Chapter 13: Waking Up

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It had become expected when In Na closed her eyes. She found herself back inside the truck except instead of the cabin she was sitting in the trunk with V and Jimin. Jungkook was gone.

Blinking against the rising sun In Na ran a hand through her hair as she glanced around. They had finally arrived at their destination. The beach was beautiful, the ocean sparkling in the morning light and the scent salty and strong on the breeze.

As she stood In Na said, "We made it this time."

Off a little ways she caught sight of Suga sitting with Jungkook on the dock. They were chatting while the rest of the truck seemed to be asleep. In Na hopped out of the trunk and stepped over to the driver's side door where she peeked through the window to see Jin leaning against the steering wheel with his head propped against his folded arms sleeping.

"Why can't I grab the camera right now?" she huffed.

In Na stood there and watched Jin sleep until Suga and Jungkook showed up to wake everyone. She followed the group to the dock where they stood to enjoy the morning. Jin had his recorder in his hand like usual, and out of habit In Na wished she could snatch it away and film him with his friends.

As the others sat there V caught her eye as he walked towards a scaffolding structure at the end of the dock. She stepped after him, but stopped as he began climbing the structure. Standing at the base she watched V climb to the top with an almost parental concern in her core. What if he fell?

The others noticed their friend scaling the scaffolding and cheered and wooed him on, while In Na wanted to yank him down like a bad child. As he reached the top she backed up to rejoin the others since they had the better view as V stood on the top platform.

In Na turned to Jin, who was filming with wide eyes. When she turned back around V was jumping into the water.

"Idiot," she groaned.

Crouching down next to Jin In Na glanced at the camera's screen to see it following V as he bobbed to the surface while the boys laughed and cheered. For a moment the video flickered to an underwater scene with V just floating. In Na leaned closer to get a better look, but as she did the video returned to V swimming to the dock where the guys were waiting for him.

In Na looked to Jin to see if he had saw it too, but he was laughing with his friends. Massaging her forehead In Na tried to make sense of the world she kept getting sucked into. Jin was alive, they were all happy, she wasn't really there. She knew it wasn't a dream, she had stopped having dreams since the accident, so where was it she found herself when she fell asleep? She had entertained the idea that she had gone insane and she was slipping away into a fantasy land of delusions, but after a moment of thought she concluded her mind wasn't creative enough to do that to her. So what was happening to In Na?

After V was fished out of the ocean the guys made their way down to the beach where they screwed around like only boys would do. J-Hope and Jimin made a sandcastle that was promptly destroyed by Jungkook and Suga after Jin managed to take a picture of it. V and Rap Monster skipped rocks against the ocean waves while In Na dragged her heels as she followed Jin around with his cameras.

As the afternoon began to fade Jin was the first to head back to the truck and In Na joined him in the passenger seat. For a while he just stared out the windshield watching his friends and she watched him smile peacefully. Then he reached for the picture Rap Monster took at the gas station. In Na leaned in to see how it turned out, maybe she showed up in this one.

She didn't.

In Na stared at the photo with a frozen pulse. Slowly she turned to look up at Jin who's eyes were widening nervously.

"Oppa where are you?" she choked out.

He wasn't in the picture either, it was just Suga.

Jin blinked several times before his gaze focused on her which made her heart race.

"In Na-ya?" he breathed.

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