Film Out

5. Breakthrough

A - The theater. Who are you?

- My name is Kim Seokjin.

A - Can you not speak?

- Speak? So I'm not reading your thoughts?

She couldn't help but to chuckle at that. When she looked up, she saw that it was a genuine question that the other seemed to have.

A - No, you aren't reading my thoughts. Can you speak?

- I have never tried.

She watched as he tried to move his lips again with still the same effect. She smiled softly.

A - Are you afraid of sound?

- It's something new to me, so yes.

A - What about light?

- Light, no. Why do things not look gray?

A - You mean why does it have color?

- What is color?

Before Aspen could write down anything else, she turned to see that Jungkook had come over to the closet. He was megaphone less, which was a welcome sight.

"I'm sorry, dude," said Jungkook. "I didn't..."

"He can't talk," said Aspen as she held the notepad out to Jungkook.

"Can he not understand us either?"

"Well, ask him," said Aspen.

"Fine," said Jungkook as he took the notebook.

JK - Can you understand what we're saying?

- Yes, I can. What were you holding in your hand?

Jungkook looked at the written response from the other.

JK - That was a megaphone.

- Megaphone? Well, it was mega annoying. Hurt my ears.

Aspen happened to see the response then, unable to stop herself from laughing.

JK - Sorry about that.

- You're fine. It's fine. I just am not used to it.

Jungkook was about to keep hold of the notebook and look back through the rest of the chat he had been having previously with Aspen when Jimin appeared in the doorway.

"Are you all having some kind of closet party without me?" asked Jimin.

"Aspen has figured out how to communicate with this man," said Jungkook, waving the notebook in his hand. "He can understand us when we talk, but he's mute."

"Wonderful," said Jimin, noticing that the man had seemed to be calmer than he was before. The notebook was reclaimed as the man wrote something and held it so Jimin could see the response.

- Sorry if I hurt you. Sound scared me.

"You're fine," said Jimin. "I'll just have a bruised rear."

"I need to take him to see a doctor," said Aspen. "Jungkook, can you please bring the car around?"

"Am I a chauffeur service?" asked Jungkook as Aspen shot him a look.

"Look! You owe me for giving me a heart attack, and Jimin needs to stay with me since Seokjin is comfortable around him."

"Is that his name?" asked Jungkook.

"Yes, now go."

Jungkook mumbled under his breath as he slipped out of the closet to go do what was asked of him.

"I'll go start closing things up while we wait for Jungkook," said Jimin, casting one more look at Seokjin.

"I'm fine," said Aspen. "He's not going to hurt me."

Jimin just nodded his head before disappearing out of the closet to leave just the two of them.

- I don't need a doctor.

Aspen looked at what Seokjin wrote, frowning.

A - We can take you home then.

- I don't know where my home is.

A - Then that means you need to go to the hospital.

- No. I mean I don't think my home is around here.
I just need somewhere to stay for now.

Aspen chewed her bottom lip as she wondered how to respond. What was she supposed to do? She supposed they could drop the man off at at hotel, but that would accomplish nothing.

A - You can stay with us until you're able to get home.

- Us?

A - Me, Jimin and Jungkook.

- Are you sure?

A - Yes. What do you say?

- YES.

Aspen looked up then to see a dazzling smile on Seokjin's face. It had been the first time since she had seen him that he had done that. Even though it was insane to invite a complete stranger home with her, she didn't know what else to do. Besides, she had Jimin and Jungkook with her if anything did go south. What could possibly go wrong?

- - -

AN: I realize that the word 'mega' wasn't used in this form in the 1930s, but I couldn't help myself. Where this is a fanfiction anyway, I decided to make an exception.

Thanks for reading! <3