Idols | Taennie

002

The air buzzed with anticipation backstage at the prestigious Golden Disk Awards, where the industry's most talented idols were gathered for a night of celebration and recognition.

From the red carpet photoshoots to the interviews that took place in front of dozens of cameras, to then the bustling backstage as idols and staff rushed to curate and coordinate some of the bet performances of the years, award shows were never a downtime.

"Who's performance are you most excited to see tonight?" The interviewer asked as the various idols walked the red carpet.

"Jennie sunbaenim!"

"Taehyung sunbaenim and Jennie sunbaenim!"

"Ours? Kidding, Taehyung-nim."

"I'm excited to see them all. But mainly Jennie sunbaenim and Taehyung sunbaenim."

"Jennie!"

"Taehyung."

"Jennie."

"Taehyung-nim!"

Various responses contained the same answer. No one wanted to miss the rare event where both of them were present at the same event other than Mama. This year, somehow, both top idols' schedules included the Golden Disk Awards.

However, this also meant great viewership, which meant more pressure on performances, which in turn meant more chaos.

Taehyung, no matter the world class fame he got, still was ushered around from corner to corner in order to prepare for a what was hopefully going to be a picture perfect performance.

He sighed, taking a deep breath as he looked at his deep red suit in the mirror. It wasn't firetruck red, thankfully, yet it still stood out enough for him to catch everyones eyes in all the right ways.

"Are you ready?" His manager, Dae, asked as Taehyung nodded, sighing deeply as he stepped onto and crouched on the stage lift, preparing for his entrance as he was handed his mic and prop mask.

Although the other idols had expectations, Taehyung had all that and more.

He was one of the top idols to ever debut as he was one of the idols to propel the k-industry to the forefront of the world. Recognition from the president, global ambassadorship for famed Italian fashion house, Gucci, and several international and domestic awards under his name.

He had to be perfect as a single slip up could erupt into thousands of articles the next day.

"Okay, you're on in 3." One of the staffs informed him as Taehyung nodded, taking a deep breath as he heard the roar of the crowd as his performance was announced.

Slowly, the stage rose as he stepped up, the mask covering his face, as he prepared to deliver what would be one of the strongest performances of the night.

As the intro music began to play, Taehyung's heartbeat synced with the rhythm, and all his apprehension melted away. Stepping into the spotlight, he felt an electric surge of energy from the audience, their devotion tangible in the air. He slowly unveiled his mask as the familiar introduction of his latest hit song, 'Singularity' began to fill the stadium.

With a dazzling smirk, he launched into his opening song, a captivating blend of soulful vocals and mesmerizing choreography.

His voice resonated through the venue, enveloping the audience in a euphoric trance. Taehyung moved with effortless grace, executing every dance move with precision and fluidity, captivating his fans' hearts.

This was Taehyung's charm. The minute he began, he sucked you right in to a place with no escape. He had the charisma to command the stage and make it look easy. This was the performance king that all the young idols admired.

This was how Taehyung rose beyond the single country fame of an idol.

As the performance ended, he steadied himself as he tried to control his breathing when the camera focused on his ending pose. Smiling, he settled for his signature 'V' pose as he descended down the stage lift, accompanied by the never ending cheers and yells of support from his ever-so-loyal fandom.

As soon as he reached the bottom, he immediately collapsed and gathered as much air as he could. He poured everything into that performance, and needed a moment to recover as the staff helped him collect himself and move away from the wings to the rest of the backstage.

Smiling and thanking other idols who offered words of appraisal, he picked himself up and proceeded to the green rooms, intending to grab a snack before he had to change and be back out.

Thankfully for him, his staff had let him return on his own. His dressing room was located further back due to the privacy it offered.

Taehyung ran a hand through his hair as he proceeded down the hallway, pulling out his phone as he quickly replied to the several unread messages on his phone.

However, his lack of attention to his surroundings caused him to bump into something, rather someone, as soon as he made the turn into his corridor, causing him to drop his phone and stumble.

Immediately out of reflex his hand shot out to stabilize whoever it was that collided with him, as he muttered a stream of apologies, staring down at the figure who's face he hadn't seen yet.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't observing my surroundings. Sorry." The quick reply came as the girl bowed and picked up his phone, which he had forgotten about the moment he saw her face.

"Jennie-ssi?" He asked, his voice growing a lot softer with concern as soon as he saw her tear streaked cheeks.

Truthfully, the last thing Taehyung had expected to run into was a tear-ridden Jennie.

Despite the years of working under the same label, the two had never interacted.

Yet she had always seemed so confident and sure of herself when he saw her. So for her to be crying and running down a hallway filled with idols something had to have been seriously wrong.

"I'm sorry." She whispered unexpectedly as she intended to pass by him and continue down the hall, but was interrupted as his hand closed around her wrist.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" He asked after a moment with a sigh. Although they hadn't talked before, they were still acquaintances.

They sort of grew up together. Surrounded by the same people and then eventually in the same building.

They saw one another at the company every now and then and had been on the HYBE variety programs that included the entire company. So it wasn't completely abnormal for him to be concerned. Or at least that's what he told himself.

But instead of replying, she only bit her lip as more tears threatened to spill from her eyes at any given moment.

Sighing, he looked around once before looking back at her.

"You wanna talk about it? My green room is right here and the staff are gone. I have food too." He spontaneously and rather unexpectedly offered as she seemed be unsure and thought about it for a moment.

Jennie herself looked around for a moment before looking down to her feet and then turning away to mutter something under her breath.

"If it wouldn't be too much of a bother."

And thats how the greatest k-pop idols that had never interacted before were seen entering one dressing room to bond over sandwiches and common idol trauma.