Chapter Text
Love is such a small word, for such a big and complicated thing.
It intertwines itself in everything us humans do, see, create, and feel. Sometimes, love is beautiful. Creating special connections, memories, and situations. Other times, it worms itself into a life unexpectedly, utterly consuming someone past their known limits, mentally and physically. Somehow, someway, the more an individual tries to fight it, the more it seeps into every fiber of their being. Every single person in the world has some sort of connection involving the word ‘love’. However, every single path never fails to be unique.
Yet, it’s expected to be wedged into a measly, four letter word.
Jimin had a very complicated relationship with those four letters, to say the least.
After a decent slew of shitty ass relationships throughout college, not so great hookups after nights at the bar, and a few blind dates, he threw his hands up in defeat. He sure had a way of picking the most ignorant, self centered assholes to give his time to. He loved the physical aspect of it more than anyone. The mental turmoil however, didn’t make it worth it. He didn't quite want to commit to a full on relationship, but he knew he was far too hot to be someone's fuck toy whenever it was convenient for them.
He wanted to feel special, and someone who made him feel special…
and then he wanted to get fucked.
He decided to focus more on his career from there on out.
Small huffs of breath could be heard echoing through the nearly empty room, the only other sound being the cold air blowing through the vents on the wall. Jimin had taken a second to rest, to actually breathe for once, after dancing through his particularly difficult routine for the 10th time. Or was it the 20th? He lost count hours ago.
The room felt eerie, in a sense, when the energetic music wasn’t blasting through the large speakers, mounted on the walls behind him. Currently, he was standing near a small bench lined across the wall, his phone dimly lighting his face as he scanned over the time, which only made his eyebrow twitch. It had already reached well past 3 in the morning, his usual cut off for the practice room. The man, however, had so much pent up energy, it was hard to say no to the completely calm atmosphere around him. He had so much on his mind, so much stress piling up, that he couldn’t help it. All he wanted to do when he felt any emotion, was dance it out. It was his safe space, his release. And he had the entire floor, possibly the entire building, to himself. He physically, couldn't resist.
Jimin was a professional dancer under a popular entertainment agency, their building towering over the surrounding scenery. He had been dancing since the day he could walk, he knew it was his calling. Throughout his younger years, he struggled to find a balance between academics and after school dance class. There had been multiple instances where he doubted his ability, but his peers at the dance academy continued to praise his growth. Sometime around junior year, he started to post his dance covers, along with original choreography online. This kick started a decent following, and job opportunities started creeping into his DM’s shortly after. A week after turning 18, he received another offer, this one stood out from the rest.
He was initially hired as a trainer, helping younger idols develop their dancing skills, often working under an extremely limited time crunch. His life was filled with 12, sometimes 14 hour days as he pushed his body past the limit. This lifestyle continued for a little over 3 years, the longest 3 years of his life. His whole life revolved around his work, making it virtually impossible to live an actual life. He went weeks without reaching out to family, months without hanging out with any friends. Everyone said they understood, that they knew this was Jimin's dream, but he couldn't help but feel a large weight on his shoulders. That weight continued to grow, guilt tugging at every corner of his body. Eventually, the company started to see a steady incline in success rates among the trainees, and decided to move him up even farther. It was evident that Jimin was good at getting the new trainees to actually learn. He now exclusively worked as a choreographer within the company, and started to grow infamous for his work at only 24 years old.
After the promotion, he put an incredible amount of work into developing a healthy balance between work and his personal life. He actually started making connections, allowing people into his life, and leaving work… at work. He started to reconnect with old peers, started to focus on his health, and the soft glow of his skin, started coming back. Everyone around him noticed the change, and it was.. so good.
However, he was approached with an opportunity by one of the head directors at the company the day prior, and he couldn’t get it out of his head.
24 hours prior:
Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his figure in the mirror as he performed the same sequence of moves over and over. Something about the dance he was putting together didn't seem right. It was frustrating. The group he was working with, had a few strong dancers, but the rest of the members were.. lacking.. in the dancing department. He knew exactly what it meant if the group couldn't pull it together. He couldn't handle seeing another trainee break down after being cut from the program. He couldn't. Hence why he was trying his hardest to create a choreography that screamed sophisticated, but was relatively easy to actually accomplish.
Jimin, didn't do easy.
His trance was broken however, when he heard a faint knock coming from the corner of the practice room. His eyes snapped to the figure, staring at him through the large wall mirror. He was one of the program directors for the company.
“Jimin, it looks fine.” the elder male slipped out, shaking his head as he pushed himself off the wall, starting to walk closer to the dancer. His voice was gruff, almost a hint of frustration laced between the letters.
“Something just….” he sighed out, pausing his words, containing his frustration. He reached his arm up to brush his fingers through his semi-messy hair, the shine from his sweat reflecting off the studio lights. It was an ash blonde, freshly dyed last week. It was a new look for him, something different from his natural black hair. The slightly grown out strands in the back, almost covering the nape of his neck completely.
“You’ll get it eventually. You always do.” the male stated, Jimin turning to look at him. “For now however, I need to talk to you about something.” The director sighed out, looking down at the small bundle of papers in between his fingers.
Jimin’s gaze adverted down, his eyebrow quirking as he tried to catch even a glimpse of what could be in those pages. He looked back up at the elder, scanning over his features as he tried to read his expression.
“I know this is out of your usual position, however, the circumstances are far too special not to bring up.” He started, his eyes looking down at the papers again.
“Agust D..." He paused, drawing in a small breath. "Yes, our Agust D. He’s going on a smaller world tour, which is kicking off here in about 3 weeks. One of his trusted dancers got injured yesterday while in practice, and he needs a replacement.” His hand extended out, holding the papers in between them. Jimin looked down, reaching his hand out to accept the paperwork between his fingers. He spun them around, scanning over the words ‘Official Information. Authorized Access Only’ across the top of the page. His head started to reel with questions. What the actual hell is he asking of him?
He hesitantly looked back up at the director, his expression must have been obvious, as the elder continued. “He’s friends with a few of the groups you’ve worked with, and specifically requested you after seeing more of your work online.”
He specifically requested you.
Oh. Oh.
Jimin could feel his chest start to tighten slightly, feeling the horribly familiar warmth of anxiety spreading through his veins. He had heard of Agust D, obviously working with the same company he did, but only in passing. He never spent the time actually digging for information about him. The man was already a mystery, but Jimin never worked with the more ‘Hip-Hop’ side of his company. He had absolutely no idea how the promotions worked, how the choreo would be implemented into a performance. He worked mostly with pop groups, but never with a solo hip-hop artist. He practically would be going in blind. The last time he acted as a back up dancer was when he was still in high school. All he knew, is that Yoongi’s name had been the buzz of social media lately.
“Do you know how long it’s been since I've actually performed on a stage?” he asked, his eyes meeting the director's face. He almost looked… sympathetic.
“I know I know… but you’re a phenomenal dancer, Jimin. If anyone could memorize the choreography and perform it with ease on such short notice, it would be you.” he reassured, reaching up to rub the side of his own cheek, a nervous gesture.
“We think it would be a great opportunity for you” He muttered out, his tone seemed sincere. Jimin’s gaze met the packet of information in his hands now, suddenly hyper aware of just how clammy his hands grew. The younger flipped through a couple of pages, scanning over tour dates, choreography notes and instructions. He could feel his anxiety building and building, the room falling silent. Even though no words were exchanged, you could practically hear the gears turning in his head. After a few short moments of silence, the director left the room with a smile, all while Jimin couldn't peel his eyes away from the papers in his hands. Was he really about to do this?
Now:
The same group of papers, the ones that had been taunting him ever since he got his hands on them, were now sitting on the bench, right next to where he was standing. Sliding his phone screen up, his thumb hovered over the camera app. He finally clicked on it, his gentle footsteps ringing through the empty room as he walked closer to the mirror. He turned his body towards the mirror before holding his phone up against his chest, his thumb hovering over the small button. Shortly after, he found himself scrolling through Instagram, clicking the ‘New Post’ button, and submitting it. His feed started to fill with likes and comments almost immediately, but all he could do was click his phone off, and make his way back towards the bench again. He didn't see it.
He rolled his eyes subtly, the idea of having to actually look through the papers slightly terrified him. He leaned down, scooping the papers up in his hand. Turning towards the door, he flicked the light switch off in one swift motion. His emotions were all over the place, but one seemed to stick out the most. Curiosity.
As his mind reeled, he slipped out of the practice room door, gently closing it behind him. The click could be heard throughout the hallway, echoing off the concrete walls surrounding him. It only then hit him, just how quiet this place could grow. When the countless groups were performing along this hallway, staff directing different scheduled events, and footsteps were absent from the building, it really felt lonely.
Whenever Jimin worked towards something, he simply didn't stop until he perfected it. Whenever he was passionate about something, he would do anything to indulge fully in it. It might be his biggest strength, and biggest weakness all in one. He had a suspicion he wouldn't be getting much sleep in the next few months.