IF I LIVE [ BTS X EXO X GOT 7 X BP X TWICE X SNSD]

11. WINTER BEAR

Narrator:

"Taehyung? You are still awake? Why are you still up? Sejin will have our heads if we don't get proper sleep now. He won't let us take a single nap tomorrow. What are you doing?" Seokjin asked as he stumbled into the kitchen in search of water, only to find the younger sitting on a stool, his head resting on his hands in the counter, still in his pajamas with tousled hairs.

Taehyung looked at Seokjin, his eyes heavy with sleep, but he placed on his signature boxy grin.

"I know. I had gone to bed. Just...had a nightmare."

Seokjin, now finally drinking his so long searched water, knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "Nightmare? What kind of nightmare was it to have you out of bed when you look like you could doze of any second now?"

Taehyung's boxy grin disappeared as he stared down at his hands, his expression stoic as he swallowed the bile in his throat.

"Of Jisoo."

Seokjin halted midway, the bottle still in his hands as he registered the youngers words. Slowly, his face fell, but he still spoke.

"What did you see?"

Teahyung didn't reply for a very long time, staring at his hands intently before finally speaking, his voice raspy as if he had been holding back incoming tears.

"The same thing as everytime. I'm back in the graveyard. She's there. She's smiling but crying at the same time. She's giving me goodbye, but it's not the same. Not what actually happened."

Seokjin stared at Taehyung, his heart hammering in his chest as he registered the youngers words. "What happens then?"

"She's screaming, crying, begging me to save her. To stop whatever it was from taking her. But the more I try, the more I try to get closer, she's always one step forward and I'm always one step late." Taehyung yanked a fistful of his hairs, frustration written in his face.

Seokjin remained stoic, but the confusion lingered in his eyes as he said, "But-but that's not what happened right? Jonghyun hyung took her away. He said he was a Grim Reaper and he was helping her walk to the after life. He wouldn't hurt her right?"

"Exactly." Taehyung replied, looking up at his brother. "That's exactly what scares me. It's as if...as if...something is...happening. And I can't help but feel scared."

Taehyung lowered his head again, hiding his face from the elder. Jin didn't say anything for a very long time, before walking towards Taehyung and rubbing his back soothingly.

"It was a nightmare. It was just a bad dream. We know it's not real. We know she is fine." Jin whispered. Taehyung looked up at his brother, the desparate look in his eyes saying he wanted to argue back, but thought the better of it and just nodded instead.

"Yeah. I guess you are right."

Seokjin nodded. "Hmm. Off you go then. We have a big day tomorrow."

----------