Rosekook Oneshot Collection

14. The Story of Rosekook

{idol life, first love, slight angst}

Remember the way you made me feel,
Such a young love,
But something in me knew that it was real,
Frozen in my head.
⤝❁⤞

Jungkook and Chaeyoung were only 15 years old when their paths crossed for the first time.

In 2012, both had recently left their families and uprooted their whole lives in hopes of fulfilling their lifelong dreams of becoming singers. They were young, they were scared, and they were uncertain what the future held. The entertainment industry was highly competitive and strict which meant, if they wanted to succeed, they had to dedicate their whole lives, their whole souls to their training. Love and dating were not even options for them.

So, one winter day, when they met at a dance workshop, neither paid much attention to the other. But, unbeknownst to them, that one, almost imperceptible moment was the beginning of a cosmic shift in their worlds. It was a small intersection in the paths of their lives that would later form the basis for a whole highway of emotions. The invisible thread of connection between them. The start of their love story.

Seoul, Winter 2012

This was the fourth dance workshop Bighit had forced Jungkook to attend in the past month. They claimed the classes were already helping him gain a sense of rhythm, but he knew they were lying. His body just didn't move the way it was supposed to. He had never danced in his life, and yet they expected his skills to catch up to the rest of the BTS members in a matter of months. It was a lot to ask for.

And yet, Jungkook wanted to succeed. He wanted to prove he could do it. If not for anyone else, then at least for himself.

The one positive aspect of this workshop was that Namjoon had been forced to accompany Jungkook, so he wasn't completely alone.

The dance studio they were currently sitting in was infamous for training new idols. People like GD, SNSD, and DBSK had taken dance courses there. Not only did it boast a famous lineup of choreographers, but it was also situated downtown. This was optimal because it was located near all the major entertainment companies.

Usually, the big three companies trained their rookies on their own terms because they had the means to do so, but every so often, they allowed their trainees to take mixed classes at that particular studio – partly because of its location and reputation, but also as a method of scoping out the competition.

Even now, as Jungkook looked around at the several teenagers around him, he recognized a few of the trainees from different companies. There were a few boys from JYP – who could have been his groupmates had he chosen to accept their offer – goofing around in the middle of the large dance studio. In one corner, Jungkook recognized a few girls from SM Entertainment. The rest of the trainees were from smaller companies, just like his. He had seen a few of them on the subway earlier that morning.

Most of the teenagers in the room conversed in their own little, close circles. No one wanted to risk even looking at someone for too long in case their managers found out. Because dating was strictly prohibited no matter what company you belonged to and even something as tiny as a flirty conversation could be used as ammunition to end a trainee's whole career.

Jungkook and Namjoon stayed in their own corner for that very same reason, helping each other stretch prior to the beginning of the lesson.

"I feel like there's more people here than usual," Jungkook observed as he looked around at the crowded room as even more people filtered through the doors.

"I heard the choreographer of today's lesson worked with SNSD in the past, so everyone probably wants to learn their techniques."

That made sense. SNSD was one of the leading groups of the new KPOP wave that was taking over all of Asia. Every company was trying to steal the secrets to their success. Everyone was trying to create the next big thing that would take their place. Big hit entertainment, on the other hand, would be grateful just to get Jungkook and Namjoon to learn how to coordinate their awkward limbs.