Moonlit Muse *★°*.°★* 。

1° 。

Votes? Cmon just because I felt sorry doesn't mean you'll just read the update and leave silently.

 *★°*.°★* 。

"I think it would be best if you took some time off."

Jimin closed his eyes, the words buzzing in his ears like an errant fly. The same ones that reverberated on a constant loop since he first heard them days before, spoken by his literary agent on a phone call that was only half unexpected. In truth, he'd considered taking a break himself for months, while simultaneously neglecting to do anything about it.

The warning signs were there. Fatigue but difficulty sleeping. Cynicism. Stress. Snapping over the smallest inconveniences. Procrastination. Paired with a strong desire for more, to create, to be productive but being unable to do so. It was a recipe for disaster. A perfect storm. A one-way journey to the burnout zone.

Perhaps he'd already arrived on a first-class ticket.

Jimin didn't argue when Yoongi recommended the "sabbatical". He found the term a bit laughable. It wasn't as though he were some posh university professor taking a period of leave to work on a passion project. There was no passion, no excitement. Only the desperate clawing need for something constantly eluding him.

It wasn't just writing either. Not being able to sit down at his computer and crank out thousands of words in one go as he did for the past few years was upsetting enough on its own, but the fact that everything else in his life seemed to have derailed at the same time...

All the mistakes he'd made the last few months joined the words echoing in his mind, providing a highlight reel to accompany the soundtrack of Yoongi's gentle scolding. Late nights that transitioned into early mornings. Far too many glasses filled with amber liquid. Fuzzy faces, rough hands, and names he couldn't quite recall. Names and faces he did remember, scrunched with fury and disappointment. Messages opened but ignored. Silence. Slammed doors. Regret. Self-loathing.

"I think it would be good for you," Yoongi had said when they met for coffee the previous morning. "You have such a unique insight, a way with words that always draws the readers in. You've been successful, even if you don't always see it. But you never take a moment to breathe and appreciate the fruits of your labor. Always shooting higher, chasing the next milestone. All that racing's caught up to you. You need rest. Go off the grid for a bit."

Jimin didn't argue. Instead, he stared at the globe in his office later that night. Gaze flicking between it and the glowing screen of his monitor. A blank document sat open, the vast expanse of white shining like a beacon. There was nothing there. The words written, erased, rewritten and erased again. Over and over. Nothing seemed right, nothing felt right.

He stood and walked to the globe, giving it a spin. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his hand, letting it hover for a moment before he pointed and touched down. The sphere stuttered to a halt, skidding a bit under his fingertip. Jimin opened his eyes, curious to see where it landed.

Scotland.

Interesting. He couldn't say he never expressed a desire to go, but it wasn't at the top of his list. Admittedly, he didn't know a lot about the country. There were a lot of kilts and castles and the Loch Ness Monster. Not to mention Outlander, of course. It was a beautiful place, full of wildness and ancient magic. Perhaps the last part was a bit of a stretch. Jimin didn't really believe in magic, despite the novels he wrote.

One article early in his career dubbed him as a "Korean blend of George R.R. Martin and Stephen King". The moniker stuck. He wasn't upset about it either. Being compared to author's whose works he'd idolized growing up was flattering, and the nickname wasn't wrong.