PERSONA ✓

EPILOGUE

"Years ago after Jung Hoseok kicked Doyoon's sorry ass and locked him up in maximum security prison for the rest of his life, the Team was destroyed. The war had left them broken men, and they were never the same---"

"That isn't what happened." Namjoon raised an eyebrow.

"I've gotta make it sound dramatic, hyung." Jungkook put down the remote control that he was pretending to use as a microphone.

"Make it sound dramatic without lying!" Jimin piped up from the kitchen, where he and Seokjin were raiding the fridge.

Jungkook pouted. "Hobi hyung agrees with me. Right, hyung?"

Hoseok looked up from his phone and pushed his tongue against his cheek, considering. "Uh... sure! Make me sound totally badass. Make it dramatic as hell."

"Okay, okay." Jungkook cleared his throat and made his voice deeper. "After the perilous war, Team Persona was broken. They changed---for the worse. They all became supervillains and..." Jungkook faltered. "What's our supervillain motive?"

"Pet all the dogs," murmured Taehyung.

Jungkook snapped his fingers. "Hell yeah. Okay, so we take over the world to pet all the dogs, sound good?"

"I could get behind that," said Yoongi.

"Aren't you a little too old to be acting like this, JK?" Seokjin teased as he and Jimin returned from the kitchen.

"Aren't you just too old?" Jungkook asked.

"You little shit, we're 2 years apart---"

"Old man!"

The others laughed as Seokjin chased Jungkook around the room.

Namjoon slung an arm around Hoseok's shoulder. "What're you doing on your phone?"

"Jungkook's dramatic and historically inaccurate retelling made me pull up some photos from that award ceremony months after. Look at us." He showed Namjoon his phone and Namjoon cringed.

"You looked really different when you had black hair, Hobi."

"I think white short hair suits me better, no?"

Jimin said, "You look great, Hoseok. When's that picture from, though?"

Hoseok shrugged. "About 3 years ago? October after we defeated Doyoon."

"Was not a good time," Yoongi muttered.

Taehyung hummed in agreement.

Namjoon remembered it: although it had been a while after they'd defeated Doyoon, the Team did have some lasting effects from the fight. It wasn't technically an all-out, bloody war, but they were still too young to be fighting that fight in the first place.

Jungkook now had a scar somewhere near his hairline, and he got headaches often. Jimin was still terrified of loud noises, afraid that it would be like mind control again. Yoongi gained a fear of large crowds. Seokjin and Taehyung stuck to each other like glue, even more than before. Namjoon's grades dropped quite a bit, and Hoseok had nightmares and a large scar on his side.

They were all able to get over most of their issues by now, though. A lot had changed since then, really.

Persona and Shadow had disappeared. Namjoon and Hoseok gave up their mantles. It was too much now: their identities known to the world, all the pressure and media spotlight.

Namjoon had parted ways with Atlas, and Hoseok with Kat. It was a tearful separation, but it was one that was necessary. It was time to stop being heroes.