Chapter 13: Blue Hoodie Girl
Author's Note: Hey guys! I had a tiring day today and all I can say is that Adulting is NOT easy. Nope. Nuh – uh. It sucks. I had to fulfill my requirements for my summer internships for school and boy was it tough. I feel like an adult now and it's unnerving. Yikes. Anyhooo, now it's time for another update and I now that for most of you, you've been itching to read more. Well then, your wish is my command. ;)
Edit: I started writing this last week and meant to upload it then but I couldn't finish in time because SCHOOL. I'm so sorry. T.T
Anyway, by the time I uploaded this whoaaaa a LOT has happened.
Firstly, BTS swept the iHeartRadio Awards. Winning both Best Boyband and Best Fan Army is such a HUGE accomplishment for both Bangtan and us ARMY and I'm just so so SO proud of us you guys. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *screams even louder, inhuman wails* TEAM WORK REALLY DOES MAKE THE DREAM WORK! Second, BTSxYoutube Red, which unfortunately isn't available here in the Philippines. And even if it was, I have no money to pay for it. T.T #lifesuckssometimes. Third, Jungkook's latest cover! Kookie always catches me offguard with his Twitter updates, dang it. And fourth, Don't Leave Me like ugghhh.
Anyway, enough with my rambling. Let's go on to the story!
Legend:
Bold - English Translation
Italicized - Inner voice/monologue
Bold and Italicized - Tweets
Normal - spoken in Korean
Underlined - spoken in English
Y/N's POV
Blue Hoodie Girl. Blue Hoodie Girl.
Why does that sound familiar?
I looked down at what I was wearing. I was wearing a powder blue hoodie.
A powder blue hoodie.
And the last time I checked I was a girl. I looked at the trends list again. Then I glanced at Somi – unni's stern face that got sterner by the second. The dread in the pit of my stomach steadily grew.
"Are you sure Unni? T – there must be a mistake right?"
Please, please, please let it be a mistake!
Huffing in annoyance, Somi – unni scrolled through her phone, searching for something, then showed it again to me.
Immediately, my eyes grew as big as saucers.
I am undeniably, irrevocably, totally screwed.
It was a picture of Jungkook and I with his lips lightly pressed on my forehead. He had his eyes closed as if he was putting every emotion into the kiss. What emotion, I wasn't sure but he definitely looked at peace.
Well good for him. He wasn't the one who's going to be harassed by media when his identity is found nor get chewed out by Bang PD for a breach of contract! Jeon Jungkook you are so dead!
There was one good thing about the photo though. My back was turned so all you could see was my long hair and powder blue hoodie. It looked as though the one who snapped it was in the audience so my identity was safe.
For now.
A palpable fear gripped me then and there. I could lose it all and I haven't even started yet! I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening my eyes once more, I turned an imploring gaze to my unnis. I was lost.
"U - unni, what should I do? What if Bang PD – nim cuts me out?"
My unnis shared worried glances among themselves, as if afraid to voice out their concerns. Then Somi – unni, gave her phone to Feng Jiu – unni and stepped forward with her arms wide open. I unhesitatingly jumped into them.
"It's ok Y/N. We're here. It's going to be alright." She crooned as she stroked my hair.
I hugged her tight and squeezed my eyes shut. I needed this. I needed someone to keep me strong and grounded and she was there. The oldest unni was always to the rescue.
"Thanks Unni. I really hope so. I'd hate to fail without even getting started."
Haru – unni stepped to my side and held my hand. "Somi – unni's right, Y/N. We're here no matter what happens. We're going to get through this together."
I glanced to her and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you Unni. It's really nice to know you guys have my back."
"And honestly, I think you're overreacting Y/N. The caption to the picture wasn't even negative." Feng Jiu – unni commented with a snort as she reviewed the picture once again.
"It wasn't?"
"Nuh – uh. It says 'Kookie's sweet moment with a fan. I wish I was her. She's so lucky! Sigh. Bangtan is so nice.'
Wait what?
Shocked, I extricated myself from Somi – unni's embrace and went over to Feng Jiu – unni who showed me the phone with a crooked smile.
She was right.
Disbelieving, I grabbed the phone from her and started scrolling down. Under the tweet, several more positive and uplifting comments greeted my eyes.
'Why is Jungkook so adorably mischievous? I feel sorry for the poor fan's heart.'
'She has such beautiful hair! I want hair like hers!'
'International Playboy on the loose. Kekeke.'
'Where can I buy her hoodie?'
I was utterly gobsmacked that I started staring off into space. Unbeknownst to me, Haru – unni and Somi – unni had come to peer over my shoulder.
"See it wasn't so bad now was it, Y/N? They like you!" Haru – unni squealed suddenly that I came out of my reverie with a start.
"What's not to like? Y/N is a very likable person!" Somi – unni reinforced with a wink.
Feng Jiu – unni suddenly took the phone again from my hand and I let out a whine of protest.
"Hey!"
She smirked at me. "Now, let's see what the other people think."
We crowded around her as she scrolled through more tweets. Apparently, ARMY had also captured my sweet moments with the other members of Bangtan and thankfully only my back was seen in all of them.
Salamat sa Diyos. (Thank God.)
Surprisingly, majority of the Tweets were complimenting how nice and sweet Bangtan was. Others were saying how lucky I was for receiving their affection, with one even asking what my secret was. 'Maybe it's her blue hoodie!' one ARMY replied.
Nope.
'If that's the case, where can I buy it?' another commented.
At a thrift store in the Philippines for Php 150.00!
Some were commenting how I had good proportions even from the back. I rolled my eyes at that. 'I bet it's the hair. She has gorgeous hair! Long and straight and black. #HairGoals' one ARMY gushed.
Courtesy of the fresh coconut milk from the coconut trees around our house. That and the fact that Mama insisted I put it on regularly. Sigh.
With each Tweet I read, I could feel my apprehension slowly drift away and a newfound appreciation for ARMY took its place.
"Whoa. So far all comments have been very positive!" Somi – unni exclaimed in awe.
"That's ARMY for you. They're known to be very supportive of each other." Haru – unni replied with a grin.
"Well sorry to be a buzzkill girls, but not all of ARMY." Feng Jiu – unni commented with a pout as she showed us another tweet.
'Yeah so what if you've got a nice ass and beautiful hair if you haven't got any manners? She and her friend arrived late and disrupted the fanmeeting. What a bitch.' A particularly disgruntled ARMY expressed.
'You said it. What a thick – faced bitch.'Another angry ARMY replied under it.
'If I was her, I wouldn't even have showed my face to Bangtan. What a disgrace.' A third agreed.
I sighed. Geez, overdramatic much?
"Why these rude bitches! I ought to show them!" Somi – unni thundered.
Whoa. Unni never cursed.
Haru – unni patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Now, now Unni. Calm down."
"I can't be calm when these rude ass bitches are running their mouths about our maknae! I won't stand for it!"
Feng Jiu – unni ever the calm one spoke up then. "Relax, Unni. Someone already did that for you. Look." She gestured to the other replies to the tweet.
'I think you're the one without manners cursing at someone so harshly.'
'Well then I guess you've never been late to anything in your life now have you?'
'Maybe something came up that's why she was late. You shouldn't judge her so harshly.'
'As an ARMY I'm ashamed to belong to the same fandom as you. Stop bringing your toxicity here.'
'Wow, jealous much? And btw maybe she had an emergency. I just read that a car accident happened a few miles from the venue, stranding several people. So unless you know everything, don't judge her and shut your mouth.'
Other outpouring of support for me and criticism for the few negative ARMY flowed after that.
"Whoo this fandom sure is extreme." Feng Jiu – unni whistled.
"Tell me about it. It goes either way." Somi – unni agreed calmly, a little bit more at ease.
I just shrugged my shoulders at them. "At the end of the day, someone will always have something to say about you. You just have to be sensible enough to accept whatever it is, good or bad."
"Oooh. Our maknae is growing up." Haru – unni chirped.
I gave her a small grin in reply.
Suddenly, Feng Jiu unni gave a noise of surprise.
"What is it?"
"Maknae, you got to see this."
I read it and I could feel my eyebrows slowly rise into my hairline, conveying my surprise.
'I keep seeing negative tweets about Blue Hoodie Girl and it makes me sad. We are the face of Bangtan and we do them no good by being so critical and judgemental of each other. Team work makes the dream work remember? And FYI to those who are saying she's rude, you are all wrong. I was right next to her during the signing and she was anything but rude. She kept a respectful distance from the members, bowed to them in greeting and kept her time short.
The ARMY used up all her characters and proceeded to continue her Tweet in a thread.
And even if the members were being extra sweet to her, she was very formal and didn't take advantage of them. You would do well to learn how to be a proper fangirl from her fellow ARMYs. And to Blue Hoodie Girl who may be reading this, don't mind the haters. You did nothing wrong. Just continue being the awesomely respectful fangirl that you are. Fighting!'
The tweet was liked and retweeted over five thousand times.
"Aww, how sweet!" Haru – unni took the words right out of my mouth.
"Well whaddya know, it seems as though ARMY did our work for us." Feng Jiu – unni chuckled.
"I guess I can rest easy now." Somi – unni breathed in relief as she sank down to the couch.
A genuine smile lit up my face as I took in all the information that made my heart bloom in joy.
This. This was what made ARMY truly a wonderful fandom.
"Whoops. Looks like you're in for a bigger surprise. Apparently, you need to be protected now." Feng Jiu – unni commented amusedly.
"What?"
"#ProtectBlueHoodieGirl is trending. No one would dare mess with you now unless they want to face the most powerful ARMY in the world."
Yikes. The power of ARMY is a force to be reckoned with.
We continued to read the rest of the tweets under the new hashtag to see most of ARMY coming to my defense. One particular account was very vocal about keeping my identity hidden.
'Blue Hoodie Girl isn't obliged to reveal who she is to immature, stubborn ARMYs like you. She has the right to a private, peaceful life. Get off her case. #ProtectBlueHoodieGirl
This particular tweet was retweeted and liked more than ten thousand times.
Thank you ARMY. Really,thank you for understanding.
I gave a look of relief and happiness to my unnis who nodded silently in jubilation.
That night I lay in bed thinking how one small act could cause such a huge ripple in such a big community
It's social media. One act could mean your win or your loss. You have to be extra careful from now on, Y/N. The next incident could really spell the end for you. My inner voice cautioned me.
Bu it wasn't my fault! Another voice argued. It's Jeon Jungkook's! I was very discreet! I didn't even do anything to provoke him! I just don't understand him. He pisses me off! Jungkook neo pabo! I don't wanna talk to him for now!
You sure?
Absolutely!
I grabbed my phone and turned it off.
There! If he calls, I'll just send him straight to voicemail!
With a huff, I fluffed my pillow and I finally fell into a deep sleep.
Jungkook's POV
"Hyung like this. You do it like this." Hobi – hyung was trying to hold back laughter as he showed the choreography to a frowning Namjoon – hyung.
"Like this?" Namjoon – hyung said as he awkwardly executed a pop – lock motion.
"No. Like this."
"Like this?"
"No! Hyung what even is that?" Exploded Hobi – hyung in a fit of laughter.
"I'm following you of course!" Namjoon – hyung grumbled.
I shook my head in mirth as I wiped the sweat off my brow. It was early in the evening. We were in the middle of a short break in our daily dance practice. Well, the other members and I were. Hobi – hyung was stuck teaching Namjoon – hyung the new choreography. It was a normal occurrence of course, but that didn't make it less funny for any of us.
"Yah Dance Monster! Hurry it up so you and Hobi can take a break." Jin – hyung called from across the room with a smug smirk.
"Oh wipe that smirk off your face Hyung! You just got lucky you learned the choreography faster than I did."
"Yah who do you think I am? I'm Worldwide Handsome."
"For what it's worth I think I dance better than you."
"Says the guy who can't even get a pop – lock right."
"Can it, guys. You both suck at dancing." Yoongi – hyung inserted with a roll of his eyes and everyone else lost it.
"Pfffttt. Wha wha wha." Jin – hyung sputtered in disbelief.
"Yes Hyung." Namjoon – hyung hung his head in resignation.
"Yah Namjoon – hyung it's okay." I called out to him from my corner of the room after I recovered from my mirth. "You still have Jin – hyung beat when it comes to smarts and English skills."
Jin – hyung looked affronted. "Yah I'm getting better in English too you know!"
V – hyung snickered. "Oh really?"
"Really. You know 'Red'?"
"Red?"
Jin – hyung raised his head imperiously. "Red. Revolution. Evolution. Drop in the ocean."
Another bout of laughter ensued.
V – hyung was clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground. "Hyung that doesn't count. Those are just three words!"
"They're in English." Jin – hyung argued with a shrug of his shoulders. The rest of the members snickered at him while Yoongi – hyung rolled his eyes again, this time in amusement.
Hobi – hyung went back to teaching Namjoon – hyung while the others savoured their short break. I dragged my gaze across the room to Jimin – hyung who has been quiet all this time. He was squinting as he scrolled through his phone and had a really serious expression on. It was unnerving.
Curious, I went over to sit by him.
"Hyung you all right?"
No answer.
"Hyung."
Nothing.
"Hyung!"
He jumped with a start.
"Oh Jungkookie. What's up?"
"What's up with you?"
He sighed. "I just Tweeted. Then I went through Twitter and I saw this." He showed his phone to me. My eyes bulged from its sockets.
It was a picture of me kissing Noona on the forehead.
"You're in big trouble now Kookie."
"B – but it was just a quick kiss!"
"Not quick enough."
I hung my head in shame.
It was supposed to be just a harmless prank!
My sudden outburst drew the other members' attention and they sauntered over to us. "What's wrong Jimin – ah?" Namjoon – hyung came forward first.
Jimin – hyung pointed to me with a shake of his head. "He messed up."
"What?"
Jimin – hyung showed his phone to the rest of Bangtan resulting in different reactions. Jin – hyung and Namjoon – hyung were twin masks of stern. Yoongi – hyung had a poker face on. Hoseok – hyung looked curious. V – hyung was frozen in shock. And Jimin – hyung shook his head so much I was afraid it might fall off.
"See, this is why I was against this." Namjoon – hyung scolded me.
I grew indignant. "Yah! You joined in too Hyung!"
"At least I didn't kiss her!"
Jin – hyung rushed to preserve the peace. "Calm down you guys. We still don't know the whole story."
"Jin – hyung's right." Yoongi – hyung suddenly spoke up from where he squatted next to Jimin – hyung. It looked like he was reading the Tweet. "It's not all that bad."
'Not all that bad' meaning what, exactly?
Hobi – hyung went over to read the Tweet as well. He let out a surprised gasp. "Wahh. He's right. ARMY is actually praising her and us. Come look."
With our curiosities piqued, we crowded around Jimin – hyung's phone to see. And indeed it wasn't bad. In fact, it was all pretty good. ARMY was gushing about how nice and sweet we were to her. Some even praised Noona for her beautiful hair.
She does have pretty hair. Wait what?
We continued reading the Tweets. Most of them were very positive while some slightly offensive, particularly one about Noona's proportions. I felt my indignation flame up a bit after reading that one. However the most offensive one had to be when one person called her a bitch for being late to the fan meet and disrupting the event. A few more hate tweets followed after that and by then I was seething with anger.
Who do these people think they are? They're not real ARMYs if they call other people bad names! Noona is far from a bitch.
"Uh – oh. Some people are not happy." Jin – hyung commented with a frown.
"Still, that doesn't justify them calling her a bitch, Hyung." V – hyung argued.
"You're right. It doesn't. But people nowadays don't even care if they hurt other people or not as long as they get to say what they want to say." Namjoon – hyung added disapprovingly.
Yeah well it's still mean and my Noona doesn't deserve that.
"I wonder if Y/N saw these already." Hobi – hyung muttered thoughtfully.
"Of course she has, Hyung. Knowing her unnis, I'm sure she knows by now." Jimin – hyung supplied.
"The real question is does Bang PD – nim know?" Suga – hyung interjected and we all hung down our heads and sighed.
Great Kookie. Just great. This is one of this rare times when your pranks blow up in your face. Can't say Namjoon – hyung didn't warn you though.
Sighing loudly, Namjoon hyung straightened up and gave us all a reassuring smile. "Well whatever happens we'll stick together no matter what. It's not just on Kookie. It's on all of us." He clapped each of us on the back. "We'll explain to Bang PD – nim and sort this all out, okay?"
The other members nodded their assent and gave me encouraging smiles to which I gave a shaky smile of my own. My hyungs truly are the best for always putting up with a mischievous maknae like me.
Hobi – hyung went beside me and put his arm around me. "So Jungkookie how does it feel to have one of your pranks fail?" He asked jokingly.
"Awful. And it stings a little. My Golden Maknae image has been ruined." I mockingly clutched at my heart as if I was dying to the utmost amusement of my hyungs.
"Yah! You're not all that great you know." Jin – hyung argued in between huffs of laughter.
"Yes, I am. My awesomeness blinds you so much that you can't even see it."
Another round of laughter ensued.
"Jungkookie, just stop. That was even worse than one of Jin – hyung's dad jokes." V – hyung clutched his stomach and grimaced.
"Hyung if that was so bad then why are you laughing?"
He just laughed his ass off as a response.
"Whoa looks like more good news is on the horizon." Jimin – hyung announced again. "It seems like ARMY has just made themselves protectors of Y/N."
"#ProtectBlueHoodieGirl. Waah that's so cute!" Jin – hyung piped up as he read up on the latest trend.
"Apparently, there are a few ARMYs who want Y/N to reveal her identity." Jimin – hyung added as he scanned the entire Tweet. "This is the rest of ARMYs answer to that."
"ARMY truly is the best." Yoongi – hyung nodded proudly.
"True. They're not perfect but a lot of them are supportive of each other." Hobi – hyung mused.
"Hmm – hmm." The other members of Bangtan myself included assented.
ARMY I love you!
Silence filled the room after that with the occasional squeak and murmurs of the members puncturing the silence as they read a particularly cute or touching tweet with the hashtag. I didn't realized I was staring off into space until Namjoon – hyung nudged my shoulder.
"Yah Jungkookie. What are you spacing out there for? Don't you need to call someone?"
"Huh? Who?"
He gave me an exasperated look. "Y/N of course! Aren't you going to call her? Ask her how she's doing?"
Jeon Jungkook pabo!
I facepalmed myself. "Right, right! Thanks Hyung!"
I got up, grabbed my phone and excused myself to go outside. Then I dialled Noona's number. It just kept on ringing and ringing and ringing. And ringing. Eventually, I was redirected to voice mail. I sighed then cleared my throat before speaking.
"Annyeong Noona. Um how are you doing?"
How do you think she's doing, Jungkook?
I shook my head and tried again. "U – uh I mean I just wanna say sorry. I'm really sorry for the trouble I've caused you. I'll take all the blame if Bang PD – nim decides to scold you. Just… "
I choked for a bit as the possibility of Noona not forgiving me suddenly entered my mind.
"J – just please forgive me. Please stay being my friend. Please Noona. Call me when you get this. Please."
I ended the call. I sighed and cradled my head in my hands.
You might have just screwed up this time Jungkookie.
Author's Note: Unexpectedly, this chapter turned out into a tribute of sorts to ARMY. We may not be perfect but our love for Bangtan unites us all. ;) I hope all my fellow ARMYs know that they are loved not only by BTS but also by their co – ARMYs all over the world. Saranghaeyo! 3
Anyway, in this chapter, to call everything a mess would be an understatement. Pretty much anything can happen from this point on. Will Bang PD – nim cut off Y/N from the group for the "scandal" she's involved in? Will she forgive Kookie? Will BTS get chewed out by Bang PD – nim? WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW? Comment down what you think will happen below. ;)
PS. I meant to post this last night but was down, so it got delayed. Sigh. I'm really sorry. I do hope you enjoyed this update. Annyeong! ^_^