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agust_dboy he performed a dance and song so my best friend is cooler than yours #bighitwintershowcase

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sunshinehobi✔️ i don't know whether to scold you or give you all my love
agust_dboy✔️ @sunshinehobi ew gross neither

wwh_youknow✔️ the red jackets!!!!!
agust_dboy✔️ @wwh_youknow good choice jin hyung ;)

v_95✔️ THE COOLEST
   agust_dboy✔️ @v_95 you know it

bookmonnie YOU BOTH DID AMAZING
   agust_dboy✔️ @bookmonnie you're so kind sir joon

parkthatjiminshi no i think jk's best friend is cooler
   jjungkookie✔️ @parkthatjiminshi lol you thought
   agust_dboy✔️ @jjungkookie correct response to the mochi

bh_babies SOPE BESTIES AYAYAYAYAY

yoo-niverse i hope they upload these performances after the show :( I WANNA SEE HOBI PERFORM WITH YOONGI

sugarock._ AHHHHH😩😩😩😩😍😍 they be looking fine as hell

minSUGAgenius SOPE WORLD DOMINATION

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"I literally feel like I'm going to throw up." Taehyung's voice shook with all the nerves wracking up his insides. "I just— crap."

"You've been in front of people all the time. You've done shows before." Jin comforted.

"Not— not music ones. I've only ever watch Hyung and—" Taehyung reached for the counter and leaned his forehead against it. His body slumped in the chair and he heard Jin call out to someone behind.

"Hey, Tae, what's wrong?" Hoseok was hugging him and cupping his face, careful to avoid any makeup. "Are you okay?"

"Just feel sick." He whispered and Yoongi was there in seconds.

"It's just nervous jitters," the producer hummed and the casualness of his voice seemed to ease him. "You'll be great. You've got another half hour before you're on."

"I saw the both of you on the monitors," Jin congratulated, patting Yoongi's back and kissing Hoseok's cheek. "Sexy boys."

"Seok's good at rapping. Quick learner." Yoongi grinned. Taehyung glanced at them through the vanity mirror, congratulating the two, and then picked up his phone. His harsh pulse drowned out the sound of their conversation from his ears as he was clicking the familiar contact.

It took a few rings and Taehyung figured that Jungkook was leaving the audience to take the call in a quieter place.

"Tae?"

"Hi, Koo." The model straightened up in his seat and watched the monitor. Jimin was up after this act.

"Hi! Are you okay? Are Hyung's with you? They did amazing. Hobi Hyung's so cool rapping and Yoongi Hyung is incredible, wow."

He chuckled softly at the excitement and noticed the match of energy muted in the background. "Yeah, they're backstage. I'm just nervous. I feel emotional already."

"Not a bad thing, Hyung." The younger sighed. "Take a deep breath and just know your friends will be with you. Joonie Hyung and I are watching from the audience. Everyone else will be backstage. Tannie is patiently waiting for you at home. You got this."

"Thanks, angel. I'll make you proud."

"You already have."

His heart stuttered in his chest and Taehyung heard Jungkook curse and mumble around. He saw the current dance act on the monitor coming to an end and hurried the younger back to the audience to watch his best friend.

"I'll see you soon!"

"Love you." He ended the call and scratched the back of his neck. The plain t-shirt and dark jeans for his outfit was a stylistic choice of his. Something that wasn't distracting and flashy, something simple and unlike him. Just like the whole ordeal.

Stepping out of his comfort zone and dressing down.

His hair was set in curls and he had his green in-ears dangling around his neck, waiting to be put to use.

He joined his friends in watching Jimin. The young dancer absolutely killed the contemporary performance. Dressed in white and using a matching sheer sheet, Taehyung was in awe.

It was different than what he was used to seeing with Hoseok— who generally went for street style. Such an incredible different. He wished he'd taken more times to go watch the guy dance after seeing his emotions extend to ever limb in his body, and to the long fabric flowing around with the course of his movement.

Jimin looked like water when dancing, simply graceful in every curve of his motion that glided across the floor.

They all fell into amazed applause with the audience as the song came to an end and the sheet was thrown into the air above him, flittering down the the floor and the space stilling until lights went out.

The next act was on and mildly appreciated when Jimin came stumbling in the backstage door glowing with a sheen of sweat and panting with exhaustion.

"Jiminie!" Hoseok was handing him a towel and slinking an arm around his neck, the hair strands darkened with dampness. "That was insane, oh my god. You should teach me that flip you do."

"The flip? Sure, I can— oh! Hi!" The dancer laughed breathlessly as Yoongi and Jin handed him water and showered him in compliments. "Thank you, Hyungs. Seriously."

Taehyung got out of his seat and offered it to Jimin, who gratefully took it. "Your style is so beautiful." The model grinned at him in the vanity mirror. "It's so elegant."

"Contemporary is my favorite." Jimin grabbed his arm and shook it. "You excited? I know I am!"

"I'm on the nervous and sick stage right now." Taehyung admitted. "A lot to think about."

"Not really." The dancer scoffed, drowning his water bottle. "And after you go, I get to dance with Hoseok Hyung, so I'll be watching from the curtains!"

"You'll get to see my tears in person." The model joked and Jimin giggled. "I am excited. A bit."

"Jungkook and Namjoon are going to find us after the show and I know we will be getting all the affection in the world." Taehyung shook his head with a smile and leaned down to be level with Jimin's head.

"Like they wouldn't do that if we asked on a normal day."

"Good point."

"Get some rest before your next act." Taehyung nudged his shoulder, soaking in the lingering sweat of Jimin being on his third dance performance of the night. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it was expected to show in his body.

Taehyung found himself pacing the room, drinking more water to keep his throat from drying or going raspy, fixing his hair countless times for good measure.

The time seemed to wipe out from under his feet as Yoongi tapped his arm and jerked a chin towards the door where a stage manager was scouting him out.

"Shit." He fumbled and the older smiled sweetly. "Hyung, I'm scared."

"Just imagine it's you and Jungkook." The man rubbed the tension in his shoulders away. "Remember the training, listen to the track in your in-ear and don't worry. Your voice sounds just as good, if not better, live as it does recorded, okay?"

"Okay." Taehyung hugged him, not carrying about the bits of dampness on Yoongi's clothing. "Thank you. For helping me and just being there for me."

"Oh, don't be sappy. Go kill it out there, Prince." Yoongi shoved him towards the door with a laugh and Taehyung joined Hoseok and Jimin by the stage manager, both having changed into their outfits for the duet. Jin had left to watch in the audience apparently.

The three of them walked down the hall and then took a sharp turn to doors leading into pitch black space. There were headsets on the stage crew's heads, one person situated by the curtains, manually adjusting the thick drapes. Another person was standing out of sight in the curtains with a clipboard, some light shining on it for reading visibility. Crew members and stylists shifted around with any other emergencies backstage.

Taehyung watched his feet as he stepped along the black and patiently watched Adora perform her second song.

And then there was the audience. They were quiet in her performance, but the tingling buzz of presence was overwhelming. The stage lights' heat could be felt from where he stood out of the spotlight and he peeked as far as possible to catch the corner of the control booth high up and back behind the top of the house.

He wished Yoongi was there for any last advice, but having extra bodies backstage wasn't efficient.

His hands were shaking. He noticed when a sleek green hand microphone was presented to him. He'd practiced with it at the dress rehearsal and Taehyung took it from the crew member.

He slipped one in-ear in, not that it was connected yet, and rolled the handle of the mike around in his palm, letting the cool of the metallic surface warm in his touch.

"You got this." Jimin was hovering over his shoulder. "Oh, that mike is beautiful!"

The older was whispering in his ear rather loudly, audible for him over the performance, but oblivious to others. Taehyung nodded and let Jimin play around with the green microphone. Hoseok was at his other side, a hand on his cheek and Taehyung leaned into the touch.

"Hey, breathe, Tae." The dancer said, face glowing from the flickers of stage lights overflowing backstage. The model listened to him, chest clamping at the thought of singing in front of an audience.

He kept justifying his fear with the fact that this wasn't modeling and it was something he'd never done before. It wasn't even apart of the project they'd all agreed on to try a new genre of art. This had been all Jungkook's pushing and Taehyung's want to give the younger something.

He would admit he was hopeful and fairly excited. He loved the song, and he loved the inspiration, so sharing it once more would never be a bad thing.

"There you go." Hoseok cooed at the color returning to his face, which he somehow noticed in the darkened atmosphere. Adora was almost done. She'd reached the bridge of her song. "You can always block the audience out. Close your eyes and just imagine yourself back in the studio. I do it all the time."

"Okay." He responded quickly. He had to shake it off at that point. After Adora, he was on deck and there was no time to continue with the restless behavior. "I got it. I got this."

"Yes, you do!" Jimin hugged him before the dancers gave him space.

A tech crew member crowded near him, giving him instructions about centerstage being marked with a blue tape rather than the green one at rehearsal, not to worry when it 'disappeared' with the reflection of the blue backdrop they would project behind him.

He nodded, head wracking through the list of things to remember, feet stepping a bit wider to strengthen his wavering stance. Adora came waltzing off, beaming with confidence and the next dance act was rushing onstage to take their spot.

"Taehyung!" She greeted, the model smiling at her comforting figure. "Oh, goodness, you're going to do amazing. I'm excited to hear you!"

"You did wonderful, and thank you." His smile grew with her encouraging expression, voice airy with exhaustion from singing her heart out for the company families.

"I'll see you backstage afterwards, yeah?"

"Of course, Noona."

She trickled away, greeting Hoseok and Jimin before walking out the theater's stage doors.

He stepped into the empty space between layers of curtains, where he was to enter on and his hands wrap around the microphone and eyes close shut. Tucking his other in-ear into his free ear, Taehyung felt the sounds of both the audience and dance track dull.

"You're used to the spotlight, Taehyung," He reminded himself. "You're going to be just fine. It's muscle memory. You know this song by heart— hell, it is your heart. See? Nothing to worry about."

A long breath. He saw Jungkook's face flash through his mind in the blackness of his vision.

"God, you make me do crazy things, Jungkook."

Very good, crazy things. Things he could never regret and only laugh about. If that performance went to shit, he'd probably just laugh about it in a week.

All would be okay.

The music ended and the dancer hurried off, the entire theater going pitch black with the dimming of stage lights. There was an announcement for him, the crowd gasping with the mention of his name.

Right. It hadn't been in the program. They'd decided to surprise the company. Their CEO probably didn't know.

It almost made him giddy. Excited chatter accompanying a crew manager motioning him onto the stage while his friends encouraged him from deeper backstage.

Taehyung found the pastel glow of blue tape on the black floor, the lights of cameras looking like a sea of stars against the dark audience.

He knew what to expect to some extent. After the grand rundown Yoongi had helped him through in rehearsal, he'd become knowledgeable enough with a live performance.

Taehyung heard the track get tested in his in-ear, crackling to a stop and restarting to confirm it was ready when the lights came on.

He rocked on his feet, letting out a breath after shielding the mike and then flinched as the spotlights were gradually raised to their set brightness.

The backdrop simultaneously shone blue, the projector somewhere behind him, hidden in the top curtains as he didn't even notice until color splashed onto his feet.

The audience shook with applause, cheers, drowning all his senses and Taehyung felt a rush of adrenaline nick his limbs. Numbing. It was so numbing.

His head felt light as the applause died and Sweet Night's track began to sing in his ear. He didn't know what was playing to the audience, but he heard the steady metronome and melody help him find his starting pitch.

The audience became invisible under the stage lights, in-ears blocking out noise, it made him feel like he was back in the recording studio. Taehyung's shoulder deflated, relaxed, and he brought the microphone to his lips.

The cold of the metal brushed his lips and he almost smiled.

And then his cue clicked in and he really smiled, lyrics falling from his lips like second nature. His eyes fluttered shut, falling into the rhythm steadying him through his ear, voice rumbling into the microphone and it was almost relieving that he could hear how similar his voice sounded to the audio he'd recorded.

There was a few flat tones, a quiver in his breath support, but Taehyung didn't seem to care. No one else did either. He'd gone deep into a focused mindset that allowed for him to find appreciation in the freeness such a setting granted.

It was when he'd gotten two thirds of the way through, he heard a click, felt something graze his shoulder, heard his voice sing even though he wasn't.

His eyes opened and Taehyung gasped as his microphone fell away from his mouth. Petals were falling all around him, released from above and the stage lights had dimmed just enough to give visibility to the audience.

His vocalizing line continued, a track taking over as his breath left his chest in awe. The audience was speechless at the sight, murmuring and singing along with the track as Taehyung looked around the house.

He pulled out one of his in-ears and let it dangle around his neck. His eyes teared up hearing the collective singing of his song, his voice leading them with it. The audience he could see through the pink petals falling in his view.

Taehyung's eyes scanned around the audience, looking, searching for one person.

To stage left, he found the masked figure, the favorited black bucket hat of his hiding the top of his head. The photographer was gazing around the audience like him, like he was floating with everyone's voice singing their song, too. Namjoon was swaying beside him, smiling and nudging Jungkook— then pointing to the stage.

Their eyes met and Taehyung clenched his jaw to no avail as the tears fell. Jungkook tugged his hat back enough so his eyes were visible and Taehyung saw him crying as well.

His eyes never left the younger's. He blinked with every slipping droplet, like he needed to make sure it was all truly happening.

Jungkook was far, high up in the house, but it was like he was standing right beside Taehyung, kissing his tears away while the model wiped his.

He saw the younger press his fingertips to his masked mouth and shoot his hand out, sending some love his way and Taehyung smiled, laughing brokenly as the sob choked up his throat.

He brought the microphone up to his lips for the last set of whistles, tongue licking his lips moist and ending the song to receive a standing ovation.

Taehyung hadn't expected all those petals, for the crowd to sing along, to see little kids know his song and sing it like some children's rhyme. He didn't expect to cry like he had— happy and pushed over the edge by physically seeing Jungkook in the audience.

"Thank you." He bowed before the lights dimmed and exited from the stage to fall into warming hugs and proud cheers backstage.

His whole body felt lifted. Letting himself sing something so heartfelt and letting himself cry before the people who only ever saw him as strong.

His manager, his boss, his stylist. They only wished for his strength to continue and last healthy, but there was a plus to showing weakness. Show he was human.

And were humans simply priceless. To feel an emotion so deep it lasted longer than the moment itself, to linger on a memory because it was simply invaluable.

Taehyung felt priceless.

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v_95 found him in the dark sea
[sweet night live at #bighitwintershowcase ]

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i love finding a picture and basing an entire scene off of it, pls he's so pretty :((

also it was jimin's mma 2019 performance he showed to jk earlier in the book!!

i lied if you saw my announcement,
two more chaps and then the epilogue, woop woop :D
THANK YOU FOR 80K!!