The Seven Passengers (BTSxTitanic)

Chapter 30: Namjoon

I have retreated into the darkroom Captain Smith mentioned over dinner. The room is double the size of the office's back on land, with beakers and chemicals already placed and ready for use. The safelight above my head turns the entire room a dark red. My hands move on their own. The familiar setting is comforting, though I am the furthest from relaxed.

I don't know where Yoongi is. I'd like to think he's somewhere with Jimin, but I cannot be too sure. It's been such a long time since Yoongi has blatantly said anything about his personal life outside of work. I should have seen the signs.

Then again, I was distracted by watching a man as well.

I carefully place the photo into a tray with a solution consisting of the chemicals I poured without fully looking at the precise measurements. The liquid soaks into the paper and I am careful timing it just right to flip it over. For a moment, I can forget that I'm on a ship. I can forget how uneasy I was when I learned Seokjin and Jungkook and their father left without me. I can forget I even met any of them and go back to being a reporter, and nothing more.

The thought of never meeting Seokjin sends more of an ache to my chest than I expected, and I feel tears forming. When we first met, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was like a moving picture, so beautiful and kind to all people. Even to his own father, who didn't deserve a bit of his sympathy. He knew going against his word to see me would be treason, and yet, he did it anyway.

Now they are together somewhere on this ship. I'm thankful Jungkook is with them as a witness.

The photo is about ready to dry. I hang it up and watch the film slowly start to develop. For this part I should have patience as I always do, but not tonight. I'm restless and want to be back with Seokjin, even if that means standing in front of his father who hates my every fiber.

I prepare another photo and begin the process again once I know the paper is dry enough. I take it down and hold the edges carefully, shuffling to the safelight where I can see. The photo shows a black and white Seokjin at the staircase, his eyebrows raised in alarm, though it just makes him look more eternal.

But then I look closer.

In the background, standing at the top of the staircase, is a man with a mustache. I squint harder. In the red safelight, I make out the man to be Aster Johnsson. His eyes are focused below the stairs, watching Seokjin.

I frown. I'll have to cut him out if I want to preserve the beauty Seokjin has. It will be a distraction if I don't. Besides, I am bitter about the way he's looking at Seokjin. It's similar to a hunter in winter.

I consider just tearing the corner off when I can't find any scissors, but then I pause.

Seokjin and I met Aster Johnsson at dinner, so why would he stand over Seokjin so intensely? When he greeted Seokjin at the table, he acted as though he had never seen him before in his life. Is that what rich people are like? Snotty to fellow first class guests too?

The memory of that dinner replays in my mind.

"It was interesting being in a pharmacy. The good news was that I always had what I needed to stifle any coughs."

It is useful to know which drugs help, but something gnaws at me. If he worked as a pharmacist, how could he afford to run Marcel's Jewelry? Even with support from friends, there is a high chance of losing the store, and I know for a fact Kim Nam-Jung doesn't do favors like that for free.

I look at the photo again. A dark part of my mind jumps to a conclusion that causes my hands to shake. The glass Jimin drank from was grabbed from our table. The table I sat at with Seokjin, Jungkook, and Kim Nam-Jung...

And Aster Johnsson.

Could he have spiked the drink on purpose? He would have the skills to do so, but why? Wouldn't someone have seen him tamper with the glass? But he was the one to bring drinks to us in the first place. That must have been how he managed to mix in the drug without us noticing.

But the question remains: why would he have wanted to drug Jimin? The kid is the least threatening person I know. A person would have to be mad for them to hold a grudge against Jimin. If he wanted revenge on him, wouldn't the best plan be to get him alone? How could he predict Yoongi would give the drink to Jimin?

By this point my hands stop shaking. I freeze and stare down at my hands, the picture facing me. In the dark, I squint at Aster Johnsson, who looks directly toward Seokjin.

I feel sick.

The drinks were brought to us. He placed them at our seats. He knew which one was spiked. And Yoongi grabbed Seokjin's glass.

I have no time to think. I feel foolish to have ever thought the rich looked after each other. Even the wealthiest need to climb on the backs of people to reach the top, including the richest man's back. For Aster Johnsson, he needed Seokjin to reach his goal: steal the fortune of Kim Nam-Jung.

I dash outside the darkroom, clutching on to the picture. I have to warn Seokjin before it's too late. I will my legs to run faster and the cold air whips at my face. I feel icicles forming on my eyebrows, but I can't stop to wipe them off.

I'm just about to turn to the third class quarters when I realize the ocean is not flat. Icebergs break the surface, rising like giant mountains. The water is scattered with them, all varying in sizes and height.

A scream pierces the night.

I have a fraction of a second to spot the giant iceberg that looms over the Titanic before it is too late. The ship scraps against the ice, shaking the boat and letting out a shriek of metal against ice.

Chunks of the iceberg fall into the ship, almost hitting a man on deck. I dive out of the way and run into the hallway of the third class. Passengers are surprised to see me, but their gaze is focused on the iceberg outside.

Let them look. I have bigger problems to worry about.