‘Lost in Translation’ (Ch. 1) BTS Fanfic
@quoting-machine Hello again stranger! 🌼 I really hope you like how this request turned out! I apologize for how long this took, but I sincerely hope it was worth the wait~ This was unbelievably fun to write and I can’t wait to see where this goes 💕😋 This fanfiction will likely turn out to be about 3-4 chapters long at the most so I hope that's alright with you!
P.S. The language skills in this fanfiction are NOT accurate to real life. Please excuse this minor inaccuracy! Thank you! ~ Admin Lex
Jungkook X Y/N, BTS X Y/N
Summary: Y/N is an American music artist who gets the opportunity to collaborate with Jungkook of BTS, but what starts out as just a music collab ends up turning into more a little more than what you signed up for...
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Jungkook ran his sweaty palms over the length of his suit pants, nervously pressing his lips together. Ever since your performance at the BBMAs only a few hours earlier, your lyrics ran marathons in his head, your voice even more striking while live. By the end, you had the audience so enraptured, they took extra time to pick their jaws off the floor before clapping.
So when he spotted you casually chatting with other American celebrities, champagne glass balanced in hand at the after-party, he found it significantly harder to maintain his confident persona.
Jimin, unfortunately, was the first one to notice. “Hey man, is everything okay?”
His eyes followed Jungkook’s line of sight which was fixed on your figure across the dance floor. “Ohh.”
He couldn’t help a light chuckle from escaping, recalling how many times your name was mentioned during interviews when the boys were asked about their favorite American musicians. Jungkook had quite a long list but you were always one of his first answers.
Turning to his hyung, Jimin nudged RM and pointed in your direction, excitedly bouncing on his toes.
“Look, look! Y/N is right over there!”
“Wait really?” V snapped to attention, having overheard Jimin’s excitement.
“Yeah, what do you say we go congratulate her?” RM suggested, winking at Jungkook in the process.
He then turned, addressing the other members, “Come on you gu- you guys!” -only to find them raiding the horderve table a few yards away.
Sighing, RM waved them over. “Jin I thought I told you to watch the kids.”
“And I did!” He defended, cheeks still puffed with food. He swallowed. “I took them on a field trip.”
After rolling his eyes, RM continued, “Well if you guys are done here, let’s go meet Y/N.”
The moment you noticed the seven men all dressed to the nines, your face broke into a welcoming smile, successfully managing to hide the nerves prickling your fingertips. Little did you know, you happened to be just as big of a fan of them as they were of you.
You stuck out your hand. “Hello, I’m Y/N. It is such an honor to meet you all.”
The leader you knew as RM shook it bashfully and introduced each member. Everyone greeted you with warm smiles, immediately easing your worry.
“It’s really a pleasure to meet you too. We are all really big fans.”
You noticed the little indentations in his cheeks when he smiled back at you.
“Thank you so much. Your guys’s performance today was incredible- truly the highlight of the showcase.”
It was true, that was all anyone was talking about since they left the stage.
Jin clutched his chest, dramatically expressing his gratitude. “Ah, thank you. Thank you.”
Suga shook his head, his dangling earring swinging with the movement. “Oh, no no. Everyone was.. amazing.”
Behind him, J-Hope shot many finger-hearts in your direction, earning the many giggles that escaped your lips.
The youngest, Jungkook spoke up. You had noticed he was wringing his hands, playing with the cuffs of his suit as if he was… nervous?
“I- uh, really liked your performance.”
“Yes, it was very good.” Jimin added.
“Him especially.” RM gestured to Jungkook. “He- really enjoys your music.”
In the harsh lighting it was hard to tell, but you could have sworn his cheeks turned just a tiny bit pinker.
Jungkook scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, uh- yeah.”
The corner of your mouth lifted up into a sweet half-smile, flattered.
“Oh thank you so much! I would love to collaborate with you on a project in the future. However, I understand you all have very busy schedules.”
You waited for RM to finish translating. You knew Jungkook understood as soon as his face lit up at your proposition. Two of the older members playfully patted him on the back, shooting giddy grins at one another. A few of the others exchanged words in Korean, seemingly jovial with the whole situation.
“Y- yes, definitely. Thank you very much.” He smiled wide, the edges of his eyes crinkling and you could feel your heart start beating just a little bit faster.
“Yah, are you going to message her yet? It’s already been two months!”
“What excuse could you possibly come up with that would excuse you not wanting to collaborate with Y/N?” RM crossed his arms.
Jungkook thought for a moment, hesitant to say his worries out loud.
“I’m not very good at speaking English.. We’ll have trouble communicating and writing lyrics- I just don’t want to mess this up. I never thought this would actually happen..” Jungkook sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
RM’s expression softened, taking a seat next to him on the studio couch.
“Hey, what happened to that obnoxious maknae confidence? Where’s the Jungkook who was scouted by six different companies as a trainee? Who makes every lady swoon with just one look? He’s gotta be in there somewhere.” He reached over to ruffle the younger’s hair, finally earning a small smile out of him.
“Besides, if we’ve learned anything from our international fans, it’s that music breaks any language barrier.”
“You’re right.” Jungkook nods. “But we’re creating a song together. We still have to exchange ideas. And there isn’t a way to do that without communicating.”
Namjoon hesitates before answering, slightly adjusting his beanie. “I hardly think you’ll need it… but would it be helpful if I was your translator, at least during your writing sessions?”
The maknae perked up, immediately in love with the idea. But after a moment the expression faltered, replaced with a concerned frown. “But Hyung, are you sure you aren’t busy? I know promotions are over but-”
“I’m sure. Besides, you’re not the only Y/N fan here.” He playfully remarked.
“Hey, are you trying to steal my collab?” Jungkook jokingly raised an eyebrow.
RM shot him a ‘not-so-innocent’ smirk, earning a small slap on the arm from the younger. He chuckled and began to stand up from the couch.
“You better text her before I do then.”
“Okay okay, I will.” Jungkook grinned as he watched RM exit the studio, ever thankful that he has such a supportive leader. But before the door could shut, he spoke up. “Thanks man.”
All Namjoon did was wink before sliding the door shut and disappearing down the hall.
After setting your suitcase down on the floor of the hotel room, you fell face-first into the soft, white sheets of the queen-sized bed. You breathed in the soothing lavender scent, so damn happy to finally rest. Yes, you did manage to catch a few minutes of shut-eye during your flight, however it didn’t last long thanks to your wonderful seat neighbors. What you thought was terrible turbulence turned out to just be a misbehaving child rapidly kicking the back of your seat. Nothing made you feel more relieved when the flight attendant announced your arrival.
Before drifting off though, you made sure to set your alarm for tomorrow morning, as you had scheduled plans to meet up with Jungkook to brainstorm some ideas for the track. You also would like get to know him better, since you would be working with him for the next few months. In order to accomplish this, you’ve taken time to learn some Korean, hoping to lessen the language barrier even just slightly. Of course you were no expert but you were determined to contribute to this collaboration in any way that you could.
You had gotten word that RM would be translating between you and Jungkook, so you were more than thankful for his assistance. It definitely eased most of your worries.
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The next morning you set off on your walk to the coffee shop bright and early. The sleep you had gotten was deep and dreamless, and when it was time to wake up, although jet lag still hung beneath your eyes, you felt more refreshed than you had in awhile.
You hadn’t really gotten the chance to admire the big city of Seoul up until now, so throughout your walk you couldn’t help but marvel at the buildings towering over the bustling streets. The sun reflected off of thousands of window panes and street vendors. You’ve been to many countries while touring, and each one had a unique charm to it. Seoul was certainly no exception.
You finally arrived at the small shop, peeking down at the address Jungkook had sent you to confirm you were at the right place. You entered the building which was pretty much vacant, save for a boy occupying a window seat at the far corner of the room. His leg rapidly bounced up and down as he looked out the window.. nervous perhaps? But as soon as he spotted you, he pulled down his face-mask and waved, a small smile adorning his face. Your heart did that thing again where it speeds up just a tad as you walk over and take a seat.
“Hi! It’s nice to finally meet you again.” You said in Korean.
He looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh- I didn’t know you spoke Korean. Your pronunciation is very clear.”
“Only a little bit.” You smiled at the compliment. “And thank you!”
The waiter comes over to take your order, and you’re suddenly thankful the menu has pictures.
Once your orders were placed, Jungkook’s gaze shifted back to you.
He asked how your flight went and if you liked it in Korea so far, all of which you answered positively to. As the small talk went on, you could feel the atmosphere relax a little. Sure this was a professional meeting but you were glad to find the tension slowly melting. And though his heart was still beating a little too loudly for his liking, Jungkook was able to present himself rather confidently. This, you noticed, remembering how shy he seemed the night of the BBMAs.
“So- uh, should we start brainstorming some ideas?” The boy asked.
But he was only met with a confused look as you tried your hardest to decipher what he had just asked. Realizing this, he tried in English. “Do you want to.. get ideas for the song?”
“Oh, okay let’s start then. Thank you.” You smiled, appreciating switching languages. “I was thinking we could write it about.. new love.” You suggested, fishing out a pen from your bag and grabbing a stray napkin from the table. “The hardship of experiencing new emotions and sharing them with the person you love.”
You attempted to roughly translate your idea, expressing yourself through many hand-motions. Luckily, he seemed to understand quickly and offered his own idea in return. “Um- two people..” He hesitated. “.. Could like each other- but can’t express their feelings.” He finished.
“Good idea!” You scribbled it onto the napkin, remembering all your other ideas you thought of during your flight. Meanwhile, Jungkook thanked the waitress as she set down two steaming cups on the table. He took his Americano in two hands and carefully blew, his bangs falling into his eyes.
“Um- what if.. in the song..” You slowly stir your straw, desperately racking your brain for the right words in Korean. Noticing your embarrassment, Jungkook offered a small, encouraging smile. “... they sing to the other what they’re too afraid to say.” You successfully managed to finish the thought.
You noticed his eyes spark at the idea, lyrics probably already surfacing in his mind.
“What if you sang your part to me in English and I sang my part to you in Korean?”
In that instant, a lightbulb went off in both your heads as you locked eyes. “-because of the language barrier between them!” You exclaimed together.
A giant smile overtook his face as he laughed and you could only imagine yours looked the exact same. It took a few seconds for both of you to recover, but your grins never faded. Jungkook sipped his drink, peering at you with shy, smiling eyes over the edge. You weren’t sure why but you felt your heart become warmer just then. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
Two refills and 4 note-filled napkins later, you and Jungkook decided to call it a day, since you were still pretty jet-lagged and he had practice later with the rest of BTS. You guys made excellent progress that morning, having already figured out the themes and concepts the track would mirror. During your walk back to the hotel, you ran over everything in your head.
The song would be about two people in love, but unable to express their feelings to each other because of a language barrier. The lyrics would be written as if they were confessing to one another in their native languages. Hence why you would be singing in English, and Jungkook in Korean. The idea was risky but brilliant all the same. The further you thought about the project, the more excited you became to see the outcome. Just from the few hours you’ve already spent with Jungkook, any worries you had about your compatibility flew out the window. However issues with communication were a constant problem, you could tell Jungkook was just as passionate about this as you were and would, therefore, put as much effort in as possible. And, you had to admit, his reputation proceeds him as being somewhat very handsome.
Hmm I wonder if he’s ever been in a relationship before...
You shook your head. That wasn’t your business, but you couldn’t help but wonder if he would be writing his lyrics from past experience or just creativity.
