f o r e v e r (영원히)

❝Someday when these cheers die, please stay by my side.❞
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BTS

The dorms were all cleared up, brown cardboard boxes filled with items stacked neatly in the corner.

The seven young men stood in the dining room — now devoid of any furniture — with red, tear-rimmed eyes and swollen faces.

Naked walls which were once covered with numerous photographs, the laughter which echoed through the walls of this house, the smell of fried potatoes and steak, the memories they'd made and the love they'd shared — all were tucked neatly into brown packages, ready to be shipped to seven different locations.

Like Voldemort dividing his soul into seven hocruxes, they now stood at a crossroads with seven diverging paths, the inevitable future of separation weighing down their thoughts.

Seokjin addressed the elephant in the room. "So, it's here. The End."

Yoongi nodded slowly. "Yeah, we are finally here. Our journey ends here."

Nobody responded.

They felt the crushing feeling in their hearts, a burning sensation slowly making its way to their eyes.

Jungkook succumbed to the pressure first. He broke down sobbing, unable to bear with the tension which hung in the air between them. "No, no, no. I can't do this. For God's sake, I can't do this."

He felt their reassuring hands softly patting him on the back. Someone, most likely Jimin, wrapped him in a fierce hug, their tears gently staining his shirt. In a heartbeat, he felt the remaining members slowly fall into the hug.

The group hug lasted for an eternity; time weaving itself into a complicated symmetry.

Taehyung was the first one to break away from the hug. His face held a sombre expression.

"Let's make a promise," he said quietly.

"What promise?" Hoseok questioned, raising an eyebrow. Promises never really ended on a good note for him.

"To stay friends forever." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "To be there for each other in times of need. To call frequently. To meet occasionally. To remember our fights. To remember the tears we shed together. To remember the times we laughed together. To remember us. To remember Bangtan. To remember ARMY. To r-remem—"

He couldn't go on. He was crying helplessly by now. He wanted them to promise a lot of things. But he knew it would be futile.

Twenty years from now, on one fine day, they'll open their photo albums and gaze at the old pictures with a curious nostalgia. The memories would have faded by then.

He was afraid of fading away.

For a brief second, he did not know where he was. Except for the sound of his sobbing, the room was deathly quiet.

Slowly, he lifted his head and glanced around in confusion. They were all staring at him.

'Or rather,' Taehyung thought in surprise, 'they are staring at something behind me.'

He turned his head in the aforementioned direction and gasped in shock.

There stood Jimin, in all his 5' 8" glory, with his fists tightly clenched and cold fury burning in his eyes.

"Yah, Taehyung!" Jimin roared. "Don't you dare give me that bullshit. I will snap your neck in two pieces. I swear to Jesus, I will kill you."

Taehyung gulped visibly. He dimly realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

Rule one of BTS: never mess with Park Jimin.

"Don't you dare!" He snapped. He was seething with rage. "Don't you dare think that. Don't you even dare think that we'll forget each other. Never. I am never letting that happen."

And then he collapsed beside Taehyung, heavy sobs wracking his entire body.

"Did these seven years mean nothing to you?" He questioned weakly. "Do you seriously think our bonds are so weak? Taehyung, the seven of us have been through hell together. Hell. Together. Get it tattooed on your head, please. We won't live together anymore, that's true, but that doesn't mean we'll simply stop caring. Taehyung, we are a family."

"No, the six of you will forever occupy my thoughts. Every day, every hour, every moment. When I am sitting doing paperwork, I'll remember how diligently Namjoon hyung used to handle the group's paperwork, while we used to fool around. I swear to God, we were so useless to him."

"Finally you accepted it."

"Shut up, hyung."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "Whenever I am eating stale takeout food, I'll remember Seokjin hyung's delicious food and his narcissistic attitude. Seokjin hyung, I love you. Please keep sending me your lovely food."

"I'll send you a restraining order, just you wait."

"Love you, hyung."

Yoongi and Jungkook exploded with laughter, clutching helplessly at their sides. Hoseok, the poor angel, was lying prostrate on the ground, his face red with laughter. Namjoon giggled uncontrollably at Jin's indignant tone and Jimin's cheeky smile. Taehyung smiled weakly, worry still gnawing at his heart.

Jimin noticed and smiled encouragingly. "Whenever I'll feel sad, I'll remember Hobi hyung's optimistic attitude and his bright smile. His existence alone brightens up my day. Hyung, please never stop smiling."

Hoseok nodded his head in agreement, smiling widely. They smiled back warmly in return.

"Yoongi hyung, I'll always remember your hardworking nature. Days I slack off on work, I'll remember the determination with which you wrote our songs and composed the beats. I'll remember how you never let anyone's opinion waver your own beliefs. Hyung, thank you."

Yoongi aggressively wiped the moisture from his eyes, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"Jungkook." Jimin ruffled the younger's hair affectionately, earning small whines of protest from him. "God, I can't even tell you how much I love you. If I ever have children, God forbid, I will make them realize how talentless and ugly they are by constantly comparing them to you. God, I love you, Kook. I really do."

Jungkook chose not to respond, but instead wrapped his arms around Jimin's neck, inhaling his scent for the last time.

"And Taehyung," Jimin said, looking at him seriously. "Even I wanted to, which I fucking don't, I can never forget. You are literally a part of me. As sappy as this sounds, we are one soul and two bodies. I'll miss you. I'll miss having you around. I'll miss your comforting presence. I'll miss our late-night conversations. I'll miss you, Taehyung."

"I'll miss you too," Taehyung croaked, his eyes brimming with tears.

"He's right, Taehyung," Yoongi suddenly said. "Jimin's right. It's impossible to forget what we had and will continue to have. The Red Thread of Fate that ties us together, Taehyung, is strong. Very strong. We've pulled through many adversaries together. We'll pull through this one too."

"Yoongi's right," Namjoon interjected. His purple locks swayed gently in the summer breeze. "The memories we've made together — they can never be forgotten. Indeed, friendships seldom survive over long-distances."

"But," Jin reasoned, "I think ours is meant to survive. We have what most don't have. True friendships have their base in two things: trust and love. I trust you all with life; perhaps even beyond it. And as for love, well, you guys are tolerable. Barely, to be honest, but tolerable."

Hoseok laughed. "Sure, hyung. As if it wasn't you who cried the whole night in bed yesterday."

The guys laughed as Jin blushed beet red. "Shut up, Hobi."

"But it'll so strange to wake up in another house, cook your breakfast and eat it all alone. I'll never be able to call that place home," Taehyung said desperately. "My home is not a place; it's you guys. It's BTS. I'll go crazy there."

"No, hyung, you won't." It took them a minute to realize that it was Jungkook who spoke. His voice was uncharacteristically hard. "No, you won't. You will do it. You will follow your dreams. You will become a successful fashion designer. You will become a successful model. You will. You have to."

He sucked in a deep breath and held out his fist. "Let's make a promise. Let's swear to remember what we, BTS, stood for."

"We stood for chasing our dreams and following our passion. Let's swear to remember that we valued hard work and teamwork over everything else. Let's promise to remember where we came from. Our origins and roots. Let's promise to remember what stood for. Let's promise to never give up on each other. Let's promise to remember everything."

"To everything that we've created and experienced, here's to promising to remember our seven years together."

They held out their fists shakily.

"We promise."

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[a/n];

anklepings this one is for you, baby. i wish you the best and hope you'll be able to overcome the negative feelings in your life soo

hi this has been lying in my drafts since December 2018 lmfao. please i am so sorry for the wait. 2019 messed me up bad and 2020 is no better

but i am honestly trying. trying to be a better writer. my new account is theasianidiot and i've started a new disbandment fic there called "years later" which i plan on finishing.

it was published in 2019 but i never ended up finishing it.

to those who've supported me till now and are reading this rn - i hope you'll give me another chance to redeem myself.

please take care of yourself <3

xoxo,
axel <3