Dangerous Woman - BTS 8th Member

Who am I? Seokjin & Grace

ARMY's had taken to Twitter the moment the FESTA 2022 video had been posted, all panicking at the word 'hiatus' in the subtitles. The HYBE stocks had taken a hard knock at the news, though they picked back up at Jungkook's V-LIVE that was posted a day or two afterwards. However, the one thing that ARMY had noticed that their usually easygoing noona was being unusually quiet as she sat between Yoongi and Jin.

She had engaged and laughed when needed but when the focus hadn't been on her or she didn't need to say anything, she had gone quiet and picked at her food. Jin had also been uncharacteristically quiet and no amount of reassuring from BigHit about their female artist was quelling ARMY's worries or rumours. Local media was also reporting on ARMY's questions about whether the break was going to lead to Grace quitting BTS to go it alone. There was also no sign of her long awaited mixtape or any kind of music like the boys had been hinting at.

Radio silence had formed around Korea's Noona.

Then came Busan and Grace was back to her usual self, her performance gaining highly rated reviews at how she was able to pull off her dance moves in the clothes they had put her in, in the heels and for the fact that no one had actually heard her sing since the last time BTS were on stage.

And then came the news Seokjin was going to cancel the delay for his military service and he would be going to enlist in December.

Grace's life as she knew it came to an abrupt halt.

"I don't know who I am anymore," Grace admitted as she stared at the tea that Jin had made when the news had been announced that morning. Even though they were a couple, they had agreed to live separately for now until he came back from his service, though that didn't mean they couldn't have 'sleepovers.' Jin had woken up that morning to find his partner in front of her living room window, overlooking the gardens of the compound.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked, sitting down on her opposite side and stared at his own coffee.

Military plans were always going to come and he had wanted to go just after what would have been the end of their Map of the Soul tour but then the pandemic came, Butter came, Permission to Dance and everything else. Now he could finally go, with the rest of the boys to follow.

However, it meant that Grace would be on her own for the first time. She would be the one to represent BTS, represent BigHit as a solo artist, to represent their legacy, their songs and their performances. She would have to do that all alone, without none of the boys there to support her.

Grace had been their silent support during various solo promotions: she had been there for Yoongi's Agust D, Namjoon's Indigo, J-Hope's first mixtape then his first album, Jungkook's various solo projects, Jimin's first solo album and Taehyung's various modelling careers. She had always been there for Jin's solo projects, promos and more.

But they wouldn't be there for hers.

"I've finally got comfortable being the only member of BTS, and being the only female at BigHit. I've finally found my footing...but without you guys, who am I? Who can I claim to be? I've got nothing."

Jin reached over to brush her long hair away from her eyes, using his thumb to brush away the tears she finally allowed to flow.

"Who am I without you?" she whispered, turning to meet Jin's gaze.

"For starters, you're Grace Chu - BigHit's first female trainee, Namjoon's trainer, J-Hope's sunshine, Yoongi's support, Jimin's comforter, Taehyung's translator and Jungkook's mother. You're known as Korea's Noona, ARMY's queen, England's rose," Jin took hold of her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips. "Love of my life."

"You've got a whole team ready to stand behind you and I know you've got plans, things you want to do. BTS isn't BTS without you and I can't think of no other person who is going to represent us and ARMY to the rest of the world."

For Grace, there was always going to be the unsettling feeling that the boys were looking forward to their solo projects and she couldn't be more proud of them but for her, it was BTS or nothing. She couldn't perform without her boys.

However, she would later prove herself wrong when she was called into Bang's office and he began to personally oversee her solo career and endorsements. Sejin was recalled to be her manager, she got her own make up team and stylists from the BTS crew and the boys bodyguards became her own. To make her feel comfortable, it was the same team that she had worked with before.

Her worries remained with her each time she saw her boys off and when she got on stage on her own, but she would countdown the days until 2025 when they all would be reunited.

Grace turned away from her tea, glanced towards the window and felt Jin settle behind her, pulling her back against his chest. "I'll be with you every step of the way. You know I'll contact you every chance I get, and I'll see you when I can. You'll just have to get used to being a military wife, like ARMY has to."

Hearing Jin's signature laugh, the mood broke and Grace laughed as she sighed. "Always have to ruin the mood. What do you mean wife?!"

She never got the answer to that question.