Soobin's legs are like udon as he stands in the living room.
The four others are watching him with eyes opened like they're shocked squirrels. He hasn't seen them in this way since they were trainees. They were all so insecure back then, constantly heartbroken and questioning whether they were good enough to debut. Now, he doesn't quite know what they're facing.
At least the monthly evaluations were predictable challenges. A monster showing up in a vacation home is something that they've never faced before. The Black Mage appears like a being that should appear in a horror music video, not a real person they need to face immediately after waking up. He was looking forward to breakfast, but all of their bentos have been left unopened.
Soobin can still imagine the fog sticking to his skin, his senses blurring into a panicked mess as he screams and trembles. He felt powerless. He couldn't protect his teammates in the slightest. Who knows whether Taehyun or the others could've been seriously hurt? Or worse? What does a monster from a fantasy universe even do to human beings?
"So...." he starts. He planned a whole encouraging speech in the half hour they took to recover from the initial shock. Now, all the words are escaping him. He can't speak because the image of the Black Mage is too much for him to handle.
Yeonjun nods, looking up at his leader with the slightest encouraging smile.
It's a slight offering, but Soobin is glad to take it. The gesture allows him to finally find his first few words. "So I think we all saw the same thing."
"You guys all played MapleStory right?" Kai says, the usual joy to his voice sapped out completely.
Soobin nods, further encouraged. "We all know that the great boss was the Black Mage. I think that was him, wasn't it?"
Taehyun coughs. "I don't really believe in this myself, but maybe it was a collective hallucination?"
Soobin visualizes the black of the coat, the dark power emanating from the boss, and a whole barrage of imaginary needles that pierced his skin when it laughed. "I don't know about you guys, but that was the realest thing I felt this year. It was like I was going through some sort of...."
"Actually boss battle in MapleStory?" Beomgyu says.
They nod together. TOMORROW X TOGETHER has faced many things since debut. From the most energetic fans, to death threats and bullying, to lethargy so intense it caused actual heart ache. But nothing compares to this. He guesses that he'll have to be completely honest with the team.
He starts with his vision of the maple leaf during their concert in Chicago. Then he moves forward in saying that he has begun to see the maple leaf on multiple occasions. It popped up during random sightings—everything from grocery shopping to vocal room practice to even the mirror in their bathroom. Then he says the scariest part. "There's this weird thing that's been happening with my hands. Sometimes they glow a bit neon blue, but it's like a cast that covers my entire palms and fingers."
The room is silent, so much so that Soobin can almost hear the Black Mage's cackle. But Soobin is sure there's a connection. This whole time, he thought he was hallucinating due to stress, but now there has to be another explanation. I mean, they all saw the same vision. A maple leaf is the symbol of the world which the Mage lives in.
Then Huening Kai speaks up. "I thought something was going on with you. I was meaning to ask what was wrong.... Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
Soobin sighs, finally sitting on the floor. "I don't know. I didn't want to scare you guys, and I also thought that I was going crazy from the hectic schedule."
"We should call Bang PD," Taehyun suggests. "We always see him for our biggest problems. Who knows whether this is connected to the company?"
Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Kai agree. Soobin also nods. "I think he's our best bet. He believed us in our most trying times, so I don't see why he won't be able to help now."
"Do you think he played MapleStory too?" Beomgygu asks, with a slight giggle.
The room is silent until Yeonjun breaks out into a laugh, and everyone follows suit. Even though death stared them in the face within the hour, it's a funny visual to imagine. Soobin can't imagine Bang Si-Hyuk ever picking up a mouse and keyboard to play such a game. Even he moved onto games like League of Legends once he became a teenager. MapleStory is much too childish to him now.
They discuss a bit more about their plans. Soobin grows more calm as everyone melds back into their usual self. Maybe Taehyun is right after all, and the Mage was just a hallucination that they will forget once the holidays pass.
Soobin approves a plan to give a call to Bang PD. But none of their calls go through. Hours go past, they manage to eat their now-cold breakfasts, but the CEO doesn't respond. Even the KakaoTalk messages go unread. They try a few more executives, but none of them answer. It's like the company made a collective decision to ignore TXT.
While waiting, Soobin discusses the game. As expected, everyone played the online game during childhood. They each played for at least one year in total. But they were like every other player in Korea—nothing outstanding about their characters or achievements in the game.
"Wait," Soobin says. "What was everyone's classes?"
"Mage," says Taehyun.
"Rogue." Yeonjun.
"Warrior." Huening Kai.
"Pirate." Beomgyu.
"And I was an archer," says Soobin, finishing off their roster.
"That's so weird that we're all different," says Kai.
"Yeah," Yeonjun says. He sighs and leans back against the couch. It seems that they stare at the chandelier, a gift from BTS, for a long time before anyone leaves the room.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Any reader predictions for Soobin and the members? :)