Chapter Two (An Indescribable Feeling)

by DayDreamRomantic

Summary:

A sequel to An Indescribable Feeling.
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As BTS starts Chapter Two of their career, their soulmate also begins a new chapter in her life. After her debut, Anna will face new challenges. How will this affect her relationship with her soulmates?

Chapter 1: Headline News

The debut of BTS's soulmate makes waves across the world.

The BTS ARMY uses its power to send their boys' soulmate to the top of the charts.

If BTS singing in English still counts as K-Pop, then what does a foreigner singing in Korean mean?

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After the debut of BTS's soulmate, Anna, Netizens are in a hot debate.

While critics have classed her songs as unoriginal and without heart, fans have spoken up about how much they relate to one Anna's songs in particular. The song, Faith in Fate, is about the love fans have for Idols. The life of a fan consists of loyalty and love with the reward of happiness. Therefore, fans argue that Anna's song is very relatable and full of feeling.

With many suggesting that Anna's relationship with world-renown BTS is the only reason that the debut solo singer is getting any time in the spotlight, doubts are circling the public's minds. Questions are arising on whether the process which led to BTS's soulmate's debut was fair, is HYBE using her clout, or some worry that Korea's beloved boys are the ones being used.

Ex-trainees of HYBE have spoken up about their experience when Anna joined them as a trainee and received special treatment. They mentioned that she was exempt from being cut, had help from her soulmates to produce tracks for her and was a favourite of the staff due to her relationship with BTS, the company's money maker.

In response, the company have issued a statement that all their trainees have to pass the same level of training. The speed at which a trainee achieves this is down to the individual, but there are no exceptions or special treatment given to anyone. They confirmed that Anna showed an incredible work ethic and proved herself to be ready to debut in an undoubtedly short amount of time, but everyone at HYBE is confident in her abilities as an Idol.

Despite all of this controversy, Anna's debut album is doing well on the charts in Korea and around the world. BTS's soulmate has gathered quite a following over the past six months through her YouTube channel where she posts videos of her doing song covers, cooking, arts and crafts, as well as reactions. As a native English speaker, Anna has endeavoured to narrate these videos in both English and Korean, for which she has received a lot of gratitude from her viewers for doing.

Recently an official channel was made for Anna, pre-debut, where a variety show called Anna's Adventures has been released twice a week for the last few months. This showed her participating in various activities and exploring the Korean culture. Korean fans of BTS were glad to see the boys' soulmate taking an interest in their culture and praised her for the respect and thoughtfulness that she showed in these videos.

However, the series which received the most views was a side project, Interviews with Anna, where she interviewed various K-pop groups about their latest comebacks and upcoming tours. Many fans of these groups were impressed by the friendly, but inciteful nature of Anna's questions leading to them becoming a fan of the interviewer herself.

All in all, while BTS's soulmate cannot escape being judged for who she is, it is this reporter's opinion that Anna has shown that she deserves the positive attention and love she is being given by fans. As it appears that she aims to continue BTS' work by spreading self-love across the world, only time will tell if she can make as big an impact as her soulmates.

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Jackson Wang tweets his love for his friend, RM of BTS' soulmate's new song and gives a shout-out to 'his girl'.

Bang Chan of Stray Kids listens to BTS's Anna's song and discusses its brilliance on his weekly V Live 'Chan's Room'.

Jongho of ATEEZ is caught on camera singing the new song by BTS's soulmate, Anna.

In China, Wang Yibo shares that he is listening to Anna, K-pop BTS's soulmate, new album on Weibo.

Idols and celebrities around the world join in with the latest TikTok trend and show support for BTS's soulmate's new song.

Anna's debut song wins its first music show.

Chapter 2: Triumphant Return

As Anna walked through the HYBE building, people everywhere were congratulating her. It was the day of her debut and she had just returned from her first music show recording. She believed that it had gone well, the audience had been friendly and there hadn't been any major incidents. It had been thrilling to perform on a stage like that.

Now she was heading to the room which had been prepared for Anna to do her first V Live and post-release show. The staff had decorated with a 'congratulations on your debut' sign and pictures of her throughout her training. They had also prepared a cake and she thanked them all profusely for their efforts.

Anna settled down before the time she had announced the V Live would start and prepared herself. She had made a couple of talking points of things she wanted to mention and of course, she would be having special guests as promised that morning.

She sat smiling awkwardly at the camera after starting the Live and watched the number of viewers increase steadily. While she gave everyone time to tune in, Anna waved and posed cutely at the camera. After a few minutes, she decided it was time to say hello.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Anna, thank you for tuning in today. This is my first V Live, isn't it exciting!"

She leaned forwards to read the comments.

"Wow. I can see that there are people from all around the world."

She began greeting them in as many languages as she could think of. Then she noticed that they were congratulating her on her debut and album and commenting what their favourite songs were.

"Oh, thank you! Yes, that is why I'm here today. Has everyone listened to my album? Did you like it? Please look forward to the performances."

Anna blinked at all the comments that whizzed past on the screen.

"Ah, I wish I could read all of your comments, but there are just too many! The general consensus seems to be that you enjoyed the album. Yes? Good. I did one music show performance today and I have a few more through the next week.

"I can see that a lot of you are asking questions about the album. I will be doing a V Live on Monday where I will do a full review, with some special guests. Speaking of special guests, we will be having some visitors today. I hope you don't mind."

Guesses of who would be joining the Live flooded the comments. They were all the names of her soulmates. Anna laughed.

"Some of you are correct, but let's wait and see who turns up, yes? Okay... You want to know how I celebrated? I went out for brunch with my soulmates before the release this morning. It was nice to spend time with all of them together like that.

"What are the pictures behind me? Um, let’s see..."

Anna turned around and went through each picture, trying to remember where it was from.

"I didn't even realise most of these were being taken. I'm one of those people who doesn't like having my picture taken so usually I'm good at avoiding people with cameras. Obviously, the HYBE staff are experts at being super sneaky."

She settled back down in front of the camera and leaned forwards again to read the comments.

"You liked the concept photos? Thank you!"

Comments about the photos appeared on the screen making Anna blush. 

Unnie looked so cute!

Unnie is sexy!

Anna can pull off any style!

"Wow, thank you for your comments. They're very flattering. I was worried since it was my first proper photoshoot that I wouldn't do well. So, I'm glad the photos turned out well. What? You want to know what BTS thought of my photos?"

Her head turned as there was a knock at the door and the Maknae line entered, gathering around Anna. Taehyung wrapped his arm around her shoulders, Jimin rested his chin on her head, and Jungkook leaned in front of her to say hello to the viewers.

"How did it go?"

"How does it feel to be debuted?"

"Noona! You have so many fans watching right now!"

"I think it went well. It’s all a bit surreal really."

Jimin looked at the camera.

"Were any of you there? Did you see Anna's debut stage? Did she do well?"

"Oh! There's one, two... Hyung, they're saying she was amazing!"

Jungkook went off-camera to pull over some chairs for the three of them to sit down on either side of Anna. Jimin pouted as he sat in the chair next to Taehyung, furthest away from her.

"What did you do while you waited? The waiting room must be so boring without us there."

"Actually, I enjoyed the peace and quiet."

"Really, Noona?!"

"No, I'm teasing you. Let's see, what did I do... Ah, I thoroughly tested my outfit. You know, making sure nothing would fall down or slide out of place."

Taehyung nodded thoughtfully.

"That's very important."

"I also got lots of messages of encouragement."

Jimin leaned in.

"Who from?"

"The boys of TXT and ENHYPEN, friends, and of course my fans."

"Have you thought of a fan name yet, Noona?"

"No, I can't think of anything!"

"We'll help you. Umm, Bells?"

The boys started laughing and then Anna remembered something.

"That was what you were going to call ARMY!"

"Don't worry Bang PD-nim probably has something in mind already."

The rest of the V Live went well. They had cake and the boys got Anna to sing a few bits of her songs. After they said goodbye, they all headed home where the rest of their soulmates were waiting and had a private celebration altogether.

The next was ARMY day and Anna had convinced her soulmates that the best present they could give was a performance video of Run BTS. They had already been working on a special performance just for Anna, so recording it hadn't been too much of a hardship. It made ARMY very happy.

Over the next week, Anna performed on many music shows. When she went on The Show, Yeosang from ATEEZ was hosting and came to her dressing room to greet her and wish her luck. She thought it was a little sad that HYBE artists didn't perform on Music Core so she wouldn't get to see Lee Know from Stray Kids. However, she had a great time getting to perform three of her songs in front of an audience.

When her second music video came out on the Monday, it also got a positive reaction. Proving You Wrong had a vigorous choreography which the fans loved. Later that day, Anna had done another V Live reviewing her album, with Yoongi and Namjoon as special guests to discuss the songs they worked on with her.

Anna wasn't unaware of the negative press she had received since the news of her debut and album had been released. As she had since becoming BTS's soulmate, she avoided the news and social media as much as possible. Of course, this did mean that she missed important things, but usually, someone else would tell her about it.

It was Namjoon who showed her the tweet by his Idol friend, Jackson Wang, who Anna had met a couple of times before. She was shocked at his public support for her and her music. It also made her laugh that he called her 'his girl' as he did when they last met. He enjoyed poking the bears which were Anna's possessive soulmates.

Although things had changed, and in a big way, it didn't feel as much of a turning point in her life as Anna had expected. Instead, it felt more like a natural progression. However, it also made her wonder what was next. A fan meeting? A concert? A world tour? That would mean travelling for weeks at a time without her soulmates, but it was what she signed up for. Wasn't it?

Chapter 3: Listen Carefully

"Urgh, I can't believe I'm ill on Hoseok's big night."

"Don't worry, Hyung. He'll understand."

Jungkook was perched on the arm of the sofa Yoongi was lying on. He patted the rapper's leg.

"I'll stay and look after you. The rest of you should go and enjoy yourselves. Support our Hobi."

"But, Noona..."

The Maknae looked around at his Hyungs. Yoongi took Anna's from where it was resting on his forehead.

"I'll be fine by myself, Jagi."

"Nonsense. You've got a fever, what if it gets worse? Are you comfortable? Let me get you a blanket."

Her soulmates watched Anna as she left the room, before glancing at each other.

"Don't worry. You guys go first and distract Hoseok. Anna will be right behind you."

"But Hyung-"

Jin waved his arms about, ushering the others towards the door.

"Come on now, little ones. We don't want to be late for our Hobi's big night."

Namjoon chuckled as he headed out of the room.

"Hyung, you've literally been dreading this all day."

"Shh!"

"Bye Yoongi! Bye Anna! Love you!"

"Bye! Send Hobi my love!"

Anna said goodbye to the others before joining Yoongi in the living room. He let her fuss over him, fluffing up a big cushion behind him, placing a blanket over his lap, and bringing him food and drinks. Once she was satisfied, she sat down next to him.

"Are you happy I gave you an excuse?"

"What?"

"Looking after me is an excuse not to go to Hoseok's listening party."

"How could you say that? I just want to look after my sick soulmate!"

"Your sick soulmate will be fine by himself. You promise Hoseok that you'd be there."

Anna sighed and rested her head on Yoongi's shoulder.

"I know."

"The others are nervous about it as well. Is there something in particular that you are worried about?"

"I don't want to embarrass you."

"What? You could never embarrass us. Why would you even think such a thing?"

"I don't know... there's going to be lots of important people there. You know I'm not good with large groups or meeting new people."

"Oh, Jagi. Come here."

Yoongi wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, but you know we'd never leave you to fend for yourself, right?"

"I know. I panicked and now I've let Hobi down."

"You haven't let him down. You can still get there in time."

At the HYBE company building, the rest of Anna's soulmates were in the dressing room getting last-minute touches done before they joined the guests. Hoseok was already ready as he needed to go greet the guests as they arrived. 

"Where's Anna?"

"Umm..."

"She'll be here in a minute. Don't worry, Hobi."

"Okay. You know, I can't do this without you all. Thank you for being here."

"Of course, Hyung. Now get out there, Mr man of the hour. Everyone's here to see you!"

"I'm going, I'm going! See you out there!"

Once Hoseok left the room, there was a palpable tension in the air.

"What if... what if she doesn't come?"

"She'll be here."

"How can you be so sure, Joon?"

"It's Anna, our soulmate, she wouldn't let Hobi down like that."

"You believe Yoongi will convince her to come."

"Well, that too."

"I don't blame her. I wish I was at home."

"How long do you think we can put off going out there?"

"No one would believe us if we said this is what the members of BTS are like when faced with a party."

"Come on then. Let's get it over with."

"Aren't we going to wait for Noona?"

"Yoongi messaged that she just left. We can wait that long to make an appearance. She'll have to join us in there when she arrives."

"Oh, why don't I wait for her?"

"Nice try, Jiminie."

Jin grabbed the dancer's hand and walked out the door with purpose.

"I guess we should follow them."

"Come on, Kookie. You'll have fun, I promise."

Taehyung followed suit, dragging Jungkook out the door.

Namjoon sighed in the empty room. Shaking his head, the leader followed his other soulmates to the party.

There was only time to grab a drink and greet a few people before the listening party officially began. Jungkook was sitting on the steps near the stage when Hoseok started his introduction. He resisted the urge to check his phone. Anna still hadn't arrived yet and he was getting worried. The Maknae could see that his Hyung was searching the room from the stage.

"And lastly..."

Jungkook's eyes widened as Hoseok trailed off. He was staring at something in the distance. The Maknae whipped his head around to find that what had distracted his Hyung was Anna.

Anna had just made it in time for the listening of Hoseok's album and had also managed to make quite the entrance. The crowd parted as she walked forwards into the room. She felt slightly overdressed compared to most of the guests, but her soulmates thought that she looked stunning. There was no doubt that they would be showing her off to everyone here tonight.

Once Hoseok recovered, he finished his speech.

"And lastly, thank you to my amazing, beautiful, soulmates, who are always by my side. I couldn't have done this without you."

A couple of people chuckled as Jin sent a flying kiss to his soulmate on the stage. Anna took the opportunity to hurry over and join Jungkook where he was sitting.

"Let's open the box!"

Hoseok jumped down from the stage and sat down next to his two soulmates as the first song on his album began to play.

"Princess, you made it!"

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Anna's eyes darted over to Jungkook who smiled and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Hoseok didn't need to know about her momentary freak-out earlier.

Everyone listened to each song intently. When MORE came on, Anna and Jungkook headbanged to it together. After the last song had finished, Hoseok went back on stage and thanked everyone for coming and hoped that they enjoyed the rest of the party.

Making sure to stay close to one of her soulmates, Anna was introduced to a lot of people. Some people she recognised and many she didn't. A notable meeting was Jessi, who was excited to speak English with her and made some comments which made her laugh and left Jimin looking very confused.

She also, briefly, got to speak to Cha Eunwoo before he had to leave early.

"I hear you'll be at our next 97-line meet-up? I'll make sure to be there this time."

As she watched the Idol Actor walk away, Jimin wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear.

"Dance with me."

For the rest of the night, various music was played, and they all had fun dancing and singing along. At one point, the song changed, and Anna froze.

"It's Noona's song!"

All her soulmates, minus Jin who had left early to check on Yoongi, gathered around and began singing and dancing along to Anna's song. Hoseok spun her around and into his arms. He smiled at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you for coming. It wasn't so bad after all, was it?"

Anna looked at him wide-eyed as he smiled knowingly.

"What do you -? No, it wasn't. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too. I love you."

"I love you more."

"Not possible."

If she wasn't so aware of the eyes on them, Anna would have pulled Hoseok in for a kiss. Instead, Taehyung came up to them, pouting.

"Teach me the dance to your song. Please?"

Anna smiled and rolled her eyes. She was sure that her soulmates knew all of her choreography already, but she couldn't say no when Taehyung pulled that face.

"Fine."

"Yay!"

Taehyung bounced away to tell the rest of the Maknae line.

Before she could move away, Hoseok tighten his grip on Anna and whispered in her ear.

"I think it's your turn to teach me."

Chapter 4: Roles Reversed

The room was set up for another episode of Interviews with Anna, and Anna was in her normal seat, but today was going to be a little different. The camera was zoomed in on her, not showing who else was on the show just yet. She tried not to fidget in her seat as she smiled at the camera and started her intro.

"Hello, I'm Anna and this is the final episode of Interviews with Anna. Now, this episode is going to be a little different, today I am going to be the one being interviewed. Yeah, disclaimer, this wasn't my idea. Anyway, who will be interviewing me? Can anybody guess? Yep, BTS has joined us today. Please say hello."

The camera zoomed out to show that the members of BTS were sitting opposite Anna in the guest seats. As always, Namjoon started off their greeting.

"Hello, we are BTS!"

They all waved before introducing themselves individually.

"Hello, I'm Namjoon, the cute soulmate."

The leader did a flower pose, framing his face with both of his hands, before looking down embarrassed.

"I'm the handsome soulmate, Jin!"

The oldest winked at the camera and threw his signature flying kiss as well.

"Hi, guys, it's Suga. The sleepy soulmate."

The rapper raised his hand lazily and gave a short wave in greeting.

"I'm your hope, you're my hope. I'm Anna's hope!"

The dancer grinned widely and was practically bouncing in his seat.

"It's cutie, sexy, lovely, Jimin."

The younger dancer poked his cheek, his aegyo made the hearts of everyone watching melt.

"Hi, I'm V. I'm the cool soulmate."

The singer tried to do a cool pose but ended up laughing.

"I'm Jungkook, Noona's favourite soulmate!"

Anna leaned forward and hissed at the Maknae.

"Jungkook! You can't say that! ARMY will think that I really have favourites!"

"But I'm everyone's favourite soulmate. Right, Hyungs?"

The youngest looked around at his other members.

"Well... yeah, you kind of are. Our cute, not-so-little Maknae."

Namjoon interrupted.

"Okay! Let's ask the first question."

They took turns asking Anna questions. They asked her about her album, how she came up with the name Wonders of the Heart, the story behind her title song How To Land, and how long it took her to learn the choreography for Proving You Wrong. All the normal questions, but the other members would chime in with off-script questions as well.

"For our last question, many of your fans are wondering if you will continue to post covers on your YouTube channel, Annyeong Anna?"

"Yes, I will. Think of Annyeong Anna as a personal account rather than, well, the Idol version of me?"

"Ah! Anna's an Idol now!"

She tilted her head.

"It's so weird to hear that."

"I think it took me... 10 years? to get used to it!"

Hoseok laughed and Jungkook looked thoughtful.

"I can barely remember not being an Idol."

"It's a weird concept, being an Idol, isn't it?"

There was a pause after Taehyung's statement, so Namjoon tried to get things back on track.

"Anyway... back to the question. Do you have any songs lined up to do covers of?"

"I do. Would you like a hint?"

"Yes please!"

"Okay, here's a little preview.

Anna got up and started to dance and sing.

"Everything, everything. You gotta want my everything."

Jimin stood up and spread his arms out toward her.

"Whoa, whoa! Too much!"

"Noona's doing girl group songs now?"

"Girl group, boy group, does it matter?"

"Nope, Noona's great at everything."

Namjoon interrupted for what he hoped was the last time.

"Okay! And that brings us to the end of our interview with Anna."

"Thank you, BTS for joining me today. How do you like being the ones doing the interviewing?"

"It's so much more fun to ask questions than try to think of answers for them."

"I enjoyed listening to your answers, Anna. It was very interesting."

"I'm glad you had fun. Shall we say goodbye?"

As the video finished, Jungkook turned to Hoseok. The pair were curled up on the dancer's sofa in his studio. The interview they had done with Anna had just been released and they had wanted to watch it.

"That didn't turn out too bad. The editing team did a good job."

"Noona takes part in the editing of all her videos."

"That's why they turn out so well, but I don't know how she makes the time."

"Speaking of interviews... have you told Noona?"

Hoseok looked at Jungkook with his brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you told her that you went on IU's show?"

"Was I supposed to?"

Jungkook shook his head at Hoseok's confused expression.

"Oh, Hyung. IU is to Anna what Wang Yibo is to Jimin."

"Wang Yibo is to Jimin... Oh! Really?"

"It's my fault. You know, that rumour that she's my ideal girl."

"Ah, right. I forgot about that."

"Well, you're the only one, Hyung."

"Poor Kookie. I'm not worried. It's just an interview. If you had gone on the show, however..."

"Nope! Never going to happen. I wouldn't do that to Noona."

"That's why you're her good boy."

Hoseok ruffled the younger boy's hair while he pouted cutely.

"Hyung!"

The dancer didn't pre-warn Anna about his appearance on IU's show. In fact, he didn't think any more of it until he received a message from Yeonjun of TXT.

I showed Anna your interview with IU. Sorry, Sunbaenim.

Hoseok gulped. If Yeonjun thought it necessary to give him a heads up and apologise, then his soulmate must have reacted stronger than he expected her to. He debated whether to give Anna some time before talking to her, but decided that would only give her mind time to go wild with ideas.

He found her in their lounge, curled up on the sofa with a frown on her face as she stared into space.

"Anna? Princess?"

Her head whipped around and her eyes narrowed before her face went blank. Anna got up and went to walk right past Hoseok, but he reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her tightly until he felt her tense figure begin to melt.

"Yeonjun told me you watched my interview with IU-Noona."

"You seemed very close to your Noona."

"Not really. I was just being polite."

"You were giggling."

"It was nervous giggling. It was weird to be interviewed alone."

"Well, you had lots in common with your interviewer, so I'm sure that helped."

"I have lots in common with you too. You're afraid of bugs too. We love to dance. We both like to do arts and crafts. We can both be domi-"

"Okay, okay. You've made your case."

Hoseok kissed her on the cheek.

"Do you feel better?"

"No."

"No? Why?"

"She got to sing with you."

He pulled away from Anna and turned them around so that they were facing each other and took her hands in his.

"Oh, Princess. I'll sing with you anytime you want, okay?"

"Properly. Not just karaoke style."

"I promise."

"Okay."

Hoseok smiled.

"You know, it's quite nice to see you be the jealous one for a change."

"I wasn't jealous!"

"Sure. She asked about you, you know?"

Anna tried not to look too interested.

"She did?"

"Yep. She wanted me to tell you congratulations on your debut and that she really liked your album."

"Really?"

"Really. I think she would've preferred to have interviewed you, rather than me."

"Would she have done a better job than you?"

Hoseok laughed.

"Definitely. Who's idea was it to have your soulmates interview you?"

"No idea. Probably Bang PD."

"I think the fans enjoyed it anyway and that's what matters."

"ARMY enjoys everything you do."

"Ah, but it won't just be ARMYs watching it. Any more thoughts on your fandom name?"

"It's a banned subject."

"Okay then. I'm heading home to pack."

"I can't believe I won't get to see your first solo stage in person."

"I wish more of you could come too. At least Jimin will be there. I think I'd freak out without at least one of my soulmates there for support."

"You're going to be amazing. I know it. You were born to be on stage."

"I hope so. I'm so nervous!"

Anna reached up and cupped Hoseok's cheek.

"I'm so proud of you. You're so brave, being the first one in the group to do this solo. You deserve individual recognition of your talents. Everyone will know the name J-Hope after this."

"I don't know if my heart's racing from fear, excitement, or because I want to kiss you."

"Well, we can rule one of those things out."

Anna leaned up and captured her soulmate's lips in a kiss.

Chapter 5: Building Connections

"Hello everyone!"

Anna waved at the camera.

"Sorry for surprising you, but apparently that's part of the fun of V Lives."

She smiled as she read the comments.

"It's not fun? It's not fun when you miss it. Ah, that's true. It's sad, isn't it? What do you do when you suddenly get a notification that one of your favourite Idols has gone live? When I lived in England, because of the time difference, a couple of times I got it just before I started work, so I couldn't watch it. So sad!"

Leaning forward, she reads more of the comments. They're coming in quickly now as more people join the live.

"You always miss it because of the time difference? Oh no! That's the life of an international fan, isn't it? The time difference in Europe isn't too bad, I think. Midnight in Korea is 3 or 4 pm there, which we know is prime time for new K-pop content to drop."

A comment catches Anna's eye.

"Chan's Room is usually on at a good time? Ah, Stay Kids' Bang Chan does his weekly V Live every Sunday night doesn't he? Who else watches it?"

The comments pour in from every Stray Kids fan.

"Oh, wow. There's a lot of STAYs watching today. Hello!"

Anna waves again excitedly, before going back to reading the comments.

"You always miss Chan's Room because of the time difference? That's a shame. He works really hard to translate everything he says as well so more people can understand when watching it live."

She nods as she watches the comments move up the screen.

"I do that too? Well, I try my best. I think it’s only fair since I can speak both languages - reasonably well. It’s a bit harder doing it on a live though! Aww, you guys are too sweet."

Anna put her hand to her heart as the fans complimented her on her translation skills.

"What was that?"

Another comment caught her eye and she tried to scroll back through the comments to find it.

"Did I watch Chan's Room last week? I did, the replay though. Since he's on tour I keep missing it, but I bet American STAY are happy with the time change."

She pouted, not knowing that the viewers were screenshotting her sulking cutely and it would be all across twitter later that she was upset because she missed Chan's Room.

"Yes, that's right. He played my song. For those of you who don't watch it, Bang Chan does a weekly V Live called Chan's Room where he plays song recommendations, or new releases. Last week he did J-Hope's MORE and my How To Land. That was pretty cool. Okay, it was awesome!"

Anna laughed and shook her fists in the air in a little excited dance.

"Huh? You want me to do Chan's Room. Oh, you want me to do a regular V Live like Chan? Wow, that's a big commitment. Honestly, I don't know how he manages to do it every week. They're not short Lives either, at least an hour, sometimes an hour and a half long! Crazy."

The viewers seemed to be very serious about this idea and were trying to convince her to do it in the comments.

"It doesn't have to be every week. It doesn't have to be that long."

She nodded thoughtfully. 

"Okay, so, ideas... I could do a long one once a month, say the last Friday or whatever, or a short one every week. What do you think?"

There were mixed results, but one option seemed to win in the end.

"Yeah, I agree. A long one once a month would be better. Wow, am I really doing this? I hope Chan doesn't mind me sort of copying him. Well, it won't be quite the same I don't know the music-making process as well as he does, so I won't be as insightful."

The viewers commented nice things again.

"Aw, thanks. I learned a lot making my album, but I still have so much to learn. Something to look forward to. I like learning new things."

Anna stared at the screen for a few minutes, but there were so many comments coming in that it was hard to read them. Suddenly she sat up and pointed her finger as if she'd had an idea.

"You know what it will be like? A - how shall I put this - fan club? I was going to say a time to fangirl over Idols together, but I didn't want to exclude anyone. Whatever we call it, we can share our favourite songs and dramas of the month. Stuff like that."

She bit her lip as she waited to see what the viewers would think.

"Wait. Is it okay to say my favourites? I shouldn't really be biased."

Anna frowned and hummed thoughtfully.

"Let's think of it as exploration and discovery of new content. No hate, only positivity. Sound good?"

Thankfully the comments were all positive, which made her smile.

"Awesome. Now I just need to come up with a name... Oh! I have an idea. Afternoon tea with Anna? Afternoon Tea? Teatime?"

She raised her eyebrows as she asked what the viewers thought, and then sighed.

"But if I do it in the afternoon, is that a bad time for international fans? I think I'm going to need to do a bit of research to figure out if there's a good time, at least for a majority of people. I'll let you know. Okay?"

Anna leaned forwards again to try and read some of the comments that were flying across her screen.

"Will I actually have afternoon tea for the Lives? If that's what we're calling it then of course I will. Good thing I'm only doing this once a month then, and not every week. That wouldn't be good for my diet."

She regretted her word choice as soon as she said it.

"I don't need to diet? When I say diet, I just mean watching what I eat, nothing drastic. I try not to snack and have smaller portions at mealtimes. Otherwise, I'd eat giant bowls of pasta for dinner."

Anna gestured with her hands what an exaggerated size bowl of pasta she would eat.

"Not good. However, I definitely eat better in Korea. Healthier. Everything just tastes so good!"

She grabbed her stomach as it grumbled.

"See I've gotten hungry just thinking about it!"

With a sigh she leaned back in her chair, smiling.

"This has been really nice."

She sat up again and looked side to side as she leaned in close.

"Shall I tell you a secret?"

The comments screamed positive as the viewers got excited.

"I was really worried about doing V Lives. I thought I'd be awkward, and I'd see mean comments, but it's been like talking to a group of friends - a very big group. You've all been very nice, so thank you."

Thank you, Anna!

You're the best, Anna!

I love you, Anna!

"See? So nice. Oh, I might cry. No, actually, I think I'm tearing up."

She laughed as she blinked rapidly to try and make the tears disappear.

"Ah, well, I think we're getting to the end of this V Live. It's dinner time for..."

Anna's eyes followed something behind the camera, and containers of food were passed to her.

"Unless the staff brings me my dinner, and this turns into a mukbang. Is that okay with everyone? You can turn it off now if you don't want to watch me eat."

She begins to uncover the food.

"I was watching someone do a V Live once - whilst eating - and thought, Idols eat during V Lives because it's the only time they have to eat. Or do they do V Live when it’s time to eat?"

Anna takes her first bite of food.

"Yum. So, the first episode of Anna's Teatime, or Dinner Time. Shall I tell you what I've been up to lately? Let's start with music. What have you all been listening to the past month?"

While she eats a bit more of her dinner, Anna takes out her phone and opens her Spotify."

"Okay, July... Ah, ENHYPEN's MANIFESTO: DAY 1. I love Future Perfect. I played it on repeat when it first came out. The music video was awesome too. I always like their title songs."

"And then... oh, I discovered SUNMI. A bit late, I know, but I think it was her hair that caught my attention. Heart Burn is a great song, and the music video is good too. Burning men alive with her hotness. Wow! Of her older songs, my favourite is Borderline. I love it!"

"Of course, I can't leave out Hobi's first official solo album! You can really feel the cohesive storyline as you listen to the album. You know how he said the order of the songs was important? It all fits together so well. I think MORE is my favourite though. That chorus is just... urgh, love it."

"Umm, any P1Harmony fans? Doom Du Doom is so catchy, right? They are a recent discovery for me as well, but this song has been on repeat as well."

"And I'll just talk about something upcoming. ATEEZ! Wow. This album is epic! The teasers, oh my... amazing. A mini-movie. Can't wait for that on Friday!"

Anna took bites of her food between talking about each artist and as she thought about what movies and tv shows she had seen recently.

"I, er, try to keep a note of what I've watched because at the moment I can never remember, but originally because it's nice to know when you first watched something, or how long it took you to watch it. What have I watched this month...?"

"I know! Oh, this is the best show ever. Seriously, I love it so much. Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. Please watch it so I can talk about it with you. It's so cute!"

Behind the camera, one of the staff members started tapping on their wrist.

"Alright. That was a small preview of what my monthly V Lives will be like. I'll let you know when the real first one will be. Tune in to find out the name I decide on."

"Thank you all for spending time with me today. Bye!"

Chapter 6: Playing Catchup

Five of the members of BTS and Anna were curled up on their sofa at home. They had all cleared their morning work schedule so that they could watch their soulmate perform on his first solo stage. Hoseok was about to perform at Lalapoloza and Jimin had been lucky enough to be able to fly to Chicago and see it in person. The rest of them had to settle for seeing it on TV.

The day before, Anna had managed to watch TXT's performance at the festival, and she was so proud of the younger group. The group had been in America all month travelling for their World Tour. Yeonjun had messaged her and told her how much their English lunch sessions had helped him feel comfortable while promoting over there. After mentioning this to the rest of her lunchtime group, Jay and Jake, more members of ENHYPEN joined them to prepare for their own tour in a couple of months.

"Hobi-Hyung's so brave."

"It'll be you up there next time, Kook."

The Maknae shook his head and leaned into Namjoon who was sitting beside him.

"No way. I can't even imagine being on stage without you all. Scary."

Anna leaned forward from where she was sitting on the other side of Namjoon.

"It's definitely going to happen. For each of you. But I agree, Hobi's brave for going first."

On her other side, Yoongi squeezed her hand and smiled.

"He's so nervous. I'm glad Jimin was able to go and be there for him."

"If he hadn't been able to, I would've cancelled everything. Releasing solo albums doesn't mean we need to do it alone."

Taehyung held his hand over his heart as he looked at Jin and wiped away a fake tear.

"Hyung! That was so touching."

"Yah! You little -"

"Jin's right. None of us will have to do any of this alone. We're still a team. Forever Bulletproof."

Anna cleared her throat. Namjoon's eyes widened and he hastened to correct himself.

"Of course, that includes you, Anna!"

"Our honorary Bangtannie!"

Taehyung grinned at her and then Jungkook chimed in.

"With the tattoo to prove it!"

Namjoon traced the tattoo on Anna's arm.

"When Jungkook told me you were getting a tattoo, I was expecting something... smaller."

"It’s not that big."

Jin ran his hand over his forearm.

"It covers your whole arm!"

"You're exaggerating."

"It's bigger than our 7's. Let's leave it at that. Hoseok's performance is about to start."

At Yoongi's words, they all concentrated back on the screen as their soulmate's stage appeared on the screen.

"Whoa!"

"Look at the crowd! So many people!"

When the show started and Hoseok jumped out of the box like a jack-in-the-box, his soulmates' mouths dropped.

"I think that was the coolest thing I've ever seen."

At some point, Anna, Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook stood up and started dancing, headbanging, and generally cheering as Hoseok performed. Yoongi and Namjoon looked at each other before standing up with a sigh and joining in. They all had fun rapping along, especially Taehyung and Jungkook. Anna tried her best, but her Korean wasn't up to fast rapping standards yet. However, she managed the slower sections, getting cheers from her soulmates.

When Hoseok's performance was coming to an end, they all sat down to watch as he said his goodbyes.

"Hyung, are you tearing up?"

Everyone looked around to see who Jungkook was talking to. Anna heard Yoongi sniff from beside her.

"No... I'm just so proud of him."

"We all are."

As they all headed their separate ways to start their day, Namjoon grabbed Anna's hand to stop her from leaving.

"What's your schedule today?"

"I'm meeting the boys for lunch and then I've got a couple of meetings this afternoon before dance practice this evening. Why do you ask?"

"I don't have anything until later, so I wondered if you had any time to spare. I feel like I haven't spent enough time with you lately."

"Do you feel as though your schedule has lightened up at all? That was partly the reason for chapter two, wasn't it?"

"Yes and no. I'm still pretty busy, but I get to do things at a slower pace."

"Good. And you can join us for lunch if you want?"

"Is this one of your English lunches?"

"Yep!"

"Sure. I'd love to join you."

"Okay, but no scaring the kids, okay?"

"I don't know what you mean."

The lunch table was silent as everyone ate their lunch. Anna's eyes looked from Namjoon who was eating happily to the young Idols of ENHYPEN across the table who were staring down at their food. She turned to Jay who was sitting on the other side of her to her soulmate and communicated with her eyes to help her diffuse the tension.

"Has everyone seen Noona's new meme?"

Heeseung's eyes widened and glanced at Namjoon as he wondered why Jay had decided to bring that up.

"What one's that?"

"From her V Live, when she was talking about being upset about missing Bang Chan-sunbaenim's weekly V Lives. It's been circling Twitter since last night."

"Oh, yeah! I've seen it!"

"I haven't seen it."

As soon as Namjoon spoke, the younger boys all rushed to find the picture on their phones to show the older Idol. They were relieved when Anna's soulmate smirked at the photo.

"Cute. I didn't get to watch your V Live last night. I'll watch it later."

"Are you sure? It's me fangirling over other Idols, won't you get jealous?"

The members of ENHYPEN held their breath as they watched the two soulmates interact.

"Do you want me to? You're going to have to try harder than that. I heard about someone else getting jealous..."

Anna wrinkled her nose and muttered under her breath.

"Stupid IU."

"So cute."

A noise reminded them that they weren't alone. Namjoon sat up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Anna bit her lip as she looked around the table. She smiled at the boys as she changed the subject.

"Are you all excited for KCON?"

"Yes!"

"Very much."

Jake leaned forward across the table.

"Are you, Noona? I heard that you're coming with us."

"Aww, I was going to make it a surprise!"

"What? You're going to KCON? In LA?"

Anna turned to Namjoon and smiled mischievously.

"Yep, with ATEEZ and Stray Kids! I can't wait!"

Her soulmate narrowed his eyes, but Anna turned back to face the others. Jay nudged her.

"I don't who's more excited, Noona. You or us?!"

"You. You boys should be the most excited."

Anna's breath hitched as Namjoon's hand rested possessively on her thigh as he spoke.

"You're right, Namjoon-sunbaenim."

"We are very excited. In fact, we should get back to rehearsing."

"Bye, Noona."

The boys bowed before hurried leaving the two soulmates alone.

Namjoon leaned in and whispered in Anna's ear.

"I'll see you when you get home, my love. I'll be waiting."

Anna was left with a pounding heart after her soulmate kissed her goodbye and hoped that the rest of her day passed quickly.

When she got home, the apartment was dark. She made her way to her's and Jungkook's room to find Namjoon waiting for her. As she closed the door behind her, she could feel her heart race in anticipation. Anna watched as Namjoon walked toward her until he had her pressed against the door.

"Tonight, I'll remind you who you belong to."

She went to speak but was silenced with a bruising kiss that took her breath away. His lips marked a trail along her jaw as he whispered in her ear.

"Shh. The only noise you'll be making tonight is when you scream my name."

If it were anyone else, she might have laughed, but when Namjoon got like this no one would dare.

Anna felt him kiss her neck as his hands wandered over her body. With one hand she ran her fingers through his hair, while with the other she gripped his shoulder, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt.

Suddenly, he lifted her up and moved to place her on the desk. After letting go, he removed his top, but before Anna could truly enjoy her soulmate's well-defined chest, her own top was removed, and her arms were pinned to the wall behind her. She whined at not being able to touch her soulmate's body.

Namjoon distracted her from her disappointment by capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She felt him move her hands until they were close enough together for him to hold them with one hand. With his now free hand, he ran it down her body until he reached her waist. Reaching one hand behind her back, he pulled her sharply towards him making her gasp.

Pulling away, he looked down at her with dark eyes. She didn't even feel it when he released his grip on her wrists. He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip before holding her chin and moving her head to the side. Her hands finally dropped to run across his shoulders and back as he attacked her neck once again.

His kisses trailed from her neck down her chest until he ran out of skin. Looking up at her, he gripped her thighs, lifted her up, turned around and dropped her on the bed. Kneeling over her with his arms resting on either side of her head, Namjoon hovered over Anna's body. He lowered his head until their noses were touching.

"Is this, okay?"

"Yes... Joon, don't stop."

"As you wish, my love."

Chapter 7: Toxic Atmosphere

Anna was using BTS's dance studio to work on a new cover song. 

She had just had a meeting with her managers to discuss what she would be doing next and revealed that they were planning for her to do another fan meeting. This time, due to her popularity, it would be on a much larger scale and therefore wouldn't include greeting the fans individually. 

Anna wasn't particularly surprised. They had given her choreography for a couple of her other songs that she hadn't performed on the music shows, so she knew that they must have a plan for her to perform them somewhere else. 

She also needed a couple of cover songs and she wanted to do different ones from those she had done at her first fan meeting. Most recently she had uploaded an EVERGLOW song as she had teased when her soulmates had interviewed her for her Interviews with Anna show. It had gotten a good response, but she wanted to do an English song as well. Luckily, she had one in mind.

While she may have been newly debuted, Anna wasn't young in age. Although she didn't mind doing the cutesy dances and such, she had noticed that some of the other female K-pop solo artists had a bit more maturity in their performances. Hwasa, in particular, came to mind.

There was a song she had recently discovered and had been playing on repeat. Something about it just made her dance to it and she had been thinking about doing a cover of it even before getting the news of her upcoming fan meeting. However, the dance moves she had in mind were a little more provocative than anything she had done before. At least that was shown to the public.

So here she was trying to form the moves she had come up with into a proper routine, but she was having a little trouble.

"Something's missing."

Anna turned to the door to see Hoseok leaning against the wall. The dancer walked over to her and gave her a kiss hello. She knew that he must have been watching her for at least a little while as he gripped her hips and pulled her towards him. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his hair.

"What are you doing here Mr big-time solo artist? You should be enjoying your time off."

"All my soulmates are working, so I thought I'd do some dancing."

"Oh, do you want the studio? I can go somewhere else."

"Don't worry, Princess. I have a better idea."

"Uh uh. Nope! I have work to do, so don't you come here and distract me."

"That's not actually what I meant, although I suppose it isn't too far off."

"Huh?"

Hoseok smirked at Anna's confusion.

"Your dance. It's missing something, right?"

"Yeah... for some reason it’s not quite working. Are you saying you want to help me with it?"

Hoseok ran his hands up and lifted her arms above her head before spinning her around so her back was to his chest. Bringing her arms back down he gripped her hips again and put his head over her shoulder.

"Not quite. I think you're missing a partner."

"Is that so? And dancing with me is similar to us having sex?"

"It is with the right song, and with what I just saw you doing I think this one is perfect."

Somehow, he managed to time it perfectly with the chorus and just as it started he spun her back around. His hands held her waist as he dipped her backwards and slowly swept her in an arch in a similar move to what she had been doing at that part when she was dancing alone. When he pulled her back up, they body-rolled against each other and his hand reached around her throat. Again, an echo of what she had been doing herself.

For the second half of the chorus, they stepped around each other, turning 180 degrees in short sharps movements. They body-rolled against each other again, but this time she reached out a finger and dragged it across his lips. Then she slowly stepped away from him, one step at a time and he stalked after her before running to catch her and lifting her up and slowly spinning her around. When he put her back down, he pulled her back against his chest. The chorus finished with them circling their hips against each other.

They stopped dancing and just stayed like that. Hoseok held her close, and she leaned back against his shoulder. He placed a kiss on her neck before nuzzling it.

"I missed you."

"Was Jimin not enough to satisfy you?"

"I don't think Jimin's ever left any of us unsatisfied."

"I hope you thoroughly celebrated after the show."

"It's a good thing he wasn't coming back home with me. I'm not sure he would've been able to manage the long plane ride."

"Hoseok!"

The dancer chuckled in her ear.

"By the way, what song is this?"

"Middle of the Night by Elley Duhe."

"What were you practising it for?"

"Fan meeting. They told me about it today, so I thought I'd start working on the new cover I'd been toying with."

"You're planning on performing this live?"

"Why? Do you think it’s too much?"

"Hmm... It's different, but we're all evolving into more mature personas, so no, if you do it right, I don't think it will be too much. I bet the fans will love it. Didn't they love your sexy photos?"

"Sexy photos? Is that what you guys are calling them?"

"Well, it was a sexy concept. Wasn't one of the baby Idols there for the shoot? I heard he talked about you a lot afterwards."

"Baby Idol? You mean Jay from ENHYPEN? Are you jealous?"

"I think we established that you’re the jealous one out of the two of us, Princess."

"Hey!"

Anna pouted and Hoseok kissed her on the cheek.

"I heard you got Namjoon all riled up while I was away?"

"I remember when I wouldn't fangirl over other Idols in front of any of you. Now, I do it just for fun."

"You find it fun to make us jealous, do you? Cheeky girl."

"It only works on the young ones... and Namjoon. You eldest are too mature for that kind of silliness. Although, Jungkook has started to fanboy along with me."

"By eldest you mean Yoongi and me, right? Because Jin is surprisingly possessive and young at heart."

"He's such a tease!"

"So, what have you been fangirling about recently?"

"What? Oh, um, well..."

"Go on. Tell me."

"There's this new Thai drama coming out soon."

"What’s it called?"

"Love in the Air."

"What’s it about?"

"Falling in love?"

"Woah, don’t give too much away."

Anna elbowed Hoseok as he laughed.

"I discovered this song while watching a TikTok compilation on it."

"And this song was fitting? Is this a steamy drama?"

"There might have been some hints of it in the trailer."

"Really? Wow, that's a bit unusual in the east."

"It's a BL."

"BL?"

"Boy Love."

"Oh. Oh! Anna... you have seven boys that you can watch anytime. Are we not enough for you?"

"Are you inviting me to watch?"

"You can watch me at work anytime, Princess. I'm sure the others won't mind either. Taehyung likes to be watched you know."

"I - um, really?"

"Hm. Do you watch a lot of these types of dramas?"

"Define a lot?"

"Oh my. Well, next time, can I watch with you?"

"Umm..."

"We don't have to. I just wanted to share something with you and spend a little time together. I know Jungkook watched Wang Yibo's show, The Untamed, with you."

"Oh. Well, I take my dramas very seriously."

"That's fine."

"So no teasing."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise not to tease you whilst we're watching it, but afterwards..."

Anna missed the implication of his words. She was too excited thinking about being able to share her excitement with someone. She didn't really have anyone to fangirl over stuff with.

"Okay then! This one starts on the 18th of August. So, in two weeks' time. I can't wait!"

"You're so cute when you get like this."

Hoseok peppered her with kisses making Anna giggle.

"We should get back to work."

"You mean I should."

"I thought we were doing this dance together."

"But then I have to find a dancer to do it with me."

"Not happening. No one else is doing this dance with you."

"You can't dance with me at my fan meeting though."

"Why not?"

"Because... You can't -"

"Trust me?"

"With my life."

Chapter 8: Home Voyage

Anna was surprised when she got called to another meeting. They had just had one to discuss her fan meeting and other upcoming schedules so she couldn't figure out what else there could be. 

 

Perhaps they forgot something. 

 

She was more confused when she entered the meeting room and it wasn't the staff who she usually worked with. 

 

"Hello, Anna. We're the staff in charge of BTS' content."

 

"Oh, of course. Nice to see you again."

 

"Please have a seat. We have asked you here because we need your help."

 

"My help?"

 

"Yes. We are bringing back Bon Voyage -"

 

"Yay! Sorry, I love that show."

 

"We asked the members where they would like to go and they said the UK."

 

Anna, who had been on the edge of her seat, slumped in disappointment.

 

"Oh, really? There wasn't anywhere else they wanted to go? Somewhere more... Exciting?"

 

"They wanted to go to your home country. Although they've briefly visited whilst on tour they felt like they hadn't seen much of the country."

 

"Fine. They're so sentimental. How can I help?"

 

"Is there anywhere or anything you would recommend for the to go or do? They mentioned that you would go on holiday in the Lake District."

 

"Yes. Definitely, my favourite place to go. Very beautiful, but I'm not sure what they'd do there apart from walking."

 

"We have some ideas, but if you think of anything we should include, please let us know."

 

"Of course. I'll think about it and let you know. All I've got at the moment are... Centre Parcs - it's a holiday park, lots of things to do - and themes Parcs - there are two big ones. Oh, and the Harry Potter Studio Tour! I'm not sure if any of this would be good for the show though."

 

"We try not to worry too much about that and just make sure the boys will enjoy it."

 

"True. They have a talent for creating entertainment wherever they go."

 

"And this is a surprise so please don't tell them. They know we're doing another season of Bon Voyage, but not where they're going."

 

"No problem."

 

Finally, I get to keep something a secret from them. 

 

"Also, as you know, we've started filming Run BTS! again. We were asking the boys what they would like to do and they mentioned that you would like to plan an episode."

 

"Oh, wow. Yes, I might have said that at some point."

 

"We think it would be nice, a special episode arranged by you, but it's completely your choice. If you want to do it, just tell us what you need and we will sort it all out. Okay?"

 

"Okay. Yes, I'd like to... As soon as I have a plan, I'll let you know."

 

"Wonderful. Thank you so much for your help, Anna."

 

"No problem. I'm happy to help."

 

After leaving the meeting, Anna checked her phone to find a message from Jungkook. 

 

Noona, I need you!

 

She replied asking where he was and then went to meet him. He was waiting for her with a pout. 

 

"I need your help to choose."

 

"Choose what?"

 

Jungkook grinned as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the room. 

 

"Are these your photos? They came out so good!"

 

"You inspired me."

 

"Me? How?"

 

"Didn't you used to have a thing for vampires, Noona?"

 

"I don't know what you mean..."

 

Jungkook leaned close to Anna and whispered in her ear. 

 

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Every teenage girl felt the same way about Twilight back then."

 

Anna elbowed him gently making him laugh. She examined the photos more closely. 

 

"You do make a very dashing vampire."

 

Jungkook wrapped his arms around her waist and hooked his chin over her shoulder. 

 

"You like?"

 

She held one up and turned her head towards his. 

 

"Can I have this one to go on our bedroom wall?"

 

"What Noona wants Noona gets."

 

"I was joking, but you can't take that back now!"

 

They both laughed and he let go of her, sweeping his arm over the table covered in photos. 

 

"Go on. Choose your favourites."

 

"Hmm, let's see... This one's giving me pirate vibes."

 

"Yeah?"

 

Anna picked up another photo. 

 

"It's the shirt. In this one, you look more like a prince."

 

"That's because I'm your prince charming."

 

She turned to her youngest soulmate and stared at him with a soft but serious expression. 

 

"You are."

 

Jungkook blushed. 

 

"Noona!"

 

"I hope you know how much you mean to me. I worry I don't show you enough sometimes. I know I'm not very good at expressing my emotions."

 

Jungkook took her hand and kissed the back of it. 

 

"Me neither, but I know how much I love you and I hope you know too. I've never felt as loved as I have since I met you."

 

"What? Really?"

 

"Yeah... Hyungs never made me feel unloved or anything, but maybe it's because you're a girl, or because we didn't grow up together, or because you were our last missing piece. With you, it's different."

 

Not having the words, Anna reached up and gave Jungkook a peck on the lips before wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned the hug, holding her tightly for a moment. She pulled back and smiled at him. 

 

"Okay, let's choose your pictures."

 

They started seriously discussing each picture and whether choices led to a cohesive selection until Anna had to leave. 

 

"I've got dance practice with Hobi now. I'll see you later."

 

She gave Jungkook a kiss on the cheek, but he pouted making her laugh before giving him a peck on the lips. 

 

"Love you, Noona."

 

"Love you, too, Kookie."

 

Anna and Hoseok were rehearsing her new cover for her fan meeting. Somehow the dancer had convinced her to let him dance with her for this performance, but she was having too much fun to worry about it at the moment. 

 

They were in the middle of practising a section which was giving them trouble when the door opened and someone walked in. Anna looked to see who it was and ran towards them. 

 

"Jimin! You're back!"

 

She jumped into his arms and the younger dancer caught her with a laugh. Jimin had stayed in America a little longer after attending Hoseok's performance at the festival in Chicago. 

 

"What a welcome! Did you miss me that much?"

 

Anna pecked him on the lips, smiling when Jimin leaned forwards hoping to deepen the kiss. 

 

"Nah, not really."

 

"Cheeky."

 

Jimin leaned forwards and captured her lips. As he deepened the kiss, he ran his hand over Anna's body. She pulled away and tapped him on the back. 

 

"Hey! What is it with you two and the dance studio?"

 

"I think the problem is you, Princess, not the dance studio."

 

Hoseok greeted Jimin hello, now that he had put Anna down. 

 

"I agree with Hyung, you're just too irresistible."

 

"I'm pretty sure that's not it."

 

"Do we need to give you another lesson on how sexy you are?"

 

"Well, I wouldn't say no..."

 

"Next evening we're all free, it's a date."

 

"So, what were you practising?"

 

"A cover song for my fan meeting."

 

"Anna, I just had an idea. Jimin should join us."

 

"What?"

 

"That bit we're struggling with if we had another person it would work better."

 

"I guess I've already got one member of BTS as my backup dancer, what's another."

 

"Jimin, you in?"

 

"Yes. What's the concept?"

 

Anna and Hoseok looked at each other before smirking at Jimin. 

 

"Sexy."

 

Jimin was a little surprised when they showed him what they had done so far, but was more than happy to be joining in. They worked on including him in what they already had, passing Anna between the two of them. 

 

To add something a little extra, Jimin suggested using a chair as a prop. 

 

"Anna, you sit on the chair backwards. Now lean back, give Hoseok-Hyung your hand, that's it, and just lean back all the way and stretch out your other arm, and play with your hair. Perfect."

 

Next, he had her sit on the top of the back of the chair. Hoseok was still standing behind to hold the chair steady while Jimin came to stand in front of her. He knelt on his knee on the chair and then lifted one of Anna's legs, guiding it onto his shoulder. 

 

"Remember, I'm not as flexible as either of you."

 

"You're plenty flexible. See? No problem."

 

"Are we really using this in the choreography or are you just having fun?"

 

"Does it matter?"

 

Anna removed her leg from Jimin's shoulder and surprised him by using her foot to push him away making Hoseok laugh from behind her. 

 

"Oh, I think that should definitely be included."

Chapter 9: Idols Assistance

BTS were reluctant to see Anna off to KCON, but they couldn't deny how excited she was. Under the guise of accompanying their company's younger group, ENHYPEN, she was going without any of her soulmates. Although, really, she was excited to see the performances of not just their group, but many of the others and a few in particular.

"I don't like it."

"What? That she's going alone, or that she's so excited to see other male Idols?"

"Well, I meant travelling alone, but now that you mention it..."

"Maybe I shouldn't go."

Taehyung and Jimin turned towards Anna from where they were muttering to each other. She had overheard their conversation and was pouting sadly. The two boys' eyes widened as they realised, she had heard them and they gulped at the look on Jin's face as he realised it too. Their oldest soulmate wrapped his arm around Anna's shoulders as he narrowed his eyes at the pair.

"Of course, you're going. Now, have you got everything? Phone? Passport?"

"I'm not Joon."

"Hey! It's been a while since I lost anything!"

Jungkook took something out of his pocket and gave it to the leader.

"Here you go, Namjoon-Hyung. I found your wallet in the laundry basket."

Namjoon took the item with a sheepish look on his face while the others laughed.

"So, you're all ready then, Sweetie?"

"Yep!"

"Okay, then, I'm going to miss you so much!"

Anna laughed as Jin peppered her face with kisses.

"I'm only going for a few days. I'll be back next week."

"I know, but you haven't been away from all of us like this before."

"You’re all jetting off all over the place nowadays. Now it's my turn."

Namjoon hugged Anna next.

"You're right. Have fun, my love."

After saying goodbye to each of her soulmates, Anna was taken to the airport and a bodyguard made sure that she made it safely through to security by order of her soulmates. When she reached LA, a driver was waiting to take her to the hotel where ENHYPEN and their staff would be joining her the next day.

Once she was settled in her room, she messaged her friend Rose who was also there for KCON and was staying in the same hotel. The two ordered room service for dinner and caught up with each other. For the past month, Rose had been staying in England after having an argument with her soulmate, Stray Kids' Bang Chan. Anna's friend was here in secret to watch her soulmate and his group perform. Although Anna had tried to convince her friend to go back to her soulmate, the girl was convinced that she had hurt Chan so badly that he wouldn't want her anymore.

After spending a day with her friend, ENHYPEN arrived, and then the next day was KCON. Even though she wasn't there as an artist or as a member of staff, Anna got backstage access to the event. During the day, she risked looking around at a few of the events that were taking place. Despite her disguise, she was recognised by a few people who were polite enough to keep her presence quiet.

In the afternoon, Anna helped the Idols get ready. She was mainly there for ENHYPEN, and the young Idols were nervous to be performing on such a big international stage, but Rose had made her promise to check on Stray Kids for her. Any excuse to talk to one of her favourite K-pop groups was welcome, and she thought that she might pop in to see ATEEZ as well.

When she made it to Stray Kids' dressing room, Minho had just arrived after having to get a later flight than the others and things were a little chaotic. The dancer was struggling with the clasp on his necklace. Seeing that all the staff were busy, Anna walked over to him.

"Can I help?"

Minho looked at her and his eyes widened in surprise as he realised who she was.

"No, that's okay. I've got it."

After a few more moments of fiddling, the Idol sighed and gave Anna a small smile.

"Give it to me."

He handed over the necklace and she had it fastened around his neck in no time. 

"Thank you, Anna."

"Can I help you with anything else? A drink? Something to eat?"

"Oh... no. I'm fine. Thank you."

"Okay. Good luck tonight!"

Anna went to check on the other members when she suddenly turned back to Minho.

"Oops, almost forgot. Is your outfit alright? Comfy?"

"What? I mean, yes. Yes, it is."

"Good. If you need anything just let me know, I'll be around."

Minho watched in confusion as Anna went around and said hello to the other members while checking their costumes. They had only met Anna a couple of times, most recently when she interviewed them, but the dancer had no idea if this was normal behaviour for BTS' soulmate.

Meanwhile, Anna was going around the rest of Stray Kids acting as if this was totally normal while she recited in her head that she was doing this for Rose and tried not to fangirl over the Idols. It was very hard, and she was sure she was bright red as they each congratulated her on her debut and told her how much they loved her album.

"No crop top tonight, Chan?"

She teased the leader hoping to get the attention off of her, but instead, he smirked at her.

"Disappointed? I'll be sure to let Jungkook know."

"You wouldn't betray a STAY like that. I can't believe he never told me you were friends."

"Eh, there's a lot of 97ers. We don't get to hang out that often."

"Are you going to the meet-up for Kookie's birthday?"

"Ah, no. I can't. We're having some time off so I'm going to Australia."

"Oh, wow, that's great! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. I'm excited. Felix is going home too. It's been three years for both of us."

"Well, enjoy your time off. You definitely deserve it."

"Noona! There you are!"

Anna turned to the door to see Jake, from ENHYPEN, enter the room. He smiled shyly as he noticed everyone else in the room.

"Why are you looking for me?"

"The staff want to talk to you about something."

The young Idol shrugged to show that he didn't know any more details.

"Me? Okay. Oh, Jake, meet some of your fellow Aussies in the business."

Chan held out his hand to Jake.

"Good to finally meet you."

Anna waved goodbye to everyone as she left.

"Bye, everyone! Fighting!"

When she got back to ENHYPEN's dressing room, Anna found out why they were looking for her. The organisers had found out that she was here and had asked if she would be a special MC. Something had happened and they needed someone to fill in, and it helped that she spoke English. 

She tried not to freak out as she agreed, and the staff rushed around to find something for her to wear while others started on her hair and makeup. She was to be the last MC to go on before Stray Kids closed the show. All she needed to do was chat a little with the audience and then introduce the final performers of the show.

Once she was ready, Anna found a quiet corner and got out her phone with shaky hands.

"Jagi? Are you enjoying the show?"

"Yoon..."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"They - they asked me to MC."

"You'll be fine. I know you like to be prepared for things like this, but you can do it."

"I haven't rehearsed... I don't know what I'm going to say."

"How much time do you have?"

"I - I don't know. Not long."

"Okay, what are you going to do first?"

"Umm..."

"Introduce yourself."

"Right. Of course."

"You had fun today, didn't you? What did you do?"

"I went around the events they had. Two members of ATEEZ gave a dance class. I got recognised by a few people, but they were really nice."

"That's good. See, you're a fan just like them. Just talk to them normal, like you do on your V Lives."

"You watch my V Lives?"

"Sometimes. It's cute."

"Yoonie!"

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Jagi."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go rock that stage!"

Improvision had never been Anna's strong suit. She had gotten a lot better at it, especially over the last few months, but that didn't mean it wasn't nerve-wracking to be standing on a stage like this.

"Hello! I'm your surprise MC, Anna!"

There was an uproar from the crowd, and she spun around the 360-degree stage.

"Wow, what a welcome. I, er, just wanted to ask... who here doesn't know who I am?"

The arena was silent. Anna was a little surprised, but she guessed it made sense that they recognised her as BTS' soulmate.

"Really? Okay, okay, but who here has listened to my music?"

This time the arena erupted into cheers.

"Um, thank you! Anyway, enough about me... are you all having fun? What was your favourite part of KCON?"

Anna pretended to listen as everyone shouted out answers.

"Yeah, that was my favourite part too. Woosan forever. Now, we've had many amazing performances so far. Did you enjoy them? It’s been a good night, hasn't it? Yep, but it’s not over yet! Do you know who's next?"

She frowned as the response she got wasn't what she was expecting.

"What? No! Not me! I'm not performing."

The crowd started chanting her name.

"But I haven't prepared anything. Okay, okay. What song do you want to hear?"

It was a little jumbled as a few different answers were shouted out, but there was one that seemed to be clearer than the rest.

"Faith in Fate? Yeah? That does seem to be a fan favourite. I don't have any music, so acapella, okay? Cool. I haven't sung this one live yet, so I'm sorry if it’s not great."

There was a moment of silence before Anna started to sing. She didn't sing the whole song as she was aware that she had a time limit, but she found herself wishing that she could as she watched the audience wave their lightsticks in the air. It was a magical moment that she almost couldn't believe was really happening.

Nothing could wipe the smile off of her face for the rest of the night as she welcomed Stray Kids onto the stage and watched their performance. At the end of the show when all the Idols joined the group on stage to say goodbye, she found herself being dragged on stage by Changbin and Wooyoung.

That night she video-called her soulmates and told them all about it. They told her how proud they were of her and perhaps for the first time, Anna could truly say that she was proud of herself too.

Chapter 10: Fan Confessions

"Don't!"

Jungkook looked at Anna with a hurt expression as she whacked his hand away.

"Noona? Why?"

"These aren't for you."

Anna was arranging a selection of treats on the table. She was about to do a V Live, the first official one of her promised monthly talks with fans. As discussed the theme was afternoon tea. Jungkook left happily after she promised that he could eat whatever she didn't after the live.

"Welcome to the first episode of Afternoon Tea with Anna!"

"So, I spoke to Bang Chan to ask if this was okay, and he said it's fine, of course, as long as I don't give you a virtual hug when I say goodbye." 

A message came through on her phone and she laughed when she read it.

"Jin said I can do a flying kiss. I have his permission. No! That's your thing, Jinnie! Let me think. What could we do...? Finger hearts? But I want you to be able to join in... Oh! What about a heart like this?!"

Anna held out one hand and formed half a heart by pointing her thumb down and curling her fingers.

"I'll do one half and you guys can finish it! What do you think? Is that okay? We can always change it later. 

"Right, so, first of all, has everyone got their drink and snack ready? Here I've got..."

Anna pointed out what food she prepared for her 'afternoon tea'.

"Okay, now, what has happened this month? Let's start with -"

The comments caught her eye.

"You want to hear about KCON? That was a surprise, wasn't it?! I hope I didn't embarrass myself."

You were awesome, Unnie!

We love you, Anna!

Can you sing for us, please?

"Aww, you guys are too sweet. I'm not Kookie, this isn't a karaoke show. Although I'm not opposed to it, perhaps he'll let me join next time."

Anna sang a couple of lines of one of her songs as requested.

"Um, what else can I tell you about KCON... I went for the show, I mean, to accompany ENHYPEN and help out. It was just a perk that I got to meet all the artists backstage. It was a lot of fun."

She took a minute to read through the comments.

"Music. What has everyone been listening to this month? I don't think I've listened to much new stuff. Umm..."

ATEEZ! Guerilla!

"Oh my! Of course. It hadn't come out the last time I did this, had it? Now. Wow. How can I describe Guerilla? Epic? I love it so much. Okay, I'll admit, at first I was a bit taken aback by the screamo aspect, but after a couple of listens I was hooked."

Anna took a deep breath as if she were going to shout something, but then changed her mind and laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not going to try singing it. What's your favourite song on the album? I love New World and Cyberpunk. Well, I love all of them, but those two in particular.

"Did I meet ATEEZ at KCON? Yes, I did and didn't they do an awesome job opening the show! Not that it's a surprise. Their performances are always on point."

"Apart from ATEEZ, a new song for me, but not a new release, is MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Elley Duhe. Now, hear me out, I'm not much of a TikTok person, I think I'm too old,"

You're not old!

"Oh, thanks, but lately I have started watching YouTube shorts and when I say watching, I mean, getting lost for hours just scrolling through watching one after the other. It's not good. However, I have discovered a couple of good songs, so that's a positive."

Post more TikToks please, Anna!

"I will try to be more active on TikTok. Promise.

"Now. Films? TV shows? What has everyone been watching?"

Taehyung was in Yoongi's studio with him when Anna started her V Live, he was surprised to hear their soulmate's voice suddenly coming from the speakers. He looked at the producer's screen to see that V Live was open.

"Hyung? You're watching Anna's live?"

"Yes? Is that a problem?"

"Of course not... do you watch all our V Lives, or just Anna's?"

"How much free time do you think I have? Urgh, at first, I was worried because she's still new to this and I know stuff like this was what worried her the most. She didn't think she'd be good at it, but now..."

"But now?"

"I like listening to her talk. I like hearing her switch between Korean and English. I like seeing how comfortable she's gotten in front of the camera. I like hearing her thoughts and what she's up to. I feel like a fan getting to spend quality time with her."

Taehyung plopped himself down in the older Idol's lap making Yoongi groan in protest.

"I understand. We thought things would slow down by focusing on our individual work, but it feels as though we're just as busy as ever."

The younger Idol rested his against the back of the chair over Yoongi's shoulder.

"It will get better. Eventually."

"Still, it's disconcerting that to spend quality time with one of your soulmates you're watching their V Live. I mean, do you really want to hear Anna talk about whatever Idol she's obsessing over at the moment?"

"Huh? I'm not the jealous type, unlike you."

"I don't know... the way she's talking about this Jeff guy. It seems like she really likes him."

Taehyung smiled as Yoongi frowned at the screen as he listened to Anna talk and watched as the older got out his phone.

"We'll see about that."

"Hyung? What are you doing?"

The singer smiled as he watched Yoongi type out a text to Anna and send it. He noticed Taehyung grinning at him and narrowed his eyes. The younger laughed and kissed the producer on the cheek. Yoongi's lips twitched into a small smile, before grimacing and shifting in the chair.

"Tae, honey, I love you, but can you please get off, you're too big to sit on my lap."

"Oh, Hyung, you've never complained about my size before."

"Cheeky boy."

Anna had been talking about what she had been watching this past month.

"Yeah, so it's been a Thai drama month. Love In The Air has a new episode every Thursday, so to get through the wait in between episodes I've watched... Don't Say - Wait, I should ask, how old are you? Any young ones should cover their ears. You shouldn't watch this stuff. Although, if it's on YouTube they have to cut the good stuff out, so it's not as... graphic? Maybe I should stop here."

Tell us, Anna!

Have you watched 2gether?!

Have you seen Not Me?

Did you watch KinnPorsche?!!!

"2gether. Yes. I love Bright and Win. Did I tell you I'm a big F4 fan? Not Me. Yes. OffGun, right? I watched the other one they did before I watched Not Me, I can't remember the name off the top of my head. Off is so pretty. KinnPorsche. Well, that's what I was going to talk to you about.

"So, I'd heard about how everyone was raving about it, but when I looked it up, I couldn’t find where to watch it. However, I finally found it, very recently, and watched it all in two days. It's so good! I could probably rant about it forever, but I'll keep it short so as not to bore you. I'm sure some of you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Who's your favourite character?

"My favourite character is... Kim. Which will lead me onto my latest obsession, Jeff Satur. Hold on, I don't mean obsession in a bad, creepy way, just that I've been listening to his music on repeat and watching every video on YouTube that he's in. You know, normal fan stuff. You guys, understand, right?"

Anna's one of us!

I love that she's so open about her fangirling.

She's so relatable!

"Do, my only criticism of KinnPorsche would be that there wasn't enough Kim. They alluded to a lot of stuff, but... anyway, hopefully, there will be a season two. It encouraged me to pick up my guitar though."

You play guitar?

Play us something, please!

Sing Why Don't You Stay!

"Ah, I'm not that good I'm afraid. Yoongi gave me some lessons, but I've been busy. Okay, how about I practice something for next time? Why Don't You Stay is such a good song. Luckily there's an English version because I wouldn't want to offend anyone by trying to sing in Thai. I love to be able to, though. One day."

A message on Anna's phone caught her attention.

"Oh dear. Someone's watching my V Live and is requesting I stop fangirling over another Idol."

Who is it? 

They can't say that!

Fangirl over whoever you like Anna!

"Sorry, Yoongi. The fans have spoken."

Suga's watching this?

Yoongi marry me!

Oppa be nice to Anna!

Anna x Jeff Satur collab, please!

"Ooh, I like that idea! Someone asked for me to do a collaboration with Jeff Satur, how do I make that happen?"

You've already got seven idol soulmates, focus on them.

Anna had been pretty lucky when it came to unfriendly comments. It might be because there were so many that any bad ones got lost, but one managed to catch her eye today. She had never been good at keeping a poker face and she had often been told that her face was an open book. So, everyone watching noticed her face fall, even though she immediately tried to recover by putting on a big smile.

"It's Jungkook's birthday soon and then Joonie's in a couple of weeks. I bet you have lots of surprises planned, right ARMY? They might have some surprises for you too. 

"I- I think we'll leave it there for today. I hope you enjoyed Afternoon Tea with Anna. Remember to never be ashamed of who or what you love. Love you, all!"

The V Live ended with Anna holding her hand out in a half heart.

Chapter 11: Stronger Together

The members of BTS were on location recording an advertisement, one of one the few times - other than rehearsing for their concert in October - where all seven of them were working together. During a break, they started talking about Anna.

"Did anyone watch Anna's live at the weekend?"

Namjoon nodded at Yoongi.

"I caught most of it. Can you believe that she used to be scared of cameras? Now she a pro!"

"I thought the same. I'm so proud!"

Jin wiped a fake tear from his eye. The others laughed at his dramatics but agreed with his words. However, Taehyung was smiling sadly.

"I don't think that's what Yoongi-Hyung wanted to talk about."

"If it's about her finding another Idol to fangirl over, then I don't want to hear a negative word about it."

"Hyung! Why are you looking at me? I didn't say anything!"

Jimin crossed his arms and pouted. Jungkook giggled as he wrapped his arm around the dancer's shoulders.

"No, it's not about that..."

"Then what?"

"What happened?"

Taehyung frowned at the confused faces of the other members.

"Did none of you watch until the end?"

"Oh."

While the others looked guilty for not seeing the end of Anna's V Live, Jungkook remembered how the live had ended. The youngest looked at Yoongi and Taehyung in understanding.

"Why do you three look so serious?"

"Did something bad happen? Why are you only telling us about it now?"

"It's not like that."

"Noona saw a bad comment."

There was a moment of silence until Jin spoke up.

"Who dared to be mean to my baby?!"

"Hyung, I thought I was your baby..."

Jin ruffled Taehyung's hair, making the younger smile happily.

"You are. Who dared to be mean to my - other baby?!"

"But she never said anything to us, right?"

Everyone confirmed to Namjoon that Anna hadn't mentioned it to any of them.

"What did the comment say?"

Yoongi looked around at his soulmates and sighed before answering.

"It implied that she was greedy for having seven soulmates -"

"What?!"

"- and that she should focus on us instead of trying to 'steal' more Idols away from their fans."

"Damn."

Namjoon was the one who said it out loud, but the rest of them were thinking the same thing. They knew that Anna felt undeservingly lucky to have the seven of them as her soulmates. It was a reason she tried to share as much as she could with their fans. Seeing a comment like that would have struck a nerve. Hoseok asked the question some of the others were also wondering.

"How did she react?"

"She recovered quickly, tried to act normally, and then ended the video."

"Tried?"

"It took her off guard. The comment. It was noticeable if you were paying close attention. Anna hasn't mastered her poker face yet."

"Should we say something? Do something? I don't want this to affect her future lives."

"Perhaps something subtle? Let everyone know that we support her being fans of other Idols."

"And that she pays us lots of attention."

Namjoon ran his fingers through his hair, a frown marring his forehead.

"I hate how one comment can make people forget everything that came before it. Anna has shown plenty of times how she cares for us and makes us happy. Why do people always have to twist things negatively?"

"I have an idea."

"What's that, Kookie?"

"Noona can join me for my birthday live. It will show solidarity and she also mentioned on her live about doing some karaoke with me sometime."

"Good idea, Kook. Hopefully, that will make her feel more comfortable."

"I agree, and I'm sure Anna would like to sing with you."

A few days later on Jungkook's birthday, he and Anna were sitting in front of a camera preparing to start a Weverse Live. When the boys had asked her about the comment incident, she admitted that it had made her a little nervous about doing a live again. She happily agreed to join her youngest soulmate for his birthday live after making sure it was what he really wanted.

"I'm going to translate everything you say into English so that international ARMY can have a better idea of what's going on."

"That's cool, Noona. Always thinking about ARMY."

"I was just thinking that Weverse Live doesn't add subtitles yet, so it would be a shame for fans who don't understand Korea to not know what you’re saying. Especially since it's your birthday. Although since you spend a lot of the time singing, they can still enjoy it without understanding."

"They don't add subtitles?"

"Not on Weverse. They did it on V Live. Don't worry I've already emailed the team in charge about it."

"Wow, Noona. You should run this place!"

"If anyone's taking charge it's Jin. JinHit, remember?"

"He can be the face and you can be the brains."

"And what? You'll be the muscle?"

Jungkook grinned as he flexed his arms.

"What did you think this was all for? To look pretty? Nope, it's to do all your heavy lifting."

"Yeah, yeah, and it has nothing to do with the way ARMY screams when you show some skin."

"What?! Noona! I don't know what you're talking about. Those were all wardrobe malfunctions. I'm innocent."

"Of course. I'm sorry. I forgot Kookie's an innocent bunny. Now, last chance, are you sure you don't want some one-on-one time with ARMY?"

"I already told you, Noona, I want you here."

Jungkook held Anna's hand as he said this. She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Okay then. Shall we start?"

They both had a great time during the live, feeding each other cake-covered grapes and singing songs together.

The next day was a special day for two reasons. One of which was that Anna was finally going to meet Jungkook's friends, the 97-liners. The friend group was meeting to celebrate Jungkook's birthday and Anna was invited too. They had booked a private room in a restaurant and the two soulmates were the first to arrive as Anna didn't like to be late for things.

Anna tried to hide her nerves, but the grip she had on Jungkook's hand gave her away. Her youngest soulmate leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek to distract her from her thoughts. She looked at him in surprise, wondering why he was kissing her when his friends could walk in at any moment.

"You don't need to be nervous, Noona. They're just my friends."

"Exactly, they're your friends, so I want them to like me."

"You've already met some of them. And who wouldn't like you."

"Plenty of people."

"Noona... if this is about -"

"No, no. I meant before I met you."

"I don't believe you. How could anyone not like my sweet, caring, talented Noona?"

"If you two are going to be lovey-dovey all evening, I'll just leave now."

Anna jumped away at the new voice and looked towards the door to see that BamBam and Yugyeom from GOT7 had walked in. Jungkook stood up with a faint blush on his cheeks and Anna followed behind, watching as the friends greeted each other.

 "Nice to see you again, Anna. Congratulations on your debut."

"Thank you."

"Guys, look who I found!"

The four of them turned to the door to see NCT’s Jaehyun with his arm around Cha Eunwoo.

"Aw man, that means I lose the bet."

Eunwoo raised his eyebrows at BamBam.

"You bet against me turning up?"

They were interrupted by SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu, The8 and DK all stumbled through the door.

"Yo! Where's the party at?!"

"Jungkookie!"

"And this must be the famous Anna-Noona."

As each male Idol walked in, Anna's nerves increased. She had always struggled with large groups of people, whether they were strangers or friends. When everyone's attention turned to her, she smiled and greeted everyone. Jungkook stepped closer to her and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

It didn't take long for Anna to start to feel at ease. The boys were all very friendly and good at making her feel included without overwhelming her. It was a little jarring to have Eunwoo and Jaehyun's handsome faces sitting across from her, but she managed to get out of her fangirl headspace and see them normally.

"Anna, you should know that Jungkook talks about you all the time."

"Yeah, it was cute at first and we were happy that he found his final soulmate and everything, but eventually it was like he was..."

"Bragging. My Noona's so great at everything."

Anna knew that they were teasing Jungkook, but she felt like she was the one being teased. She hit her soulmate's arm playfully.

"Really? No, why would you do that?"

"Because my Noona is awesome."

"Now that we've finally met you in person... we understand."

"What?"

"Kookie's right to brag. Anna-Noona, you're like perfect, you know?"

"No...?"

"I agree. Cute, funny, smart. You've got the whole package there, JK."

Jungkook wrapped his arm around Anna and smiled.

"I know."

"How long have you two been together now?"

"Actually, today is a special day. It's our one-year anniversary since we bonded."

"Oh, wow!"

Yugyeom nudges Jungkook.

"Ooh! Tell us about it. I bet it was romantic."

The whole table went quiet and leaned in to listen. Anna looked at Jungkook and smiled, waiting for him to tell the story.

"Um, well, Hyungs surprised me by taking me to Disneyland Toyko for my birthday. We were watching the fireworks at the end of the day and... yeah."

"And yeah. Wow. Nice one, Kook."

"You're the only one that wants the gory details, DK."

The soulmates glanced at each other remembering what had happened a year ago. They didn't need to speak to decide that the rest of the story didn't need telling. Jungkook's friends didn't need to know the details that led to that night not having the happy ending they had expected.

"Literal fireworks. See! I told you it would be romantic!"

BamBam stood up holding his glass.

"Toast! To Jungkook and Anna!"

"To Jungkook and Anna!"

Chapter 12: Twice Unexpected

"What are we doing today?"

BTS were in the studio to film a new episode of Run BTS!. As usual, they hadn't been told anything about what they were doing.

"Anna has planned today's episode."

The maknae line cheered at the director's words.

"Yay!"

"We're going to be testing your English skills."

"No!"

"What? Really?"

"That's not fair. What about Namjoon-Hyung?!"

"Namjoon will be the MC for the episode."

The director handed over some cue cards to the leader.

"Okay, for the first round we are focusing on food. You will be shown a picture and you need to say what it is in English."

Jimin leaned towards Jin who was sitting next to him.

"What did he say?"

The oldest whispered back loudly.

"No idea."

"They're going to show us a picture of a food and we have to say what its called in English."

Jungkook looked at Hoseok in amazement.

"Wow, Hobi-Hyung! You really have been studying hard!"

"So now everyone understands, let's start with -"

"Is he going to talk in English the whole time?"

"It's an English episode Yoongi-Hyung and I thought that you've been taking lessons?"

"And I told you that its a five year plan."

Namjoon interrupts to get them back on track, smiling at the camera.

"And here is the first picture!"

The boys are shown various foods related to the UK, such as fish and chips, roast dinner, and Indian curry. Some they didn't know, some had them confused, and some made them hungry.

"This is what Anna's used to eating?"

"Oh, I know that one! Anna cooked that for us."

"The next round is about places in the UK."

"Places?"

"Locations."

The rest of the members raised their eyebrows at Namjoon's translation. Taehyung pouted.

"I only know London and where Anna is from."

"Let's try it. We might know more than we think."

A picture of London eye and big Ben is shown.

"London!"

"Correct."

"That was too easy!"

Then a photo of Edinburgh castle.

"Hogwarts!"

"That's not a real place."

"How do you know?"

"S... Scotland?"

"Edinburgh."

"Correct."

A photo of a lake surrounded by mountains is shown.

"Wow."

"That's beautiful."

"Oh!"

"Do you know where it is, Kookie?"

"It's Noona's favourite place! I remember her telling me about it, but I can't remember the name."

"Classic Jungkook."

"Anybody know the name?"

"Nope."

"No idea."

"Okay, let me read out the answer... This is where you will be going for the new series of Bon Voyage. Huh?"

"We're going to the UK?"

"The picture is of the Lake District and it is one of the places you will be going to."

"Yes! That's Noona's favourite place."

"Wait, so this isn't an episode of Run BTS! that Anna has planned for us?"

"You tricked us... again!"

"Anna has helped us plan your Bon Voyage trip."

"Really?!"

"That makes sense."

"You said that you wanted to see more of the country where Anna was born, so that's why we decided on the UK."

"I'm so excited!"

"Is Anna coming with us?"

"Of course she is. She is, right?"

"Yes, but we haven't told her yet. She coming in later and we're going to record her reaction."

"Ooh! Can I watch?"

"Noona will be like our own personal tour guide."

"Anna has stipulated one rule for this trip."

"Oh? What?"

"Namjoon - and Anna - are not allowed to speak English."

"What?!"

"No.... Why?"

"Hoseok-Hyung, we're all relying on you now."

"Haha. I'm not the only one who's been studying and taking lessons."

"Yeah, don't worry. Worldwide handsome English is... Good!"

"Joon, are you relieved?"

"A little, yeah."

"More than a little I bet. That's a big pressure off your shoulders."

"I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be fun to watch."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at us all you want."

"Namjoon-Hyung has a point. ARMY will love it."

"Well if it will make ARMY happy then we'll do it happily."

Anna walked into the room to see camera's set up. The directors motion for her to sit in front of them.

"We've just filmed BTS finding out where they are going for the new season of Bon Voyage."

"Oh, were they happy?"

"Very happy. Although some are a little worried about your rule, but Namjoon's happy."

"Good. They'll be fine. They're alot better at English than they think. Was that all you called me here for?"

"No. We wanted to thank you for helping us plan this trip."

"No problem. I only gave you a few ideas."

The director hands Anna an envelope.

"This is for you."

"What? What is it?"

"Open it."

She opens the envelope of pulls out the card inside.

You will be participating in this new season of Bon Voyage. Good luck!

"I... I'm going with them?"

"Instead of season 5, it will be called Bon Voyage with Anna."

"Are you sending me as a babysitter?"

"Hey!"

Taehyung appeared from where he was hiding behind some equipment at the back of the room.

Once they had finished filming the two soulmates left the room.

"I can't believe I'm going with you."

"Are you happy about it? It is a holiday but you're being recorded the whole time."

"The whole time?"

"Well, most of the time. Usually we have some free time scheduled off camera."

"We should probably put some rules in place then."

"More rules?!"

"Regarding PDA."

"What's PDA?"

"Public displays of affection."

"This is your first show since you announced that you're all soulmates. Are you going to act any differently?"

"Is it? Wow, it feels like it's been forever."

"Hmm, almost a year."

"I don't think we'll act any differently. We've gotten used to acting a certain way on camera."

"You have, the seven of you, but I haven't."

"Worried you'll forget you're on camera?"

"Maybe, or appear too standoffish because I'm aware that I'm on camera."

"I think you're overthinking it. Don't worry too much about acting differently, just be your normal self. Like you have been on your V Lives."

"But no kisses."

"That's too broad. I think we can narrow it down. For example, this would be acceptable."

Taehyung kisses her on the forehead.

"And this too I suppose."

She kisses his cheek.

"But probably not this."

He cups her face in his hands and kisses her gently on the lips.

"Definitely not this."

She pulls him closer and captures his lips in a deep kiss.

"I see why you were worried now."

Anna's smile widened.

"We could turn it into a game."

Taehyung laughs.

"I love you so much. No one could be anymore perfect for us. You fit right in."

"Really?"

"You don't think so?"

"Sometimes I'm not sure. You're all so... You and I'm so... Me."

"I knew you felt a bit out of place at first, but I didn't know you still felt that way."

"I don't. Not all the time. Just occasionally."

Taehyung wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"How do you feel right now?"

Anna relaxed in his embrace. As she buried her face in his shoulder, she breathed in her soulmate's scent and let it comfort her.

"Safe. Happy. Home."

Chapter 13: Homeward Bound

Chaos. That was the word that came to Anna's mind as she watched her soulmates pack for their trip. She turned to the staff who had come to film the process.

"Are they always like this?"

"Noona!"

"Anna! Can you help me pack? I don't know what to take."

"Jimin-Hyung, I asked her first!"

"What do you need to ask her? Which black top is better?"

While Jungkook and Jimin bickered between themselves, Taehyung approached Anna holding multiple pairs of shoes.

"Babe, what kind of shoes should I take? Are these okay?"

"Um, I don't think you'll need four pairs of dress shoes. Trainers, boots, that sort of thing. Something good for walking in."

"Walking? Will we be doing a lot of walking then?"

"Ah, I've said too much already. Do you want any more help packing?"

"Oh, yes please, but don't you have to pack?"

"Already done."

"Wow, you're so amazing."

"For being able to pack my own suitcase?"

"It's a very useful skill!"

Anna laughed as Taehyung took her to his room where his suitcase was.

"Noona, we've decided that Jimin-Hyung can - where did she go?"

Later that day they were about to leave for the airport, but before they did Anna made everyone check that they had everything.

"Phone. Charger. And most importantly, Passport."

Namjoon searched through his bag before patting his pockets.

"Umm, guys, I don't have my passport."

"Namjoon-Hyung!"

"Seriously, Joon? Every time!"

Everyone stopped as Anna held up the missing item.

"You left it in the kitchen."

"The kitchen? You're not even allowed in there!"

The leader smiled sheepishly and held out his hand to take his passport from Anna.

"Thanks, love."

She moved the item away from his outstretched hand.

"Ah, I think I'll hold on to this. For safe keeping."

"I thought you didn't want to be our babysitter."

"Oh, I'll just leave you to fend for yourselves then."

"Noona, we're well-seasoned travellers at this point."

"We got this!"

Anna smiled as she raised her eyebrows.

"Alright, where are we flying to?"

"England."

"London!"

"Well done, but do you know which airport?"

"Is there more than one?"

She nodded.

"Yes, although only one is mainly for long-distance flights."

"Does it matter? The staff has arranged everything."

"Have they?"

Taehyung looked at her with wide eyes.

"They haven't?"

"I think it's been too long since you last did Bon Voyage."

"Uh oh."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"You at least know which airline we're flying with, right?"

"Do you know all these things, Noona?"

"Of course. I also know where and how long our layover is."

"Wow, you're amazing."

"I'd expect no less of you, Jagi."

"Yoongles is just happy that he can rely on Anna to keep all you troublemakers in line instead of him having to worry about things."

"Hey, Jin-Hyung? Have you got any batteries in your suitcase?"

Jin laughed mockingly and went to move towards Jungkook who hid behind Anna.

"Okay! If we've all got everything, let's go!"

"Noona? Can you hold onto my passport too?"

"Anna, have you got our tickets as well?

"What? You have our tickets? I've never been entrusted with my own ticket... Should I feel insulted?"

"Princess is running this show! ARMY will see who's really in charge."

Everyone glanced at Namjoon who just shrugged.

"I'm not one to hide the truth. You've had us wrapped around your little finger since day one, my love."

"Aw, Joonie, our closet romantic."

"You guys realise that you're going to have to cut out the nicknames when we're on camera."

"What? Why?"

"Because... Well..."

"Exactly, sweetie pie. There's no reason for that, my sugarplum."

Anna pulled a face as Jin started calling her every term of endearment he could think of. Yoongi chuckled at her expression.

"Wishing you hadn't said anything?"

"Nevermind, just, get in the cars."

The Maknae line stood to attention and saluted.

"Yes, Commander Anna!"

"Commander?"

"What? You think she's more of a general?"

"Why is she either?"

"Because she's the leader of our ARMY."

When they got to the airport, Anna held Jungkook's hand as they made their way to security. The last time she had flown was coming back from KCON LA with ENHYPEN and they had been ambushed on their way to the cars after they landed back in Korea.

However, this time, surrounded by her soulmates, she passed through without being pushed or even too crowded. A clear path was made for them to walk through the gathered fans and press. So, Anna even took the time to wave at some of those who had gathered. Jungkook joined in and they did heart poses together.

After having dinner in the VIP lounge, the soul-group boarded their flight. Namjoon was surprised when Anna sat in the seat next to him.

"I was planning on working for a bit."

He gestured to the laptop he had resting on his lap. Anna smiled and nodded.

"And I plan on sleeping... Will I disturb you if I use your shoulder as a pillow?"

"Oh, no. Go ahead."

She settled down in her seat, getting comfortable with a blanket across her lap.

"What are you working on? Your solo album?"

"Yeah, it's almost finished."

"I can't wait to hear it."

As they waited for the plane to take off, Namjoon grabbed one of Anna's hands and linked their fingers.

"Are you excited? To be going home?"

"To England you mean? It's not my home?"

"It's not?"

"My home is with you."

Namjoon chuckled as a faint blush bloomed on his cheeks.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's good with words."

"I'll never be as poetic as you, but I try."

"Do you really not consider England to be your home? It's only been a year since you moved to Korea."

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I ever really felt like it was my home. You guys always talk about how much you love your country and how proud you are to be Korean, but I don't have any similar feelings for England. I've never felt any loyalty to it."

"You don't miss it, at all?"

"I wouldn't say I don't miss it at all, but I think I miss the familiarity. Korea's so different, sometimes I feel like I'll never fully adjust."

"It's possible you won't.

"Are you okay with going back there then? I just realised that no one asked you if you wanted to come with us."

"Yes, of course. I'm excited to show my soulmates the country I grew up in. Don't worry, it's not like I hate England or that I never wanted to go back there. It's just that I don't consider it my home, anymore."

"Because your home is with us."

Anna glanced up at Namjoon who was gazing lovingly at her and smiled.

"Exactly."

She reached up and pecked him on the lips. As she pulled away, he followed after her, capturing her lips in a deeper kiss. His finger tangled in her hair as he held the back of her head with his hand.

"I'm so happy you feel that way about being with us."

"Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream. I never believed my life could be like this. That I could be so happy."

Anna tried to hold back a yawn.

"I should let you sleep."

"As much as I'd like to protest, I'm so warm and cosy that I could fall asleep at any moment."

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, my love."

Chapter 14: Divided Paths

After landing in England they received their first challenge. In pairs, the members of BTS and Anna needed to take different routes from the airport to the train station that will take them up North.

Knowing that Anna would know the way, all the boys immediately tried to place dibs. The Maknae line was especially disappointed when the directors announced that she would be paired with Namjoon. This was so that none of the teams would have the advantage of a fluent English speaker. However, the joke was made that she needed to babysit the leader - again. 

Jin and Jimin set off together, then Yoongi and Jungkook, and lastly Hoseok and Taehyung. Namjoon and Anna were smiling as they watched the other pairs leave. She nudged the leader. 

"Who do you think is going to get lost?"

"You mean, who's going to get lost first, or who's going to get lost the most?"

"Nah... they've improved since season one. Taehyung is the wild card, so if I had to bet on one pair loosing their way it would be Tae and Hobi."

"I wouldn't take that bet."

The two laughed. 

"Shall we get going?"

Namjoon held his arm out. 

"Lead the way."

Anna headed off

"Maybe I should be getting you to lead the way."

"I'm sure the others will provide enough content. We can be the calm ones. When the others are panicking it will flash to us just chilling."

"Do you not trust yourself to get us there without any issues?"

"No... There's just no need to test me when I've got an expert right here."

"Expert? I've never actually travelled by public transport from the airport before, but the Tube, yeah, no problem."

Namjoon smiled as he stared at Anna. She raised her eyebrows as she stared back. 

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're amazing."

"Why? Because I can follow London's tube map? You set the bar rather low -"

"No, not because of that. Love, you do realise that we're in England now. Everyone around us is speaking your native language and yet here you are speaking Korean to me."

"I'm not allowed to speak English on this trip."

Namjoon shook his head. 

"Ah, that was just for around the others. It's just us us two here, we can speak English if you want, but you're choosing not to."

"I do speak Korean 90% of the time now. It's habit."

"And you've grown so comfortable with it that even being around people speaking in English and English signs, you haven't reverted back. I find it interesting and impressive."

"Do you feel the need to speak in English? Is it like that every time you go to America?"

"Yeah, I guess. When I'm out and about it feels like it's expected of me. That since I can speak English I should."

"I'm sorry."

"What? Why are you sorry?"

"Because when you first found me and I couldn't speak Korean you must have felt like you had to speak English, for me."

"That's not the same. For one you're my soulmate, it wasn't a burden to communicate with you. And two, I knew that you were trying your hardest to learn my language. And that made all the difference."

"You'll never have to feel that way again. I can be your translator now."

"You make it sound as if I hate speaking English. It's not like that!"

"I don't know..."

"You're a menace. I think you have a secret mission to turn ARMY against us."

Anna laughed. 

"They're my ARMY now!"

Meanwhile, on a different train somewhere in London. 

"Jin-Hyung, I'm telling you, it's this way!" 

"Jimin, I promise you... That your wrong. Just follow Hyung." 

"But look! We started here and we want to get there. They told us only to use these colours, so... Ah, maybe not." 

"See! I told you - wait... Yah, you made us miss our stop!" 

Jimin started laughing so hard that he slid out of his seat. 

Elsewhere, out on the streets of London. 

"Go on, Kook, Hyung will follow you." 

"Really, Suga-Hyung? What if I take us on the wrong bus?" 

"Then we take the wrong bus. It's not the end of the world." 

"Wow... Okay, Hyung. This is such a big responsibility. Don't worry, I'll get us to our destination. Let's go!" 

Jungkook started confidentially strolling off in one direction only to stop and turn around. He smiled sheepishly as he pointed in the opposite direction to which he had been going. Yoongi shook his head, his lips twitching fondly as he followed the Maknae. 

Somewhere in London, off the beaten path. 

"Taehyung, where have you taken us?" 

"On an adventure, Hobi-Hyung!" 

"But - nevermind... As long as we don't miss our train!" 

"I can't make a promise like that, Hyung." 

"Tae..." 

"Trust me, Hyung. Everything will work out in the end." 

Almost at their destination. The staff had told Namjoon and Anna the whereabouts of the other couples. 

"Ha! We said Tae would get him and Hoseok lost." 

"But does it count as being lost if its on purpose?" 

"I think in this case, yes, it does. At the very least, Hoseok probably has no clue where he is."

"As long as they don't miss the train..."

Namjoon patted Anna's leg comfortingly. 

"Should we call and see where they are? Make sure they're not too far off course."

"Yeah, but we'll have to wait until we get there. No phone signal underground."

"Right. How far have we got to go?"

"Not far. Just a couple more stops and we change trains for a few more stops, or... I don't know how far it is to walk?"

"We could find somewhere to eat on the way?"

"Yeah? Sounds good to me."

When they were above ground again, Anna called Taehyung. 

"Hey Babe!"

"Don't Babe me, Kim Taehyung. Where are you?"

"In London?"

"I'd hope so. Can you narrow it down?"

"There's a pirate ship!"

"Pirate ship...? Oh, um, right, I think I know where you are. Have you seen some cool things?"

"Yep! -"

"Taken some pretty pictures?"

"Uh huh, lots!"

"Then can you make your way to the train station please?"

"Thats what I'm doing!"

"Tae, sweetie, it's going to take at least an hour, actually, probably more like an hour and a half for you to get here. If you want to join us on our train, get on a train here now."

"Oh... Hobi-Hyung we need to move now! See you soon, Anna!"

After Taehyung hung up, Namjoon laughed at Anna's expression. 

"I'd ask if you'll stop worrying now, but I think I know the answer. Come on, let's go find somewhere to eat. What do you fancy? English food?"

"Haha. Um, I don't know, let's just see what we come across. I don't know this area that well."

"Whatever you want, my love."

As they walked through the streets of London, Namjoon listened as Anna told him stories of past visits to the capital city of her home country. It was nice to hear more about her life before she met them. She didn't talk much about it and what she did say usually wasn't positive, so he enjoyed her remembering these little stories. He was also happy to spend some more one-to-one time with her. 

After getting something to eat, it was time to head to the train station and see if the others had made it on time. 

Anna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw two of her soulmates waiting. Jungkook grinned widely and waved enthusiastically at her, while Yoongi nodded in acknowledgement. 

"Noona! The buses here are so cool! There's an upstairs!"

"I see you enjoyed your trip here. You didn't get lost?"

"No. Jungkook did very well leading us here."

The Maknae blushed at Yoongi's praise. 

"Hyungs! Anna!"

They turned to see Jimin approaching them with Jin following behind.

"Jimin, Jin-Hyung, you got here alright?"

"Jimin made us miss our stop."

"Hyung! We got here alright, didn't we?"

"Thanks to my amazing map reading skills."

"Okay! Had everyone had something to eat?"

Namjoon got a mixed response. Anna pointed. 

"There are some food shops around here if you want to get something to take on the train."

Jungkook immediately started heading off in the direction Anna pointed, but stopped and looked back when he realised no one else was moving. 

"Um, Noona, can you come with me please?"

"Of course, Kookie."

After Anna helped her youngest soulmate pick out some snacks, they rejoined the others. Taehyung and Hoseok still hadn't arrived. 

"Should we call them?"

"You can try, but if they're on the underground they won't be able to answer."

Jimin tries calling Taehyung, but can't get through.

"Hopefully they're nearly here."

They waited until it was 10 minutes until their train was due to leave before going through the barriers and onto the platform. They found the carriage where their seats were and got on. Anna hung back and Yoongi noticed. 

"Are you waiting for them?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to stay too?"

"No. I need someone to look after that lot. Two Maknaes and Joon, anything could happen."

"They've got Jin-Hyung."

"I was counting him as a Maknae."

"Right. Hopefully I'll see you on this train."

Anna walked down to the end of the platform and waited by the barriers for the last two of her soulmates to arrive. She glanced at the clock ticking away in between watching out for familiar faces. 

At the two-minute before departure mark, she walked a few places backwards to where the first set of doors to the train was. 

With barely a minute to spare Taehyung and Hoseok came running into the station. Anna opened the door to the train and waved them and the cameramen on. 

"Get on!"

The train set off as soon as their door closed and she looked at her soulmates and their cameraman who were all catching their breath. 

"We made it!"

"Only just. Are you okay, Hobi?"

"I thought we were going to be left behind for a minute there, but yeah, I'm fine."

"What about me?"

Taehyung was pouting as Anna brushed Hoseok's windswept hair back into place. 

"I'm glad you didn't miss the train. Now, let's go join the others." 

Chapter 15: Mountain Climb

Anna, Hoseok, and Taehyung walked through the train to the compartment where their seats were and joined up with the rest of their soulmates. After some teasing at Taehyung's expense, he spent the rest of the journey cuddled up to Anna. 

Once they reached the Lake District they travelled to the house they would be staying in. It was a big house with four double rooms. While the boys started pairing up, Anna pouted. 

"What's wrong, Noona?"

"You guys are no fun anymore. Aren't we going to play a game to decide rooms?"

"What would you like to play?"

"Um, well, you used to play the one where you choose a room without knowing what everyone else has chosen, or the... Maze one?"

Anna drew in the air to explain the one she meant. 

"Ah, I know what you mean, Noona. Hyungs! Let's play a game to decide rooms!"

"Really, Kookie?"

"Aren't we getting too old for that?"

"Speak for yourself, Yoongles."

Yoongi rolled his eyes at Jin and Namjoon patted the rapper on the shoulder. 

"Okay. What game?"

"Random selection."

Groans sounded throughout the room. 

"Whats the point? We never keep to it."

"Jimin! ARMY doesn't know that!"

Anna raised an eyebrow at Hoseok. 

"I think ARMY does."

"So, are we playing?"

"Just for the cameras?"

"No, because Anna's never played."

"Fine. Who's going first?"

"Age order? Oldest to youngest?"

Everyone agreed and Jin went upstairs to pick his room. Meanwhile the rest of the boys tried to play mind games with eachother by saying which room they were going to pick. 

"Noona, which room are you going to pick?"

"Uh no, you share with her at home. I want to share with Anna."

"Get in line."

Jimin and Hoseok narrowed their eyes at eachother. 

"Thats why this game is a good idea. Leave it up to luck."

Namjoon leaned towards Anna and whispered to her. 

"So, my love, what room are you picking?"

Anna smiled and whispered back. 

"Even if I tell you, how do you know that it's the truth?"

"When did we corrupt you?"

"Actually, I've always been this way. I just didn't show you until now."

"Is that so?"

"Joon!"

Namjoon had attacked Anna with tickles and she was rendered helpless before she could get away. 

Meanwhile, Yoongi had disappeared to choose his room and then Hoseok too. 

"Namjoon-Hyung, it's your turn."

Taehyung helped Anna sit up as she recovered from the surprise attack. 

"I hope you told Hyung the wrong room."

"I didn't tell him any room."

"Aw, Noona. Why not?"

"I'm not good with mind games."

Then Jimin was told to go and pick his room. 

"I hope to see you in my room."

The dancer winked as he headed upstairs. 

"All joking aside, who are you hoping to share with, Noona?"

"I don't mind. I'm happy to share with any of you."

"Even Namjoon-Hyung?"

"His snoring isn't even that bad. Leave the poor guy alone."

Anna smiled fondly at the the two youngest chaised faces as she made her way upstairs to choose a room. 

Opening the door to her choosen room with anticipation, her smile dropped as she took in the empty room. It looked as though she would have to hope that Taehyung or Jungkook chose this room too. Someone else might enjoy having a room to themselves for a few days, but since finding her Soulmates Anna found it difficult to sleep alone. 

Then a head popped up from the other side of the bed and a signature laugh sounded as they saw that Anna had jumped. 

"Ha! That was funnier than I expected."

Anna put her finger to her lips and Jin tried to stifle his laugh. Her oldest soulmate waved her over and with a playful grin she crouched down behind the bed with him. They waited to see if either of the last two of their soulmates would join them. 

As they heard a noise outside of their door, the two hit eachother playfully as they tried to be silent. The door to their door opened and Jin held Anna down motioning for her to wait. They felt the bes move as whoever it was jumped on it and laid down. 

When they did reveal themselves they peaked over the edge of the bed to see Taehyung frowning. Anna cleared her throat and her younger soulmate turned. When he saw them his face lit up in a big boxy smile and he jumped towards them, wrapping his arms around them. 

"I thought I was going to have no one to snuggle with!"

Jin gasped. 

"As if I'd ever let that happen to my baby bear!"

Regardless of Jimin's earlier statement, the three of them did share the bed that night. Yoongi was quite happy with a room all to himself. Although Hoseok and Jimin had invited him to join them if he got lonely. 

"Wow... Look at that view!"

Anna smiled at Jungkook's exclamation. They had climbed to the top of a small mountain near where they were staying. It had been a late start followed by a few grumbles and comments about how far up they were planning on going. However now that they were at the top, all of her soulmates were admiring the view. 

"Was it worth it?"

Yoongi's lips twitched into a smile and he nodded. The others all already that the view was worth the climb and the Maknae line started bickering about how easy they had found it.

"Can we eat now?"

"That's usually Kookie's line, Jin-Hyung."

"Yah! Anna and I worked hard on making a delicious lunch for you. You should be excited to eat it too!"

"I'm always excited to eat your food, Noona."

"Who's been cooking for you for the last 10years? You ungrateful..."

"Let's eat!"

Jungkook wrapped his arm around Jin. 

"I'm always grateful for your cooking, Hyung. I just prefer Noona's."

The Maknae ran around as their oldest soulmate chased after him. 

Anna spread out the picnic mat with Hoseok and Jimin's help. Yoongi and Taehyung brushed her off when she tried to unpack the food. 

"You've done enough, let us serve you."

"Don't!"

She stopped Namjoon before he could make a suggestive comment and nodded towards the cameras. 

"Don't worry, love. They can always cut it out."

"No need to make their job harder though."

"And that's why all the staff love you, Princess. So thoughtful."

Hoseok leaned over and gave Anna a peck on the cheek. 

"That's why everyone's jealous of us, because we have Noona!?

Jungkook and Jin had finished running around and the youngest had landed behind Anna. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her from side to side. 

"You're too sweet. All of you. What would ARMYs say if they saw you being so sickeningly sweet?"

"I think they'd love it."

The boys nodded in agreement to Jimin's statement. 

The next few minutes were mostly silent as they all ate. 

"Jagi, do we go back down the same way?"

"Enthusiastic to be on the move again, Yoongi-Hyung?"

Yoongi pulled a face at Jimin, while Anna answered. 

"We can, but there is another way down. A gentler way. It's usually best to go up steep and down gently. Rather than the opposite."

The rapper nodded and the narrowed his eyes at Jimin who was grinning. 

Namjoon rolled his eyes at the pair before turning to Anna. 

"Have you done this walk before?"

"Um, not that I remember... but it's possible. A long time ago."

"I see why you like it here, Babe. It's so calm and peaceful."

As if to emphasise his point, Taehyung laid down, resting his head on Anna's thigh, and closed his eyes. She smiled down at him and began running her fingers through his hair. 

The rest of the boys felt a similar way. This had been just what they needed.

Chapter 16: Your Turn

After a long day of walking, they decided to go out for dinner that evening. Not up to travelling too far they went to the pub in the village near where they were staying. 

 

"Anna, what's this?"

 

Hoseok pointed at an item on the menu. 

 

"Yorkshire pudding? It's.. it's like... It's good. The best part of a roast dinner. In my opinion, anyway."

 

"Isn't a pudding a desert?"

 

"Normally, yes -"

 

"This is what you would have every Sunday?"

 

"Pretty much. Rotate through different meats each week. Chicken is the best though."

 

"I've decided! Roast dessert it is!"

 

"Who's ordering this time?"

 

Everyone apart from Anna and Namjoon made a point of not looking up from their menus. 

 

"Come on, guys. You've got to take turns anyway. Just get it over with."

 

"I'll do it."

 

"Jin-Hyung... But you've already done it."

 

"So have you, Hoseok. I dont mind. Since this lot are scaredy cats."

 

"I'm not scared!"

 

"Thanks for volunteering, Taehyung!"

 

"I - that wasn't -"

 

"Woo! Go, TaeTae!"

 

Taehyung leans in and whispers to Anna. 

 

"Can you just remind me how to say -"

 

"Nope! But don't worry. You've got this, Tae!"

 

The second youngest pouted in response before sighing in defeat. 

 

"Fine. What did everyone want again?"

 

"Seriously, Hyung? We've gone over it twice already."

 

"Do you want to order then?"

 

Jungkook showed the menu to him and started pointing at the dishes they had decided to have. 

 

"What a lot of fuss."

 

"No one can say we don't have a dramatic side."

 

Anna turned to Yoongi who was sitting on the other side of her. 

 

"I know your English is perfectly good enough to order food. You can't pretend otherwise."

 

"I know."

 

"But... You like seeing the others suffer?"

 

"No, well maybe but I just can't be bothered to remember that many dishes."

 

Anna burst out laughing but managing to suppress the sound before the rest of the table noticed. 

 

"Oh, Yoongi..."

 

"What? That's a lot of dishes, Jagi! Even with just one each it's 8, but some of these guys are never full!"

 

Anna was smiling as she leaned in and kissed the rapper on the cheek. 

 

"Cute."

 

Her smile widened when she noticed the pink tinge to his cheeks. Yoongi cleared his throat. 

 

"By the way, you're welcome to join me in my single bedroom. Any night."

 

"Sometimes I wonder what things were like before I joined you."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"It feels as though you always choose me.not just you, but all of you. And not that I'm complaining! But -"

 

"Do we? I hadn't really noticed... But it's probably because we don't see or as often or that we've had ten more years with the others than with you. We've got to make up for lost time."

 

"Is it?"

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Lost time. Do you wish... Nevermind."

 

"Noona."

 

Anna looked over at Jungkook would had obviously heard her conversation with Yoongi. 

 

"Do you wish we had found you sooner?"

 

The table went silent as they all looked at her. 

 

"My immediate response would be yes. I could've had this years ago and why wouldn't I, but if I think about it I know that I wouldn't have been ready. For this. Your lifestyle. For you."

 

Namjoon reached across the table and Anna held hand. 

 

"We hoped many times over the years that somehow somewhere we would meet. Even though it wouldn't have been the best timing -"

 

"- it doesn't mean that we didn't want it to happen."

 

"We would've got through whatever troubles we faced, either way."

 

Anna and Namjoon smiled softly at eachother while the rest of the boys nodded. 

 

"How did we get so serious?"

 

"Jin-Hyung."

 

"Oh, it started when I told Jagi she could join me in my single bedroom any time she wants."

 

"Yoongi-Hyung!"

 

"Yoongi!"

 

Taehyung and Jin looked at each other when the spoke at the same time. 

 

"We won the bedroom lottery. Don't steal her from us!"

 

Yoongi wrapped his arm around the back of Anna's chair and smiled smugly. 

 

"It's not stealing. It's her choice."

 

"But..."

 

As Jin stared open mouthed, Taehyung clung to Anna's arm. 

 

"You wouldn't do that. Tell me you won't leave me!"

 

"Don't be so dramatic, Tae."

 

Taehyung glared at Jimin and stuck out his tongue. 

 

Anna dropped her head into her hand. 

 

Just then the waitress appeared. 

 

"Are you ready to order?"

 

They all looked at Taehyung. 

 

"Umm, I - I - I -"

 

While he fumbled with the menu, Anna encouraged him. 

 

"You got this!"

 

Taehyung smiled gratefully before turning to the waitress. 

 

"We would like two roast dinner, one fish and chip, ..."

 

Anna smiled proudly as he said their order without a hitch. After the waitress left, Taehyung looked around the table with a big smile. Anna ruffled his hair, making his boxy grin appear. 

 

After dinner they moved to the bar area. They had the night off from being filmed and the Maknae line wanted to take advantage of it. Anna's older soulmates had offered to go back to the house, knowing that Anna didn't like being around drinkers as a nondrinker herself, but she insisted they all stay and have a drink. 

 

When Namjoon handed her a nonalcoholic drink, she noticed he had the same drink in his hand. 

 

"Why are you not drinking?"

 

"Someone has to help you carry this lot home. Or did you think you'd manage by yourself?"

 

Anna contemplated and raised her arm to show off her muscles. 

 

"I don't know... I might not be quite at your level, but I've switched to heavier weights."

 

Namjoon's lips twitched. 

 

"I've noticed. You're becoming a gym bunny like our Jungkookie."

 

"Ha. It will take a while longer before I can say that, I think. Forming abs is hard work!"

 

"Oh, is that your goal? To have abs?"

 

"Yep. I think I've gotten jealous. Being surrounded by them all the time. But seriously, I don't think one drink will render you incapable of helping me get this lot home."

 

"I don't know... You haven't been around us all when we've been drinking."

 

"You drink at home all the time."

 

"I meant more than one or two drinks. Besides I'm interested what it's like to be sober around this lot when their drunk."

 

Anna nudges Namjoon with her elbow. 

 

"No, you're not. It's hard enough dealing with them when they're sober."

 

"Ha, you got me. Can't I just want to keep you company?"

 

She smiles softly at him. 

 

"Thank you."

 

Suddenly a glass was put down heavily on their table, followed by two more. The Maknae lined grinned at Anna and Namjoon and the stood opposite them. 

 

"Oops!"

 

"Woo, party time!"

 

"Wait! I forgot the shots!"

 

Anna glanced between Namjoon and his drink and raised an eyebrow. The leader looked at the Maknae line and then down at his soft drink and sighed. 

 

She felt a body come up behind her and a hand reached past to a drink on the table. Arms wrapped around her waist and Anna leaned back into Jin's embrace as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. 

 

Yoongi and Hoseok were the last to join them. The dancer was laughing with arm was wrapped around the rappers shoulders. Hoseok's face was already a little flushed and Anna wondered if he had somehow managed to have a drink already. 

 

Jungkook came back over with a tray of shots and handed them out to everyone but Anna. When Namjoon didn't reach out to take his, she moved it closer to him and held up one finger. After a moment of consideration, he nodded and smiled at her before picking up the shot glass. 

 

The others cheered as they all clinked glasses before knocking back their shots. Sounds of exclaimation echoed around the table and Anna buried the uncomfortable niggle she felt on the pit of her stomach. Hopefully they wouldn't go overboard tonight.

 

 

Chapter 17: Lone Flower

Yoongi noticed as Anna got twitchier as the evening progressed. The more their soulmates drank and the louder they got, then the more uncomfortable became. This is why he stopped after his second drink. He watched as she fiddled with the ring she was wearing, twisting it around on her finger one way and then the other, and decided it was time to call it a night.

Leaning over to Namjoon, the only other one of his soulmates to have limited his drinking for Anna's sake, he told the leader that he was taking her home and would leave him to wrangle the others back later. Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows, but after glancing down at Anna, sighed and nodded to the older rapper.

"I'm heading home, do you want to come with me?"

Anna turned to look at Yoongi after he had whispered in her ear. After processing what he had said, she nodded. They waved at the others and left before the younger ones could complain or stop them. The rapper took her hand as they walked back to the house that they were staying in. Away from the pub, it was unsurprisingly quiet, and he felt his soulmate relax as they were surrounded by nothing but nature.

Nothing was said until they entered the house.

"Are you ready for bed, or did you want to stay up a bit longer?"

"Umm..."

Seeing that she was struggling to make a decision, Yoongi helped her out.

"I don't mind, either way... how about we get changed into our pyjamas and snuggle on the sofa for a bit?"

"You - you want to snuggle?"

It was a fair question as the rapper wasn't the cuddliest of her soulmates, but Yoongi didn't mind since just the thought had made Anna smile.

"Do you not want to? Never mind then -"

"No!"

Yoongi grinned and Anna pouted as she realised that he was only teasing her. Stepping towards her he couldn't resist pecking her on the lips.

"Go on, get changed and I'll meet you in the living room."

He chuckled quietly to himself as he watched her run upstairs, before heading to his own room.

By the time Yoongi got to the living room, Anna was waiting with a blanket, two hot chocolates, and a packet of biscuits. She held up the blanket expectantly and he couldn't help but smile at how cute she was as he settled down next to her on the sofa.

They sat like that for a while, cuddled up on the sofa drinking hot chocolate and munching on biscuits. The two of them didn't need to fill the silence. Out of all of their soulmates, the two of them were the ones that needed quiet time the most. Usually, Anna tried to drown out her thoughts with overstimulation, by listening to music or watching tv whilst reading or writing. However, with her soulmates, she felt like she could truly relax.

It was Yoongi that broke the silence.

"You brought your guitar."

It was a statement, not a question, but Anna answered anyway.

"Yeah, I promised that I would play a song during this month's Live, so I need to practice."

"I haven't heard you play for ages."

"You'll have to make sure you tune in to my show again then."

"Jagi..."

It wasn't often that Yoongi acted cute, but that only meant that he was more likely to get what he wanted when he did.

"Fine!"

Anna got up and fetched her guitar from where it was resting against the wall, before settling back on the sofa with it on her lap. She did a quick tune check, and although it sounded good enough to her, when Yoongi held out his hand, she passed the guitar to him. Something about watching her soulmate handle the guitar made her smile. After he had tuned it, he went to hand it back, but she shook her head.

"Play me something?"

Yoongi was going to pretend to be annoyed, but when he saw the look in Anna's eyes, he changed his mind.

"Any requests?"

When she shook her head, he looked down at the guitar as he thought about what to play. After a moment he started plucking a tune and Anna tried to guess what it was. When he started singing along, she knew that she hadn't heard this song before. The singing trailed off and the song ended with just him strumming. 

Anna leaned in and pressed her lips to his before pulling back slightly, their faces only inches apart.

"I love your voice."

"I'm not a great singer, but I've been working on it. Your turn."

She almost protested as he pushed the guitar towards her, creating distance between them. Running her fingers over the strings, she thought about what to play. There weren't many songs that she knew off by heart yet.

"Shoes on, get up in the morn' cup of milk let's rock and roll..."

Dynamite was a fairly simple song, and since she knew it so well it had been easy for her to learn. 

"Is that what you're going to play for your fans?"

"No? I'm not sure, I just know that one without needing sheet music. I've been practising one of my songs, to play at my fan meeting next month."

"Why did you say you'd play something for them? Last time I checked you hadn't played for a while."

"I was feeling inspired."

"By that Thai guy."

Anna glanced up at Yoongi who had his turned away as he tried to act casually.

"Jeff Satur. He's my age... another person who -"

"What? Another Idol you admire?"

"Actually, I was going to say, another person who has done so much more than me. But, yes, I suppose I admire him."

"Anna..."

"Still feeling jealous?"

"Pff, who said I was ever jealous? At the end of the day, it's my bed you come to."

"Yoongi!"

The rapper laughed as Anna gently whacked his arm.

"But, Jagi, you know you can't compare yourself to other people, right? Life doesn't have a set speed; everyone's journey is at a different pace."

"I know. Really, I do. It's just hard to fathom that such accomplished people are my age, or younger!"

Yoongi clears his throat.

"Or older..."

Anna smiles.

"Of course, my Yoongles is the most talented, Mr bigshot producer."

"That's better. Now, play me another song."

As per her soulmate's request, she plays bits of the songs she had been practising. Once she's finished, Anna notices that Yoongi is staring at her as she puts her guitar to one side.

"What?"

"Do you remember where you were a year ago?"

"Umm... oh, In The Soop!"

Yoongi smiles fondly at her excitement.

"Yes... but that's not what I meant. Consider where you were a year ago compared to today, and you don't count yourself as accomplished? Ridiculous."

"Well, when you say it like that..."

Anna ducks her head and looks down at her lap until a nudge of Yoongi's fingers under her chin makes her raise her gaze. When he catches her eye, he leans in and strokes her cheek with his thumb. It amazes Anna how her soulmates can still stun her with their beauty but having Yoongi so close had her in a trance.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you? You're so talented, and brave, and kind, and so, so fucking beautiful."

Yoongi usually kept his swearing to a minimum around Anna, knowing that she wasn't fond of it, but in this instance, it didn't bother her. Or perhaps it was because the next moment he had closed the short distance left between them and captured her lips with his. The hand he had on her cheek slid back to tangle in her hair and her own hands reached out and gripped the material of his shirt.

By the time he pulled away, Anna had somehow ended up on her back with Yoongi hovering over her. A thrill ran through her when she saw the dark look in his eyes.

"The others should be back soon."

Anna wrinkles her nose slightly, but Yoongi notices.

"If you tell them it bothers you, then they won't drink around you."

"I'd never ask that of anyone."

"But they'd do it happily. Your comfort matters more than having a drink."

She reaches up to give him a kiss.

"So sweet. Are you looking to get rewarded for all these sweet words?"

"What kind of reward are you off-"

A bang startles Anna enough to make her jump and the two on the sofa bang foreheads. They sit up while rubbing their sore heads.

"Nooooona! Yoongi-Hyuuuuung!"

Jungkook runs towards them and flops over the top of the sofa. His two soulmates rush to catch the Maknae before he slides off and hits the floor. The youngest grins at them before snuggling into Anna's lap.

"Sorry, he got away from me."

They looked over at Namjoon who had walked into the room looking a little frazzled.

"Where are the others?"

"Jin-Hyung's taking care of his baby boy, and the other two... well, Jimin decided to get Hoseok worked up."

"Hobi was already pretty drunk when we left."

"He sobered up the more Jimin teased him."

"Ah. So, you got left with Jungkookie."

The two rappers looked at where Anna was stroking the Maknae's hair and smiled at the soft picture the two presented.

"Figures. Do you know how hard it was to get him to come home? He caused trouble the whole way back and didn't listen to me at all, but with you, he's a sleepy angel."

"Don't you remember? You're just our leader - Anna's the commander."

"Right! How could I forget? You can command him to bed then. Goodnight!"

Anna looked down at the dead weight resting on her lap and hurriedly went to stop Namjoon from leaving the room.

"Wait!"

Chapter 18: New Heights

"You want us to do an obstacle course? Across the side of a mountain. Are you insane?"

"Come on, Hyung! It'll be fun!"

Hoseok looked at Jungkook with a look of disbelief.

"Easy for you to say, Mr Adrenaline Junkie."

Anna moved to stand beside Hoseok and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Sorry."

"What for, Princess?"

"This was one of my suggestions, for things you could do here. In my defence, other than walking up mountains I was a little limited. I didn't do much else other than walking when I came here before."

"Are you doing it with us, Noona?"

"Nah. I'll watch for a bit before going back to start on dinner."

"What? That's not fair!"

"I volunteer to help Anna cook!"

Then the staff told them that Anna was doing the course with them.

"Oh... Great. Can't wait."

As the others argued over who was the least scared, Namjoon leaned down to whisper to Anna.

"Will you be okay? You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I want to - I want to see if I can. The last time I did something similar, I cried, but that was ten years ago. I think I'm braver now."

"I think you can say with certainty that you're braver now. You're the bravest person I know."

"Really? That can't be true."

"Why not?"

"Because -"

She was going to say because she was afraid of everything but stopped herself.

"What's that thing you like to tell us all the time? From Harry Potter, right? Bravery is not the absence of fear -"

"- but doing something despite your fear."

"Sounds like the perfect description of you."

Anna couldn't escape the blush that spread over her cheeks at her soulmate's sweet words. Namjoon wasn't often cute or romantic - being seriously intelligent or cleverly witty by nature - but that only made a bigger impact when he was.

"What's the perfect description of Anna?"

Taehyung leaned in, interrupting them, and then Jin didn't the same, his arm wrapped around the younger's shoulder.

"The brightest star in my sky. The melody of my song. The rice to my kimchi."

The oldest was stopped from carrying out by the voice of their youngest soulmate.

"Hyungs, are you ready yet? Let's go!"

They were fitted into their safety gear and listened to the instructions. Jungkook led the group, racing ahead before coming back to help the others. Afterwards, everyone admitted that it had been fun. Although, when Hoseok commented that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, everyone looked at him in disbelief. That wasn't the impression they had gotten from the dancer whilst he was doing the assault course.

Once they reached the house, Anna and Yoongi headed to the kitchen to start cooking while the others collapsed on the sofas in the living room.

"I'm getting too old for this."

Jungkook grinned as his eyes shone with mischief.

"Someone please tell me they recorded that."

"What?"

"Jin-Hyung admitted he's old."

Jin narrowed his eyes at the Maknae and leaned forwards as if he was going to reach for the younger, but decided it wasn't worth it and leaned back in his seat.

"Aish, you - Even old, I'll still be handsome."

Music started playing from the kitchen and the boys listened to it quietly for a moment.

Taehyung frowned from his position lying on the sofa with his head on Jimin's lap

"I don't recognise this. Who is it?"

Jungkook raised his eyebrows at the question.

"You don't, Hyung? Noona's been playing him on repeat since she watched that show."

Jimin, who was running his fingers through Taehyung's hair, paused to look at Jungkook.

"What show?"

"The one she talked about on her show. The one Jeff Satur's in."

"Wait, this - singing - is Jeff Satur?"

"Yes..."

"But it's in English?!"

"Did you forget we've done songs in English?"

Everyone laughed at Namjoon's teasing of Jimin, but Jungkook still answers the dancer's question seriously.

"Yeah, he speaks English. Pretty well, I think, if not fluent."

Jimin tries not to let his past doubts take back over his mind. He refused to be jealous of his soulmate's fangirling anymore. Anna had done everything she could to reassure him, but one thing that was still on his mind was his lack of progress with his English skills.

The dancer felt something touching his face and looked down to see Taehyung staring up at him, his hand reaching up to cup his cheek.

"It doesn't matter. To her. It doesn't matter to Anna if you can speak English."

"But it does to me. Matter. I should study more, study harder. You're all so much better and I'm still..."

"Hey! Learning a language is hard. It takes a long time."

"You guys make it look easy. Hobi-Hyung's going to be fluent soon."

"Woah, I think I've still got a long way to go before I can say that, Jiminie."

"This really bothers you, doesn't it? If you're serious then we can make time for you to have lessons, and we can speak more English in our everyday lives. I promise you'll notice an improvement."

"Okay, thank you, Namjoon-Hyung."

"But it's also okay if you don't. No one will think any less of you."

"Right, like there are other things that you can do, Jimin, that we can't."

It was too much for Jimin. He leaned down to kiss Taehyung on the forehead and then stayed there just so he could hide his face from the rest of the room. The dancer felt the reassuring weight of Taehyung's hand stroke his head before resting on the back of his neck.

The two stayed like that for as long as Jimin could hold the awkward position. He heard the older three start talking amongst themselves, but they were talking low enough that he couldn't follow the conversation.

When he sat up he looked next to him to see Jungkook peering over the back of the sofa.

"Jungkook, what are you doing?"

"I'm watching Noona cook."

"Weirdo."

Taehyung pushes Jimin in retaliation on the Maknae's behalf.

"Why's that, Kook?"

"I love watching her when she's cooking. She seems so... relaxed? She puts on music and dances around. Even a year ago when she first arrived and was super shy in front of us, when she was cooking, she looked... at home. It was nice to see."

Taehyung sat up and he and Jimin joined Jungkook in looking over the sofa and into the kitchen. The house was open-plan on the ground floor, so they could see as Anna twirled across the kitchen only to pause and sing her heart out along to the music.

"Seems like you're not the only one, Jungkookie. Yoongi-Hyung has gotten himself a front-row seat."

To the side of the kitchen, Yoongi was sitting on a stall at the breakfast bar. His head was resting in his hand as he watched his soulmate's kitchen performance with a fond smile on his face.

"Why does Hyung never look at me like that?"

Jimin pouted and Taehyung smiled when he caught sight of it.

"He does, just not when you're looking."

"Really? How do you know?"

"I see everything. And you know Hyung, he doesn't like to show his feelings."

When the song finishes and Anna takes a breather to check on dinner, the Maknae line claps. She glances over at them in shock, not realising she had been performing to an audience other than Yoongi.

"Encore! Encore!"

Anna leaned on the counter in front of Yoongi and hid her face in her hands. The rapper patted her on the head, amused, for a moment before standing up.

"Dinner's ready. Any more performances will have to wait until after we've eaten."

"Aw, Hyung. Why are you ruining our fun? Noona, has time for one more song, right?"

Anna looks at him before shaking her head.

"How about... you don't get dessert if you're not sat down at the table in five, four..."

The Maknae line glance at each other before scrambling to get to the table. As Anna places their plates in front of them they grin up at her as if hoping to be praised for following her orders. She suppresses a laugh as she looks at them. After her hands are free, she taps each of them on the head on the way to her seat.

"There's my good boys."

Yoongi brings in the last of the plates and places one in front of Anna before smirking at her.

"Am I your good boy too?"

"Do you want to be?"

The rapper shrugs.

"I'm up for giving it a go."

Anna's eyes widened in surprise, but Jin interrupted before she could even think of a response.

"Not at the dinner table, please."

They started eating, but the table wasn't quiet for long.

"Princess, are we watching our show tonight?"

"Huh? Oh! It's Thursday today! Yes!"

Namjoon's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You two have a show?"

Hoseok nods.

"We've been watching a show together. A new episode airs every Thursday."

"Noona seems very excited..."

The dancer smirks at the Maknae's comment.

"Kookie, weren't you interested in learning to ride a motorcycle?"

"Er, yes, Hyung."

"I think Anna would like that."

Jungkook glances between Hoseok and Anna in confusion. Even more so when his Hyung seems to be laughing while his Noona glares at the dancer.

"Okay..."

"And keep growing your hair out."

"Hobi -"

"Actually, Yoongi-Hyung, is yours long enough to tie back yet?"

Jimin leans in and whispers to Taehyung.

"Do you know what they're talking about?"

"Love in the Air."

"Huh?"

"It's the drama they're watching. One of the leads rides a motorcycle and has long hair he ties back."

"Oh, okay, and how do you know this?"

"I looked it up after Anna mentioned it in her Live."

Jimin nods thoughtfully as he tunes back into the conversation the rest of the table is still having.

"I've learnt a lot about our Anna while watching this show with her. Apparently watching two guys together gets her all hot and -"

"Hobi!"

Jin holds his hand up.

"Hoseok, Anna's right, this isn't appropriate talk for the dinner talk."

Anna sighed in relief.

"Thank y-"

However, Jin hadn't finished.

"You can continue to tell us your finds later."

The boys laugh as Anna groans, hiding her face in her hands - again.

Chapter 19: Private Activities

Soon it was time to move on to the second location of their trip. The morning before they left their house in the Lake District, they all when for a short walk and lunch at the pub. The staff had spoken to Namjoon and he passed on the message to the rest of the group.

 

"I've been asked to remind you to please watch what you say when on camera. They're worried about not having enough content from yesterday due to our dinner conversation. So, please be mindful of when we are being recorded so that the editors have something airable, okay?."

 

Usually, they had certain times scheduled not to be recorded, so that they could enjoy the trip uncensored. However, this was sometimes rearranged due to unforeseen circumstances - or a lack of usable footage.

 

"Sorry, everyone."

 

Namjoon waved Hoseok off.

 

"It was bound to happen."

 

"It's not usually Hobi-Hyung's fault though!"

 

The leader raised an eyebrow at Jimin whose smile turned from amused to sheepish.

 

"The car's here. Everyone ready? Let's go."

 

They had a minibus to take them to her next destination as it was less than an hour away. 

 

"Cen - centray? - centri parks? Parks? Park Jimin!"

 

"Centre. Centre Parcs."

 

"What is centre parcs?"

 

"It's a holiday village."

 

"Have you been here before, Noona?"

 

"Not this particular one. They have a few around the country. I went to one down south when I was a child."

 

"What kinds of things do you do here?"

 

"Everything. All kinds of sports, indoor, outdoor and water. Umm... Oh! I don't know what it's called in Korean, hang on, I'll look it up."

 

"Just tell us in English."

 

"No! I already slipped up telling you how to pronounce Centre Parcs. Ah ha! Archery."

 

"Archery? Cool!"

 

"And paintball. Er, what else... There a big swimming pool with slides and stuff. Oh, and you cycle everywhere. No cars allowed."

 

"Swimming? Is there a hot tub?"

 

"Usually yes."

 

"Yes!"

 

"Didn't realise you liked hot tubs that much, Tae?"

 

"What? Everyone likes hot tubs, don't they?"

 

"I suppose that's true..."

 

"Ah, I know, he's remembering the hot tub at In The Soop."

 

Anna felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered sharing a hot tub with her soulmates for the first time a year ago. 

 

"That won't be happening this time. These are public. Unless..."

 

"Unless what?"

 

"Some accommodation has their own hot tub too."

 

"Please let us have that!"

 

Anna rolled her eyes at the Maknae line who had put their hands together as if they were praying. 

 

They drove through the village past lots of cabins in the forest, until they came to a stop. Anna's mouth dropped when she looked out of the window. 

 

"No. Way. Is this ours? They got us a treehouse!"

 

All the boys were surprised when Anna squealed and rushed to get out of the car before they had even undone their seatbelts. 

 

"Wait, Anna! What's a treehouse?"

 

"I don't think I've ever seen her so excited."

 

When the boys got out they understood what Anna meant. In front of them was a structure on stilts amongst the trees. Their excited soulmate was already making her way up the ramp that led to the treehouse. The boys quickly followed her. 

 

"This is so cool!"

 

"I take it you haven't stayed in one of these before."

 

"Nope! I've always wanted to though."

 

"Why didn't you then?"

 

"Expensive."

 

Taehyung came running into the living room with a big grin. 

 

"I found it. It's very private."

 

"Let's see."

 

He grabbed Anna's hand and led her outside. Hidden away on one side of the balcony was a hot tub. 

 

Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh. She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

 

"So cute."

 

They explored the rest of the house before Jungkook's voice rang out. 

 

"Everyone! We're choosing rooms!"

 

They all gathered in the living room. 

 

"How shall we decide this time?"

 

"Rock paper scissors!" 

 

Everyone agreed and they stood in a circle. 

 

"First split into pairs. Up and down." 

 

The youngest four went up and the oldest four down. They played again in their groups to pair up. Namjoon with Jin, Yoongi with Hoseok, Jimin with Anna, and Taehyung with Jungkook. 

 

"One person from each pair plays. Winner choses their room first." 

 

Jimin pats Anna on the shoulder and steps forward. 

 

"I got this." 

 

The dancer ended up losing but it didn't really matter as three of the rooms were the same. 

 

After dropping their bags in their chosen rooms. They all reconvened in the living room where an envelope had appeared on the table. 

 

Hoseok picked it up and read the contents.

 

"Here is your agenda for the weekend. Most of the activities needed to be pre-booked and so have been chosen for you. Not all eight of you are able to participate in every activity so you can decide who wants to do what for these. This afternoon is mini golf, swimming, and dinner at a restaurant. Bikes have been hired for you to get around. 

 

"Wow! This sounds fun!"

 

Their slot to play mini golf was soon so the group decided to head there first and explore afterwards before going swimming. 

 

Heading outside they each grabbed a bike. 

 

"Who knows where we're going?"

 

Taehyung raises his hand. 

 

"I'll lead the way."

 

"Anna, we're following you."

 

"Aw, Hoseok-Hyung!"

 

"Who knows where you'll take us."

 

Anna and the others laughed as the second youngest pouted. She held out her hand and beckoned him over. 

 

"Come on, TaeTae. We'll both lead the way."

 

Taehyung nodded happily. 

 

He was happier still when he got to show off his golf skills. Despite it being crazy golf, Taehyung was joint first with Jungkook. Namjoon came in last as he tended to hit it too hard, knocking the ball off of the course at least once on every hole. 

 

After that, they went for a ride around everywhere on their way back to the treehouse to get their swim stuff. They saw the lake, the sports plaza, the outdoor activity centre, and where the swimming pool and restaurants were. 

 

After collecting their stuff they headed back to where the swimming pool was. It was close to closing time, but it had been arranged for it to stay open late today just got their group so that they could film. 

 

"Anna, my love, what are you wearing?"

 

She looked at Namjoon, then down at herself, and then at the rest of her soulmates. 

 

"Er, swimwear?"

 

Anna thought her choice of clothing was fairly reserved. She was wearing small shorts and a crop top style top rather than a bikini bra style. Apparently, some of her soulmates disagreed. 

 

"Kook, go get your t-shirt for Anna to wear."

 

"Why, Jin-Hyung? Noona looks good."

 

"Of course she does! That doesn't mean her naked body needs to be captured on camera for the whole world to see."

 

"Don't exaggerate, Hyung. She not naked."

 

"Well I guess compared to us in our t-shirts it is a little more revealing..."

 

"Oh, well, if that's the problem."

 

Jungkook removed his top and Namjoon dropped his head with a sigh while Jimin wolf-whistled. 

 

"Well, at least no one will be looking at Anna."

 

"You've made your point, Jungkook. Don't make more work for the editors. Put it back on."

 

Both Anna and Taehyung sighed in disappointment as the Maknae covered up. 

 

They split up and went to different parts of the swimming complex with the cameramen following. Some went to the slides, others to the rapids and Namjoon and Yoongi went to the jacuzzis. 

 

Jin and Anna were floating around the indoor rapids, or lazy river as she liked to call it. They both had inflatable rings which allowed the current to take them around while they relaxed. 

 

"This is nice."

 

"Yeah, it's my favourite part. They had a similar thing at the one I went to."

 

On one corner was a particularly strong current. Anna got caught in it and was propelled forwards, while Jin missed it and got left behind. 

 

"Hey! Wait for me!"

 

They both stretched out their arms and reached towards each other, but Anna kept spinning around. Eventually, they clasped hands and Jin dragged Anna towards him. 

 

"Woah!"

 

"Gotcha!"

 

When they went past the entrance, Hoseok was there. 

 

"Are you joining us, Hobi?"

 

"I think so. This looks more gentle than the slides."

 

Anna moved out of her inflatable ring and pushed it towards Hoseok. 

 

"Here. Get in this."

 

"What about you?"

 

"It's fine. I'll swim or hold onto you."

 

She put the ring over the dancer's head and he clung to it as he lifted his feet. 

 

Hoseok laughed as he floated around the river with Anna swimming beside him and Jin watching with a smile. 

 

After a couple more circuits they met the others in the main pool. 

 

"What are we doing now?"

 

"Is something going to happen?"

 

"Why is Anna smiling like that?"

 

Anna tried to look innocent as her soulmates all turned to look at her. 

 

"You know what's about to happen!"

 

"No... Maybe?"

 

"That's not f-"

 

A loud drumming sound echoed around the swimming pool. 

 

"Woah!"

 

While most of the boys tensed up in anticipation, Jungkook was grinning with excitement. 

 

And then the water started moving. 

 

"What -?"

 

Waves started rolling in from the deep end of the pool. They started small, but got bigger and bigger. Jungkook happily swam deeper into he pool where the waves were the biggest, while Hoseok backed up towards the shallows. 

 

After the waves had died down, Jungkook swam over to where the rest of the group were in the shallows. 

 

"Can we do that again?"

Chapter 20: Deja Vu

The next day they split into two groups to do different activities. There was no need to play a game to decide who did what as choosing what they each preferred divided them evenly. 

Jungkook, Taehyung, Namjoon and Jin choose caving, while Anna, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Jimin went to the archery field. 

They all met back at the treehouse for lunch. Jin and Anna had been to the shop when they woke up that morning to get groceries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yoongi and Jungkook made lunch and after a rest, they headed to the tennis courts. After dinner, they played games and watched a movie before going to bed.

Their last planned activity for the day was pottery painting where they all marvelled at Jungkook's and Anna's skills. After dinner, they played games and watched a movie before going to bed. 

The next day went by similarly. 

In the morning they split up again. This time Jungkook, Anna, Namjoon, and Taehyung did a tree climbing course while the others went quad bike riding. After lunch, they all did raft building. In two teams, Maknaes versus Hyungs, they competed to build the sturdiest raft. The younger team won as the knots Namjoon had tied fell apart in the water causing the leader and Yoongi to fall in. The elder rapper was not happy. 

That night - their last night - Taehyung was whining because they hadn't gotten to use their private hot tub. The first night they had already been swimming and no one wanted to get wet again, and last night they had been too tired after a long day of activities. 

"But you said we could have sexy-time in there. You promised."

Taehyung looked at Anna with puppy eyes making her smile. 

"Tae... Fine, fine. We can use the hot tub tonight, but I made no such promise."

The younger singer grinned victoriously. 

Unlike last time, Anna had come prepared and so didn't cover herself with clothes. She also had no reason to feel self-conscious this time. When Taehyung and Jungkook came outside in their swim shorts, unlike a year ago, she felt no embarrassment as she stared at them. A thrill ran through her every time she thought about the fact that she was the only one who got to see them like this.

"I was starting to think you'd forgotten me."

Taehyung's eyes widened and he rushed to step into the hot tub and slid into the seat by Anna's side. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her onto his lap, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Impossible, Babe. I've been waiting for this all weekend."

Anna wrapped her arm around his shoulders and ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. 

"Why?"

"Because... I wanted to recreate that first time."

Anna smiled at his cuteness. Leaning in closer, she caught his gaze and stared into his eyes.

"Go on then."

His grip on her bare waist tightened as his eyes darkened. Taehyung wasted no time before capturing her lips with his own. His touch still sent a spark through Anna's body, just like it had the first time.

But this time there was no Jimin to interrupt them, no one for Jungkook to hold back, so instead, the Maknae could join in. 

Sliding over to the pair, Jungkook puts a hand on each of their knees before leaning in and placing kisses along Anna's bare shoulder. 

Anna felt one of Taehyungs hands move and a moment later she felt Jungkook jolt slightly in surprise. Pulling away from Taehyung, she looked at Jungkook and realised where Taehyung's hand had gone. 

Jungkook's hand moved from his Hyung's knee to the back of the other man's head and pulled him in for a kiss. Anna watched her two soulmates kiss, more rough with each other than they ever were with her. The Maknae pulled away, a smirk on his lips. 

"You can't win against me, Hyung."

"You're such a brat."

Taehyung's eyes, which were narrowed at Jungkook, flickered over to Anna. He pulled her in closer and whispered in her ear. 

"If we team up, I think we can take him."

Anna isn't so confident, but if it will make her soulmate happy then she'll give it a try. She gave Taehyung a nod and he counted down from three and they both pounced. 

Surprise was key as they each grabbed an arm and pushed Jungkook back until they had him pinned against the side of the tub. Taehyung holds him in a place with an arm against his younger soulmate's chest, while Anna straddles one of the Maknae's thighs. 

"Whoa."

"Gotcha!"

Taehyung looked pleased, but Jungkook was grinning too. 

"You think I mind being pinned beneath you two, Hyung? Besides... Do you think I couldn't get out of this if I wanted to?"

This caused the older man's expression to drop. 

"Kookie..."

"But I'll play pretend if you want."

Taehyung's expression didn't lighten up and Anna bit her lip in thought. She ran her hand down the Maknae's defined chest. 

"Tae, what shall we do with him?"

The older man looked over at Anna and after a moment his lips curled up into a smile. 

Jin was standing at the door to the balcony, looking out the window he could just see his three youngest soulmates having fun in the hot tub. Yoongi walked up behind him.

"You could join them, you know. We both know that none of them would mind."

"I'll miss this."

There was a pause.

"It hasn't been confirmed yet."

"It's unlike you to take part in wishful thinking."

"Wishful thinking? More like denial. We finally found Anna and it feels like we've barely got to spend any time all together... I don't want us to be split apart."

"We won't have a choice."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Such bad timing for the world to fall back into chaos."

"If it goes through, I'll be called straight away... I probably won't be here for Christmas."

Jin felt a hand take hold of his and looked down at Yoongi, who was staring out the window with a neutral expression. However, the elder could see the tightness around his eyes. 

"It'll be okay. We'll get through this. Just like we got through everything else."

The next morning, they had breakfast at the pancake house before they headed back down south to catch their plane home.

The group discussed their favourite memories from the trip. Hoseok turned to Anna

"Did you enjoy coming back home, Princess?"

"As I told Joon, this isn't home anymore, but yes, it was nice to visit. I think my favourite part was being here with all of you."

"Aww!"

"Babe, you're going to make me tear up!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Jimin."

"Sorry, Jin-Hyung, I'll leave the dramatics to you."

"Yah!"

Namjoon sighed at his soulmates' bickering, making Anna turn to look at him. 

"Everything okay, Joonie?"

"Just thinking about what we're going back to. We've got a busy month ahead of us."

"You even more so. Jin-Hyung too. We've just got the Busan concert but you've got your album and Jin-Hyung his song with Coldplay. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks, Hoseok. I'll keep that in mind."

"I can help too."

The leader smiled down at Anna and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

"What's your schedule like when we get back?"

"Umm, apart from my fan meeting I haven't got much planned, but I suggested an idea before we left. I don't know if it's been accepted and organised though."

"What's the idea?"

"I want to do some small concerts, regularly, like once a week or fortnightly. Something like that."

"Really?"

Jungkook leaned across the table.

"You didn't tell me about this, Noona!"

"Um, yeah, it was just an idea."

"It's cool! Sometimes I wish we could do smaller, more intimate concerts. You get to be closer to the fans that way."

"Where did you get the idea?"

"Well... from Jeff Satur actually."

"Oh."

"Sounds like you'll be the busiest of us all, Noona."

"No way -"

"Lots of changes are ahead of us."

Namjoon put one hand on Anna's and the other on Jin's. He gave them a squeeze before basking in the sight before him. All of his soulmates' sitting around him, smiling, laughing and teasing each other. It was one of those moments that he would look back on and cherish. 

Chapter 21: Never Enough

Period of peace ends due to soulmate virus 

 

We have enjoyed decades without the fear of war due to the happiness and contentment finding your soulmate has provided. However, due to the loss of soulmates and the conflict the virus that appeared almost 3 years ago caused, that is coming to an end. 

 

Korea is reinstating it's military enlistment procedure that has not been enforced for decades. Joining the military is no longer optional, but required for a specified amount of time. All those who are already soulbonded will be required to enlist. Those who have yet to find their soulmate will not due to their need to bond before the age of thirty or risk getting seriously ill. 

 

This has caused outrage amongst those affected by this decree as they see it as being forcibly separated from their soulmate for an extended amount of time. These worries are supported by the recent research into the effect distance has on the soulbond. 

 

A big surge of backlash has also come from ARMY, the fans of the K-pop group BTS. As the group completed and publicly announced the bonding of their soulgroup last year, the members will be required to enlist. Other than worrying about the consequences this will have on BTS's career, fans also stress about the negative impact their absence will have on the world. 

 

The official statement from HYBE, BTS's company, is that the members of the group are proud to be able to serve their country and will answer when called. The statement also stressed that they don't want ARMY to worry and will endeavour to come back to them as soon as possible. It is expected that BTS's oldest member, Jin, will be in the first group to enlist before the end of this year. 

 

We understand that this sudden announcement has come as a shock to many and we would like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Please leave your comments below. 

Chapter 22: Meeting Again

Anna had been practising day and night in the lead-up to her fan meeting. Her soulmates had made a point of whoever was at the company had to bring her home with them at the end of the day.

Heeseung and Jay were walking past the practice rooms at the end of the day when they saw that Anna was rehearsing.

"Shall we say hello?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she could use a break."

They opened the door and stepped inside. Anna was so focused that she didn't even notice them. The two of them watched her for a while and noticed that she looked unsteady on her feet.

Heeseung managed to run over and catch Anna before she hit the ground.

"Noona!"

They both sat on the ground, Heeseung holding her upright. Jay crouched beside them. Both boys looked at her worriedly.

"Noona, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just missed a step. I just need a minute."

Jay went over to turn the music off and saw an article open on Anna's laptop.

BTS' soulmate holds a fan meeting to try and prove what?

Anna shines because BTS are her soulmates

One shot debut, is this the end for BTS' Anna?

Anna holds fan meeting in a desperate attempt to stay relevant

As Jay glances over the article he winces at what has been written about one of the kindest people he knows. It wasn't fair that these things had been written about her.

He grabs a bottle of water and goes back over to where Anna and Heeseung are still sitting on the floor. The boys look at each other.

"Are any BTS-sunbaenims here today?"

"I've seen Suga-Hyung, and RM-Hyung. Oh, and Jin-Hyung."

"Who shall we get for you?"

"I'm fine. There's no need to bother them."

"Noona, you're not fine. You're exhausted. I think you should go home for the day."

Anna blinked up at Jay who held her gaze.

"Fine, but I'll go alone."

"If you won't call one of your soulmates then I'll escort you home."

Heeseung looked as though he wanted to say something, but held himself back.

"Who's older here?"

Anna went to stand up, but got dizzy and sat back down. She lay on the floor and closed her eyes. Her stomach grumbled and she remembered that she hadn't eaten anything yet today.

"Whoops. Can one of you pass me my phone?"

Heeseung scrambled to go and fetch her phone, while Jay took off his jacket and made her use it as a cushion.

"I'm going to look for sunbae-nim."

Jay went to stand up, but Anna grabbed his arm.

"No."

"Here you go, Noona."

"Thank you."

She took her phone from Heeseung and debated which of her soulmates to call.

"If you're trying to decide which one of your soulmates would worry the least, it's a lost cause."

Anna sent Jay a deadpan look before making a call.

"Hi, Minnie. Are you free?"

"Is everything, okay?"

"Everything's fine. I just decided to finish early and wondered if you wanted to pick me up and get something to eat?"

She narrowed her eyes at Jay who was smiling smugly.

"Oh. Yep! I'll come and get you now!"

Anna sat up, closed her eyes, and focused on the thought that one of her soulmates was coming.

"Why did you choose Jimin-Hyung?"

She glanced at Heeseung before she answered.

"I thought he would understand working to the point of exhaustion without worrying about me too much. Jungkook, for example, would worry too much. And he's the least busy today."

They stayed with her until Jimin arrived.

"You didn't say you already had company."

"They stopped by to watch me rehearse."

"Isn't she amazing?"

Heeseung put his hand on Jay's shoulder to stop him from saying anything about what they had witnessed. Anna would tell Jimin herself.

"Yes, Sunbae-nim. Anna-Noona is the best. I heard that you're performing together with Hoseok-sunbae-nim."

"Yep! You'll be quite surprised when you see it."

"I still can't believe we're performing that in front of an audience. How did Hobi convince me again?"

"That's it, blame Hoseok-Hyung. I know it was your idea really."

"It was not!"

"You should get going. Noona's starving."

Jimin looked at Jay when he interrupted. Anna laughed and started leading her soulmate towards the door.

"Yes, I am! Let's go, Jiminie! Bye, boys!"

"Bye, Noona!"

She ignored the looks he gave her as they walked through the building hand in hand.

It wasn't until they were sat down in a restaurant and had begun eating that he questioned her.

"So, what was that about?"

"The boys? They caught me when I reached my limit and wouldn't leave until I called one of you to take me home."

"It's nice to know you inspire such actions from others. Even if we're not around, there's still someone looking out for you. That being said... You shouldn't make us worry about you. You forgot to eat didn't you?"

"Yes... But only because I had almost perfected the choreography for one of my songs."

"I know. It's hard to stop."

Anna nodded her head and they smiled knowingly at each other.

"They think it was a fluke."

"What? Who?"

"My debut. There are articles everywhere saying that I don't deserve the attention I got."

"Because of us. They say you only got it because of us."

"Yeah."

"You knew that being our soulmate was going to have some impact on your career, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve the support you are getting. You do. Because you are talented and we are so so proud of you."

It never got easier, hearing her soulmates compliment her. Anna ducked her head as her cheeks warmed.

"And your opinion is the only one that matters."

"Exactly! Your superstar soulmates and the only ones you should be listening to. And we say that you deserve the world, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now... Are you looking forward to Busan?"

"Of course I am. It's yours and Jungkook's hometown. I should've visited ages ago. I feel bad that I've been here a year and not really been outside of Seoul."

"My Dad is excited to meet you."

"Really?"

"He's a big fan."

"Oh god! I hadn't thought of that. Have everyones parents listened to my album?"

"Of course! Hobi-Hyung's mum collects our merch. He sent her your album and stuff. She has everything on display."

"Is it hard? Not seeing them very often?"

"It definitely was at first. Then we got used to it. We thought now we'd have some time to visit, but... life doesn't always go to plan."

"Will they like me?"

"My parents? Don't ask silly questions."

"Jimin... I've never done the whole met the parent's thing and -"

"And? What?"

"Nothing."

"No, tell me. What is it?"

"Do they mind that I'm not Korean? It's just, a thing people say is that Asian parents prefer their children to choose Asian partners. You know?"

"You're my soulmate. That's all that matters."

"I know, but it doesn't mean that they don't wish I was -"

"They don't care. You are kind and you make me happy. You make us happy. You're perfect for us and our parents know that and they will love you. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good."

Anna's lips twitch as she smiles at the direction the conversation has taken, again. 

They talk a little more about his hometown and places he wants to show her.

"I wish you could perform with us in Busan."

"ARMY are there to see you, not me."

"If it was organised by us you'd be on that stage with us."

"If you want me to perform with you, then we should do a song together."

"Okay, then."

When Jimin doesn't say anything more, she assumes that is the end of it, but her soulmate was just thinking. Suddenly he gets excited.

"Ah ha! I've got it! Boy Found Luv, with Anna."

"Huh?"

"Our song! It could be part of the Boy Luv series. Boy In Luv, Boy With Luv, now Boy Found Luv. What do you think?"

"You're serious?"

"Yeah! Do you like it?"

"I do, there's just one slight problem."

"What?"

"When would we do it? We only have a couple of months before..."

"Oh. You're right."

Jimin frowns and then takes out his phone to make a call.

"What are you doing?"

He ignores her as whoever he called picks up and he starts talking to them.

"Hey, Hyung. Me and Anna have just had an idea. A new song. Yeah, with her. I was thinking Boy Found Luv. Do you have a track we could use? We don't have a lot of time. Exactly, we can't do it without Jin-Hyung. You can make something work? Cool! Then we'll get started on the lyrics. See you later! Bye!"

Jimin puts down his phone and resumes eating while Anna just stares at him.

"Did you just phone Yoongi and ask him for a track?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"You can help with it after your fan meeting is over. Not before."

He looks at her seriously, but she just smiles back.

"I love you."

Jimin's eyes soften. He reaches for her hand and kisses the back of it.

"I love you, too."

Chapter 23: Badly Hidden

"Oh my god. I think I'm going to be sick."

Hoseok and Jimin looked at each other in panic as the rapper rubbed Anna's back.

"We should've brought Tae and his calming influence."

"It's too late now. It's okay, Princess. You're going to be great."

"Why did they book such a big venue? I'm not ready for this!"

"Because you have lots of fans who want to see you. Don't you want to see them too?"

"Yes... But I don't want to disappoint them."

Jimin took her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You won't."

Anna took some deep breaths.

"That's it. Are you feeling better?"

"A bit, but I think some cuddles would help."

The pout and puppy eyes weren't needed, she added them anyway.

"And who would we be to deny such a cutie."

Both of her soulmates pulled her into a hug, sandwiching her between them. Anna let herself relax. Jimin was right, she could do this. With her soulmates beside her, she could do anything.

Eventually, she reluctantly broke their hugging session.

"Okay. Let's start the show!"

This fan meeting was incomparable to the last time. The venue itself was very different. Before it was like a small theatre, this time it was an arena. It would be less personal, but more professional and concert-like.

Rehearsals had gone well, although she had been surprised at the scale of the production. It felt more suited to her soulmates, too big for just her alone.

Under the encouraging supervision of her soulmates, Anna had managed to practice in the days leading up to the fan meeting without exhausting herself. Not only had they been picking her up and taking her home at a reasonable hour, but they had also recruited the members of TXT and ENHYPEN to check on her during the day when they couldn't.

So during rehearsals, Anna had felt fairly confident, but once the fans had entered she decides to have a peek. The sight of the massive crowd had panicked her. Had she practised enough? What if she forgot a step or a lyric?

However, she had no reason to worry. She was fully prepared and her performances went off without any major mistakes. For her nonperformance segments, her soulmates had told her just to treat it as if she was doing her monthly Live.

Beforehand they had asked Anna's fans what they would like to see. One thing was that they wanted to see more of her art skills. When that was announced she groaned.

"I'm warning you now, I am no Jungkook."

The loud cheers she received were encouraging, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she finished that segment.

When it was time for her performance with Hoseok and Jimin, Anna was especially nervous.

"They're going to hate it. If they don't realise it's you two they'll go crazy saying how could I dance like that with other men. But if they do, they'll say I'm a bad influence on you! Maybe we should ski-"

Hoseok kissed her deeply, cutting her off.

"They're going to love it. You. Us. All of it. But yes, they probably will go crazy. In a good way!"

Jimin appeared over Hoseok's shoulder.

"It's our version of... What's that Stray Kids song you like?"

"Red Lights?"

"Yep! Their fans loved it, didn't they? Let's give those kids a run for their money."

"This isn't a competition!"

"I can see the comparison videos already."

"Hobi!"

Hoseok ran his thumb along Anna's bottom lip and she stared at him wide-eyed.

"You can do it, can't you, princess. You can do it for me."

She tried to but he caught her chin.

"Ah, answer with words."

"Yes. I can do it."

"That's my girl."

Jimin groaned.

"Hyung! This dance is had enough without getting turned on before we've even started!"

Hoseok laughed as he caressed Anna's cheek.

"Ready? Or do you need a minute?"

"Hmm? I'm good, I think. Let's go."

He gave her a quick peck on the lips before leading her towards the stage. She looked back at Jimin, who winked at her as he followed behind them.

When all three of them were on the stage they go into character. Hoseok and Jimin had masks covering their faces, even though it would be obvious to any ARMY that it was them, they wanted the attention to be on Anna.

Just like every other song that she had rehearsed so much that she could perform it in her sleep, In The Middle of the Night finished without any mishaps. She was far too focused to take in the crowd's reaction, but the staff backstage assured her that the audience had loved it.

Jimin just had time to pick her up and whirl her around before she had to go back on stage for her next performance.

It was bearing the end of the fan meeting when Anna brought a guitar on stage. While she had become fairly confident in singing and dancing on stage, playing the guitar was still new. She took some deep breaths to settle her nerves as she sat on the stool set up in front of the microphone.

"It's time to slow things down as we reach the end of tonight's show."

The audience made sounds of disagreement.

"You had fun though, right?"

The crowd cheered.

"Good. Now, I gave you a preview in Afternoon tea with Anna last week and as you can see I am going to play the guitar for you today."

She smiled as they cheered again.

"Now, remember that I am a beginner. This is a song a lot of you requested and a personal favourite of mine too. Why don't you stay by Jeff Satur."

The lights dimmed as the KinnPorsche fans in the audience screamed. A spotlight fell on Anna and the room went silent as she began to sing.

If she fumbled over one or two of the chords, no one would mention it. The singing along of the audience during the chorus was enough to bring a smile to her face.

"What do you think? Was that enough to get Jeff's attention?"

Anna laughed as the crowd cheered.

"We can but dream. Next up, my final song, is something new that I've been working on. I hope you like it."

At home, Jin and Namjoon were watching the online stream of their soulmate's fan meeting.

"Did you know she was learning the guitar?"

"Yeah, Yoongi gave her some lessons, but I didn't know she could play a song like that. I didn't know about the new song though. Did you help her with it?"

"No. I didn't know anything about it."

As they listened to the song, Jin reached out and squeezed Namjoon's hand.

"Oh. I guess that explains why."

"Yeah."

It was the only reply Namjoon could choke out. The song was directed at them. A reassurance, a promise, a love song from the perspective of their fans, ARMY. Anna had written a song to address their fears as they entered chapter two of their careers. She was putting a voice to the comments from their fans that they believed in them and would support them whatever choice they made. An apology that they weren't able to protect the members of BTS well enough.

No matter who you are, or who you become. I will be here, by your side. As a wall to lean on, or hide behind. A bond like ours will endure. Until the end of time.

A brush against Namjoon's cheek brought him out of his thoughts. He turned to Jin only to realise that his soulmate was brushing away a tear.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be."

Namjoon forced a smile in Jin's direction and the older Idol smiled sadly back but didn't push the leader to talk about it further. He turned to the TV and watched Anna as she said goodbye.

"It makes it hard to believe she's so full of self doubt when she goes and does something like this. I'm pretty sure she wrote that all on her own."

"She's gotten good."

"Why do you look worried?"

"She's herself on stage. I worry she puts too much of herself out there. I don't want the same thing to happen to her."

"It won't. We'll look out for her. But if it does... It's a part of life, of growing up in this strange world. Some things you can't avoid."

Namjoon's lips twitched.

"You're becoming wise in your old age."

"Yah! I've always been wise!"

Chapter 24: One Family

Did you watch Chan's Room earlier?

Anna had received a message from her friend Rose, Bang Chan from Stray Kids' soulmate. When she searched for clips, she realised that Jimin's wish had come true.

STAY asks for Bang Chan's thoughts on Red Lights Vs Anna's In the Middle of the Night comparison during his YouTube live.

There were videos everywhere of Anna dancing with her soulmates and it had become a bit of a joke about who the unnamed masked dancers were. Everyone knew - or had come to know - that Hoseok and Jimin had performed with Anna at her fan meeting. A lot of ARMYs were upset to have missed it and those who had attended considered themselves very lucky.

Anna laughed at the requests for a repeat performance at the Busan concert. It wasn't going to happen, it couldn't, but she knew ARMY would be very happy with what BTS had prepared for them.

When the time came for her to travel down to Busan with her soulmates, Anna was very excited. While the boys were preparing for the concert, she had planned out a few places that she wanted to visit. The little free time they did have was when she would be meeting Jimin and Jungkook's parents.

They were the first of her soulmates' parents that she would be meeting and she was very nervous. It was thanks to her BTS's very busy schedule that she hadn't met any of their parents up until now, and while she had been a little relieved to put it off, now it seemed awkward that she was only just meeting them after a year of living in Korea.

There had been no reason to worry, just like Jimin had reassured her. Jimin's mother and Jungkook's parents had been thrilled to meet her.

The Maknae's mother had taken Anna's hands and thanked her.

"Jungkook talks about you alot. Thank you for taking such good care of him. We still worry about him, perhaps even more now they're big superstars."

Jungkook's dad wrapped his arm around his wife.

"I hope our Kookie is looking after you just as well. We know how much trouble he gave the boys."

"Dad!"

Anna smiled.

"Don't worry. Jungkook's the sweetest. You raised him well."

"That's good to hear."

They talked about how she found living in Korea, her career, and even Afternoon Tea With Anna. Apparently, both mothers had watched some of her monthly lives. She hid her face in Jungkook's shoulder in embarrassment and Jimin squeezed her hand as he chuckled.

"I'm sorry Jimin's father couldn't be here. The cafe is very busy at the moment."

"I understand. 100,000 ARMY in Busan. They'll all be going to Jimin's dad's cafe."

Anna was right. The next day she went to MAGNATE cafe to find a long queue of ARMYs waiting to get in. She joined the line and since she was wearing a hat and mask it took a while for someone to recognise her.

"Is that Anna?"

"Anna-Unnie is here!"

The fans were very nice and tried to get her to skip the queue, but she refused. Instead, Anna had a nice chat with ARMY while they tried to get spoilers from her.

When she got inside, Jimin's dad wasn't on the cafe floor, but somehow he found out that she was there. Shortly after she sat down with her food and drink, a man who looked vaguely familiar joined her. She stood up and greeted him before he beckoned her to sit back down.

They had a nice conversation. Anna told him about herself, and what it's like living with the boys. Jimin's father told her stories about her soulmate as a child and all the fans he had met when they visited the cafe. Anna couldn't stay for long, but he had been very happy that she had taken the time to come and see him.

When it was time for the concert, the boys were all ready to go, but they were told that there was a delay. They were all discussing what to do and the possibility of last-minute changes to one of their performances.

Meanwhile, Anna had snuck out to see what was going on. She held a finger to her lips as she appeared at the barrier. The ARMYs standing along the barrier spotted her and, as expected, didn't stay quiet.

She found out that the delay was due to fans still entering the venue and decided to walk along the barrier and talk to some ARMY.

"Anna, how do you feel about the military enlistment announcement?"

"Of course I'll miss them, but they love their country and they're very proud to be able to do their part. They also feel reassured that ARMY will be waiting for them."

"Of course we will!"

"BTS and ARMY forever!"

"Borahae!"

"Exactly! And they'll be back before you know it. Plus, they have some excited things planned."

Anna leaned in and pretended to whisper the last bit. She laughed when the fans asked her for spoilers.

"Do you have anything planned, Unnie?"

"What?"

She looked surprised at the sudden shift of subject from her soulmates to herself. The fans all got excited and started asking her questions.

"Are you working on a new album?"

"When will the next season of Interviews with Anna be?"

"Have you decided on a name for your fans?"

"Okay... I do have something special planned. Please look forward to it. Album? You want another one?"

She smiled when they all nodded.

"Okay. Is there anyone you want me to interview?"

"MONSTA X!"

"BLACKPINK!"

"ATEEZ!"

The fans carried on shouting out names.

"Whoa! Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do. Um, what was the last question?"

"Fan name."

"Ah, yes. I wanted to announce one at my fan meeting, but I'm having trouble thinking of a good name... Do you have any ideas?"

"Bananas! Anna's bananas."

They all laughed.

"See! It's hard! So please bear with me as I think of the perfect name."

Then the lights turned down and the intro started playing.

"Enjoy the show everyone!"

"Watch it with us, Unnie!"

Instead of returning backstage, Anna stood in front of the stage where the staff stood to watch over the audience. However, instead of facing the audience, she faced the stage. She wasn't sure if this was allowed, but no one said anything.

The opening of the concert was epic, even though they'd had to make some last-minute changes. It was a shame because their original plan would've brought them closer to ARMY but Jin made up for it by coming down from the stage. He spotted Anna and the two soulmates had a little dance together before he went back on stage.

Anna didn't end up spending the whole concert there. Eventually, she went backstage and helped her soulmates with their outfit changes. The rest of the concert went according to plan and the boys were all sad when it was over. They all wished that they were performing more than just one night.

Unfortunately, Taehyung had to get back to Seoul for the next morning and so needed to travel back immediately after the concert. Anna volunteered to ride back with him. The others had just performed a concert, so they were exhausted and deserved a good night's sleep.

Taehyung was expecting a call from his friend for the show he would be filming. The cast was meeting for the first time that night. It was difficult to arrange with everyone's busy schedules, but since Taehyung was the new surprise cast member it worked out that he was the one that couldn't be there. Although he was a bit upset that his first time meeting the other cast members wouldn't be in person.

While they waited, Anna told him about her conversations with ARMY before the concert.

"Have you started working on your next album?"

"No... well, you know, I have a few bits and pieces, but I haven't decided on a concept yet."

"They'll start pushing you for songs soon."

"I know. I realised when the fans asked me how long it has been. The past few months have flown by... I'm surprised they haven't said anything to me yet."

"You know, I'm jealous of you."

"What? Why?"

"Hearing about you got to talk to ARMY. It sounds so nice."

"I'm the in-between remember? between BTS and ARMY. Their commander, was it?"

"Ah, I think you're our commander too."

"Really? Then I command you to... pet my hair!"

Taehyung grinned at her.

"I thought I was the puppy."

He laughed when she pouted in response and raised his hand to stroke her hair. The singer smiled softly as she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

"Cute."

Eventually, she fell asleep and he guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Taehyung pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking out of the window with a smile. 

Chapter 25: Time Jump

The next few months flew by with a flurry of activity. Jin's goodbye for now song came out and he went to Argentina to perform it with Coldplay. Jungkook went to Qatar to record the music video for his football world cup song. Then Namjoon's album came out. Taehyung had been to Mexico to record Jinny's Kitchen. Hoseok had a song he featured in come out. Yoongi and Jimin had been busy working on their albums which were coming out in the new year.

 

Meanwhile, Anna had been performing at small venues a couple of times a week. It was the special surprise she had mentioned to the fans and something that she had told her soulmates that she wanted to do when they had been in England. It had taken a little convincing, but management had approved and organised it for her. It was hard work, performing so often, but she enjoyed getting to sing for so many fans in such an intimate setting. 

 

One moment that particularly stood out to her (outside of work) was when Jungkook had surprised her. It had been a rare day off and Anna had been at home working on a concept for her next album. She was alone and assumed everyone else had a schedule. It had gotten so hectic with all of her soulmates having individual schedules that she had given up keeping track. 

 

So it had been a pleasant surprise when Jungkook had messaged her to come outside and that he wanted to take her out. However, when she got outside, she was met with the sight of her youngest soulmate standing beside a motorcycle. He grinned as she approached. 

 

"Hi, Noona!"

 

"What is this?"

 

"A motorcycle."

 

Anna gave him an unamused look. 

 

"Is it yours?"

 

"Yep! Got my license this morning."

 

"Whoa, really?"

 

"Come on. I'm taking you for a ride."

 

Jungkook held out a spare helmet, but Anna hesitated. 

 

"Oh. Umm..."

 

Jungkook's smile dropped. 

 

"You don't want to?"

 

"I... It's just that I've never been on one before."

 

"I thought you'd like it because of that show you like."

 

"Huh? Oh! Love in the air? Kookie, did you learn to ride a motorcycle because I said Phayu and Prapai were hot?"

 

Jungkook's eyes darted around. 

 

"Pff, of course not. But I look cool, don't I, Noona?"

 

Anna smiled and stepped towards him. Reaching up, she pecked him on the lips. 

 

"Very cool."

 

She was telling the truth. Jungkook pulled off the bad boy look well with his long hair, tattoos, black clothes and now a motorcycle. That was until he smiled his cute bunny grin.

 

Anna spoke again. 

 

"Shall we go?"

 

She reached out to take the helmet, but Jungkook moved it out of her reach. She looked questionably at him and he raised it above her head instead. Anna smiled and she thought that by now she would be immune from such kdrama gestures, but her heart still skipped a beat as he did up the strap underneath her chin. 

 

He got on the bike and she sat behind him. Leaning forwards she wrapped her arms tightly around him. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. 

 

"Don't go too fast!"

 

Anna squealed as they raced away. 

 

She was nowhere near the adrenaline junky that her youngest soulmate was, but she enjoyed the ride. Jungkook also enjoyed working off her adrenaline high when they got home. 

 

Jin was helping Anna cook dinner one night when he noticed that Yoongi was restless. The rapper was sitting at the counter watching them and throwing nervous glances at Anna. The oldest could tell that the younger had something on his mind, something he wanted to talk to Anna about. They were almost finished with dinner when Jin couldn't take it anymore. 

 

"Spit it out, Yoongi."

 

"Huh? What are you talking about, Hyung."

 

"Whatever it is you're nervous about telling Anna."

 

Anna looked at Yoongi in surprise. She leaned over the counter and put her hand over his. 

 

"What? Why are you nervous? You know you can tell me anything."

 

"Ah. Fine. I decided who I want to feature on the song for my new album."

 

"The one Jungkook did the guide for?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"So? Who?"

 

"IU."

 

"That's nice. I think fans will like seeing you two do another collaboration."

 

Yoongi didn't look at Jin but kept his attention on Anna. 

 

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that, Yoon. I agree with Jin."

 

"I'll probably be going on her show too. Like Hoseok did."

 

"Yeah, well, you're very different. I don't expect you to laugh with her as much as he did."

 

"But Yoongles is so cute when he laughs!"

 

"Hyung!"

 

The rapper tried to look annoyed but ended up flashing his gummy grin. Anna pointed at him. 

 

"That! Don't do that!"

 

"Okay, Jagi. Whatever you want."

 

She leaned over the counter again and gave him a peck on the cheek. Before she could go back to finishing dinner, Jin leaned towards her whilst pointing at his cheek. Rolling her eyes, Anna gave him a kiss too. 

 

It was late November and Anna and Jimin were curled up on the sofa waiting to watch Jungkook's performance at the football world cup opening ceremony. She had her legs over her soulmate's lap, her head turned towards him. He caught her staring. 

 

"Why are looking at me like that?"

 

"Hm? Oh, I just noticed how handsome you look recently. More than usual. You look... Healthy?"

 

"Healthy? Chubby cheeks, you mean. I'll need to diet before my album comes out."

 

"No, you don't. Seriously. You've been looking especially handsome lately, Jiminie. I mean it."

 

Jimin looked at Anna as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it away from his face. He smiled and looked down shyly. 

 

"Thank you."

 

They were interrupted by the others joining them. Taehyung ran to sit next to Jimin, lifting Anna to sit on his lap and cuddling her close. 

 

"I can't believe Kookie's done this all on his own! Our shy little Maknae is all grown up!"

 

"A year and a half ago he struggled to record his part of the music video without us. Now he's doing such a big performance in a different county alone."

 

Jin wiped away a fake tear.

 

"I'm so proud!"

 

The Jungkook from that day was a far cry from the one she saw today. Out of all of them, the Maknae was taking Jin's enlistment the hardest. None of them could believe that this day had come so quickly. But while they were all sad that they wouldn't be able to see their eldest soulmate every day, Anna knew that Jin had it the hardest. 

 

They had been a team for so long that they didn't know anything else. Going out on their own was enough of a change, but to be experiencing something completely new and for such a long time was scary. It was at times like this that Jin wished he wasn't the oldest, but on the other hand, he didn't want any of his soulmates to take on the burden. 

 

After posing for photos, Anna hugged him tightly. 

 

"You'll do amazingly, like always."

 

"Look after them for me. You and Yoongi are the only ones I trust in the kitchen. Don't let them only eat rubbish. And don't forget to look after yourself too. Your soulmates may be workaholics but you don't have to be too."

 

"Okay."

 

Jin went to let go but Anna was still holding him tightly. 

 

"Time will fly by, and because we're soulmates you'll be able to visit often."

 

"I'll miss you."

 

She murmured into his chest. He had been doing well so far but that made his eyes well up with tears. He kissed the side of her head. 

 

"I'll miss you too, Sweetie. I love you."

 

"I love you too, Jinnie."

 

 

Chapter 26: For Christmas

Christmas was a great distraction. Anna was performing at the end-of-year show. It had been weird, at first, since none of her soulmates would be performing, but they were so happy for her that she didn't give it another thought after that. 

 

She brought a different tone to the concert by singing Walking in the Air as the Christmas song in her performance. Not a classic that everyone would know, but aesthetics based on The Snowman on the screen behind her made for a mesmerising performance. 

 

Anna was in her dressing room preparing for the final stage when there was a knock at the door. Some familiar faces appeared around the door. 

 

"Hi, Noona!"

 

"Noona, can we come in?"

 

Stray Kids' Felix's bright grin and Chan's friendly smile chased away Anna's nerves. 

 

"Hello, this is a nice surprise. Come on in!"

 

The two Idols sat down. 

 

"Your performance was great earlier. So magical."

 

"Thank you. I watched yours too. Amazing, as always."

 

The boys said their thanks before glancing at each other. Finally, Chan spoke up. 

 

"How are you doing? Rose has been worried about you."

 

"She has? I'll have to organise a girls' catch-up sometime soon. I'm fine. It's been weird, but work keeps me busy."

 

"I can't imagine having to be apart from a soulmate like that."

 

Anna and Chan glanced at each other. 

 

"Yeah, it's not fun."

 

"Oh! Sorry, Hyung -"

 

"It's okay, Felix."

 

"Anyway, Jin's the one I'm worried about the most. He's alone. But that's all small compared to... Other things. Rose told me what happened. Are things better now?"

 

"Yeah..."

 

"Oh no, has something else happened?"

 

Before they could respond the door opened.

 

"Woo, you can't just barge in -"

 

"I'm cheering up my best friend by taking him to see our second favourite Noona."

 

"Yeah, Noona won't mind."

 

Changbin stood by the door while ATEEZ's Wooyoung and TXT's Yeonjun walked in. When Wooyoung spotted Felix he shouted the deep-voiced Idol's name and plopped himself on his lap. Meanwhile, Yeonjun smiled sheepishly at Anna.

 

"Oops... Hello!"

 

Yeonjun held his hand up in a wave as he smiled sheepishly. 

 

Anna stood up and walked past Yeonjun to Changbin who was still standing in the doorway. 

 

"Hello, Changbin. Please, come in."

 

The Stray Kids' rapper bowed his head politely. 

 

"Hello, Anna."

 

"No need to be so formal with me. You can call me Noona, too, if you want. They all do."

 

She gestures at the other Idols in the room. 

 

"Okay... Noona."

 

Anna waves him closer. 

 

"Can I tell you a secret? You're my Stray Kids bias."

 

She whispered it, but Idols must be tuned into the word bias because they all looked her way. 

 

Wooyoung turned in Felix's lap to look over the back of the sofa. 

 

"Ooh! Am I your ATEEZ bias, Noona?"

 

"Hm, you might have been, but then I found out I'm only your second favourite Noona, so..."

 

"Hey! You can't do that!"

 

The whole room laughed. 

 

Chan stood up. 

 

"Come on, kids. We better get ready for the final song. See you on stage, Noona. Fighting!"

 

Anna's dressing room was empty of Idols except for Yeonjun and herself. Her labelmate looked at her for a moment. 

 

"Are you okay, Noona? You were... Acting a little out of character just now."

 

He knew that she had met the members of Stray Kids and ATEEZ before, but he didn't think she was close enough to tease them so comfortably. It took a long time before she acted that way with him. 

 

"I'm fine."

 

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow at her and Anna sighed. 

 

"I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well recently. It's hard to sleep when a part of you is missing."

 

Seeing the look on the younger Idol's face, she rubs his arm comfortingly. 

 

"Sorry. That was a bit heavy. It's Christmas! Come on, let go finish this show."

 

Anna stood alone in the middle of the giant stage and took a deep breath as she waited for her cue. It was the last song of the show and it happened to be one of her favourite Christmas songs. The music started and the spotlight shone down on her. 

 

"I don't want a lot for Christmas."

 

Then the rest of the night's performers entered the stage. They stood around her and sang along for a bit. Each group broke away and walked around the extended stage, waving goodbye to the audience. 

 

Anna was halfway around when she ran into Felix looking lost. Glancing around, she realised that the rest of Stray Kids were nowhere to be seen. As they continued walking around the stage she tried to spot the rest of the other Idols group. Instead, Yeonjun found them putting an arm around the rapper's shoulders. 

 

The TXT member tried to tell them something but it was almost impossible to hear him over the background noise. He pointed to the side of the stage where Idols had started to exit and then pointed at Felix. The rapper nodded in understanding and the three of them walked around and off the stage. 

 

Bang Chan was waiting backstage. Before he could say anything, Anna cut in. 

 

"I know, Chan. Seven kids is a lot to keep track of. You're bound to lose track of one from time to time."

 

The leader laughed. 

 

"Is that right? I think my kids are a bit more mischievous than yours."

 

"Yeah? I think that's debatable."

 

After bidding everyone a merry Christmas Anna made her way home. 

 

"Noona's home!"

 

When she gets home, Anna is greeted by Jungkook picking her up and spinning her around. 

 

"Whoa! I'm happy to be home too."

 

He put her down but kept his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. As she stroked his hair, she looked over his shoulder as Namjoon appeared. Anna gave him a question look which the leader responded to with a sad smile. 

 

"We watched your performances. You were wonderful."

 

Anna hugged Jungkook a little tighter. Their youngest soulmate had been taking Jin's absence the hardest. 

 

The pair shuffled behind Namjoon into the living room where Taehyung and Jimin were curled up on the sofa together. When he saw them, the younger opened his arms. Anna kissed the side of Jungkook's head before whispering in his ear. 

 

"Go cuddle with Tae, Sweetie."

 

He was a little reluctant to let go of her, but once he was pulled into Taehyung's arms, the two latched onto each other. 

 

Anna turned to Namjoon who gave her a hug and kiss on the forehead. 

 

"I think watching you and the other groups perform reminded them that we can't do the same."

 

"Oh..."

 

"Hoseok's in the kitchen cooking dinner. I think he'd appreciate your help since the most I can do is stir things."

 

"Where's Yoongi?"

 

"Late, but he should be here soon."

 

"Okay."

 

She looked back at the boys on the sofa and Namjoon noticed her reluctance. 

 

"Go. I'll stay with them."

 

Anna smiled and gave him a peck before making her way into the kitchen. 

 

Hoseok looked up when she entered and greeted her with a big smile. 

 

"Princess! You were amazing today! Star of the show!"

 

"Thank you."

 

He finished what he was doing before turning to her to give her a hug and a kiss hello. 

 

"I don't know how you cook for us all the time. Cooking for a large group is hard work."

 

Anna had noticed a tenseness to Hoseok's smile and now that he was holding her extra tightly she knew she was right. Something was wrong. 

 

She pulled back just enough so that she could see his face. He was still trying to maintain his smile. 

 

"You don't have to put on a mask for me."

 

Hoseok's face dropped. 

 

"If they're like this she. Just one of us is gone, what will happen when I leave and then Namjoon..."

 

"It's not forever. In fact, we'll all be back together in no time. And I'll be here. As a constant. So don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll look after them."

 

Yoongi arrived home just as they were sitting down for dinner. 

 

"Sorry I'm late."

 

"Don't work too hard, Hyung."

 

"Yeah, yeah. I know. So, Anna, you're trending again."

 

"Huh? I am? Why?"

 

"Fans liked the picture you posted."

 

The Maknae line immediately got their phones out and searched for the photo. 

 

It was a photo of Anna with Yeonjun, Bang Chan and Felix after the show. 

 

"Aw, cross-fandom love!"

 

"They've been nagging me to post more content. Again. So, I asked them to take a selfie with me."

 

The next photo Anna posted was of her and her soulmates around the dinner table. 

Chapter 27: Tired Teatime

As Anna sat in her chair set up in front of the camera, she felt exhausted. The first month of the year had been a busy one. After the end-of-year show, she had worked hard to make Taehyung's birthday extra special. It was the first birthday in over a decade that one of the boys was missing and she wanted to somehow make up for it.

 

January had been spent finishing her new album. It was due to come out in a couple of weeks and there was still a lot to do. She had spent the day in the dance studio rehearsing the choreography for one of the songs. They were shooting the music video over the next few days, so she had been trying to perfect it.

 

It was a mini-album called 'Who is Me' and was about self-discovery: what makes a person who they are and how do we define ourselves. The idea came to her when she was thinking about what some fans or society think we should be or act a certain way. While her soulmates explored self-love, Anna was exploring self-discovery. 

 

Anna had felt a little rushed, but the company had wanted to fit her in between TXT's comeback in January and Jimin and Yoongi's solo releases in March and April. They had pushed it back to the end of the month, but it had been a lot of work to get ready in time. On the plus side, it had kept her busy instead of focusing on Jin's absence and Hoseok's upcoming departure. 

 

A staff member put down a hot chocolate in front of her next to snacks that had been organised as her 'afternoon tea'. 

 

"Oh dear, I might actually fall asleep drinking that." 

 

They smiled sympathetically at her. 

 

"You could always reschedule. Your fans would understand." 

 

"No, I don't have any other time to do it." 

 

"Well, everything's ready when you are." 

 

"Thank you." 

 

She took a sip of the hot chocolate hoping the sugar would revitalise her a bit. 

 

Sitting up in the chair she took a deep breath and tried to get into the right mindset. With a smile, she leaned forward and started the live. She waited a minute for fans to tune in before greeting them. 

 

"Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Afternoon tea with Anna! Have you all had a good first month of the year?" 

 

Comments came flooding in and she took some time to scroll through them, reading some out and replying to others. 

 

"The announcement came out yesterday, didn't it? Yes, I have a new album coming out. You can thank the ARMYs I spoke to at the Busan concert. I didn't have anything planned but they asked.  So ask and you may receive." 

 

"Spoilers? No, I'm not giving you any spoilers. I don't want to spoil it for you." 

 

She laughed at the comments. 

 

"No, don't ask me questions! I might let something slip! Let's move on." 

 

"So, yes, it has been a busy month for me... What have I been doing?" 

 

Anna's mind was mush. Luckily, she came prepared. 

 

"Okay, let me get my diary out. It's the only way I can remember what has happened since we last saw each other."

 

Rummaging through her bag, she got out her little diary and turned back to the beginning of the year. 

 

"Ooh! Last year ended with a release from ATEEZ. Wasn't Halazia awesome? I think it might be my new favourite ATEEZ song." 

 

"I can see that a lot of you loved it too. Are there lots of ATINY here today? Yes. Oh, you became a fan because I recommended them? That's great! Am I friends with ATEEZ? I've met them a few times now. They're really nice guys and amazing performers. 

 

"They're going to Europe soon, right? Who's going to see them? A few of you. Yes. Yes. Oh, tickets are too expensive? That's a problem. Over £100 for right up the top?! Wow! I wish we - the artists - could control the prices. 

 

"Did any of you come to the small concerts I had at the end of last year? Yes. Cool. Thank you! Were the ticket prices okay? Reasonable? Awesome. Probably because they were small venues, right? That was my intention. 

 

"Okay, what next... MONSTA X? Their new album, REASON, was awesome too. I hadn't really listened to any of their music before, I don't think... But I had heard of them and I know they're very popular. I had to do some research before I interviewed them. 

 

"Are you watching season 2 of Interviews with Anna? Again, ARMYs at the Busan concert told me they wanted more episodes and I got MONSTA X just like they asked. You're welcome. 

 

"Who was in the 2nd episode? Oh, TXT! Sugar Rush Ride. Did you like their new album? They really reinvent themselves every time. So good! Farewell Neverland is my favourite. Are Yeonjun and I friends? Yes! We're best friends. Is that why we do lots of TikTok videos together? That is because he is the master and I, his apprentice... You have him to thank that I do any TikTok videos. 

 

"Okay, what next?" 

 

Anna flipped through her diary. 

 

"Oh dear, I haven't watched many shows this month. Only Singles Inferno. Did anyone else watch it? No, yes. Did anyone watch it because they heard one of the guys looks like Jungkook? No? Just me then. 

 

"Who looks like Jungkook? He doesn't really, but he's got long curly hair and tattoos so there are some similarities. Oh, and he's strong. Kinda violent, or just competitive I guess. That was an interesting episode. For those of you that haven't watched it, the guys have a wrestling match to win a date with a girl of their choice. For me, I didn't like it and I learnt that about myself, which was interesting. 

 

"Anyway! I don't usually watch dating shows but I enjoyed this one so much that I watched the first season while waiting for new episodes of season two to come out. What dramas have you been watching? Send me some recommendations."

 

Anna read the comments for a bit. 

 

"What do I write in my diary? Um, things I need to do, my schedule, and then I like to put when I first listened to new music or started watching something. So I know when I first discovered it. Can you see it?"

 

Anna opens a page and holds it far enough away from the camera that the viewers shouldn't be able to read anything. Just in case there's something they shouldn't know on that page. 

 

"This is a new one for this year. I got a small one because I saw videos of those Japanese diaries. I can't remember what they're called, but I thought the size was cute and portable. Usually, I get an empty notebook and draw my spreads, but this is a pre-done diary and it's actually really fun to decorate. I got a bit lax with my old ones, but this one always looks pretty."

 

She leans forward and whispers. 

 

"Really it's an excuse to buy stickers. I've never been a sticker person - actually, that's not true! I remember when I was a little girl on holiday I spent my money on stickers rather than going ice skating. Huh, funny when you remember stuff like that, isn't it?

 

"Sorry, I've been rambling on, haven't I? Let me read some comments."

 

For a few minutes, Anna read the comments. There were only a few questions. Most of them were messages of love which was just what she needed to see. It gave her the motivation to push through her tiredness and get through the next week of work. 

 

"You guys are so sweet. Thank you so much."

 

She sniffed and blinked rapidly to hold back her tears. She was overly tired and therefore overly emotional. 

 

"Shall we end it here today?"

 

Anna smiled at the camera. 

 

"I hope you enjoyed afternoon tea with Anna. Remember to never be ashamed of who or what you love. Bye!"

 

She held up her half-heart before ending the V Live.

 

A few days later she started receiving gifts from fans with a very particular theme and her sticker collection grew immensely. 

Chapter 28: Never-ending Support

"Are you sleeping all right?"

Anna looked at her makeup artist. She was on set filming her music video for her title track, Wanna Be Me.

"Sorry. I went to bed early last night, but I guess it didn't make much of a difference."

The makeup artist waved their hand.

"None of that. I hope you aren't working yourself too hard?"

"No more than anyone else."

In truth, late nights and early mornings due to a busy schedule weren't the only reason for the dark circles under her eyes. Sleep had been difficult for almost two months now. Ever since Jin left.

Their first soulmate visit with Jin had been last week, but only two of them were allowed to go each time. They had agreed that Jungkook and Taehyung should be the ones to go. The two youngest had been taking their oldest soulmate's absence the hardest, so everyone - including Anna - knew that they would benefit the most.

Anna held a tiny bit of regret for not pushing herself forward for the visit, but then she remembered the looks on her younger soulmates' faces and she felt guilty. She wasn't the only one feeling this way. She could go next time, is what she felt, but her comeback schedule meant that she wouldn't be able to.

"Still... don't forget to look after yourself. There, all done."

Anna smiled up at the makeup artist.

"Thank you."

Although she had filmed two music videos for her first album, the process still felt very new to her. Surrounded by all the staff and crew, she had never wished more for the presence of one of her soulmates.

As if they heard her wish, Anna jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her while she was reviewing footage. Turning around, she broke into a wide smile when she saw Namjoon.

"Joonie!"

Anna jumped into her soulmate's arms. He chuckled at her enthusiasm but wrapped his arms around her just as tightly as she was holding on to him.

"Are you okay, my love? Is everything going well?"

"Yes. I missed you."

"You've been working so hard. Don't overdo it again."

"Are you going to stick the babies on me again?"

"Babies? Oh, ENHYPHEN? At least I can trust them to look out for you when I'm not around."

"Don't."

"Hm?"

"Don't talk about you not being around."

"Anna -"

She pulled away and put on a smile.

"I need to get ready for the next scene. Are you staying?"

Namjoon studied her for a moment before smiling back.

"I can, for a couple of hours if you want me to."

"I'll always want you."

"You'll always have me."

Anna reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek before dashing off to change into her next outfit.

The shoot continued to go fairly well until they got to one scene where Anna just couldn't get it right. She tried again and again until she got so frustrated that she needed to take a break.

"Can we take 5?"

"Take 20."

She looked at the director in surprise.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hold everyone up."

"It's fine. We're ahead of schedule, so go on, take the time you need to get out of your head. You got this."

"Thank you."

Anna walked over to Namjoon and took his hand. They found a secluded spot away from the crew and she fell into her soulmate's arms.

"You're doing so well, my love."

"Am I? Sometimes it feels as though this was a mistake. Like I'm not cut out for all of this."

"What's got you feeling this way?"

"I don't know. I guess it's that everyone has expectations of me. High expectations. I'm worried I'm going to let everyone down."

"With this job, it's impossible to please everyone. There will always be someone who wishes you had done something differently, but it also means that there is also always someone who loves what you've done. Those are the people that you should focus on, but most importantly you should focus on yourself. You're the one who matters the most."

"The problem is the highest expectations are my own. I'm never satisfied. I always feel like I could've done better."

Namjoon chuckled.

"You're our soulmate all right. You just described all of us. Nothing you do will ever be perfect. You may think it is one day and then a year later only be able to think about all the things you would do differently. Time passes, we grow, we change, we improve. Seeing you today, hearing your song... I'm so proud of you. This album is about self-discovery and from listening to it I can tell that you have learnt a lot about yourself."

"Because of you."

"Huh?"

"You, the others, my soulmates. You have taught me a lot about myself. About life. About love."

"Did we teach you anything specific?"

Anna smirked and run a finger down Namjoon's chest.

"I can think of a few things..."

"Well, yes, but I meant something specific to this situation. How about... you can do anything -"

"Joon -"

Namjoon emphasised each of his next words with a kiss.

"- Because you are talented, hardworking, caring, kind, cute, gorgeous, sexy -"

Anna slapped him on the chest acting annoyed, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"Okay, okay, stop it. I get your point."

Her soulmate smiled as he stroked her cheek before kissing her sweetly.

"You can do this."

Anna reached up for one more kiss before making her way back onto the set. She finished the rest of the shoot with no problems. The next day went similarly, but it was Hoseok that visited her on set this time. 

On the third and last day of filming, Anna worked so hard that they finished on time, which was almost unheard of. As the staff celebrated, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She stumbled and the last thing she remembered before her world went dark was someone shouting her name and a pair of comforting arms.

When she woke up, Anna felt better than she had in months. As she opened her eyes, she realised that she was at home in her bed.

"Noona! You're awake! Hyungs! Hyungs!"

"Shh, Kookie. I'm sure Anna doesn't appreciate you shouting in her ear."

Anna's head turned sharply towards the second voice. Lying beside her was her oldest soulmate, Jin. It was then that she realised that he was holding her hand.

"What -? Are you really here?"

Jin smiled as he lifted her hand to his lips.

"I'm here."

Anna rolled onto her side, lifted her other hand to his face and captured his lips into a bruising kiss. After a few more pecks she pulled away and rested her forehead on his.

"I missed you."

"I know. That's why I'm here."

"How are you here?"

"Medical emergency."

"What?! Fainting from exhaustion isn't a medical emergency."

"Anna... that isn't what happened."

She looked towards the door where the rest of her soulmates had appeared. Namjoon walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Jin helped her sit up and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's not? What happened?"

"An unexpected consequence of keeping soulmates apart."

"Huh?"

"You got ill because Jin was kept away from you - unwillingly."

"But the rest of you have been fine?"

"Your bond is new in comparison."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Now I'll get to see you more often."

Anna looked up at Jin.

"Really? You will?"

"The Doctor said more visits were necessary to keep this from happening again. Now you can see me every month. At least."

Namjoon squeezed Anna's leg to get her attention.

"If you ever start feeling bad again, tell us, and we'll arrange an extra visit."

"Okay."

"Do you feel better now?"

She nodded.

"I feel better than I have in months."

"Good. You gave us quite the scare. Especially Taehyung. He went to surprise you on set but saw you collapse instead. He barely caught you in time."

Anna looked over at Taehyung who was watching her, the worry was clear on his face.

"Sorry, Tae. I'm fine now. I promise."

She held out her arms and beckoned him forwards.  Her second youngest soulmate climbed onto the bed and curled up in her arms.

"Cuddle pile!"

Jungkook snuggled up behind Taehyung, wrapping his arm around him. The others joined them on the bed and Anna smiled. This is how they were meant to be. All together.

Chapter 29: Seven Hours

Jin didn't get to stay much longer after Anna woke up. She was shocked to learn that she had actually been unconscious for a few days, and it wasn't until Jin arrived that they had transferred her home from the hospital.

Although she felt fine now, everyone was insisting that she rest. There were even talks of pushing her comeback to a later date, but Anna didn't want to disappoint the fans since it had already been announced.

As such they had timetabled rest periods into her schedule. No more practising into the night. Instead, here she was on a Wednesday evening, sitting at home, watching the newest Idol reality competition. Anna was watching it because her friend, Rose, had gotten a job as a makeup artist on the show and had insisted she watch it.

The concept was different to other similar shows she had watched. Instead of individuals competing to form a group, this show consisted of already-formed groups competing for a needed boost in their careers. She particularly liked the older groups who, for one reason or another, had lost popularity and were getting another chance to do what they loved.

At some point, Jungkook joined her.

"What are you watching?

"Peak Time."

Anna explained the concept of the show.

"Ah, have there been any groups you recognise?"

"They're not allowed to say their group name, so I wouldn't recognise them even if I'd heard of their group, but there's been one. KINGDOM."

"What are they doing now?"

"These are the solo contestants who wanted to enter the competition, but the rest of their group couldn't. The judges are going to form a new group made up of them. This is their audition."

"Cool."

Then the last Idol walked on stage. He looked vaguely familiar, but Anna didn't know who he was.

"Who is that?"

"Who?"

Jungkook leaned forward to look at the screen.

"Is that? Moon Jongup?"

"Who?"

"From BAP."

"Oh! They were active in your early years, right?"

"Yeah..."

"You okay, Kook?"

"I just never thought I'd see someone I knew doing something like this. It reminds me how lucky I am."

"I watched the show ATEEZ did before they debuted, and they went around all these companies to see trainees audition to get onto the show. There were so many young talented people that just didn't have the resources, or the chance to get into the industry. It was so sad. It made me wonder if there was anything I could do to help them. And then there are people that do make it but are taken advantage of and lose everything."

"We're lucky we're with HYBE."

"You're lucky Bang PD-nim found you all, and he's lucky that you all worked so hard that you made it work. I can't imagine what it was like when you were trainees, and the company was barely keeping afloat."

"Sometimes all that feels like a dream. Back then we never imagined... this."

"No wonder they're making a movie about you guys. Oh! It's his turn to perform."

She motioned for Jungkook to be quiet and stared at the screen in awe. Her soulmate watched her with a bemused expression. Even when the performance finishes and the MC interviews him, Anna continues to study the Idol on the screen.

"He looks so... dangerous. Sexy and serious."

"On stage maybe, but off stage he's goofy. Or at least he used to be. I haven't seen him in years."

"Really? Cute. How old is he?"

"Um, older than me. Your age maybe?"

"Huh."

"You're so lucky I've learnt not to get jealous of your fangirl-ing anymore."

"And I'm glad that I don't have to hide it from you. Moon Jongup is my latest obsession. That performance was awesome."

"I won't argue with you there. Not everyone can cover SEVENTEEN so well."

"That was a SEVENTEEN song?"

Jungkook gave Anna a look of disbelief.

"Sorry! I haven't listened to much of their music yet. I haven't even met them apart from your friends."

"Well, we'll have to change that."

He started typing on his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Asking Mingyu when a good time would be for you to crash their rehearsal."

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"I don't know them! That's a lot of new people all at once. You know what I'm like."

"You do know that there aren't seventeen of them in the group, right?"

"Yes! I know that much... How many of them are there?"

"Noona!"

"Joking!

"Uh-huh... How have you not seen any of them around the company building?"

"I don't know."

"It's probably because you're always locked away in a room working. If I didn't live with you, I'd never see you either."

"Well, that won't be the case from now on. I've been banned from spending more than 7 hours a day at the company."

"Oh no, whatever will you do with yourself."

Anna ignored Jungkook's teasing tone and flicked through the TV options since the show had ended.

"I don't know... Catch up on dramas probably."

"I can think of something you can do to fill those empty hours."

She looked over at Jungkook as she noticed the change in the tone of his voice. No longer were his eye glinting with mischief but blazing with want.

"Really? What's that? Do you want me to play a video game with you?"

"Noona! You might act innocent, but I'm your soulmate. I know better."

Jungkook leaned forward and rubbed his nose along Anna's neck and jaw. She shuddered.

"Kook-"

"It's been too long, Noona. I miss you."

Her eyes closed as his hands found their way under the hem of her top.

"If you had it your way we'd do it seven days a week. Maybe that's why you have seven soulmates. One for each day of the week."

Anna jumped when he lightly pinched the skin of her waist. Jungkook gripped her hips and suddenly she found her world tilted. She opened her eyes to find her soulmate hovering over her as she lay on the sofa.

"I was innocent before you came along, Noona. If anyone's to blame for my... appetite, it's you."

Jungkook traced a finger down Anna's cheek, and she felt herself grow warm as he stared down at her.

"You were hardly innocent."

"Neither of us are innocent now."

"I never said I was."

Anna reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. She was surprised when he pulled away.

"Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"My new lip piercing."

"Why would it bother me?"

Jungkook shrugged.

"I don't know, I know you said you weren't a great fan of facial piercings."

"I wasn't a fan of ripped jeans either until I saw you dance in them."

This made him grin.

"Really?"

"Really. Now, take this off."

Anna pulled at his t-shirt, and he leaned back to take it off. Once his muscular chest was on display, she ran her hands over the newly exposed skin.

"If I ever want your attention, Noona, all I have to do is take my top off."

"That would do it... I can't believe that this will soon be seen by the whole world."

"But none of them will ever get to touch me like you do."

Her eyes darted up to meet his and she held his gaze as her hand trailed down his body, lower and lower.

"And how do I touch you?"

Jungkook grabbed her wrists and held them above her head.

"Like a treasure. Let me treasure you tonight."

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. Before meeting her soulmates, Anna had always thought that kissing was a strange concept, but she will always remember this one dream she had. One kiss from a faceless man and she became obsessed. She couldn't get enough and that's what it was like with her soulmates. She could spend forever just kissing them.

Meanwhile, Jungkook released her wrists and ran his hands down her arms and along her sides until he reached the hem of her top. His hands went back up the path they just took, taking her top with them. Anna pouted when he pulled away from their kiss to pull her top over her head.

Her soulmate pecked her lips once, twice, three times before trailing his lips along her jaw, then down her neck, before exploring all of her newly exposed skin. It was slow and teasing but in the best possible way. Anna grew impatient, but at the same time, it felt so good that she didn't want to stop him.

Eventually, though, it got to the point where she reached down and pulled him up so that she could press her lips to his. Need consumed her as her soulmate's lips moved against her. All too soon Jungkook pulled back with a smirk. He tapped his finger against one of her hands.

"I didn't say you could move."

"Jungkook!"

"Yes, Noona?"

He grinned cutely up at her, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling back.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He gave her a peck on the nose before moving to relieve them both of the last of their clothing. 

When Jungkook didn't return to his position above her, she glanced down to see him move to settle between her legs. 

"What are you doing?"

"I haven't finished tasting my treasure."

Anna gasped as he dove right in. Her eyes slid shut as her back arched. Whereas before he had been taking his time, now he was going at her like a starved man. One had gripped the cushion of the sofa while the other tangled in Jungkook's hair.

Once he had reached his goal, she vaguely felt him move up her body until he was hovering over her again. Anna was still in a fuzzy state as she recovered from her soulmate's attack. Jungkook nuzzled her neck as he waited.

"Noona? Can I fuck you now?"

It was sinful, hearing those words whispered in her ear from her usually sweet, youngest soulmate.

"Please..."

"Please?"

"Please fuck me right. Now."

She opened her eyes to find Jungkook's doe eyes gazing down at her, dark with desire.

Anna would never forget the first time Jungkook and her had sex. It had been her first taste of a kind of connection that she had never thought possible. She had never felt closer to anyone than she did to him during that moment. Since then she craved that closeness more and more.

Jungkook's entry was rough and satisfying after his earlier teasing. She gripped his hair with one hand and scratched at his back with the other. Desperately, they searched for each other's lips, craving more contact, as they moved together.

One of his hands moved to grip her thigh as he changed position. Pulling her up, he moved so that he was sitting on the sofa with her on his lap all whilst staying inside her. He didn't give her time to adjust before he was thrusting his hips again.

"Shit. Kook."

She loved nothing more than when her soulmates demonstrated their strength and Jungkook did it often and as naturally as breathing.

"Sure you don't want to do this every night? Noona?"

Anna couldn't pull herself together enough to form the words to reply.

It started to seem as if Jungkook could go all night and she wasn't sure how much more she could take when he finally shuddered in pleasure.

His head dropped forward to rest against Anna's chest as he took a moment to catch his breath. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he held her close. Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, Anna stroked his hair. 

After a few minutes, Jungkook began kissing Anna's chest and she gripped his hair to pull his head back.

"Again? Already? Your stamina is insane."

He grinned up at her.

"Hyungs say that too."

Chapter 30: Super Time

It was one week before Anna's comeback, and it felt wrong to her to be at the company building and not be preparing for it. She was on her way to one of the dance studios when she bumped into Yoongi.

"Jagi? What are you doing here so late?"

"Don't worry. I'm not here to work. Jungkook arranged an appointment for me."

"Appointment? With whom?"

"SEVENTEEN."

"Okay... why?"

"Because I haven't met them all yet."

"Really? Are you serious? How is that possible?"

"That's what Kookie said. So, now I'm going to watch them practice."

"Cool. Have fun and I'll... probably be home late, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't stay out too late. I want to spend as much time with you as possible before you go off on tour."

"I'll make sure to set some time aside for you, Jagi."

"Thank you."

Yoongi leaned in and kissed Anna on the cheek.

"Go on. Don't keep the boys waiting."

Anna glanced up and down the corridor, seeing no one in sight she pulled Yoongi towards her and captured his lips with hers. When she pulled away, he appeared to be in a daze making her smile. She was always happy to see that she could affect her soulmates the same way they do her.

"Bye."

A hand on her wrist pulled her back and Yoongi reclaimed her lips. For a moment they were so lost in each other that they forgot they were in a corridor at work. Luckily for them, no one walked by. When he finally broke their kiss, Anna was the one who was dazed this time.

"Jagi, how am I meant to concentrate on work now?"

He pulled her tightly against him so that she could feel the problem. His gruff voice almost had her going with him to his studio, but they both had other things to do.

"Think of it as motivation. Love you! Bye!"

With a quick peck, she pulled herself out of his arms and hurried down the corridor to the dance studio she had been heading for before bumping into her soulmate. Before entering she paused and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. She laughed as she replayed what had just happened in her head. It felt like it had been a long time since she had been able to tease and have fun with her soulmates. She felt happier and more herself than she had for months.

Before she could knock on the door a call came from behind her.

"Noona!"

Anna turned to see Mingyu waving at her as he walked down the corridor, and she was so thankful he hadn't appeared five minutes earlier.

"Hello -"

"Come on in!"

Mingyu held open the door for her and waved her inside.

"Thank you."

Inside the rest of SEVENTEEN were mid-run-through of what Anna guessed to be one of their new songs. She knew they had their next comeback coming up in a few months.

"Look who's here everybody!"

When no one even glanced their way, Anna looked up at Mingyu whose excited expression turned annoyed and then sheepish as he caught her gaze. She shook her head and gave him a smile before motioning for him to join his group members. He jumped straight in and finished off the song with them.

When the music finished, she clapped enthusiastically from where she was standing still by the door. This got the boys' attention and they all turned towards her. One of them shouted out her name.

"Anna-Noona!"

They all bowed in greeting making her feel a little awkward. She still wasn't used to being shown this kind of respect. Although she was older than most of the members of SEVENTEEN, they were her sunbaenims by many years, so in a way, it felt odd for them to bow to her - especially all of them at once.

"Hello, everyone."

Joshua and Jeonghan were the first to approach her, smiling like the pretty princes they were often described as.

"Come on in!"

"To what do we owe the honour of your visit?"

"Oh, umm..."

Anna glanced over at Mingyu. Although Jungkook had arranged this visit with his friend, she had assumed that the rest of the group would know about it. Seungcheol stepped forwards.

"Okay, you can stop teasing her now. Of course, we were expecting you, Anna. You are most welcome."

"Ah. I'm sorry it took this long for me to officially meet all of you."

"We thought maybe you didn't like us."

The sad, pouty look on Jeonghan's face made her panic.

"What? No! That's not -"

"Just kidding."

She kept forgetting that Jeonghan was known as one of the tricksters in the group. Her eyebrows furrowed at being teased again, but one smile from the singer and she melted.

At the back of the group, Dino nudged Mingyu.

"Hyung, I think I know who Anna's bias is."

"Who?"

"Our angel!"

"Oh! Jungkook's going to love this."

Mingyu got out his phone and started typing.

"Hyung, are you seriously telling Jungkook-sunbaenim? Right now?"

"Why? Should I not?"

"You know him better than me, Hyung. Do whatever you want."

Mingyu shrugged and continued typing out his message to his friend. A reply came quickly.

Take a picture of them together. - JK

"What?"

Nevertheless, the rapper held up his phone and tried to take a picture of Anna and Jeonghan as they stood next to each other, but he couldn't get a clear shot.

Seungcheol suddenly interrupted everyone.

"Ah, we didn't introduce ourselves!"

"Why so suddenly?"

Seungkwan murmured as their leader ushered them into a line.

"Say the name -

"SEVENTEEN!"

She greeted them back in the same way as if she were on stage with a smile and a wave.

"Hello, I'm Anna!"

Embarrassed, she hid her face with her hands afterwards, but the boys cheered her on.

"Wah! So cute!"

They gave her a small show, performing a couple of their past title tracks.

"Wow... you really do move perfectly in sync!"

"Do you want to try?"

"Me?"

"Yes! We can teach you something!"

Dancing with her soulmates was one thing, dancing with these professionals was something else entirely.

"I don't - I'm not -"

"Please!"

She couldn't deny the pleading faces of the performance unit.

"Something easy then?"

"Do you know any of our dances?

"Umm..."

Minghao's jaw dropped.

"No? Really?"

"Well, I haven't learnt many dances outside of BTS's, and my own. I don't pick them up quickly like you guys do."

"With our master dancer teaching you you'll pick it up in no time!"

"You do realise that she was taught by Hoseok-sunbaenim."

Soonyoung gasped.

"You can't compare me to him! Please don't tell him about this, Anna."

"Why? Afraid he'd want to battle you?"

"I could never!"

They all laughed and eventually Soonyoung and Chan started to teach her the chorus to one of their songs. 

Afterwards, she was sitting on the floor resting when Seungkwan came and sat next to her.

"Anna-Noona, will you do a challenge with us for our comeback?"

Looked at Seungkwan's pleading eyes and then around at the rest of the group who were nodding along.

"Okay, but then you must do one with me."

"Of course, I will."

"No, I will."

"Guys, stop fighting, she meant me."

"Who do you want to dance with you, Noona?"

Apparently, the younger ones had all decided that they had grown close enough today to start calling her 'Noona'. Anna stood there with wide eyes as the performance unit waited for her answer.

"Um, I think I'll let you decide this between yourselves..."

Jeonghan crouched down behind her and whispered in her ear.

"If you were anyone else, we wouldn't let you take the easy way out, but for you, Anna, I'll help you escape."

"Really?"

He smiled at her before shouting over the rest of the group.

"Shall we take a photo?"

"Yes!"

She frowned grumpily not understanding why everyone was so obsessed with taking photos. Jeonghan noticed and smiled at her innocently.

"Do you not like having your photo taken?"

Anna wondered how he knew. The singer really was evil.

"You don't want a photo with us, Noona?"

She looked between Jeonghan with his smug smile and Seungkwan's sad eyes.

"What? Uh, of course, I do!"

"Yay! Everyone, gather round! Photo time!"

The boys around her stood up and the others gathered around. Joshua stood in front of Anna and offered his hand to help her out. She suppressed a smile as she remembered the videos, she has seen of him being called the gentleman of the group and the rest of the members denying it.

"Hyung! Lift her up!"

Seungcheol looked at Seokmin in dismay and shook his head.

"What? No! Why would I do that?"

"Like you do with me in Adore U!"

"Why -? No, let's just take a nice - normal - group photo, okay?"

When Anna got home, she had a new post on her Instagram and the comments were already flying in. 

"Have fun, Noona?"

Anna's youngest soulmate greeted her with a knowing smile. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Yes... What is it?"

Jungkook held up his phone. On it was a picture of her with Jeonghan leaning in close to her face.

"Where did you get that? Mingyu!"

Chapter 31: Come Back

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Anna was visiting Jin the day before her comeback. Despite the cold, they walked around the grounds hand in hand as it was one of the only ways they could spend some time alone. So here they were both wrapped up, apart from one hand each which were clasped together in one of Jin's coat pockets. Holding hands with gloves on wasn't enough for Anna, she needed the skin-on-skin contact to recharge their bond. They had purposely arranged this visit early as she would be busy over the next few weeks.

"I think so. The preparations have been very relaxed since my work hours were capped."

Jin laughed at the pout on her lips. She frowned at him.

"Sorry, Baby."

"You should be! It's your fault."

"You're right. How dare I comply with government demands and leave your side to enlist."

Anna stopped walking, pulling Jin to a stop too, and looked up at him.

"You know I don't mean it, right? I understand that this is something you have to do... I just miss you."

"I know. I miss you too, so much."

Jin leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a short, but sweet kiss. After pulling away, they smiled at each other.

"You do look hot in that uniform though."

"I know."

Jin winked and Anna gave him a weak shove as she laughed. Her laugh turned into a squeal as he picked her up and spun her around. She slid down his body as he slowly lowered her back down to the ground. Her oldest soulmate had always had a great physique, but even after only a couple of months, she could feel the difference. He was filling out now that he didn't need to keep to such a strict diet for camera appearances and she liked it.

After a quick glance around them, Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. Warmth and happiness washed over her as Jin wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

"Jin-hyung!"

"Woo! Go Hyung!"

The two soulmates broke apart and looked towards the shouting to see a small group of soldiers waving at them. Anna hid her face against Jin's chest and one of his hands came to rest on the back of her head. He made a gesture at the younger members of his squad and they ran away. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"Come on. We should get inside before you catch a cold."

It was quarter to one in the afternoon the next day and Anna was sitting in front of the camera for her pre-release live.

"Hello, everyone!"

She smiled and waved as she waited for more fans to join.

"Today's the day! Only a few minutes left until my new music video is released. Are you all excited? Yes? Good. Me too."

"My album arrived this morning? Thank you for buying it and supporting me!"

Anna skimmed the comments which were full of emojis and statements of love and support until she found a question. 

"Am I ready? I hope so. The past few weeks have been a little rough, but I think it will all pull together in the end."

"Oh, no! Don't worry! I'm okay. I overworked myself so I've been made to go home early lately, but I saw Jinnie yesterday so my energy is all replenished now."

"How's Jin? He's good. He's been eating well. Would you believe me if I said he's gotten even more handsome? I know, it seems impossible but it's true."

"I'm lucky? Yes, I am very lucky."

She sees a staff member signal to her from behind the camera. 

"Okay, it's almost time! You can open the premiere now and see the countdown. I'm going to leave this live on while I watch but you guys feel free to go away and give the music video your full attention, okay? My reaction will be able to view later. Okay, ready, everyone? 3, 2, 1."

With the first part of her comeback over with a successful music video release and album sales doing well, Anna's next focus was the music shows. 

This was the part she was most nervous about. Due to her curfew, she felt as though she could have done with more practice. She had each of her soulmates come and watch her when they had 10 minutes free and give her feedback. A few had given her some suggestions, and Hoseok had a couple of technical corrections, but overall they agreed that she was performance-ready.

When she arrived at her first music show recording, Anna could see the crowds of fans waiting outside the building. She had always been amazed at how fans would wait at places like this just for a glimpse of on Idol. It amazed her more now. 

As she stepped out of the car, she was blown away by the roar of the crowd. She tried to make sure that she waved in every direction as she made her way towards the door. A particularly enthusiastic fan screamed something making her jump in surprise. 

Since the fans were behind a fence at a good distance, her bodyguard and manager hadn't been hovering by her side. As a result, no one was near enough to catch Anna when she tripped and fell to the ground. 

A gasp echoed through the crowd and the fans watched as Anna was helped up by her bodyguard. She smiled brightly and waved. 

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

She bowed before entering the building. Looking down at her stinging hand, she saw a scrape. Her manager came up beside her. 

"Are you hurt?"

"Just a scratch."

"I'll have someone fetch the first aid kit."

Anna nodded but inwardly sighed. Back in England, if you got a small injury like this you did nothing, but in Korea a wound no matter how small was treated with the utmost care. 

When it came to performing, she held her microphone in her hand, testing out if it was painful to hold. It wasn't too bad then, but during the performance when she passed it between her hands as she danced, it stung a little. She just hoped it hadn't shown on her face. 

During the next music show recording, Anna has another mishap. Whilst dancing, her sleeve got caught on something and she felt resistance and then something rip when she moved her arm. She continued with the performance hoping that whatever had ripped wasn't revealing anything it shouldn't. When she checked afterwards it had just been superficial, luckily for her. 

However, the worst came during her last performance. She had seen Idols get surprised by this before, but that didn't stop the same thing happening to her. During filming the cameraman decided to do a close-up shot - extremely close. 

Anna jerked back and would've fallen if her backup dancers hadn't managed to catch her. They pushed her up and they carried on as if that had been a part of the choreography. 

It wasn't until she got back to the dressing room that Anna felt a twinge in her ankle. Lifting up her foot she tried to move it and cried out in surprise. Everyone in the room turned to her. 

"Anna! What happened?"

"I think I twisted my ankle."

Her manager, who had rushed to her side, helped her to a chair. 

"Sit down and I'll arrange to take you to the hospital."

"What? That's not necessary. I'm sure it's just a sprain."

"And if it's not? Or if it heals wrong? That's the end of your career, Anna."

"I understand. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, but remember that it's my job to look after you, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you."

When she got home, Hoseok was the only one waiting for her. She knew Jimin, Yoongi and Namjoon were all busy working but she had no idea where her youngest two soulmates were. 

"Princess!? What happened?!"

"It's just a sprained ankle. It will be healed in a couple of days. The crutches  are just a precaution."

"Which means you shouldn't be on your feet. Come and sit down!"

Once she was seated on the sofa, Hoseok covered her in a blanket. 

"Really, I'm fine."

"Have you eaten? I can make you something."

"Hobi..."

"Let me look after you."

The pleading look in Hoseok's eyes caused her to give in. 

"Japchae?"

"Coming right up."

While she listened to her soulmate cook in the kitchen, Anna looked for something to watch. Once Hoseok came back, they cuddled up on the sofa together and watched TV. They had a nice peaceful evening until the youngest two came back. 

"Hyung? Why do we have crutches?"

"Noona! Are you hurt?"

After Anna explained what had happened, Jungkook got a determined look on his face. 

"Don't worry, Noona. I'll carry you wherever you need to go."

Anna was about to protest, but then she wondered why wouldn't she want her super-strong soulmate to carry her around. It was only for a few days after all. What would be the downside to that? 

Chapter 32: Passing Time

"I could get used to this."

 

"You changed your tune."

 

Anna was currently being carried in Jungkook's arms from their bedroom to the kitchen. Her sprained ankle had turned into a fractured one after a clumsy moment before it had healed. Her youngest soulmate had been happy to continue being her mode of transportation around their apartment and she had learnt to enjoy it. He placed her on a stool at the counter next to Namjoon and then began to help Hoseok make breakfast. 

 

"The doctor said she will need to weight bear eventually."

 

"Come on, Joonie. Put those big arms to good use. What have you been working out for if not to carry our injured soulmate around?"

 

Hoseok and Anna grinned at each other. 

 

The leader looked up from his book, shifting his gaze from Hoseok to Anna and then back down. 

 

"To be healthy."

 

Jungkook leaned over the counter, placing Anna's breakfast in front of her. 

 

"Sure, Hyung. We believe that."

 

Anna laughed when her youngest soulmate winked at her, causing Namjoon to glance up at them with narrowed eyes. So she decided to change the topic. 

 

"Thank you all, by the way, for doing my dance challenge. I know it was difficult for you, especially you, Joonie. "

 

Since she wasn't able to do the challenge herself due to her injury, her soulmates had stepped up and taken part to help keep up the momentum until she could take part in promotions. 

 

"What are you talking about? Joon suits the girl group style dances."

 

"What is this? Pick on Namjoon day?"

 

"Sorry, Joonie."

 

Anna pouted cutely and the other two copied. 

 

Namjoon stood up and walked behind Anna, wrapping his arms around his. 

 

"You, my love, were so sweet and innocent when we found you. You've let these hooligans corrupt you."

 

"Hyung!"

 

Ignoring Jungkook's cry. Namjoon pecked Anna on the cheek, once, twice, three times and continued until she was giggling. 

 

Everyone in the room smiled at the sound. 

 

Once he stopped she leaned back into his embrace. 

 

"Why don't you put those big arms to use and help me shower this morning?"

 

"Noona! That's my job."

 

Hoseok put his hand on the Maknae's arm. 

 

"Kookie, stop hogging her. Show your Hyung some love instead."

 

Hoseok leaned over for a kiss, but Jungkook put his arm around the dancer's shoulders. The older looked up at the younger with a sigh. 

 

"When are you going to stop growing?"

 

The next few months flew by. 

 

Jimin's album came out. Anna was sad that she didn't get to go to the music show recordings, but because of her injury, it was deemed too risky. However, she made sure to give him extra love and encouragement at home. 

 

The song SET ME FREE had been a pleasant surprise. It was a new sound and style for him but she lived it. Her soulmate had made sure not to spoil anything for her beforehand. However, she had been there when he was trying to write the lyrics and so she knew how hard it had been for him. Many nights he had needed the comfort of his soulmates to reassure him that those days were behind him.

 

Hoseok enlisted and no one was sure how their visits should continue. For now, Anna could visit each of them once a month, but she knew that this wouldn't continue until all of her soulmates had finished enlistment. Eventually, they would deem them not necessary anymore. 

 

Yoongi's album hadn't been a huge surprise in terms of style, but that hadn't made it any less epic. Anna had made sure to show him how hot she found his acting. She had also known that writing this album had taken a lot out of Yoongi. He had been through so much in his life and when Anna saw the AMYGDALA video she hugged him and wouldn't let go for ages. And then he went on tour. It was hard for her not to travel with him, but it was something he wanted to experience for himself. However, that wouldn't stop her from flying out at some point to see him. 

 

Anna was recovered enough by SEVENTEEN's comeback to keep her promise of doing their dance challenge. It was difficult, but the guys were so patient with her and they had a lot of fun together. 

 

TXT went on tour as well and she missed Yeonjun a lot. She still had her English lunches with some of the members of ENHYPEN and sometimes one or two of SEVENTEEN would join them as well. 

 

ENHYPEN had their comeback. Jay had taught her the partner dance to Bite Me, but after the reaction to their music video, she had decided it might be best not to post it on social media. However, when she showed her soulmates they had the idea to record her dancing with one of them instead. 

 

So many things were happening and so much was changing that it was hard to keep up. 

 

Unlike after her first album where she didn't work on anything new until prompted, this time she started writing not long after. A lot of things happened in the months following her comeback that she felt inspired to talk about. 

 

Something that had been on her mind was a phrase that she remembered being told a lot when she was a child. 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' She wondered why a message that she had heard so much when she was younger seemed to have been forgotten. 

 

There was a difference between constructive criticism and spiteful hate comments. The necessary and the unnecessary. 

 

She wondered why people felt the need to lie or twist the truth to make people appear bad. Headlines for news articles always had her thinking one way until she read the article and saw how misleading the title was. 

 

Anna had started planning out the concept. The album title 'Nothing Nice' and the themes or stories behind the songs: words have power, why do you hate me, focusing on the positive, think first. 

 

It became her secret project. She felt very passionately about the subject as Anna was someone who was affected very deeply by unkind words. She often felt disheartened by the world feeling that it was a hopelessly negative place. That was what drew her to BTS and K-pop. They made her happy and they made the world seem like a brighter place. 

 

Sometimes compared to her soulmates she felt a little superficial or generic. She wanted to do something unique and personal that could have a positive impact on people's lives. She believed in the power of music and she wanted to use it for herself. 

 

She had been taking full advantage of Yoongi being away on your and had set herself up in his studio. The room had gradually become littered with her stuff. A soft blanket, a fluffy cushion, her favourite mug, a stash of chocolate, her notebook and a pencil case. To name a few.  

 

While the rest of her soulmates were busy working on their own projects, Anna ended up spending most of her time in the studio. Not only working but catching up on dramas and listening to music as well.

 

When Yoongi had a few days between shows, Anna flew out to California to see him. She didn't have long, but afterwards, she planned to travel to New York to see TXT. 

 

She arrived in time to see her soulmate's concert but not early enough to see him beforehand. The show was epic. Anna had tears in her eyes she was so proud. 

 

As he was singing his last song she left to wait backstage for him. The look on Yoongi's face was ecstatic when he saw her. He opened his arms and she ran to him, hugging him tightly. 

 

After getting changed, he grabbed his stuff and they were quickly on their way back to the hotel. Yoongi held her hand the whole way. 

 

"It's so nice to see you. I miss cuddles."

 

Anna gasped teasingly. 

 

"Min Yoongi misses cuddles!"

 

Yoongi pouted cutely. 

 

"Forget I said anything."

 

"No! If you want cuddles then I'll smother you in them."

 

She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it making him smile. 

 

"You're too cute."

 

"Nope, you're cuter."

 

Yoongi sighed playfully and shook his head as he smiled. 

 

"What have you been up to?  Are you busy?"

 

"Hmm... I'm working on something."

 

"Oh yeah? Working on your next album already?"

 

"I'm not sure. It might just be a personal project. We'll see."

 

"That's good too. I'd love to listen to it whenever you're ready."

 

"Thanks. I've taken over your studio. It's mine now."

 

"Is that right?"

 

"Yep."

 

"That's what I get for giving you the password."

 

"Hey!"

 

"Just kidding. I give it to you freely."

 

This time it's Yoongi who brings their joined hands to his lips making Anna melt and smile at him happily. 

 

"I made it a bit more homey. Cosey."

 

"I bet you did. I'm imagining lots of pillows and blankets."

 

Anna nodded.   

 

"You would be correct."

 

"At least I know you won't break into my alcohol collection."

 

She frowned thoughtfully. 

 

"Is that why I'm the only one who has the password?"

 

"Maybe."

 

Yoongi found himself grinning as Anna broke out into laughter. 

Chapter 33: Reaching Out

Since Anna was working on her album secretly, the company had made other plans for her to release new music. 

"We've reached out to a few people about doing collaborations with you."

She was in a meeting with her manager and some staff members from various departments. At the word collaborations, she leant forward in interest.

"Collaborations? Who... Have you heard back yet?"

"Yes. We've heard back from a few, but we're still waiting to hear back from the others."

"Apart from -"

Her manager shook their head and the staff member stopped speaking. Anna looked between the two. 

"What? Did someone say no?"

Her manager sighed. 

"They didn't say no... In fact, they said that they would love to collaborate with you. It's just that they are unable to at this time."

"Oh. Who was it?"

"Wang Yibo."

Anna wouldn't deny that she was disappointed, but she wasn't surprised and she understood. 

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. Who said yes?"

"The first one we heard back from was ATEEZ -"

"Really?!"

"Yes."

She bounced in her seat. 

"That's so cool! I can't believe it."

The staff glanced at eachother as they smiled at Anna's reaction. 

"We've heard back from one more."

"Oh, okay. Who's that?"

"Jeff Satur."

This time they were met by silence as Anna stared blankly at them. 

"Anna? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Sorry, I think I spaced out. Who did you say?"

"The other artist we reached out to who would like to collaborate with you is Jeff Satur."

However, Anna still couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

"Jeff Satur?"

"Yes."

"From Thailand?"

"Yes."

"He knows who I am?"

"Um, if he didn't before then he does now."

"And he wants to make a song with me?"

"Yes."

"No way."

"Is something wrong, Anna?"

"This can't be real."

They showed her the emails exchanged with Jeff's company, but she was still in disbelief. Not that she was collaborating with Jeff, but that she was an artist that talented people wanted to work with. 

As she walked through the corridors of the company, she ran into some of the members of TXT. They were back for a month from their tour before they set out again. Seeing her best friend, she burst into tears. 

"Noona? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm a famous pop star!"

Yeonjun laughed and Soobin elbowed him. Soobin and Taehyun rubbed Anna's back comfortingly. 

"What happened to make you realise this?"

"Jeff Satur wants to write a song with me! And ATEEZ!"

"Wow. That's so cool, Noona. Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I'm really excited, but also terrified. What if I'm not good at working with other artists?"

Soobin's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You've worked with BTS-sunbaenims, haven't you?"

"No. Well, I helped Jungkook with one of his songs and Yoongi wrote most of my album with me."

Taehyun smiled at her.

"See! You can do it. I'm sure you'll have no problem. You've met ATEEZ before, right?"

Meanwhile, Yeonjun had called his friend. 

"Wooyoung? Do you have a minute? Anna-Noona just got told she's working with you and she freaking out. Cool. Thanks. Noona, here."

Yeonjun held out his phone to Anna and she took it hesitantly. Meanwhile, Soobin and Taehyun stepped to the side. 

"Hello, my favourite Noona!"

"I thought I was your second favourite."

"You got promoted. Now, listen. We're all really excited to work with you, okay? Tell her, San!"

A different voice sounded through the phone as Wooyoung held his phone in front of his soulmate. 

"We're honoured to have the chance to work with you."

Wooyoung put the phone back to his ear. 

"Did you hear that? So I don't want to hear any more silliness from you, Noona."

It didn't bother her, but Anna knew others would probably tell him off for talking to someone older than him like that. 

"Hongjoong and Seonghwa aren't within hearing distance are they?"

"No, they're no - oh, hi Hyung! Why are you glaring at me? Noona wants to talk to you."

There was some rustling as she assumed the phone was passed over. 

"Hello?"

Anna's heart pounded as she recognised the voice. At her reaction, Yeonjun looked at her strangely. She turned around so that her friend couldn't see her face and stepped away so that he couldn't overhear her conversation. 

"Hello, Seonghwa. It's Anna, BTS's soulmate."

She had to hold back a squeal as Seonghwa chuckled into her ear. 

"I know who you are, Anna. I apologise for Wooyoung's behaviour. However, he is right. We are all very much looking forward to working with you."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're very talented."

Anna felt her cheeks turn red. 

"Thank you. You're very talented too. I'm a big fan."

"I remember, from the first time we met you."

A movement down the hall caught her eye and she spotted one of her soulmates walking towards her. 

"I - I have to go now, but it was nice talking to you."

"Of course. Goodbye, Anna."

"See you soon. Bye."

Anna hung up the phone just as Jimin reached her with a suspicious look in his eye. He reached out and brushed her cheek with his thumb. 

"Who were you talking to? Who caused my soulmate's cheeks to turn so red? Hm?"

"I - er..."

Not only was she still reeling from speaking to Seonghwa, but Jimin looked especially handsome today. It made her dizzy and sometimes it surprised her how easily he could affect her even after all this time. 

She jumped a little when a pair of hands landed on her shoulders. It was Yeonjun.

"Who did you talk to after Wooyoung?"

"Wooyoung?"

Jimin's gaze landed on where Yeonjun's hands were resting and he raised an eyebrow at the younger Idol. Noticing this, Yeonjun lifted his hands quickly and held them up in surrender.

"Jung Wooyoung, from ATEEZ."

Recognition flickered in her soulmate's eyes, and his gaze settled back on Anna. 

"I see. You're too cute for your own good."

Jimin then leaned in and whispered in her ear. 

"You're lucky I have a meeting right now."

Once Jimin was out of sight, Yeonjun started snickering. Anna turned to him with a glare. 

"Aww, you're so cute!"

"Choi Yeonjun!"

Yeonjun's eyes widened and he started backing away before turning and running down the corridor. Soobin and Taehyun watched as Anna ran after their group member. The leader of TXT sighed. 

"We were supposed to be going to practice."

That night Anna was curled up in bed with Taehyung. Jungkook was in America recording his music video, Namjoon was at his studio working, and Jimin hadn't gotten home yet. 

Her second youngest soulmate was showing Anna how his album was coming along. It was due to be released in less than 3 months. 

"I love it. It sounds like you. Who else have you shown? Will you show Yoongi when he comes home next week?"

"You think I should?"

"Of course! I know he'd love to hear it."

They heard the front door and Anna froze and hid under the covers. 

"Um, Babe, what are you doing?"

"Shh!"

She heard footsteps come towards the room and then Taehyung spoke. 

"Hey, Jiminie."

"Hi, Tae. Have you seen Anna?"

"Umm... No?"

Suddenly the covers were pulled down and Anna smiled as Jimin stood over her. 

"Oh, hi, Sweetie. Welcome home!"

"Cute."

Jimin leaned forward and bopped Anna on the nose. Taehyung looked between the two. 

"Did I miss something?"

As he changed into some comfy clothes, the dancer filled in Taehyung. 

"I caught our soulmate talking to someone on the phone earlier. Someone who was making her blush."

"Oh? Who?"

"One of the members of ATEEZ, I believe."

Taehyung stared into space deep in thought. 

"ATEEZ? ATEEZ... Hongjoong? No, Seonghwa."

Anna looked up at Taehyung in shock. 

"How did you know?"

Her younger soulmate shrugged. 

"He's your bias wrecker in ATEEZ."

"I didn't know you knew that."

"I pay attention."

Jimin frowned as he joined them in bed. 

"I pay attention, but I didn't know that."

Taehyung reached over Anna and ruffled the dancer's hair. 

"That's because you didn't want to know. Jealous Jimin."

The elder huffed and the younger grinned. Anna stayed quiet, glad the attention was off of her. Jimin noticed. 

"Hang on. Why were you on the phone to ATEEZ in the first place?"

"I had a meeting today. They've organised some song collaborations for me. One of them is with ATEEZ."

Taehyung pulled her into a hug. 

"No way! That's great, Babe! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. It's very exciting."

They both glanced over at Jimin who looked thoughtful. When he noticed their gaze, he smiled softly at her. 

"They're lucky to get to work with you."

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

"You really think so?"

"Of course."

Taehyung tucked her hair behind her ear. 

"You said collaborations? Did they tell you who else?"

"Jeff Satur."

"The Thai actor and singer?"

"Well done, Jiminie."

Jimin slapped Taehyung's hand away as he went to ruffle the dancer's hair again. 

"You must be so happy. Congratulations, Anna."

"Thank you. You don't think..."

"What?"

"They only agreed because I'm your soulmate? BTS's soulmate."

"Definitely not. You're a successful singer in your own right. Okay? Don't doubt that."

The three cuddled up together and Anna relished in the calming influence of her soulmates. It was just what she needed after a disorienting day. And there was nowhere she would rather be. 

Chapter 34: Don't change

"Taehyung, are you coming?"

"No, Hyung. I'm waiting for Yoongi-Hyung."

Namjoon stared at Taehyung for a moment. The others had already left for the company as they started earlier, so Namjoon had planned on travelling later with Taehyung.

"You have a schedule today. You can see Yoongi-Hyung afterwards."

"But I won't finish until late. I have some time before I need to leave."

Before an argument could ensue, Anna interrupted.

"I'll make sure he leaves in time, whether Yoongi is here or not."

"Fine. Taehyung, you can stay, but when Anna tells you to leave you go. Understood?"

"Yes, Hyung."

The leader sighed and rolled his eyes at his Taehyung as he kissed his forehead. Pulling Anna towards him, Namjoon kissed the top of her head too.

"I don't know what I would do without you. You keep me sane. Bye, my love."

"Bye, Joon. Have a good day."

A couple of hours passed with Anna and Taehyung curled up on the sofa together watching a drama. Finally, they heard from Yoongi. He had landed. However, Taehyung needed to go to work.

"Tae, I'm sorry, but you have to go."

"But he'll be here any minute!"

"It's going to take him at least an hour. You know what the traffic is like."

Taehyung pouted and Anna couldn't help giving those pouty lips a kiss.

"I'll tell him you waited as long as you could. He'll be touched."

"Promise? Okay, then. See you later."

Once Taehyung had left, Anna went around and tidied up the apartment for Yoongi's arrival. When she heard the door unlock, she ran to greet him.

"Welcome home!"

Yoongi dropped his bags as the door closed behind him. He looked exhausted, but that was to be expected since he had been travelling so much. However, it didn't stop Anna from worrying about him.

"Is anybody else here?"

"No, it’s just me, but Taehyung -"

Anna suddenly had an armful of Yoongi. The rapper had wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. Although she was a little shocked, she returned the hug. He had been away for a long time, so it made sense that he was glad to be home.

But then she felt something wet on her skin. Yoongi was crying.

She held him tighter and waited until he was ready to talk. Eventually, he pulled back and she wiped away the tears from his cheeks. They went up to his room and lay down on his bed facing each other. Their hands clasped between them.

"I love ARMY and I loved being able to perform for them all around the world, but it was a lot to do by myself."

"Why didn't you say anything when I visited? I would've stayed with you."

Yoongi shrugged as he traced his fingers over the lines on Anna's hand.

"I needed to stay strong to finish it."

Anna shuffled forward until their noses touched.

"You did. You were so brave doing it all by yourself. I'm so proud of you."

"I love you, Jagi."

"I love you too."

They spent a few minutes just being comforted by each other’s presence.

"I knew it would be different, going on tour alone compared to going as a group, but I still wasn't prepared for how hard it would be, how alone I would feel."

"I understand. Although I don't have anything to compare it to, I've seen how you guys are together. When you're writing songs, having dance practice, and performing, you have each other and get to have fun together. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a singer and I'm grateful for the opportunity, but sometimes it’s... not what I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. Not the workload, but all the other little bits that I didn't think about or didn't think would be such a big deal."

"The job is more than just making music and performing. Although sometimes I wish it wasn't, the promotions, the criticism... it's unavoidable. Is it getting to you?"

"No. Maybe. Sometimes."

"I hope you didn't feel like you had to become an Idol for us. I know we pushed you towards it but that was only because we believed it was what you wanted."

"No. I promise. If I didn't want to do this then you couldn't have made me or persuaded me to do it."

"Good."

Yoongi closed the inch of space between them and pressed his lips to her in a sweet peck. Anna smiled at him when he pulled back.

"You enjoyed it though? Performing for ARMY. Even if it was hard."

"I did. I loved seeing them."

They stayed curled up together for a while telling each other stories of things that had happened since they last saw each other.

Anna checked the time and saw that the others would be home soon. She stroked under Yoongi's eye with her thumb.

"I'm going to get started on dinner."

"I'll help you."

As they cooked, she told him about Taehyung's antics earlier that day.

"He wanted to welcome you home."

Yoongi shook his head amused.

"He acts more like a puppy than Yeontan."

Anna laughed.

"That's true! He's my puppy. I like it when he's like that though. Sometimes..."

"Sometimes?"

"I worry about him. Out of all of you, I feel like he took your sudden rise in popularity the hardest. I know none of you ever expected to get to where you are now, but -"

"It's just me here, Jagi. Don't filter your thoughts for me."

"You've all changed since debut, of course, you've grown up, but with Tae, he changed so much. I wonder if he's uncomfortable with being in the public eye. That maybe he doesn't always want to live this way. Does that make sense?"

"Hm, this life has its challenges. It's all about balance. Do the rewards outweigh the negatives? Do you love your work enough that you can live with what comes with it, such as the lack of privacy? We've all had to make that decision a few times over the years and decided that yes, it's worth it. I won't deny that it was harder for some than others."

"BTS. You chose BTS. Staying together is what made it worth it because you knew that whatever happened you would still have each other. You wouldn't be alone."
"You'll never be alone either, Jagi."

"I know."

Dinner was almost ready by the time the rest of their soulmates got home.

"Yoongi-Hyung!"

He rolled his eyes, but the rapper couldn't hide his big gummy smile at his soulmates' enthusiasm. After lots of hugs and kisses, they sat down to eat. It was a rare sight to have so many of them eat together.

While they ate, Yoongi told them all about his time on tour. He kept the atmosphere light, not wanting to have a deep conversation more than once today. Anna rested her hand on his thigh as he spoke and gave him a knowing but reassuring smile when he glanced her way.

"How was your day at the company?"

Namjoon ruffled Taehyung's hair as he answered.

"Good. This one made it on time for our meeting. We... we confirmed the timeline for our enlistment. We'll all be going at the same time at the end of the year."

Anna's heart clenched.

"All four of you? At the same time?"

"Yes. At least you'll have Yoongi-Hyung with you."

"The sooner you go the sooner you come back I suppose."

Jimin wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned into his embrace.

"Noona? If you have time, can you visit Bam? He's going to stay at the training centre but without my visits, I worry he'll think I've abandoned him."

"Of course, I will. I'll visit every week. Or... I don't know what my schedule is going to look like, but he could live at home, and I'll look after him. Does the company allow dogs inside?"

"Well, we sneaked Tannie inside but he's a lot smaller than Bammie."

They all laughed.

“Either way, Bam isn’t going to forget you, Kookie. You can visit him on your days off.”

“I guess, but it’s still a long time.”

Taehyung gasped.

“Oh! You could get a cushion with your face on! That’s such a good idea. I’m going to get one for Tannie.”

The other boys laughed, but Anna was deep in thought.

"But what photo would you use?"

Chapter 35: Last D-DAY

"Noooo!!!"

Jimin's footsteps thundered into the room, urgency echoing in his voice at the sound of Anna's distress.

"Anna?! What's wrong?"

She sat hunched over her laptop on the sofa, her brows furrowed in frustration as she stared at the screen.

"Nothing."

Anna's lips formed a pout, her gaze flickering up to meet Jimin's concerned eyes.

"Nothing? Why did you scream?"

"I didn't get a ticket."

"Huh? A ticket to what?"

"SEVENTEEN's concert."

Jimin sighed, a mixture of relief and amusement playing across his features as he settled beside her on the sofa.

"Sweetie, you work at the same company. You can sit in the family and friends section."

"I know. I just feel bad."

Jimin couldn't help but smile at Anna's adorable pout, his heart melting at the sight of her.

"Didn't you ask your friend to get you a ticket for Stray Kid's fan meeting tomorrow?"

"Yes... But it's not my fault tickets sell out so quickly. I couldn't miss out on Stray Kids!"

Jimin chuckled, wrapping his arm around Anna and pulling her close, planting a soft kiss on her temple.

"Think of it as a perk of being in the industry. Who's going with you tomorrow?"

"No one. I'm going by myself."

Worry crept into Jimin's chest at her words, his grip tightening around her.

"What?"

"Yeah. I'll blend in as a foreign STAY. No one will bother me."

"Does Namjoon-Hyung know? What about your manager?"

"Yes, they know... They've probably organised for someone to follow me as a precaution."

Anna felt Jimin's arms tighten around her, his concern obvious in the furrow of his brow.

"I don't like it."

She pressed a tender kiss to his cheek, seeking to reassure him as she curled into his embrace.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

And she was.

It was a sunny day, so she had an umbrella to shade her. She queued to get checked in and get her wristband and then joined another line for the merch booth. She got a hotdog and then ice cream and still no one had recognised her yet.

Pff, Jimin had no reason to worry. I'm getting at blending in.

It wasn't until Anna got inside and sat in her seat that noticed the stares. While she waited to see if anyone would approach her, she took a photo of the stage and sent it to her soulmates.

Anna: So excited!

JK: Have fun, Noona!

Jimin: Has anyone bothered you?

Joon: No, she's perfectly safe.

Tae: Enjoy yourself, Babe.

Suga: Have you eaten?

Anna: No one's approached me, yet. Yes, I've had lots of yummy food!

JK: Chan says to come see them afterwards.

Anna: Kookie! I don't need special treatment!

Jimin: but you asked your friend to get you a ticket.

Anna: ... I don't need MORE special treatment.

Suga: but you are special, Jagi.

Anna: <3

"Anna?"

She looked up from her phone to see the girls sitting in the row in front of her had turned around and were looking at her.

"Hello."

Anna greeted them with a smile.

"We were wondering, who's your Stray Kids bias?"

"Ooh, it's tricky. They're all so great. Who are your biases?

"Felix."

"I.N."

She went on to chat a bit more with those sitting around her about their favourite Stray Kids songs and moments until the show started.

Once it ended, Anna let the crowds die down a little before finding her way backstage. She was wondering whether her face alone would be enough to get her past security when she spotted a familiar face.

"Rose!"

"Anna!"

The two friends greeted each other with a hug.

"I didn't know you were here. You didn't give me your seat did you?!"

"Yes, but don't worry. They're doing this all again tomorrow."

"It's been ages since I last saw you. How are you? Are things better with your soulmates?"

Rose blushed.

"Yes..."

"So the dance worked?"

"Anna!"

They both laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes. Did you do Red Lights? That always gets them going."

"No... Why didn't I think of that? I could've learned the choreo without asking anyone!"

"Who did you ask for help?"

For a moment Anna didn't think Rose was going to answer.

"Hyunjin."

"Really?! Oh, wow."

"Exactly."

"What happened?"

"That is a conversation to be had another time, somewhere more private."

"When's your next day off? You can come over. Or we could have a sleepover?!"

"Who's having a sleepover?"

By now they had reached the green room where Stray Kids were. The two girls looked at each other and then at Bang Chan.

"I'm stealing your soulmate for some girl time!"

The two girls burst out laughing which attracted the attention of the rest of Stray Kids who came out to greet Anna.

Over the next month, Anna found herself immersed in a whirlwind of concerts and performances. From the electrifying energy of MONSTA X's dynamic stage presence to the soulful harmonies of SEVENTEEN's heartfelt ballads, she savoured every moment, losing herself in the music and the camaraderie of fellow fans.

At ENHYPEN's concert, she found herself swept away by the group's infectious enthusiasm, their vibrant performances leaving her feeling exhilarated and alive. She danced and sang along with the crowd, feeling a sense of belonging amidst the sea of cheering fans.

As the day of Yoongi's encore concerts approached, Anna's excitement reached a fever pitch. She was watching it with Jin and Hoseok who had gotten time off from their military service to watch their soulmate's last solo concert.

As they watched Yoongi perform, his hair damp with the sweat he had built up from jumping around on stage, Jin leaned over and whispered to Anna.

"You want to wipe off his sweat, don't you?"

Anna's lips twitched in amusement, knowing that despite his teasing Jin felt exactly the same way.

"So much, you might need to hold me back."

When Yoongi broke down during his song Snooze, Anna's heart shattered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gripped Hoseok's hand for support. She longed to comfort Yoongi, but she remained rooted in her place, offering silent support from afar.

As Yoongi apologised to the crowd, Anna felt a lump form in her throat, her heart aching for him. But as the final notes faded, determination filled her. It was time. She headed backstage and was waiting for him.

Backstage, when Yoongi emerged, Anna's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, she enveloped him in her arms, holding him close as he let out his emotions. They held each other tightly, finding solace in the warmth of their embrace.

After a few moments, Yoongi pulled back slightly, his eyes red-rimmed but filled with gratitude as he looked at Anna.

"Thank you for being here."

Anna smiled softly, brushing away a tear from his cheek.

"Always."

Together, they made their way out of the venue, hand in hand, their steps slow and deliberate as they savoured the quiet moments of togetherness amidst the chaos of the past few days.

At home, they were greeted by their soulmates, who had been waiting anxiously for them. Jin, Hoseok, Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook enveloped Yoongi and Anna in a group hug, their arms forming a protective circle around them. There were no words, only the comforting presence of each other as they shared in the collective relief and joy of being together once more.

Laughter and chatter filled the air, the tension of the evening slowly dissipating in the company of loved ones. But underlying the laughter was a sense of bittersweetness—a recognition that this may be the last time for a while that the eight of them would get to be together all at once. With the younger members set to begin their military service soon, the dynamics of their group would inevitably change.

Yet, amidst the uncertainty of the future, there was also a sense of hope and determination. They knew that no matter where life took them, their bond would remain unbreakable, a source of strength and support through whatever challenges lay ahead.

And as they bid each other goodnight, hearts full and spirits lifted, they knew that no matter what the future held, they would always have each other.

 

Chapter 36: Stronger Together

Anna's heart raced as she made her way to the small studio where she would be meeting Hongjoong of ATEEZ. She had always admired his skills as a producer and leader, and now she had the opportunity to collaborate with him on a project. Her own secret album project had sparked a deep appreciation for the production side of music, and she was eager to be involved in every aspect of this new song.

After thanking the staff member who had shown her the way, Anna entered the studio, Anna found Hongjoong already at the mixing console, headphones perched on his head. He looked up and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Anna! Is that the time?! Sorry, I was going to come down and greet you."

"Maybe you can make it up to me by taking me on a tour later? It's not often we get to enter enemy territory."

Hongjoong laughed.

"Sure. It's great to see you, Anna. I'm excited about this collaboration."

Anna returned his smile. 

"Me too. Thank you for having me."

They settled down at the console, and Hongjoong pulled up a blank project file. 

"So, let's talk about the theme for our song. Do you have any ideas?"

Anna nodded, her mind brimming with thoughts. 

"I was thinking about something that conveys strength and unity. A message that resonates with overcoming challenges together."

Hongjoong's eyes lit up. 

"I love that. It's something that can really resonate with a lot of people, especially our fans. Let's start brainstorming some melodies and lyrics."

They spent the next few hours bouncing ideas off each other, their creative energies melding seamlessly. Hongjoong played a few chord progressions on the keyboard, and Anna hummed along, trying to find the right melody. They scribbled down lyrics, tweaking lines until they felt just right.

As the weeks went by, Anna and Hongjoong met several more times to refine their ideas. They would often stay late into the night, lost in the music. One particular evening, they were working on perfecting the bridge of the song.

Anna glanced at the clock and noticed how late it had gotten. 

"Wow, time flies when you're having fun."

Hongjoong smiled, taking off his headphones. 

"You're really good at this, Anna. You have a great ear for production."

Anna blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, Hongjoong. I've been learning a lot from you. By the way, you don't have to be so formal. You can call me Noona if you want. Wooyoung does."

"Okay - wait, Wooyoung does?"

"Yeah, I'm his second favourite Noona."

"He said that? That little - who's first?"

"Rose."

"Ah."

"Yeah, so I can't be mad at that."

"I suppose not. Rose Noona's great."

"Do you miss her?"

"Of course, but I'm happy that she's found happiness."

That night, Anna arrived home much later than usual. She tried to slip in quietly, but as soon as she opened the door, she was met by her soulmates' concerned faces. Jimin was the first to speak.

"Anna, where have you been? We were worried sick!"

She looked at their worried expressions and felt a pang of guilt. 

"I'm sorry, guys. I lost track of time working with Hongjoong on the song."

Namjoon stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. 

"You should've at least sent a message."

Anna nodded, feeling a bit sheepish. 

"I know, I'm sorry. I just got so caught up in the work."

Yoongi, who had been leaning against the wall, raised an eyebrow with a playful smirk. 

"You can't talk about staying out late, Yoongi. You practically live in the studio."

Yoongi shrugged, unable to hide a small smile. 

"Fair point."

She walked over and hugged Namjoon tightly. 

"I promise to tell you next time."

Namjoon brushed her hair back and kissed the top of her head.

"Good. You had fun then?"

"So much fun."

Finally, the day came for Anna to meet with the whole of ATEEZ for a run-through of the song. She arrived at the larger recording studio, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. The members of ATEEZ greeted her warmly, their enthusiasm palpable.

"Anna, it's great to see you again!" 

San gave her a friendly hug. The rest of the members echoed his sentiments, and Anna felt a surge of confidence.

Hongjoong took the lead, explaining the concept they had developed. 

"We've got a powerful message about strength and unity. Let's see how it sounds with all of us together."

They gathered around the microphones, and as the instrumental track played, Anna's voice blended with the members of ATEEZ. The harmony was electric, the energy in the room vibrant. Each member brought their unique style to the song, creating a rich and dynamic sound.

Wooyoung couldn't resist teasing Anna during a break. 

"So, Noona, is it true that Seonghwa is your bias?"

Anna's cheeks turned bright red.

"I... uh... well, I mean, I admire all of you."

Seonghwa looked equally embarrassed, but Wooyoung just grinned. 

"Don't be shy, Noona!"

Hongjoong narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Wooyoung, leave her alone. We're here to work, remember?"

Wooyoung pouted but winked at Anna. 

"Alright, alright. Just having a little fun."

"I think I preferred it when I was your second favourite Noona, or maybe I should call Rose -"

Wooyoung gasped.

"No! Don't call Rose-Noona! I'm sorry. I'll behave. Promise!"

Anna glanced over at Hongjoong who looked impressed, and they shared an amused smile.

Before she left, Anna asked Hongjoong if she could be there for all of the recording sessions, not just her own.

"Of course you can, Noona. You can help direct."

"Oh, I don't know about that..."

"This is your song as much as mine. You can do it."

A few days later, it was time for the final recording session. Anna arrived at the studio early, wanting to make sure everything was perfect. As the members of ATEEZ trickled in, she felt a mix of excitement and nerves. 

Anna found herself in a chair next to Hongjoong in front of the controls. Her eyes widened in admiration as she watched the members of ATEEZ step into the recording booth one by one. She had to keep reminding herself to focus on the work instead of fangirling over the experience.

Seonghwa was the first to record his part, and Anna found it hard to tear her eyes away from him. His voice was smooth and captivating, and she felt a flutter of excitement watching him sing. When he finished, he gave her a shy smile, and she could feel her cheeks turning red.

Throughout the session, Hongjoong guided each member with precision and care. Anna admired his leadership and the way he brought out the best in everyone. She made notes and suggested some small tweaks and harmonies.

Soon it was time for Anna's turn in the recording booth. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Hongjoong gave her an encouraging smile. 

"Ready, Noona? Just do your thing. You've got this."

She nodded, feeling a mix of nerves and determination. 

"Thanks, Hongjoong. I'm ready."

Anna stepped into the booth, the door closing behind her with a soft click. She adjusted the headphones over her ears and took a moment to get comfortable. The instrumental track began to play, and she could feel the beat pulsing through her.

As she sang her first lines, she felt the music take over, her nerves melting away. She poured her heart into the lyrics, feeling the powerful message of strength and unity resonate within her. Her voice blended with the harmonies of ATEEZ, creating a rich and dynamic sound.

In the control room, Hongjoong listened intently, his eyes lighting up with approval. 

"She sounds amazing."

Wooyoung, who was sitting nearby, grinned. 

"She's killing it."

Seonghwa watched with a soft smile, his eyes never leaving Anna. He felt a sense of pride and admiration for her.

As Anna reached the bridge of the song, she hit a high note with perfect pitch, sending chills down everyone's spines. She could see Hongjoong giving her a thumbs up through the glass, and she smiled, feeling a surge of confidence.

When she finished, the room erupted in applause. Anna stepped out of the booth, her face flushed with excitement.

San gave her a high five and Yunho patted her on the back.

"That was incredible!" 

"Seriously, you nailed it." 

Meanwhile, Wooyoung had a teasing glint in his eye. 

"Jongho might have some competition for the highest note."

Anna gave Wooyoung a light whack as she laughed, feeling a mix of relief and joy. 

"Don’t be silly."

Hongjoong walked over and gave her a pat on the back. 

"You did great, Noona. Your voice really brought the song to life."

She felt a warm glow of pride. 

"Thank you, Hongjoong. This whole experience has been a dream come true."

By the time they wrapped up, Anna felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

Hongjoong played back the final mix, and the room fell silent as they listened. Once it had finished playing the leader turned to face everyone.

"This is it. It's finished. Anna and ATEEZ have created a song together."

Anna looked around at the faces of ATEEZ, feeling a deep sense of fulfilment. 

"Thank you all for making this such an incredible experience. I had so much fun!"

Seonghwa gave her a warm smile. 

"We're honoured to have gotten the chance to work with you, Anna."

The rest of the members of ATEEZ nodded and voiced their agreement.

"I can't wait to share this with our fans. Do you think they'll like it?"

"Like it? They're going to love it!"

Wooyoung got up and started dancing around making them all laugh.

As she left ATEEZ's company building, Anna felt a sense of fulfilment and excitement. The collaboration with ATEEZ had been a dream come true, and she knew that this was just the start of many more incredible opportunities. She couldn't wait to see where her journey would take her next, and she felt ready to embrace every moment of it.

Chapter 37: Method Writing

After finishing her collaboration with ATEEZ, Anna had more time to work on her secret album. It was a secret because she hadn't told the company about it yet. She hadn't told them because she wasn't sure that she could do such an important topic justice.

One day she was sat in Yoongi's studio staring at the blank page in front of her. The lack of progress with the lyrics of her new songs was frustrating. The untouched page of her notebook mocked her. Every attempt she made seemed lacking in portraying the depth of emotion she was trying to convey.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Yoongi.

"Heading home now. What do you want for dinner?"

"I'll probably be working late."

"I'll leave you some. Don't forget to eat."

She smiled. He could've told her not to stay out too late or not to work too hard, but that would have been hypocritical since Yoongi was the worst offender of those two things.

Yoongi had started his social service, working at a government office. Although he came home every night, she missed their time in the studio together.

There was a knock on the door, and she got up to see who it was. It was Namjoon. The leader had been busy planning and recording everything he wanted to do before he started military service.

"Hey love, I picked up some supplies."

He put down a smoothie and some snacks on the desk.

"Thanks, Joonie."

Anna reached up for a kiss before sitting back down in the chair with a sigh.

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm stuck. I can't seem to connect with the lyrics. They feel... fake."

Namjoon nodded thoughtfully. 

"Maybe you need to immerse yourself in the subject more. Sometimes, to write authentically, you have to experience the pain."

Anna knew he was right, but the thought of reading hate comments online terrified her. She had avoided them for years, shielding herself from the cruelty of strangers. But now, she had no choice. If she wanted to do this album properly, and possibly make an impact, she needed to do whatever it took to make it authentic.

That night, Anna sat alone in her room, the glow of her laptop illuminating her face. She took a deep breath and began to read. The words were harsh, cutting into her like a knife. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she scrolled through the venomous comments. Each one felt like a personal attack, eroding her self-esteem. 

However, the ones that hurt the most were the ones about her soulmates. The members of BTS were the kindest, most selfless, and warm-hearted people she knew. They had renewed her faith in humanity and brought joy to her life. She knew that many ARMY felt the same. It made no sense to her that anyone would purposely want to tear them down.

But she kept going, knowing it was the only way to capture the raw emotion she needed for her songs. Hours later, exhausted and emotionally drained, she closed her laptop. The pain was unbearable, but she had pages of notes, raw and unfiltered.

Just as she was about to turn in for the night, the bedroom door opened. Jungkook walked in, his eyes immediately finding hers. He saw the tear stains on her cheeks and the messy pile of notes across the bed and immediately rushed over to her.

"Noona! What happened?" 

She shook her head, unable to speak. Instead, she handed him a few pages of her notes. Jungkook scanned them, understanding the gist despite the English. He noticed words like "hurt," "loneliness," and "cruelty" standing out starkly.

Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She melted into his embrace, her sobs muffled against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, his heart aching for her. He tried not to think about his impending military service, focusing instead on the present moment. For now, he had her in his arms, and that was all that mattered.

Later in the week, Anna found solace in the company of her friends at the HYBE building's cafeteria. Their English group, today consisting of TXT's Yeonjun, ENHYPEN's Heeseung and Jay, and SEVENTEEN's Vernon, was a lifeline amidst their chaotic schedules.

Yeonjun waved her over to their usual table.

"Anna! Over here!" 

Anna smiled and made her way to them, feeling a sense of warmth and camaraderie as she joined the group. 

"Hey, everyone! Sorry I'm late. Got caught up in a songwriting session."

As Anna settled into her seat, the conversation quickly picked up. They began chatting about their recent activities, each eager to share what they'd been up to.

"How is the new album coming along?"

Anna sighed, thinking about the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days. 

"It's... been intense. It's tough, but I think it'll be worth it. What about you guys? What have you been working on?"

Yeonjun leaned back in his chair, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

"Well, TXT has been super busy. We just finished promoting our latest album, and now we're preparing for a world tour. It's exhausting but exciting."

"Where are you most excited to perform?"

"Probably in the U.S. The fans there are always so enthusiastic. Plus, we get to travel and see new places."

Heeseung and Jay from ENHYPEN exchanged glances before Heeseung spoke up. 

"We've been preparing for our next comeback. Lots of late-night practices and recording sessions."

Vernon from SEVENTEEN, who had been quietly listening, chimed in. 

"SEVENTEEN has been pretty busy too. We're working on some new music and planning our next concert series. It's non-stop, but it's what we love to do."

As the conversation continued, their food arrived, and the table was soon filled with delicious dishes. They shared stories, laughed, and teased each other.

At one point, Yeonjun turned to Anna with a grin. 

"So, Anna, any chance we'll see you in another TikTok dance challenge soon?"

Anna groaned playfully. 

"You're relentless, Yeonjun. But sure, why not? As long as you promise not to make me look too ridiculous."

"Deal!" 

Yeonjun held out his pinkie and Anna laughed as she linked her pinkie with his, sealing the agreement.

Since they both had a bit of time later that afternoon, Anna and Yeonjun found an empty studio to record their TikTok in.

Yeonjun was grinning as he set up his phone on a tripod. 

"Alright! Time for another TikTok dance challenge. Are you ready?"

Anna groaned playfully. 

"You're going to make me embarrass myself again, aren't you?"

Yeonjun winked at her.

"Of course. It's good for your social media presence. Plus, it's fun!"

They spent the afternoon filming dance challenges, their laughter filling the room. I was just what she needed, and it reminded her that kindness and positivity were just as powerful as the hurtful words she was writing about.

Despite the emotional toll of her songwriting, Anna felt a renewed sense of purpose. She poured her heart into her music, determined to turn her pain into something beautiful. Surrounded by her soulmates and friends, she knew she wasn't alone. They were all facing their own challenges, but they were stronger together.

As the weeks passed, the lyrics began to flow more easily. The hateful words she had read still stung, but they no longer paralysed her. Instead, they fuelled her creativity, driving her to create music that she hoped would inspire kindness and empathy in others.

There was less than two months before the last of her soulmates entered military service and Anna was trying not to think about it. Taehyung's album had just come out, Jungkook's was coming out next month, and Namjoon and Jimin were working on finishing their next albums which would be released during their enlistment. Yet, she still got to see them most days and she couldn't bear thinking about when that wouldn't be a reality.

Anna was also very busy. She had two overseas trips and a meeting to discuss her next steps where she planned to reveal the secret album she had been working on. While all of her soulmates were enlisted, she hoped that the company would keep her mind off of their absence with a busy schedule. They had already been pushing for her to do some variety show appearances, but she had refused. Memories of BTS's old treatment made her wary. Plus, as a foreigner, there were still a lot of things she didn't understand. Although she spoke Korean pretty well, there were some things you couldn't learn unless you grew up in a country, so she was worried about misunderstandings.

Anna took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the impending separations. But she also felt a surge of determination. They would get through this, just as they had faced every challenge before. Together, they were unstoppable.

She returned to her notebook, which contained all her thoughts on the album, including concepts and design. She was ready to turn her pain into a powerful message. A message that would remind everyone of the strength in kindness, the impact of words, and the power of love.

Chapter 38: Afternoon Astray

Anna took a deep breath as she got ready for the monthly "Afternoon Tea with Anna" livestream. The familiar ritual of connecting with her fans was something she usually looked forward to, but today, the weight of her recent struggles felt heavier than ever. As she prepared, she couldn't shake the anxiety that had been building over the past weeks - anxiety that had only intensified as she delved deeper into the harsh realities of fame for her upcoming album.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Afternoon Tea with Anna!"

She greeted them with her usual warm smile, hoping it would mask the turmoil inside.

The chat instantly flooded with greetings, hearts, and comments from fans expressing their excitement to see her. Anna smiled, feeling a momentary relief. These fans were the reason she kept going, even on the hardest days.

"How has your month been?"

She opened her bullet journal and flipped through the pages, recalling the highlights of the past month.

"I've been listening to some incredible music lately."

"First, there's Taehyung's new album. I'm so proud of him. He's poured his heart into it, and you can really hear that in every song."

Her eyes glistened with pride as she talked about her soulmate's work.

"And then there's Eric Nam's 'House on a Hill' - especially the track 'I Wish I Wasn't Me.' It's... it's really powerful, and it resonated with me a lot, especially recently."

Anna paused, her voice faltering for a moment, before continuing.

"I also discovered One Ok Rock, and their music has been a great escape for me. And The Rose’s new album 'Lifeline'. Wow, it's just beautiful."

As she moved on to the TV shows she’d been watching, she tried to maintain her usual upbeat tone.

"I've been keeping up with 'Only Friends' and 'Dangerous Romance.' They've been my guilty pleasures this month."

She hesitated for a moment, thinking about how Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung were in Jeju on a secret trip. She wasn’t supposed to talk about it, but she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at their absence. It was the first time in a while that she hadn’t had them around for support.

As she glanced at the live chat, something caught her eye. A few negative comments began to stand out amidst the sea of positivity.

"You're not good enough!"

"Why do you even bother?"

"You're nothing without them!"

Her heart began to race, and she felt her chest tighten. The comments echoed the cruel words she had been reading for her album, bringing all those insecurities to the forefront. The pressure of maintaining her composure in front of her fans while feeling like she was unravelling inside became too much.

"I'm sorry."

Anna's voice was barely audible. She could feel the tears welling up, and despite her best efforts, they began to spill over.

"I'm so sorry, I - I can't do this right now."

The chat exploded with concern and support, but it only made her feel more overwhelmed. She felt like she was letting everyone down.

Suddenly, the door to the studio opened, and in walked Yeonjun, Jay, and Heeseung. They had been nearby and must have seen the live stream. Without a word, Yeonjun quickly assessed the situation and took over the stream.

"Hey, everyone!"

Yeonjun smiled reassuringly at the camera as he moved it slightly to shield Anna from view.

"Anna's had a really tough day, but don't worry, we're here to keep you company."

Jay and Heeseung joined him, seamlessly taking over the conversation, chatting with the fans as if nothing had gone wrong. Meanwhile, Yeonjun knelt beside Anna, gently pulling her into a comforting hug and rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's okay, Noona. We've got this."

Anna clung to him, her body shaking with silent sobs. She was grateful for their presence, even as she felt guilty for breaking down in front of her fans. But the younger idols didn’t seem to mind at all. They handled the situation with the grace and warmth that she had come to love about them.

As the boys continued the live stream, keeping the mood light and fun, Anna gradually regained her composure. When she finally felt ready, she gave Yeonjun a nod. He smiled and helped her back into her seat, though he and Jay remained close by, just in case.

Anna took a deep breath and faced the camera again, her eyes still red but determined.

"Thank you for your kindness and understanding. I'm sorry for worrying you all. Sometimes, it just gets a little too much, but I'm okay now."

The chat was flooded with messages of support and love, which made her smile through her lingering tears.

"And remember, to never be ashamed of who or what you love. Bye!"

She ended the stream with a half-hand heart pose.

The moment the camera was off, Yeonjun, Jay, and Heeseung were by her side again, offering hugs and words of comfort.

"You did great, Noona."

"Yeah, we're always here for you."

Anna smiled, grateful for the support of her younger friends. She felt a tug on her hand and looked at Yeonjun.

"Let's go talk."

"Okay... bye guys and thank you."

"Bye Noona!"

Anna led her best friend to Yoongi's studio, and she sighed deeply as she sank into the couch.

"Thank you for stepping in, Yeonjun. I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't shown up."

Yeonjun gave her a small smile, sitting down beside her.

"You don't have to thank me. We’re all here for you, Noona."

She nodded, but her eyes were distant, lost in thought. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Lately... I've been wondering if I'm really cut out for this life. The constant scrutiny, the pressure... and with my soulmates going into military service soon, I feel like I'm losing the only real support system I have. I don’t know how I’m going to get through it without them."

Yeonjun listened intently, his expression softening with concern. He had always admired Anna for her strength and resilience, but he could see how the weight of the idol life was wearing her down.

"I get it, Noona. I really do. It's a lot, and sometimes it feels like it's too much to handle. But you don't have to go through it alone. I’ll always be here for you, and so will the rest of TXT. We’ve got your back, just like we did today."

Anna smiled at him, though her eyes remained filled with uncertainty.

"I appreciate that, really. And I know you guys mean it. But... it’s not the same, you know? My soulmates have been my rock ever since - well, ever since I met them, or even before that. I’m just scared of what it’ll be like when they’re not around every day."

Yeonjun reached out, taking her hand in his.

"I can’t pretend to know exactly what you’re going through, but I do know this—you’re stronger than you think. And even though it won’t be the same without them, you’ve got so many people who care about you. TXT, ENHYPEN... We’re all here for you. And your soulmates? They’ll still be here, even if they’re not physically around. They love you, and they’ll support you from afar."

Anna looked at their hands, finding comfort in the warmth of his touch.

"I know you’re right. It’s just... hard to imagine my life without them, even for a little while. They’ve always been my safe space."

Yeonjun squeezed her hand gently.

"I understand. But you’re not losing them. You’re just... learning to stand on your own for a bit. And when things get tough, you can lean on us. We may not be the same as your soulmates, but we care about you just as much."

A tear slipped down Anna’s cheek, but this time it was a tear of gratitude. She had been feeling so overwhelmed, but Yeonjun’s words reminded her that she wasn’t alone in this. She had a broader network of people who loved her, and who wanted to see her succeed.

"Thank you, Yeonjun. I really needed to hear that."

He smiled softly, brushing the tear from her cheek.

"What are best friends for... Noona, I don't think you realise the impact you have on other people. Although I can't speak for everyone, having you around always puts me at ease. You're so strong and you make me feel strong, like I can do anything. I'm really glad to have you in my life."

Anna was lost for words and felt her eyes well up again.

"What - Junnie - I -"

"It's okay. No more tears. Unfortunately, I have to leave for a shoot soon, but will you be alright?"

"Yes, I'll be okay."

"And you'll tell Yoongi-Hyung? If you don’t, I'll call him."

Anna made a face.

"He was probably watching - actually, I'm surprised I haven't gotten a call..."

As if on cue her phone started ringing. Yeonjun got up to leave.

"I'll leave you to it. Bye, Noona."

"Bye."

Chapter 39: Thai Adventure

Anna took a deep breath as she stepped off the plane, the warm, humid air of Bangkok enveloping her. It was her first time in Thailand, and she was both excited and nervous. She was here to work on her collaboration with Jeff Satur, a talented artist she admired greatly. The thought of spending a week in this vibrant city was thrilling, but she couldn't shake the feeling of missing her soulmates back home.

She thought back to when she had said goodbye back in Korea. She had hugged Yoongi tightly wondering what she would do without having him to ground her.

"This will be good for you. A break. Have fun and relax. Can you do that, Jagi?"

After settling into her hotel, Anna quickly got ready for her first meeting with Jeff. They had exchanged messages and ideas, but now it was time to dive into the actual production process. She took a car to Jeff's studio, her heart racing with anticipation.

Jeff greeted her warmly as she entered the studio.

"Anna, welcome to Bangkok!"

At his warm smile and familiar face, she relaxed a little.

"Hi, Jeff! It's great to finally meet you in person."

They quickly got down to business, discussing the theme and direction of their collaboration. Jeff was incredibly busy, juggling multiple projects, but he made time to work with Anna, appreciating her dedication and enthusiasm.

After a long day in the studio, Jeff suggested they go out for dinner. Anna eagerly agreed, excited for the opportunity to get to know him better outside of their professional setting. They decided on a well-known restaurant that Jeff recommended, famous for its authentic Thai cuisine.

The restaurant was warm and inviting, with an aroma of delicious spices filling the air. They were seated at a quiet corner table, and Jeff ordered a variety of dishes for them to share.

As they waited for their food, Anna looked around, taking in the lively atmosphere. 

"This place is wonderful. Thanks for bringing me here."

"Of course. I thought you'd appreciate trying some traditional dishes. Plus, it's one of my favourite spots."

When the food arrived, Anna's eyes widened at the array of colourful and aromatic dishes laid out before them. They started with tom yum soup, with its spicy and sour flavours. Next came green curry, pad Thai, and crispy spring rolls. Anna couldn't stop exclaiming how delicious everything was.

"So, tell me more about your journey into music. What inspired you to start writing and producing?"

Anna took a sip of her drink, contemplating where to begin. 

"It's a bit of a long story. Music has always been a part of my life. I started singing when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I met my soulmates and joined the industry that I really got into producing. Working on my next album has been a way to explore that side of things more deeply."

"So it's only been a few years then? That's amazing. What's the album about?"

Anna hesitated for a moment. 

"It's about the impact of hateful words and the importance of kindness. I've experienced my share of negativity, and I wanted to turn that pain into something meaningful, something that could maybe help others."

Jeff looked at her with a knowing expression and nodded. 

"That's really powerful, Anna. It takes a lot of strength to confront those kinds of emotions and use them creatively."

Anna smiled softly. 

"Thanks, Jeff. It's been challenging, but I think it's important."

They continued to chat as they enjoyed their meal, swapping stories about their experiences in the music industry. Jeff shared his own journey, from his early days of struggling to find his voice to the success he was enjoying now. He spoke about the importance of staying true to oneself and the joy of connecting with fans through music. Anna was genuinely impressed.

"You've come a long way. It's inspiring."

"Thanks. I think it's all about perseverance and staying passionate about what you do. And it helps to have great people around you, just like you have your soulmates."

Anna nodded, feeling a pang of longing for her soulmates back home. 

"Yeah, they're my rock. I couldn't do any of this without their support."

As they finished their meal and ordered dessert, the conversation turned more personal. They talked about their favourite movies, books, and hobbies outside of music. Anna found herself laughing at Jeff's stories about his early days performing in small venues and the quirky fans he'd encountered along the way.

"You know, Jeff, you inspired me to do a series of small venue concerts."

"Me?"

"Well, you know I've been a fan of yours for a while, right?"

Jeff chuckled. 

"The feeling's mutual. Your work is incredible, and I was excited to collaborate with you."

They lingered over dessert, savouring the sweet flavours and the easy camaraderie that had developed between them. By the time they left the restaurant, Anna felt like she had not only gained a talented collaborator but a new friend.

"Thanks for tonight, Jeff. I had a great time."

"You're welcome. Let this be the start of a great week."

Throughout the week, they spent long hours in the studio, experimenting with different sounds and melodies. Despite the intense schedule, Jeff made sure Anna experienced the city. One evening, after a particularly productive day, he took her to a local night market.

 Anna marvelled at the bustling stalls and colourful lights.

"This place is amazing."

"It is, and the food is incredible. You have to try the mango sticky rice."

By the end of the week, they had made significant progress on their song. Anna was thrilled with how it was shaping up, and Jeff's guidance had been invaluable. Despite his busy schedule, Jeff always found time to make Anna feel welcome and appreciated.

"Thank you so much for everything, Jeff. This has been an amazing experience."

"Anytime, Anna. It's been great working with you."

With the bulk of their work done, Anna had a few days to explore Thailand. She visited temples, wandered through markets, and took a boat tour along the river. The beauty and culture of Thailand captivated her, but she couldn't help but think about her soulmates back home. She knew her time with them was limited, and she didn't want to be away for too long.

On her last night in Bangkok, Anna sat in her hotel room, video-calling Yoongi. Seeing his face brought a sense of comfort and warmth.

"Did you have fun?"

"It's been incredible. Jeff is amazing, and the city is beautiful. But I miss you all. I can't wait to get back."

"We miss you too, but we're proud of you."

Anna smiled.

"I'll be home soon."

The next morning, Anna boarded her flight back to Korea, her heart full of memories and inspiration. She couldn't wait to reunite with her soulmates and share her experiences with them. As she looked out the window at the clouds below, Anna thought about the months ahead. Time with her soulmates was precious. 

Anna stepped through the door of their shared apartment, the familiar scent and warmth of home instantly washing over her. She set her suitcase down and took a deep breath, glad to be back.

"Hello?" 

She was expecting at least one of her soulmates to be home, but she wasn't sure who. However, before she could call out again, Namjoon appeared from around the corner, a broad smile spreading across his face. 

"Welcome home, my love!"

Anna's heart skipped a beat as she saw him standing there. She dropped her bag and rushed into his arms, burying her face in his chest. 

"I missed you so much."

Namjoon held her tightly, his arms strong and reassuring around her. 

"I missed you too. I'm so glad you're back."

After a long hug, they pulled apart, and Namjoon led her to the living room where he had set up a cosy surprise. Candles flickered softly around the room, casting a warm glow, and sat waiting on the coffee table was a small platter of cheese and fruit.

Anna looked around, her eyes wide with surprise. 

"You did all this for me?"

Namjoon chuckled. 

"Of course. I wanted to make your homecoming special."

They settled on the couch, and Anna felt a pang of guilt. 

"I'm sorry for going away when we didn't have much time left together."

Namjoon shook his head, his expression soft. 

"Don't be. I was so busy we wouldn't have seen much of each other anyway. I'm sorry we're so caught up with work."

Anna smiled, understanding the pressure they were all under. 

"I understand. You need to make content for ARMY to have while you're away."

Namjoon gazed at her, his eyes filled with affection. 

"How did we get so lucky to have you as our soulmate? Not everyone could be so understanding. I love you so much."

Anna's heart swelled at his words. 

"I love you too."

Namjoon had made sure to clear his schedule for her arrival, and they had the rest of the afternoon and evening to themselves. They spent the time catching up, lounging on the couch, and talking about everything and nothing. Namjoon shared his plans for his upcoming projects, and Anna filled him in on her collaboration with Jeff and all the things she saw on her trip.

As the evening wore on, they decided to cook dinner together. Namjoon usually wasn't allowed in the kitchen because he was hopeless at cooking, but Anna insisted that they cook together. 

"I'll teach you something for a change."

Namjoon agreed, though he looked slightly apprehensive. 

"Okay, but don't blame me if something catches fire."

Anna laughed. 

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you."

They set to work, Anna guiding Namjoon through the steps. When it came to chopping vegetables, Namjoon struggled, his knife skills clumsy and awkward. 

"Here, let me show you." 

Anna moved behind him and placed her hands over his. She guided his movements, helping him to chop the vegetables properly.

Namjoon smiled, grateful for her patience. 

They continued cooking. The simple act of preparing a meal together brought them closer, each moment filled with laughter and love.

After dinner, they settled on the couch, enjoying the quiet moments. Namjoon pulled Anna close, and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling content and loved.

Anna sighed.

"Do you ever think about what it will be like when we're all back together again?"

"All the time, but for now, I'm just grateful for moments like this."

Anna nodded, closing her eyes and savouring the feeling of being home. Despite the impending separations, it wasn't forever and that was what mattered most.

As the night grew darker, they eventually made their way to bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Anna fell asleep to the steady rhythm of Namjoon's heartbeat, feeling safe and cherished.

Chapter 40: Turning Tides

"So, your single with ATEEZ comes out on Friday. Are you still happy to do the music show performances with them?"

They waited until she got back from Thailand, but Anna was now having an overdue meeting with her management team.

"Yes, of course."

Two of the staff members glanced at each other.

"You don't have to do it, Anna, if you don't feel up to it."

She knew why they were saying this. Everyone had been worried after her breakdown on last month's live.

"I want to do it."

"Good. Now, your song with Jeff Satur will be released in the spring. So, it's time to talk about your next album. Have you been working on anything?"

It was obvious they knew she had.

"It's hard to keep anything a secret here. Yes, I have. It's almost ready."

"Good. Shall we set a release date for the beginning of the new year?"

Starting the new year with a message of kindness seemed like a good idea.

"Yes, I think that would be perfect."

"Anna, it's okay if you need time. A comeback will come with lots of public appearances. With BTS all in military service, the company will want to make a bigger deal out of this. I want you to be sure you can handle it. Your health is important. A new album release can wait."

"I won't deny that I've thought about it, but I think it's important that I put this album out into the world. After that, maybe things will change."

"Very well. We can reassess at any time. Is there a particular producer you want to work with, or I can see who's available?"

They discussed a few more details and then Anna left the meeting room and let out a sigh. Although she tried to appear confident in the meeting, she had doubts about being able to handle a comeback without her soulmates around.

With only a few weeks before the last of her soulmates started their military service, they were all at the company finishing up projects that would be released whilst they were enlisted. Anna was sure she could find at least one of them who was free enough to give her a hug.

Luckily when she checked BTS's lounge she found one. Taehyung was lying on the sofa on his phone. When he spotted Anna, he threw it aside and opened up his arms.

With a giggle, she put down her bag and joined her soulmate on the sofa for cuddles. It was a squeeze but neither of them minded.

As Taehyung kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, Anna was put in a state of bliss. All her worries melted away. She was safe in her soulmate’s arms.

"How was your meeting?"

Anna buried her face in Taehyung's chest. She didn't want to talk about the meeting or how her life was being planned out or how they wouldn't be around. It all gave her anxiety just thinking about it.

"Fine."

"Babe? Are you okay?"

"Urgh, not you too."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The staff kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to do stuff. Perform on music shows with ATEEZ next week, release my new album -"

"You're releasing a new album?"

"Yeah, in the new year."

"Oh. Well, it's going to be amazing. You're amazing."

Anna leaned back so she could look up at Taehyung's face. There was no doubt in his eyes.

She reached up for a kiss and he pulled her up so that their faces were level. His fingers tangled in her hair, and she clung to the fabric of his top. He pushed into her, rolling her onto her back and they almost lost balance and went tumbling off the sofa. Taehyung managed to catch her and rolled the other way so that she was on top of him. The jolt caused them to slow down, and their kiss turned into little pecks.

That was how Namjoon found them.

"You two look cosy."

Taehyung grinned.

"Want to join? There's always room for you, Hyung."

Namjoon smiled as he walked over to them. Once he was close enough, he leaned over the two on the sofa, resting his hands on the cushions beside them.

"Hm, tempting, but I'd prefer somewhere a little more private."

The leader kissed them both before sitting on an empty spot of the sofa.

"You had your meeting this morning, right, my love? Did they tell the news?"

Taehyung looked over at Namjoon.

"News? What news?"

Anna shifted to look at Taehyung and then Namjoon.

"I'm going to London."

"With Hyung? That's great!"

Namjoon cleared his throat.

"That's not all."

Taehyung gave Anna a squeeze.

"No? Babe, tell me."

She sighed.

"I've been asked to MC for a K-pop event in London."

"Really? That's awesome!

"Are you going to do it?"

Anna looked back at Namjoon, who was looking straight at her.

"Hyung? What do you mean? Why wouldn't she do it?"

She looked down, hiding her face in Taehyung's chest.

"Because of what happened last time she went live."

"What happened? Hyung?"

"You don't know? Oh, you were in Jeju. Do you want me to tell him, my love?"

Anna nodded, and Taehyung stroked her hair while he listened.

"Oh Baby, why didn't you tell me? Is that what annoyed you in the meeting? The staff kept bringing it up."

"I don't know. Because it would lead to questions I don't know how to answer. I didn't want to think about it. I can't believe it happened in front of my staff."

"Don't worry, love. They've seen us cry plenty of times before. But you shouldn't avoid talking about what happened. You need to talk about it."

"I did. After it happened, Yoongi made me."

"Well, I hope he didn't force you, but I'm glad you talked to someone."

There was a pause before Taehyung spoke up.

"So, are you going to London?"

"Yes. I won't have to do much. Just introduce the acts."

"Who's performing?"

"ATEEZ."

"You're not going to perform your collaboration song with them?"

"Oh. No? No one mentioned it."

Namjoon chimed in before Anna could think too much about it.

"Who else will be there? I bet you have a group you're excited to see?"

"Well..."

"Go on, love, tell us who you're fangirling over at the moment."

"Xdinary Heroes."

"Aren't they a bit young for you?"

Anna whacked Taehyung on the chest.

"Shut up."

Namjoon opened his arms.

"Come cuddle with me before I have to go back to work."

Anna rolled off Taehyung and sat sideways on the leader's lap, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Taehyung whined at his loss.

"Hyung!"

In a moment of silliness, Anna stuck out her tongue at Taehyung who looked shocked.

Namjoon sighed.

"Xdinary Heroes? That's the band with JYP?"

"Yep. They've got some really good songs. Rose introduced me to them."

"That's cool. What's your favourite?"

Anna held out her hand and Namjoon gave her his phone. Hers was in her bag on the floor, and she didn't want to move.

"This one's called Pluto."

They listened to a few songs before they had to get back to work. After kisses goodbye, Anna headed to Yoongi's studio, which was hers while he was enlisted. She had an album to work on.

On Friday, she headed to her first music show and was greeted warmly by ATEEZ.

"Anna-Noona!"

"Anna's here!"

"Hey, Anna!"

Before she arrived, Anna had been anxious about the performance, but ATEEZ's enthusiasm helped her calm down. With their support, she could do this.

"It's so good to see you all again. Are you ready?"

Yunho placed his hand on Mingi's shoulder.

"We've been practising hard to make sure we can keep up with you."

Anna's eyes widened making the boys laugh. Wooyoung stepped up next to her.

"Don't worry, Noona. We've got your back."

As they got ready, Mingi and Hongjoong kept Anna distracted by asking her what she'd been up to. They could tell she was nervous. Since Wooyoung kept up with everything BTS, including Anna, so he had been Anna's live and had told them about it. Her company hadn't immediately confirmed that she would be performing with them on the music shows either. So, they knew she was having a hard time.

As they made their way onto the stage, Anna paused to take some deep breaths, but the roar of the crowd was overwhelming. Through the cheers, she could hear hate comments until someone nudged her shoulder. She turned to see Seonghwa beside her. He smiled and held up his fist. She bumped it with her own.

"You got this."

Anna nodded, and Seonghwa led her up the steps to the stage. She waved and bowed at the crowd who continued to cheer as she came into view. She lined up next to the boys, and they moved so that she was in the middle.

Hongjoong addressed the crowd.

"We've got an ATINY on stage with us today! Who here knows Anna?"

The crowd was deafening and Anna's eyes welled up with tears. They were happy to see her.

"Who's excited to see Anna perform with us?"

The crowd cheered again.

"Let's do this!"

The next day, the internet was full of stories and comments on Anna's amazing performance with ATEEZ.

Chapter 41: Fluffy Preparations

Yoongi wouldn't have recognised his studio. Not only had Anna decorated with fluffy blankets and cushions, but she had also brought in some of her journalling supplies so that she could update her bullet journal between schedules. And then, of course, there was the chocolate stash.

This morning Anna was writing down some of the nice comments she had seen after her performances with ATEEZ. She was trying to get in the habit of writing down something positive that happened every day. Keeping up with her mental health was going to be especially important once the rest of her soulmates entered military service.

After Hoseok began his enlistment, her visits to Jin became fewer - the same number of visits but split between two soulmates. She wasn't sure what was going to happen when the remaining four went too. And it was barely over a month away.

After placing a final sticker on the page, Anna put her journal aside and turned to the computer. She was leaving for London tonight with Namjoon and she had a few things she wanted to finish off before she went.

When she got back from London, meetings would start about her comeback. So, not only had she been working on finishing the album but had started coming up with design concepts for the packaging and storyboards for the music videos. It was a lot, but this project meant a lot to her, and she had a very clear vision for it.

She was so lost in her work that she didn't notice a few hours had passed by until he was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Jimin.

"I still can't believe you're the only one Yoongi-Hyung gave his studio code to."

"I'm the only one he trusts not to drink his whisky collection."

Jimin frowned.

"But you don't drink."

"Exactly."

They both laughed.

Jimin sat on the sofa and picked up a fluffy pink cushion.

"You've made yourself at home though. Have you finished your work?"

"Almost."

"When do you leave?"

"Seven. It's a late flight."

"Are you excited to be going back to London?"

"Um, yeah. It's nice to be going away for a bit."

"You don't miss it?"

"Not really? At first, I did but that was because it was familiar. I think I know Seoul better than London now."

"Really? Sometimes I worry that we uprooted you from your life and you've just had to deal with it."

"Well, you did, and I have, but that doesn't mean I'd change anything. I'm happier here than I would've been if we'd never met."

"You truly believe that. Even with being in the public eye and everything that comes with it?"

"What's life without a bit of excitement?"

"Anna..."

She sighed.

"It's harder than I thought. But if it wasn't this then it would be something else. You can't escape the realities of life."

Jimin smiled.

"I hope you have an enjoyable, restful trip. You deserve it."

"I'll see you when I get back and we can do something special, just the two of us."

She didn't say it outright but the both of them knew she was thinking about how soon he would be entering the military after she got back.

"I'll arrange something."

"Okay."

With a hug, a kiss, and a goodbye, Jimin left the studio.

Anna had similar visits from Jungkook and Taehyung. Taehyung's involved a lot more cuddling and Jungkook's was a make-out session on the sofa.

A couple of hours before she was due to leave for the airport, Anna headed home to do some last-minute packing.

Namjoon was already there, pulling his hair out as he tried to find things he needed to pack.

Anna sighed but smiled fondly at him.

"What are you looking for?"

He gave her a list and she went around the apartment and found each item.

"It's like you have a magical power, my love."

"It's almost like I was made to be your perfect match."

"Fate has been kind to me."

"Yes, you’re very lucky."

They smiled at each other in amusement.

"Do you need help packing, my love?"

"I don't need it, but I wouldn't mind company?"

Namjoon kissed her temple and followed her to the room she shared with Jungkook.

Anna's suitcase was already out, and she had thrown a few things in earlier. She took them out so that she could pack them properly and then went to her wardrobe.

When she had first moved in, she didn't have enough clothes to fill the small space Jungkook clearer for her. Now, their wardrobe was jam-packed. She picked out some of her warmer clothes as the weather was getting cold and grabbed a few of Jungkook's t-shirts.

Meanwhile, Namjoon had made himself comfortable on the bed. He laid back, his arms behind his head, and watched her walk back and forth around the room.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Namjoon raised his eyebrows.

"Huh?"

"You're a distraction."

"Me? I'm not doing anything."

"That's even worse! How can anyone be so effortlessly sexy?"

Namjoon laughed as Anna pouted.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No..."

Namjoon sat up and did some aegyo. Closing his eyes, he puffed out his cheeks and poked them with his first fingers.

"Better?"

"I told you you're the cutest in the group. Do another one."

He did a flower pose.

"Your turn, my love."

Anna made her hands into paws and acted like a cat. Afterwards, she hid her face with her hands.

"Okay, enough of that. I need to finish packing."

With laser focus, and avoiding looking at her soulmate, Anna finished packing in no time. When she turned to Namjoon, he curled his finger, and she crawled up the bed until she was kneeling over him. He reached up and stroked her face.

"I'm looking forward to spending a week alone with you. It's been a while. Sorry, I've been so busy."

"It can't be helped."

"That's not true. I could've - I know you've been having a hard time lately, and I should've been around more to support you."

"No, you're around plenty... This is just something I have to get through."

"You're so brave. I knew you were special from the moment we met."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You, my love, are remarkable."

Anna ducked her head and hid her face in Namjoon's chest. She felt like she was going to burst. How could he just say things like that?

They cuddled for a bit before they got up to gather their things together ready for when their car and managers arrived.

One thing Anna didn't care about was airport fashion. If she was going on a long flight, she was going to wear the comfiest clothes she owned. Somehow her soulmates managed to do that and still look like they belong in a fashion magazine.

"Who started airport fashion anyway? It's silly."

Anna asked Namjoon while they were on the way to the airport.

"Hm, I think it was G-DRAGON- sunbaenim."

"Oh."

Namjoon kept his arm wrapped around Anna as they walked through the crowd of fans. They had a big enough security team that they had plenty of space, but she still needed the reassurance of having physical contact with her soulmate.

They bought some snacks as they walked around the airport departures lounge. Anna like to get her steps in before sitting down on a plane for twelve hours.

Since it was just the two of them, they were getting a commercial flight. Flying first class still blew her mind. Anna and Namjoon settled into their pods next to each other and she immediately set about choosing what movie they would watch first.

It took a couple of tries to sync their screens, but Namjoon wouldn't let Anna give up because she looked so cute trying to start them at the same time.

Dinner was served immediately after take-off, and that was the last thing Anna remembered before she dozed off.

Chapter 42: On Stage

Anna pulled her coat tighter around herself as she and Namjoon exited Heathrow Airport. It was so familiar yet also so different from what she was used to. Once they were in the car, Namjoon took her hand.

"How does it feel to be back?"

"Comfortable? It hasn't been that long since I was here last. You didn't fancy riding the tube this time?"

Her soulmate chuckled.

"We can if you really want to."

"Not today, but at least once during this trip. You can't come to London and not go on the tube."

"Your wish is my command, my love."

Anna smiled and rested her head on Namjoon's shoulder. The long trip had left her exhausted, and luckily for her, she had nothing to do. Unfortunately for Namjoon, he had to head out almost straight away.

"How long do you have before you leave?"

"I'll have about an hour once we reach the hotel."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, my love. You rest. I'm not doing anything exciting today."

After checking into their hotel, Namjoon left for a location scout for his music video. Anna waved him off and then sat down to review her MC script for the KOREA ON STAGE festival.

The next day, Anna stood in the OVO Arena Wembley, the vastness of the venue making her stomach flip. Venues always looked different - more daunting - when they were empty. She clutched her script and walked to the edge of the stage, looking out at the empty seats that would soon be filled with thousands of fans.

“Anna-Noona!”

She turned to see ATEEZ’s Yunho bounding toward her, his grin as bright as ever. Behind him, the rest of ATEEZ followed, each offering warm greetings.

Anna relaxed upon seeing their familiar faces and greeted them with hugs.

“It’s good to see you again!”

As they rehearsed, Anna stayed to watch ATEEZ perform their sets. Their energy was electric, as always, and it made her excited for the show.

Just as ATEEZ wrapped up, the doors opened, and Xdinary Heroes walked in. Anna froze. Though she was used to working with idols, her inner fangirl stirred at seeing the band she recently became obsessed with.

Wooyoung, of course, noticed. 

“Noona, don’t tell me you’re fangirling.”

Anna flushed, glaring at him. 

“Shut up, Wooyoung.”

San nudged Wooyoung. 

“Be nice. Don't embarrass Noona.”

Xdinary Heroes greeted Anna politely, but their excitement was evident. The leader, Gunil, greeted her with a friendly smile.

“We’ve heard so much about you, Anna-ssi. It’s an honour to have you as our MC.”

Anna managed to compose herself. 

“That's very kind of you to say. I can’t wait to see you perform live.”

They invited her to stay and watch their rehearsal, and Anna eagerly accepted. As the band ran through their set, she couldn’t stop smiling. The passion in their music reminded her why she loved the industry, even with its challenges.

Anna was about to head back to the hotel when she ran into someone. It was the rapper with the famous YouTube show that Jin had gone on.

"Anna-ssi? It's so nice to meet you!

Lee Youngji wasn't quite as chaotic as Anna had seen her be on her show, but she was just as friendly.

"It's nice to meet you, Lee Youngji. I'm a fan of your music and your show."

"Really?! Wow! I'm a fan of yours too! I heard you were MC-ing today and I hoped I would get to meet you."

"That's very kind -"

Lee Youngji was called away to start her rehearsal.

"Sorry. I've got to go, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

They said goodbye and Anna felt like her head was spinning from the sudden meeting. She couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and cuddle up in bed with her soulmate.

That evening, Anna and Namjoon met for dinner at a cosy restaurant near their hotel. The warm ambience made Anna feel at ease.

“How was your day, my love?”

“Busy but good. The venue is amazing, and I got to see ATEEZ and Xdinary Heroes rehearse.”

“Let me guess, you fangirl-ed over Xdinary Heroes?”

Anna groaned, burying her face in her hands. 

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

Namjoon chuckled. 

“Because it’s obvious. But it’s cute.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but his teasing smile made her laugh.

They chatted about their work, with Namjoon sharing his excitement about the concept for his music video. 

“It’s going to be very different from everything else I've done. I hope ARMY like it.”

Anna reached out and placed her hand over his.

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing. You’re a perfectionist, Joon. Everything you do is amazing.”

Namjoon’s expression softened. 

“And so is everything you do, Anna. Don’t forget that.”

Her heart swelled with gratitude. Even with all his responsibilities, Namjoon always made time to support her. She didn't know what she would do without the encouraging words of her soulmates.

The day of the festival arrived, and Anna stood backstage, clutching her mic. The energy in the arena was palpable, with fans cheering and waving light sticks.

Namjoon wasn't able to come to the event but at least had ATEEZ there as supportive friends. Hongjoong came up to her.

“You ready?”

Anna let out a breathy laugh.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Being MC is a performance too."

“I don't know why I'm so nervous."

Hongjoong placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve got this, Noona. The crowd is going to love you.”

Anna smiled at him.

"Thank you, Hongjoong."

Taking a deep breath, Anna stepped onto the stage. The roar of the audience was deafening, and she put on a smile as she tried to stop her hands from shaking. When she spoke, her voice echoed around the arena.

“Hello, London! Welcome to KOREA ON STAGE! Tonight, we’re celebrating the incredible connection between Korea and the UK with some very special performances!”

The audience erupted in cheers, and Anna focused on what she had to say next. She introduced the first act, STAYC, and watched from the side of the stage as they dazzled the crowd.

As the night went on, Anna grew more confident, feeding off the crowd’s energy. However, she never felt at ease and she wondered when performing had become more nerve-racking than exciting. But she got through the night. She introduced ATEEZ with enthusiasm and couldn’t hide her excitement when it was time for Xdinary Heroes.

“Next up, we have a band that has taken the industry by storm with their incredible music. Give it up for Xdinary Heroes!”

The band’s performance was electrifying, and Anna found herself singing along to their songs from backstage.

After the event, Anna returned to her hotel, exhausted. Namjoon was already there, sitting on the sofa with a book in hand. She flopped onto the seat beside him.

“How did it go?”

“Good. It was an amazing show.”

Namjoon smiled. 

“Find any new groups to fan over?”

"Well, Xikers was good and, I already knew P1Harmony. I should really keep up with their new stuff."

Anna leaned into her soulmates side as he stroked her hair.

"It's a lot of work to be a fan."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Namjoon spoke again. 

"Did you have fun? MC-ing?"

Anna sighed.

"I don't think I'll take another MC job... Joonie? Have you ever - I mean, has being on stage ever... lost its spark for you before?"

"Hm. Not that I can think of. Sometimes I don't quite have the same energy to enjoy it, but it always gives me, well, a rush I suppose."

"Oh."

"Not what you wanted to hear?"

"No, not really. Lately, every time I get on stage has been more terrifying than the last. Today I almost dropped the mic my hands were shaking so much."

Namjoon knew Anna had been having a hard time lately, but what worried him most was that he and the Maknae line were entering military service in a few weeks. The idea of Anna not having most of her soulmates around her for support made his heartache. While Yoongi would be living at home, he would be at work all day every day, and combined with Anna's schedule, they would hardly see each other.

He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay. You can perform as little or as much as you want to. Even not at all, if that's what you need. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Chapter 43: Soul Strength

"Wow, there's a great view from here."

 

Anna and Namjoon had a free day to explore London as they wished and she was playing tour guide. Currently they were at Greenwich Park, at the top of the hill. 

 

"That's The O2 over there. I wasn't even a fan when you performed there."

 

"Really? Cool. That was... five years ago? It doesn't sound that long ago, but it feels it. So much has happened since then."

 

Anna turned to her soulmate. This trip had given them the chance to spend some quality time together. Namjoon had opened up to her in a way that he hadn't before. It made her feel like crying hearing how much the leader was hurting inside. 

 

She knew all the members of BTS had felt burdened by the path their career had taken. However Namjoon had different sort of weight on him. As the speaker for the group, especially in English situations, he couldn't just speak his mind. Ever word had to be thought through and calculated. It was exhausting. 

 

Anna took Namjoon's hand and linked their fingers. Things were going to change. She knew they were going to change anyway, but when her soulmates finished their military service and came back as a group she had plans. She would be there for them in a way that she hadn't been up to this point. She would do what she could to lighten their burden. 

 

"Do you feel different... when you're in another country? Does London feel different to Seoul?"

 

Namjoon glanced down at her before looking back at the view before them. 

 

"Hm, right now, I feel... Probably the most at ease I can feel in public. I'm with you and there aren't many people around, so I can relax a little. I'm not worried about being recognised. London feels very different, but then I've only been here a few times. It's not familiar. Does it feel different for you?"

 

"Not really. Obviously they are different, but not that much. They're both cities. It's my life that is different."

 

Namjoon squeezed her hand as he looked down at her. 

 

"What life do you prefer?"

 

Anna frowned. Did he really need to ask? It was an easy answer for her. There was no comparison. She gave his hand a squeeze back. 

 

"This one. Being with you. With my soulmates. Even if it's not perfect... I told you before, my life before you wasn't a life. I was barely alive."

 

Namjoon gathered her into his arms and held her close. She rested her head on his chest and basked in the comfort he brought her. 

 

"I'm so glad we found you. If there's ever anything I can do, anything more I should be doing, to make you happier. You only need to say the word and I'll do it."

 

She lifted her chin to look up at him. 

 

"Anything?"

 

"Anything."

 

Namjoon's heart sped up a little as he wondered what she would ask for. 

 

"Well, there are some Korean actors I would love to meet. Kang Taeoh, for example, though he's doing his military service at the moment -"

 

He should've known. Anna rarely asked for things and she didn't like to have deep, contemplative conversations. But he had Jimin for that. 

 

"Funny. But I'm sure Taehyung has a friend or knows Kang Taeoh. Jin-Hyung has some actor friends too."

 

Anna's eyes widened. 

 

"I was joking..."

 

Namjoon chuckled. 

 

"I know. You're too shy to want to meet him."

 

She pouted in response to his teasing and he leaned down to press a kiss to her pouty lips. 

 

"He's really good in Extraordinary Attorney Woo."

 

He stroked her hair as he smiled down at her. 

 

"I know. It's your favourite show."

 

"I wonder if he's anything like his character."

 

"You're lucky you're so cute."

 

"Huh?"

 

Namjoon pulled her tighter against him and lowered his head, nuzzling his cold nose against her neck. 

 

"Joonie!"

 

Anna laughed. Eventually her soulmate pulled away. 

 

"Where shall we go next?"

 

After a day trailing around London, the two soulmates had a quiet evening in their hotel room. They had two more days in England where Namjoon would be filming his music video and then they would be going back home. 

 

Anna was filling in her journal while Namjoon was fitting in a quick workout at the gym. There was a knock at the door and she thought her clumsy soulmate had forgotten his room key again, but it was her manager. 

 

"Sorry to disturb you, Anna, but I just got some news and I thought I should give you a head up."

 

"News? Is it bad?"

 

"No... No one's hurt or anything like that. It's about your comeback."

 

"Oh."

 

"They've set the date for the middle of January. You start recording as soon as we get back."

 

"As soon as I get back..."

 

She had four weeks with Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook before they started their military service. Now that time was going to be taken up by her getting her album ready and preparing for her comeback. 

 

"I'm sorry, Anna. I tried to get them to move it back a few weeks - I'll arrange things as best I can."

 

"It's okay. I understand. Thank you."

 

Her manager smiled sadly at her as they left. 

 

Anna went and stood by the window looking out at the city. There were so many thoughts whirling around in her head that she wouldn't have been able to verbalise what she was thinking if asked. She didn't even know how long she stood there before a hand on her should pulled her out of her trance. 

 

"My love?"

 

She turned to face Namjoon and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a while. He didn't say anything or ask what was wrong but the steady weight of his hand stroking her hair was soothing to Anna. Eventually, she lifted her chin to look up at him. 

 

"I don't want to think anymore."

 

Namjoon cupped her face with his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek. 

 

"Come shower with me, love. I'll make you forget everything but me."

 

As he stepped away, Namjoon took Anna's hand and lead her to the bathroom. He quickly took off his clothes and started the shower before turning back to his soulmate. Slowly, he stripped her of her clothes, making sure to lavish each bit of newly revealed skin with kisses. 

 

Backing her into the shower, he pressed her against the wall. He pinned her hands above her head with one of his, while his other hand explored and he kissed her. 

 

Anna couldn't think of anything but her soulmate and the way he was making her feel, the pleasure he was giving her. 

 

By the time he had finished distracting her, she could barely stand up. He washed her, dried her, helped her put on her pyjamas and tucked her into bed before doing the same for himself. 

 

When Namjoon came back, he adjusted the blanket as he got into the bed and glanced at Anna, who was now doodling absentmindedly in her journal. It was something she tried to do every evening.

 

"What are you drawing now?"

 

She turned the sketch toward him, revealing a simple drawing of him.

 

"Memories."

 

"What else have you drawn?"

 

"Bits and pieces. They're mostly scribbles. Sketches."

 

She flicked through the pages which were full of writing along with scribbles and coloured drawings of things she had seen or done such as the soufflé pancakes they had eaten on their day out.

 

"You're amazing, you know that?"

 

Anna shrugged, her lips twisted into a playful smile. 

 

"Just trying to keep up with my soulmate."

 

Namjoon chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

 

"I love you."

 

"I love you, too."

Chapter 44: Little Moments

The day had arrived far too quickly. The weeks after Anna and Namjoon returned from England flew by in the worst way. Although they were all busy, Anna did her best to spend as much time with her soon-to-be-enlisted-in-the-military soulmates as possible. 

During the last few weeks, she managed to cook a meal with Namjoon without destroying the kitchen. It was close, though. A pan was ruined and a plate broken. But they managed to make something edible before running out of ingredients. The others praised Namjoon for making a delicious dinner (they didn't know about the incidents during the process, as Anna kept them a secret between her and Namjoon), and the leader smiled shyly, pleased at his achievement.

Anna also went with Jungkook to visit Bam. The Maknae was sad that his dog couldn't live with him full time, but he also wanted Bam to have the best life possible, and with Jungkook's busy schedule, he couldn't take care of Bam the way he'd like to. However, every time he visited Bam, it warmed his heart to see the dog so happy. Bam remembered Anna and was excited to see her ignoring his owner in favour of seeking her attention first. They made plans so that Anna could visit him whenever she wanted.

Jimin spent his time with Anna watching a K-drama. They had challenged themselves to finish watching it before his enlistment, so any spare time the two of them had was spent watching another episode. They had chosen Her Private Life and enjoyed the fangirl aspect and fake relationship trope. Jimin asked Anna questions comparing her fangirling to that of the main character. He was teasing her, but it made her happy that Jimin could do so and had lost his jealousy over her fangirling over others.

With Taehyung, Anna spent time dancing around the apartment. Not choreographed dancing, but just feeling the music. Her soulmate twirled her around, pulled her close, swayed, and even dipped her. They laughed together, just having fun without thinking about anything else. As it was just the two of them, there was no need for perfection. No one was watching them. They could be as silly as they wanted without worry.

They were little moments, small snippets of time found amongst their busy schedules, but they were meaningful. All their time spent together was meaningful.

Namjoon and Taehyung went first. It was hard for Anna to watch. He tried not to show it, but she knew how anxious Namjoon was about doing military service. As Idols, the boys had spent half their lives in a strict environment, being told what they could and could not do. Now, just as they reached a level of fame which provided them with some independence, they had to go into another controlled environment. As Idols, BTS had each other to lean on, but in the military, they would be alone, not only since they were Idols, but they would also be older than their fellow soldiers. Anna did her best not to show how worried she was, particularly for Namjoon, as she wanted to provide him with strength and hope instead.

Something positive that came from these enlistment days was seeing Jin. She had been alternating visiting him and Hoseok every month, but now with six soulmates far away, she was only allowed to visit one of them per month. Jin would be discharged in seven months anyway. Anna couldn't believe a year had passed since he had enlisted. It had gone by quickly, so she hoped the next eighteen months until all eight of them would be reunited would go just as quickly.

Anna's eldest soulmate rested his arm around her shoulders as they stood off camera - Jin, because he couldn't be on camera whilst in the military and her because she tried to stay out of BTS content as much as possible.

"Don't look so worried."

Anna leaned into Jin's side with a sigh.

"Would a fake smile be better?"

Jin gave her a squeeze.

"No, but a real one would. They'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Did you worry this much about me?"

"No, you're... adaptable."

"Really? Me?"

"Yeah, you adjusted fairly well, don't you think?"

"But you think they won't?"

"I have a feeling Tae will do well. He's excited as much as he is nervous. But Joon... Joon's been struggling recently."

"Ah. Our leader is strong. He'll get through this."

"I know, but at what cost?"

Jin leaned down and kissed the top of Anna's head.

Their conversation ended there as the new recruits came over. It was time to say goodbye.

Anna hugged Namjoon tightly, her eyes watering, but she blinked away the tears. When she hugged Taehyung, she took the opportunity to lighten the mood.

"Behave yourself."

"Yes, Miss Anna."

Taehyung tightened his arms around Anna and lifted her up, making her squeal and the others laugh.

The next day was much the same, but Anna felt reassured since Jimin and Jungkook were enlisting under the buddy system, so they would be together. She wasn't as worried, and she knew Jungkook was likely to excel.

That night, she slept in Yoongi's bed with him. They lay facing each other, talking about their day.

"18 months."

Anna could see the pain in her soulmate's eyes as he thought about not being with BTS or ARMY for so long. She tried to be reassuring.

"It's not that long. Time will fly by."

It took a while, but eventually they fell asleep, their hands entwined.

The next day, Anna went to work alone. It felt strange knowing none of her soulmates were in the same building, that they weren't at dance practice or working in their studios. She asked for her schedule to be arranged so that she could go home in the evenings and spend them with Yoongi when he got home from work as a social service agent. 

The following weeks really did fly by. Anna was so busy preparing for her comeback in January as well as performing at the end of the year and award shows, she barely had a minute to think about how much she missed her soulmates. She couldn't visit the recently enlisted while they were doing their basic training, so she visited Hoseok. The military had changed the dancer, or rather, caused him to have his dancer leader persona turned on. It was likely the atmosphere of the military that had caused him to become more serious and mature. But he was still Hobi with his heart-shaped smile, even if he didn't show it as often.

Anna's pre-release single, Harsh Reality, came out the second week of the year, and it was very different to what she had released previously. The track was a reality check. It was angry and powerful. The music video showed examples of people being mean and the consequences. It shocked her fans, but they understood the message, and they loved it.

Two weeks later, her album dropped. The name had changed from Nothing Nice (Anna loved alliteration) to Don't Say / Don't Hate. Her ballad Why Do You Hate Me had her fans in tears, and the title track +Focus was a catchy, uplifting song about staying positive, which was instantly trending on TikTok.

Anna felt relieved at the reception her album got and that her message of 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all' seemed to be welcomed and spread by her fans. The comeback was still exhausting, and her anxiety peaked at every music show performance, but she felt a little happier seeing the positive response. Unfortunately, performing wasn't the only thing on her comeback schedule.

Chapter 45: Happy Distractions

"You're almost done, Anna. Just three more."

Anna looked at her manager hopefully.

"Including this one?"

He shook his head.

"After this one."

She groaned. They were on their way to film another variety/talk show. Her team hadn't been kidding when they said HYBE would want to make a big deal out of her comeback due to BTS being enlisted. It was her worst nightmare. She was a solo artist, so she didn't have anyone to go on the shows with and share the attention.

"Are there any shows they didn't sign me up for? I feel like I've done them all!"

Her manager handed her a smoothie with a sympathetic smile. The taste of her favourite drink cheered her up a little, but the lingering anxiousness of spending hours answering questions left her unable to enjoy it fully.

"You enjoyed seeing Lee Youngji again, didn't you?"

Anna had met Lee Youngji in London a few months ago. The rapper had a YouTube channel show that was revolutionary due to the rarely seen sight of Idols drinking alcohol.

"Yes, she's very friendly, but it felt a little silly to have a non-drinking guest go on her show."

"Today will be more structured, but just as friendly. Have you met IU before?"

"No..."

Anna still felt a twinge of jealousy at the mention of the female Idol whom her youngest soulmate had referred to as his type when he was younger. She knew it was silly, but it was what she associated IU with. It didn't help that she was perfect - talented, beautiful, and kind.

Her manager decided to change the subject to distract her.

"Everything is organised for you to visit Namjoon the day after tomorrow."

She smiled softly.

"Good. I hope he's okay."

"Namjoon will be very happy to see you."

Anna sighed.

"I can't believe it's been two months... It feels like six."

"I know it's hard. We've all been through it. The only way to cope is to focus on the good things. Your next visit. Jin's discharge in four months."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry you have to put up with me whining about it all the time."

"It's part of my job."

Anna laughed.

Two days later, Anna was telling Namjoon all about her filming session with IU.

"I'm such a bad person!"

Namjoon chuckled as Anna hid her face in his shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, so he gave her a comforting squeeze.

"You're not a bad person, my love."

Anna leaned back and looked up at him, her brows furrowed and a small pout on her lips.

"But she was so sweet to me and I was a jealous bitch."

Namjoon took her hand in his free one and linked their fingers together.

"I refuse to believe you could be a bitch to anyone. I bet IU thought you were just as sweet."

Anna smiled. She was overreacting, but it had done the job of distracting Namjoon from where he was. When she had arrived, the sadness in her soulmate's eyes had broken her heart. He looked as though he hadn't slept well for weeks, which she found out was accurate. He didn't want to talk about his time in the military so far, so she made it her mission to keep his focus on her instead.

"Anyway, it was one of the better appearances. In one of the others, it was like I forgot how to speak Korean."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, yes, it was. I managed not to cry until I was in the car - Lee Youngji was great fun though."

Happy stories only, she thought to herself, don't make him feel worse.

"I remember Jin-Hyung's appearance on her show. It looks very... unique."

"Well, we didn't drink, obviously, so my episode might feel a little different."

"She still invited you on the show, though. That's nice."

"Yeah. She mentioned it in London, and I told her then that I don't drink, and do you know what she said?"

"What?"

"No problem. It will be a nice break for her."

Namjoon laughed and Anna grinned at the sight.

"Are you finished with promotions?"

"Only a few more appearances left. But they might add more."

"Why?"

Anna sighed.

"This will be my last comeback. At least for awhile."

Namjoon hummed.

"Too much?"

"Yeah. I don't... I don't love it anymore."

It was the first time Anna admitted it out loud and her eyes welled with tears. Namjoon stroked her hair, knowing that it comforted her.

"That's okay. You're allowed to change your mind."

Anna leaned into his touch.

"Not everyone will that understanding. I feel like I'm letting people down. Letting my fans down."

"What did you say to me after BTS announced we were pausing group activities? True fans will understand. They want you to be happy."

"I'm happy when I'm making others happy."

"Like Jungkookie. He used to say that as long as his Hyungs were happy then so was he. But you should be happy alone, too. Find happiness for yourself."

Anna looked up at Namjoon.

"I found my happiness 3 years ago."

Their lips twitched, and Namjoon chuckled.

"Has it only been 3 years? So much as happened."

"And there's so much yet to come."

He laughed again.

"Clever, my love. Do you have any plans for what you'll do next?"

Anna hummed thoughtfully.

"So many. Adding subtitles to your old YouTube videos."

"They don't have them?"

"Nothing before 2019."

"Oh. But is that really what you want to do?"

"It's a side project. Actually, I did have an idea, or more like a thought, or a dream, it's not really practical -"

"Anna, what is it?"

"To start a company. An entertainment company."

Namjoon's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"I got the idea from watching Peak time last year."

"Peak time?"

"Existing and disbanded groups competed to get exposure and stuff. You remember Moon Jongup? From BAP?"

"Oh yeah. I remember now."

"Jay Park was a judge and he said... Something like how sad or wrong it was that someone so talented and previously popular had to go on a show like that. I mean, it was because of their company that they lost everything."

"So you thought what if there was a company that took in Idols from disbanded groups?"

"Yeah. It's crazy, right?"

Namjoon ran is hand over his head and let out a breath.

"It's... Big."

"It's a long term plan. A distant dream. I'm just putting it out there because..."

"You can't do it alone."

"No."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you for asking for help."

Smiling with red cheeks, Anna leaned into Namjoon and hid her face in his shoulder again. She felt her soulmate's chest vibrate as he laughed, but she felt reassured by the tightening of his grip around her shoulders.

Anna groaned.

"I was supposed to be distracting you, but you've ended up comforting me."

"You are a distraction, my love. A good one! Seeing you is just what I needed."

"Joon...?"

"Yes, my love."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I did some research... Have you thought about joining the military band?"

"Military band? No, I haven't, but I was trying not to think about anything to do with this."

"You could learn an instrument. Keep your connection to music. It could be a good outlet."

"I'll ask around and see what it involves."

For both of them, their time together ended far too soon. Anna couldn't remember ever hugging Namjoon so tightly, nor he her.

That night, when she got home, Anna told Yoongi about her visit.

"I hated leaving him in that place."

"I know. He'll be okay. We all will. We'll get through this."

Anna smiled sadly and reached out to stroke Yoongi's hair.

"Is it bad if I say I'm glad you're not in there too?"

"Not if you're saying it to me. Sleep, Jagi. Dream of the day we will all be together again."

Chapter 46: Run Jin

Anna was vibrating with excitement. Literally. She couldn't stop moving - jumping up and down, shaking her legs, tapping her fingers. Finally, it was the day. Her oldest soulmate, Jin, was coming home.

It was torture having to wait instead of running to him as soon as he stepped out of the gates, but unfortunately, she wasn't the only one waiting. It annoyed her a little to see all the press waiting for Jin. It seemed unfair that the first thing he had to do upon being discharged was perform for the cameras. The feeling of freedom must have been short-lived.

Anna waited by the car as the others, who had taken a day off to be there, walked over to greet Jin. Seeing most of her boys back together made her smile, and Namjoon's saxophone serenade made her laugh. She was happy he had gone ahead with her suggestion. Learning and playing an instrument had given Namjoon a focus and provided a comforting familiarity in an unfamiliar environment.

As soon as Jin was close enough, Anna jumped him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The sound of his distinct laugh made her so happy that she couldn't help the tears that escaped. She hid her face in his neck. Although this hid her breakdown from her other soulmates, it did little to disguise her sniffles from the one currently holding her.

"Shh. I'm here now. This is a happy moment."

Anna mumbled a response to his whispers.

"I am happy."

"Then why are you crying? I've already cried today, please don't make me cry again. I want to see your beautiful smile."

She held onto him a little longer before pulling herself together and relaxing her hold on Jin. Anna hadn't seen him since the day her other soulmates enlisted, six months ago. Her eldest soulmate has insisted that she visit one of the others instead of him since he would be discharged soon. She smiled at the sight of his handsome face, and he smiled down at her.

"There it is. So pretty."

They were ushered into the car, and the soul-group only had a few hours together before they all had to head their separate ways. Anna went with Jin to the company, where he got a warm welcome from the staff. She watched as he did a live for ARMY and talked about popularity in the military and his idea for FESTA. 

That night, Jin slept in the middle of Anna and Yoongi.

"This feels a little odd. I've slept alone for a year and a half."

Yoongi huffed.

"I haven't slept alone for the last six months. Our Anna is a cuddle bug."

Anna leaned over and poked Yoongi's side.

"You love cuddles too. Don't pretend you don't."

Jin laughed and ruffled the rapper's hair.

"Yeah. You can't fool me, Yoongles."

Yoongi grumbled and snuggled into Jin's side, causing the other two to smile. Anna slept well, knowing that one of her soulmates was home for good.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. After her comeback had finished, Anna had been involved in setting up everything for Jin's return. She worked with the staff to organise FESTA to Jin's wishes. Although she was a little anxious about him hugging fans, she knew, as a fan herself, how much ARMY would love it. She just hoped that they were all respectful and managed to control themselves in such close proximity to Worldwide Handsome.

Anna stayed backstage during the FESTA event. The day was about Jin and ARMY. She had spent the last 24 hours helping Jin with his performance. Luckily, he didn't have much choreography to learn. As she watched on a screen backstage, she was so proud of her oldest soulmate. She knew how happy he was to see ARMY, even if it was a little rushed, and how happy ARMY was to see him, especially on BTS's 11th anniversary. 

She was watching him give ARMY hugs when it happened. Someone took advantage of Jin's kindness. This was exactly what the staff had been afraid of and why they had tried to talk Jin out of his idea. The staff around her gasped and murmured.

"Did she just - did she just kiss him?!"

Anna was ready to storm out onto the stage, but the staff stopped her.

"Don't make a scene and ruin the day for ARMY."

"But she -"

"Don't worry. We've got her information and video evidence. We'll take action."

Anna took a deep breath and nodded, but from then on, she monitored the screen with furrowed brows. 

After the event finished and Jin came backstage again, Anna smothered him.

"Are you okay? Jin, I'm so sorry. I saw that person -"

Jin sighed. He was disappointed. He knew that this type of event would never happen again because of one person's actions.

"I'm fine. I knew the risks."

He brushed off the staff who wanted to remove his mic and earpiece and led Anna to the dressing room. He didn't want anyone else to touch him. As she helped him remove the equipment, she wondered what she could do to make him feel better. Jin got changed out of his stage clothes, and Anna wiped his neck for him.

"Let me replace the memory."

Anna waited for him to nod his head before she leaned in. First, she placed a slow, soft kiss on his lips, then stared into his eyes to make sure he knew it was her kissing him. Then she left a trail of kisses across his cheek and down his neck. His neck was her main focus, to cover up the kiss that had been forced upon him earlier. She stopped when his arms wrapped around her tightly, and she hugged him back.

"Thank you."

A few days later, Jin headed to Jeju to film his first Run Jin episode. This was something else that Anna had been helping organise. Jin had told her some of the ideas he had for the show, and she had tried to convince him to take a bit of a break before throwing himself back into work. However, she had been unsuccessful. The most she could do was fit in filming with a short holiday. Anna hadn't been to Jeju Island yet, so she invited herself along.

Jin was on camera a lot of the time, so Anna hung out with the staff. She sat with them at dinner and slept in a different room Jin for the first night, all for the sake of capturing footage for the show. They got up early in the morning to hike Hallasan mountain. Anna stayed near the back out of view of the cameras, but she didn't mind as she went at a slightly slower pace than Jin. 

Hiking in Korea was a little different to hiking in England. In Korea, there was a clear path, handrails, and wooden platforms along a lot of the route. Whereas, in England, although there was a path, it wasn't always clear and at times optional. It was a long hike, much longer than anything they had done when Anna took her soulmates to the Lake District in England. Jin's army training was obvious as he marched up and then ran down the mountain. He even walked back up to find Anna, since she was so far behind.

The next day, there were no cameras, and the two soulmates enjoyed a day in Jeju together, just the two of them. They went shopping for groceries in the morning, played in the pool in the afternoon, and cooked dinner together. These mundane, everyday things were the activities that Jin had missed. For a day, they were just Jin and Anna, soulmates, not Idols.

After they got back from Jeju, Jin's schedule was jam-packed. He filmed episodes of Run Jin, started working on a new album, and even took part in a Netflix show. Anna couldn't convince him to slow down, so she did her best to support him. But that didn't stop her from worrying about him. Her soulmates had one so much for her as she settled into her new life in Korea, now it was time for her to repay the favour and look after them in this new chapter of their lives.

Chapter 47: New Perspective

It wasn't quite how Anna had imagined it. She had dreamed of Jin's homecoming many times, and without BTS's gruelling schedule, she had pictured them spending all their time together doing cute romantic things. Of course, the reality wasn't quite as K-drama-ish. She hadn't accounted for her soulmates' inclination to throw themselves into their work. As such, she didn't get to spend every waking hour with Jin, but that didn't stop her from trying. Anna helped out wherever she was needed. This included helping organise and film Jin's variety show, Run Jin.

Today, they were filming at Jin's old high school, Bosung High School. The students were very excited but respectful. Anna wore a cap and mask to blend in with the staff, but that didn't stop her from getting recognised.

"Is that Anna?"

"Anna!"

"Anna's here!"

"I love your music, Miss Anna!"

Anna waved shyly. She was surprised they recognised her. The students had been told in advance that Jin would be filming today, and were given rules on how to behave. However, they seemed to be more interested in the cameras than the K-pop Idol they were filming.

During break time, Anna spent some time with the students, signing autographs and taking photos. Meanwhile, her oldest soulmate was challenging children to arm wrestle. She shook her head and laughed at Jin.

"Miss Anna?"

She turned to see a girl standing next to her.

"Yes?"

"Is Mr. Jin really your soulmate?"

"He is. One of them."

The girl nodded slowly, her eyes turning towards Jin.

"What's it like? Finding your soulmate."

"Hmm, it's like finding your best friend. When you first meet, you feel very happy, a little confused, and in my case, shocked. But most of all, you feel secure, safe, or comforted knowing that you have found someone who will always be there for you. You don't have you be alone anymore."

Anna blinked rapidly as she felt herself get emotional. She heard the girl sigh and looked down at her.

"I can't wait to find my soulmate."

The girl's words made Anna feel strange. That had been her when she was young, dreaming of the future, of finding her soulmate, and thinking that it would fix everything. She didn't want anyone to grow up the way she did. Living life by waiting for someone to appear, while not really living at all. Anna loved her soulmates. They were the best thing that ever happened to her. Yet, she also felt she relied on them too heavily. At this point, she didn't know who she was without them. She had never lived for herself. She had just existed while waiting for time to pass - until they found her.

"There's plenty of time for that. While you wait, you should focus on yourself. Do what makes you happy. Learn lots of new things -"

"I hope my soulmate is as handsome as Mr. Jin."

Anna couldn't help but smile and barely managed to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm sure he will be."

Later, when Jin and Anna were travelling home, he mentioned how popular she had been with the students.

"I think they were more interested in you than me. I'm old news. You're the big superstar now."

"Well, I wasn't going to point it out, but since you did..."

"Yah! You were meant to disagree or say 'you're not old, Jinnie'."

Anna rested her hand on Jin's and turned so she could look him straight in the eye.

"You're not old, Jinnie."

Jin looked pleased and went to say something, but Anna wasn't finished.

"And you'll always be the handsome 'Ajusshi' to my young fans."

Jin's jaw dropped.

"Ajusshi! You cheeky -! Jungkook's a bad influence on you."

The mention of the Maknae turned Anna's smile into a sad one. Jin gripped her hand in his, trying to provide comfort and an apology in one gesture. They didn't talk about it much. How their soulgroup was split across the country. None of her soulmates spoke to her about what it was like in the military, and she didn't push them to. Jin was more open than the others, but she wasn't sure if that was because he had finished. It was over for him. 

"I miss him. I miss them all."

Jin brought her hand up and placed a kiss on the back of it, just like he did the first time they met. To her, he was confidence and strength, and that was what she needed most right now.

"Me too. Hoseok will be out soon."

"Yeah... He's changed."

"He has?"

"He's... restrained. One might say mature."

Jin raised an eyebrow.

"'One might say'? How many historical dramas have you been watching?"

"Only a few? I like them."

Jin linked their fingers together and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Hoseok hasn't really changed. He's just focusing on a different side of himself. The version you are seeing now was usually reserved for the practice room."

Anna understood what Jin was saying. She knew that people changed as they grew up and had new experiences. However, it made her wonder about the consequences.

"Do you..."

"What?"

Anna looked away from Jin as she spoke.

"Do you think things are going to be different? When we're all back together again?"

Jin was silent for so long that Anna turned to look at him again. She could see he was at war with himself and guessed he was wondering whether to tell her what she wanted to hear or what he believed to be the truth. The truth won.

"Yes. Things will be different, but some things will also be the same. Like our love for each other."

Anna smiled. That was the answer she was expecting, even if it was the one she hoped for.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I love you more."

"I love you 3000!"

"I purple you."

Jin opened his mouth but then paused, his brows furrowed.

"Does 'I purple you' trump 'I love you 3000'?"

Anna shrugged.

"I don't know. Ask Tae."

Jin got his phone out, and Anna laughed as her oldest soulmate messaged Taehyung.

The next morning, they got a reply.

Taehyung: Hyung, I can't believe you had to ask. 'I purple you' trumps everything!

As the weeks passed by, Jin was busy as he filmed content for ARMY, and Anna was left without purpose. She was on an official break, but the company was pushing for her to resume activities as soon as possible and was even talking about her going on tour. She thought maybe she should do as asked, at least then she would have something to do, a focus.

It was mid-week, and Jin was at a photoshoot for one of the many brands he had accepted to work with. Meanwhile, Anna had decided to dance as it had become a form of stress relief, and it also made her think about Hoseok. She was in the dance studio and had put on the dance playlist her soulmate had made. However, she had spent the last three songs staring at herself in the mirror. Eventually, she sat down, bringing her knees to her chest and hiding her face in them.

"Noona?"

Tilting her head to the side, she saw Yeonjun standing in the doorway. TXT had been on tour, so she hadn't seen her best friend in a long time.

"Hey."

Yeonjun came over and sat next to her.

"It's good to be home."

"I missed you."

"Of course you did."

After getting a smile from Anna, he continued. 

"I missed you, too. What were you doing?"

"Junnie... I can't dance anymore."

"Really? I know just how to fix that. Can I teach you something?"

Yeonjun stood up and held out his hand to Anna. Once they were both standing, he went to turn off the music. They spent the next couple of hours learning TikTok dances, starting with simple hand gesture ones and working up to full-blown dances. It was something familiar to them, as Yeonjun was the only reason Anna ever uploaded videos to TikTok.

"See, Noona, you can dance."

"Thank you."

"What shall we do now? Want to go home and watch a movie?"

"Can we go to your place?"

"Er, sure. Let me just check with the others."

Yeonjun got out his phone.

"Oh, wait, you've just got back -"

"No worries, Noona. If you don't mind the mess, then we don't mind you coming over. See, the others are excited to see you."

A change of scenery and company was just what Anna needed. Despite the mess that came with coming home after being on tour for weeks, Taehyun and Hueningkai were happy to sit and watch a movie with them. Seeing their dynamic of playful bickering comforted her soul, even though it reminded her of her soulmates.

Yeonjun and Anna were curled up on the sofa. They had started a second movie, and Taehyun had fallen asleep in his chair, while Hueningkai had gone to his room.

"Noona? Is there a reason you didn't want to go home?"

Anna sighed.

"It's so quiet there. Empty."

Yeonjun wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm comfortingly. Anna rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, it's never quiet here. You're welcome anytime."

"Thank you for today."

"I told you before, Noona. Lean on me. I'm here for you."

Yeonjun thought about when he first met Anna. She had changed so much in three years and taken to her new life by facing one challenge after another. Now it seemed it was all catching up with her. It wasn't the first time an Idol had wondered how to justify this crazy life they were living.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of An Indescribable Feeling