“All right guys, great job! Take thirty,” Jimin announced, much to the relief of the rest of the dance club, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his loose tank top.

 

Jimin wasn’t normally in charge of the group, but as they were halfway through practice for the day and Hoseok still hadn’t shown up, it was the first time that he’s had to actually step up in his role as the “unofficially-official” vice president of the club.

 

It was really unlike Hoseok to not show up, and especially to not show up without letting anyone know. Jimin had tried to pretend like he wasn’t as worried as he was, and tactfully avoided the subject when the other dancers asked him where his friend was—but he clearly wasn’t hiding his concern as well as he thought he was. As he went over to his dance bag to check his phone and get a drink of water, he didn’t even notice one of the quieter newbies follow behind him.

 

“Did you kill off Hoseok-hyung to take his place as the club president?”

 

Jimin jumped, startled by the voice right behind him. “Excuse me?” he sputtered, choking a bit on the sip of water that went down the wrong way.

 

“Oh, that was a joke. Sorry. My friends tell me I need to work on not sounding so serious when I make jokes,” the kid flatly explained, “I was just, wondering. I know you’re close to Hoseok-hyung so I just wanted to know if he was okay?” he ended, his statement sounding more like a question.

 

Jimin tilted his head at the shy boy; he had to admit, the kid was cute with his big doe eyes, partly covered by his dark bangs, and his bunny teeth. It was an odd juxtaposition with the kid’s muscles that rivaled his own; Jimin tilted his chin up and pretended he wasn’t a little jealous.

 

“Yeah, uh—what’s your name again?”

 

“Jungkook.”

 

“Yeah, Jungkook. He’s…well. To be honest I’m not sure where he is,” Jimin sighed, deciding the lie wasn’t worth the upkeep, “I was actually gonna try calling him…,”

 

His sentence trailed off as his phone started buzzing from his bag.

 

“Oh, that might be him!”

 

Jungkook didn’t wander off to do whatever as Jimin expected, but when Jimin saw the call was from Jin and not Hoseok, he started to not really care as the worry grew in his stomach.

 

“Jimin! Why have you not been answering me, I’ve tried calling a hundred times! This is—listen, I need you to come to the hospital, Hoseok is just—,”

 

“The hospital!” Jimin interrupted, his breath caught in his throat, “I’m at practice, you know we turn our phones on silent at practice—wait, is he alright? Is he dying?” Jimin gasped, catching Jungkook’s attention again.

 

“He’s perfectly—well, not perfectly—he’s okay. Physically. I’m not sure what’s going on in his head, but whatever it is it’s really getting on my nerves at this point. I need you to come talk some sense into him before I stab him with an IV spike!”

 

“Hyung, he’s in the hospital, have a little sympathy!”

 

“Right, sorry, I’m just—I’m really worried. He’s just not making any sense! He keeps talking about some Min Yoongi? I don’t know, I mean the name sounds familiar, I’m pretty sure Namjoonie had talked about him being in his classes at some point—,”

 

“Well, of course you’d remember him then, if Namjoonie talked about him,” Jimin teased, finding his older friend’s long-time crush on the music theory student amusing. He noticed Jungkook perk up a bit out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Don’t interrupt—I am—that’s, that is beside the point, Park Jimin!” Jin screeched, “listen. Just end practice early and get over here and tell Hoseok that he isn’t dating Min Yoongi and that I’m not lying!”

 

Jimin controlled his giggling, humming as he thought for a second.

 

“Well, I mean, maybe he’s not lying, maybe he WAS secretly dating Min Yoongi,” he joked again, mostly relieved that his friend was okay, and knowing Jin—the situation probably wasn’t as serious as the elder was making it out to be. Seokjin had always been a bit of a drama king, well known to the college campus during his time there.

 

“Did you say Min Yoongi?” Jungkook asked suddenly, slightly startling Jimin again.

 

“Hyung hold on a minute,” Jimin said into the phone, ignoring Seokjin’s irritated huffing and quickly turning to Jungkook, “yeah, do you know him?”

 

“He’s my friend. Well. I think we’re friends,” Jungkook choppily explained, his voice quickly losing his earlier confidence, “I mean—we usually go to the studio together, he helps me with my music homework and sometimes he has me sing for his songs…I didn’t know he knew Hoseok-hyung,” he added, his tone suspicious.

 

“I was just kidding, I’m sure they don’t know each other,” Jimin chuckled.

 

“Well…I don’t know, I mean…Hyung is really—private, he might have just been hiding it if they were seeing each other…,”

 

“Nah, no way. Hoseok just broke up with his ex-girlfriend anyway, he’s not even over it yet, let alone suddenly sneaking around with some guy none of us know!” Jimin shook his head, going back to his phone, not noticing Jungkook squinting and biting his lip.

 

“Okay, Hyung, I’ll be there soon, just try not to upset him okay, honestly he’s probably just reacting weird because of how stressed he’s been lately, you know how everything’s been…,” Jimin sighed, not wanting to go into detail about Hoseok’s life with Jungkook still staring at him.

 

“Right…you’re probably right, Jiminie, he’s probably just stressed out…and, not thinking right. Just, hurry up okay? See you.”

 

“See ya in a bit.”

 

Jimin hung up, quirking an eyebrow at Jungkook.

 

“You need something, freshie?”

 

“Oh. Uh, guess not. Is practice over, then?” Jungkook stuttered, bouncing on his feet anxiously.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I gotta hurry, tell the others for me alright?” Jimin said, quickly gathering his stuff and rushing towards the door.

 

“W-wait, but—,”

 

“See you next week!” Jimin grinned, waving at the younger boy before the door closed behind him.

 

Little did he know, Jungkook already had plans to head to a certain music studio, thoroughly unconvinced by Jimin that nothing was going on.

 

---

“Listen—it won’t even be a big thing! Just tell the doctor I’m not crazy, we can get out of here, and figure it out later! I really, REALLY need to get out of here, I’ll be late for class!” Hoseok insisted, pleading Jin to cooperate.

 

“Hoseok, no! That’s ridiculous, your health is more important than class anyway, what are you even…,” Jin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, we aren’t leaving until the doctor gets your scans and clears you, alright? I called Jimin earlier, he’s on the way, I’m sure he’ll help you catch up with whatever you missed.”

 

“What? I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about MY class!” Hoseok huffed, sitting up straight in the hospital bed, pouting.

 

“Uh…yeah, YOUR class…,” Jin repeated sarcastically, eyes wide.

 

“As in, my class? My class that I teach,” Hoseok emphasized, still convinced that Jin was the one not right in the head.

 

“You mean…the dance club? Jimin took over today, I’m sure it went fine?”

 

“No, not—ugh, this is ridiculous.”

 

“You’re telling me, buddy.”

 

Hoseok gave Jin a deadpan look before sighing and relaxing back down into the bed.

 

“Fine. But if the doctor says I’m good to go—,”

 

“Unlikely, but go on.”

 

“IF he says so, then…then what am I gonna do? God, I’ll be lucky to not be fired, I wonder why no one from the office has even called me yet—and Yoongi, jeez, I don’t know what I’m gonna do to fix that mess—,”

 

Hoseok rambled on, knowing full well that Jin was not believing a word he said, but needing to talk it out anyway. Usually, Jin was a great person to go to for advice—as a best friend would be. Yet, that hasn’t been the case ever since he woke up in this situation, and the change was giving him an unsettling feeling in his gut.

 

If Jin was telling the truth, then what did that mean? Surely it wasn’t just a dream, Hoseok figured, dreams aren’t so detailed, and long, and so…utterly normal, real. But what was the alternative, that this was some kind of alternate reality? Hoseok shivered, not wanting to think about that too long, those types of thoughts easily freaking him out.

 

“Hey Hyung, damn, you look like !”

 

Hoseok snapped out of his thoughts, looking over at Jimin who had popped his head in the doorway.

 

“Wow, thanks Jimin,” he laughed, glad to see his younger best friend hadn’t seemed to have changed.

 

“I mean—I didn’t mean it like that!” Jimin rushed, finally scurrying into the room, fake fabric and plastic flowers in hand, “I just meant—you know. Surprised you’re even awake! Glad you aren’t dead, Hyung,” he smiled wide, unceremoniously setting the cheap flowers down on Hoseok’s lap before plopping down into the chair by the bed.

 

“Well, gee, thanks. Me too,” Hoseok said, grabbing hold of the flowers, inspecting them warily. “These are…nice.”

 

“Dollar store is a magical place.”

 

“That’s one way to put it,” Jin chimed in, rolling his eyes, “alright, so. Hoseok, would you mind telling Jimin here everything you’ve told me, so we can get this straightened out?”

 

Sighing, Hoseok retold the tale, from his last full day in his memory to the fight with Yoongi, to waking up in the hospital with Jin and the nurses, to the doctor’s explanation.

 

“And it just—it , because, now I guess I’m just crazy or something! And no one believes me, and…and honestly, I just. I feel so alone,” Hoseok finished, trying to ignore the sobs starting to catch in his chest, embarrassed from admitting his feelings. “It just feels like my whole life has come crashing down, and I don’t know what to do about it, and no one can even help.”

 

Jimin was quiet for a bit, softly running his fingers across Hoseok’s arm as the older boy rubbed his face with the back of his free hand, holding back tears.

 

“I…I believe you.”

 

“You do?”

 

“What?”

 

Jimin flicked his eyes towards Jin for a split second before scooting his chair closer to Hoseok. “I don’t think you’re crazy, Hyung. I think you just…have a lot going on. And, if…if Yoongi is what—who, rather, is helping you with that, then…then you should try to…fix things with him.”

 

“I want to! But he just—freaked out on me, and—but, and now I’m…here, and everything is so messed up!”

 

“Maybe it’s just…well, I don’t know. Maybe you just have to talk to Yoongi and you’ll…’go back’ to…wherever?” Jimin smiled awkwardly, stiffening as Jin grumbled behind him.

 

"Maybe, but...how am I supposed to do that?"

 

“Well…actually, that new kid in the dance club—Jungkook? Ring a bell? No, okay, well that’s fine—anyway, I was talking to him before I came here, and…he said he could grab Yoongi to come here and…talk with you,” Jimin said slowly, the lie flowing smoother than it probably should have.

 

“This is ridiculous, I can’t believe—Jimin, can I talk to you, OUTSIDE?” Jin asked, voice tight.

 

Hoseok bit his lip, finally noticing the tension between his two friends, “I think I should…take another nap anyway, I’m exhausted,” he said, closing his eyes. “I need to be rested before I see Yoongi again, anyway.”

 

“Right…you do that, Hyung. We’ll let you rest,” Jimin agreed, his voice oddly soft. It was comforting, though, much more than the harsh tones Jin had been using with him before.

 

---

“Okay, what was that? I asked you to come help me get him back to reality, and you just pushed him further into this…delusion he’s created! Jimin! The doctor said—,”

 

“I don’t really care what the doctor said, Hyung. Don’t you see how upset he is? He isn’t doing this on purpose, he’s not trying to be difficult. I think…I think that everything that’s been happening lately has finally made him snap,” Jimin whispered harshly, not wanting Hoseok to hear.

 

“So you don’t actually believe him? Jimin, come on, we have to be honest and up front with him!” Jin lectured, “even if this is some kind of…weird, coping mechanism like you’re saying, we can’t just let him think it’s real!”

 

“Look. I just think that, maybe it would be best to sort of…play along. For a little while,” Jimin rushed, seeing Jin about to interject, “like—have him talk to this Yoongi guy, and have him…work things out on his own. You know how rough he’s had it since Minji broke up with him, and…the whole thing with his parents, his sister...,”

 

“So you think he’s just…deluded himself into thinking he’s had this ‘perfect’ life, ‘perfect’ relationship, with some guy he’s never even actually talked to, to cope with his real issues?” Jin frowned, before leaning against the wall, thinking, “that…well, I guess maybe it…does makes sense, but why Min Yoongi?”

 

“I don’t know, Hyung. I’m studying dance, not psychology.”

 

The two stood there, the ambient noise of the hospital padding out the awkwardness as they each thought about the next steps.

 

“So…we get Yoongi here, who has no idea who Hoseok is, to talk to him about a non-existent fight in a non-existent relationship, Hoseok sees that none of that was real, and he’s back to normal?”

 

Jimin scratched his head, staring at the floor as he thought on it, before nodding at Jin with a bright smile.

 

“Yeah, sure. Gameplan.”

 

Jin rolled his eyes for the fiftieth time that day.

 

"Right. Gameplan."

---