The Seven Passengers (BTSxTitanic)

Chapter 6: Taehyung

Jiminie looks so good up on stage!

 I can only see him partially through a corner window, but I'm sure the other half of him looks just as good. I envy those who get to sit at the green velvet-covered tables and eat bright red lobster while watching my best friend. Still, they don't have the cool seaside breeze as I do.

The guests seem to be enjoying themselves, giving only small comments before returning back to being drawn to Jimin. I smile wide. He's done so much work for this moment and soon he'll be in New York, singing to the world. 

I wish I had his drive. Mom says I believe in fate too much. But I have a dream and I have put in the work for it, though my resume is looking a little bare.

I step away from the window. The smoke curls around the door, intoxicating. I consider having one myself when I hear arguing voices echoing over my head. I lean over the rails and look up. I can hear a young girl's voice begging for something. I strain to listen.

"Mommy won't go with me...please...Hobi, walk with me."

A sigh. Then some shuffling. Someone else speaks. A man. "Ji-woo, I have to get back to work. You will just have to be patient until the next dinner shift, okay?"

I think about home, which for me is rare. Home to me is where the color grey originated. There was nothing special about the small town. No one was significant, nothing was grand. It rained constantly that the crops eventually left too. Starvation plagued every adult and child alike. 

I tapped on the rail, making a clink clink clink sound until the man and the girl leaned over. The girl's long black hair fell in her face as she watched me below. The man wore a uniform all the cabin boys did. He raises an eyebrow at me. 

"Wait here, I'll be back," I say. I don't wait for their responses.

The doors to the dining room are closed, but they aren't locked. If I could manage to slip inside without drawing attention, it will be easier to swipe something small. I grab the brass doorknob—my fingertips aren't used to luxury—and pull slowly. All heads are directed toward Jimin, making my entrance go unnoticed.

I duck my head down and slither behind the waiters all the way to the kitchen where hot rolls were just baked and sitting on a rack. Almost like the universe was on my side for once. I stuck three in my coat pockets and took one for myself. Call it a price of service.

Just as I glance to my left, a waiter spots me. He disregards the napkins in his arms and races toward me, arms outstretched. I dash out of the kitchen, knocking over a decorative ice sculpture where the ice spills all over the carpet.

Heads turn to the mess and the music stops abruptly. The waiter, however, does not. Gentlemen stand and demand why there was an interruption. Ladies gasp at the ice, now creating a pool of water. I push past a group of men. My feet leap on a table where a father and his two sons lunge backward.

I spot a waiter on the other side of the room opening a door. There's my chance. 

I hop from table to table like I did when I was a kid, skipping on rocks under a rushing river. Except there are angry guests instead of a silent river. 

I race through the door and run a few more feet away just to be safe. I could hear the commotion all the way out to the deck. Thankfully, the passengers outside wanted to know why there was such a fit and began to crowd the doors, providing me with the perfect cloak of invisibility.

"Was that you in there?" the same man above the rail appears before me. The girl with the long black hair stays close behind him. "What was the meaning of that? You could have been thrown out because of the mess you made!"

I laugh. "This isn't a pirate ship, dumbass. This is a big ass ship that has plenty of spaces for a fugitive like me to hide," I dig into my pockets and dump the rolls in his cupped hands, "if you could call me that."

The man stares at me. His face is cynical, a look of disbelief and awe. "You did all that for us?"

"I know they're a bit on the lumpy side, but I never said they would be back in one piece."

"That doesn't matter. Thank you so much, Mr...?"

"I can't tell you that, you'll sell me out."

The man puts his hands up. "I swear I won't. My family would hang me by my nostrils if they knew I did that to you. I'll tell you my name to make it even, and trust me, I'll pay you back for this." He hands the rolls to the girl, who happily accepts them, and dusts his hands like this is a formal introduction. This is anything but formal. "I'm Jung Hoseok."

"You'll probably know my name from the posters that will be hung up saying 'Wanted: Roll Thief', but my name is Kim Taehyung." I wink. "You'll be one of the few people to know someone before fame comes."

Hoseok smiles awkwardly. "Thank you again. I should get back to work. Try to stay out of trouble, Taehyung." He offers a handshake, then pulls me in for a quick hug before leaving downstairs to the cabins.

I make the choice to stay out of everyone's way and enjoy the back of the ship by the railing. I didn't intend to spill the expensive-looking ice sculpture, and I certainly never wanted to interrupt Jimin's performance.

I hope he forgives me.