13 Bangtan Sonyeondan

When the performance ended, besides the heavy breathing of those performing, it was silence.

Complete silence.

Then, when a lone spectator started to clap slowly, more people followed and applause soon rang throughout the venue. It truly was an exciting performance.

.....

Hitman Bang was even more nervous than BTS when their name had been called. He had been sweating nervously, with his hair pasted to his sallow skin. Now, he had been starstruck by how incredible the group sung, danced, and rapped.

Not everyone was so optimistic. Some of the audience were doubtful. Was this really a group that had practiced the song for a mere two hours?! Maybe Bangtan had known about the song beforehand and tricked everyone into thinking that they only knew it today.

Mr. Lee and the other judges were shocked. Every song prepared for auditioning trainees were exclusive, so the quickest the participants could know what song they will be performing would be 2 days before the audition date. But this group had Bang Sihyuk, a person without any useful connections in the idol group department. No one would inform others about such an important event either; unless that person wanted another opponent.

This meant Bangtan Sonyeondan really had only known about the audition today. It also meant that the members of this group were geniuses; and with their incredible stage presence, they could immediately debut.

The only person unfazed was the new foreign judge. She leisurely took out a pink lollipop and popped it in her mouth. "Why are you guys so surprised? Their performance was just mediocre. All they have is a lot of stage presence."

Mr. Lee shot her a look. "How long do you think you can completely master this song and be able to perform it in front of an audience?"

"Hmm... The choreography isn't that bad, I can definitely perform it well and better than this group of boys in 2 days, and I'd master it in less than... a week?" The woman continued to chew on her lollipop while contemplating.

"These boys performed after less than 2 hours of practice." Mr. Lee said.

The woman's lollipop dropped to the floor with a bam. When she recovered from her stupor, she was filled with regret. "Are you sure?" Then, the lady proceeded to pick up her fallen candy.

Mr. Lee nodded.

"The young will always surpass the old, I didn't think much of this analogy before." The foreign judge sighed as she brushed her long brown hair behind her ears.

.....

On stage, the BTS members were experiencing many different emotions at once. Looking at the distant crowd that was cheering them on, they had a certain longing yet also loathe.

They had achieved everything they wanted back on Earth, so much so that their only ambitions left in them were to just continue what they were doing, being beside their precious fans. Back on Earth, their legends had spread everywhere, and breaking records, earning fans that numbered more than 100 million, this became something expected of BTS.

Fame was what many desired, but when one had undisputed fame, it was a struggle as well. When BTS didn't manage to beat a record or didn't win a prestigious award, there were uproars, and anti-fans wouldn't hesitate to lash out. In their personal lives, nothing was personal; every little thing was exaggerated, and BTS couldn't do anything but watch.

The accomplishments of proving themselves and stunning everyone who once disdained them, climbing to the top from the bottom; BTS felt this adventure was very interesting, more interesting than staying as legends and keeping a certain rule bound to them as legends. But they missed the times where the 7 could just hang out like normal people, without cautiously stepping past needles every day. Maybe in this world, they could lead a different life. It was like a rebirth. It ignited their passion. But when they thought of the ARMYs that awaited their return, they felt shame.

It was selfish, and the unknown force that had been keeping the boys here and making them more attached to this world was growing stronger at that moment.

.....

In a corner, a fashionable young man with sunglasses on had a ferocious expression while tapping his feet. Beside him was a scholarly man trying to appease the companion.

.....

"Bangtan... Isn't this the name we were going to choose as our group name?" A teenager with a reversed black baseball cap murmured.

Beside him were 6 other teenagers that were wondering the same thing.

.....

"JinHit ...Jin ... Seokjin." An old man dressed in a professional suit attire pondered as he watched a live broadcast of the most recent idol group auditions. He had an epiphany.

.....

In a mysterious museum, visitors were snapping pictures of a supposedly magical ancient artifact. It was a beautiful music box that had strange symbols that even the highest level scientists could not decipher.

.....

How interesting.

This little game... no no no, this adventure had just started.