"Nari." Urgent but gentle hands shook her shoulders, "Nari, sweetheart, wake up. It's important."

The girl groaned and begrudgingly opened her eyes to see Jimin at edge of her bed. Concern filled his eyes. "Good." He breathed a sigh of relief, "You're awake."

"What's wrong?" Nari yawned, sitting up, "It's early."

"I know, I know," Jimin answered, "But um, have you checked twitter lately?"

The girl furrowed her brows as she reached for her phone and glasses, "I haven't." Nari opened the app and her blood ran cold as soon as she saw the first trending hashtag.

"Kim Nari lesbian." She read slowly, looking to the boy, "How...how did they know? We've taken so many precautions this past year."

"A sasaeng most likely," Jimin shook his head with contempt, "There's no way that any normal fan could have gotten that kind of information." He peered over her shoulder and clicked on a tweet, "This is the original thread. It's got pictures and everything."

Sure enough, the set of tweets was filled with pictures of Nari and Iris. At least two from every time they had met up in New York and even pictures from when Iris came to Seoul. Nari felt a knot form in her stomach. Her sexuality was already something that she was insecure about, but Iris had always made her feel safe. To know that someone was watching over her shoulder even then....it made her so disgusted.

"What does management think?" She asked Jimin. There was no time for her own feelings, BigHit came first. How were they going to cover this up?

"Well, Namjoon has been on the phone all night," The boy answered, "All this dropped around 2 AM, but he said that no one was allowed to wake you up until 7 so he's been trying to handle it by himself until then."

"Is it....Is it working?"

Jimin shook his head, "I don't think so, sweetheart. Whoever did this managed to get both of your faces in like every single picture. I don't think we'll be able to refute it." He wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders, "But hey, you'll be able to be out, right? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not like this," Nari shook her head, "Not at all." She clicked the call button next to Iris's twitter icon, "I think I should call Iris."

"That's a good idea," Her companion agreed, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No. Stay, please."

Jimin nodded with a small smile, "Got it."

"Hey, Ri-Ri," Iris answered the video call from the other side of the phone, "Are you okay? Did you see what's happening on Twitter?"

As always, Iris took Nari's breath away just a little bit every time she saw them. Their green hair was messy and their blue eyes as bright as the early morning sky outside. Now isn't the time to think about how pretty they are, The girl reprimanded herself, regretfully getting back to business, "Yeah, I did. I guess it's finally out."

"My feed has been blowing up for the past four hours," Iris said, "It's crazy how fast they found me, my account isn't even that big. Now I've got like almost 500 DMs either calling me slurs or asking me if I'm dating the real Kim Nari."

"I am so so sorry," She sincerely apologized, "I never wanted it to happen like this."

Iris shook their head, "It's alright, babe, I know it's not your fault-"

"Awe, they call you babe!" Jimin couldn't help but squeal, jostling Nari, "So cute!"

The older child laughed on the other side of the phone, covering up for the blush that was spreading across the younger's face, "Hi Jimin. I didn't know you were here too."

"Hi Iris!" He snatched the phone for quick greeting and to blow a kiss, "I love you!"

"Jimin! Give me that back!" Nari scolded him, switching back to Korean, "This isn't the time for kisses!"

The boy gave her back the phone with a playful pout, "It's always time for kisses." He stood up and gave the top of her head a quick peck before heading towards the door and speaking in English, "I'm going to tell Namjoon that you're awake. Bye bye Iris!"

"Bye Jimin!" Iris answered waved before turning their attention to their girlfriend; who was, of course, embarrassed, "You're cute when you blush."

"Don't...Don't..." Nari stuttered, searching for the right word as her cheeks burned, "Don't romance me right now! We need to fix this!"

"I don't know, Ri-Ri, is there anything to fix though?" Iris answered, surprising the girl, "ARMY was going to know eventually, so why not now? I don't mind."

"You don't?"

They shook their head, "Not really. I mean the circumstances aren't great, that's for sure, but think about it: You'll finally be able to be your most authentic self now. You won't have to hide anymore."

"That's true," She paused, "That would be nice, I think."

"Darling?" A knock sounded at the door, "Can I come in?"

"Oh, Joon is here," Nari said, "I guess I've gotta go for now."

Iris nodded, "Got it. Keep me updated, okay?"

"Okay. Saranghae, Iris."

"Nado saranghae, Nari."

With that, they hung up and Namjoon came into the room. He was still in his clothes from the day before and looked exhausted. Nevertheless, he greeted the girl with his usual good morning hug.

"I'm sorry," He said, holding her a little tighter than usual, "I'm so sorry, my lily."

"It's not your fault, Joon," Nari replied, looking up to meet his tired eyes, "Don't be upset for me, I'm okay. I promise."

"Alright." He hesitantly agreed, "As long as you say you're okay, I'll try not to worry. Rika is waiting for us downstairs so we can talk about where to go from here."

The girl nodded and gave him a comforting peck on the cheek before letting go, "Let's go. The sooner can figure this out the better."

As the two of them went down the stairs, Nari could already hear Rika and Jimin arguing in the kitchen.

"I still don't understand why you can't just let her come out." The younger boy said, "She likes girls, so what? They were gonna find out eventually."

"We can't let her come out because that would destroy us, Jimin," Rika explained through gritted teeth, "You know how it is here in Korea, we would get ripped to shreds. Do you even know how many sponsorships and fans we would lose?"

"This is not a 'we' operation." He answered with just as much malice, "It doesn't affect me or you. This is Nari's life-"

"Everything that she does reflects back on to us!" Rika snapped, "This is a career-ending kind of scandal. Not just for BTS, but for the entire company!"

"Jimin, Rika, let's calm down," Namjoon said calmly as he and Nari entered the room, with her glued to his side, "We can talk this out without getting mad."

Rika rolled her eyes and then turned to the girl, "I knew it was a mistake to let you date that kid. Do you even know how much trouble you've gotten us into?

"I know and I'm sorry," Nari immediately apologized and bowed, "I'm really really sorry."

"You don't need to be bowing to her." The younger boy pulled Nari up by her shoulder, "This isn't your fault. Don't apologize to people who don't deserve it."

"Jimin," Namjoon said sternly, sensing the woman's growing anger at his statement, "Relax. Getting upset isn't going to change anything. Besides, I've already decided that we're going to ask Bang about this. Rika, can you drive us to BigHit?"

"I can do it instead." He offered immediately.

The older boy shook his head, "No. Rika should take us. You need to stay here."

"But I can-"

"Jimin. Stay. Home." Namjoon repeated, "The last thing we need is you blowing up at the company. Please stay here. And apologize to Nari, you were rough with her earlier."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Jimin immediately apologized and bowed to the girl, who hid behind Namjoon in all the commotion and was currently on the verge of tears, "I didn't mean to scare you," His voice softened, "Don't cry, please don't cry. I'm really sorry, sweetheart."

Nari carefully loosened her grip on the back of Namjoon's shirt, feeling a little better now that Jimin wasn't angry anymore. He was scary when he was mad and she didn't think that she'd ever see him this worked up before.

"I'm sorry, Nari," Jimin gently wrapped the girl in a hug, as if he was afraid that his touch would break her, "I promise I won't yell anymore."

"I believe you," Nari replied and let go, "Don't be mad for me, Jimin. It'll all be okay."

Namjoon let out a little sigh of relief seeing that the two had made up. He turned to the older woman, "Rika, you apologize too please."

"Uh, okay," She agreed, although it didn't look like she wanted to, "I'm sorry, Nari."

"It's alright," The girl mumbled, "You're just doing your job."

Jimin opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it after getting a dirty look from Namjoon. He patted Nari's head instead, "I'll leave you guys to it then." He finally said, "Have fun."

So, after saying goodbye to Jimin, the three of them got into the car and headed on their way to BigHit. Rika sat in the front while Namjoon and Nari took the backseat. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Rika cleared her throat from the driver's seat, "I just wanted to-"

"Please don't say anything, Rika," The boy interrupted, "I told you that we're going to Bang about this. I already asked and he said that he'd meet us in the company cafe. I'll let you know what he says, okay?"

"Um. Got it."

Nari slipped her hand out of Namjoon's and reached for her phone to open twitter. She should probably update Iris.

Nari_twt: Namjoon says we're going to talk to Bang at Bighit. But I wanted to ask you a question first.

A reply came almost immediately:

irisbts: sure ^_^ what is it?

Nari_twt: If we decide that I should come out, can I introduce you to ARMY?

irisbts: of course you can <3

The girl cracked a smile. Iris never let her down. Their openness with their sexuality and identity gave Nari strength.

irisbts: just make sure you use a cute picture tho. those sasaeng pics are soooooo unflattering

irisbts: you'd think that with all that time they spent stalking us we would have gotten at least one good photo out of it :/

She laughed, causing Namjoon to peer over her shoulder. "A cute picture, huh?" He chuckled, "Well, I'm sure you have plenty of those. You should say goodbye for now though, we're almost there."

Nari nodded, feeling butterflies rise in her stomach, "Uh huh."

Nari_twt: I'll find a cute picture, don't worry. I need to go now. We're almost at Bighit. 사랑해, Iris 💜

irisbts: i love you too, nari <3 good luck

Sure enough, as soon as Nari put down her phone they arrived at BigHit. She and Namjoon signed in at the front and went immediately to the little cafe on the first floor where Bang said that he would meet them. It wasn't like a typical cafeteria in an office building, it was much more homey and welcoming.

"Hey! Hey Minsun!" Namjoon called across the cafe, catching the attention of a familiar blue-haired intern, who shyly waved back. "I'm so sorry for interrupting you on your break," The boy apologized, "but could you watch Nari for a sec? I need to order us some food."

Minsun nodded, "It's okay, I don't mind at all. It's good to see you, Nari. It's been a while."

"Thank you!" He gave a little bow, "I'll be back soon." Namjoon gave the girl's cheek a playful poke before heading off, "Be good, darling."

"I will." Nari replied with a little smile. She didn't know why Namjoon insisted on reminding her every time. She was always good.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Minsun asked, "You two weren't on the schedule that was sent out last night. Are you dropping something off?"

The girl shook her head, "No, we're actually meeting with Bang-ssi."

"Bang-nim?! Like the CEO?" Minsun's eyes widened, "Wow, you must have something important to talk about then. Oh, it's about that thread on twitter, isn't it?" She lowered her voice, "Just so you know, I support you. I think you're really brave."

"Y-You do?"

"Yeah, of course I do." She answered, "It takes courage to be who you are when everyone else is telling you not to. I know it seems like a bad situation now, but I know that you'll inspire and give strength to more kids just like you."

"You really think so?" Nari replied excitedly, "You think that I'll inspire other people like me?"

Minsun nodded, returning her hopeful energy, "Uh huh! You can show them that there is support out there, that there is love for them."

"I'm back!" Namjoon announced, interrupting the two girls, "I brought breakfast." He set a bowl of sticky rice with mango and a couple iced coffees on the table, "Oh, and a friend too." He stepped aside to reveal an older man, "Bang, this is my daughter Nari. And that's Minsun, she's an intern and she takes really good care of Nari when I'm in the studio."

"H-Hello!" Minsun stuttered, immediately standing up to give a respectful bow, "It's nice to meet you, Bang-nim."

"Same to you," He replied, "I've heard a lot about you, Namjoon always recommends you if we need some extra hands."

Her face flushed, "Really? Thank you, RM. I'm, um, almost done with my break now so I should get going. Have a nice day."

The three of them said their goodbyes as well. Namjoon sat next to Nari and unwrapped a pair of chopsticks, "I dug around in the trainee files a while ago and found some demos that Minsun submitted with her application. They're actually pretty good. Maybe you should let her work with Adora or Pdogg for a while, I think that with a little experience she'll be a real asset to our team."

"I'll definitely consider it," The older man answered as he reached for the rice in the middle of the table, "I trust your opinion. Now, Nari, how are you? I think this is the first time that we've met in person."

"I'm okay." Nari answered shyly and looked to Namjoon for reassurance. He nodded encouragingly, which made her feel better. She'd never really talked to Bang before, only said hi a couple times over the phone or the occasional video call. He seemed nice though and not nearly as intimidating as she expected him to be.

"That's good," Bang replied with an easy smile, "Now, I did hear though that we've got a bit of a scandal on our hands."

The girl's gaze dropped to the floor as her dark eyes got misty, "I'm really sorry. I promise that we did everything we could to keep it a secret. Please don't make us break up, I really really like Iris and-"

"Hey, hey, take a breath. Relax. I would never make you break up with your girlfriend," He reassured her, "This wasn't your fault. We just need to talk about where to go from here. Let me tell you your options, okay?"

Nari tearfully nodded. She was so relieved that he wasn't going to force her to break up with Iris.

"Our first option is simple: We ignore it completely." Bang said, "We don't release any kind of statement, don't acknowledge it at all, and let the entire thing burn out on its own. This is the safest choice. The second option is that we do release a statement but keep it vague. Something like 'It has been brought to our attention that there are some photos supposedly of Kim Nari and a friend going around the internet. We would like to confirm that is her, but we ask that fans please respect the privacy of our artists and their family members'."

He paused, "The last option is for you to completely come out. We'll need to release a statement and probably do a live too so that ARMY can hear it straight from you. It's the most risky choice, but I'm sure that it's the one that will be the most rewarding for you."

"What...What do you guys think I should do?" Nari asked, looking to the two men.

"That's up to you, darling," Namjoon answered softly, "I'll support you no matter what."

Bang nodded, "Me too."

"I want to come out." She said quietly, "But I don't want to ruin BTS's career, or the company, because of it."

"You are not going to ruin anyone's career," The older man assured her, "Sure, it's risky, but it's not catastrophic. Who told you something like that?"

Namjoon cleared his throat, "I'm afraid Rika was a little harsh this morning. You know how she is."

"Yes I do," Bang replied with a frown, "I'm sorry, Nari. She tends to be a little...neurotic. But don't worry, nothing bad will happen to BTS or the company because of this. You have my word."

Nari breathed a sigh of relief, "You promise?"

"Uh huh." Bang held out his pinky finger, "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise." The girl repeated with a little smile and linked her finger with his.

"Good." He answered and let go, "Now how about you and your Appa go do your live, okay? I'll handle everything else."

Nari nodded, "'Kay. Can I call Iris first though? I should probably update them."

"Sure." Namjoon replied, "There's an empty table over there, come back when you're ready."

The girl said a quick goodbye and Bang let out a deeply held breath as soon as she was out of earshot. "Did I do okay?" He asked his companion, "I'm not that good with kids and I didn't want to scare her."

"You were just fine," Namjoon assured him with a chuckle, "I'm sure that she feels better now."

"I hope so." He answered, "I'm glad that I finally got to meet her. What a cute little thing, I can see why she's so important to you."

The boy smiled, glowing with pride, "I am so glad that you think so. She's my world."

"Good." Bang replied, "You know, Namjoon, you've changed. You really have."

He nodded, a light blush spreading across his cheeks, "Thank you. I think so too."

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a quick pride themed chapter for yall 💕