DreamScape

PART 2: THE HADRON COLLIDER EFFECT - VI

"So... are you going to tell me where we're going?" Jimin called from over his shoulder.

Jungkook sighed, exhausted from his sleepless nights and dreading this conversation.

"I don't know, just somewhere quiet I guess," he answered nevertheless, guiding his best friend away from the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria.

It was as they were walking past the men's toilets that it happened. Looking up, Jungkook stopped, heart thumping wildly in his chest. Because there, ahead of them was a woman, but she had animal ears, long diaphanous wings on her back and... was that a snake tail? Jungkook drew in such a ragged gasp that he choked on his own spit and was sent into a coughing fit, his eyes blinking away the tears as he tried to watch the woman. But one blink was all it took for her to disappear.

"Kook, you okay?" Jimin worried, having caught up and now rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Did you see her?!" Jungkook nearly screamed back, eyes searching wildly.

"Saw who, Kook? No one's there, you're scaring me..."

But he was sure someone had been there, or something. She'd been there as clearly as he could see Jimin, and it forced panic down into his lungs, because how could he not panic? He'd had wonderful, magical dreams which weren't dreams, where he'd gotten hurt and then he'd stopped dreaming but he remained injured. He felt empty and alone, even with his friend there next to him, and now he was seeing things. Seeing monsters, or magical beings, or something in between. And it was too much. He could feel his legs shaking and his mind turning into a mess of endless nonsensical chatter.

He could sense the panic attack arriving and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Nothing.

That's when the toilet door swung open and a shadow barrelled through, colliding with the two men stood right in front of it. Jungkook and Jimin stumbled backwards under the strain, both holding onto each other for dear life as they tried to right themselves.

"Ah, sorry!" a voice fired at them, and although it was deep and smooth it was bubbling with excitement. It sent chills up Jungkook's spine. "I'm in a hurry so I've got to run, but sorry again!"

The stranger ran back the way they had come, his hand waving wildly behind him, a great big grin lighting up his face, leaving behind a memory of sparkling dark eyes in Jungkook's dazed mind.

"Wasn't that..." Jimin started.

"He was beautiful," Jungkook breathed out, eyes still fixed on the doors the stranger had disappeared through, not seeming to realise he'd said anything, not noticing his panic attack had been absorbed by the trance he now found himself in.

"Yeah..." his best friend answered, and the obvious smirk in his voice brought Jungkook back to reality. "I was going to say I think that was Kim Taehyung."

Jungkook stared at him cluelessly, as if this meant nothing to him, and Jimin gaped.

"Kim Taehyung: winner of two daesangs; came out with a new album three weeks ago; came out as gay at the same time?! HE MADE IT ONTO THE BILLBOARD 200?!"

None of this was ringing any bells with his friend, and Jimin moaned dramatically, immediately dragging the other one by the hand, ranting as they walked about how he'd been talking about this all morning, about how he was a terrible friend, about how Kim Taehyung had single handedly started a social media frenzy of people coming out, about how he was the first Korean artist to ever reach so high up the charts with music mentioning same-sex relationships.

When they got back to Jungkook's desk, Jimin sat him down and grabbed a chair for himself, before going straight to YouTube and typing in the search bar.