genre - ½ fluff + ½ angst (?)
word count - 2.2k
date - 19 september 2021

status - unedited (there are probably so many mistakes but please excuse them)

sypnosis - in which alyssa is required to travel for the very first time since her attack, and taehyung helps her get through it.

warning - this chapter contains brief talks of physical attacks.

authors note - not me pulling an all-nighter on a school night JUST so i can finish this chapter + i think that a majority of you may find JALR (just a little reassurance) confusing because i kinda rushed it. . so, it might not make sense. if you don't understand something, please don't hesitate to pm me/leave a comment.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ALYSSA GAZED OUT THE BLACKED-OUT CAR WINDOWS, observing the raindrops gradually cascade down them in a desperate attempt to calm her anxiety, which was skyrocketing by the second. She softly shook her head, trying to stop thinking of the flashing cameras, shoving, and shouting she was soon to endure.

Believe it or not, but once upon a time, Alyssa was completely okay with fans coming to the airport to see her depart because they respected her enough to remain a safe distance from her. However, this all changed two years ago, when Alyssa traveled to America to promote her first english hit, Havana.

That day was etched into Alyssa's mind in such a way that if you had asked her to recount what had happened, she could have given you a vivid and detailed description of the incident despite the fact that it had occured over two years ago---that's just how badly it affected her.

Alyssa entered the airport with her bodyguard, who stood next to her side as she waved at her fans and then proceeded to flash them her million-dollar smile. She made finger hearts, which enthralled the crowd, who gasped in admiration at her adorableness.

The duo continued walking for a short while until the guard muttered something in her ear, to which she listened intently before nodding momentarily after he finished speaking. He paused, bent down, and knotted his shoe laces, causing Alyssa to also halt her movements as she was waiting for him to finish.

A masked individual reached out and forcibly pushed Alyssa, taking advantage of the that her bodyguard was distracted---then everything went black after that---the next thing she knew, she was hearing loud shouts and screams from a distance while feeling a cold surface beneath her body.

When Alyssa finally decided to open her eyes, she was confronted with nothing but a hazy image. She massaged her eyes and tried to open them again, perplexed as to why she couldn't see anything.

Yet, her vision remained fuzzy.

She attempted to sit up but quickly returned to laying down due to a searing pain that she felt throughout her upper body, feeling like she'd been ran over by a car.

She huffed in irritance and slammed her fist on the ground. That's when it hit Alyssa like a truck---she must've somehow tumbled to the ground and as a result of the quick movement, her contact lenses popped out of her eyes and landed someplace on the airport floor.

"If my contact lenses popped out when I fell, it means they arean't too far away," she reasoned to herself.

With that idea, she extended out her hand, feeling the various surface areas of the chilly airport floor as she frantically searched for her contact lenses.

Alyssa felt the familiar plastic feeling within seconds, and just as she was going to pull back her hand to put the lenses back on-she suddenly heard a crack, and she felt a stinging pain in the palm of her hand---as if she had been stepped on.

Alyssa retracted her hand to clutch it, wincing in pain as she dropped the lenses. After a few seconds, she decided to disregard the agony and reach out for the lenses once more, but this time she felt small plastic pieces instead.

"Qué carajo?" she muttered angrily, puzzled as to how her contact lenses had been smashed after only removing her hand for a few seconds.

Translation: "What the fuck?"

Then it hit her like lightning: someone had stomped on her palm while her contact lenses were still resting on her palm, explaining both how her lenses became cracked and the stinging sensation in her palm.

Taking slow breaths, Alyssa attempted to rise up by placing her left hand-the one that didn't seem like it could fall off at any moment---on the floor. She pushed herself up onto all fours. While mentally patting herself on the back, she pulled her right hand and placed it on the airport floor, despite the fact that it ached severely.

She then raised her back, both hands on the floor, and as she was ready to get up, she felt herself slide back down---as if a huge force was pushing her down. As Alyssa lay face-down on the floor, she realised for the very first time that something or someone, for some bizarre reason, didn't want her to stand back up---

Alyssa's heartbeat accelerated as she blinked rapidly, trying her hardest to push the images from that day out of her mind. She took a deep breath and attempted to think of something else to distract herself.

She then felt a hand connect with hers, gently squeezing it before lifting it to put a little kiss on the top of her hand. Alyssa raised her eyes to see Taehyung squeezing her hand with a sympathetic expression on his face.

He was well aware of how badly the entire airport incident had affected her---indeed, it had completely changed who she was as a person. To be honest, Taehyung blamed himself for the attack because he was supposed to accompany her on the day of the attack but was forced to stay behind due to a last-minute scheduling conflict.

The fact that he had the chance to stop it all from happening but didn't, absolutely killed him on the inside. Despite the fact that Alyssa had repeatedly assured him that it was not his fault and that even if he had been present, there was no guarantee that he would have been able to prevent the attack. As much as he understood that it wasn't his fault, he just couldn't seem to stop himself from putting the blame upon himself.

Furthermore, he understood that she was nervous because, well, in two days she'd be making her speech at the United Nations General Assembly, speaking in front of hundreds of other Envoys---Hell, the mere thought of this made even him shake with nervousness, as he, too, would be speaking at the event. In fact, all members of BTS and Alyssa were scheduled to speak at the event, representing South Korea.

Alyssa found the entire trip to be very daunting because so much was riding on her success.

"Lyss, it's going to be okay," Taehyung assured her as both of them stared at each other, "I know that you can do this. I know that we can do this."

Yeah, right. This was the first time she was traveling for official business since the incident occured. Of course, she knew the chances of the situation repeating themselves were slim, especially now that the attacker was in jail, but what if someone had it out for her again? What if she was attacked once more, but this time it was even worse? I mean, she made it out of the first one unscathed, but would she be lucky enough to make it out of the next one as well? All of these were the thoughts that ran through her head.

"Yea---" Alyssa began speaking, but was cut off when the car came to a halt, indicating that they had arrived at the airport. Because Taehyung was sitting closer to the right-side door when it opened, he was the first to exit. He extended his hand to her, assisting her in getting out of the vehicle.

When they were both outside, one of the guards handed Taehyung an umbrella because it was pouring with rain and the raindrops would ruin their clothes. He thanked the guard before gratefully taking the umbrella and draping it over both his and Alyssa's heads. Alyssa noticed the other BTS members getting out of their cars as well---they were all traveling in pairs because they were an equal number, which allowed them to do so.

After waiting for the six other members to catch up with them, Alyssa and BTS finally made their way into the airport together after a few minutes. Alyssa and Taehyung took the lead, their hands deeply entwined as they waved to the crowd of hundreds that had gathered to watch them all depart.

There were camera flashes coming from all directions, and they were all so bright that they almost blinded her. Multiple shouts could be heard throughout the airport, each coming from either a fan or a journalist.

"Alyssa, look here!"

"V oppa, please marry me!"

"Jimin, smile for the camera!"

"I love you, Jin!"

"Taelyssa, please give us a kiss!"

"You look so handsome, Suga!"

"Taelyssa always looks so stylish!"

The last comment was without a doubt, correct---Taelyssa invariably looked stylish because they both had a distinct and impeccable fashion sense. When the two were traveling or attending an event together, they had a habit of matching outfits, and mind you, these weren't just any type of outfits---they came from luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, which made perfect sense considering that both artists were brand ambassadors for the latter, and as for the first mentioned---they both simply revered the brand.

Today, the couple was sporting Louis Vuitton from head to toe with their elegant trench coats being pretty much identical with the only difference being the colours---Alyssa's being white and Taehyung's black.

Both of them didn't look short of amazing, because after all, they were dubbed the 'nation's it couple' for a reason---the two of them lived up to that moniker in every aspect possible. I mean, Taelyssa genuinely had it all...Chemistry? Check. Popularity? Check. Good fashion sense? Check. Talent? Check. My Universe? Stream. Loco? Stream. Loser = Lover? Stream. Tamed-Dashed? Stream. This chapter? Vote and comment. Hotel? Trivago.

Taehyung and Alyssa's prominence and chemistry were the exact reasons why HYBE and JYP thought it was appropriate for them to travel to the event together. Despite the fact that the two of them were only a ship---they had millions of supporters all over the globe. Never underestimate Taelyssa's strength. Everything they wore, ate, drank, practically anything they touched, sold out in a matter of hours, that's how influential they were. For instance, the coats they were wearing at that moment would have most likely sold out by the time the two of them arrived in New York.

"Are you okay, love?" Taehyung whispered, concerned as he felt her grip on his hand tightening as they continued to walk. He then proceeded to also squeeze her hand, signaling that he had no intention of letting go.

"I'm fine," Alyssa replied, relieved that she would be able to have him by her side this time around. Nothing could've possibly gone wrong with him there, and even if something did, she knew he'd be able to make it better.

The eight of them then paused to take photographs, as news organizations such as Dispatch had come to see them leave and they had all expected to get a picture or two taken. Following that, they all proceeded to walk towards airport security, but not before waving goodbye to the fans, which resulted in more shouts and screams.

"J-hope our shining star!"

"Look over here, RM!"

"Our talented ace, Jungkook!"

"Taelyssa, please give us just one kiss!"

Hearing the same request again and deciding to give the fans what they wanted, Taehyung delicately stroked her chin with his fingers, softly tilting her head in his direction, and placing his soft lips on hers, putting on the show that everyone had been waiting for.

They then separated a few moments later, giving the crowd one last smile, and then interlocked their hands together before making their way to the plane, knowing damn well that their kiss would be trending all over social media in just a few hours.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

although it may not seem like it, but this chapter is also very very important to the storyline of this book---it's one of the key peices to understanding the complex character that we all know and love, alyssa castillo.

- tee x