Three's A Crowd

2012. Summer. You had spent your timecomplaining to Jimin about how hot your country was getting this time of yearand how much you hated it. To which Jimin would always respond with, "you couldbe living in Korea." You'd have loved that statement to be true.

Jimin had grown into a strapping 17-year-old man, 18 if you aged him by Korean standards. Though, despite his body getting taller and buffer, he hadn't changed a bit. He was still that determined, hard-working and sweet boy you met all those years ago. As promised, you spent every summer since you were 13 in Busan with Jimin, so you were counting down the days until your school broke up for the school year and you'd hop on the first flight out to Seoul.

First thing in the morning, you received a call from Jimin. He'd invited you to video chat, one of your breakfast-dinner dates. Despite the fact that, this morning, you didn't want him to see your puffy face and tired eyes, you made the exception and accepted the call. "Good morning!" He said to you, his voice cheerier than usual.

He wasn't in his bedroom. In fact, he wasn't anywhere in his house. You didn't recognise this room. "Where are you?" You asked immediately.

Jimin's voice pitched higher than usual. "Good morning, Jimin. How are you?" He returned to his usual tone. "I'm good thank you, ___. Thank you for asking. How are you?" Your tone. "I'm tired, Chim-Chim." His. "I can see. You look like shit." Yours. "Chim-Chim! Don't be so mean." His. "Well at least I'm being honest."

"Very funny. Where are you?" You asked again.

Jimin rolled his eyes. "I'm currently in a hotel in Seoul."

"Why?"

"Remember how I told you a while ago that my dance teacher told me I should audition for a few companies? Well, I'm taking her advice. I have an audition with a company called BigHit tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm so nervous."

"You'll get it."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

"You don't."

"Jimin, how many times do we have to go through this? I've known you for ten years now. I've seen you dance on multiple occasions. Trust me when I tell you that you are a phenomenal dancer and they will offer you a place. You going for backup dancing?"

"Yeah."

"Are you auditioning anywhere else?"

"A few other places so hopefully someone will take me."

"They'll be fighting over you, Chimmy."

Soon enough, you received a call from an excited Jimin telling you that he'd passed the audition process and that BigHit wanted him. "The only problem is, they want me to rap too." He'd told you.

"Rap? What?"

"I know. Apparently they're debuting their first boyband and that was what the audition was for. I don't rap. I can't rap."

"Well, I mean I've never heard you rap so I can't comment. What about singing?"

"I can't do that either, but they said if worse comes to worst they'd make me sing. I've got a few vocal lessons lined up but... I'm moving to Seoul."

"Woah... wait... just like that?"

"Just like that. Apparently they have an apartment ready for us. I'm the last member. The other six are already living there. So I'm going home to get things straight then coming back for the foreseeable."

"Six!?"

"Yeah, I know. There's going to be a lot of us. Seven in total."

Everything seemed to be happening so fast. It wasn't even your life, but you'd begun panicking. He was leaving his home and his family, and living alone for the first time in Seoul – the capital city. Not to mention the fact that he would be moving in with six other men, men he'd never even met before. Jimin wasn't exactly shy, but it took him a while to get used to new people. He seemed excited and happy, though, so you didn't want to air your concerns and deter him from his dreams. But you were terrified for him.