Stirring The Soul

Chapter 39

"Ladies and gentleman," starts Mr Brown, "I bet you are wondering why I'm standing here and, whilst I'm sure some of you are hoping for a dance number from me, I am here to introduce a surprise stage performance."

No way, are they really? you think and then notice that Jungkook grinning at you from ear to ear. You look at him quizzically, catching the last few words from Mr Brown."BTS will be giving a special performing just for us. Please give them a typically warm Academy welcome," he says and deftly leaves the stage. You instinctively look to your right and realise that you hadn't even noticed that the guys had been vacant from their seats the whole time. You are thrilled at this surprise announcement though, and can't believe Jungkook managed to keep it secret for so long. It explains why you hadn't heard from him much since your date. You smile broadly, looking forward to this live mini performance from BTS. If only you'd all been given light sticks to complete the experience. As soon as the applause dies down, the rest of the members slowly appear from the behind the curtain, mics in hand. They are dressed in the suits you saw them in earlier; midnight blue with white shirts and plain ties in different colours. You notice that their ties match their mics and you have to admit, they look very dapper. But, even though they are all handsome in their own right, it's only Jungkook who draws your eyes toward him. Without saying anything, they go straight into their first song, which you recognise as Spring Day. They sing it without any music and the clarity of voices is astounding. They are so engrossed in the song and you notice that Jungkook has his eyes closed throughout almost all of it. Once its over, they receive the applause which subsides as they move onto their next song. You don't recognise this one, which is softer than its predecessor. You hear the phrase 'your eyes tell' a few times and assume that this is the title. You stare intently at Jungkook, utterly engrossed in his gentle demeanour and commitment to the music. Your heart is full and your body aches for his. By the end of it, the song gains an even louder applause from the audience showing their appreciation for the guys' talents, especially without instrumental music. All the members then bow and you assume it is the end of the performance as they make their way off stage. However, you notice that Jungkook is still standing. Once the others have found their seats in the front row, he lifts his mic, closes his eyes, and then dives into another song without hesitation. With no music or other singers for support, his voice is clear, crisp and unsullied. He begins to sing "If You", an exceptionally beautiful love song. You've never told Jungkook, but it's one of your favourite cover songs of his and you've listened to it many times when you're alone and missing him. So now to suddenly hear him singing it, sends shivers down your spine. After closing his eyes for the first few minutes, he opens them and stares at you for the rest of the song without breaking his gaze once, making you very self-conscious. You can tell from the corner of your eye that you are getting a few glances from some of the members. Mr Brown, who is seated next to you again, gives nothing away. You blush uncontrollably for the third time this evening and hold your face in your hands to cool it down. Because of this, you can't enjoy the song fully and are grateful when it's over. Everyone stands up immediately and applauds Jungkook heartily. He bows and leaves the stage while the Chairwoman of the Academy comes up to give her closing remarks and thanks to the students, and particularly BTS for coming all this way and surprising everyone with a special performance. As Jungkook walks past you to get to his seat, he reaches out his hand to quickly touch yours. You feel a jolt of electricity at his touch, reminding you of the intensity of his gaze just minutes ago. The Chairwoman has now thanked everyone for attending and wishes everyone a safe journey home. You debate whether you should stay or run to the loo to recover from the last few minutes, but that decision is made for you when you see all of BTS walking towards you. You decide to lead the conversation. "Oh my goodness, that was such an amazing surprise! You guys were brilliant and without any music as well. Wow, now I know why you're the biggest K-Pop band around." Shameless flattery usually works as a good form of distraction, even though the words you've said are true. All their responses come at once and you just about catch what they say.
"Thank you, glad you enjoyed it,"
"I wasn't sure we'd be ready but we pulled it off,"
"Of course, we're professionals,"
"Will they be giving us refreshments?"
"Ah, we only did two songs, poor Jungkookie had the most to do,"

You notice that Jungkook is the only one not talking and he looks spent. His eyes have glazed over and he looks like he could fall asleep at any moment. Knowing that the last few weeks of intense practice and preparation for this recital, and then the surprise group performance, have taken their toll on Jungkook. Add to this the time he's spent with you, it is no wonder he is exhausted although he'd never shown it when he was with you.

"Guys, I would love to spend more time talking to you, but Jungkook looks like he's struggling to keep his eyes open. It's been a tiring few weeks, I think I should take him home now," you say, realising that you may have just given away the fact that your relationship wasn't purely as a tutor and tutee. No matter, they have to find out eventually, I'm just easing them into it, you think.

"We'll come with you," pipes in Jimin, indicating to himself and Taehyung, who looks at him slightly surprised, but then gives you a boxy smile as if to concur. "Yes, we want to see where he lives," he says.

"Sure, why not!" you say, although secretly you had been hoping for some alone time with Jungkook. You say your goodbyes to the rest of BTS and Mr Brown, promising to arrange a day out with all the boys while they are in London. With that, the four of you head out into the main road, Jungkook being coddled by Jimin and Taehyung while you maintain a sensible distance from them. You hail a cab which you all pile into. You and Taehyung sit together opposite Jimin and Jungkook. By this point, Jungkook is almost completely asleep and is resting his head on Jimin's shoulder. You smile politely at Jimin, trying not to stare at Jungkook and give away how you feel about him. Taehyung chats away happily at you and Jimin, forgetting that you don't have a strong grasp of Hangul, but you don't mind. You feel as though you're getting a better idea of Jungkook's closest member friends. You look at him sadly, thinking how challenging and tiring it must be for him to live as an idol. This reminds you of the thoughts you had at your dinner date. You'd almost forgotten about those previous concerns and as they resurface, you face turns sombre.