Chapter Text
“I obsess over making content that can resonate with people who truly listen to and enjoy music. All the members of Bangtan Sonyeondan were young students who came to Seoul from different provinces. Our company was not considered ‘mainstream,’ either. But I was confident in one thing: With these kids who possess brilliant talents, I would make something meaningful happen.”
-Bang Si-Hyuk
When you’re a child, you believe that anything is possible. It’s not too scary to dream big, because your bountiful optimism overshadows the lingering uncertainties. You’re told you can become anything, and that sentiment carries with you until adolescence…
When you get a harsh slap of reality.
You discover that dreams aren’t wishes you make on a star and wait for them to come true. They’re the results of your input, your struggles, your perseverance.
Seven young men were about to realize this as they stood poised in their formation, mastered after countless hours of practice. Lights shone around, emphasizing their existence. All eyes glued to them, they knew what to do.
It was time to live up to the words of Bang PD, the one that believed in them.
Hey you, what is your dream
Hey you, what is your dream
Hey you, what is your dream
Is your dream only that?
With Rap Monster’s introduction, the boys sprung into their thoroughly rehearsed routine of their debut song. Coming from a small, unknown company entailed less screen time and less recognition. They were lucky to have even booked a spot on MBC. They weren’t going to let this opportunity slip by. This was the moment to let the world know what they were all about. They were going to make the most of it.
Rebel against this hell-like society, give your dream a special pardon
The boys didn’t spare an ounce of their energy and charisma. And Jimin couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face at the gleeful reaction to his abs flash. The fact that there were any fans at all cheering for them was an amazement. It kept them going.
You! Don’t hesitate, don’t be indecisive, wassup!
They didn’t know how this debut stage would be received. They didn’t know where this would lead them or what the future would hold. They didn’t know how far they were going to make it with this. The unknowns were dizzying and terrifying, but that didn’t matter right now.
This is who they were. This is Bangtan Sonyeondan.
To all the youngsters without dreams
✦⭑⭑⭑ Five Hours Earlier ⭑⭑⭑✦
“Jungkook! Wake up!”
Jungkook rolled over in bed, ignoring the call. No doubt it was Seokjin trying to wake him for school. He heard the door open, and someone walked in.
“Jungkook!” The someone was, in fact, Seokjin, shaking him.
“Five more minutes, hyung,” Jungkook groaned, pulling his covers farther up over his head in hopes that Seokjin might go away and let him sleep. No such luck. Seokjin yanked the covers off him and turned on the light.
“Jungkook! Today’s the day!” he sang. “Debut!”
Jungkook opened an eye. Debut? Not hel- high school?
“Debut?” He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
“Debut!” Seokjin repeated.
“Debut!”
“Debut! Debut! Debut!” they cheered together.
“Hurry up and come on,” Seokjin urged. “Everyone’s waiting for you! We have a big day ahead!”
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”
When Jungkook walked into the kitchen, all his other members were already gathered there. The table was too small for all of them (it only seats four) so Namjoon, Yoongi, and Seokjin always offered to sit on the floor so that he, Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok could eat at the table. He always suggested that they could switch sitting at the table, but his hyungs were stubborn and declined every time.
“Hurry and eat, Jungkook-ah. Management wants to see us straight after,” Yoongi said. He didn’t have a plate in his hands like everyone else, though, so either he’d finished eating already or he was too excited to eat. Jungkook suspected the latter.
“Aren’t you excited, Jungkook?” Hoseok said, sitting down in front of him. “From today, we aren’t Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. We’re Rap Monster, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook!” He grinned brightly, and that made Jungkook smile.
Their debut. He should be excited. He should be jumping for joy. He and the others have been working at this for years. This is all his dreams come true! So then… why was he nervous?
His eyes darted to Namjoon, who was sitting off to the side, away from the others. Namjoon, the reason Jungkook was even here in the first place. Namjoon, who had been his role model since he was really, really young. The more Jungkook got to know him, the more his admiration for him grew. His talent, his work ethic, his intelligence. He was just so incredibly and undeniably… cool.
Kim Namjoon, their leader- BTS’ leader. He had hardly touched his food either. And that made Jungkook feel a little more nervous. Namjoon was good about telling them to eat properly.
“Jungkook?” came Hoseok’s voice, concerned.
“Hm? Oh, yeah! Super excited, Hoseok hyung!” He nodded, shoving food into his mouth. Satisfied with the answer, Hoseok turned back to Taehyung.
The dorm was quiet - an unusual thing when six other boys live with you. This was the day everyone has anticipated for a very long time.
And before he knew it, they were being driven to the company building. The day was a lot busier than he expected, and everything went by like a blur. One moment he was in the car, and the next, he was being whisked into a changing room so he could change into his stage outfit and then into a chair so he could get his makeup done.
Makeup took a long time because the stylists were pretty determined to get it perfect. Jungkook looked over, and Jimin practiced his dance. Taehyung was getting his makeup done in the chair next to him. Hoseok, Namjoon, and Yoongi talked to a camera. Cameras - they were everywhere. Jungkook yawned from exhaustion. He half-regretted staying up so late because he really wanted to sleep and they'd barely just begun the day. A camera hovered in front of him, and he yawned once more.
Hoseok came over. “Jung Kook is very tired,” he told the camera. “He likes to sleep.” He mimed a sleeping gesture and faked a snore, endearingly - in a Hoseok sort of way. Or, Jungkook supposed, a J-Hope sort of way.
After makeup, they were escorted to another room and lined up, Namjoon in the middle.
“Hello! My name is Rap Monster, and I am the leader of BTS!” he declared eagerly. The rest of the introductions followed and they weren’t allowed to go until they got it perfect. And perfect is pretty damn hard. After introductions? Comeback stage performance.
Waiting backstage, Jimin held a camera and talked to it. He was practicing lines when he called Jungkook over.
“Jung Kook! Say hi!”
Jungkook smiled at the camera as cutely as he could. “Hi! We’re about to perform ‘No More Dream,’ our title song!” he exclaimed.
“Jung Kook, will you hold the camera?” Jimin asked, already shoving the camera into his hands. He got in front of it and lifted his shirt, revealing his abs. He looked proud of himself, like he was the coolest guy in the world.
“You’re on!” someone said upfront, and Jungkook put the camera down to join the other members as they get on stage. Neither of them heard two of the stylists who were doing last-minute makeup touches talking.
“Did we ever tell them that this concept wasn’t working on them?” one whispered to the other.
“They looked so happy! I didn’t have the heart to tell Jimin that lifting his shirt wasn’t that cool,” the other whispered back.
“As long as they’re happy, I guess.”
✦⭑⭑⭑ Three Months Later ⭑⭑⭑✦
Jungkook was slowly getting accustomed to life as an idol. Maybe they weren’t the most popular group, and maybe they didn’t get the kind of respect that other idol rookie groups get, but they still worked hard! And that had to count for something, right? Things would get better, right? They just needed to wait and keep working hard. And then maybe more people within the industry would appreciate them. Of course, Jungkook was so grateful for ARMY, who gave them their unconditional love and support. They picked ‘ARMY’ as their fandom name not too long ago, because it worked so well with their overall theme of being ‘bulletproof.’
“Jungkook, are you in there?” Seokjin’s voice interrupted his train of thought. Sitting up on his bunk bed, he responded, “Yeah, why?”
The door opened and six boys walked in, Seokjin holding a cake.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Jeon Jungkook! Happy birthday to youuuu!” Taehyung dramatically stretched out the last note for as long as he could.
Seokjin put the cake down on the table in front of him, and Taehyung shoved a box into his hands.
“This is- this is… wow!” Jungkook exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. His members really are the best. The cake was white with blue frosting that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday JK!’ on it. Three little white candles stood in the middle. Seokjin lit them.
“Make a wish!”
Jungkook closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He could have wished for a lot of things. Obviously, birthday wishes never actually came true, but he’d still rather make a decent wish than a dumb one. He could wish for nicer hair, or muscles, or maybe even a bigger dorm for the group.
I wish for our hard work to be worth it.
He blew out the candles and opened his eyes. He took the knife from Seokjin and cut a slice, and Hoseok stuffed a piece into his mouth, smearing icing on his face- a tradition.
“Open your gift,” Taehyung insisted. “I’m your favorite hyung now, right? I got you a gift when no one else did so that makes me the favorite.”
Jungkook laughed. “We’ll see once I open the box, hyung.”
Jungkook opened the box and threw the lid aside. Inside, he found a pair of black slippers with pieces of green and red tape on them that were clearly stuck on there by the elder. “Wow… err… what are they?”
“Look! They’re Gucci now!” Taehyung laughed with his irresistible boxy grin.
“Right,” Jin humored him. “No one would be able to tell otherwise, hm?”
Hoseok looked thoughtful. “Hmmm, on that note. You know how idols can get deals with some of the biggest brands? What if we actually got a deal with Gucci one day?” he brightly suggested.
“Hobi. You might need to sleep more than I do right now,” Yoongi deadpanned.
“Yeah, Hope,” Jin agreed. “Don’t be stupid. Let’s get a deal with LOUIS VUITTON instead!”
Hoseok gasped. “I like the way you think, hyung!”
“Are y'all hearing yourselves right now?” Jimin asked seriously. “We can barely afford three meals a day, let alone ONE watch from Louis Vuitton.”
Namjoon chuckled. “Hey, no harm in dreaming, right?” He was off to the side, looking at his phone.
“Uh-huh,” Yoongi said dryly. “Let’s become ambassadors for a huge car brand while we’re at it. Or visit the UN.”
“How about this, guys. Let’s get through our dance practice video recording for tomorrow. THEN, we can talk about Louis Vuitton, the UN, and whatnot,” Jimin compromised sarcastically.
Taehyung laughed. “Ah, Jimin-ah. You’re no fun.”
“You got no jams, man.”
“Who said that?” Jimin demanded.
“Hey, Namjoon, whatcha looking at?” Hoseok asked, sliding next to him to peer over his shoulder. As if on queue, everyone else followed, crowding their leader to look at his phone.
“Ah, just some comments on our MV.”
“Oh, English comments,” Jungkook remarked.
Namjoon’s heart felt heavy as his eyes skimmed the plethora of foreign comments.
rap monsters hair is ugly who thought he could be an idol
Jhope is too ugly to be an idol his face looks like a horse haha
jimins face is so fat who would like him
jin isnt even a good dancer lmao
THIS is the group that wants to surpass bb? Kekekeke
“Yah, Namjoon. Translate, what are they saying?” Seokjin asked. The other members proceeded to rattle Namjoon’s shoulders childishly as they begged for him to translate.
“O-Oh, they’re saying they can tell we’re working hard!” Namjoon placated. “Haha, they said do your best.”
“Ohhh!” Hoseok responded. “How nice!” He and the others grinned widely.
But Jungkook noticed that Namjoon’s smile was different. It was sad and resigned, and Jungkook could tell he wasn’t telling the truth. But he didn’t dare to ruin it for the others.
Yoongi yawned. “Well this was a nice party, but I’m going to bed. Happy birthday Jungkook-ah.”
About an hour later, after some fighting over the bathroom and who had to wash the dishes and vacuum the sad- excuse of a living room, which they had left a mess the day before, the seven boys had tucked themselves into their tight beds.
“Jin hyung, you’re breathing too hard.”
“I can make you stop breathing if you wish.”
“Oh, Lord… who farted?”
“God, I smell it, too.”
“Enough, guys… just go to sleep,” Namjoon mumbled, tiredly, adjusting his comforter.
“.... so it was you, hyung.”
“Shut up, I said go to sleep.”
It was about another hour later that six of them had fallen asleep. Jungkook was losing himself to unconsciousness slowly but surely, but he couldn’t help the thoughts that raced across his mind.
It had been three months since their debut. And sure, it wasn’t like Jungkook expected them to skyrocket to the top by now. It wasn’t like he expected to have won a daesang by now. It wasn’t like he wanted to have become insanely more popular by now. He understood this took time.
Still, he was at least hoping that he’d feel like… they were going somewhere.
BTS at the moment was not taken very seriously. Even their name was something, Jungkook was ashamed to admit, embarrassing. The Bulletproof Boyscouts? To its credit, the underlying meaning was powerful. Shielding the youth from oppression and the harsh expectations from the older generation. He was proud of their speal.
And he didn’t like how he let society’s perception of them affect him so much. The fans they had, no matter how few, were so warm and supportive. Shy as he was, he adored meeting them. ARMYs were incredible.
But he couldn’t shake off the want, the need, to be more recognized. For a higher status.
He remembered Namjoon and how he’d stay up late some nights, trying to write lyrics. He remembered Yoongi, who spent hours working on the beat. He remembered Seokjin, who practiced for hours in the dance studio to get his choreography perfect. He remembered Taehyung, who would practice with their vocal coach for extra time just to make sure his voice didn’t disappoint. He remembered Jimin, who dieted until he was barely eating anything, just so he could be satisfied with the way he looked on camera. He remembered Hoseok, who struggled with all of it at first, who didn’t think he was pretty enough or talented enough to make a worthy contribution to the group.
Whatever people said about them, they could not claim that the boys were slackers. They could not claim that they didn’t put the work in. They could not claim that they didn’t want this badly.
Right now, people said the name BTS with ridicule.
Was it too much to hope for… that one day… people would say the name BTS with respect?
That was the boy’s last thought before he drifted to sleep.
WWwwAaaaaAAAAaaaahhH… wWaaAAAHhhHh…
His shut eyes squeezed harder as his brows furrowed together in annoyance and confusion.
WWwwAaaaaAAAAaaaahhH… wWaaAAAHhhHh…
The hell? Was that a baby crying? But it sounded strange… like the crying was autotuned.
“YAH!”
Oh, no.
“Jungkook-ah, you gonna turn that alarm off or what?”
Alarm? Wait, what? His alarm didn’t sound like that. Was his hyung crazy or something?
“Jungkook-ah, seriously! You were supposed to be up half an hour ago, we have the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter Show to shoot today!”
Yep. His hyung was definitely crazy.
Jungkook groaned groggily as he adjusted in his surprisingly warm, soft, and incredibly spacious bed. “Ha ha, hyung,” he muttered. “That joke’s gonna wear out soon, y’know.”
“What are you talking about? Get UP!”
Jungkook’s eyes cracked open in surprise as Jin whisked his blanket away and dug his hands under Jungkook’s armpits to drag him like a log off the bed.
“Jin hyung, you wake him up yet?” a deep voice rang in Jungkook’s ear. He still wasn’t fully processing what was happening.
“Maybe you should help me!” Jin scolded the owner of the voice. “Jungkook-ah, we’re gonna be late. That is NOT a good look for the biggest band in the world!”
Did Seokjin fall from his top bunk this morning and hit his head?
Jungkook’s eyes weren’t fully open yet, so he couldn’t see who it was that had suddenly grabbed his cheeks with one hand.
“Oi, Jungkook-ssi,” the deep voice from before spoke. “Get up. You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
At first, he thought the voice was new, but why did it now seem so familiar?
Jungkook finally managed to fully open his eyes and regard the two men looking down at him. One was obviously Kim Seokjin. For some reason, he looked especially dashing that morning, but what else was new from the visual of the group? And the other…
The second man was also handsome, and at first, Jungkook didn’t recognize him. But once his vision focused and he took a closer look…
Jungkook’s eyes widened considerably. “Taehyung?!” he cried.
Taehyung arched his eyebrow. “That’s me,” he replied in mild confusion.
Jungkook wriggled out of Jin’s hold and shot to his feet, almost falling over in the process. “I- you- what HAPPENED to you?!”
The Kim name holders shared a look. Taehyung looked back at Jungkook. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you- you look- OLDER and- now that I think about it, Jin hyung you also look kinda older, but not really but- hold on what are you- is that- IS THAT LOUIS VUITTON-"
Jungkook couldn’t help as his stare fell up and down as he drank in the two members’ appearances and wardrobe. Fully donning the real, authentic Louis Vuitton brand.
“Yah, Jungkook, we don’t have time for whatever you’re pulling. Just head downstairs, your stylist has your clothes ready for you- Taehyung, are those your Gucci slippers?!”
The younger Kim grinned as he bounced his eyebrows. “They’re comfy,” he defended calmly.
“Are you trying to take away our ambassador position?” Jin sighed.
“Relax, hyung. I’ll change them out when we get there. Besides, even though we’re House Ambassadors for LV, our contract lets us wear whatever brands we want.”
“That may be the case, but… whatever. Jungkook, just hurry up and- Jungkook?”
The youngest felt like his eyes were gonna pop out of their sockets. He couldn’t believe the conversation he was hearing. Were they messing with him? Hell yeah, they were messing with him! But this prank was way too elaborate, those clothes looked way too real, and… hold up, this room. This room, this-
For the first time, Jungkook’s eyes scanned the room he was in. The bed he had been pulled out of. This… this…
This was a lot of things, but the bottom line, Jungkook knew this was NOT the dorm.
“I… I-"
“Jungkook-ssi,” Taehyung’s face laced with worry. “What’s wrong?”
Calm down. He needed to calm down. “I...I need to go to the bathroom!” Jungkook blurted. He then darted towards the first bathroom door-like door he spotted and threw himself in, slamming the door behind him. Thankfully, it was a bathroom.
Calm down… calm down… this couldn’t be real. How was this real? Did they rent out a whole fancy dorm just to prank him like this?
Impossible! His members were mischievous, but this was too much.
Jungkook let out a long exhale. He turned his head to the mirror.
And all the panic and bewilderment returned at what he saw.
Flabbergasted, Jungkook took in his appearance. He slowly ran his shaky hands down his toned torso in disbelief. He froze at the tattoo sleeve on his right arm.
Who was that boy - no - man looking back at him? Certainly not Jeon Jungkook! No, this man looked so strong and handsome. This man… looked so cool.
When Jungkook spotted the eyebrow piercing, he nearly screamed.
But before he could, he saw something else, and at this point, Jungkook honestly thought someone had drugged his kimchi dinner last night.
Because there was no way…
There was absolutely no way…
He refused to believe he was looking at…
A little fairy with the face of his boss, Bang Si-Hyuk, smiling at him.
“I’M GOING BACK TO BED,” Jungkook announced loudly.
“Ah, Jungkook. No need to panic,” PD Fairy-nim coaxed.
“This is not happening,” Jungkook said to himself in mild hysterics. “Nope. A fairy that looks like my boss is not speaking to me right now.”
PD Fairy-nim sighed as he shook his head. “Jungkook, the first thing you need to do is to calm down. Everything is okay.”
Jungkook wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be taking this Hitman Bang fairy seriously, but he supposed he had no choice but to follow that advice. He inhaled, exhaled, and took his time with it.
“Okay. Okay… I’m calm. This is fine. This… this is all just a dream. Hm,” Jungkook nodded, content with his conclusion.
PD Fairy-nim cocked his head. “Mmmm, yes and no,” he clarified. “Yes, you have arrived here through the same passage that dreams take. No, because what you are experiencing right now is very different from a normal dream.”
“A lucid dream, then.”
“Not quite. You need to follow my explanation, alright? Tell me, what was the last thing you were thinking of before you fell asleep?”
Burying the fact that he was talking to a fairy version of his boss deep into a crevice of his mind, Jungkook tried hard to recall. “Well… I was thinking about us. Bangtan Sonyeondan, I mean. I was thinking about how badly I wanted us to grow, but at the same time, I felt hopeless. Like it was impossible, and we weren’t going to last long. I just… I wish I knew, or had a feeling about what the future held for us,” Jungkook conveyed solemnly.
Bang Fairy nodded with a hum. “You were thinking about your fears and insecurities. You felt the despair of being lost. Of not knowing what you wanted, but also wanting so much more.”
Jungkook pursed his lips. “I guess so, yeah…”
“You wanted to know where you were going,” the fairy continued. “You wanted a clue, a hint, a glimpse… of what the future had in store for you and your brothers.”
Jungkook’s breath caught for a short second. “Yeah… yeah, exactly!”
“Well… that’s what you got, my boy. Now, not only have you had a glimpse, or even dipped your toes, but you’ve fully submerged yourself into that reality you yearned to see.”
That didn’t make sense to the young man. “What do you mean by that?”
“Surely, you’ve realized it by now. This is the future, Jungkook. The date is July 3rd, year 2021. Almost eight years after your debut,” the fairy revealed. “This is what you wanted to see. What the future had in store for you.”
The awe Jungkook was feeling was indescribable. He thought back to his encounter with the future Taehyung and Jin. “This is unbelievable… Louis Vuitton? We’re… BTS is the house ambassador of Louis Vuitton?!” he could barely conceal his excitement.
PD Fairy-nim snorted. “Among other things, boy. Among other things.”
Jungkook’s jaw could not drop any lower. “The biggest band in the world… PD-nim, was Jin hyung being serious?!”
The smile on the fairy’s face was genuine and knowing. “Son, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” he told him with a smirk.
The young man ran his muscled hands through his clean-cut hair, barely keeping it together. But not out of panic this time. Out of ecstasy. They made it… they really made it… but he wanted to see it for himself. He wanted to know more.
“Uhh.. PD Fairy-nim… What exactly am I doing here? And… what are you?”
“Hmm… simply put. I am the physical manifestation of the psychodramatic technique that exchanges fear for positivity. When you were longing for solace to your fears of failure and rejection from the musical world, your fears were nullified through a positive lens, by giving you the solace you desired. You requested to be shown. So… I showed you. That, my boy, is called… the Magic Shop.”
A warmth filled Jungkook’s chest. “Magic Shop…”
The fairy nodded. “Yes, my boy. I drew a door in your heart for you to open… and this was the place that awaits. To bring you comfort.”
“A door in my heart,” Jungkook pondered. “And… you said you were the physical manifestation of it? This Magic Shop… is you?”
“Why, yes. But my physical form is not definitive. It varies depending on the individual, and evidently, your conscious interpretation of Magic Shop amounted to this form you see before you,” Bang Fairy explained cheerfully.
My brain imagined the Magic Shop as this ? Jungkook thought. Should I be worried for myself?
“Okay… okay, I think I got it…” Jungkook nodded slowly, still registering. “So, I’m living as my future self right now? How long does it last?”
“You’ll return to your time and place when you wake up,” PD Fairy-nim told him. “You have until then to experience whatever you wish as your future self.”
Voices and footsteps thundered outside the bathroom door.
“JEON JUNGKOOK, WE’RE LATE. HURRY THE HELL UP!!” pounding was heard on the door.
Jungkook glanced tentatively at the fairy, who simply beamed back.
“I think it’s time for you to re-meet your fellow members. And see for yourself just what you all have accomplished in the past eight years.”