surprise, baby

under the thousands army bombs brightening the stadium with different colors and screams of fans has always been the place where park jimin thought and felt he belonged. no matter how stressful his life as a singer was, whenever he picked up his sparkly golden microphone and sang one his songs for his fans, he’d always forget about his worries for the whole moment he shared it with them. at that time, the only thing that mattered was how happy he was.

that was how he usually felt but. not on this world tour.

the world tour of his latest album ‘13 promises’ had started off in april of 2019. jimin had known how hard this tour would be for him, especially since his boyfriend, jeon jungkook, wouldn’t be by his side like he usually was because he had been serving his 27 months of military service. although he was sad, he always cheered up the most he could when he shared the special moments at concerts. every shared memory always kept a place in his heart, but the one big place kept by jungkook felt numb.

pretending to be happy wasn’t something he’d normally do but, as an idol, keeping a good happy image of himself has been something his manager always forced him to have. but the only place where he didn’t have to pretend to be happy was in the spotlight, in the middle of the stage at a concert.

april of 2019 was gone in a flash, he’d already completed his whole world tour filled with blood, sweat and tears; from seoul to the united states, to south america, to europe, to japan, and to finally the last concert in seoul that would end the world tour. it was already october, and the last day was more special than he thought. today was october 13th, his birthday.

like he wanted, his birthday wasn’t made a big deal around the staff, mainly because he felt more down than any day. jimin felt his neck muscles ache as well as his thighs. moving his own hands up forced the muscles in his beautiful god-like sculpted face to shift with pain and dislike. he’d been overworking himself too much but all to make his performance the greatest. he always gave his best no matter where, the weather or at what time; something fans loved about him yet also feared of him.

the main reason why jimin didn’t want to celebrate his birthday was because his boyfriend, jungkook, hadn’t called or texted him for the last seven months. frankly, he was scared shitless of the possibility of receiving the worst news possible... that were death given how brave and danger-calling he was to choose the roughest and most dangerous troop in the military. he feared waking up one day with his manager handing him a telegram. now, he just had another urge to cry but he couldn’t let himself... not when the stylist had just finished doing the final touches of his make up and his white hair with faded purple hair tips was already in place. the screams and chants of fans echoed so hard in between the underside of the stage. the staff ran over from different sides assuring and checking everything was in place for the last two songs of the concert.

this was it, he knew he’d end up crying while thanking the fans for coming, he’d always been more emotional than others and today was going to have more tears of joy rather than sadness; but not that he knew yet.

jimin was already dressed in an xxv gucci t-shirt tucked into a pair of black leathered pants and a black leather jacket with embebbed gemstones and sequins. both his ears had the white earpiece connected to his golden microphone and luckily, the next two songs didn’t require choreography per the rehearsed schedule.

all he needed to do was lower his head and torso, go up the special platform and he’d be elevated into his own world, his form of escapism that was also his special magic shop.

“remember, as soon as you go up, the song will start to play. when you finish the song, you have about six to nine minutes for your thank you speech before the next song starts to play. oh, and don’t forget! as soon as you finish your speech, you have to go back to the main stage before the song starts!” jimin’s manager, manager oh-nim’s voice had been clear in jimin’s ears. he nodded while feeling the same butterfly feelings of going on stage. “yes, i remember!” he shouted through the loud cheers and with a pat on his back, he was off.

clearly, he didn’t notice the smirks and chuckles from the staff as he went up the special platform. in this special platform, he’d go straight up to the second part of the stage which was a good 20 meters in a straight line from the main stage. here, he was closer to the fans and they had a much better view of him.

as soon as he noticed how fans started screaming louder and shaking their army bombs as if he was looking at his own purple lighted galaxy, he felt the nervous tingles of his body arise but the first thing he did was smile wholeheartedly and the back of his mind cried because he wished jungkook was here with him, enjoying this amazing unforgettable view with him.

the song started, it was a song he had composed on his own with the help of his producer friend kim namjoon, also known as another famous rapper rm. but the version of this song was extended and made into a stage/stadium remix so fans could enjoy it longer and he could also in between have more time to cheer with them.

“are you ready, army?!” he shouted, rosy plump lips against the golden mic as his arms rose in the air. he ignored the muscle pain and proceeded in walking to the corner of the stage while moving his shoulders in rhythm to the beat.

just like his world tour was titled ′13 promises‘, this song was titled ’promise’. the song went on with so many smiles and laughter between him and the fans. he got to see them cry but also scream and extend their hands towards him, as if he was their only salvation in the world; like he was jesus and they were sinners wanting to be cleansed.

the truth was that this song was dedicated to his love, jungkook. even if he tried holding back tears, even if he was happy singing it for the fans, he couldn’t help but feel deep down how he was singing it for jungkook; especially the last chorus and bridge.

“i want you to be your light, babyyou should be your light

deoneun apeuji anhge

nega useul su issge

i want you to be your night, baby

you should be your night

ibamo neoege soljighal su issge”

how clueless was he. jimin was singing his heart out while holding back tears of joy mixed with sorrow. this could be the last time he sang this song on stage, the last time he dedicated it to thousands of fans and jungkook.

but yes, he was completely clueless.

under the main stage, a man wearing a mint green camouflaged military uniform was being added some light concealer and lip balm to his face. he was happy, far too happy he feared he would choke a sob from how things would turn out. the name 전정국 was embebbed into the right side of the chest, for his name tag. there he was, jeon jungkook all back from the military. he was done with his service today and ready to return home. truth was, he hadn’t called jimin because he wanted it to be a surprise. he had been arranging this scenario with mr. oh (jimin’s manager) and with the ceo of the entertainment company jimin was under.

he hated not having contact with his precious jimin, but today, it would all be worth it. not only would jimin get the surprise of his life, but he would get the best memory of a concert.

the plan was for jungkook to go up the special platform in the second stage and jimin already be would be on the main stage, meaning, the fans would get to witness a real life romantic k-drama moment. there were 2 outcomes of the plan, jimin’s reactions. jungkook knew his boyfriend well, afterall, they had been dating since jimin was a trainee and all the fans loved them together and accepted them (some hated but they can go cry against their pillows).

since this had undergone planning for far too long, the last song of the tour had been the stadium remix of ′memories with you’. this song was special to both of them. special because the song featured jungkook’s voice in the chorus and some verses. the song was specifically chosen so jungkook could join jimin on stage as a surprise and sing it with him (even if he hadn’t practiced or exercised his voice in two years). although there could be many outcomes, two were clear. the first could be that as jimin was on the main stage, he would notice jungkook and run to him through the stage like there was no tomorrow (typical k-drama) or he wouldn’t be able to form any words and he’d lose the power over his legs and start sobbing mid song. out of those two outcomes, jungkook wasn’t sure which would happen. for now, everyone expected the first outcome to happen.

“we’re ready. jimin should be giving his final speech now!” mr. oh shouted as he connected two purple ear pieces to jungkook’s ears.

“perfect! thank you mr. oh!” jungkook managed to shout the thank you as he was guided over to the special platform that will lift him up in a few minutes. “no, thank you for returning back safely. now, don’t do too much pda, there are children present. and please, remember the final step, the fans will start singing happy birthday as he goes to you. we’ve informed them of the birthday surprise when they arrived.” nothing more needed to be said, jungkook could already feel his nervousness about to explode.

the song faded and the cheers slowly stopped. jimin panted and walked over to the middle of the second platform. the two giant screens in the back showed his teary eyes and famous eye smile. he was happy. the love the fans gave him was never taken for granted.

“army... thank you so much for being here tonight.” jimin paused and sniffled while briefly removing his ear pieces for the moment. the fans already cooed and awed at him even though they were mostly crying as well. “it has been an amazing privilege to share this wonderful concert with you. although there were many who didn’t get the chance to come, i’m sure they can watch this and be happy because this is also for them.” another sniffle and jimin’s eyes already shed a few tears. he was happy, too happy. the feeling of never wanting this to end was fully taking over his mind.

“with this world tour of ′thirteen promises’, i’ve had the most amazing privilege of seeing all of you. we have danced, laughed, jumped, and even cried, and it’s these moments that to me matter the most. here, i can see all of you, and you can see all of me. you’re my stars, army.” his words were so impactful to everyone. jungkook could hear them from below and he felt his eyes prickle with tears but he couldn’t cry, not yet.

“but i want to apologize... i have to be completely honest with you guys. i haven’t been my full happy self lately. today, i was more tired than usual, i messed up a few steps in ′serendipity‘, my voice cracked in ’filter’... i’m sorry. there’s just someone really important to me that i miss and i can’t see him. my heart aches so much for him and i’m trying my best. i wish for him a safe return from his military deployment.” fans started chanting “don’t apologize!” along with loving remarks like “we love you jimin” along with “it’s okay!“. jimin felt his eyes release a great amount of unstoppable tears and nevertheless, he smiled brightly.

“with this next song, my world tour of thirteen promises ends. thank you so much for everything. i love you army. i love you love you love you!! let’s make this another unforgettable concert!” now was the moment where jimin walked to the main stage (after putting back his ear pieces) as he threw kisses and waved. the fans screamed and desperately extended their hands towards him with the slightest hope of him going there to shake them. “now put your hands up in the air! sorijilleo! let’s light up the stadium one last time!!” filled with cries and cheers, the stadium roared with love as jimin made it up to the main stage while the beat of the song started playing. the army bombs shifted from white light to a light purple between each outsider area until the center where it was a much darker purple. the color shifted in waves, darkened room the inside to the outside continuously -blinking in the process-.

jimin’s nose was runny and itchy but that didn’t stop him from singing the first line. he was already facing the crowd of 69,000 fans with his golden mic on his right hand, lips barely brushing against it. the song was far too emotional than he’d ever remembered; maybe it was because this would be the last time, or maybe it was because it meant jungkook to him; after all, the song was titled ′memories with you’.

“and i shared my whole love to you because~”

jimin’s voice abruptly faded unexpectedly. he flinched rather loudly when the lights of the stadium powered down. he had just began to sing the first verse of the chorus but something was wrong. this hadn’t happened before. he couldn’t panic. it wasn’t professional of him to panic. for peter’s sake, he had been a singer since 2013 and he was already 24 -today. right today... was his birthday... but as far as he knew this wasn’t in the script he rehearsed.

there was sweat going down his face, his hands began to tremble as soon as bright small lights began to light all over the gangway platform connecting the main stage to the second stage. then, jimin’s heart began to beat uncontrollably as he noticed a figure ascending from the special platform with all lights suddenly on him.

jimin had forgotten what the lyrics of the song were. he forgot what part he needed to sing. the small tvs attached to the stage (that portrayed the lyrics just in case) were turned off which was something never done before. it couldn’t have been a malfunction...

who was the figure?

even if the song still went on, jimin’s eyes squinted with confusion. why was there someone going up the platform? suddenly, the cheers increased and that’s when his vision cleared and from a black silhouette, his vision caught the mint-camouflaged designed military uniform.

it couldn’t be?

this was a dream.

“you are the cause of my euphoria~”

jimin’s eyes lost the will to hold back those tears as soon as his own earpieces heard that voice. oh dear god, his legs began to quiver.

“surprise, baby. happy birthday.” there he was, jeon jungkook smiling at him by the other end of the stage. he was back... alive... he was here. oh my god, he was here!

“J-JUNGKOOK!!!” jimin’s throat managed to shout louder than he had ever done today. even if his legs were tired, he managed to move them up. he slipped out the earpieces and did what his body could only do.

he ran.

he ran towards jungkook completely unaware how many fans were singing him happy birthday. the only thing he wanted was to hug his boyfriend and kiss him, as unprofessional as it sounded given their current location.

jungkook’s lips trembled while shaping his famous bunny smile. he couldn’t see anything else other than jimin running towards him while squealing and crying in joy.

“JUNGKOOK!!” jimin jumped on jungkook as soon as he was within the range. he wrapped his legs around the thin yet muscular waist of his boyfriend and entangled his arms softly yet hard around the strong neck. “i missed you. oh my god. i missed you so much.” jimin sobbed as he didn’t waste any second in locking his own rosy plump lips on jungkook’s own rosy juicy ones. how much they missed each other. the fans cheered louder than before, some screamed while crying while others screamed while smiling and filming the amazing video with their phones... and even some had the nerve to stop shaking their army bombs while rolling their eyes.

“i love you, jimin. i-i missed you too, so so much.” jungkook whispered against their lips, pecking then continuously while his hands held the comfortable weight of his boyfriend. even with the warning from mr. oh (manager-nim) about pda, they hugged and stayed still in each other’s embrace while sobbing and being with each other in the unforgettable moment; plus the other 69,000+ pairs of eyes on them.

there’s so much that jimin wanted to say and thank everyone for. he couldn’t even begin to imagine what his life would’ve turned out like if jungkook hadn’t returned; but he was here now. they were together. it was everything that mattered. his world was here, his fans and his jungkook.

and to add to the amazing surprise, the song still hadn’t ended yet when jimin’s legs slowly fell to the floor and he untangled his hands from his boyfriend, when jungkook slowly took a step back and with the purple microphone was given, he rose it to his rosy lips once again while jimin stood still with red eyes, red nose, red cheeks, and swollen red lips.

jungkook switched the mic between his hands so his left hand could hold the mic properly.

suddenly, the stadium went quiet once again and jungkook spread his legs apart at the same level of his elbows and made a gyeonglye (salute) towards jimin.

"dangyeol!” jungkook said loudly yet his was voice rougher than before and then he dropped his arm. his eyes bore into jimin’s like the soldier he’d been shaped into for the past 27 months.

“sergeant jeon jungkook! i have completed my service to my country today october thirteen of two thousand nineteen! i am ready to go home.” jimin’s lips quivered in a smile again as he watched jungkook bow at a full 90 degrees. and then, unexpectedly, he was kissed on the lips before jungkook did a full respectful bow. he had kneeled on the floor and placed both hands on the stage while shouting “i love you park jimin!” this was a spectacle everyone would cherish forever, especially jimin whose mouth hung agape even more surprised than before when jungkook slowly straightened himself up...

only to kneel his right knee and shyly smile at him from below.

there were gasps around the stadium but none of them came to either of their ears because jimin and jungkook were far too lost in each other’s eyes in a moment to be treasured and remembered forever.

“park jimin, i returned to my home, you. will you allow me to stay forever with you? will you marry me?”

mr. oh for sure was going to get a scolding because french kissing in the middle of the stage was not planned at all.

“and you are mine. yes, i will marry you, jungkook-ah.”

the most unforgettable concert, the most unforgettable memory so far, all because of two words that started it all:

𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚.