time step - A BTS AU (Random Updates)

Chapter 8

Once the decision to go was made the seven practically vanished from the room, and their manager would later swear that they did for a moment because he had never seen them move so fast. He would have sat there lost and confused if an excited Hoseok had not peered his head back through the door to fetch him, all the while hopping as he pulled on his shoe.

They ran down to the garage, dragging their manager behind them, and scrambled into the car before Jin yelled, "Joon get out of the driver's seat! You can't drive!".

The leader obeyed, slightly embarrassed as he passed his replacement.

Without their usual driver it was Suga who took the wheel, directed by Sejin who sat beside him. As it where, the trip to the university where they could meet their possible soulmate was 13 minutes shorter than it should have been. But none of them noticed, repeatedly urging Suga to go faster. Well, one noticed, but he wasn't hyped up on possibilty like the others were. Sejin spent the whole trip gripping his seatbelt and yelling panicked directions as the car glided along, and all the while he was praying that he would live another day.

By the time they got to the doors of the university building Sejin was about ready to kiss the ground. The others were still unaware of what they had put him through, composing themselves as they tried their hardest to walk at a normal speed.

To an outsider they probably looked fine, no hit of their desperation to meet this woman; for her to be their soulmate. However, even their breathing was unnatural, their heart beat's pounding in time with a hummingbird's wings. They fidgeted with their hands, wrapping fingers around the ends of sleeves or tracing soulmarks in a religious manner. And their eyes looked about frantically, lost in this unknown place; seeking something; the one thing that will let them be found.

Once he regained his bearings Sejin directed the group through the doors and to the general direction of where the message said to go. However, upon passing one particular corridor he became slightly lost.

"Um, hyung?" Asked Taehyung, "where now?"

The man who had been looking about somewhat desperatly paused and looked at Tae, then the group. They all held questions and expectations in their eyes.

He paused in panic for a moment before his eyes caught movement in the distance. A boy, staggering with each step as he drew closer. Arms occupied by bags of food and what appeared to be several drinks.

Sejin called out to him, an idea in mind, "excuse me".

The boy almost toppled over, shocked by the voice of an unseen person. He paused in his steps and looked about before making eye contact with the man who now rushed towards him, followed by seven desperate puppies.

"Would you be able to direct us," Sejin continued before apologizing for the bother.

The boy blinked a bit and thought over his situation, "I am sorry, I would like to help but I have to take all-"

He is cut off, the voice of Jimin offering incentive; a compromise, "if we help you carry your stuff, then would you be willing to help us?"

The group looked between the two, the stranger looking to Jimin before realizing who he was, who they all were. "Um, I couldn't. You shouldn't carry my stuff," he said, well aware of their standing and his need to return.

But they pleaded and so he agreed and the stuff was piled out of his arms and into their's.

Slightly baffled, with his arms feeling empty, he asked, "so, where do you need to get to?"

He was also slightly curious as to why this world famous group were standing before him in the abandoned and dimly lit halls of his university at this strange hour, and even more curious as to the rush they seemed to be in. But he didn't say anything, their business was their business and the only right he had was unspoken curiosity.

Namjoon and Jungkook looked to Sejin to answer whilst the rest just staired blankly, unsure of where they were supposed to be going and realising for the first time that they were just blindly following their manager.

"The, uh, humanity's offices," Sejin said after a quick glance at his phone.

The boy's eyebrows rose before he spoke, "oh? What a coincidence, I am going thay way too. That makes this easier," he said letting a bright smile fill his face.

Most smiled back at him, his own tilt of the lips being that contagious, but Sejin just looked and thought to himself; I wonder if he can sing?

They walked together, following closely behind the heels of- and then Jin realised that they hadn't been polite enough to even greet their savoir let alone acquire his name.

He shifts a bag, the rustling noise loud in the quite hall before he introduces himself, "thank you for this. My name is Kim Seokjin by the way, but you may call me Jin".

The rest followed suit and introductions went around. As they neared their destion it was finally time for the stranger's reply, "yeah, I have heard of you all, even manager Sejin," he said with that same smile as he turned to the scheming man. "But, it's nice to meet you, my name is Song Mireu," he bowed with his head before stopping and turning to them fully.

"Well, here we are," his arms motioned to the corridor behind him, "thank you for carrying all this, it would have been a struggle to get here without dropping any if it were just me. And good luck with your business here- oh, if you are thinking of studying here, well you can always count on me for help. I know my way around," with such sincerity and charisma that they felt compelled to take him up on his offer.

The group paused before a somewhat unsure Namjoon responded, rubbing his head, "ahhh yes, we can see that. Thank you, we will".

And then Mireu turned, walked five steps and grabbed a door nob.

"Wait!" Called Sejin and all eight turned to look at him. "That is the room we are supposed to go in".

Mireu took a step back to address the group once again, "uh, sorry if you had an appointment with Mr Kim but something came up," he pauses in thought, not wanting to reveal secrets that weren't his, "a family matter of mine. It is quite urgent so I think your meeting will have to be delayed".

"Mr Song," starts Yoongi as the rest try and comprehend the situation and the fact that something may have gone wrong; were they in the wrong university?; had their possible soulmate already gone home?; was she taken somewhere?; did someone make a mistake?

"Are you related to a Roh Eunha?"

Everyone looked at Yoongi shocked, especially Mireu who was trying to compute how this elite, high flying, and frankly gorgeous man knew that name.

Then all eyes shifted to the questioned boy, "yes. She is my grandfather's sister. How do... how do you know her?" He asked, realising that his brain wouldn't give him an answer and the only way to get one was to spew out his confusion.

"It is a long story," sighed Yoongi.

"Well, I have time," said the all too worried boy, who by the way, did not have time as his supplies were slipping from his hold.

Jungkook shot forward and grabbed the bags, seconds before impact, and looked back up at the wide eyed Mireu, "she might be our soulmate".

They were about to both commend the maknae's reflexes and give him a harsh scolding before a soft response trickled from Mireu's lips, "oh. I- uh, let me just go in and uh, tell them that you are here. I don't want to startle my grandfather, or Eunha. They have already been through a lot, especially today. And none of it really makes sense and so I guess you being, possibly being, her seven soulmates is the least shocking event in her life, maybe. But I think I should probably give a warning anyway so-"

He cut off his own rambling by grabbing the handle, walking in and closing the door straight behind him, his sigh unheard by those on this side as he leant against the door.

Instead the hall was left in a silence that was not even broken by the anxious footfalls of their search or the rustle of their cargo. The men all stare at the door in shock before Jungkook raises his eyes from the handle and says, "he forgot his food".