The Looking Glass - A BTS Story

CHAPTER II - NAMJOON

Namjoon checked his wallet. His name was still the same, and so were his parents and siblings. He tried to unlock his phone using the basic combinations – his birthday, 1234, 0000 – but they didn't work. After a few tries he figured out how stupid he was and just used his fingerprint. There was some useful information. For starters, he was married. There were many children's pictures on his phone that he assumed were his children. So, he was a dad and a husband. He was searching for more information when the phone buzzed with a message.

Hey B.

I'll get Neal from school after Jia's check-up.

Can you get some cheese, eggs and chives for me?

I'll make some egg rolls for Neal to take to school.

Sure.

Anything else?

Do you want anything special for dinner?

I'm in the mood for cooking.

Nope. All good.

Her messages were all in English. From the pictures he guessed she was not Korean. Her English was good, so maybe she was American, or British perhaps? Maybe she just learned English as a second language as he did. That was really giving him a headache. Before going home, wherever that was, he remembered to save the boys' numbers so that they could at least get in contact. Maybe their alternate reality selves already knew each other, he thought, but there was no photo of them together nor were their numbers saved. So how did they end up there together?

There was also a key in his pocket. He went to the closest parking lot and started looking for his car, pressing the alarm button and following the sound. After a while, he found it. It was an SUV, a typical dad car. It was not brand-new, but it was a good car. There were some kids' toys and two kids' chairs on the back. His other self had a good life after all. The GPS already had some places saved. Home, work, Neal's school, market. The market was probably the closest to home, so he set his route there. He got everything his wife asked and went home. It was an apartment building, with many floors and many doors. How was he expected to find his home? Back to the cellphone. Maybe he sent his address to someone. Or wrote it down somewhere. Why would someone write their address? But they might save them in some delivery apps. He registered the number in the food delivery app. Lucky him. He got into the lift, rode to the right floor and got to the door. That's when he realized he didn't have the code. But his luck struck twice when he heard sounds coming from inside. He knocked, maybe he could just say his mind went blank and he forgot the password.

A tall and slender woman with black wavy short hair wearing a sweatshirt opened the door. She didn't ask anything, just looked at him with judgment in her eyes. From the names and photos in his phone, he knew she was Anna.

"You should write it down next time. One day you will get locked out and I won't be here to open". It was clear that in the multiverse of possibilities, some things stayed the same.

"Sorry". He said.

"Next time, ask Neal. He can memorize a simple number". She said, laughing.

"772498". Neal, a five-year-old African kid, recited as if he sang a beautiful song.

"Do you need any help, with anything?", Namjoon asked. He wanted to be a helpful husband, even if he didn't really know her.

"The dishes would be good. But if you could bathe Jia, it would be even more helpful. Her clothes ate more than she".

He looked at the young girl, probably two years old, sitting in a highchair next to the table. She had puffy cheeks that made her look like a baby squirrel, but her lips and eyes were just like his.