Singularity: A BTS Universe Story

Chapter Two: Nam-joon

When had they squeezed their way into his life? Nam-joon looked around the room at the others. Ji-min and Hobi playing chess. Jin writing furiously in his journal. Yoon-gi with headphones on, like always, trying to shut out the world. Tae was napping, his head on Jung-kook's shoulder. Jung-kook's concentration was on his sketchbook, his hand flying over the paper. Jin only came after school now, but he was always there with snacks and drinks for whoever could make it. 

Suddenly, the scene melted, colors swimming past his eyes and obscuring everything. He blinked, and immense sadness cramped his stomach as pain stabbed at his brain. He saw blackness, darker than anything he'd ever witnessed, as the color faded. A hollow ache invaded. He shook his head, clutching at it, trying to breathe past the crushing sorrow.

"Joon?"

He opened his eyes, saw everyone gathered around. Tae's face was close to his. 

"What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth but knew he couldn't explain what had happened. "I forgot to eat today."

"Gah, Nam-joon, how can you be so foolish!" Tae scolded. "You can seriously harm yourself." He held out his hand and when Nam-joon grabbed it the sense of something missing, the awful hollow ache, eased.

Tae pulled him off the floor as Hobi thrust water at him, and Ji-min shoved noodles into his hand. 

"I'm supposed to take care of you, now that Jin has graduated," he said, embarrassed. "Not the other way around." He could barely take care of himself these days, but somehow they'd become his responsibility, too.

"Can't do anything if you're passed out from exhaustion," Yoon-gi chided. He pushed his headphones down, but he watched Nam-joon with concern. He wanted to smile, but the memory of that awful blackness was still haunting him. He drank the water and forced the noodles down, but he didn't taste them. The flavor of dread coated his tongue. 

"I'll drive you to work today," Jin said as he closed his journal. Nam-joon noticed the circles under his eyes and the lines of strain around his mouth. Jin was working too hard, he thought.

"Eat dinner," Yoon-gi ordered, not looking in his direction. "And not just lollypops."

"Yeah." He bumped knuckles with Ji-min, Hobi and Tae as they left. 

"He means well," Jin said with a smile as they got in the car. "He just doesn't know how to express it well."

"I know." In truth, he understood Yoon-gi better than the rest. He said what was on his mind and never minced words. 

"You're sure you're all right?"

He took a lollypop from the dash and stuck it in his mouth. Maybe Jin would understand what he'd seen.

"It sounds crazy, but I had a feeling like great loss and sorrow was pressing down on me. Like the world was on the edge of falling apart." He chuckled. It did sound crazy.

"How do you feel now?" Jin glanced at him, and then back to the road.

"Like it was a bad dream." He tapped his temple. "Already fading, soon gone." He looked at Jin, saw again how tired he looked. Even in the fading afternoon light it was obvious he was tired.

"You're working too hard," he scolded. Wasn't it his duty to watch out for them, like he'd said before? Even the elder, if need be. "You should rest more. Stop coming to see us every afternoon after work."

Jin's lips quirked, not quite a smile. "I have important things to do."

"Ah, elder brother, always doing important things!" Nam-joon teased before he sobered. "Your health is important, too."