Don't Come Inside • Jungkook

vi.

Jungkook hesitated before pulling the beanie down farther over his head. He'd previously believed that nothing and no one could possibly make said beanie unfashionable, but he knew that if he found a mirror in his house and saw himself - beanie almost touching his eyebrows - that his inner fashion critic would die. He sealed the look by grabbing a thick scarf from the nearby rack, draping it over his shoulders and then winding it around his neck three, no, four times. He pulled the top layer up a bit so it hid his grimace, and paired with an overly large pair of sunglasses, the only skin left visible on his face was the thin line just beneath the beanie and the upper portion of his cheeks.

The rest of his outfit was equally ragtag. Underneath a pair of long sweats were crew socks hiked up to his mid-calf, worn tennis shoes, and several layers of baggy shirts, the bottom layer - a long-sleeve black turtleneck - going just past his fingertips and disappearing into his scarf. Perfect. Not only was he almost completely hidden under layers and layers of fabric, but he had somehow managed the incredible feat of making Jeon Jungkook look unattractive.

In all the fuss of putting together the only outfit capable of such, he'd momentarily forgotten his panic, and as he turned back toward the door, it all came rushing back. He got as far as setting his hand on the doorknob before his breathing turned heavy and he began to perspire. He was pretty sure he was sweating due to the paralyzing fear, but it certainly didn't help that he was wearing multiple layers that all trapped in the building heat.

Leaving his right hand on the knob, he dragged his left hand up to the first lock. It was then that he froze up completely, his only movement the shaking of his body.

"Tomorrow," he murmured, taking a step away from the door and letting his hands fall to his sides as he took a deep breath, relief rushing into his lungs as the threat of confrontation disappeared. "I'll try again tomorrow."

He turned away from the door, hating the very sight, and began unwinding the scarf, discarding all his accessories in a pile by the coat rack.

This was the third day he'd tried to venture out into the hallway behind his apartment, and the third time he'd failed.

***

"Good-"

"-morning," Namjoon rushed to interrupt, giving Jimin a warning glance. "I'm sorry Jimin, but you know the manager told us that you're supposed to be saving your voice for vocal rehearsal."

Jimin gave Namjoon an exasperated look before whipping his phone out of his back pocket and typing furiously.

A minute later, Namjoon's phone dinged, and he picked it off the counter to find a new message from Jimin.

Jimin
that's the stupidest thing I've heard
besides this comeback

"Yeah?" Namjoon asked, looking up from his phone with a raised eyebrow and a hand on his hip. "And who's the one who had a sore throat the other day from so much practice?"

Jimin's eyes skittered away as he tried to shrug, but Namjoon wasn't buying it.

"I have tea for you up here on the counter. Jin added in some honey, it should help soothe your throat. And please, I know it's bothersome, but please at least until we finish recording, save your voice for then, okay?"

Jimin looked over at the tea, his eyes warm, but he couldn't say how touched he was by the gesture, only able to nod in appreciation before taking the cup back to his room. He had to look over the music again, as his voice instructor had made a few minor adjustments (although with no lack of frustration) to better suit Jimin's vocals.

"Hey," Namjoon greeted as Taehyung wobbled into the kitchen, looking just plain dead. "Have you seen Hoseok?" he asked, as he'd already spoken with Jin and Jimin that morning. Yoongi, he didn't expect to see for another twenty minutes.

"He's already at the studio," Taehyung mumbled, standing in front of the refrigerator and just blinking at it for several seconds before startling and opening the door. He stared inside for a moment before closing it and turning to Namjoon. "Any chance that Jin already made something for breakfast?"

"Not yet," Namjoon said, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I could-"

"No thanks," Taehyung said, already turning to exit the kitchen. "I think I'll have a shower."

"For breakfast??"

But Taehyung didn't respond.

Jin wandered back in a second later.

"Is Taehyung okay?" Namjoon asked, looking at the eldest member. "He looked really tired, borderline sick. And it's not that I'm trying to be heartless, but...this is a really bad time to get sick since we're trying to record this weekend and-"

"He's healthy," Jin interrupted before Namjoon spiraled out of control, panicking. "He's just tired since he's been waiting up for Jimin at the studio after he gets out of vocal rehearsal. He's been catching Jimin up on the choreo. Hoseok said he would, but since they're already calling him in early, Taehyung volunteered. That's all."

"Oh," Namjoon said, more than a little worried, but somebody needed to teach Jimin the choreography and goodness knows that Namjoon wasn't the best one to do it. "Well...the manager said that if we finish recording on schedule, then we can have a day off."

Jin looked up, blinking in surprise. "Really? Can we afford that?"

Namjoon nodded, looking down at the counter. "I was thinking of visiting Jungkook."

Jin looked at Namjoon with concerned eyes. "Namjoon, he already made it clear that he doesn't want to come back. And won't this complicate things with the comeback? Maybe we should just wait until after-"

"I just want to apologize," Namjoon clarified. "And, you know, see how he's doing. He doesn't really have anyone else. He's probably lonely. And I still feel bad."

Jin nodded several times to himself before looking up at Namjoon with a small smile. "All right. I think that would be nice." Jin turned toward the hallway. "YOU HEAR THAT, JIMIN? MAKE SURE YOU RECORD EVERYTHING PERFECTLY THE FIRST TIME SO WE CAN GO VISIT JUNGKOOK," he yelled before adding, "WAIT, DON'T RESPOND! SAVE YOUR VOICE!" He turned back to Namjoon, his eyes a bit wistful as he thought of their youngest member. It had been odd, preparing for a comeback without him. He'd always been a source of energy for the group, always eager, never complaining. And now Jin was worrying about him because he knew Jungkook was horrible at taking care of himself. "All right, let's visit Jungkook soon."