Starting Over •JJK• ✔️

Thirty Six

I sat next to the stage and looked up at the stadium that surrounded me. The gates were open and the seats were slowly starting to fill up. Different BTS songs boomed through the speakers as their music videos played on the big screen, and the voices that sang along collectively became louder as more people arrived.

I felt my phone buzz so I pulled it from my pocket, expecting it to be JK. But I closed my eyes and sighed when I saw that it wasn't. I shook my head and put my phone away, turning my focus back on the growing crowd.

The messages had started again, just like I knew they would. I knew that Trevor would keep an eye on the tour schedule and pick up where he left off with harassing me. I kept this to myself, though. I didn't want to stress the guys out. I had enough of my own work to think about, and it wasn't anywhere near the amount that they had.

I knew that he could show up anywhere. He could hop on a plane and just appear without notice, so I was always on edge. I was apparently doing a good job of hiding it since no one seemed to suspect anything from me.

I sat back and looked around again. I could feel the excitement in the air as showtime neared and watched the fans against the barricades take pictures and sing along to the music. It was an endless sea of smiles.

I spotted a fan standing alone and taking a selfie, so I got up and walked over to her. "Hey. Want me to get a picture with the stage in the background?"

She smiled and nodded, handing me her phone. "That would be awesome. Thanks!"

I snapped a few pictures for her with the big screens and stage behind her, and she beamed, making me smile too. "Are you here by yourself?" I handed her phone back.

"Yeah, I don't have any ARMY friends." She seemed to be in her early twenties and was all decked out in her tour t-shirt with a Koya headband. "Not in real life, anyway."

"Well, you will when you leave here tonight. I can promise you that." I adjusted my camera strap that rested across my chest. "What's your name?"

"Emma." She looked at my credentials that hung around my neck and my shirt that read 'Crew.' "What's yours?"

"Maddie. I'm one of the photographers." I looked around when the crowd erupted. A fan-favorite song started to play. I didn't notice how full the place had become.

"So you know them?" Emma leaned against the railing that separated us. "Like, personally? What are they like?"

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I do. And they're exactly how you probably imagine they would be. Silly and goofy and laid back. They're just normal guys."

"Wow." Emma shook her head. "I can't even imagine. They're so amazing."

I listened as she told me her story about how they helped her through some really tough times. She started to cry, and I wiped a tear from her cheek before rubbing her shoulder. The seats beside her were filled now and those fans came over to console her as well. "I'm sorry that you went through all of that." I gave her a hug. "But I'm glad that you're here."

"Thank you." Emma wiped her face with a small laugh. "I can't believe I just spilled my guts to a stranger."

"We aren't strangers anymore." I pulled my phone out when a few texts came through. "I have to go. But it was great meeting you, Emma. Have the best time tonight." I pointed to the people beside her. "And make some more friends. I want to see and hear all of you screaming your faces off."

She waved before I turned to leave and I ducked underneath the catwalk of the stage. I glanced back to see her talking to her neighbors and I smiled.

I hurried along to find everyone huddled together for the last-minute preshow discussion. Stylists surrounded them for hair and makeup touches and last minute wardrobe adjustments. This was the third show of the tour but I was quickly learning that every show was treated like it was the first.

I pulled my camera up and turned it on, making my own adjustments. I snapped a few candids of the guys as they got ready to go out. The screams got louder, signaling that that lights went down. It gave me butterflies in my stomach and I wasn't the one performing.

I locked eyes with JK and he gave me a wink and a smile. We were both here to work and had jobs to do, so our relationship was strictly business from now until the show was over. I gave each member a fist bump and wished them a great show before disappearing back down underneath the walkway again.

I popped my earplugs in along the way and stepped out into the darkness. Lights were flashing, the music started, and the crowd of sixty thousand people was losing their minds.

And with a boom of fireworks, the seven men that they'd been waiting to see appeared onstage.

I immediately got to work, starting up towards the main part of the stage. It was hard to not get caught up in watching them perform. I was actually a bit jealous of everyone in the crowd. Not only was this my dream job, but I was doing it with my close friends. Yet part of me wished I could have one night where I'd be a part of that crowd as a spectator.

As they started moving down the catwalk, they each would always stop in front of me to make a funny face for me to photograph. It was their little way to say hello. I already had plans to make my own separate book of those funny faces. It would be my personal souvenir to commemorate my first tour.

I moved along the stage as they did, reaching the back. I tried my best to focus on each guy individually, and I was mostly successful. But JK was making it difficult. Those hip thrusts and the way he moved his perfect body was mesmerizing, regardless of how many times I've seen him dance. He was always amped up while onstage, soaking up the reactions from the crowd. He was in his element and it was a beautiful thing to watch.

I couldn't wait to help him burn off that extra energy when the show was over.

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