Waves

Jungkook strolled into a room at the Big Hit Entertainment building, looking for a jacket he had left the day earlier. Upon entering and getting closer to the couch in front of the television in the room, he saw a familiar tuft of hair and profile.

"Namjoon? What're you doing here? Watching…?" Jungkook lifted his gaze toward the screen while Namjoon turned his head to look at the maknae.

"LUXIA of course," he replied nonchalantly but with a hidden air of a proud dad.

"Oh! Their survival show series!" Jungkook finished Namjoon's explanation for him.

"Yeah, this is the episode where we appear! We're all watching it together."

Jungkook scrunched his face in confusion. "Together? What do you mean?" No one else was in the room except Namjoon. But when Jungkook observed the room more carefully, he realized that someone else had left their coat in the room as Namjoon already had his hanging on the arm of the couch.

"They left to get some food." Namjoon explained, seeing the maknae's confusion. "You didn't know?"

"No," replied Jungkook just as the door opened behind him, revealing Jimin and Taehyung closely followed by J-Hope.

"Huh? I really am the only one that didn't know?" He pointed to himself in disbelief.

"Know what?" Taehyung echoed as he made a beeline for the armchair.

"Oh, Jungkook, you made it." Jimin stated casually, making Jungkook even more confused. All the while, Namjoon was looking on with a wide smile that showed his dimples. The maknae's confusion was quick humorous.

"Jungkook didn't know that we were meeting to watch an episode of LUXIA where we appear." BTS's leader clarified to the four members just now entering the room.

Jimin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But didn't you text us that you were going to this room earlier?"

"To get my jacket…?" Dumbfounded, Jungkook's eyes widened out of habit and lifted his jacket as a supportive gesture.

"…..Oh! Haha!" Jimin had a half second delay upon realizing the situation before laughing at the poor maknae. Everyone had thought Jungkook already knew, but as it turned out, it was false communication.

However, regardless of miscommunication, Jungkook still made his way over to the showing and joined them all in time. So the BTS members comfortably settled around the television to watch LUXIA's newest episode on YouTube. The TV box was connected to the internet, so they could access it on there instead of a computer which had a smaller screen and was worse for watching together.

"Hm, by the way," Jungkook remarked as he chewed on a stolen snack that the other members had brought with them, "do you think we should surprise them by going to their concert?"

The BTS members considered Jungkook's question in the middle of the episode. Namjoon spoke first.

"Well, we never were able to attend any of Iris's concerts. Actually, I can't think of a single time that we did something like that for any of them. So, should we?" He turned to look at the rest of them.

"I wouldn't mind. It'll be fun I think, to see their faces." Jimin smiled thinking of how happy they probably would be. He liked bringing a smile to other's faces, so he naturally thought of the other side's feelings first.

"Yeah, Jin was the only one that went out to do that," laughed J-Hope. "So we should complete it and see their first concert."

"Hm." Jimin nodded in agreement. "Before, Iris was technically not under Big Hit for the time being, so now that they're all official, that would be a great opportunity to surprise them."

Taehyung joined in, commenting, "They've been so busy and preoccupied with their work that they probably wouldn't even think about us visiting them like that. But what about the fans?"

He brought up a good point. BTS could visit LUXIA backstage to give their support. But the men couldn't very well and literally join the concert as one of the fans in the audience. They would get mobbed and inadvertently create a fiasco if they did that.

"VIP balcony seats, maybe?" J-Hope grinned. "Like TXT when they came to our concert, haha!"

"Yeah, that works. Better go now before they get too famous!" Namjoon chuckled, looking again like the image of a proud dad.

"Hey! Don't be cutting us out too soon!" Jimin smirked brightly.

"We've got a few good years left, of course," said Namjoon impishly.

"Hyung, are you getting secretly sentimental again?" Jungkook teased lightly while placing a hand on Joonie's shoulder.

"Ay, you know," Namjoon chuckled. "Suga's already departed for military service after dropping us some great tunes and verses. It'll soon be Hobie and I's time to go, so you all better hold down the fort! Get that English down, you hear?"

Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin all smiled with bittersweet sincerity at Namjoon and then J-Hope.

"Hey, don't look at me like that." J-Hope laughed brightly. "We've got plenty of time for touring and being together. Enjoy the now and we'll all be together soon."

Jimin released a small sigh. "You're right. Now let's enjoy and watch the show."

"The torch has been passed." J-Hope joked, speaking of LUXIA and their younger brother group TXT. Big Hit was now in good hands while BTS rotated their lineup along with military service.

Today was one of the few days before they had to fly out to start their world tour for their newest album in 2021. As forecasted by fans and music experts alike, BTS was up for a Grammy nomination by what many considered to be nothing short of a miracle due to xenophobia and historical stiffness of the Grammys in adapting to changing times and the shifting global music scene.

Regardless, it was a triumph; even though, BTS didn't win Best Pop Duo/Group Performance—which coincidentally, in a funny twist of events, was the category that Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus had won and invited BTS to join their performance on the Grammys stage the year before.

BTS had once again broken another record and paved the way for not just k-pop, but music from around the world on one of the highest regarded award shows. Perhaps BTS's likening to the Beatles' influence was holding true after all.

Time would tell, but currently, BTS was in their most precarious phase. No longer as seven, they would have to fend off rising and returning competitors.

However, this could also be a time of relaxation, loosening up for them. They didn't need to fear the spotlight so much anymore having grounded themselves into music history. They had also declared their confidence in themselves since their Map of the Soul: 7 album and "ON" title track which talked about accepting all of themselves and their hardships, their fate, directly.

Yes, BTS was moving in an uncertain but still very beautiful and illustrious future. Now, more than ever, with their years of experience and shackles dropped, they could play around with their sound and a more mature, assured purpose. They could start envisioning and planning what they wanted to engrain themselves as for the future.

While there may not be another group of BTS's caliber on the international stage, time paused for no one. Eventually, new groups would secure their spotlight and begin a new wave.