TITANIC ~ A Yoonmin Story

Love Is Not Logical

Pom Hyo is leading a small tour group, including Jimin, his parents, and Yuni, through an Edwardian exercise room. A women pedals a stationary bicycle in a long dress, looking absolutely ridiculous. Pilwoo is working the oars of a stationary rowing machine with a well trained stroke.

"Reminds me of my Yonsei days." Pilwoo exclaims.

Wong Jungsoon, the gym instructor, is a bouncy little man in white flannels, eager to show off his modern equipment. He hits a switch and a machine with a saddle on it starts to undulate. Jimin puts his hand on it, curious. 

"The electric horse is very popular." Jungsoon starts to explain. "We even have an electric camel." He then turns to Jimin's mother. "Care to try your hand at the rowing, m'am?"

Mijeong looks insulted. "Don't be absurd. I can't think of a skill I should likely need less." 

The tour instructor, Pom Hyo, carries on to ease the tension that has accumulated inside the small room. "The next stop on our tour will be the bridge. This way, please."

On the Aft Well Deck, Yoongi is walking with determination. He is being followed closely by Seokjin and Hoseok. He quickly climbs the steps to B-Deck and steps over the gate separating third from second class. 

"He's a goddess amongst mortal men, there's no denyin'. But he's in another world, Yoonie, forget him. He's a closed door." Jin amends. 

Yoongi moves furtively to the wall below the A-Deck promenade, aft. "It was them, not him." He glances around the deck. "Ready... go."

Jin shakes his head resignedly and puts his hands together, crouching down. Yoongi steps into Jin's hands and gets boosted up to the next deck, where he scrambles nimbly over the railing, onto the First Class deck.

"He's not bein' logical, I tell ya." Seokjin mutters to Hoseok.

"Love is not logical." Is Hoseok's only reply.

On A-Deck a man is playing with his son, who is spinning a top with a string. The man's overcoat and hat are sitting on a deck chair nearby. Yoongi emerges from behind one of the huge cranes and calmly picks up the coat and bowler hat. He walks away, slipping into the coat, and slicks his hair back with spit. Then puts the hat on at a jaunty angle. At a distance he could pass for a gentleman. 

゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。

Inside the bridge of the ship, the twenty-one-year-old Junior Wireless Operator, hustles in a skirts around Pom's tour group to hand a  Marconigram to Captain Kye. 

"Another ice warning, sir. This one from the 'Baltic'."

"Thank you, Sparks." Kye glances at the message then nonchalantly puts it in his pocket. He nods reassuringly to Jimin and his group. "Not to worry, it's quite normal for this time of year. In fact, we're speeding up. I've just ordered the last boilers lit."

Pom scowls slightly before motioning the group toward the door. They exit just as Second Officer Ka Soojin comes out of the chatroom, stopping next to First Officer Ho Sungchul. 

"Did we ever find those binoculars for the lookouts?"

The First Officer shakes his head. "Haven't seen them since India." 

Pom leads the group back from the bridge along the boat deck. 

"Mr. Pom." Jimin calls, scurrying to walk along side his soon-to-be father in law. "I did the sum in my head, and with the number of lifeboats times the capacity you mentioned... forgive me, but it seems that there are not enough for everyone aboard."

Pom Hyo looks at Jimin worried but tries to remain confident. Jimin sees right through it however. "About half, actually. Jimin, you miss nothing, do you?  In fact, I put in these new type davits, which can take an extra row of boats here." He gestures along the deck. "But it was thought, by some, that the deck would look too cluttered. So I was over-ruled."

Pilwoo slaps the side of a rowing boat. "Waste of deck space as it is, on an unsinkable ship!"

Pom turns back to face young Jimin both ignoring Pilwoo's snob comment. "Sleep soundly, young Jimin. I have built you a good ship, strong and true. She's all the lifeboat you need."

As they are passing Boat Seven, a gentlemen turns from the rail and walks up behind the group. It is Yoongi. He taps Jimin on the arm and he turns, gasping. Yoongi motions and Jimin cuts away from the group toward a door which Yoongi holds open. They duck into the Gymnasium. 

Yoongi closes the door behind Jimin, and glances out through the ripple-glass window to the starboard rail, where the gym instructor is chatting up the woman who was riding the bike. Jimin and Yoongi are alone. 

"Yoongi, this is impossible. I can't see you." Jimin doesn't even think about using honorifics in his sudden shock.

Yoongi takes Jimin by the shoulders. "Jimin, you're no picnic. You're a spoiled little brat even, but under that you're a strong, pure heart, and you're the most amazingly astounding boy I've ever known and-"

"Hyung, I-"

"No wait. Let me try to get this out. You're amazing... and I know I have nothing to offer you, Jimin. I know that. But I'm involved now. You jump, I jump, remember? I can't turn away without knowin' that you're goin' to be alright."

Jimin feels the tears coming to his eyes. Yoongi is so open and real... not like anyone he has ever known. "You're making this very hard. I'll be fine. Really."

"I don't think so. They've got you in a glass jar like some butterfly, and you're goin' to die if you don't break out. Maybe not right away, 'cause you're strong. But sooner or later the fire in you is goin' to go out."

"It's not up to you to save me, Hyung."

"You're right. Only you can do that."

"I have to get back, they'll miss me. Please, Yoongi, for both of our sakes, leave me alone." Jimin drops the honorifics again in hopes to get his point across.