chapter thirteen / shipsam
Embarrassed
(013)

On our journey back from Kasai, we all decided to stop at a hot springs for the night. The hot springs here are a bit pricey, but it helps in healing wounds and relaxing, and we could definitely go for that.

We travel to a city named Sora-ku. Cherry blossoms line the stone brick streets, the pink petals flying beautifully in the wind land at my feet and in my hair. Some of them fall into the pond we walk next to, sending ripples through the water, disturbing it's perfect reflection. The town only has traditional Japanese buildings. The sky is a pale blue, a few stars beginning to light up the growing darkness. My heart fills with warmth because of the magical atmosphere and Namjoon's fingers intertwined with my own.

We reach the inn that we'll be staying in for the night. I don't even bother checking to see what our rooms look like. I immediately grab a towel and go straight to the changing rooms. There are three different baths, one for girls, boys, and a mixed area. I carefully slide off my shirt, hissing in pain as the cloth sides over my skin. I look into a mirror that's hooked onto the wall. I gently press my hand to the side of my ribs, seeing a large blotch of red on my skin. As soon as I touch the area, I wince and hiss in pain, the spot being incredibly sensitive. I can tell that a bruise would form if I didn't do anything to heal the injury, courtesy of the dragon's tail. I finish undressing, my whole body feeling sore and stiff.

I slide open a wooden door, the steam from the outdoor baths pouring inside. I'm glad to see that no one is out here besides me. I didn't feel comfortable bathing with other people anyway.

My bare feet hit the cool, hard stone of the ground. I make sure to be careful so that I don't slip on the wet floor. I carefully dip one toe into the water, testing out to see how it feels. The heat of the water burns at first, but the longer I'm in it, the better it feels. I ease the rest of my body inside of the water, trying to get my skin accustomed to the intense heat.

Once I settle into the water, I can feel all of the tenseness from the stressful day leave my muscles and bones, as if the water is drawing it out from my skin. A deep sigh escapes from my mouth as I close my eyes and lean my head back onto the ledge behind me. This is the first time I've had to be by myself and relax in quite some time. Since we've been trapped inside of Elysium, at least one of the seven boys have been glued to my side. I love their company, but there's nothing like having a few moments of silence to process everything going on in your life. I do my best thinking when I'm alone.

The peace and quiet that I enjoyed for only a few minutes is quickly interrupted when I hear splashing, yelling, and laughing come from the other side of a stone wall that separates the girl's bath from the boy's. I shake my head and laugh, knowing that the racket is coming from my group of friends.

I freeze when I hear a deep voice that belongs to Namjoon, just the sound alone causing chills to run down my spine, despite the warmth that surrounds me. Then a sudden realization hits me. On the other side of the wall, Namjoon is bathing. I brush my fingertips against my lips, remembering the feeling of his mouth pressed against mine, and the hunger that took over the both of us. I feel my cheeks burning, so I sink into the water, covering half of my face. Stop being so perverted, Wren.

Before my mind can wander to what it would be like if we went to the mixed baths, I decide to start cleaning myself off. Suds form as I scrub the dirt from the day off of my skin, the smell of roses filling the air. I make sure to be careful with my bruised ribs, but as I wash the area, I notice that the red splotch has already started to fade, and a sharp pain no longer runs through my side when I touch it. I didn't think the hot springs would be so effective. I wonder if it's helping Namjoon's cut.

I watch the bubbles detach from my figure as I move around in the water, the suds gathering in a pile of white, resembling clouds as they float on the surface. I move around in the water for a while, practicing what I learned about swimming from Namjoon, Jin, and Jimin.

I wish Mama could see me moving through the water. I know she'd be proud of me. Not long ago, I was afraid to even face the water, now I'm moving through it as if it's where I've lived my whole life.

As I swim, I think of my home, my life in the real world, and Mama. I wonder what she's doing now. I hope she doesn't worry too much about me. If only I could send her a message to let her know that I'm being taken care of by friends I know she would love as if they were her own children. I wish I could tell her that I was working to find my way back to her.

She would always spend so much of her time taking care of me, but who takes care of her? Who's there to comfort her? Who will put their arms around her and whisper soothingly that everything will be alright? Yugen told us that they would send our guardians money for our hospital expenses, so I'm not too worried about her financially. I just wish someone could be there for her emotionally. My resolve to break out of Elysium becomes even stronger when I think of Mama and how scared she must be.

I'll find my way back to her, and I'll help everyone else who's trapped here to find their way back to the people they care about most.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear something fall onto the ground. I spin around, looking to see where the sound came from. Right at the stone wall that separates the baths, I see a black cloth laying in a pile on the ground. My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. I step out of the bath and wrap a towel around myself, then walk to the pile of clothes to inspect it. I grab a piece of cloth with the tips of my fingers, not too thrilled to be touching a strangers clothing, especially since I'm sure it came from the boy's side of the baths. My face twists in disgust when I realize I've picked up someone's underwear. I quickly flick the article of clothing away and wipe my hand on the towel wrapped around my figure.

I hear the wooden doors to the inn slide open. It's dark now, and the steam that clouds the night air makes it hard to see, but from the light that shines behind the figure, creating a halo of warm light around the stranger who stands at the entrance to the baths, I can tell it's not a woman coming to bathe here.

My heart starts to race, warning me of the possible danger. Some pervert has decided to take a peak in the women's bathing area. I clutch the hem of the towel that's wrapped around my chest, making sure that it doesn't come loose. I slowly back up from the stranger, careful to make sure my bare feet don't patter too loudly on the stone ground. When I reach a small metal table that's used to hold liquid soaps, I grab it, holding it over my head as a weapon. The male stranger starts to walk to the spot where I once stood. I take a deep breath and ready myself to take care of the intruder.

I charge to the male figure, table in hand. As the stranger looks up to see me rushing towards him, a shriek that doesn't sound like it should be coming from a boy sounds from the stranger. I swing the metal table, a loud clanging sound erupting when it comes in contact with the perverted man. The stranger hits the ground with a thud. From what I can tell, he's not getting back up for a while.

At closer inspection of the stranger, a gasp leaves my mouth. "Hobi?"

As the culprit is revealed, the doors to the inn are quickly slid open. I snap my head up to see six male figures. I frown; it's the boys.

"Hobi," Jimin calls out, sounding afraid, and rightly so, "Are you alright?"

I know that if I don't answer, they'll come to check on their friend. I let out a sigh, and tighten the towel hanging around my body. I stand up straight and tall, pretending that walking through the group of boys isn't the most embarrassing thing to happen to me in this game. Once their eyes land on me, and they're able to make out who it is, their eyes widen in shock and a color of deep red paints their cheeks. I fight the urge to lower my head when Namjoon's eyes roam over me.

"No, your friend is not alright," I respond aggressively, "I'd suggest you collect his unconscious body and get out of here before I find a better weapon to deal with you creeps."

"W-Wren, we weren't trying to-"

"Should I use a sword or a gun?" I wonder aloud, interrupting Namjoon. He visibly gulps as Yoongi nervously nudges him.

"I think she's serious. We need to get Hobi and go," Yoongi worriedly suggests.

I laugh rather maniacally. "I think Yoongi is a wise man." The boys all scramble to drag their friend from the steamy bathing area. They continue to check on whether I had found a weapon to beat them with the whole time, a dark and sinister look painting my face. They manage to escape to our suite before I can get something to destroy them with.

Once they leave, I put on my silk pajamas, and wrap a towel around my dripping wet hair. Doing this gave me enough time to cool off, both from the steam outside, and from the anger and embarrassment I felt. All of the boys saw me only in a towel. What if they had come sooner, before I had anything to cover myself? I cringe at the thought.

When I enter our shared room, all eyes are on me. Those seven pairs of eyes reflect fear. It seems Hoseok has woken up. He's holding an ice pack to the back of his head. I meet their eyes with an icy stare, the kind you'd receive from your mother when she comes home to see you haven't done any of your chores. All of the boys bow their heads in shame.

Namjoon stands from the tall stool he was sitting on, his head still hanging low. "We're all very sorry for coming into the women's bath. We had no right to be there, but please let us explain ourselves."

I cross my arms in front of my chest, thinking over whether or not to hear them out, but then Jin walks over to me, holding a platter of egg rolls. He smiles sheepishly, but looks relieved when my expression softens.

"A peace offering," he explains, handing the plate of food to me. I sigh, finally giving in. They must know the way to soften me up. Food.

As I stuff myself with the warm, savory egg rolls, the boys all rush to defend themselves, afraid that, maybe when the egg rolls disappear, so will my attention to their pleas for forgiveness.

"We were messing around with Hobi Hyung," Jungkook explains, "me, Tae, and Jimin were all throwing his clothes around while he was trying to get them back, but then Jimin accidentally threw it over the wall."

"We called your name to see if you were still on the other side, but since we didn't hear a response, we assumed you went back inside," Jimin adds.

"So I tried to sneak to the other side and grab my clothes before someone else came out, but that's when I saw you come at me with the table." Hoseok rubs the back of his head, trying to soothe the pain, as if recalling how the injury occurred caused the pain to flare up.

"We heard a high pitched scream, and we weren't sure if it was you or Hobi," says Yoongi.

"Either way, it didn't sound good, so we came to make sure whoever the scream came from was alright." Namjoon's eyes plead for me to understand that they had no bad intentions, and for me to forgive them. I let out a sigh, the anger that I felt for the boys seaming to fade through the air I breathed out.

"Fine, I forgive you." As soon as the words leave my mouth, Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jungkook all wrap their arms around me, squeezing me until it's a little difficult to breathe. I smile lovingly. How could I stay mad at these softies?

Once we make peace, we all gather around the dining table to have dinner together. As soon as I choose my seat, the three youngest boys are racing to get the chairs next to mine. Jimin rushes to sit in the chair to my left, so Taehyung and Jungkook are forced to fight over the other seat. Pushing, shoving, and bickering ensues between the two boys until Namjoon taps them both on the shoulders and directs them both to sit somewhere else. Jungkook and Taehyung reluctantly give up the second chair next to me, throwing icy glares at Namjoon, to which Namjoon hardly pays any attention to.

I start eating the soup in front of me, doing my best to ignore the guilt I feel every time I look at the two sulking boys sitting across from me. "I don't like that Wren and Namjoon Hyung are a couple now. Hyung's gonna steal all of her attention," Taehyung whines. I spit out my hot soup, the liquid flying across the table into Jin's face. I send him an apologetic look before turning my attention to the boy who caused my meal to go flying.

"Tae, what makes you think me and Namjoon are a couple?"

"Hyung told us you were."

I look to Namjoon who immediately throws his hands up in defense. "They made me spill it in the hot springs."

"It would've been nice if we could've told them together," I sigh.

Yoongi laughs. "No one even had to tell us, you two are so obvious."

"What?" Namjoon scoffs, "no we aren't!"

"Only a complete idiot wouldn't be able to see the heart eyes you two are constantly throwing at each other." Yoongi rolls his eyes. "By the way, that's not Wren you're playing footsies with." Namjoon takes a peak under the table and quickly retracts his foot once he sees that he's stroking Yoongi under the table. I can understand where there'd be confusion since there's so many of us at this circular table, but that understanding doesn't stop everyone from laughing at Namjoon's mistake. I feel warm when I see the cute flush on Namjoon's cheeks.

Long after we finish eating, we still sit at the table, talking and laughing. The boys start yawning and rubbing their eyes as the hours of the night continue to crawl through. One by one, the boys leave to retire for the night. I wouldn't have been the last to leave, but Namjoon had fallen alsleep on my shoulder, his arms wrapped around me. I hate to wake Namjoon since he seems to be sleeping so well, but I know if I let him sleep in this chair all night, he'll be sore tomorrow.

"Hey," I whisper, nudging the sleepy boy slightly, "Namjoon, it's time to go to bed." The only response I get is his slight stirring.

"Nams," I try calling again. He groans and mumbles something unintelligible. I giggle and call him again. "Come on, Oppa." With that name, I catch him smiling, the dents in his cheeks becoming prevalent. A sweet, sleepy hum escapes his lips as he holds me tighter. I scoot my chair out and try with much effort to leave the table with Namjoon still lazily clinging to my frame. I drag the half conscious boy through the hallway to one of the rooms with a sleeping cot. As I walk through the hallway, I see Jungkook sitting by himself in his bedroom, staring up at the moon. All of the lights are turned off, so only the silver light of the moon illuminates a few things in the room. The soft light shines on his cheeks, enough for me to see evidence of a path tears have made on his skin.

I want to go in there to check on him now, but I have to take care of Namjoon first, or pretty soon, I'll be the only one holding him on his feet. I continue to drag him to his room and gently place him on the sleeping cot. I grab a folded blanket that lays on the end of the cot, and spread it over his body. I watch him for a moment, noticing the steady rhythm of his breathing. The blanket rises and lowers as he takes in each breath. I notice how peaceful and young he looks while he sleeps.

I began to stand, but Namjoon grabs my wrist and tugs me back down to the cot. "Stay with me," he mumbles, his eyes still closed as he cuddles onto my arm.

"I need to go do something," I explain, trying to tug my arm from his grasp.

"Promise you'll come back?"

I smile. "Promise." Namjoon, satisfied with the promise of my return, finally releases me from his grasp.

I walk back to where I saw Jungkook and knock on the wall to warn him of my presence. He slightly jumps, and before turning to face me, wipes the tears from his cheeks.

"Hi, Noona," Jungkook tries to greet me cheerfully, but I'm not fooled, even if I hadn't seen him crying, I can still hear that crack in his voice.

"What's wrong, Kookie? Why were you crying?"

Jungkook's fake smile falls away, almost like he's taking off a mask, the mask that hides his pain. The corners of his lips tug down in a frown and his eyebrows lower.

"I was reading the news tabs," Jungkook starts, so I walk closer to him and sit next to him on the hard wood floor, showing to him that I'm ready to listen and I'm interested, "Do you know how many people have died inside of Elysium?"

I shake my head in response, feeling ignorant since I don't know the answer.

"Over four thousand," Jungkook grimaces. "Over four thousand in just a few weeks."

I purse my lips. "Elysium isn't our safe haven anymore. It's just as dangerous and scary as the real world, maybe even more so."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." I put my hand on Jungkook's back, trying to soothe him by my touch, feeling that words aren't enough. "Elysium was supposed to be a place where people like me could go to get away from reality. Where people like me could taste happiness and safety, even if only for a few moments.

"When we couldn't log out, I was so happy. I thought we could all have that happiness and safety forever, but then people started dying. Things that were fun and only posed a challenge could now end your life. This isn't just a game anymore."

"That's why we're going to leave. I won't stop fighting until everyone can get back to their real lives," I try to reassure him.

He shakes his head. "I wish we didn't have to leave at all. I wish it wasn't dangerous here, then we could just stay," Jungkook rambles. "Something went wrong. We weren't supposed to die in the game."

I furrow my eyebrows. "How do you know what the hackers intentions were? Do you know who trapped us here?"

"I- No I-I don't know who did it," Jungkook stutterd, "I just don't think he trapped us in Elysium to kill us. What would be the point?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be too much of a coincidence that right after players couldn't log out anymore, people started dying."

"The hacker isn't a murderer, Wren."

"How can you say that? The hacker is the reason we're stuck here, he's the reason over four thousand people have died," I argue, "I think its safe to say that if it weren't for the hacker, all or most of those people would still be alive."

"Stop it." Jungkook clenches his jaw.

"How can you not understand this? The hacker is a murderer!"

"Stop it!" Jungkook lashes out. I freeze, shocked by the harshness in his voice. "Get out."

"Kook-"

"I told you to get out," he growls. He turns back to face the window, so he can't see the shimmering in my eyes as tears pool in my eyes, threatening to spill.

Without another word, I stand up and leave his room. I take in a sharp ragged breath, warm tears falling into my mouth, the taste of salt on my taste buds. My hands shake and my legs tremble as I walk back to where Namjoon sleeps. I slip under the blanket on the cot, burrying myself into his chest and tangling my legs around his. Namjoon lets out a sigh and wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer to him and enveloping me in his warmth. I wonder for a moment if he woke up when I laid down next to him, but since he hasn't acknowledged the warm tears soaking into his shirt, I'm guessing he's still asleep.

I try my best not to wake him as I choke back sobs into his chest, not being able to sleep as I recall the way Jungkook yelled at me. The way he looked at me with so much intense anger, it was almost like I was the reason all of those people in Elysium died. He looked at me as if I was the one that murdered them all in cold blood.

__________

A/N -

I'm so unsatisfied with this chapter, but it is a filler so I don't know what I expected.

How's life treating you guys? What's something coming soon that you're excited for? Let me know... I'd really love to know more about the people reading my book.

Hope you have a great day. Peace out my tea leaves ✌🏻