The Seven Passengers (BTSxTitanic)

Chapter 22: Hoseok

When Dad was alive, he taught me how to make bread. People made fun of a big guy like him being in a bakery, but he didn't care. He showed me how to work with the dough instead of against it. Lots of things require that outlook. People, mainly. If you want to keep peace, you have to adapt. You have to smile, even if there's nothing to smile about. You have to pretend everything is fine, even if it's not.

I'm just about done tucking in the fresh sheets for Taehyung's bed. Both Jimin and him are away this morning, leaving me to my thoughts. It's nice, but sometimes my mind likes to wander down darker paths. That's when I busy myself with work. It helps. Mostly.

Just as I fluff the last pillow, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck spring up. I turn to see Victor standing at the doorway. When his gaze finds me after lingering down the hall, he smiles and tips his hat. "Good morning."

I release the breath I had been holding. "Ah, hello, Victor."

He pauses for a moment, asking with his stare if he can come in. I nod in acceptance. It's just the two of us in the small cabin. Victor strolls around, scanning the bed, dresser, and jewelry placed on top. A black necklace sits in a tangled mess. Victor gently picks up the jewelry and begins to unravel it.

"I was actually looking for you," he says without looking up. "I was concerned when you didn't show up for a game of cards." 

I feel a twist of guilt. I don't remember if I promised a game, but I did know at the time that I needed to play. But then I met Jung Jungkook and everyone else. Running with them felt exhilarating, like when a group of schoolmates skip class. At that moment, it felt like we were a team. 

And last night I stayed awake, not because of insomnia, but because I was worried for Namjoon's sake.

Victor remains calm, focused on untangling the chain of knots. "I saw you run away from a butler with a few new friends." There's a long silence. I'm stuck on the way he said friends, how his tone dropped. 

He clears his throat. "I know what I'm about to say might sound harsh, but I don't think you should be hanging around them. They looked like they were all running from the law. Now, granted, my father knows Kim Seokjin and his brother, but that doesn't exclude them from looking suspicious in my opinion. I don't know the context, but it seemed like the seven of you had committed a crime. I wouldn't want to think of you as an accessory."

I'm frozen. Somehow I haven't dropped the pillow. I have to replay all of us running. From an outsider's point of view, it does seem odd. The real truth doesn't make much sense either---we ran because we were scared. But that wouldn't make it a crime, would it? 

"It's not like that," I say. "It was honestly just a big misunderstanding between Kim Nam-Jung and Jungkook about these pair of earrings he gave me as a gift."

Victor doesn't answer. He shakes his head. "That particular crowd is full of misunderstandings. There have been rumors about one of them, you know. They've done terrible deeds. It's not my place to say, but I stand by my warning: be cautious."

"What do you mean?" I ask. "They're not dangerous."

"Think about what you're saying," Victor snaps. "How do you truly know if they are incapable of harm? As the new cabin boy, I'd watch my back. It's easy for them to befriend you, get in your head, and screw you over."

I study him more closely. I'm not sure whether to ask for clarification or to stop this all together. I know I'm hearing him---we're in the same room---but I'm not understanding his choice of words. "Why would they screw me over?"

Victor sighs. "The earrings. They could frame you for the stolen earrings. 'Cabin-boy takes revenge and robs the Kim Nam-Jung family blindly'. Seokjin and Jungkook could talk to the press and claim they had no idea. Then you'll end up in a cold cell."

I feel my face heating up. "I did not steal those earrings."

"I never said you did."

"Then why are you accusing me?"

Victor takes one step forward. It's small, but I feel myself backing away. The cabin falls into silence quickly. I look at him, trying to figure out why he looks so different from yesterday. The bags under his eyes are still there, but now there's something else. His eyes are cold and his hair is unkempt. 

"I'm not accusing you," Victor says after a moment. He lowers his voice. "I don't think you meant to steal those earrings. I know you, Hoseok. You're not a bad person, but you're not friends with everyone on this vessel. Someone will get the wrong idea."

"How would they---"

"It's a matter of what they see. Words don't matter in the eyes of someone like Kim Nam-Jung. If he sees the slightest bit of evidence that you were involved, your body would be in the water by now." 

He takes another step forward. I could reach out with my arm and touch him. 

"I'm on your side, Hoseok," he says. "But you understand, don't you? I didn't want to think of what might happen if you weren't careful. I know you have a little sister. She wouldn't want to see her big brother end up in jail because of a slip-up."

I lose whatever dignity I have left. Tears fall down my cheeks. He's right. What happens when Mom and Ji-woo are forced to survive without me? What happens when all I can do is write letters and hope they make it to them? I'll be shunned by everyone I ever knew. 

"All you wanted to do was give your little sister something special, right?" Victor says. "We can still make that happen. Give me the keys to the cargo hold and I'll grab something I packed."

I wipe my tears. "I can't let you do that, not after everything that's happened."

Victor lays a hand on my shoulder, a bit rougher than I would have liked. "Does she like pretty necklaces?"

"Well, yes, but---"

"Done!" Victor says triumphantly. "I'll be back with the shiniest necklace that girl has ever seen!" 

He stands expectantly, waiting for me to give him the keys. I swallow and reach into my pockets. The hoop of keys jangle as I unhook the two and place them in his palms. Victor is out the door before I can say anything else.

I all but collapse on the bed. I feel my body violently shaking and I can't stop it. I'm scared. I'm angry. I'm confused. My head spins like the ship's propeller. If Jungkook or Seokjin were confronted with explaining the details of yesterday, would they say it was all my fault? To them, I'm a disposable third-class cabin boy. They could easily throw me overboard.

I bury my face in my hands. When I look up, I spot an empty space on the dresser.

The necklace is gone.