My best friend doesn’t like BTS, but she messaged me to say they were on Ellen whilst I was at work, and that right there is why she’s my best friend 😂
Plot: You got tickets to the second Ellen appearance for the band. Almost everyone else seemed plastic and fake – only there for their 15 minutes of fame or because they wanted a glimpse of the handsome foreigners. You were the lone person cheering for him but one small voice made him happy.
Rating: PG (Language, negative thoughts, bad mouthing)
Characters: RM x Reader (any gender), mention of other members.
Notes: I’ve read in a few threads and posts that a handful of the pretty audience members, specifically those in front of the cameras, were (supposedly) not lucky fans but wealthy offspring of the elite meant to fill the audience and look good. Also I noticed no one yelled or cheered for RM when his intro was taking place or when it ended – this is my “what if it was different” take. All of this is fictional and speculation!
“I HATE YOU!” Marina yelled. A few deep breaths were taken in the background before she spoke again. “Well, not really Y/N, but I am jealous that you get to see them at a TV show taping, literally be that much closer to them than I was in the GA section at their concert! I know you’re gonna be eyeing Smarty Pants Leader the whole time, but please, just give me a rundown on what Yoongles is wearing and what his voice sounds like in person!”
You bit back a laugh after hearing her last audio response in your KakaoTalk chat. Your eyes drifted back to the print out in your hand, confirming you were guaranteed a seat in the audience for BTS’s second appearance on “Ellen” while they were in the US. Your first BTS encounter after trying and failing to get tickets to their concerts several times.
“Whoa, is that the line for “Ellen” or some Apple release?” the Lyft driver asked as he turned the corner at the intersection.
You looked up and saw a long line queued up a block and a half from the entrance to “Ellen”, all girls from the looks of it. Many were dressed up nicely and others were sporting accessories themed to BTS.
“Yeah...I think it’s “Ellen” – can you drop me here please?” you asked as you pointed to the sidewalk closest to the end of the line.
The driver pulled over and you pulled out a few bills for a tip, thanking him before you exited. You clutched your confirmation in hand and walked to the line, checking with the girl in front of you to make sure you were in the right place.
She looked up from her phone and nodded with a smile, flashing her confirmation at you. With her other hand, she extended it for a handshake.
“I’m Bre,” she introduced herself. “First time I ever got a chance to see BTS.”
“I’m Y/N and same!” you replied, shaking her hand. “I swear I have the worst luck – I’d get up super early –”
“Load all the computers and gadgets up with the ticket sale sites,” she interrupted, “try, try, try and get nothing because others beat us?”
“Right? But we’re here now,” you said. “How long until they load us in?”
She shrugged as she put her phone away, craning her neck to see if she tell what was going on at the front of the line. She frowned when she spotted people she recognized, or so it seemed, and she whipped back around, jabbing her thumb at some girls at the front of the line.
“Wait, weren’t those girls in the front on “Ellen” the last time?”
You blinked as you tried to get a better look at the girls in question. A few people ahead of you, another girl heard your question and nodded with a grim face. She asked her friend to hold her place while she joined you and Bre, lowering her voice so she wouldn’t be heard.
“Those girls aren’t even ARMY,” she revealed. “I heard they’re just rich chicks who got scouted by the studio to stand in front to look pretty. My friend came to their first appearance and overheard one of them say that they didn’t know who these guys were, but they better be cute if they’re pretending to look excited.”
Bre gasped and crossed her arms over her chest. You stared shocked at the other girl, holding your breath for a few moments.
“This is Ellen we’re talking about,” Bre said. “President Obama gave her a medal, she’s always has been embracing normal and imperfect people – are you sure?”
“We’re in Hollywood,” the other girl reminded you. “It’s always about appearances.”
Bre grumbled under her breath and your shoulders sagged when you heard this bit of news. While you weren’t disappointed about scoring the tickets to see the guys in person, it meant that you were probably going to be forced toward the back with the true ARMYs.
“Here, you should stand in front of me,” someone said as she nudged you forward.
“Oh thanks,” you replied, noticing she was taller than you.
“Gotta look out for fellow ARMY – I don’t wanna block you from seeing your faves,” she replied. “Name’s Victoria – who’s your bias?”
“Y/N,” you said. “Mine’s RM. You?”
“I’m a Hobi stan,” she said. “I think you’re the only person I’ve met here who stans RM – everyone else I’ve talked to is either Suga or the maknae line. Maybe a couple of Jin stans, but not a lot of us for the hyung line for some reason.”
Wonder if that was an accident or on purpose, you thought as the crew grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Welcome everyone, may I have your attention please?” one of the crew members called out. He waited for everyone quiet down and he clapped his hands. “Everyone excited?”
The crowd cheered loudly and he nodded with a smile. “Love the energy – need you all to keep that up throughout taping, okay? Smile, wave, cheer – that’s what I want to catch on camera. Now, all of you were assigned in groups and those with a purple wristband, I’m going to need you to join me when one of my crew members grab you. We’re going to film something else for online and you’ll be helping us out with that, okay?”
You looked down at your wrist and sighed when you saw your band wasn’t one of the purple ones. Victoria checked hers and excitedly shook your shoulders.
“Congrats,” you whispered with a smile.
“Whatever it is, I’m gonna tell RM you came for him,” she promised. “My gut’s saying it’s gotta be something for the boys.”
“Only if you get a chance to – thank you,” you said.
The crew spent the next few minutes instructing everyone what was going to happen and pointed to where the cameras were positioned. Once everyone seemed to know what they were doing and where to look, the main guy began counting down, signaling the start of taping.
Ellen came bounding out as the DJ blasted music in the background. You threw your arms up and cheered as she went around high fiving people, cameras panning across the audience. Eventually Ellen took her seat and welcomed everyone, introducing her first guests, BTS.
The rest was a blur as the lights dimmed and cameras panned to the stage where the band was performing. You watched as the audience lit up with lightsticks and silently you wished you brought your own. While V started out the song, your eyes went to the male with dark, slightly spiked hair in the formation. They followed him as he moved across the stage, staying in time with the music and tempo.
You sucked in a sharp breath as the song began to wind down and the boys took their final positions. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Ellen joining them, making the group look up in surprise. Everyone laughed at her actions and cheered as she announced they were going to take a quick break then be right back.
Then the lights were back on and the crew began working to reset the stage with couches for Ellen and BTS to sit on. Some of the girls continued to watch as the boys waited to get acquainted, while others fussed with their appearances. You felt a tap on your shoulder and soon a phone was passed over.
“I’ll text you what the purple wristband thing is all about,” Victoria whispered.
You mouthed a thank you as you typed in your number and passed it back. You unlocked your phone and handed it to her so she could enter her number.
“Okay everyone! We’re back in three, two, one!” the crew guy called out.
Your eyes snapped up to the stage and your voice joined the many cheers as the cameras began rolling again and Ellen welcomed everyone back. She gestured to the sofa where all 7 boys were seated or huddled around, prompting them to reintroduce themselves.
“You all had different hair colors first time,” she reasoned. “Can we get everyone to introduce themselves real quick?”
Your eyes went to the spiky-haired young man who flashed a dimpled smile, raising a hand. “Hey I’m RM, and I’m kind of the spokesperson for BTS,” he greeted.
You yelled out a cheer, trying to ignore the stares you got from the silent women around you. You kept a smile plastered on your face even though you could hear a pounding in your ears. Victoria wasn’t kidding – you were the only RM stan present.
The leader snapped his head in the direction of the cheer trying to find the individual. Meanwhile, the others began to introduce themselves, the audience around you drowning out the band’s voices. Eventually the leader gave up and focused back up front as Ellen began to ask them questions.
“Was it fun?”
“Yeah it was!” you said to your mom as you stepped outside the studio. You checked your watch and decided it would be best to call a Lyft soon. “Hey, I’ll let you go – gonna schedule someone to pick me up and I’ll let you know when I’m home safely.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she replied.
You ended the call and started to pull up the Lyft app. Then a text popped up, making you pause and switch to your messages.
Victoria
Purple wristbands had to go to the “Friends” set and read a couple of lines. Totally wasn’t expecting the band to jump out from behind the bar and sofa!
Sent 3:51 PM
RM was behind the couch when my group went – I made sure to tell him it was you who cheered for him.
Sent 3:52 PM
You saw three dots appear and you frowned as you looked closer to see another message come through, this time with a short video clip. You did a double take when you saw RM’s smiling face in the still shot.
Your thumb pressed the play button and the video enlarged before starting.
“Hey Y/N! Thank you so much for the love and support,” RM said as he clasped his hands together. “Really wish I could have met you but Victoria here was so nice to tell me your name and that you were the one cheering during my intro. Thank you so much, I mean it. Hope you enjoyed the taping and maybe I’ll see you at a future concert.” He raised his fingers, forming finger hearts by his cheeks, then he used his arms to form a big heart, hands making the top part of the heart by resting on top of his head.
