Begin (JJK) BTS 2026 series Book 3 (COMPLETED)

Late Night Musings

Jungkook lies in his bed, in the dark of night, staring at that same discoloration on the ceiling. His face is stern and his brow wrinkles as he plays through the day in his head. He isn't sure at all that he was fair when he spoke to Yoongi and it's been bothering him since he left the studio. He pictures the look on his face as he described Moon, and what he felt. It was very familiar to Jungkook from the other members, but never from Yoongi. It's totally out of character for him to say any of this about a woman, and he knows that his feelings must be genuine, perhaps as genuine as Taehyung's.

A few hours earlier he had been completely supportive of Taehyung; helping him to figure out how to put things right with Hana, because he knew it was the right thing to do. But, with Yoongi, he was so angry after his meeting with PD, he couldn't offer the same support. He was being selfish, thinking only of his emotions in that moment, and he feels the sting of shame as he lies in bed thinking about it.

The idea of Yoongi finding someone and settling down was never in his mind. He had been resistant to the idea of it the entire time he had known him, or, rather, after that first year, after Yumi left, he knew that Yoongi focused only on work, and the songs he wrote and the music he created had shaped his career, all of their careers, and had given them so many opportunities. His genius was enough to create an entire life for all of them and it was a great life. But, was it really fair to expect that he be alone forever only to serve them? He frowns and turns over on his mattress, staring at the window.

Serving only your career is a pretty empty kind of life, he thinks as he pictures Binna. She's obviously not had anything but a career since she got out of school, maybe doesn't even consider having a personal life. He can almost picture her tiny studio apartment, ready made meals in the cupboard, maybe even a cat for company. He laughs to himself at the idea of it, so textbook. If that's all she has in her life, maybe that's why she would go behind his back to meet with Bang PD and try to steal the job away from him. He frowns remembering how it felt to be scolded by Bang PD and how embarrassed he felt; that was her doing. He had already asked her to work on it, he had been more than generous, more than fair with her. He really shouldn't have bothered. He rolls over in bed and closes his eyes, frustrated. Maybe he can focus on something else to get to sleep, like the pretty assistant in Bang PD's office who very obviously has a crush on him. He smiles to himself, letting go of all the negative thoughts.

***

Binna sits in a chair by her window looking out over the hub of activity from the noodle shop in the building across the street from her apartment. She has her notebook out and she's looking through notes she made earlier when she was meeting with Jungkook. He has a lot of ideas, unfocused, but filled with them, and her notes are just as scattered as he was as he poured out thoughts to her. Meeting with him, over a meal, over his meal, seemed to bring out a different side to him. She had thought of him as a little conceited, a little childish at times, certainly attractive-. She stops herself and looks back out to the commotion outside the shop as two inebriated businessmen argue over their bags of take away. He is attractive, and she can definitely see the appeal, but perhaps he was just a little more attractive once he settled down to business with her.

She had questioned if she could work with him, let alone work for him, but, when he's focused on work, as he had been during the V live performance, there is something magical about him that draws you in and makes you want to be part of it, part of his glow. She watches the businessmen shove each other and she rolls her eyes at the sad state of them. They're far too old to be reeling in the streets like a couple of teenagers. She pulls the curtain back a little as she sees the shop owner come out of the door waving a broom in the air above him. The businessmen stop their tussle to look at him, and burst out laughing. She shakes her head as she watches them walk off, arm and arm with each other. She's far too old to be playing games. She needs this job, she needs this music video, to get to her next step. She's heard rumors that there might be another BTS tour documentary planned, and she knows that she is the perfect person to direct it. She has essentially made a travel documentary already, and the proof of that is on her hard drive, probably still sitting on the desk in Bang PD's office.

It's been a little over a year since she was able to travel. Working on these sorts of docs series means you stay close to the company headquarters, and she hadn't felt the thrill of waking up in a new city, wondering for just a moment where you are, what language they are speaking, before you pull back the curtain to your hotel room or rented flat and see a new city spread out in front of you, all yours to discover. When she was working on her documentary series, she had traveled extensively through Europe. She spent months in researching before the crew even arrived to film and she spent several years capturing footage and editing each series before it was released. It was almost as if she lived in this foreign world, and she grew accustomed to life on the road, in other cities, and not having a permanent home. It didn't bother her to be there alone, because she didn't have to worry about anyone else, she didn't have to please anyone else. The opportunity to direct this documentary series came at such a perfect time in her life, after a very miserable break up from a long term relationship that almost made her consider giving up her career and settling down to start a family. She jumped at the chance to escape Korea, and to just exist somewhere else in the wider world, somewhere she could start over, and be a new version of herself, a better version.

She shakes her head at the memory of him, and of the life she had started to imagine for herself. She is the only one of her old school friends who is not married and doesn't have a child. But, none of them are still working in the industry like she is. When she occasionally meets them for lunch or coffee, to catch up, they marvel at how successful she is and how determined she is to keep at the job. They complain about school schedules, lessons, and chauffeuring children from one activity to another. They bore her with tales of feeling overwhelmed with chores and duties and feeling stifled  creatively and she smiles to herself privately thinking the answer to all of that is for her to keep focusing on work.

Tomorrow, she will meet with Jungkook, outline a plan for the new footage, and get started with the preproduction. When this video is done, millions of people around the world will see it, and the spotlight will shine a little brighter on her because of it. Bang PD will have to consider her for the tour documentary. She closes her notebook, and pulls the curtains closed in her little studio apartment.