Continuum

스물 다섯

 Taehyung didn't have superhearing like some people (read: Namjoon Hashimoto) did, but when it was silent in the small house in the haunted forest, he swore he could hear voices coming from outside. They were speaking in short whispers. Sometimes it sounded like they were singing, actually.

He tried to think of any possible reason that his mirror image in this world wouldn't have been made by higher powers to meet with the rest of the group.

Well, first of all, the boys in there were either ex-inmates of prison or needed the money. That was a good start. He really hoped that no alternate version of himself would end up in prison, despite what his character in the music video series portrayed. How about need the money? That was a possibility, but it was unlikely that his family would be okay with him doing what these boys had to do even for a huge amount of money. But wait, what if in this world he didn't have a family? That was a terrifying thought, but considering the backstories of the boys here, it wasn't completely out of the question. After all, Kim Namjoon was close with his parents. Namjoon Hashimoto didn't even know his family.

Taehyung shivered. When - if, he reminded himself - he ever got back home, he would plan an immediate trip to Daegu to give both of his parents one hell of a hug.

But first, he had to get home. And considering the random way he had gotten to his world, the idea of getting home was but a dream.

"Tae? You okay?"

Tears prickled in his eyes. He wanted to go home. He didn't belong here. He wanted to see his family again. He wanted to see the other boys again. He wanted to go on stage again. He didn't want to die on a planet that was doomed to be destroyed soon.

"Taehyung."

Then again, how did any of these people deserve that? It wasn't their fault they were born here.

They were, honestly, born to die.

"KIM TAEHYUNG!"

Taehyung jumped to find Yoongi standing right in front of him grabbing his shoulders with Herculean strength.

"Yes?" he asked, sure that Yoongi could feel his heart beating like crazy.

Yoongi looked like he wanted to slap Taehyung. "Are you okay?"

Taehyung bit his lip, then felt a strange sensation on his face. He raised a hand to his face and his fingers came away wet. He was crying. Sniffling, he looked at the other boys, who were all wearing familiar looks of concern. Taehyung knew those looks.

They were the expressions that his boys wore when they were worried about him. When he would go for a walk, conveniently forget his phone, get distracted, and be gone for five hours. When he'd be sick but refuse to sit out a concert. When he fell during a rehearsal and didn't get up for a few seconds.

And dammit, if those expressions and the memories they carried didn't make him start crying harder, trying to stutter over the lump in his throat so he could say that yes, he was okay.

"You don't look okay," Jeongguk said, tilting his head.

"You're a fucking genius, Kookie," Hoseok muttered, rolling his eyes at the boy. "So observant."

Taehyung let out a wet laugh.

Yoongi titled his head at the noise and released his death grip on Taehyung's shoulders. "You're a strange cookie."

"I get that a lot."

"So, breakdowns aside, what were you thinking about?" Namjoon asked. "Why do think your alternate... you... isn't here?"