Blessing In Disguise

Intro

Today, I'd like to explode.

I want to walk on a timed bomb as I make my 500th trip to the bank this year and to celebrate this achievement by dissipating into the air.

It would probably be better if my eyes landed on the few digits on the screen and instantly went blind, and perhaps somewhere in the bank, a timed bomb that had been waiting to go off exploded.

It's just hard to look at my balance. I just want to die. Well... not literally. I just feel like dying if that makes sense.

But that's just my gloomy mind acting up; I won't just pass away from lack of money. According to what they all say, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Yeah?

So I allowed myself to finally grin when I looked at the balance in my bank account. I chuckle, shrug it off, and then laugh. Why? Because in my opinion, anything that doesn't kill you makes you take chronic stress medicine.

    "This is just sad," I sigh, because sighing is probably the closest thing to crying as a response to what I just witnessed.

My bank might as well be empty.

This is how it had always been.

The victim, the underdog, and the bullied. My entire life has been a rollercoaster of bad luck. I've been down and lonely the whole time. I am nothing.

Hah!

Imagine all the cynical looks that narrative from the past received. I'm kidding.

I stood in total opposition to all of that. Although I can't claim to be any better now, I have always been joyful and have never experienced depression. Now let me introduce myself.

I have always been a popular person. I belonged to a reputable group. I practically make everyone in a room turn around the moment I enter. The popular people always get the attention, and among the 11 of us, I'm glad to say that I enjoy a fair amount of popularity.

We numbered eleven. Four at first, but after getting to know Kim Namjoon's friends—a group of seven guys who eventually and mostly became a big part of how we became so well-known in high school—everything started to add up. People back then naturally spoke about them a lot because they were all gorgeous, well-built men who excelled in school, played sports, and won band contests. "BTS" was the name of their band.

I don't want to claim that I piggybacked on their fame to get famous. I'd like to believe that their presence only made my qualities stand out more. I excelled in art class, served as the choir band leader at my school, and won many competitions for both choir and solo. My three friends Wheein, Byul, and Yong went on this excursion with me. It's really a lost cause without the three of us participating in any singing contests.

People looked up at us. People looked up at me.

When I considered what might happen if they met the current me, I could only chuckle bitterly. They're going to think differently since I'm a freelancer, 25 years old, who works odd jobs here and there to make ends meet and is attempting to build a restaurant, but the money simply won't come.

Sigh.

I thought of withdrawing some money today but I put that on hold.

Just as I turn to leave, my face crashes into someone's chest. I look up to see not one, not two, but three of my old friends.

Magically out of nowhere as if my thoughts awhile ago summoned them - there stands Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook, looking bewildered that they bumped into me. It's been a long time since we're face to face like this.