Dangerous Woman - BTS 8th Member

Lights Will Guide You Home - Seokjin & Grace

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

Fix You - Coldplay

Mandatory military service.

18-24 months of service required of all able-bodied South Korean men aged 18 to 28.

Delayed so Kim Seokjin could continue being a member of BTS but now entering as a private citizen, not a member of Bangtan Sonyeondan.

It brought heartbreak to millions, no one more so than Grace Chu.

Of course, in private, this decision had been discussed and made very early on. Many discussions had taken place that Jin wanted to go into the military after their Maps of the Soul tour but then COVID hit, Butter and Dynamite arrived, Permission to Dance on Stage and then the FESTA announcement of their solo projects and then finally, finally, Busan.

Every time he had planned to go, there was a pushback and a delay and now he was finally going, December 13th 2022.

Privately, Grace had accepted it and had done her goodbyes to her boyfriend of four years. Together they had worked through their problems of being a couple and being in the biggest band ever seen, of Seokjin's insecurities of not being good enough, of Grace's problems with her identity. Together they had been through it all but now it would just be Grace, who would have to go through this another seven times.

It was the worst kind of heartache - knowing your loved one was only hours away yet on the front lines, limited phone calls or texts, days off were only a day and she wouldn't see him properly until 2024. Until that time, her schedule was packed to the rim with her own projects such as an album, a tour, photoshoots, contracts with designers, meetings and more. There wouldn't be time to understand the loss of one of her biggest supporters, there wouldn't be time to adjust to having none of them there.

It was a horrid awareness Grace was experiencing as she and the rest of BTS were saying goodbye.

Of course, they all put on brave faces, as they each took pictures with Seokjin and goofed off for the BANGTAN BOMB camera. It was easy to slip into the public persona even in front of families to starve off tears that threatened to spill over.

Hobi, understanding what was needed, managed to drag Jimin and Taehyung to distract the camera long enough for the couple to have their private moment (or as private as it was going to get).

"I'll contact you the moment I can," Seokjin's voice was muffled behind the mask he wore as he pulled Grace to his chest, allowing her to hide her face in it even if more a moment.

"And I'll keep you and ARMY updated as often as I can. Don't let Jungkook distract you too much, and work hard and send me photos of where you're going. And I'll make sure the guys are safe too. Oh and don't forget to eat, go home and see your parents and look after Min-Ji."

"Are you going away or am I?" Grace asked, chuckling as she reached up to use the cuff of her coat to wipe her cheeks. "And Jungkook won't leave me alone, I think he's pretty much moved in at this point."

It was just as hard for Jungkook. It had always been joked around that Seokjin was one of the main reasons Jungkook had stayed in BTS, he was the one who had raised the fifteen-year-old, helped him do his homework, take him to school, put up with his antics, and was Jungkook's safe place. He had been silent the whole day since they all arrived, barely able to say a word or two but he didn't need to.

Seokjin knew Jungkook's silence better than anyone.

I'll miss you. Don't get hurt and hurry back because it's going to hurt without you.

And Grace was exactly the same.

I'll miss you. I love you. Don't leave but I know you have to so hurry back because I can't do this life without you.

Seokjin pressed a kiss to Grace's forehead, knowing he couldn't do what he wanted to do while in front of everyone. But he didn't need to because Grace knew it all behind that kiss - I'll miss you as well and I'm proud of you.

Grace pulled away to let the boys continue their goodbyes and she used Namjoon's huge frame to take a moment to wipe her tears, to compose herself and slip back into her stage persona. Because it was easier to show that than it was to show what she was truly feeling.

Alone.

Namjoon glanced over his shoulder and gave his noona a gentle nudge to the shoulder, giving her his silent support. Yoongi came wandering over and reached up, making sure her mask was in place and gave her a look to say 'You've got this. We're here.'

Finally, Seokjin was called over to begin his entrance ceremony and Grace felt a hand slip into hers. She looked up to see the youngest, his eyes just as watery as hers even underneath that bucket hat and she gave his hand a squeeze back. Under his breath, he began humming Jin's Astronaut song causing her to smile.

It would hurt to do this seven more times, it would hurt to say goodbye over and over again and it would hurt to be standing on stage as the only member of BTS remaining but the countdown began to 2025 when all of them would be back in Grace's arms and they would be all together again.

She just had to wait.