

For the first time since finding themselves held captive, they felt lighter, less encumbered. They weren't worried about escaping or beatings or threats at that moment. They were just guys sitting around a table eating food that reminded them of happier times. They were six guys, though, and that fact didn't escape any of them. Jimin was not there and it weighed heavily on each of their hearts. They could do nothing to help him right then and it made them sick. But Jin... Jin had made japchae that smelled like home and he had done it for them. They clamored for it, clamored for the respite that memories brought, clamored for the mental break they so desperately needed if they were going to be ready for what came next: if they ever hoped to save their brother and themselves.

"That night was awesome all around, hyung," Jungkook said, his mouth full of noodles and vegetables, looking every bit as much of the person he was before being snatched away from everything he knew, before sickness settled itself in his lungs.

Jin nodded, remembering the show and how well they had done. It wasn't just that they performed well... Taehyung... he sang 'Stigma' live for the first time, a teaser for their upcoming album, and hit those high notes flawlessly. Jin remembered the sharp intakes of breath from Junmyeon and the other sunbaes in attendance when his falsetto hit. The looks on their faces were priceless - a mixture of disbelief and unmasked awe. And rightfully so. Nobody could have sung that song like Taehyung did. He absolutely killed it and all of Bangtan's shoulders stood straighter just by being affiliated with a voice like that. Jin was so proud of Taehyung that night, so happy he had decided to show the world what a powerhouse he truly was.

"I was afraid you wouldn't do it, Tae. I thought you were going to talk yourself out of it," Namjoon said around a mouthful of food. None of them could slow themselves down; talking and eating just seemed to run together like it used to, when they didn't have to worry about things like ransoms.

"You really were amazing that night," Jungkook agreed.

Taehyung was blushing - he couldn't help it. The truth was he hadn't been sure if he was going to sing the song that way either. It wasn't that he didn't think he could do it... he had always known his upper register was higher than most people expected it to be. It was just showing it - he didn't know if he was ready to put himself out there like that. He didn't have to - he could have skimped on the high note, didn't have to sing out the way he did on the track, but... he wanted to. Something about New York, about being in front of an audience that was already loving them without the expectations and conformity that South Korean audiences had, made him feel more empowered than usual. He didn't have to downplay himself. Taehyung decided he would step out there and see what happened.