I hope you like this story

♡o♡

Comments and criticism are always accepted and taken into consideration

Edit(6/5/2018): I have revised the story, and added and closed a few loose ends

Original Story: 5178 words

~Miss Cigarette

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Third PoV

Jeon Jungkook hated his life.

Now, this may seem like an exaggeration, but give me this time and I will explain.

The young man we know as Jeon Jungkook was a Seer, one of the very few people cursed or blessed, he no longer knew, to be able to see the red strings of fate. He never told anyone of the ethereal and ghastly strings that he had grown to hate. They were nothing but a burden hew would have to carry, until the day he was buried 6 feet under ground or until he burned himself into ash. They were nothing, yet everything, to him.

When he was young, still nothing but a naive child, Jungkook would play with his own glowing string coming from his little finger on his left hand. He would run through the streets, letting his fingers trail gently on crisscrossing strings trying to find who was on one side. Other times, he would pull and pluck with the strings, playing them like an instrument and making music only he could here until the sunset and he had to go home.

He loved the strings, more than he loved himself. He loved the importance that they brought to him even if nobody knew he could see them. He loved the thoughts of being able to make others happy by helping lead them to their destined other half.

Though, as he grew, his heart hardened, and the love-filled, wistful boy disappeared and was replaced by a bitter and resentful man. As Jungkook learned more and more about the shadows cast by the glowing strings, he left behind his whimiscal thoughts for the cold reality. People couldn't care less for the strings he had once treated like gifts given directly by Fate. He learned that in his own lifetime, he would probably never meet anyone with an intact string, unless it was someone asking him to cut theirs. He learned that even his own string would probably be cut. He learned that the knots littering the strings aren't as beautiful as the movies had made them out to be. He learned of the pain the unwilling others would feel from the string being cut, and he learned that most would never recover from the excruciating pain.

He forgot of his dreams of following destiny and fate and learned how to ignore the cruel strings, and here...

Is his start. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh Jaehyo was 7 years old when he learned that most people would have their strings cut, knowing fully of the pain they would bring to the world, yet didn't seem to care about. He was 7 when he is first told that the pretty beads on the red strings are really decrepit and ugly knots. He was 7 when he found out about the artificial love that the knots made; the love as ugly as the knots themselves. He was 7 when he learneed that the knots would never last, destined to crumble and fade. Oh Jaehyo was 7, when he first experienced curiosity.

Before Jungkook was Jeon Jungkook, he was Oh Jaehyo, a shy boy sat in the back of a primary school class in Busan. It was in this class, that his beloved, young teacher told the class all about the knots that everyone had, even though they, as what he called non-Seers, could not see them themselves. He told them that the knots were proof of people's love even despite the bonds of Fate, and that it was okay if  they fell in love with someone else too. His teacher talked on and on about how when they were older, they could get their string cut and knotted too. 

Then... he spoke of the pain that cutting the strings caused, but how their soulmate would understand why they would cut it. "Cut them off, before they cut you..." He remembers him saying, voice calm and nonchalant. He wondered how people could still do it. Why would they cut the strings, when they knew how hurt their soulmate would be? That was the first time the shy boy could remember bringing attention on himself; he burst out crying.

That day he asked his older brother, "Why...?", and all the other said was so that they could be happy. "But what is happiness in the face of suffering?" Jaehyo thought, but he stayed silent, his brother just seemingly knowing all the questions he was thinking and answered them. His big brother told him that he was going to get his string cut when he grew older. His older brother told him that their mommy and daddy could feel that their knot was falling apart. His older bother told him that their mommy and daddy didn't love each other anymore, but would always love him. Years later, it is his older brother that apologizes to him, saying that their mother and father never loved them at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh Jaehyo was 9 years old when he first experienced the full effect of a string being cut; he had always been told that out of every separated pair at least one of them would never recover. He was 9 when he says goodbye to the broken shell of a woman he was called his mother, because she couldn't recover from her second heart break. He was 9 when he did not recover. He was 9 and in a new city when he learned that his old teacher had died, because she could not recover from her first heart break. He was 9 when he saw the man he once called a father knotted to a different woman, his older brother dragging behind them, his own string dragging on the floor behind him. Oh Jaehyo was 9 when he first experienced anger.

Jaehyo had watched his mother deteriorate for the years since his dad had left, taking his older brother with him, and for the last few weeks, he has watched as she packed up their things and filled out paperwork after paperwork. He still remembers the day the white van came to take her away and he remembers how her voice shook, when she had to tell him why. She told him that she couldn't take care of herself anymore, let alone try to take care of him, and that he would like his new home...  his new family. She said that they would be able to love him more than she could ever and has ever loved him. 

He watched the van drive away with the woman from where he stood in his driveway, still filled with taped moving boxes. After a lonely night alone in the now empty house, another van came and took him and his things to a new city, with towering buildings and neverending noise, but something he had left behind in the old house was his name, Jeon Jungkook given to him in the form of adoption papers and a new family that wasn't his. The only thing his new mother gave him that he wanted, was the information that his old teacher had died, and when he found out his father had gotten knotted again and remarried, he thinks he feels his pain. 

He sees his father and his older brother for the first time in three years, when the man visits him after Jungkook's lived in the city for a few months and has accustomed himself to the spontanaity of Seoul, yet he still wasn't prepared for the man to be sitting on his new bed. Jungkook feels his blood boil when he asks Jungkook to be one of his groomsmen and stand beside his older brother at the man's wedding. He remembers screaming at the man, screaming on why he'd want to start a new family when he couldn't take care of his first one. He also remembers mustering as much strength his skinny, 9 year old body could, and breaking the man's jaw... and tearing the man's string apart. That was the night a burning, red line wrapped around his bicep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook is 11 years old when he decided that love wasn't real and that he would never need that fantasy. He was 11 when the strings became tempting to just cut, some pulled so taut that, maybe, just maybe... He was 11 when everything started to rot under his finger tips. He was 11 when the sour turned bitter and the red strings would make better nooses than bonds. He was 11 when he first experienced destruction.

It was 5 am, the sun just coming up when Jungkook snuck out from his bedroom window, jumping down from the small second story overhang, and into the alley behind his house. He had pulled up his hood, hiding in the shadow it cast over his face, as he wandered the too busy streets on the sunny Saturday morning. He usually stook to back roads and alley ways, trying to avoid the red lines, but today he had decided to walk throught the busiest streets he could, running his hands over the taut strings, the hanging strings, and occasionally he'd pick up a frayed cut string cradling it in his hands before letting the wind take it again.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he just cut them, cut all the strings so that everyone knew the same torture, felt the same pain, then maybe love would finally last forever. Those thoughts were always fleeting, staying only for a second before being replaced by something else, but on days like these,  days that just seemed too perfect for the pain in the world, he let himself linger on the intrusive thoughts a little longer.

He lets his fingers linger on the taut strings, seemingly invisible to everyone besides him, but this time he watched in morbid awe, when one... two... three strings snapped into two... four...six fraying strands. His hand jolted back, as if he was burned and he turned and ran, ignoring the pain screams and the sounds of half-conscious bodies hitting asphalt. He didn't know what happened. What went wrong? After what seemed like hours of running, he looked around him again. He found himself in a dark alley and saw a lone red string dragging across the ground, a stone caught in the end. Maybe... but he didn't... that day... Instead, that day, he saw three more lines wrap around his arm with an immense searing pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook was 13 when he was first graced by the holy presence of his Fate given soulmate: Kim Taehyung. He was 13 when he was first graced by his soulmate's wonderful and more deserving boyfriend: Park Jimin. He was 13 when he was graced by the presence of the first two soul-bonded couples, with perfect strings, glowing and taut, he had ever met: Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon, and Min Yoongi and Jung Hoseok. Jeon Jungkook was 13 when he first experienced the magnificence of love.

When Jeon Jungkook was first brought into the practice room to be introduced to the others, Taehyung and Jimin has immediately run up to him and, suddenly he was under barage of pinching fingers, tickling hands, and compliments. They were so nice to him, so much nicer than anyone had ever been to him, even his older brother wasn't as kind as they were and he was obligated to be so by blood. They horrifed him, because they had made Jungkook fall for the both of him in only a matter days, years of self-restraint thrown away like it didn't matter, but in the end he didn't think he cared. 

He fell. Hard. He fell for Kim Taehyung and his blinding, boxy smile and Park Jimin and his cresent moon eye smiles. He fell in love with their friendship... their love. He fell in love and he didn't even notice as they changed him. He let them open him up and read him like a book. When he finally stopped and noticed what they had done, he was already too far gone. He was already too far to turn back.

He had fallen in love and... he didn't regret it. Well, not completely. He regretted that he hadn't just fallen in love with his soulmate, but another person as well. He regretted that he was the one thing stopping them from being together forever. He regretted that he couldn't do anything about it. He regretted ever meeting them in the first place. Arrogance is bliss, isn't it? He regretted everything around it, but he would never regret falling in love with them. He had many more than four lines now, most unintentional, a few not, his body long numb from the burning, but this day, red didn't join his body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook was 15 years when he finally debuted, his 6 hyungs by his side and him by theirs. He was 15 when he saw Taehyung and Jimin kiss for the first time. He was 15 when he cuts strings again and this time he knows why it happens; he doesn't think he feels bad about it this time. He was 15 when he ran away, screaming at the gods, begging them for mercy. He was 15 the first time he gave his own blood to fix a string. Jeon Jungkook was 15 when he first experienced the agony of jealousy and guilt.

They had just stepped off the stage of their debut performance and all 7 of them were ecstatic, adrenaline rushing through them. All of their pain, and sadness, and hard work finally paid off, so he understood why Jimin and Taehyung would kiss. It was just a short, spur of the moment thing, hell, they cut it short by bursting into giggles and tired laughter, but it was like a stab through his heart, a shock right through his string. Suddenly, backstage was too constricting, too loud, too hot, too much, and he didn't know when he had started, but he was running now, sprinting even.

He bumped into a few workers, and stumbled over wires and equipment, ignoring his hyungs and worker's worried calls, but he stopped dead in his tracks at the anguished wails from multiple people. He turned around just in time to see multiple strings fall to the floor, and tears welled in his eyes. He turned around again, sprinting as far away from the scene, tears streaking his face and the screams echoing in his mind. 

He ran and ran and ran until he got lost between the towering concrete buildings and the sky was crying with him. Using a fire escape, he climbed to the roof of the tallest building he couldget to and fell to his knees on the gravely concrete. Thunder and lightening clashed, and he was soaked down to the bone, shaking from the cold, his makeup blotchy and runny, his performance clothes now torn and stretched. He got on his hands and knees, and begged and screamed and cried for the gods' mercy, for Fate's mercy, to allow him to fix his mistakes, to take away the strings from his eyes. He scratched at his eyes until blood covered his fingers, pounded at the floor until his hands were broken, screamed until it hurt to even move his jaw. His answer came in the act of four lines disappearing from his thigh, waist, ankle, leg, but searing pain coming back ten fold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook was 17 years old when he was pulled back into the suffocating embrace of hopelessness. He was 17 and had been dubbed the Golden Maknae to one of the fastest rising groups in the KPOP industry. He was 17 when Taehyung and Jimin first brought up the idea of getting their strings knotted together to the members. He was 17 when he fell to his knees as his string fell to the floor, frayed and dull. He was 17 when he felt his heart ripped out of him and his eyes burned gold. Jeon Jungkook was 17 when he first experienced the finality of pain.

They had made it to the top of a few music charts, adn their sales were doing fantastic, fantastic enough to even get them international concerts. It was a rare day off after a long and tiring three days of concerts, when Taehyung and Jimin called them all into the living room, nervousness radiating from the two of them, and the couple told them with shaking voices that they decided to get their strings knotted. His heart stopped mid-beat and dropped to his knees, and he was sure air didn't exist around him. His hyungs' words of reassurance and comfort to the pair were blocked out by the blood rushing to his ears. Somehow, his body reacted by himself giving its own compliments and reassurance before going to his room and breaking down.

A week later, when he falls to his knees in indebilitating pain while practicing in the practice room, he understands why neither Jimin or Taehyung weren't in practice that morning or the night before. Luckily, the hyung line had long gone back to the dorm as he pitifully picked up his string from the cold wooden floor; he had handled this pain alone for so long already, what was another few years? He watched their love grow from the sidelines. Every smile and laugh and touch, he watched. Their love was like a blazing forest fire. Out of control. Unstoppable. Nothing could ever put it out. He was in constant pain, but atleast he knew his soulmate was happy, right? Atleast he knew his soulmate was healthy, right? He was happy for them, but it hurt so, so badly. This day he saw so many lines cover his body, branding into his skin, the numb tissue vibrating trying to feel pain again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now... you know Oh Jaehyo's start... here is Jeon Jungkook's end... maybe...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook is 19 years old when he learns that love doesn't always stop, even when the knot has completely unraveled itself. He is 19 when he watches his Fate-given other half start dying. He is 19 when he watches his best friend and second love cry over his soulmate's deteriorating body, even as his own body gets weaker. He is 19 when he is forced to face the hardest decision of his life. He is 19 when the hardest decision quickly becomes the easiest. Jeon Jungkook is 19 right now and for the first time he is experiencing the atrocity of true hate.

He's standing now in a sterile hospital room, leaning with his back to the wall, unable to do anything, but watch the dying man in the bed try to watch another man trying to hide his own racked sobs behinds his hands. Jungkook watched Jimin's and Taehyung's knot fall apart in the middle of a dance practice. He had expected them to be able to walk it off, cause no matter how strong the love, Jungkook had seen knots fall and the love fall with it, but instead Taehyung fell unconscious and seconds later Jimin fell to his knees. The members had rushed the both of them to the hospital. all of the bustling and worring around the two besides Jungkook, who stayed in stunned silence the whole time. 

They hadn't left in three days, and while Jimin had gotten better enough to get out of his bed unconnected to the machines, Taehyung had just gotten worse. Jungkook could've told them why, but he let the doctor do it so it wouldn't be so suspicious, The two were holding onto a love that wasn't supposed to be. Their attempts to keep the bond is draining them and as Taehyung-shii is younger Fate has put it on him to carry that burden. Very rarely does this happen, but in all of the cases that we've had the younger always carried the burden. Dr. Shin had explained to them. Now, you don't have many options for healing. You must either find a Seer willing to do the bonding ritual, despite the fact it will kill them, or you both willingly drop the bond and Taehyung-shii will, of course, gradually get better, as will Jimin-shii. Or the worst option, the couple decides to keep the bond and we can try to make Taehyung-shii's last day as comfortable as we can.

Dr. Shin had explained it all to the 6 of them on the night of the first day, and all of them cried, the 6 of them for what they couldn't help and Jungkook for what he could, but didn't if he should. It had been 2 whole days, and he hadn't sat down once, constantly on his feet, ready to take that step out of the door to say he'd do it, but something he didn't know what holding him back.

He did know that he wanted Taehyung to be happy and moving and alive again. He did know that he wanted Jimin to be laughing and dancing and living again. He knew he wanted all of his hyungs to be... be... he didn't really know what he wanted them to be, he just wanted everything to be better, fine- hell, he'd take okay, because he did know that none of them should be in the hospital. But did he know what he really wanted? Would he really risk his life so they would all be happy again? To see them smiling and laughing again? He was only 19, would he cut his life short for the 6 men that mean the most to him than anything before never had.

He didn't know until...

"Kookie..." Taehyung had rasped out, immediately catching everyone's attention since he had only said enough words to count on both hands since he had woken up that seccond day. "What's- your finger. It looks hurt." He looked directly at Jungkook's hand to drained to move any other part of his body, and Jungkook followed his line of sight where his left hand crossed over his right arm, and down to where his mangled and flimsy string dangled to the floor.

He wasn't surpirsed that Taehyung could see it. Fate allowed non-Seers to see their strings as they approached their death bed so they would at least know themself if they had really found their true love, but it just made Jungkook realise, Taehyung was dying. Tears welled in his eyes at the dispicable thought, not wanting to think of a world without the light that was Kim Taehyung, and by proxy, Park Jimin. 

"Jungkook- couldn't be." He was brought out of his thoughts, but still didn't look up, as the older gasped and then coughed. "I'm not a-" He was interrupted by coughs, and Jimin burst out of his seat to try to calm the other and help him breath again. Suddenly, Jungkook knew the answer to the big question that had filled his mind for the last three days. Everyone, besides Jimin, was looking at him now, waiting for him to break the silence, but a full minute passed before Jungkook moved.

Jungkook looked up looking up and pushed off the wall, uncrossing his arms and letting them drop to his sides. He let tears fall as a smill, sad smile spread across his face, "Don't worry hyung... It's normal for the strings to show themselves to the dying, but you won't see it for long." He smiled one more time at the other, before he started walking to and out the door, ignoring his soulmate's coughs and pleads of his name, and the other five's questions and reassurances.

He made his way down the hall, planning on going to the nurse's station, but instead he ran into Dr. Shin just as he exited another room. The Seer stopped the doctor, asking if he could talk about Taehyung's condition, and the older man says yes only on the agreement that Jungkook would be quick. Yeah, it'd be very quick. Jungkook thinks, as the two of them walk into a patient consultation room.

"Son, I'm sorry, but I've already told you, your friend-" Dr. Shin sighed, but Jungkook cut him off.

"Is going to get better. Taehyung is going to get better." Jungkook could see Dr. Shin ready to say something, but he kept speaking, "As a Seer, I have full knowledge, ability, and responsibilty to do the ritual. I can do it. I will do it."

Dr. Shin's eyes widened, and he looked at Jungkook as if he had just grown a whole new head on his shoulder. "Son, even though you are a Seer, doesn't make it your responsibilty to sacrifice yourself for them; friends or not. You are still so young, a whole life waiting to be lived, right in front of you... You haven't thought this through." And he turned ready to leave, but Jungkook grabbed onto his arm.

"NO! No... I've spent the last 3 days- no... I've spent the last 10 years thinking about these kind of situations, Dr. Shin. It's been so long since I've started thinking. I will do it." Jungkook spoke, voice so quiet, yet so strong and absolute. "I want them to be happy again... and you can't stop me, you can just help me make it safer." He stood his ground, keeping his eye contact with the doctor and completely honest in his words.

Dr. Shin sighed and shook his head, "If you are truly confident in being able to perform the ritual, and are completely willing to take the risk, I obviously can't stop you from doing it. I will inform your friends that a willing Seer has been found to do their ritual. You may stay in here. I will send in someone in a few minutes with papers and pens, so you can write your final statements." Dr. Shin looked at him, desperation and sadness in his eyes, not wanting the younger man to go through with it, but did nothing but turn to the door. "I must say son, you're very brave for doing this, but... I apologize for everything you've had to go through... if you've truly been thinking about this for so long." And with that he left Jungkook with his thoughts, trying to organize what he'd write and who'd he write to.

Jungkook sat at the table in the middle of the room, propping his elbows on the table. He sighed and placed his face in his hands, trying to press hard enough into his cheekbones thats his tears don't come, something he learnt along time ago, when his dad first left with his brother. His brother. He'd have to write to his brother... and to his mother... and he'd definitely have to explain this all to the Jeons with all they've done for him in the last few years.

That's another thing: the Jeons. More importantly, Jeon Jungkook, meaning great thing. It's an important name with it's family charater of Jung- carried through the father, into their first and only son, Junghyun, and then for some reason onto Jungkook, their adopted disappointment of a child, even back then. He didn't desrve that name, but Oh Jaehyo... he deserved. Oh Jaehyo, no meaning, just  memories. Son of broken love and abandonment and lies. That is who he is. 

Jaehyo didn't look up at the sound of the door opening, assuming it was only nurses coming in to give him the papers and pens that Dr. Shin had talked about, but he was half right. He heard two chairs being pulled out, and in front of him sat Yoongi and Hoseok, who placed a bag of pens and a small stack of paper between them. He put his eyes down and grabbed for a pen and a paper, starting to write the letter for his older brother.

He heard one of them sigh, when they noticed he was obviously just going to keep ignoring them. It was Hoseok who spoke first, "Kook," Jaehyo cringed at the nickname, but hid it by shifting in his seat, "can you please look at us?"

Seconds passed and Jaehyo still didn't respond, opting to just keep writing. Yoongi spoke this time, "Jungkook, tell us what's going on in that head of yours." Jaehyo hated that name so much. "Dr. Shin is in that room," He pointed over he shoulder, vaguely in the direction of Taehyung's room, "trying to calm Taehyung down from a panic attack. You can't really be serious about doing this? You're too young to die." His words were as blunt as any other day, but his tone was so soft, you'd think that he was scolding a toddle.

"I... I am." Jaehyo voice was quite, but he was so sure of his decision, he felt no reason to say anything more. He signed off on the letter to his older brother and folded it, before getting another paper for his mother's letter. Silence echoed through the room for 1... 2... 3 seconds before the door slammed open with a loud thud, and Jimin was stading in the door way with his eyes red and glassy, and breathing deeply.

"Get out." He spoke to Yoongi and Hoseok. The couple shared a small glance before getting out of the room like Jimin had commanded.

Jungkook ignored his entrance, not even looking up, and continued his writing. His head shot up in mock annoyance, when Jimin grabbed his wrist causing him to draw a line onto the paper. "Jeon Jungkook, lo-"

"Jaehyo." He meets the other's gaze with a glare, finally sick of hearing them call him by that name. "My name is Oh Jaehyo, and... I'd like to die being called my name."

Jimin flinches at how calm and resolute the younger's voice is, and ignores his confusion, and just tightens his hold on Jaehyo's wrist, "Jungkook, your aren't going to die. Taehyung and I aren't going to let you do this."

Jungkook tore his hand away, and crumpled up his messed up paper and grabbed a new, "I said my name is Jaehyo and I want to be called it." He looked down to the new sheet of paper, and restarted his mother's letter, "And I didn't think that either of you would let me, that is why I told Dr. Shin, not you."

"Well, then, Jaehyo," Jimin spoke with irritation, "Neither of us want this for you. We'll just figure something else out. ing- we'll fall out of love. I don't-" He cut himself of, as he saw the other ignoring him and grabbed Jungkook's chin, to force the younger to look at him. "Look at me and listen. You aren't doing this. We aren't letting you do this. I have to I will ask the nurses to keep you out of that damn room. You aren't dieing for this Jeon Jungkook."

Jaehyo just jerked his face to the side with a grimace, and looked down to his paper, "Out of me and Taehyung, Taehyung deserves to live and laugh and love, Jimin-shii, and you know it. You want him to live. So do I. You can't stop me from doing this. I'm going to save him, and you, and the both of you can love... Just remember me okay?" He spoke quietly, as he folded the scond letter and stacked it on top of the first, grabbing one more sheet. "Now, I have one more letter to write... so  please, just give me this."

Jimin looked at the younger man in front of him, looking years younger with his shoulders hunched and heavy, write quickly, yet his writing still so neat and perfect. He didn't understand why the younger would go throuugh with this, why the younger would even think about doing this. Why? Why? Why? W h y?

Jaehyo folded the last paper, and he spread out the letters again, signing his and the recipients name on the front of the letter, before placing the pencil back in the case and standing up. "Now. I have a ritual perform." He stated, as he walked past a dazed Jimin, and out of the room towards the nurses station. Jimin grabs his wrist again trying to slow him down, and Jaehyo let him.

He walked up to one of the nurses on a computer. "Hello. My name is Oh Jaehyo, a Seer, who will be performing a bonding ritual in a few minutes." The nurse's eyes immidiately glazed over and nodded her head. "Can you please send this to my mother Room 473 at Busan's Mystisis Mental Asylum, this one to my brother in Dusong-gil, Busan, and this one to the Jeon estate in downtown Seoul?" The nurse nodded again, as she took the papers from him, and Jaehyo thinks he heard her say God bless you.

Jimin still hadn't let go of his wrist and half way back to Taehyung's room, Jaehyo was pulled back by the older, "Please. Jungkook don't do this. We'll- we'll let go..." He whispered, but all Jaehyo did was shake his head, and pull his arm away, speeding to Taehyung's room. 

The two of them entered side by side, Jaehyo with his head up, feeling more confident then he ever had in his life, and Jimin with his head down, hating himself for being unable to stop the younger. Everyone watched him with bated breath as Taehyung spoke, voice shaky and raspy, "Kook, -on't do th-is." 

Jaehyo walked to stand by the man in the bed, a small but genuine smile on his face, and threaded his left hand with Taehyung's right, "I'm really happy I got to meet someone as amazing as you in my lifetime, Taehyung-shii. Don't worry, you won't hurt anymore." Then, Jaehyo seemed to faze in and out of existance, his body a transluscent light. The now unrecognizable figure fell to its knees right in front of them, but its screams seemed so far away now. The figure clung to Taehyung's hand.

Taehyung's machines went crazy, and Taehyung shook on the bed. Jimin fell to his own knees, clutching his chest, the feeling of lava coursing through him a torturous pain, only matched by the migraine smashing his mind. The figure's screams had faded out now, its mouth still open and its face contorted in constant agony. 

Dr. Shin and several nurses ran into the room seconds later, stunned by the horrific scene for a few seconds, before moving back into action. Two of the nurses, practically carried Jimin back to his bed on the other side of the room, as a few of the nurses ran around Taehyung, checking machines and yelling medical jargon at each other. Dr. Shin checked and supported the ghostly figure that was once Jaehyo, the figure now completely transluscent. In that moment, it looked like nothing more than a glass doll. Cold, emotionless, and so, so fragile.

The members could do nothing, but cling to each other and hope that everything would turn out all right.

As quickly as it had all done wrong, it all stopped. Jaehyo was back... asleast his body was. Jimin came back to himself, hurting, but coherent. Taehyung calmed to a steadier state, but didn't wake up. Everything was as fine as it could be after you just saw one of your best friends die in front of you. Yoongi, acting as calm and collected as he usually is, acting being the key word, broke the silence. "Doc... what the just happened?"

Dr. Shin was on his knees, fretting around Jaehyo's unconscious body, looking for any semblence of a pulse, though he didn't expect to find one. "I- I don't know. That's never happened before." He stated, voice shaky and filled with as much confusion and panic as the oldest members. "We've very rarely had to do the ritual, but I know that that isn't supposed to happen. It's not supposed to be that chaotic..." He stopped himself, trying to think of a way to break the bad news to them.

"What is it? What's wrong then?" Seokjin spoke, desperation dripping from every word. Namjoon threaded his fingers with Seokjins. 

"We don't know... and we won't even know if the ritual was successful until the hospital's Seer comes." He speaks quietly, still checking on Jaehyo's body.

"Wait. You've got to be ing kidding me!" Namjoon exploded, stepping forward, "You're telling me, that this... this damn ritual thing might not have even worked! So Jungkook might have just killed himself for goddamned nothing!" This time, Seokjin pulled him back, and when he saw the older's tears he backed down.

Hoseok had pulled Jimin, who just cried harder at Dr. Shin's words, onto his lap, and Yoongi kneeled in front of the both of them trying to calm Jimin down, while also trying to keep his own emotions and tears at  bay.

"What is going on here?" A worried voice spoke and they all looked through their tears to the door, where a tall, almost sickly thin, looking woman stood in the doorway. She wore casual clothing, a tee shirt, jean shorts and sneakers, but what caught your attention was the hundreds of red crisscrossing lines that seemed to cover every inch of her exposed skin.

Dr. Shin released a large sigh of relief, "Minsung, you've come much faster than we expected. This ritual was different. It went so chaoticly." He left alone Jaehyo's body in front of him.

The woman, Minsung, stepped forward, looking around the room, before kneeling by Jaehyo's body and speaking, calm and catious, "Of course. When the nurses told me how young the ritual's host would be, I here as quickly as possible." She looked down at her clothes. "Though I can say that I'm surprised myself by the outcome: the ritual was successful." Everyone in the room seemed to release a breath they hadn't noticed they were holding. " and... your friend is still alive." She spoke inquistively, as if she questioned her own findings, and brought her hand to his forehead, frowning.

"But the doctors said that-" Hoseok started, but was cut off by Minsung.

"That the ritual host is killed by the ritual. Well, yes, that is what usually happens, but sometimes, under very specific and unlikely circumstances, they'll survive. And you're friend is still alive, because if he wasn't then... his lines would've disappeared." She ran her hand down from Jaehyo's forehead and down his arm, before shifting the unconcious man's head onto his lap and removing his jacket, showcasing Jaehyo's arms and its own red lines for all to see.

Everyone gasped, as they saw his arms, but Minsung didn't leave any room to speak before she spoke again. "During the ritual, the host Seer, decides to play god and meld the strings together and in return they give their own life as sacrifice. But in your friend's case, his sacrifice had been made years ago, and with how chaotic the ritual seems to have been, I am correct in my findings. Your friend knew that the sacrifice had already been made too. If he didn't know than he wouldn't have known how to perform the ritual in the first place. He did it knowing that he had at least the smallest chance of surviving and he took the risk." She brough her hand to Jaehyo's head, and smoothed out his ruffled hair.

Jimin shifted in Hoseok's lap to face the kneeling woman, and leaned forward onto his elbows, "What the does that even mean?" He rasped out. Everyone, despite being completely shocked at the younger's cursing, they all agreed with his question, wanting to know the answer as well. "What ing sacrifice? What is going on right now?"

Minsung didn't look up to Jimin, opting to just continue with comforting Jaehyo's tense unconcious body, "I am not surprised that he hasn't told you, if he was truly willing to go through all of this for you. You see, a string, no matter how long it has been since it was cut, will always try to reconnect to its original other half. Since I've walked in, this man's string has been trying to connect to his soulmate's, which is the man in the bed right there. That's why the ritual was so chaotic. Your friend was separating his own soul from his," she pointed at Jungkook and Taehyung, "at the same time of melding theirs together." She pointed to Jimin and Taehyung.

Everyone stayed silent in their shock, as Minsung just kept tracing Jaehyo's lines with her fingers and when she noticed no one was planning on speaking, she continued, "His sacrifice was allowing his string to be cut in the first place. For you see, a Seer not only can see, cut, and knot strings, they can also stop them from getting cut, and your friend could've stopped his from being cut too. Really, he could've just told you all that they were soulmates they day you all met, but he didn't. He let it get cut.  He gave up his only chance for love, so you two could be happy. That was the ultimate sacrifice, not dying for love, but choosing to live with out it for another's sake."

"What do you mean 'only chance for love'?" Hoseok spoke pensively.

Minsung opened and closed it again, obviously hesitant on explaining it, "As a Seer grows older, they are automatically knowledgable of certain things and things that they need for regular life. From knowing how to cut and knot a string, to something as simple as knowing how to walk through the strings without harming them, even how to help with heartbreak, but the most important thing is: never, never harm your own string. For a Seer's soulmate, is the only person Fate will ever allow them to love. Your friend... he doesn't have a soulmate anymore."

"So yo're sayin' that 'cause o' me, Jun'kook c'n't fal' 'n love an'mor'." All of their heads turned to the direction of the slurred words, and they all saw Taehyung, face streaked with tears, struggling to stay sitting upright. Jimin ran from Hoseok's lap and layed down on the bed next to the younger, holding him to his chest.

"Do not worry." Misung tried to assure the man in the bed, "Your friend- Jungkook... he will not be bothered by it for he can no longer feel love at all. He most likely won't even remember that you two were even soulmates. He'll continue with life as normal, just another Seer, he'll remember everything else about his life." Taehyung just cried harder, at the thought of 'forcing' this all on Jaehyo. Minsung sighed and looked at Dr. Shin, who had stood awkwardly by the wall the whole time. "Sir, may I put Jungkook on the other bed?"

"Of- of course. Go right ahead." The doctor stuttered out, still amazed at the information that he had just learned himself.

Minsung nodded, before going to her knees, and putting on arm behind Jaehyo's knees and her other arm under his neck. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to the other bed. Watched by all the other members, she gently layed the young man on the bed and draped a a blanket over his now slightly shaking form. She turned back to all of them after a placing a comforting hand on Jaehyo's arm. "I will be staying in the hospital until the two are released from the hospital, if any of you have any other questions." With a final worried glance to Jaehyo, Minsung walked out of the room, followed closely by Dr. Shin.

Seokjin was the first one to make his way to Jaehyo's side, pulling a chair from beside Taehyung's bed over to Jaehyo's bed and grabbing the younger's hand. Namjoon followed taking a chair from the side of the hospital room, placing it as close to the oldest as their chairs allowed. Hoseok and Yoongi sat down on chairs that were already by the bed across from Seokjin and Namjoon. Taehyung and Jimin had fallen asleep in each other's arms, Jimin careful of the wires that Taehyung had coming from him.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Jaehyo had finally relaxed and had fallen into a peaceful sleep, his breathing gotten strong enough that they could see his chest move. They found it hard to keep their eyes and attention from drifting back to the red lines that were carved into the youngest's skin, and from the small lines they now notice peaking from under his shirt, they guess the lines cover his whole body. 

Hoseok broke the silence first, tracing the lines on Jaehyo's arms, like he had seen Minsung do before to comfort the unconcious man, "Why do you think he never told us he was a Seer?"

"We would have pushed him. We would've done too much." Yoongi answered his boyfriend, resting his hand on Hoseok's bouncing leg.

"Yeah, we would have." Seokjin sighed, "What do you think it's like being a Seer?"

" 't's torture." They looked down, and saw Jaehyo had turned from his side to lay on his back, his arm brought up over his mouth, but leaving his dull eyes on show. "Nothing but a curse that'd you'd give anything to have taken away from you. I can't tell you how much blood I've given to Fate for any act of mercy, but I've only been healed in returned and told to get back to work. I can't tell you how many days I went blind, after trying to gauge out my eyes, only to be healed, and asked to knot another string. I can't tell you how many days I spent mute, after ruing my throat, only to be healed, and commanded to talk one through their heartbreak.

"You don't know the pain of being forced to watch string after string fall to the ground, and seconds later a body falls with it. You don't know how agonizing it is to pick up the small frayed pieces that have long deteriorated from the original string, or how much your hands burn after tying even one knot. You don't know how pitiful it is to see how flimsy and mangled strings get, as their littered with hundreds of knots. You don't know the pain of another string wrapping around you, slowly killing you, burning you, suffocating you.

"But then... I see couples like you and my hope... even though it's so, so small... is restored for this selfish world." During his speech, Jaehyo had quietly gotten quieter and quiet and by the end of it his words were slurred and he could do nothing, but rasp them out.

The four met each other's gazes, eyes slightly glazed over from how much emotion that the younger had poured into his words, before Seokjin broke the silence, threading his fingers through the younger's hair, "What do you mean 'couples like you', baby?"

"Have you guys ever had your strings checked?" Jaehyo lowered his arm, and moved his head towards Seokjin and Namjoon, then to Yoongi and Hoseok.

Yoongi spoke for all four of them, "No. We haven't. We didn't find it important if the Seers would just tell us our love was wrong." They all looked away or down, but clung tighter to their lover, as if a Seer would come in and separate them, but they all looked at the younger with wide eyes, when Jaehyo burst out in laughter, exhausted, but genuine.

"Well- you'd make- any sane Seers day." Jaehyo said between fits of giggles. "It's so rare to see a string still completely intact with its original bond, let alone a true soul couple, yet here right in front of are two of them. He laughed again at the four's baffled looks.

"We're actually soulmates?" Hoseok asked, not believing what he had just heard Jaehyo say.

Jaehyo calmed himself letting, a small smile grace his face, "Yeah, you are, and if I'm to be completely honest, if it weren't for the fact I see you all everyday, I probably would've killed myself along time ago now." He laughed harder than he had before.

Namjoon sat forward and grabbed onto Jaehyo's hand as if he'd just disappear if he let go, "Why?"

"Why not?" Jaehyo looked over to him, eyes glazed and voice resolute, "It's not like it would have mattered. No one cares for the strings anymore- hell- I've been asked before by parents to cut their baby's string; people just don't care for strings. Seers are as useless, as the strings their asked to cut and knot. That's why being a Seer is such torture .You're just stuck watching people go into relationships, blind, which most end in an unrecoverable heartbreak for one or both of them. You watch people crash and burn, but sometimes, just sometimes I'll meet people and couples like you guys and..."

Oh Jaehyo smiled up at them, "I love life again."

---

So it's done

This is such , I don't even know anymore

What the is that ending, though?

Can someone actually tell me, what the was that ending?

Cause I don't know 

So shameless self promotion time

Go check out my other fic called

'Our Twisted Wonderland'

I'd really ing appreciate it

Thanks

~Miss Cigarette