The members, minus Hoseok, of course, are standing in a seemingly continuous black space. A single light shone on them, as if they were on a stage with no audience, all alone.

     “Are we here?” Jimin asks. “Are we in Hobi hyung’s brain?” As if to answer his question, large 3D block letters appear in front of them, gliding in the space to spell out JUNG HOSEOK’S BRAIN.

     “I don’t know, maybe you should try reading those letters over there,” the maknae, who is always eager to make fun of his hyungs, says to Jimin. Jimin replies very wisely with a slap on the youngest’s arm.

     “Oww, hyung!”

     The block letters, somehow sensing their job is done, whisk away and disappear. There is a small moment of silence.

     “So, what now?” Seokjin says, turning to the rest of the members.

     “Also, how on earth is this light shining on us?” Jungkook asks, prompting the members to look at the source of the light, where there is . . . nothing. The light on them was just there. There was nothing at the root of it.

     “Okkaay, we can all agree that’s weird. But we are in Hoseok hyung’s brain! Of course things are going to be weird.” Jimin says, gesturing to their location.

     “Yeah, but this is just . . . nothing,” Yoongi says, with a serious expression displayed on his face. “Considering Hoseok, I would have expected more than just a black- room?!”

     Yoongi was interrupted when he, as well as the other members, start floating roughly six feet above their so-called ground. The members flail around, trying to get their bearings, when they stop and look around, with amazement on their faces. The black area around them was changing. The black space changes into a sky that is purple, black, and red, blending into each other. Below them, an endless path of rocks forms, floating above a midnight blue abyss, in which a bottom cannot be found.

    The force keeping them floating abruptly abandons them. They ungracefully fall onto the path of rocks, groaning from the rough impact. They get up and look at the path below them, which flows in two directions without end.

     “Well, that answers my question,” Seokjin says. “Better start walking.”

     “But which way?” Taehyung asks, brushing off the imaginary dirt that may have gotten on him.

     “That’s easy,” Seokjin says. He turns and points to the direction in front. “We were facing this way when we arrived. It makes sense to think we should go this way.”

     “But what if it’s a trap?” Jimin states. “The corruption would have wanted to stop people from saving Hoseok hyung. Maybe we should go the other way.” And he starts walking in the direction he gestured to, ignoring the other member’s “Stop!”.

     He was forced to, however, when the ground started shaking. And ergo! The path before Jimin started falling away, the action of falling stones traveling towards Jimin at an incredibly fast rate, stopping a mere inch before Jimin’s outstretched foot.

     “Well, let’s go,” Seokjin says, starting to walk the other way, the other members following, leaving Jimin to do the comedic and incredibly cliched move of looking back and, forth, and finally running after the other members.

-------------------------

     It had been a while. The members were walking, occasionally throwing jabs, but in the majority walking in silence. Nothing had come. It had just been the same path of rocks and weirdly colored sky.

     “How do you think this happened to Hoseok hyung?” Taehyung asks.

     “Remember? Noona said that it was in something he ate,” Seokjin said, looking back at Taehyung.

     “Yes, but when would Hoseok had eaten something that had ties to, supernatural, things? He was with us and ate the same food as us. And I don’t think food from a store or restaurant could have supernatural things in just one package.” He stops walking and looks up. Now all the members had stopped walking and were listening intently to the topic at hand.

     “We should go back to when Hoseok first started acting strange.” Seokjin said, taking charge. “Does anyone remember?”

     “Yeah, it was a couple of weeks ago,” Jungkook said, looking thoughtful. “I think it was the day-” Jungkook suddenly gasps, looking up, with realization in his grasp. “It was the day after Namjoon hyung gave Hoseok that package. That package from a fan!”

     Namjoon starts in. “Okay, does anyone know what was in the package.”

     “I do!” says Jimin. “I read the letter, it was a very sweet letter, but I’m pretty sure the letter mentions a cookie!”

     “A cookie?” Suga asks.

     “Yes, a cookie. I’m pretty sure the letter said something about ‘giving my Xs and Os with this cookie’. I think the cookie was frosted with an X and O on it. Really cute idea, actually.”

     “Xs and Os? You mean hugs and kisses?”

     “Aww, that sounds cute!” Seokjin says. “Now I want to see it.”

     Namjoon shakes his head. “Hyung, you know we can’t possibly see-”

     He was interrupted. Like before with the block letters arriving, this time a little sweet treat arrived, floating in front of them. It was the cookie Hoseok had eaten.

     “Aww, look! It really is cute!” Seokjin says, smiling at the cookie. The other members crowd around it. All but Namjoon.

     “I can see why Hobi hyung wanted to eat it.” Jimin says.

     Namjoon separates the crowd. “This is definitely the item with the supernatural in it.”

     “What makes you say that?” Jimin asks, tilting his head in confusion.

     “Namjoon holds the sides of the cookie between two fingers and turns the frosted face to the other members. “Don’t look at it as a picture with an X and O. Look at it as a whole.”

     The members peer closer, trying to see what Namjoon has visioned. When they reach it, they gasp, eyes going wide.

     “I can’t believe it.” Jungkook says.

     Taehyung starts. “It’s a-”

     “Skull and crossbones,” Namjoon finishes. The members all feel sick to their stomachs.

-------------------------

     The members are walking. After the recent revelation, they couldn’t bring themselves to talk, but the silence around them was thick and suffocating. Until it is broken.

     “Wait,” Jungkook says, pointing. “What is that?”

     The members look ahead, to see that the trail had a bypath, only about two feet long, leading to a wide, one story building, floating over the abyss, with two doorways side by side. One had ‘Hopes’ written over it, and the other had ‘Fears’ written over it. Instead of doors, there were curtains. The members stop in front of it.

     “Why are hopes and fears in the same building?” Yoongi asks.

     “Maybe it’s a yin-yang thing?” Jimin says.

     “Well, while it’s interesting,” Rapmon says, now in leader mode, “we shouldn’t meddle in Hoseok hyung’s personal affairs.”

     Jimin smirks and folds his arms over his chest. “Isn’t that technically why we’re in here?”

     “Shut up, Jimin. Now let’s go. We need to go, we need to find Hoseok hyung as quickly as possible so we can leave.” Namjoon starts walking, and all the members follow. All but one.

-------------------------

     Taehyung is notoriously nosy, and that cannot be submerged, even when on a perilous mission inside a group member’s mind! While Jimin and Namjoon were bickering, Taehyung slipped inside the ‘Fears’ doorway. Hopes are fun and all, but what better way to blackmail-I mean, get to know someone than knowing what they fear? Taehyung giggles to himself while he looks around. He expected it to be a room with memories acting like pictures and just plain words describing the fears, plastered on the walls. That was not at all accurate.

     Instead, there was a path, thin and winding through the clutter of small coffee tables. And on the coffee tables, there were boxes with lids that snugly fit over them, only a picture propped on top to give an identity to what was inside. Taehyung quickly realizes how this works when he sees the first two boxes, the first having a picture of the side view of a cliff, the second a picture of a snake. Must be his fear of heights and snakes , Taehyung thought to himself.

     Taehyung looks around, seeing the normal things Hoseok is afraid of. Then he spots something, and he stops. What on earth? He thinks following the path while keeping his eye on a particular box. When he reaches, he just stares. Unlike the other boxes, this one had two pictures. One was a professional photograph of the seven members. The other was the ARMY symbol. Full of curiosity, Taehyung opens the box. He immediately feels a wave of a single emotion washing over him, leaving him feeling small and vulnerable. He takes time to decipher the emotion, and immediately feels guilty. It was loneliness .

     In front of him, as if it was brushed on in front of him, were words. Unlike the block letters from previously, these were somewhat translucent, and small enough to fit in his line of vision, extending from the top of his head to his chest. It was pink, with lines of purple, white, and red etched in the base color. It was one sentence. I’m afraid the ARMYs and my members don’t care about me anymore .

     The words faded away, and the loneliness slipped off him, leaving Taehyung stunned. He peers into the box, and finds that it empty, except for one single piece of paper. He picks it up gingerly, hating the fact that his hand is shaking. It seems to be a letter. He skims through it. His eyes widen. He rushes out of the room, paper clenched in his hand. He runs after the members, and starts calling out.

     “Joonie hyung! JOONIE HYUNG!”

     The members stop and look back, startled by the yell. They get even more confused when they see that it’s Taehyung. They hadn’t realized he wasn’t with them.

     Namjoon starts talking. “What is it, Taehyung? Wait, where did you go in the first place?”

     Taehyung stops in front of Namjoon, out of breath. A few seconds later, he speaks.

     “I went into the ‘fears’ room, because i thought it might be interesting, it was different than what i had previously thought, there were boxes with pictures on it, I saw a snake and a cliff, that’s clearly hobi hyung’s fear of snakes and heights, right? Anyway, I was walking through, definitely not looking for blackmail material, why would you even accuse me of that-”

     “Taehyung,” Namjoon interrupts steadily. “Take deep breaths. You’re rambling.”

     Taehyung listens, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths. He opens them.

     “Namjoon.” Namjoon raises an eyebrow. “ Hyung . One box got my attention. It had a picture of us on it.”

     “Us?” Jimin says, eyes wide, confusion clearly etched on his face.

     Taehyung nods. “As well as a picture of the ARMY symbol. I opened it, and I felt a wave wash over me. It was a crippling sense of loneliness . And words appears before me, looking small and weak, like it didn’t want to be admitted. It spelled out ‘I’m afraid the ARMYs and my members don’t care about me anymore’. And I looked into the box, and saw this letter. I think this is the letter that came with the cookie.” Taehyung hands the letter over to Namjoon, who takes it and starts reading it silently.

     “Hobi thinks we don’t care?” Seokjin says, looking on the verge of tears.

     Jimin looks as close to tears as Seokjin. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I can’t believe we made him think,” Jimin pauses and gulps. It’s painful to say the next part. “Made him think … that we don’t care.”

     Just the members hear a growl. They turn. Namjoon, the source of the noise they just heard, is staring at the piece of paper like it killed his family and was coming back for him.

     “Namjoon? You okay?” Yoongi asks, preparing to step closer.

     Namjoon doesn’t reply. He stares a second longer. Then, without warning. He crumples up the paper and throws it as hard as he could over the edge of the path. He watches it disappear into the abyss.

     “NAMJOON!” Seokjin yells, shock written on his face.

     “WHY’D YOU DO THAT!?!” Yoongi says angrily. The other members just look on, as shocked as Seokjin.

     Namjoon stares at the ground. “It was planned. They planned ALL OF IT! The letter had just enough encouragement and fangirling that Hoseok wouldn’t have thought ANYTHING of eating the cookie that was so sweetly made by a fan . They got him when he was vulnerable. He needed to be loved! And this letter and cookie, so full of LOVE , swoops in to mess with him when he’s down. And now all of us are in this mess!” Namjoon grabs his hair, pulling while he lets out a pained shriek. He then plops onto the ground, anger gone, leaving only sadness.

     Yoongi puts a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder. “I get it. But we need to go and save Hoseok from this before we can have any breakdowns.” Yoongi removes his hand. Namjoon stands up.

     “Okay,” Seokjin says, emotions finally in check. “Let’s keep going.” The members continue on.

-------------------------

     The members are walking, Jungkook in front. They are in a sad silence, brooding over Hoseok’s fear. Jungkook looks forward and stops. Then lets out a groan.

     “Uuuuugghhhhh. I can’t believe this. Why? What’s the point of this? Why must this be there?”

     Yoongi sighs out of annoyance. “Jungkook, you are literally the only person that can see what you are complaining about.”

     “I’m talking about this!” And Jungkook moves out of the way, allowing his hyungs to see. “There’s a ing fork in the path!”

     And indeed there was. In fact, the path branched off directly into two tunnels. The one on the left had no light, but the light from outside was enough to see the creepy, spiky tendrils of some off-putting plant that was slowly spreading out as far as it could go. The path on the right, however, was lit up and was white in the interior, which seemed much more friendly than the other.

     Seokjin chuckles hesitantly. “I propose we go the way with light that doesn’t have plants which look like they want to eat us.”

     “I second that,” Jungkook says, moving next to Seokjin.

     “What, you now the fraidy-cat, Jungkook?” Jimin says, hostile towards Jungkook.

     “Whoa, calm hyung!” Jungkook says, performing a calm-down gesture with his hands. “I would have assumed you would want to go down this path. Right?”

     “Normally, yeah,” Jimin answers. “But... “ It’s not that Jimin wasn’t scared of the dark path. He was. It’s just that, when he looked into the lit up white tunnel, all he saw was that it was completely empty. Which was unsettling.

     “Jimin hyung,” Jungkook says. “Hoseok hyung is more of a scaredy cat that you. And we are looking for his true self, remember? I highly doubt that Hoseok hyung would go down that path when this path exists.”

     “Yeah,” Jimin resigns, still not fully convinced. “I guess... “

     Having finished convincing Jimin, Jungkook looks around at the other members and claps his hands. “Okay, we are going down the path to the right. No objections?” The members stay quiet. “Okay. Let’s go!”

     The members enter the tunnel, Jimin lagging behind. Right before entering, he stops and glances at the other tunnel. He gulps, and enters the tunnel, the unsettling feeling in his stomach growing larger the more he heads down this bright tunnel.