The Arrangement

65

One month later.

Taehyung waited outside of Big Hit, letting the sun warm his back. It was early fall now, the temperatures cooler yet still comfortable. This time of the year was one of his favorites.

The final two weeks of the tour sped by as the boys performed in the last few scheduled cities. While more dates could have been added - there was an extremely high demand for additional concerts around the world - Big Hit decided to wrap things up for now. With Bang Si-hyuk leading the forces, the company wanted to give everyone a much deserved break.

There were some changes for the last few concerts, however. Taehyung sang Inner Child along with two of his old songs, which caused a frenzy with the fans. He was offered the chance to join in on Jungkook's, Jimin's, and Yeonjun's group numbers as well, but he politely declined. This was still their concert after all.

Another development was Namjoon's promotion to Head of Artist Development. It was a new role within Big Hit, one responsible for planning out the careers of the company's artists. Si-hyuk had greatly admired the producer's ingenuity and fire when it came to helping Taehyung, so the CEO offered him the role. Namjoon accepted, under the condition that he was still a producer as well.

After Taehyung read the contract in full, he found Namjoon wasn't lying about the freedom the CEO offered him. Under this new agreement, he had the ability to be whatever type of artist he wanted to be. There were no touring obligations, lyric restrictions, or media requirements. As long as Taehyung wasn't proposing anything crazy - and as long as Namjoon signed off on it - he could do whatever he wanted.

He was taking that opportunity and running with it. Over the last couple weeks, he thought deeply about the type of career he saw for himself. There were still many aspects to work out, but he was in no rush. Right now, he was focusing purely on his personal development.

Taehyung wanted to ensure he had a life outside of being a world famous artist, so when the time came to inevitably take a step back, he'd have other passions to pursue.

And all of that would come with time.

But, as for right now, he had one crucial thing he wanted to lock down. He waited outside of Big Hit for his target.

A few minutes later and a familiar voice called his name. "Hey, Tae!"

Taehyung turned towards Jimin and waved him over. "Just the person I've been waiting for."

"Me?" Jimin questioned. "Aren't you waiting for Kook?"

"No, he's at therapy right now," the younger explained.

As soon as everyone returned home from tour, Jungkook immediately booked an appointment with Lee Hyun. He knew there were still dark areas in his mind and heart that he wanted to air out, and after hearing of Taehyung's experiences, he knew just who to go to. Those sessions were as cathartic for Jungkook as they were for Taehyung; he was immensely grateful for Taehyung's positive influence and motivation.

Jimin sat next to him. "So what can I do for you?"

"I have something to ask you," Taehyung began, nervously biting his lip. "It's a question I'm going to ask Jungkook too, but I wanted to come to you first. I think I already know what his answer will be."

"Oh. My. God!" Jimin exclaimed, shooting up to a standing position. "Are you asking him to marry you?! Are you asking me for your blessing? Because permission granted, TaeTae. Permission fucking granted."

Taehyung shook his head and laughed heartily, grabbing Jimin's wrist to pull him back down. "No, I'm not asking him to marry me yet. But good to know you approve."