The Eight | A BTS Soulmate Fic |

Chapter 91

Jungkook was trying so hard to be professional as the camera's rolled. He was trying to make it look like he was as chill and as normal as he always was. He was trying hard not to stare at his wife. He was trying hard not to show the pain he was feeling. He was trying so hard not to show the guilt he felt. He'd felt that pulse of pain from her the day he'd gotten his tattoos and gone to lunch with his friend. He knew that she'd seen the tabloids claiming he was dating someone else. It wasn't true, of course. He had no interest in any other woman but her. She was his everything. But it had hurt her. And he had hurt her enough. They all had.

    He was disappointed in himself. He had had a heart to heart with his parents when he'd visited Busan a couple of weeks ago, and told them everything that had happened. After his mother had slapped him in the head with her slipper, his father took the time to explain the finer points of where he had gone wrong.

    Jungkook's saving grace had been sneaking into Yeppeun's dreams. From her reactions he was pretty sure she didn't know he was doing it on purpose. The others had told him of the dreams they were having with her almost every night, so she more than likely thought the dreams he was infiltrating were done unconsciously.  In truth, he figured out she'd been napping around the same time every day, and put aside that time to spend with her. He hated being separated from his wife, and was feeling particularly resentful toward the managers that insisted they take this break.

     Jimin had finally arrived at the dorm. He was exhausted. His flight home from Russia had come in late last night, and after a fairly short nap he was all packed and ready to head off to another part of the world today. The energy in the dorm was high, and everyone seemed excited to head out on this adventure. He'd missed the other members during their break and felt glad to be back.

     His eyes landed on Yeppeun. She was on her knees with her back to him as she was closing her luggage, and a strange mix of guilt and longing hit him like a ton of bricks. The breath seemed to be sucked out of his chest. If it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't shaved yet, he would take the damn mask off to get some air.

    Jimin was still talking for the cameras. Still making sure he got the job done. But he also made sure she was within his eye site when he sat next to Tae on the arm of the couch.

They made small talk about their vacations and what they had been up to for the last four weeks, but Yeppeun was where their attention truly was. Occasionally glancing at each other as they talked, both men knew that the other's focus was mainly on the only woman in the room.

    She seemed content to sit on the floor and watch them be the entertainers they were. Well. She was content watching Namjoon, Seokjin and Hoseok. She was actively avoiding looking at any of the rest of them.

"Get up off the floor, Yeppeun!" Namjoon said with a chuckle as he held his hand out to help her stand. "We will be on our way soon."

    Jungkook decided to make noodles at the last minute, and that drew a few of them into the kitchen. Hobi had settled on the couch to talk with Tae and Jimin, so she sat next to him, making sure their legs were touching as she turned her attention to what was going on around the bustling room. Basically, anywhere but at them.

"Do you need anything Yeppeun?" Jimin asked a little timidly, wanting some kind of interaction with her, "Water or juice? Anything?"

Shaking her head a little she said, "No thank you." in her sweetest voice before turning her head to Hobi, "Can we get coffee once we are at the airport? And maybe a chocolate croissant, too? It sounds amazing right now."

"A chocolate croissant sounds so good!" Said Tae, trying to engage her in conversation, "I might have one, too. I'm sure we can stock up on all kinds of delicious things before we get on the plane"

The Muse just smiled politely and nodded before turning her head to look around the room again.

Tae felt a little crestfallen that she had reacted so curtly toward him. He knew they were going to figure it out. His angel had said so. But it didn't seem like it was going to be ok yet. How could he fix it? How could he get her back to being his to hold and love when she would barely look at him? At any of them? He deserved it, of course. They all did. They treated her horribly. He'd talked with his parents about it. They believed he could fix it. He just needed to believe in himself and his angel, and he would get her back. 

Yoongi made his last checks on his luggage, and Hobi found their leftover money from Malta

before they all headed out the door. The Muse was given her own camera to talk to for the trip. She had no idea what to talk about, but figured it would come naturally. She was carrying her backpack close to her body as they walked to the waiting minibus, paranoid that the wind would blow just right, or someone would see just the right angle and her pregnancy would be outed before they could even get going.

    Interviews would start in the minibus, so everyone was seated so they could fit on camera. The Muse sat next to Hobi in the back row, making Jungkook sulk a little bit. He was hoping she would sit on his side. He tried to cover it by telling everyone that he stayed up all night and he was just tired. It wasn't necessarily a lie. But it wasn't the whole truth either.

They went through the rounds asking everyone what they'd been up to over their time off, except for The Muse. They let her be quiet, knowing it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes.

    When management announced that Jinnie would have to take another flight due to issues with his travel papers, The Muse very nearly panicked.

"Do you want me to go with you on the different flight? I can! It wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?" Part of her didn't want him to be alone. Part of her didn't want to travel without him. And yet another part of her just wanted to travel far away from her husbands.

In the end, she was to travel with the group, and Jinnie would be with a camera man. He wouldn't be alone, and as he kept reminding her, "We can always connect to check in with each other if we need to."

    The Muse gave him an extra long hug before they left him at the minibus and headed into the airport. With a few deep breaths and a fake smile, she held up her camera and hoped for the best.