The Seven Passengers (BTSxTitanic)

Chapter 18: Jungkook

I grab Taehyung's hand and bolt down the hallway. I don't have any time to think. My heart is racing as much as my legs. I feel Taehyung's grasp slipping. I squeeze tighter as I wind through guests.

The hallway opens up to the grand staircase where I skip steps as I drag Taehyung with me. I manage to catch a glimpse of who was behind us and see Hoseok, Seokjin, and three workers Mr. Kim Nam-Jung no doubt sent to stop us. Funny how he thinks I'm going down without a fight.

I burst through doors and have a fleeting moment to decide where to hide when Taehyung points at the crystal dining room. Through the windows, there's no one inside. I agree and shove him inside, holding the door open for Hoseok when Seokjin dashes around the corner aiming for the door.

I hesitate before realizing the sheer terror in his eyes. He wasn't running to catch us, he was running to get away from his father too. I close the door behind him and duck.

All of us squish up against the wall, below the windows. It felt like an eternity before I took the bait and peeked outside. The workers ran right past us and downstairs. "They're gone," I sigh.

"Who's gone?" someone asks. I look at Seokjin, Taehyung, and Hoseok, who all look equally terrified.

Then I notice someone on stage. I recognize him as the performer from the last few nights. He stands from the piano and it's then when I see the pianist sitting down with him. Both of them stare at the four of us, and I then realize we probably look suspicious.

The performer then widens his eyes. "Taehyung? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the cabin."

"Jimin? Oh, thank God it's you!" Taehyung throws his head back and sighs. "We were almost caught by these workers, you should have been there!"

Jimin steps offstage with a quirk in his eyebrow as he listens to Taehyung while he tells about our sneaking around. I don't try to hide my frown. I expected this to stay under the bridge, but Taehyung speaks of this as a fun game when I could literally be thrown overboard.

This was supposed to be a nice under-the-table gift to Hoseok, not some silent movie film about the rich kid getting his ass beat by his adoptive father. I can feel Seokjin radiating his frustration to me, even though he puts up a good poker face.

"Wait, aren't you Kim Seokjin?" the pianist says politely, though skepticism crosses his eyes. For the small frame that he is, I can't help but get the feeling he can be intimidating when he wants to be.

Seokjin nods, playing right back into his dubious charming role. "Yes, and you must be Min Yoongi. Your performance last night was wonderful, I must say."

I want to walk into the ocean.

"Thank you, sir." Min Yoongi bows. His eyes meet mine and just as he opens his mouth, the doors to the dining room are shoved open. A butler, Kim Nam-Jung's butler, scans the room before spotting us and stalking forward.

I feel someone's hand pull me forward when I realize it's Seokjin. His eyes are uncertain, but he moves quickly. I grab Taehyung once more and we run like a human chain. Hoseok follows behind us, along with Jimin who's shouting for Taehyung, and Yoongi who calls after Jimin.

It's hard not to trip over everyone's feet as we weave through guests walking by. Seokjin is trying to lose the butler, but he's fast for his age. I'm pulled forward when Seokjin enters into a room with bookshelves and a few chairs scattered around. I forgot this ship had a library.

"Get in. Now." Seokjin shoves the rest of us forward. Hoseok is backed away from the door, still clutching his hand tightly. He looks terrified, the poor thing.

"Why are they after you guys?" Jimin asks through tired pants.

"Cabin-boy here has stolen earrings given by my stupid brother," Seokjin cuts his eyes at Hoseok, who looks like he could crawl under the ship like a barnacle. "No worries, because Father will be thrilled to find out that I'm a part of this circus."

"Hey, you were the one who ran with us!" I stomped.

"Don't turn this around! You stole Lady Eleanor's earrings all in the name of a gift? How do you think she will react when I was the one spending all day with her? Who was covering for you all this time when you should have been conversing with them? Who was that? I can't remember."

"What do you want? A thank you? I never asked for you to look after me!"

"Jungkook," Taehyung whimpered.

I looked down at his hand which was bright red. I let go, his hand returning back to the normal pale color while holding an impression of my nails I dug into his skin. Anger overtakes me. I can't look at Taehyung.

Instead, I fume past Seokjin and lean against the bookshelf. I read the titles of books until my chest stops heaving. Behind me, I hear small footsteps coming toward me and match the face as soon as they stop in front of me.

"Here." Hoseok holds out his hand to me and drops the small earrings in my palm. "These belong to someone else. Your brother is right, they are not mine to keep, even if it's a gift."

I sigh. "He didn't mean to call you cabin-boy."

Hoseok shrugs. "It's not the worst thing I've been called." He tilts his head to the side, over to Seokjin. "I get it. I'm an older sibling too. Sometimes we do stupid things, but we do them to protect our family."

I follow his gaze to Seokjin. For most of my life, he was like a shadow. He only spoke to inform me of Kim Nam-Jung's arrival and whether or not guests were on the premise with him. Seokjin can hold a conversation longer than the span of the winter season while I can say one sentence before I stop.

"Guys, I think he's gone—" THUMP!

A book falls from the bookshelf behind me. 

"Jungkook, was that you?" Yoongi asks.

I shake my head, my body feeling cold as ice.

"Did that man find us?" Jimin squeaks.

"No, we would have heard him come in," Taehyung says, his voice quivering.

"Who's there?!" Seokjin calls. He grabs a book sitting on a chair and raises it like a bat. He inches closer to the bookshelf with all of us behind him. Seokjin pauses at the fallen book and picks it up. "Utopia? Wait a minute—"

A tall man emerges from behind the bookshelf. He towers above me easily, but he looks mortified. The man takes a step forward, reaching for the fallen book, then meets Seokjin's eyes and starts to lower his shoulders. 

"Oh, it's just you," the man says. He straightens himself and chuckles. "You scared me."

Seokjin lets out a sigh of relief. "Likewise, Namjoon."