The world seemed like it was closing in as I barely noticed Rapmonster and Jimin apologetically guiding me to a back room located through a door behind the stage. All the boys shuffled into the room silently looking amongst themselves, assessing whether they should say something or not. Jin lightly ruffled my hair from behind me with one hand, putting the other supportively on my shoulder. On the verge of tears, I couldn't bring myself to look at any of them out of guilt. "Did I do something wrong?" choked out finally, the sadness in my voice surprising even myself.
Jimin and V breaking first, hugged me tightly from the front, dragging Jin into the hug from behind. The boys fussed over me and apologized multiple times while Rapmonster explained. "I can understand Jungkook's intentions. He has feelings for you, that much is obvious." He trailed over to one of the many fold out tables in the room to swiftly sit atop one closer to us.
"He is scared that he'll hurt you if he gets too close." I trusted the things Rapmonster said, after all he probably knew him better than anyone. "When we all go back home, he will have to part ways with you. We all will." Everyone in the room bowed their heads, a sense of dread looming in the thick atmosphere created by his words. "How do you feel about him? Tell us the truth."
Everyone pulled back to analyze my reactions, awaiting an answer to Rapmonster's on-the-spot question. "I…I…" tears started to run down my cheeks as I balled my hands into fists at my side trying to fend off the emotions overwhelming me. "I love him." As soon as the words left my mouth a loud "BANG" resonated off the walls of the room, echoing for a few seconds. Suga, who had been leaning against one of the back walls nearest an industrial heather gray door, drew all the attention to himself.
His fist rested against the metal door violently trembling in anger as he slightly bent over to glare at the ground. Shimmering white hair hung over his eyes hiding his expressions from us as he spoke. "He's a god damn idiot." With that Suga stormed out of the room, dropping the group's numbers yet again as he disappeared into a crowded hallway. J-hope and Jimin bowed remorsefully to us and made a hasty exit in an attempt to catch up to the angsty rapper.
This time it was Rapmonster who caught me off guard, grabbing my arm to pull my body closer to him. His hand gripped just above my elbow, forcing me to look at him as he slightly bent down to be eye level with me. "You know… Jungkook isn't the only one who is fascinated by you." His bold eyes trailed all the way down my body and then back up again to stress his point. Like the other boys Rapmonster was far from lacking in the looks department.
Florescent lights left nothing to the imagination, making his thin button up shirt almost see through at the right angles. Dark skinny jeans and bright cherry converse hugged him in all the right ways, intermingling with his in charge demeanor. "You are free to do as you please while we are here…" he trailed off confidently catching a loose strand of my hair to tuck behind my ear, "but if you hurt our Kookie in any way… I will not forgive you." As quickly as the warning was given, Rapmonster released me and made his way out of the room without a second glance.
The warning replayed over and over in my head as V messily slung an arm around my shoulders. "Wow heavy stuff man. Don't sweat it too much, everyone is just a little on edge is all." His laugh echoed off the walls as Jin sighed glancing around the now almost empty room. "Yeah, yeah I know", V mocked rolling his eyes. "We should probably get going back to the hotel so Mama Jin can check on the children." Their laughter cut through the silence as Jin kicked at V's legs.
"Children meaning you also!" He shrieked, shooing V away from me causing all three of us to break out laughing. Right as the mood was shifted for the better, Jin made a quick call on his cell phone. "We have to get going, but there is a limo outside to take you home. Just tell the driver any address and he can take you there. It is the least we can do for you." Jin smiled as he dragged the rowdy V out of the room with him, "I'll be in touch", echoed down the halls behind them as the final two vanished out of sight.
Cold taut leather squealed in protest as my legs dragged across it in the dimly lit backseat of the limousine. Beige splashed across the interior covering the seats, ceiling, and decorating the various appliances and expensive luxuries inlaid in solid oak panels. A faint whirring sound cut through the silence as the screen separating me from the driver lowered to reveal a familiar face. Jeff beamed at me through the newly made window courteously tipping his hat to me while lisping his words, "address milady?" The engine roared to life and took us in silence to the planned destination. The streets were devoid of people, doused in yellow tinged light from massive poles positioned mere feet away from each other throughout the whole city.
My breath lightly fogged up the window as I leaned my head against the cool glass watching little yellow cabs and various cars fight each other to speed by. A muffled "BUZZ" reverberated off the seats, snapping my attention to my phone. "How is the limo ride? Everything to your liking? -Jin" Smiling at the fact he added his name at the end I responded back instantaneously, "Absolutely. The car is beautiful and Jeff is an excellent driver. No troubles here yet." His reply came almost immediately, "Just so you know when I asked for volunteers Jeff about broke all the staffs' arms so he would be the only choice. I think he's fond of you ;)" Giggling I glanced in Jeff's direction. His oversized suede hat covered his bald head, partially concealing a giant tattoo depicting two dragons eating one another's tail that trailed down his head and neck. He noticed my observation in the rear view mirror, looking away embarrassed.
"I'll keep that in mind. How is everyone at the hotel?" As if he could sense my worry Jin responded with what I was looking for. "Most of the others are asleep already, but everyone is here. Jungkook was the first to come back, so he is alright don't worry." I felt like I had known Jin all of my life in the passing conversations we had. He seemed to know exactly what to say, easing my tension. Determined I pressed on for more answers. "Do you think Jungkook is mad at me?" I wondered if he hated me now or if he even wanted to see me again after tonight. Suga was wrong. I am the god damn idiot here.
A blinding light from my screen alerted me to another message, "I don't think he could hate you. V and Jimin tried to cheer him up, but he wanted to be alone." Another message came in before I could reply, "He's just been staring out the window, messing with a guitar all night." Curious I asked in return, "Does he know how to play the guitar?" I could almost feel Jin's laughter in the retort, "On occasion. Don't tell anyone, it's a secret." Pondering who I would even tell such a secret to, he continued the conversation. "Also I was meaning to ask…tomorrow night we would like to tour the city. Would you show us around?"
Nervousness overtook me again as the question caught me off guard. "Show them around? I can barely get myself around without having a heart attack on a daily basis." While weighing the pros and cons of such a task, my conscious knew I couldn't refuse his request. "After all, maybe I could get the chance to redeem myself and take Jungkook somewhere amazing. Or make myself look like an even bigger idiot…" A personal war raged on as I responded anyway, despite my best judgement. "I'm no expert or anything, but I could show you some of my favorite places if you'd like." The limo purred to a halt as Jeff had managed to pull off an impressive parallel parking job on a packed street in a huge car.
"Yes please! Meet me at our hotel at 5pm, room number 225. Don't be late!" Jeff had offered to escort me to my apartment, an offer I graciously accepted after what happened before the show. Taking in the familiar sights of the room, my bed called to me, enticing me with the promise of death's sweet embrace. Known to normal people as "sleep". The apartment was nothing to write home about containing a nice bedroom, kitchen, living area, and single bathroom all within close proximity. Plush grey carpet accented the off white walls adorned with various art pieces and pictures in black frames, giving the space a modern look. My eyelids fought with me to stay open as I curled into the silky soft sheets of the sizeable bed.
My footsteps echoed down a homey hallway decorated with various football themed photos and memorabilia. Darkness radiated in from the lengthy windows in the living area announcing that it was either really late or very early. A strange sound had awoken me, luring me further into the ranch style house as it continued to get louder. Muffled cries lead me through the familiar retro kitchen, beckoning me into the large living room. The cries were inhuman, sounding like some sort of animal in distress, calling to me.
The light switch refused to work as all the curtains were drawn, shadows tantalizingly twisting in the dark corners of the room. The only source of light came from a dim blue glow radiating off a 200 gallon fish tank positioned horizontally in front of where the walls met together. Squinting, I bent closer to the glass to get a look at what was floating inside, unable to distinguish it from the other large Cichlids darting around frantically. While my guard was down, a mysterious force behind me draped something over my eyes, blocking my vision. Going into full panic mode I tried to remove the blindfold, only to find my hands had already been bound behind my back.
A deep laugh bounced off the walls as I tried to move, shifting a simple wooden chair that my legs were tied to at the bottom. "So we meet again. Hopefully you will remember me this time", whispered out from behind me making my skin crawl. "That voice. It is the blonde man from earlier." My blindfold was forcefully removed causing my eyes to try and readjust to the weird lighting of the room. "Ding ding ding! You are partially right."
Wavy blonde hair framed his face staying put as he circled around to stand in front of me. Ice blue eyes shone even in the darkness, having some sort of otherworldly glow to them. A light blue tee shirt was covered in a darker blue jacket, matching the tones of his dusty grey jeans. The man almost had a vampire look about him, as his toothy grin stretched out far too wide and his looks were almost too flawless.
"I chose the perfect stage for my main event. Do you recognize where you are?" Pondering, a quick glance around the room brought me to my senses, if only for a second. "This is my dad's old house. Every detail just the way I remember it as I was growing up. What the hell? I haven't been here in years, what is going on?" Blackness encroached on his eyes glazing over any color that had previously resided there. His eerie smile grew longer reaching up to his ears, contorting in uncomforting ways.
His hands heaved on a thick twisted rope pulling the object submerged in the fish tank to the surface for us to view. Tears fell down my cheeks uncontrollably as I was unable to look away from the sight, trembling violently. My childhood dog sat lifeless in the water, his brown and black fur swaying methodically to the small current kicked up by the filter. Rope burned around my wrists as I twisted to escape growing more and more upset by the second. "When you wake up, I want you to remember that you are mine. Not that boy's. We will see each other again soon." A ghostly laugh echoed as my vision went dark once more, leaving the scene behind me.
Sunlight shone through the hooded curtains, lightly streaking across my face as I whipped out of bed. Slumping to the floor I had to remind myself it was only a dream, wiping the tears still streaming down my face. My wrists burned as I realized there were faint rope marks where they had been in my dream. "That man… I remember him. I used to see him frequently when I stayed at a friend's house, standing over my bed or calling my name in different rooms. Lately he appears in my dreams, slaughtering my friends and family claiming to be some kind of demon."
Not knowing what was real or fake anymore, my phone's alarm cut through the silence, just about vibrating off the desk. "Holy crap I am going to be late if I don't get ready now!" I shrieked, verbally accosting myself for waking up so late in the afternoon. After all, I didn't want to keep Jin waiting for me.