49. The Concert

138 5 1
                                    

It was a bad idea. He shouldn't have performed. Taehyung was almost staggering off the stage after Mic Drop during the first day of their concert in Paris. He had done well at rehearsal, but the actual performance required three times the energy - and he gave it. He had no intention of disappointing their French ARMY. Jungkook and Jimin stayed by his side to support him. They all pretended they were just laughing about something but Taehyung was in pain and his bruises were swelling.

As soon as they were below the stage, their staff were ready with ice packs for Taehyung, and it helped reduce the swelling in between numbers. Their setlist was punishing because from Blood, Sweat, and Tears until Mikrokosmos all seven members had to be onstage. The only breaks were their videos, conversations with ARMY and their endingment. They tried to prolong the conversations to give Taehyung time to catch his breath.

"Taehyung-ssi!" ARMY kept shouting his name.

"Yes?" He answered back. Despite everything, he truly enjoyed every moment with ARMY and he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

"Are you okay?" ARMY didn't miss a thing. They were always eagle-eyed and quick to notice every detail.

"Of course, ARMY!" Taehyung made eye contact with the fan who asked and tried to smile at her as he sat onstage, fighting the urge to grip his chest to stop the throbbing, while pushing his sadness and concern for Dae Eun temporarily out of his mind so he could function as V.

"Of course, ARMY!" Taehyung made eye contact with the fan who asked and tried to smile at her as he sat onstage, fighting the urge to grip his chest to stop the throbbing, while pushing his sadness and concern for Dae Eun temporarily out of his mi...

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

"What's wrong, Taehyung?"

"You don't need to dance, Taehyung!"

"I don't? Are you sure, ARMY?" He smiled and tried not to laugh because even that small movement hurt. The pain meds didn't help. "Really, it's okay ARMY."

"Taehyung-ah, maybe you should listen to ARMY." Namjoon said.

"Yes, Taetae. Listen to ARMY." J-Hope smiled at his dongsaeng and was awed at the love ARMY was sending his way.

"You don't want to see me perform Run BTS, ARMY?" he pouted.

"Listen to ARMY, Taehyung-ssi." Jimin looked over to his friend, too.

"What happened, Taehyung?" The question could be heard in different languages and a translator was assisting them.

This had been the format of their concert in Seoul when they regrouped for their muster last year. They gave ARMY the chance to ask them questions, and they would answer them as honestly as possible. It was their gift to ARMY after more than ten years of silence, when they all lost themselves and their connection to their fans after their stage accident.

Taehyung looked at his brothers and asked what he was supposed to answer.

"The truth," Yoongi said.

Taehyung looked at all the lighted ARMY bombs around him and wondered how he could possibly tell them the truth. How could he say that he almost lost the woman he loved because of hate, and that even now he wasn't sure if he hadn't already lost her? How could he tell them that, more than the pain in his body, his heart was breaking at what she went through because of him? Could he ask them to also love her like they loved him? Would that be asking for too much? He was starting to tear up.

EvenstarWhere stories live. Discover now