Veautiful Days

Jeju Island 🔥

Jennie Kim put her sunglasses on as her boyfriend, Kim Taehyung, drove down the road on Jeju Island. He rolled down the windows to let some fresh air inside as she dozed off, slumping down in her seat. The theme of this weekend trip was escapism. The K-pop couple was going away to seek distraction and relief from the unpleasant reality that BTS had just filmed their Festa dinner which would announce their hiatus. Tae and the other members knew there would be a mixed reaction from their fans and the music industry, including perhaps the government. Whatever the outcome would be in a few weeks when the video aired, it was difficult to film, with his members shedding tears throughout the taping.

The mood inside the car was a mix of melancholy and romance. It was Tae's idea to go on this trip to seek entertainment and engage in fantasy to make him forget. Even though their new concept of chapter two was beginning, the sentiment of chapter one ending was not lost on him. During the ferry ride and the car ride on the island, Tae hadn't said much, perhaps avoiding the gravity of the situation. It was such a downer.

Half an hour later, the couple arrived at their destination. Tae closed the car door behind him and Jennie followed until they reached the gate of the zoo. As they toured the place, they enjoyed feeding the baby alpacas and learned how to bird call at the bird sanctuary.

When they found a pair of parrots, one male and one female, Tae stood in front of them staring. They were perched on a wooden pole, the female's head tucked under her mate's, their feathery bodies pressed into each other. The birds cuddled as his beak nuzzled the top of her head.

"Aww, this is so cute," Jennie gushed.

Tae continued staring as if reminiscing about something on his mind. "Birds of a feather flock together," he said wistfully.

She nudged his elbow. "Are you okay?"

He responded with a heavy sigh that almost sounded exaggerated. She narrowed her eyes at him and nudged him in the rib this time, prompting him to grimace dramatically, in pain. "Tae, you guys aren't breaking up. You're just on a break."

The man put his hands in his pockets and gazed at the empty space of the ground in front of him. "But it still feels like we're doing something bad. We feel so guilty because we're scared the fans will be disappointed with us when we say we want to take a break."

She placed her hand on his back and caressed it gently. "You've been with your members for over ten years. You could use this time to find your identity outside of Bangtan."

His eyes met hers as he pouted cutely. "Yeah, I know. I do want to explore what I want to do alone. What's best for me. It is kind of...exciting."

Wanting to support him and give him as much time as he needed to process all of this, she gave him a small smile and remained silent until he was ready to talk again. Awkwardly they stood in front of the parrots until he piped up. "I'll have more time to do solo activities like modeling and attending fashion shows."

"Yeah. Maybe what you guys need is to spend some time apart to learn how to..."

"...come together again." They said the last part in unison. It was cheesy but they couldn't help and laugh lightly at the saying.

"Jennie, we should do the same thing."

She widened her cat-like eyes. Was Tae saying we should take a break too? Was he breaking up with me or taking a break or whatever you call it?! she thought to herself, her mouth agape. "Really, Tae? That's what you want?"

"Yeah." He grinned, pulling her over to his side, and took out his phone. He opened the camera app and handed it to a nearby zookeeper. "Excuse me, sir, can you take our picture?"