DreamScape

PART 1: CHINESE WHISPERS - V

Jungkook was grumpy. That's what usually happens when you can't sleep because you got burned in a dream and it actually burned you in real life... right? It didn't help that he was refusing to think about how impossible this all really was, including how somewhere out there, someone else knew about the impossible burns. Maybe if he refused to think about it, he'd wake up from whatever stupidly long dream this was.

So he trudged miserably to work and had barely dropped his messenger bag onto his desk when Namjoon came his way, grabbing his bad arm and dragging him out. Pain blossomed under his bandage and Jungkook groaned.

"I know you don't want to go," Namjoon misunderstood, nevertheless letting go. "But these meetings are important. This one was red flagged too."

This time, Jungkook really did groan because of work.

"I hate these dumb, useless meetings," he grumbled, cradling his smarting hand to his chest as they took two adjacent chairs in the conference room.

"They're not always useless," the other countered, making Jungkook roll his eyes.

"They literally never say anything new. I'll bet you anything you want that the rest of our year will be just as boring as the first half."

"Watch it," his silver-haired colleague warned, rubbing his hand over his temples. "You're going to curse us."

"Karma isn't a thing you big baby."

"Says Karma sarcastically, as it bites you in the ass."

Jungkook scoffed just as their boss walked in, a large folder tucked under her arm and an excited grin deforming her face. She dumped the file on the table the team was sat around, looking at each of her heads of department and fellow deputies. Jungkook could name no person present, and if he was honest he didn't exactly care. He recognised the PR chief, a serious man who was always bothering them loudly about brands being blurred out during editing. Apart from him and the ironically ever-silent head of the Music and Sound department, he knew no one.

They all turned their attention to the white board their boss stood next to as she flipped it over dramatically, revealing the writing on the back with an over-enthusiastic "Ta-daa!".

On the white surface, in large blue block letters was the title "TOP SECRET SUPER PROJECT". Underneath, pictures of actors and a basic story premise spelled out their doom. It was a superhero movie, meaning they would have to mix actual action shots and CGI. The project was a secret, so every task would be twice as tricky. And the main actor was an absolute movie newbie. It was a complete and utter nightmare.

They all groaned in unison, and Namjoon spun in his chair to glare at Jungkook, bringing his hands up to dramatically point at the plan as if to say: "See? I said you would bring us bad karma... idiot!"

***

~*~ The first thing Jungkook noticed when he came to, was that his hand no longer tingled with constant pain. As his eyelids slid open, he took in the bandages wrapped poorly around his fingers, noting that the blue curls of past flames still marred his skin. He frowned ever so slightly, before a burst of light followed by a veritable tsunami of sound enveloped him. He looked up, frightened, as the crowd around him cheered and whistled.

The street was brimming with people, bright colours painting the night and young children running around, holding hands or climbing up onto their parents' shoulders to look upon the undulating human ocean. Bunting stretched from tree to tree, weaving in and out of a web of fairy lights, green leaves shivering happily under the attention. The families around him were shuffling in a semi-circle, pressing up against a small wooden platform, eyes sparkling and eager as they looked up. Up on the stage, a man with soft blond hair and undistinguishable features was stood in silken clothes, brilliant light seeping through his skin.