4.6 | Dark Ages ✓

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SAYING GOODBYE TO his brother is the hardest.

Where he'd felt nothing beyond slight disappointment when he'd parted ways with the others, it's almost physically painful to know that he'll be alone again this time.

But it has to be done. He can't protect both himself and Seokjin with only one gun. Besides, based on the markings on his watch, he has less than an hour before he jumps again.

So at dawn, long before the wards go down, he and Seokjin sneak out of the house. There's no knowing who might catch up with them—human or zombie, and Taehyung would much rather risk the latter. They head for the river, where Seokjin insists that he has a friend who will drive him to a safer town in a military car.

"It's how I managed to get here in the first place," his brother explains. "Jungkook has clearance with the authorities, being an officer himself."

Taehyung stops mid-stride. "Your friend's name is Jungkook?"

"Yes, why? Do you know him?"

He opens his mouth to respond, then stops himself. No. This might not be the same Jungkook he'd met while time-travelling. And even if it is, this version of Jungkook wouldn't have known him yet.

"Not at all," he says instead. "So where will you be headed?"

"New Zealand, I think. Last I heard, that's where Namjoon might be."

"Alright." The impulse to follow Seokjin to find their brother pulls at him, but he shoves it aside. He has a job to do—a world to save. He'd be damned, quite literally, if he doesn't at least try. "Head down to Antarctica when you find him, and stay there until all this is over."

"Antarctica?" Seokjin asks in disbelief. "There's nothing in Antarctica!"

"There's a base where the government and whatever survivors there's left will gather—"

"No, there isn't. I have friends working in the army. If there were, they'd tell me about it. So would Namjoon, before he left. He'd been designing new military tanks to fight the zombies before I lost contact with him."

"But Antarctica is—"

A sudden thought occurs to him. Is this how it starts? He knows that Antarctica is safe, because he's seen it while time-travelling. But what if Antarctica will only be safe because he—at this very moment—is telling Seokjin about it?

Does the base in Antarctica only exist because of what I've said?

His mind reels and he picks his next words very carefully. "Antarctica is safe," he says slowly. "And I believe that it will remain safe for the next few years. Your best bet is to stay there until it's over, and get as many people there as you can."

Seokjin looks at him strangely, before giving in with a sigh. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. Although it doesn't sound very promising, I'll admit. But then again, you're the genius."

He nods and claps Seokjin on the back by way of a goodbye. To his surprise, his brother pulls him into a brief hug, before holding him at arm's length by the shoulder.

"Be safe, alright?" Seokjin says, with a faint smile on his face. "You're an obnoxious, arrogant, snarky bastard most of the time—at least, before you lost your memory...actually, you're still obnoxious—"

"Are you sure we're actually brothers? Are you sure you weren't adopted?"

"—oh, shut up." Seokjin rolls his eyes, but continues, more seriously this time. "I just want you to know that we've always got your back—Namjoon and I. No matter what you did, that's all in the past, and it doesn't matter to us anymore. And mom would rise up from her grave to beat the living shit out of us if we kicked the ass of her favorite son," he adds, with a snort of amusement.

Taehyung shakes his head in mirth and swallows, trying hard not to let his brother see how much his words have affected him. Just then, a military car pulls up along the other side of the river. Seokjin straightens, hoisting his bag over his shoulder as he turns to go. But at the very last moment, he stops and turns back around.

"You might not remember this," Seokjin says. "But you had a girl before you were wiped."

He stills. "What?"

"Yeah, you do. When we last spoke on the phone, which was about a year ago—you told me that you'd met someone. It was actually quite a big deal for you since you've never been able to get along with most people. But you went on and on about her. It was quite adorable, really, in that zombies–probably–possessed–my–brother kind of way."

His throat is dry. Seokjin's teasing goes right over his head, and all he can think about is how that girl might've been her. "Did...did you ever see her? Do you know where she is?"

Seokjin shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. Are you going to look for her?"

I always am. He swallows and nods, barely able to speak. "Thank you for telling me."

"Not a problem," his brother says, with a smile. "Now go save the world, Taehyung."

Murmuring a quiet goodbye, he watches Seokjin head across the bridge. He doesn't look away until his brother climbs into the car. When the car eventually vanishes out of sight, he turns away and stares at the water gleaming under the early morning sun. His mind still reels from the revelation. He's always suspected that he's known her from before—why else would he constantly dream of her?

But to have it confirmed makes him feel an overwhelming sense of relief and despair, all at once. I've loved you from before, he thinks. But where are you now?

He's still thinking about her when he jumps—to her.