This story is dedicated to you if you have ever been abused by someone bigger, stronger, and seemingly more powerful than you. You are not alone. You are infinitely precious. And the trauma you endured is not your fault. Know that you are so loved. And whatever trauma you have been through – it does NOT define you. You are a beautiful rose, a lovely lily, a most precious gem.
Rated M for Mature. This story deals with some difficult topics and involves some graphic situations.
She was interviewed by a woman. As soon as they saw Yoongi, his bodyguards, and his attorney walking in the door with Stasia, a girl from another country, the police officer who greeted them found a woman officer on duty.
Yoongi was sure to bring publicity. So they were careful to do things by the book. Yoongi and his attorney entered the witness room with her. They sat down across from the female officer. She questioned Stasia for a long time.
Yoongi was amazed. Stasia had an incredible memory. She remembered days, times, places. Every detail seemed to be filed away in her brain. She truthfully answered every question. She didn’t hide the rape. She was fearless. She didn’t cry. She spoke in a quiet, even voice for over two hours. At the end of her testimony, Yoongi gave his again.
Then they let them leave. Stasia had been informed that she would hear from them once a court date had been set. That was one of the things that worried Yoongi. He knew these things had a way of dragging on. Of slowly devouring one’s resistance and resolve. Would Stasia hold up under the pressure of it all?
He resolved in that moment to be there for her no matter what. Even if he had to miss important engagements. He prayed the trial schedule wouldn’t conflict with his concert schedule. But even if it did… He was faced with a choice. Was a girl he barely knew more important to him than BTS and ARMY?
He remembered a time when they had cancelled a concert because of him. He had been petrified, unable to move. It had been impossible for him to sing. He had no way of climbing that stage and dancing. It had all been too much for his mind. The voices had been screaming too loudly. Fear clawing at his chest; terror racing up his throat. Sweat dripping down his body in steady streams, he had hidden in the bathroom. And his friends had understood his fear, his paralysis. They had backed out of that concert. All because of him. They had refused to do it without him. They were one. They battled together. They failed together. And they succeeded together. But he had let the other guys down in that moment. He had also failed his fans that day. He still felt bad about it.
Was he willing to disappoint ARMY again? For the life of one girl? But when he looked at her face…when he stared deeply into her eyes, he knew she was the reason that he did what he did. He had risen to the top of his industry to give his generation a voice. To put a pen in their hands, so they could tell their stories. To put a hammer in their hands, so they could build a bridge to tomorrow. To put a level in their hands to build a wall against their common enemy. To put a microphone in their hands, so that their song could be heard around the world.
And if he deserted this one girl in her hour of need, he would be abandoning all of ARMY. He had to show this one girl that she was more important than anything else in his world. A concert was entertainment. Perhaps hope and encouragement too. But this battle this girl was fighting – her day in court – this was so much more important. She was standing up against a system that had been corrupted over hundreds of years. She was fighting against a belief that had destroyed millions of girls just like her. The lie that women were inferior to men, that they were men’s playthings, to be used and discarded at will. At the will and whim of a man. With no regard to their feelings or their health. Or their self-worth. She was representing her entire generation as she stood against the tide of men’s degradation of women.
And it was time that the good men stood with her. So when he arrived at home today, he was going to call a meeting with the other six. They were seven. And seven men could do a lot of good in this world. If they determined it was important enough.
