┈━ ◇ ━┈

"Shit," Jin had almost lost all the hopes of living when he safely landed on the somewhat soft ground.

Soft ground? It did feel like that but it was, in fact, a sheet of clouds, floating just above the surface. Now, clouds can not save you from falling down, but it's more than possible in this game.

Jin knew it, so he didn't question about the abnormality of the situation and just sighed in relief upon still finding himself alive.

"See? I told you, it's safe." Jungkook was still panting a little, tired of running.

"Why were you so sure?" Jin moved towards him, still skeptical as his steps were cautious, but his shoes bounced almost unnoticeably on the clouds as he walked. The feeling was funny, "it's like, I'm in a fairytale." he commented, looking down at his feet.

"Uh, before I got to you, I jumped off an open door as well and landed on the same soft surface."

"But still, you couldn't have been so sure that it will be the case again."

"I was though,"

"Why?" at this point, Jin was just interrogating him.

"Because I..." his throat was dry, maybe he hadn't consumed any liquid in so long and he had been talking non stop, but this reason would just be an excuse and he knew it.

Because what? Because he now trusted Taehyung a bit more? He knew that Taehyung wouldn't let anything happen to him? It sounded wrong even inside his mind, he could never say that to Jin.

Before Jin could question him more, a loud thud echoed faintly around them. Even though it saved Jungkook from answering Jin's question, they now had another problem at hand.

The same man with a hammer and chain in hands appeared in front of them. Till now, they couldn't see his face. It was just a haze of black, blurry clouds where his face should have been, but that wasn't the case anymore. The man now had a face, and it was very clear.

"N-no way-"

"It can't be, hyung..." Jungkook was shocked, his mouth was hung open as he slowly turned to look at Jin who was the same as him but in addition, Jin's face was pale with terror.

In front of them, stood a tall man, his shoulders wide and he proudly cracked the joints of his neck, smiling as he took one step at a time. It wasn't a shock until they saw the face of the person when the haze lifted off his face.

It was Jin.

"Hyung," Jungkook was quick to catch Jin's stumbling body as he lost control of his knees. "It's alright, listen to me. This is not real, okay? Try to snap out of it." he could see the panic building inside his hyung's eyes and it was concerning.

If any one of them lost control over their brain, it wouldn't be long before they lose this game and their life too if they're unlucky enough.

"But, this... he- I.." Jin pointed towards the man and then to his chest, eyes unstable and full of uncertainty. Jungkook didn't know that Jin could have a breakdown like that. Jin was someone who was always confident and tried to see everything in a calm, stable light.

Seeing his hyung like this, it was honestly a blow to his own mind as well. He couldn't afford it. He needed to stay sane when nothing was going their way.

The doppelganger of Jin laughed, lunging forward as his face contorted into a horrible grin. His eyes enlarged, as if they would burst out of their sockets, drool dribbling down his chin.

It was terrible to see, even more when Jungkook was used to seeing Jin's flawless face everyday. Imagine how much of a trauma it must be for Jin himself.

He had always taken his appearance seriously and he knew he had nothing to be insecure about, which was why he was able to bear all those bad comments about his face before, but now when he was seeing this version of himself with his own eyes, the tables had been flipped.

"No, no, please, no..." Jin stepped back, looking ahead, not caring about where his feet were going.

"Hyung, wait!!" but Jin had already broke free from his hands, striding away from them. He ran too fast to notice where he was going.

"Fuck it," Jungkook cursed, following Jin.

The clouds which supported their bodies must end somewhere, mustn't they? They also had a boundary line, where the soft surface ended, opening up to a large hollow space.

"Stop, you will fall-" Jungkook ran with all his might but he was barely a meter away from Jin when he had already leaped down, falling into the abyss.

"No, no, no- no!!" Jungkook chocked on his words, falling onto his knees as he gripped onto the soft clouds, leaning over the edge to look down.

He wasn't sure if Jin would be okay. Yes, he had jumped off into this unknown abyss twice already but now that he had seen Jin do the same, there was a part of him that was anxious.

What if it didn't work this time? What if Jin got hurt? How would he forgive himself if something happened to his hyung?

But Jungkook should have looked behind, he should have been more careful because the strange doppelganger was still high on his heels behind him. The hammered hand was raised up, ready to be pounced at him with a deadly force as he fell on his butt, clutching on the edge.

He was on the edge, literally as well as figuratively.

He had a last glimpse of the horrifying figure in front of him who had the face of his hyung, and he was forced to clench his eyes close. His mind was blank and he was low-key just waiting for the hammer to clash with his skull any second.

His heart almost stopped even before the metal could touch him as he waited for death to embrace him.

But it never happened. He never felt anything even after a solid minute had passed but he was too scared to open his eyes, so he just sat there, gripping onto his sanity.

"It's alright now, sweetheart." as if a dead weight had lifted off his chest, Jungkook immediately opened his eyes and found Taehyung standing in between him and the creepy man.

"Can you get up?" Taehyung offered his hand and Jungkook took it without hesitation, getting back up on his feet, that's when he finally took a breath of relief.

Taehyung then turned to the doppelganger, "Fuck off," his voice low yet it vibrated around Jungkook who felt like, not only his heart, but the clouds beneath him were shivering too. Out of reflex, Jungkook reached out and tucked on the sleeve of Taehyung's shirt.

This made Taehyung turn around. Jungkook saw a glimpse of bright red in Taehyung's eyes before it vanished as soon as Taehyung looked at him. He knew how dangerous Taehyung's eyes must have looked, but now they were soft again, not a single emotion could be seen inside of them.

"You're safe." he muttered and turned back again. The look Taehyung saw on Jungkook's face must have softened him because he then sighed, shaking his head before flicking his wrist, snapping his fingers as the man disappeared.

Was it that easy for him?
Of course it was!

"W-where did he go?" Jungkook looked around, cautious eyes searching for the twisted man, but Taehyung said nothing.

"Taehyung, where is he?" now Jungkook was getting anxious once again. What if that man went after Jin? Hearing his name so loudly from Jungkook's mouth, Taehyung felt weird.

"I don't know." his eyes were unreadable but he never looked away from Jungkook's teary ones.

"How do you not know?! How is that possible? Take me to Jin hyung." Jungkook turned around, forgetting that he was standing at the edge because of the sudden rush of anger, and as it was inevitable, he staggered back.

If not for Taehyung catching and pulling him in time, he was definitely going to fall just where Jin fell before, then he would have found out the hard way just what happened to his hyung. Taehyung's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, keeping him close.

"Taehyung," Jungkook's eyes were now brimming with tears as he tightly clutched onto Taehyung's biceps, wrinkling the soft fabric of his shirt.

"I'm here to save you, Jungkook." the emphasis in his words made Jungkook's eyes wide.

"So, you have no idea and no care about what's happening to Jin hyung?" disbelief poured over through his words.

"Aren't we all playing the game? I'm not supposed to save him."

"Then why the fuck did you save me?!" he couldn't believe that even at a time like this, Taehyung was as calm as ever. His eyes still didn't seem guilty. He probably didn't feel anything. Right now, Taehyung was just a selfish vampire who only cared about his own desires and luxury in Jungkook's eyes.

It hurted him to see this. After all this time, Jungkook had come to trust Taehyung, even if it was just a little. But, what was the point of that trust? Taehyung saved him, but his friend was still out there, probably struggling for a breath.

It wasn't fair. He felt guilty.

"Got no words? Fine, then," as Jungkook said those words, his face hardened, jaw clenched and he pushed Taehyung with all the force he could muster up.

Taehyung, who didn't see it coming, stumbled back and for the first time, his eyes widened as he witnessed Jungkook let go of his body, falling down the dark, unknown depth.

He gulped, steading himself with irritation plastered on his face.

"Kim Jiwoong!!" he roared, looking up into the distance. Yes, he had a human voice but the intensity made it sound like a roar.

"I'm going to kill your sorry ass once I settle this all down." he spat angrily and disappeared within a second.

▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃

"Hyung?" Jungkook was frantically looking for Jin as he avoided the lifeless bodies of people walking around him. They were walking but their eyes were blank. With no sign of life within them, Jungkook concluded that they were not real humans so he didn't waste time on them.

When he landed on the ground, he barely got saved from breaking his leg. If it wasn't for the cotton filled sacks right beside the road, his current injuries would have been worse. He had scratched the lateral side of his thigh and arm when his body had touched the ground, but overall, he could still walk just fine.

"Jin hyung!? Please, answer me!" he yelled through the silent crowd, hoping to get a reply back soon, but it never came.

All he could listen were damp, faint footsteps of countless people walking past him with same speed as no one even glanced at him. The streets were filled with them but the buildings that passed by looked empty.

It was like he was in a horror movie. Though he wasn't scared of these things, his heart was beating loudly with every step he took. He felt really uneasy. Something wasn't right and he knew it, which scared him more than those lifeless people.

As he walked, occasionally bumping into various people, he managed to find a place that looked different and calmer. There weren't many people there and grand-looking doors were open in front of him, leading him into a garden.

It was lush green, bright with life, but there was no noise of insects. It was driving him crazy.

"Hyung!!" his heart leaped when he saw a silhouette, slumped against a big tree.

The tree was surrounded by many flowers but they had a very dull colour, like someone had sucked the colours out of them. It was disturbing to the eyes but he focused on Jin, quickly running upto him.

"Jin hyung, wake up, I'm here now." he squatted down beside him, supporting his upper body as he hugged his torso.

"Hyung?" his breath was caught in his throat.

Why was Jin not moving at all? Was he unconscious? Was he severely injured?

"W-what... why? Why? Why is he not breathing?!" he was actually losing his mind. What could he do now?

"Taehyung!! Kim Taehyung!!" was the only person he could think of as he screamed.

■□■□
Oh my god! Yes, yes, I can understand your mental state right now. An illegal Cliffhanger.
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