Jungkook stopped struggling.

 

“Jungkook - you’re dead.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

Jungkook couldn’t believe this. He can’t believe this. He can’t be dead. He couldn’t be dead. If so- how did he end up here?

 

“What..is this place, then?” Jungkook asked, his voice slightly shaking.

 

Namjoon exhaled. He looked down at the floor, then back up to meet Jungkook’s gaze.

“It’s like I said. This...realm..is my own little pocket dimension almost. In between worlds, if you will. It’s like a limbo. You’re alive..in a way..but you’re not.”

 

“But you just said I’m dead!” Jungkook interjected, raising his voice.

 

“Yes, you are,” Namjoon said, “but something , a part of you, still is. Whether it be your soul, or, whatever you want to call it, is still kicking, and it brought you here.”

 

Jungkook shook his head in disbelief as he backed away from Namjoon.

“No..no no, you’re not making any sense.” I-I must be in a coma or something. Th-this has to be a dream. Y-yeah! Maybe I’m just...just going crazy, li-like Hoseok, or, whatever he, that , is-This isn’t real!”

 

Jungkook was beginning to have a bit of a mental breakdown. He bent over and screamed at nothing, more like at the floor. Panting heavily, he began pulling on his hair out of frustration.

 

“Jungkook, calm down, ” Namjoon pleaded firmly, in an attempt to stop this almost childish tantrum.

 

“NO!” Jungkook interjected, whipping his head around and almost hitting Namjoon, but stopping himself at the last moment.

 

“I don’t get any of this!” he screamed. “You’re trying to tell me that I’m dead and stuck in some fabricated world between worlds? You think I’m going to believe that? You think I’m going to ING CALM DOWN!”

 

Namjoon sighed and grabbed Jungkook roughly by the shoulders, ensnaring him in a bear hug kind of position. He had to restrain Jungkook somehow, and this seemed like the only option at the moment.

 

“Jungkook, just calm down and listen to me,” Namjoon pleaded again. Jungkook squirmed in his grasp, kicking and trying to wrestle his way out of Namjoon’s arms.

 

“Let me go! Let me the go!” Jungkook screamed over and over. Namjoon hoped that the door was thick enough and that no one inside the dining room was too worried about all the noise.

 

“Look, Jungkook, you’re just going to have to accept the fact for now that you’re dead! There’s nothing we can do about it!” Namjoon said, half shouting into Jungkook’s ear.

 

Jungkook stopped, and let his arms fall limp against his side, his head bowed against his chest. He panted for a moment, allowing himself to catch his breath, before taking an all too strained glance into Namjoon’s eyes.

 

“Then how did I die?” Jungkook asked with as much determination and force he could muster at the moment, yet the way he felt his voice quiver did not go unnoticed.

 

Namjoon sighed again, loosening his hold on Jungkook a bit.

 

“That’s..the problem. If you don’t know, I don’t know either.” he said, sounding slightly defeated.

“But you said this was your realm!” Jungkook screamed again. “What do you mean you don’t know!”

 

“This may be my realm, but..I don’t have..perfect control over it.” Namjoon replied, looking off a bit beyond Jungkook. “I guess you can say I managed to trap myself here. Even I don’t know for sure how this place works. Pathetic, I know..” he awkwardly chuckled, lowering his head, before looking back up at Jungkook. “But you’re not the only one trying to get out. If it makes you feel any better, I think V’s gone slightly crazy looking for ways to escape. And you’ve seen how happy he is.”

 

Jungkook opened his mouth but did not say anything, just let a puff of air escape his lips.

 

Namjoon patted Jungkook’s back. “Don’t worry. I know, it’s tough. But, we can work through this together, okay?”

 

Jungkook remained silent, his gaze fixated on his reflection in the shiny marble tiles of the floor, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Or, this world at least.

 

“ Okay?” Namjoon repeated, bending down so he could asphyxiate himself into Jungkook’s line of sight, a goofy grin plastered on his face, allowing his dimples to show, like a parent trying to make a deal with their child.

 

Jungkook only gave a defeated nod as a response.

 

“Have you calmed down now? Are you ready to go back into the dining room with everyone else? They’re waiting for us, you know.” Namjoon said, taking Jungkook by the hand.

Waiting for an answer he knew he wouldn’t get, Namjoon led Jungkook back into the dining room, where everyone was anxiously staring at the doorway. Jungkook walked back to his seat, his shoulders still slumped and head bowed down.

 

Seokjin was the first to break the awkward silence, standing up and leaning over the table a bit, a look of uncertainty cemented onto his features.

 

“Is...everything okay?” he asked quietly, his voice laced with worry.

 

“Yep, we’re fine. Jungkook’s just a little..confused, is all.” Namjoon replied smoothly.

 

Seokjin nodded his head in response, and sat back down, but quickly stood up again.

 

“Does..does he know? Did you tell him?” he asked, quickly but hesitantly.

 

Jungkook’s head immediately perked up at this. “ So they DO all know..” he thought, really feeling left in the dark, and a bit of anger began to bubble up inside of him again, but he quickly pushed it back down.

 

“Yep,” Namjoon said, his tone still the same.

 

“Is that what he-?” Seokjin began, his head nodding to the commotion in the hallway.

 

“Yyyeep.” Namjoon quickly cut him off, nodding his head and raising his hand, motioning for Seokjin to sit back down. Seokjin nodded, and promptly seated himself.

 

The rest of the dinner passed by in a quiet silence, the atmosphere of the room tense and heavy, until V opened his mouth and closed it. He repeated this several times, until it seemed he finally found the words he wanted to say.

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

 

 

 

 

So quiet it was nearly inaudible, but Jungkook heard it loud and clear. Jungkook picked his head up, looking in V’s direction. His face downcast and his features droopy, an almost cartoonish pout forming on his face. He looked like a kicked puppy, or, more like a scolded child.

 

Jungkook contemplated giving a response, as it looked like no one else was going to.

 

“It’s fine…” he spat out, almost as quietly as V had spoken, yet even he couldn’t have missed the anger in his words. V, however, seemed to be oblivious to this fact, as his face immediately glowed up, his happy features returning. He looked satisfied with himself and took another large bite of his meal.

 

Jungkook’s appetite was long gone. He wasn’t sure if he could even eat here. His food remained untouched, but he felt bad as seeing how it looked like Seokjin had put a lot of work into to it. So, he took a forkful of the meal and brought to his lips - but yet could taste nothing. He was sure the meal must be delicious, but there was no flavor on his tongue - not from the food, the drink, nor even the metal utensils, His whole body felt numb.

But yet he ate. Jungkook ate the big portions of nothing, consuming the meal until Seokjin stood up and announced that dinner was over, seeing how everyone had cleared their plates.

 

“Today’s been a very long day,” Seokjin began, clasping his hands together, “and I’m sure we’re all very tired. I’ll clean up, why don’t you all head off to bed?”

 

Namjoon opened his mouth to give a sound of protest, but Seokjin quickly shut him up with the wave of his finger.

 

“All of you.” he repeated, sounding like a parent, before promptly shooing everyone off to their bedrooms.

 

 

 

“Can we even sleep here?” Jungkook asked quietly, once they were a good distance from everyone else. He and Namjoon had been walking together in silence.

 

“We may be in a different world, but we still function like normal humans.” Namjoon stated, a chuckle gracing his words. “Do you want to sleep with me?” he asked.

 

Jungkook jumped back a little bit, surprised. “Wh-what?”

“My room has two beds. I’d be willing to share if you’re ok with it.” Namjoon said, unfazed by Jungkook’s reaction.

 

“O-oh..yeah, sure.” Jungkook replied, turning his head to hide the embarrassment seeping on to his features. “Are there...no other bedrooms?”

 

Namjoon stopped, “Not exactly . It’s....complicated.”

 

“Complicated?” Jungkook asked, skeptical.

 

“Like I said, I’m not fully sure how this dimension works,” Namjoon said, tilting his head to look at Jungkook. “But, I just thought it might be better for us to share a room. You’re not used to this place yet and it might be helpful for a bit.”

 

Jungkook nodded to Namjoon’s words. “O-ok.” he said, taking the offer.

 

 

 

The two arrived in Namjoon’s room shortly after. It wasn’t very large, as compared to rest of the rooms in the Museum. Delicate floral wallpaper decorated its walls, two twin size beds placed against the wall. Books and papers littered the floor, and a small scented candle burned on an equally cluttered desk.

 

“Sorry it’s such a mess,” Namjoon said as he lead Jungkook into the room. “I’ve scoured this place for any clues on what it is and how to get out.”

 

Jungkook blinked. There were so many books on the floor. “Is there a library here?” he asked.

 

“Somewhat,” Namjoon replied, and said nothing else. He sat himself down on the bed closer to the door, it gave out a soft plush noise. “Do you want the bed closer to the window?” he asked.

 

Jungkook gave a faint nod, and walked over to the window. It was clouded. He tried to wipe away the condensation, but nothing changed. Jungkook sighed, he knew the window was fake. There was no ‘outside.’

 

Jungkook laid himself down on the bed. It was soft, perhaps a bit too soft. It seemed almost too inviting for his own comfort, ironically enough. His head came to a soft landing against the pillow, when Namjoon asked if he wanted some form of pajamas. Jungkook happily agreed, the tight suit scratching irritably against his skin. He stood up and took the clothing offered and looked around the room for any sort of side room or closet to change in. There was one barely large enough for a person off next to Namjoon’s desk.

 

Jungkook walked inside and quickly changed into the silk pajamas, letting it drape against his skin. Strangely loose fitting, for he assumed Namjoon wasn’t much larger than he was.

 

Suddenly, Jungkook felt a strange feeling wash over him. Like he was dirty. Sullied, spoiled.  He felt the need to wash, cleanse himself. Looking down on his hands, he didn’t particularly see anything. Maybe it was just a feeling of guilt, he thought. For not eating Seokjin’s food? For shouting at Namjoon? He didn’t know.

 

Jungkook swallowed. “Um..is there...a bathroom here or anything?” he asked, wishing he didn’t sound so pathetic as he did.

 

“Uhh..not really? Though we eat and sleep here, it doesn’t seem like we really need to actually use the restroom.” Namjoon responded.

 

“Oh…” Jungkook said, puffing his cheeks a bit.

 

“There is...one..” Namjoon started.

 

“One what? Bathroom?” Jungkook asked.

 

“Yes, but..it’s a good way’s away, and it would take too long to get there.”

 

“..Why? It’s just a bathroom” Jungkook argued, sounding a bit confused and suspicious.

 

Namjoon closed his mouth, looking like he regretted saying anything.

 

Jungkook wanted to protest, but stopped himself. If Namjoon was that hesitant on letting him go to a bathroom , there’s something up about it. Who knows, maybe there’s horrifying creatures in this weird world, too. At this point, Jungkook wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

 

“So..there’s no like, showers or anything?” Jungkook said.

 

“Uh, well,” Namjoon began, “I mean there’s baths.”

“Oh, that works. Where are they?” Jungkook asked, perking up slightly.

 

Namjoon pursed his lips and looked the side again. “Uuuh..you’ll...have to ask Jimin about that.”

 

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled yet again. “Jimin? Why should I go ask Jimin?”

 

“It’s...hard to explain.” Namjoon exhaled.

 

Jungkook scoffed. “Really? Again with this “it’s hard to explain stuff”? Ugh, fine, I’ll just go find Jimin I guess-”

Jungkook stopped, reconsidering. “Actually, you know, I...probably shouldn’t be looking for Jimin right now. I’ll just...settle for this.”

 

Jungkook wasn’t entirely sure why he suddenly decided against looking for the silver haired man. However, looking to meet Namjoon’s gaze, he realized why it probably wasn’t the best idea to see Jimin right now, as Namjoon understood too.

 

 

 

Yoongi.

 

 

 

Jungkook sighed. “Yoongi’s going to be there, isn’t he?” he asked, looking up at Namjoon, even though he already knew the answer.

 

“Yup,” Namjoon replied, slightly popping the ‘p’.

 

“And..he’s not going to like me being there right now, is he?” Jungkook breathed out.

 

“Yeeuupp.”

 

Jungkook sighed again. “Ok, fine. I’ll...ask Jimin tomorrow. For now...I guess there’s not much to do, huh?” Jungkook hesitated, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He decided there wasn’t anything else to do but sleep.

 

Rolling into his bed, Jungkook stared at the ceiling, contemplating the day’s events. Namjoon sat in his chair, reading from a book Jungkook couldn’t see the title of and drinking the strange green colored liquid again, this time from a wine glass. The drink appeared to be his favorite. The two sat in silence for a bit. Jungkook had so many things to ask, but just as he opened his mouth, Namjoon spoke instead.

 

 

 

"He too was a tempter. He too was linked to the second. The evil world with which I no longer want to have anything to do."

 

 

 

Words escaped Jungkook, and he could only let out a confused “What?”

“Ah, sorry,” Namjoon said, “it’s just from the book I was reading. It stumped me a little, so I tried reading it aloud to see how it sounded and why I thought it was weird.”

 

“Ah...oh..okay…” Jungkook said, and returned to face the ceiling. Now he was just frustrated all over again. Namjoon seemed to see the frustration etched on Jungkook’s features, as he quickly put away his book.

“Sorry...I think that’s enough reading for tonight.” he said apologetically.

 

Jungkook said nothing.

 

“Good night, Namjoon.” he spoke eventually, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

With a huff, he turned to face the wall, away from Namjoon. He realized it was a petty, childish move, but right now he really didn’t care.

 

Namjoon sighed, standing up and heading over to his own bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes.

 

“Good night, Jungkook.” he said, as he flicked off the lamp, allowing darkness to completely envelop the room, and Jungkook’s vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark.

 

Everything was dark. Completely black. Jungkook couldn’t see anything at all. He wondered if his eyes were even open. Was he awake? Was this just a dream?

It must be a dream. He couldn’t feel anything. No blankets, no clothing, couldn’t even feel his own skin. Jungkook felt like he was morewatching something. But what? There was nothing, yet, he felt calm. Warm. And, something else he wasn’t quite sure of.

 

A light. Faint, but growing, started in the distance. A good ways away from where Jungkook... was . The light shone down upon cloth, a silk curtain streaming down from a nonexistent ceiling.

 

The curtain flowed down, laying atop and covering a hunched over figure, huddled in upon itself. The cloth delicately swayed, as if caught in a breeze, and yet Jungkook could feel no wind.

 

It looked..human, he hoped. From where Jungkook was standing he could only see the backside of the figure, unable to recognize who it was. A striped cloak hung over their shoulders, covering most of the body, leaving only a little bit of back skin exposed.

 

For a moment, Jungkook thought he might have been looking at a statue. The figure was unmoving, completely still. Like, like

 

 

Like a doll.

 

 

 

Was it Yoongi? Jungkook thought.

 

But that thought was quickly pushed out of his head as he saw the figure twitch, ever so slightly.

 

Suddenly, Jungkook felt like he could move. It was as if he were back in the gallery, when he first woke up: his legs started moving on their own, he was unable to stop them. He lightly stepped toward the figure, as if afraid of making any noise, but that plan was thrown away, as for when he took his first step, water rippled beneath his foot.

 

“The floor is water?” Jungkook thought. He could not feel any water below him. He couldn’t detect any particular temperature emanating from the floor, no indication of any liquid. And yet, the water rippled, its waves stopping just short of the hunched figure.

He continued walking.

 

Prodding on towards the figure, the water ripples leaving a trail, and yet they never seemed to fully reach the figure.

 

How strange, Jungkook thought.

 

He stopped. Right behind the figure, the curtain still swaying over it. He still couldn’t tell who it was from where he was standing, they seemed to be completely curled in on themselves now.

 

It took a moment for Jungkook to realize he was reaching out his hand to touch the figure. For what, he couldn’t figure out why. He just felt the strange urge to touch it , much like a child would a toy, or any object of interest.

 

His hand came to a light resting place, his palm on the brim of their shoulder.

He felt...calm. An overwhelming sense of peace spread through him - and he didn’t like it. He felt light, and feathery, as if he could take off and fly at any moment. He realized he enjoyed this feeling. Quite a bit, actually. He felt safe, warm, and yet a voice at the back of his mind nagged at him.

 

Get away, it screamed. But he didn’t want to. Jungkook didn’t want to move. He was content with just standing here, touching this person’s shoulder, like it was the most intimate thing in the world.

 

Jungkook was taken out of his daze, when the figure beneath him suddenly shifted its weight to its side, ready to move. The next thing he knew, he was taken back by such force he fell over and onto the ground. Looking back up at the now standing figure, the sight before him left him slack jawed and amazed.

 

 

Wings.

 

 

Beautiful, white feathery wings, sprouting from the figure’s back, like an elegant bird. They looked so soft and inviting, yet so delicate like they would disappear the moment Jungkook touched them. And they were huge . Easily spanning a good three to four feet from out of the figure of whom, seem to be waiting. For something.

 

Jungkook stayed on the floor in awe, not wanting to move from the scene before him. He found that he felt light and feathery himself, at peace, as if he could fly, too. It was a pleasant feeling. One of the peace and calmness. Warm. Jungkook wanted to bask in its warmth forever.

 

The figure moved, ever so slightly, as if about to turn and face Jungkook. He waited with bated breath, hoping to see the face of this mysterious angel.

 

Instead - it took off. Flew away like the snap of fingers, blink of an eye. It was gone, leaving a trail of plush feathers in its wake.

 

Jungkook found that he was immediately filled with great sadness, a longing, pulling him towards the angel who had disappeared from sight. He lay on the floor still, wondering, when will I see them again?

 

The warmth remained. It stayed there, enveloping Jungkook. He liked it. It was soothing...and...warm...too warm...hot, red hot - burning hot. The feeling of fire at Jungkook’s skin - he looked down in a panic - and fire it was! The floor was on fire! Had the mysteriously watery substance on the floor been oil? Had this angel set him up? But - this was only a dream, wasn’t it? A creation of his own imagination? So why now was he burning? As if trapped in the fiery pits of hell, drowning in his own sin?

 

He screamed.

 

A wallowing shriek escaped his lips as he shot up from the ground in a hurry. The fire was painful - yet it was cold. Much like when one has just ran a mile, the heat and cold rushing over their body at once, each fighting for control of the homeostasis of the body, dangerous and waiting.

 

It came to Jungkook, that another pain was present. But this one less...physical. Strong, piercing his own soul, pulling and pulling into deeper into the depths of fire and cold and pain. Emotions washed over him. Anger? Confusion? Sadness? A strange twinge of... happiness? But why? Whatever ethereal being had caused this must have still been there, in this dream, an outside factor. The soul piercing gaze came back, hitting Jungkook everywhere in his body. He felt it everywhere. Then, he knew:

 

 

He was being watched.

 

 

Leave. He must leave.

 

 

He needed to leave, he knew, to escape from this horrid nightmare - but he didn’t want to. Amidst the fire and pain, he still felt...calm. At ease.

 

Soon, the fire had died out, leaving only a faint smell of smoke as to indicate it had ever been there. Jungkook lay on the ground. His body unscathed, yet he was sweating and hurting all over.

 

He stayed on the ground, panting, to catch his breath. When he felt his heart calm down a bit, he struggled - and failed a few times - to try and bring himself up from the floor. Standing up, his gaze met an object. One that was not there before. Jungkook’s eyes widened, partly in shock, partly in disbelief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A canvas.

 

On the canvas, a painting.

 

The painting, a bird.

 

Messy and dark, hastily splattered about. Jungkook felt scared. As if this were a warning. For what? A threat to come? A threat already amongst them?

 

 

Jungkook looked around in blind panic, before his eyes rested upon a small, white feather, besides the painting, floating in the water with grace and not a care in the world.

 

 

 

The angel never left, did it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungkook woke up completely drenched in his own sweat, body shivering in fear and a feeling of cold. A short scream escaped his lips as he shot up out of his sleep. He sat there, panting for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath and to process what just happened.

 

What did just happen? Jungkook wasn’t sure. He’d never had a nightmare like that before, but he knew there was something else about it. It seemed oddly...familiar. He hoped it held some secrets to this strange world he was trapped in. Perhaps it held means of escape? That he knew was unlikely, but the hope was still there.

 

Jungkook looked over at where Namjoon was sleeping. At least he hadn’t woken up the older male when he screamed himself into consciousness.

 

Jungkook wiped the sweat off of his forehead, pushing his bangs out of his eyes which had been matted to his face. Taking one last deep breath, he decided he needed to walk it off. Some time to process what he’d just seen.

 

Pushing himself up out of bed, he slowly creeped over to the door, and opened it carefully, not wanting to disturb his roommate’s sleep. Jungkook didn’t really care to change his clothes, he knew they would dry off as he trekked the unfamiliar halls. His only worry at the moment was getting lost in the expansive museum.

 

Slowly but surely Jungkook made way his down the cold marble halls, following what he hoped was his memory’s accurate recording of the path back to the gallery he first found himself in. His memory was correct, and he came upon the familiar yet at the same time foreign room of paintings and sculptures. He sighed as he entered the room. During the long walk, his thoughts couldn’t seem to collect themselves or formulate anything coherent. He was at a complete loss for what the dream might have possible meant.

 

Jungkook looked up and scanned the room. His eyes fell upon a familiar figure standing in front of a sculpture, his back poised towards Jungkook. Jungkook cleared his throat.

 

“Jin?” he called across the room. Seokjin whipped around, surprised to see Jungkook.

 

“Oh! Why hello there, Jungkook. “ Jin called back, lowering his camera and making his way towards the other side of the room. “What brings you here so late?” he asked.

 

“Couldn’t sleep…” Jungkook mumbled. Looking at Jin, it didn’t look like he had changed at all. Jungkook wondered if Jin event went to bed, or, what he was doing up, too.

 

“Ah, I see,” Jin said, patting Jungkook on the back. “Don’t worry, I was the same when I first arrived here. I don’t know if I slept for the first few nights at all.” he said.

 

Though Jin had a welcoming, friendly aura around him, Jungkook still felt oddly skeptical. Jin seemed calm...a bit too calm, to Jungkook’s liking, at least. And...something about just how formal Jin acted seemed to throw Jungkook a bit off, too. He wasn’t too sure why, though...Jungkook decided to push his thoughts elsewhere for now, and clearing his throat he made eye contact with Jin.

 

“How long have you been here?” he questioned. Jin definitely seemed to be the one least accustomed to this world...then again, it’s no like Jungkook really knew anything about the others, either.

 

Jin sighed. “I’m not sure,” he replied, “the others seem to have been here much longer than me, but I think we’ve all lost any semblance of time here. As you can tell, there really isn’t a...nighttime or daytime here, so we just mostly go by Namjoon’s judgement for the most part.”

 

“Namjoon’s?” Jungkook asked. “Why?”

 

“Well,” Jin said, “this is HIS realm after all. He’d know the most about it, out of any of us. So, if he says it’s nighttime, then we can only hope it’s nighttime, I suppose.”

 

Jungkook nodded. “That makes sense I guess,” it didn’t really, but, Jungkook was just hoping to keep the conversation going for a little bit.

 

Jungkook hummed, and voiced a thought that he didn’t really mean to let out.

 

“Why do you seem like the most normal person here?”

 

As soon as he said that, Jungkook covered in mouth. “Oh- oh my gosh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I -”

 

Jin just laughed. “No, no it’s fine. I know what you mean.”

He inhaled.

 

“I think..it’s because it hasn’t happened to me yet…”

 

Jungkook stopped. What did he mean by that? It hasn’t happened to him yet? What did that mean? Jungkook was entirely sure he wanted to find out, but asked anyways.

 

“What...do you mean by that?” he said slowly.

 

“There’s...something...here...that seems to be affecting everyone else…” he said, quietly, as if afraid of someone hearing.

 

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “And what does that mean?”

 

“It’s...doing strange things to everyone...I think it may be time based, it gets you slowly...so maybe that’s why I haven’t had any big changes yet...this just a theory, but,” he leaned in to Jungkook’s ear, talking even quieter. “I think it may be the reason that Hoseok is insane...he’s one of the longest who’s been here. Or - why Yoongi seems so...I don’t know.. dead? I don’t think it’s why Jimin is blind, but..there’s something else about him, too..”

 

Jungkook’s eye widened, partly in fear. The concept of a strange force affecting them seemed likely, but yet didn’t make sense at the same time.

 

“But, what about Namjoon?” he asked.

 

“Well, this is his world, I don’t think it affects him, but I don’t think he made it, either. It may have been an accidental side effect that he might not be able to control.”

 

Jungkook nodded, then stopped.

 

“But...what about V?” he asked, turning to face Jin again.

 

Jin pursed his lips, and thought for a moment.

 

“He scares me…” he whispered, fear definitely evident in his voice.

 

“W-why?” Jungkook asked, hating how his voice trembled, though he was unsure why. V, though a little..odd, seemed very nice. Why was Jin so scared of him?

 

“You haven’t seen it because it’s only been a day, but...sometimes he seems very...off...and...it’s a little unsettling.” Jin replied.

 

“How so?”

 

“I mean, sure, he acts very silly a lot and sometimes says some..weird things, but...sometimes, out of nowhere, he’ll just start…. laughing…and it’s very disturbing, though I’m not sure why. It doesn’t seem like a laugh of joy...or like someone just made a funny joke. It’s sort of...sadistic? Y’know what I mean?” 

Jungkook nodded.

 

“Like..it’s like a crazy laugh. Extra high pitched, and mocking. Like he’s enjoying someone’s pain...but... he’s laughing at nothing.

It starts out slow, then it gets progressively louder and faster. It sounds...somewhat evil, almost. I don’t like it, it throws me off. And he does it fairly often, too. I have no idea what he’s laughing at, but at the same time I’m not sure I want to know.”

 

Jin exhaled a puff of air.

 

“I think that might be how this strange force is affecting him. From what I know, he’s been here the longest, yet he seems so strong in fighting it. He’s always happy and upbeat. Maybe those are the moments when that wall breaks, and that weird force gets into him.”

 

“I don’t know…” Jungkook said. “Maybe he just remembered something funny? Who knows. Perhaps that’s just his natural laugh. You never know.” Jungkook didn’t understand why he was starting to feel so heated about this, but he felt the odd urge to..defend V, sort of.

 

Jin shook his head. “I don’t think so…” he said, then exhaled again. “Whatever it is...it’s only a matter of time before it gets me, and I can only hope it doesn’t affect me badly.” he turned away from Jungkook, walking over to a nearby painting and bringing his camera up to his eyes and snapping a photo.

 

Jungkook walked up behind him, peering over his shoulder at what Jin was doing.

“Why do you take photos of the installments?” Jungkook asked.

 

Jin chuckled lightly. “You sure do like asking questions, don’t you?” he said.

 

Jungkook raised up his arms. “Hey, I’m new here! You can’t expect me to know everything about a weird place I just randomly woke up in.” he defended.

 

Jin laughed again, this one airy and a bit squeaky. He shook his head again.

 

“You’re definitely the youngest,” he said, and turned back to his camera.

 

“It helps me relax. That and, I feel like there’s...something else here.”

 

“Something else?” Jungkook asked.

 

“You probably think I’m crazy,” Jin started, “if you didn’t already at least, but I feel like there’s something...bigger going on here. Hidden. Sounds cheesy, but, I’m hoping the camera can reveal something. Anything. ”

 

Jungkook thought for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea, actually,” he said. “I mean, sure it only works in movies, but there’s a chance the camera could reveal a hidden message or whatever. Best case scenario is a means of escape, but...still. I think it’s a good idea, Seokjin. Keep doing it.”

 

Seokjin patted his shoulder. “Thank you. And, just hyung is fine, if you want.”

 

“Oh, ok. Thanks...hyung...I guess.” Jungkook said lowly.

 

 

The two stared at each other in awkward silence, before Seokjin returned to his activities.

 

“I...think I feel a bit better now, hyung. Thanks.” Jungkook said.

 

“Anytime.” Seokjin said with a smile.

 

Jungkook his heel and made his way out of the gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Jungkook continued to walk throughout the hall of the museum, using the time to clear his head, and go over what Jin had talked about.

 

The camera seemed like a crazy idea, yet...one that might work. Could it really reveal a means of escape?

 

Was escape even possible?

 

 

Lost in his thoughts, Jungkook found himself wandering into a dark room. He paused for a moment to check his surroundings, before hearing a thunk off a bit in the distance.

 

“ That’s Hoseok, right? Is he firing arrows this late into the night?” Jungkook thought, and followed the sound to find that yes, sure enough, there was Hoseok, still standing in the fountain and firing his bow at a target. Yet this time, he was hitting each bullseye head on.

There also was now an elegant throne in the middle of the fountain Hoseok stood in.

 

When did he bring that in? Jungkook thought.

 

Jungkook wasn’t sure if Hoseok had even noticed him walking in, but he strode right up against the fountain of which the archer was standing in. Jungkook took into notice the stark difference in the expression Hoseok wore when the two first met, as compared to now.

 

Then, he seemed relaxed, carefree, happy, and, sort of crazy.

 

Now, Hoseok was stern and serious, a stone cold brow furrowed in concentration, lips a thin tight line. His eyes were held so tightly they seemed closed, yet his gaze never wavering, even if the target he was aiming at was out of his line of vision.

 

The precision and force with which Hoseok was firing startled Jungkook a bit, as if his hard expression didn’t already. Jungkook was hesitant on interacting with the redhead, fearing he may be interrupting something important.

 

He cleared his throat and worked up the courage to speak anyways.

 

“H-Hoseok-hyung?” Jungkook said, high voice a little higher and softer than he intended it to.

 

Hoseok faltered for only a moment, a ghost of a smirk tracing his lips, before his frown deeped even more.

 

“W-what are you-” Jungkook tried to ask, but Hoseok interjected in a low, sing-songy voice.

 

 

 

“I don’t care if it hurts,

Hurry and choke me

So I can’t hurt any more.

I don’t care if I get drunk,

I’ll drink it in now.

The whiskey, deep in my throat...”

 

Hoseok finished the last line of his eerie chant by turning to face Jungkook, and firing his arrow at the target behind him. The arrow flew dangerously close to Jungkook’s face, whizzing right by him, before the arrow landed in the bullseye of the target behind him with a satisfyingplunk.

 

Jungkook stood, fazed. His heartbeat stopped as the arrow flew by, his body completely shutting down. He continued to stay in place for a minute, trying to contemplate the strange words that just left Hoseok’s mouth.

 

What did it mean? Was it a follow up to the weird phrases Hoseok had spoken to Jungkook the previous day? What significance did those phrases have? And…

 

Why did they seem vaguely familiar?

 

 

 

The large smile quickly returned to Hoseok’s face, and he turned to Jungkook in his familiarly happy manner, setting down his bow and plopping straight into the throne behind him, beginning to make waves with the swish of his hand.

 

“Why, hhee lllooo Kookie~!” he said cheerily. “What brings you to visit me ss soooo late at night?”

 

Jungkook swallowed the growing lump in this throat.

“Just...walking around...couldn’t sleep.” he said, hesitantly.

 

Hoseok raised an eyebrow.

 

“And it’s not because you... saw anything, did you?”

 

“I- wh-what?” Jungkook stuttered. “H-how did you know?”

 

Hoseok’s face immediately lit up even more. “You see stuff, too? What did you see!” he asked, like an excited child.

 

“I-w-well, I...had a dream...that...really disturbed me.” Jungkook sad slowly.

 

Hoseok’s face dropped a little. “Aaww..so you don’t see things everywhere?” he asked.

 

“N-no...not...not yet at least…” Jungkook said, unsure of even himself. If seeing strange things was Hoseok’s way of being affected by the weird force Jin talked about, he wondered how he might be affected by it.

 

Hoseok seemed a bit interested again, and scooted close to Jungkook.

 

“Weee eellll…. what did you see in your dream?” he asked.

 

Jungkook paused for a moment.

 

“An...an angel…” he mumbled.

 

Hoseok said nothing, just raised his eyebrow a bit more. “Well..anything else?”

 

“Um...f-fire…” Jungkook said, his eyes widening at the memory he could now see in his mind with almost crystal like clarity.

“Lots of fire...a-and feathers. It..it felt calm, with the angel there...like I was at peace...and then the angel flew away, it all burned...and it hurt….it really hurt. A-and..”

 

Jungkook looked at Hoseok, like a deer in headlights.

 

“And?” Hoseok asked.

 

“W-when the fire died down, I saw a painting...it...kinda looked like a bird. But it was really messy! It was hard to tell...and, and then I saw feathers again...and I woke up.”

 

Hoseok seemed to be in thought for a few moments, then nodded, like he understood exactly what Jungkook was saying.

 

“D-do you know what it means?” Jungkook asked quietly, hoping for some answers, any answers.

 

“Do you?” Hoseok replied, his face now a bit more neutral and serious. His eyes, which had previously been mostly closed, were now open, a hard and strong gaze completely boring into Jungkook

 

Jungkook just stared at him, bewildered. “ He definitely knows something,” Jungkook thought.

 

He was only proven right, when Hoseok whispered.

 

“Do you see it?”

 

“S-see what?”

 

Hoseok was quiet, furrowing his brow in deep thought. After a minute or so, he slapped his hands on his knees and stood up rather fast, his cheerful tone returning yet again.

 

“Aaahh, well it’s a shame you can’t see everything. It’s all so colorful~” he chanted.

 

Hoseok took a quick breath and blew it out, placing his hands on his hips and turning back to Jungkook.

 

“You’ll find out soon enough.” he said, a smirk that Jungkook didn’t trust on his face.

“Come on now, off to bed,” Hoseok shooed him off, flipping his hand.

 

Jungkook stood still, befuddled. “M-me?” he asked, pointing to himself.

 

Hoseok sighed. “Who else, silly! Come on, little boys have to get lots of sleep to grow big and strong!”

 

Jungkook blinked. Did Hoseok just call him a little boy?

 

“I-y-yeah ok. Whatever” Jungkook replied, turning around and waving, not sure he really wanted to deal with this much longer. “G’night hyung.” he said.

 

“Goodnight Kookie!” Hoseok waved back as Jungkook quickly exited the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungkook continued to wander the building, not yet wanting to return to Namjoon’s room. He felt he’d already had enough sleep tonight. Though, he knew he really was just scared of falling asleep and having another strange dream.

 

As he was walking about, a thought came upon him: perhaps there was something else going on in this strange world in the time that everyone perceived as night. As Jin said, there seemed to be something going on behind the scenes, something he was hoping to uncover.

 

Jungkook decided to take this time to explore the parts of the Museum that he couldn’t before. Not at all Namjoon’s warning, he decided he was going to look for the bathroom. Well, not the bathroom specifically, but he thought it was pretty stupid that he couldn’t go to thebathroom for goodness sakes. Forget monsters, a man’s gotta piss.

 

 

Jungkook walked past many gallery rooms. Some of which he recognized, some he’d never seen. He found himself in a large room now, only a few paintings on the walls and a large fountain in the middle. Jungkook knew this room, he’d walked through it a few times while V was introducing him to the other captants. He thought of it as like the central hub room, the lobby, of the museum.. Except, something was...off.

Normally, at least as he’d seen, the fountain was turned off. No water coming out as it had been overrun with vines and foliage. Yet now...it was clean. It’s marble shining through and clear water gushing out. Jungkook wondered why it was so upkept now. Perhaps someone had cleaned it earlier? He didn't know. But he know he didn’t like what he was feeling.

 

He shook his head, shaking away the thoughts, and went to step out of the large room. But just as he did, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a pair of doors he did not recognize.

 

Large and old, elegant yet breaking. Like white lace patterns flowing over the doors. It looked like an arch that would greet someone at the edge of a garden. Eerie and oddly inviting.

 

Jungkook found himself quite drawn to the doors, walking towards them, but his steps were still filled with hesitation.

 

Walking right up to the doors, he took a few moments to really inspect them.

 

Old they were, with paint and pieces of wood chipped and cracking, thin vines growing in and out and weaving all over the structure. A few flowers bloomed here and there, but most were dead or dying.

 

 

It seemed more like the entrance to a graveyard than a garden.

 

 

 

Jungkook swallowed the lump in his throat, and quietly and slowly pushed the doors open.

 

As the doors opened, he was greeted by mostly darkness. A small light shone a bit in the distance.

 

He took a short step in.

 

His foot splashed onto a liquid on the ground. Looking behind him, Jungkook saw there was something pouring out of the room, into the fountain room. It was clear, yet inky and murky.

 

He turned around, and upon resting his eyes on a figure in the room, his felt his breath come to a complete halt.

 

 

 

 

A figure.

 

 

 

 

A hunched over figure.

 

 

 

 

A thin cloth dangling down from nowhere, draping over the figure’s shoulders.

 

 

Music seemed to be playing from nowhere and everywhere. A deep organ bellowing its solemn melancholy tune. Jungkook felt as if he were in a large cathedral, the organist playing its hymns of praise. Yet this one felt full of fear, like one telling the story of a horrid darkness looming just overhead.

 

 

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened.

 

 

 

He took a step back, but as he did his foot splashed wit the liquid below him. A faint ploop emanated from the floor.

 

 

 

The figure stirred.

 

 

Raising its head and slowly turning to face the new stranger in the room, Jungkook felt like his soul might leave his body at that moment.

 

All too familiar blue eyes stared back at him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Jungkook?" V asked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And everything went dark.