The Mystery: The Brotherly Bangtan Boys' Birthday Series #4

Chapter 1: All I Need Is Air? - December 4, 2020

Jin was lying in his bed shivering. Was the heater on the fritz again? They were billionaires, but their home was still freezing. Apparently, he needed to call the repair man again. What a way to awake on his birthday!

Number twenty-eight. He grinned. Four sevens. This was BTS's 777 year, and he was turning a multiple of seven. That felt golden. He laughed at his math brain and stretched to reach his robe, which he had – thankfully – thrown over the end of the bed before he'd crawled into it last night. He tugged it down under the covers with him and hugged it close to his body to warm it up. After a couple of minutes, he pulled it on and braved the chill air of his bedroom.

Briskly, he walked to his door and swung it wide. He stopped on the threshold to stare down at a brightly wrapped package. The paper covering the box could only be called pumpkin. It was an odd shade of orange to find in December. It would have suited October in America perfectly. What with all the autumn harvest décor cluttering the stores leading up to Halloween and Thanksgiving. But it was completely out of place here in the heart of Seoul. When snow blanketed the earth in a beautiful cloud of pristine white. Or it would have if twenty-five million people hadn't trampled it to a muddy death.

Still, a birthday present was a birthday present, so Jin gleefully bent to pick it up. But a few moments later – after wondering about the lightness of the box – he discovered that a birthday present wasn't always a birthday present. This box was – mournfully – empty. He picked it up and tipped it upside down just to make sure he hadn't missed some tiny particle of a present. He shook it. Nothing fell out. There was nothing to fall out. Nothing taking up any space inside that woefully empty box. Except air. Of which Jin already – thankfully – had enough.

But he was sadly lacking in the birthday presents category. Somebody was pranking him. Jungkook had received a special song written out on a scroll. Namjoon had been gifted a pile of books also containing the words to a personalized song. Jimin had opened his box to find a beautiful music box that doubled as a picture frame. But all Jin had gotten was...air.

Disheartened, he stuffed the lid down on the box and carried it out to the kitchen. He set it on the island. Right next to an identical box. Also wrapped in pumpkin paper. Furrowing his brow, he reached for it.

He tore the paper off and lifted the lid. But this process was a perfect repetition of the last. He was staring down at another empty box. Was he missing something? Or had the boys decided it was his turn to be the recipient of an elaborate prank this year?

He set the box down next to its twin. Then he glanced around. Where was everyone?

He decided to investigate, so he wandered into the living room. Where he found another box draped in pumpkin wrapping paper. Did this one hold his gift? Or would it prove to be another hollow disappointment?

He picked it up and gave it a little shake. He sighed. It was empty too!

Still, he opened it just to be sure. But once again he found nothing. He carried his third empty box out to the kitchen to join its buddies. He stared at the line of would-be gifts that fell way short of perfection in that realm. Three boxes void of blessing.

But he lived with six men. Were there perhaps more boxes to find? He wandered down the hallway. And realized nature was calling. He made a beeline for the bathroom. Where he found another pumpkin package.

Now he laughed. This ruse was becoming more ridiculous by the moment. A couple of minutes later, his freshly washed hands tugged on the tape holding that silly, orange paper on to the empty box. Jin was sure it was empty. A moment later, he confirmed his suspicions. Then he turned to carry it to the kitchen to join its compatriots. Those boxes were forming quite the group now. Of his disappointed aspirations in the gift department.

He considered where else the guys could have hidden an empty birthday box. For some reason, he wanted to find them all. He made his way to the laundry room. He was instantly rewarded by the empty box clothed in pumpkin paper and seated on the top of the washing machine.

Jin retrieved it and carried it to the kitchen. He unwrapped the paper and stared with confident expectation into the bottom of that empty box. All his consternation had fled. He was expecting to find only empty boxes now. The question was...would there be more than six?

If not, he had just one more to find. Now where could it be?

Ah! Of course! The dining room.

He strode into it several moments later. He was not disappointed this time. For just as he had expected, another pumpkin package was sitting on the center of the dining room table. He pulled the paper off of it and lifted the lid to discover more free air. Sighing, he carried it back to the kitchen.

Now he lined up the six identical boxes side by side. He couldn't suppress his grin. This was a pretty good prank so far. At least, it wasn't embarrassing. His eyes skimmed each box front. Was there something he had missed?

He turned them all upside down. That's when he saw it. In one corner of each box, a tiny letter had been sketched.

I...O...U...D...S...T.

English letters.

Did they spell a word?

He stared at them as his brain began to sort them in an effort to make a real word.

DUTIOS.

Nope. Not a word. That sounded more like Spanish than English.

IDOTUS.

Nah.

But he laughed this time. It almost spelled idiot and us. He was kind of feeling like his friends were a bunch of idiots right now.

Then he tried again.

STUDIO.

Ah! That's it!

His eyebrows flew up. Were they all waiting for him in the studio?

But...which one? The dance studio? The recording studio?

There was only one way to find out. He would have to visit them both. He went to his room to get dressed. That's when he remembered that he needed to call the guy to repair their heater. He made the call after donning a pair of warm sweatpants and a long, orange sweatshirt. Pumpkin-colored, to be precise.

Ironic.

His lips twisted into a grin. He had enough time to visit both studios before the repair guy would arrive. So he set off for the dance studio first. A few minutes later, he opened the door to an empty floor. But for one thing. A box wrapped in orange paper.

Grinning, he crossed to the middle of the room and picked up the – what else? – empty box. He didn't even bother to open it. But he stuck it under his arm and headed for the recording studio.

He walked into the sound booth and found another box on a chair. He picked it up. It didn't weigh much either. He walked out carrying a pumpkin cube under each arm. How many of these boxes would he have collected by the end of the day?