Ripple: BTS AU Story ✓

Chapter 8

Hello! This chapter takes place a little while after the last chapter. The group are all at home and catching some zzzzs. This chapter is the dream chapter, the members are all dreaming. I will switch POVs throughout the chapter. Also, a small trigger warning cause things are a bit dark in this chapter.

Namjoon's POV

I blink a couple of times and I feel an odd feeling in my chest. I look around and I'm in an empty room. The walls and floor are pure white. There are no windows and the door seems miles away from where I sit. I don't know why I'm here or even if this is real. Yet, the pain I'm experiencing seems real. I hear whispers and feel looks of disgust. The pain worsens. It's as if someone is stabbing at my chest. I don't know where the sounds are coming from, but they hurt. I'm all alone in this room, yet I feel like everyone is looking at me. I feel as if I'm being judged by millions of people. I don't move. I feel like if I do I will be criticized. It's as if every movement I make, someone will find a mistake. "How can someone look like that? Someone with looks like you shouldn't be a part of an idol group." I don't know who had said those words. They made no sense yet, it hurt to hear them. It feels like there's a pit inside me that's continues to grow in size. I feel as if I'm going to be engulfed into this pit and never return. The wall to my left begins to chip a bit. The same happens with the floor. "You're not hip hop. You turned your back on that." The floor begins to crack. I cover my ears, trying to ignore the words. They hurt and they stung. "What is he doing? Is he trying to act cute? He'll never be as cute as the other members." I feel tears form on my eyes. I take a deep breath and try to push down the pain. "He plagiarized. He wrote offensive lyrics. Does he not pay attention to what he writes?" I gasp as the cracks begin to spread. The room is covered in cracks and the entire room looks like it will collapse at any minute. My chest aches and I curl up. I stop moving and wait for another word to come. I look up and glance at the cracks in the room. I have to be strong, I'll ignore the words and it'll be fine. Dust falls from the ceiling, but the room doesn't collapse. I take a deep breath. I don't have to listen to what they're saying, they don't mean anything to me. Yet, I know these are false thoughts. The things they said hurt more than they probably thought. I can't do anything without them saying something about me. I will always do something wrong. The room shakes a bit more. I close my eyes and try to push the pain away. It works and the room stops shaking. I open my eyes when I hear the door open. Six guys make their way over to me. They all sit beside me. "Ignore them. They don't know anything," Yoongi says.

"You don't have to hide your insecurities or pain," Hoseok says, "We're here for you." Jimin and Taehyung place their hands on my shoulder. Jin hands me a tissue and Jungkook pats my knee. Somehow, everything hurts less with them around. I glance at the floor and see that some of the cracks have begun to fade.

Yoongi's POV

I sit in a dark room with an old piano in front of me. My hands move by themselves towards the keys. As I begin to play, the room starts to darken. I immediately stop playing and stand up. The piano fades from view and is replaced by a shadow. A shadow that resembles myself. I feel as if the room is closing around me. The shadow makes its way closer to me. I try to back away, but can't seem to escape it. "Look at you..." the shadow spats, "You think you're worth it...." I wince at the words. I frown and look for a way out. There is no door. No escape. Only darkness. The shadow comes closer and it seems to grow in size. I try to push it back, but it only pushes back harder. "You're pathetic. Why do you even try? You'll never make it. You're trying so hard, yet you know you're going to fall short," the shadow says looming over me. I shake my head and try to ignore what its saying. I turn around and try to imagine the shadow isn't there. The shadow appears in front of me once more, "I'm not leaving..." I start walking away from it, but it continues to follow me. It tails me and forces me to stop. I freeze as its fingers touch my shoulders. "You know that I'm right. Why won't you just accept it?" the shadow cackles. I feel my breath catch in my throat. I'm alone. I'm defenseless. I can't fight against something like this. I was doomed to fall into the darkness. I reach out, hoping for someone to pull me from the shadow's grasp. "Why do you even bother? Who do you think is going to save you..." the shadow mutters. I slowly lower my arm, the shadow's right. Who would care about me? Suddenly, I feel a hand enclose around mine. I look up and see Namjoon gripping my hand. The rest of the group stand beside him. They all offer me smiles. "You think they're going to help you? They don't really care about you," the shadow whispers into my ear. I slouch, the words getting to me. "Yoongi hyung, let us help you. You're not alone. You have the six of us. We're here for you..." Jimin says. I tighten my grip on Namjoon's hand. He pulls me away from the shadow. The rest of the guys engulf me in a hug. The darkness of the room begins to slowly dissipate. There are still dark spots in the room, but the light covers most of it.