I paced the green room floor, chanting that everything would be alright like I was rehearsing it for a play. I had nervous sweats and my knees could buckle under me at any given moment, I just wanted it to be over.

"Baby?" Tae's voice ceased my movements "Everyone is here, are you ready to go out?"

"No" I shook my head. He laced his fingers with mine then brought my hand up to his lips to kiss it

"Take some deep breaths with me, your hearts is pounding like you're being chased by a bear"

"I think I'd rather be chased by a bear," he chuckled. Keeping a firm grip on my hand, Tae led me backstage to meet up with the rest of the guys. Each of them trying to calm me down and encourage me, it worked a little but I still felt like I would pass out.

"Okay, everyone go, go go" one of the staff members whispered and ushered us out.

I didn't bother looking at the floor section that was filled up with cameras and journalists. The clicks and flashes of the cameras were overwhelming to the eyes so I looked down until we reached the table set up for us. All eight chairs had microphones sitting in front of them

"Sit here love" Yoongi whispered and pointed to the seat on his right. I did what he told me and sat down noticing Hoseok sitting on my other side which was good because I was going to need him to help me reel in my emotions

Everyone sat down and the murmurs got louder, I could see all the eyes looking in my direction or at me directly. I felt so exposed, it made me want to crawl under the nearest rock and stay there forever. I took a deep breath then exhaled and smiled sweetly. Hobi took my hand under the table and squeezed it

"You're doing great" he whispered

"Alright we are going to get started" the emcee spoke into his microphone, the room silenced in a matter of seconds which was even scarier than the murmuring "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, today were are here to witness a huge announcement from the superstar group Bangtan Sonyeondan and their guest. Would you like to introduce yourselves?"

The guys and I stood up and did their signature introduction while I just bowed slightly with them. Sitting back down everyone also did personal introductions as well. I stayed quiet until my cue

"First off I'd like to thank everyone for coming out this afternoon. As you can see we have a special person he stage with us and I'm sure you are itching to know who she is so we're going to let her introduce herself" He signaled toward me so I could speak

"/ Hello I am Choi Ma-ri and I am their soulmate" I thought the room was quiet before, it became frozen at the end of my statement, not even the click of cameras sounded off. I'm positive I could hear every individual breathing then suddenly a roar of questions and shuttering filled the room.

It sounded like everyone had twenty questions of their own, it was hard to make out what was being said or asked. The emcee, who was also paralyzed with shock, finally got his wit about him and got the crowd of reporters to settle down

"I'm sorry, did you just say you are their soulmate!"

"Yes I did"

"How is this possible? It has been over seventy years since a soulmate was identified!" He asked with his eyes still as wide as saucers "Is this a joke? This is a prank right? There is no way you're their soulmate"

"Is it very much possible and completely true" Yoongi corrected the misspoken man

Again the roar of questions shook the room causing me to jump at the volume of their voices coming together to form a bass filled mega voice. My heart was thudding in my chest as I scanned the crowd in slow motion, the flashes of the cameras not registering

"Babe you okay?" he asked rubbing my thigh under the table

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine"

"Everyone please settle down. We will answer your questions but we can't if you're all speaking over each other" Jin said taming the crowd, after a minute they all became quiet and the emcee seemed to have grabbed hold of his own reigns

"Thank you Jin-ssi, I apologize for my outburst." He bowed to us, then the crowd and reclaimed his seat "Before we turn over the questioning to the press, may I ask one more question?"

"Go ahead" Namjoon granted him permission

"Ms. Choi, you said you are their soulmate, meaning you are fated to be with all seven members so that has to mean BTS are soulmates, right?"

"That's right, all eight of us are each other's soulmates" Taehyung confirmed

"Wow, this is incredible." he turns back to the sea of reporters and photographers "Since I know everyone has their own questions for the members and Ms. Choi I am going to start from my left and grant everyone two questions so we don't overwhelm the panel. Please start" He points to a tiny man, he makes Yoongi look like a giant in comparison

"Hi, my first question is for everyone. Soulmates used to have identifying marks, do you have them and can we see them?" reporter one asked with large, intrigued eyes

"Sure," Jungkook answered. We all stood, they came out of their blazers and jackets and I rolled up the short sleeves of my dress. Each of us turning so that our left arms were on display for proof "And no it's not makeup" He turned his water bottle over in his hand and rubbed his skin then holland his hand up to the cameras

"Wow, uh my second question is also for the group, when did you know you were soulmates?"

This time Jimin answered "For us members it's been about six years, it happened in stages and we were in serious denial at first but the presence of the pull had been there long before we acknowledged it"

"Thank you" reporter number clearly have about 50 more questions but abided by the rule set by the emcee

"Hello, my question is for Ms. Choi. How did you figure out BTS were your soulmates?" a leggy, thin woman with crooked teeth asked

"I, umm I didn't actually, my cousin did. I didn't believe in soulmates until a few months ago" Hobi gave me an encouraging nod so I ignored the pumping of my heart and the sweat that would stain my top and talked on "I was here for my father's funeral and had a wild few days of passing out, chest pain and headaches. My cousin, who is army, noticed that whatever I experienced happened to the members as well so she put two and two together. I had not idea who BTS was until three and half months ago, never seen or heard of them prior to then"

"So how did you all meet? I can't imagine you just walked into the hybe building with this claim and everyone believed you?" she pursed her lips

"No, it didn't happen like that. My half-brother was picking up our sister from work on the way to take me to the airport so that I could back fly home and I began to feel breathless and lethargic and nearly passed out in front of the building entrance. My sister took into consideration our cousin's theory and somehow got me into the building. I just remember being laid out on the couch almost out of conscientious when I felt a sense of relief and the pressure in my chest dissipated and I remember Jungkook saying I was beautiful before I passed out"

"You heard that?" he asked, peeking down the line

"Yep" he winked at me and I didn't feel so nervous anymore.

"Thank you for your questions, next" the emcee cut her off just as she was about to fire off another one.

"Ms. Choi, where are you from?" reporter number three asked

"I was born in the United States and lived there until I was seven with my mom and dad when he moved us to Korea. I went back to America when I was fourteen"

"Right and what are you?"

"Excuse me?" I asked with a leaning forward into the microphone. He immediately shook his head furiously

"I meant no harm, I mean what race are you?"

"I am half black by way of my mother and half Korean by way of my father?" he wrote quickly. The next person asked their question

"Did any of you guys know she was your soulmate before meeting her?" Yoongi and Jin raised raised their hands

"I had dreams about her starting a little over a year ago" Yoongi replied first

"And I prematurely connected with Ma-ri about twelve years ago. I will not go into any more detail about that at this time" he ceased the increase of murmurs before they got riled up again

So far things were going well and everyone was being respectful, I didn't want to lash out at their curiosity so I kept taking hidden deep breaths to remain calm. Most questions were what we all expected and the guys took turns answering with poise and dignity, I was impressed. Not many more questions came my way, that was until one reporter jumped over and spit on the unspoken boundary set in place at the start of their questions

"Ms. Choi, wouldn't you consider yourself a whore and a gold digger? You can't expect us to really believe you just so happened to be the only female soulmate to seven extremely handsome and rich men can you? And you, as member of BTS I expect better than stopping to these levels to get attention. You've always said you were proud of how you acheieved success without chart manipulation or cheating but this proves you're just as shady as the rest of the industry. This is obviously a publicity stunt to promote their next comeback" she sassed, with her arms folded over her chest

I was definitely taken aback by her sheer boldness and audacity. The guys mouths fell open at the question and accusation but I was officially offended and pissed off. The coaching I received went right out the window.

"Let me answer your question with a question, are you mad because you're not their whore?" The audible gasp of the other reporters made me roll my eyes. I no longer cared that we were being recorded and live streamed. I no longer cared that I was supposed to speak like a lady and be careful with my words. That bitch just insulted me like I was so soft spoken punching bag

She scoffed, snatching her arm from the security guard trying to escort her off the premises "No, let her stay until I say what I need to. Miss, I don't give a damn what you think of me or how you feel about our situation to be honest. This is the truth and you choosing not to believe it does not change the facts. Yes I am the single female soulmate to these seven men and if you think that makes me a whore then that's a personal problem. The concept of a whore cannot exist with soulmates because we are created and fated to be together for our natural born lives. Nor am I a gold digger because I was doing very well for myself long before I met them. You are spewing ignorance and it's really sad that you are this stupid and now the worlds knows it."

She was about to say something, to defend herself I assume "I'm not done. How dare you come for these men? They've worked their asses off to be where they are today! I really don't care that you're jealous of me so you say stupid things because you don't know me but to come for BTS like this..." I shook my head "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. I'm sure they've been feeding, clothing and sheltering your scrawny ass for years now considering how vital they are to you even having a job. Do better. Please remove her, thanks" I smiled sitting back in my chair as she was pulled away in pure embarrassment and shock

Yoongi leaned over to whisper in my ear "We are going to get chewed out for that but it'll be worth it. I got hard when you cursed her out in English" he breathed causing a shiver to run up my spine

"In that case I'm not sorry" I felt a sense of pride but it wasn't coming from me I looked around to see Hobi and Jin smiling extra big at me

"Uh, I think that will be the end of the questions for today. Thank you all for coming out and thank you to the members and Ms. Choi for your time today" the emcee stood with us as we said goodbye and left the stage.

I paced around the room trying to decrease the amount of adrenaline pumping throughout my body. My mind went into hyperdrive as I thought about what I said and how much trouble I could be in or worse the guys.

"Baby stop thinking so much, it's giving me a headache" Yoongi groaned

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I should have let one of you handle that reporter but she pissed me off" I huffed out

"Ma-ri, no one is upset with you. I actually liked how you handled her" Hoseok said giving me a hug "We will probably get a lecture from our PR team and may have to apologize but it's not a big deal"

"Really?"

"Really. Don't even worry about it. Hearing you defend us was kind of sexy" Namjoon wiggled his eyebrows making me laugh

"I don't know about anyone else but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back, I know it's going to be crazy for a while but I'm happy that we don't have to hide anymore" Jungkook expressed with Yoongi sitting in his lap

"Me too, I physically feel lighter without the weight of such a heavy secret" Jimin agreed

"For someone who was freaking out right before going on the stage you did well baby" Taehyung smirked at me

"I was still very nervous but I didn't like it when she tried to play us, mainly y'all. I know a lot of people will be jealous and upset at the fact that I ruined the fantasy but it's like they ever had a shot, even if I never came along"

"So that was interesting" Sejin's voice arrived before he did. He walked into the room with a man I'd never seen before, he was about average height with a chubby body and round glasses. He was kind of adorable.

"Oh, Mr. Bang" Namjoon smiled before bowing then hugging him "We didn't know you would be here today"

The rest of the members also greeted the older man too "I came in after you all were already on stage, I had to come meet this beautiful young lady" he turned his warm gaze to me

"M-me?" I pointed to myself starting to get nervous again

"Yes Ms. Choi. Hello I'm Bang Si-Hyuk, CEO of BigHit"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Forgive me" I shook his outstretched hand and bowed "It's very nice to meet you" he chuckled

"It's nice to meet you as well, you are as pretty as the boys described you"

"Um, thank you sir" I almost mumbled

"She is so cute when she get flustered" Yoongi teased me, now standing up

"Oh god! You heard me telling off that report didn't you? I'm sorry I wasn't thinking"

"Ms. Choi-"

"Please call me Ma-ri"

"Okay, Ma-ri, it's fine. I liked it and you were right, she spoke out of ignorance and jealousy and now she's going to regret it for the rest of her days"

"I told you she was little spitfire" Sejin smiled

"I see. I also wanted to say congratulations to you. I'm so happy for all of you and I'd like to take you out for dinner soon"

"Bring your limitless credit card," Jungkook joked with wide eyes.

"Thank you. That is very nice of you Mr. Bang, I'd like that very much" I blushed from the barrage of kisses Jimin delivered to my neck "Will you stop?"

"I've got business to tend to but I'll let you all know when dinner is." With that he left and I released the breath I was holding

"We need to go now, the crowd outside was already suffocating and it's only growing larger since the announcement" Sejin explained as we prepared to leave

Jin sat next me in the van holding my hand. Over the last week I've really enjoyed his company and his touch, it was like I was in a brand new relationship and we were in the honeymoon phase.

"I'm so proud of you, you were great today baby" he said lowly

"Thank you Jin" he released my hand and put his arm around my shoulder

"Can I have a kiss?" I nodded and accepted his soft lips on my own. It was sweet and loving "I love you"

"I love you too" I whispered against his lips

"Really?" He smiled big and wide

"Really, you know I can't lie to you. I love you Kim Seokjin"

"You have no idea how happy you make me"

"Mm I think I do, pure connection, remember?" I giggled "I know exactly how happy I make you and how much you love me and it's the most amazing feeling in the world"

________________________________________________________________________

Boom. Bam. POW!

Also awwww 🥰