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Namjoon knows what to expect when they step off the plane.
It doesn't mean he enjoys it or even likes it half the time, but it's normal. It is normal but also uncomfortable and reassuring at the same time.
After all, flashing lights means they are still wanted, that they are still popular enough to warrant this kind of attention. That there is the likelihood of a large paycheck to come in the future. That their wealth is assured and their families will be taken care of come what may.
That their lives no longer belong to only them. That they hold a certain level of influence they need to be careful about or else fall into ruin. That they are under intense scrutiny whenever they make a public appearance.
That people want to follow them all over the globe, always hoping to catch them unawares and earn more money for themselves through an unflattering photo. It is half the reason they are accustomed to covering so much of their faces whenever they step out the door. Not to avoid attention altogether, but to avoid dangerous attention.
Namjoon himself is only wearing sunglasses, but his hair is done neatly underneath his hood and his eyes are his most distinct feature anyway. He doesn't need a face mask like the others might half the time.
Jimin is only wearing a black cap though. His bare face is still a blotchy red from sleep, but a picture of him from any angle right now wouldn't jeopardize his image in the slightest. Not how Namjoon's was under fire when they first debuted, constantly being attacked on all types of social media for not looking the part of an idol.
It didn't matter if Namjoon had never intended to become an idol anyway. He and Yoongi had been promised a hip hop group and, like a fool, he had actually believed that it could happen.
That isn't to say he regrets his choice of staying. How could he when it brought him six of the most important people in his life? How could he regret staying when becoming an idol brought him Jimin?
Jimin who has always looked up to him, but never idolized him the way Jeongguk did. Jimin who has always shown him respect even when Yoongi or Seokjin happened to slip up. Jimin who has always been able to recognize when Namjoon is bone-weary tired and took up the task of teaching himself and the others when Namjoon desperately needed help.
Leadership isn't something Namjoon ever thought he was capable of until he was dubbed BTS' leader and decided that he would rather die than ever do wrong by his boys. Bang PD may have given him the title but Namjoon earned it by becoming the leader his members needed and deserved.
Sometimes, Namjoon does forget what he's doing this for. He forgets that music is everything to him and that the money never mattered in the first place and shouldn't now. He forgets why he started on this path in the first place.
Jimin never lets him forget how much he loves them all though. And while to a younger Namjoon, love might not be enough, but to the Namjoon of now, love will be all he needs.
So even though he is exhausted and just wants to go home where he can throw himself into his own bed and maybe cuddle with Jimin for a while, he poses for the cameras flashing at them. No smile graces his face but that's fine.
Namjoon only smiles when Jimin takes one look at him and promptly poses beside him, subtly showing his support for him.
Really, it shouldn't surprise him that he fell in love with Jimin and yet, it somehow always manages to make his breath catch in his throat and his heartbeat to pound in his ears.
He smiles at the cameras he would love in another lifetime and feels assured in the fact that whatever may happen, Jimin will always stand beside him.