The mayhem on the third level was exactly how Jimin remembered it.

Desks littered with microfilm readers, people turning knobs and hunting through unending newspaper articles.

He'd done the same that day, his table swamped with abandoned caffeine cups and vacant reel boxes while discovering that two people matching their description had been buried in Bukhansan National Park.

Have you ever heard of a parallel universe?

Jimin smirked as the preposterous question reverberated in his head; Hahm Yunhee had been right, of course, despite him laughing in her face for asking the insane.

'What's wrong with you today?' Namjoon grilled when he brushed by. 'You've done nothing but stare into space since we arrived.'

'I'm fine,' Jimin sputtered as he watched his friend shake his head and disappear down a walkway lined with non-fiction novels.

Funny; he'd been the one to suggest they visit the library, but as Jimin drifted along behind Namjoon, he barely paid any attention to the collection around them. He felt slightly out of sorts, still unable to dispose of the feeling that Yunhee was closer to him today than ever before.

Dazed and a little woozy, he decided to make use of himself, so on a whim, he plucked a random book from the shelf and turned it over to check out the cover.

'The law of attraction?' Namjoon laughed over his shoulder as Jimin stared at the serif font printed over a churning galaxy. 'What a pile of tosh.'

'Is this not the sort of thing we're looking for?' Jimin asked quietly, his fingers tingling as he gripped the edges of the paperback.

'Nope. It shouldn't even be in this section. Perhaps you should keep it, though, seeing as it focuses on attracting the things in life that you want.'

Namjoon patted him on the back before leaving him alone with the odd book clutched tightly in his hands. Jimin had no idea why, but he found himself opening the pages, wanting to browse the subject despite it having no relevance to opening portals.

'It is believed that regardless of age, nationality or religious belief, we are all susceptible to the laws which govern the universe, including the law of attraction,' he read aloud with a furrowed brow. 'It is the law of attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is- wait. What the hell is this nonsense?'

Still, Jimin couldn't put the book down, he continued to explore the mind-blowing information until his vision became cloudy.

On any other day, he would have put it down to being tired while trying to absorb hundreds of words, but something about the way his surroundings began to distort made him falter.

Was he about to experience another flashback?

Jimin stared at the pages in a trance, waiting for the scene of him and Yunhee flirting at the bar to take shape.

He heard her voice first, a faint whisper beside him laced with disbelief. It didn't fit the memory he knew of, though, the tone of her call was too relieved. As if she was grateful to see him after time spent apart...

Jimin's heart sped up when the realisation struck.

Lifting his head, he carefully turned to discover a woman emerging from nowhere, a deluge of delight exploding in his veins when their eyes met.

'Yunhee...'

Dropping the book, he shifted in her direction, understanding now that he was not undergoing a memory of a time gone by, but that Yunhee was here in the library.

She could see him too. And she'd never looked more beautiful.

Elated, Jimin reached out to grab the red sweater burying her petite body, wanting to tug her into his arms, but before he could touch her, she evaporated from sight, his hand swiping through thin air and smacking a startled Namjoon square in the torso.

'Ow!' his mate yelled, rubbing the spot on his ribcage with a pissed off pout. 'What was that for?'

Jimin stood motionless and utterly stunned, glancing around the aisle for Yunhee as he tried to calm his racing pulse. 'What the hell was that?'

'That's what I just asked!' Namjoon hissed, trying to keep his voice low. 'You hit me!'

Brushing him off, Jimin marched away to check Yunhee hadn't rematerialised in another corner of the third floor.

Like a fool, he opened prohibited cupboards, searched under tables and chairs, and even went as far as to kick open every stall in the ladies' bathroom. When it became clear that she was not around, he rushed out and popped his hands on his hips in the middle of the room.

'Jimin,' Namjoon said as he approached him cautiously, 'shall I call a doctor?'

Jimin couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading across his fatigued face as he stared along the aisle Yunhee had miraculously appeared in.

The warm and wonderful sensation that had swamped him on arrival enveloped him even now, and even though he couldn't see her, even though he knew she was in an unreachable cosmos, he could taste her presence and sense her willpower as she searched for him, too.

Yunhee was at the library today, and the vision of her reading the same book was a sign to let him know she was alive and well.

'She's okay,' Jimin grinned.

'Did you crack your head?' Namjoon asked, scratching his head in bafflement. 'Who?

'Yunhee,' he answered plainly, already rushing to pick up the valuable item he'd dropped.

Namjoon was hot on his tail, but Jimin was lost in his own world, scanning The Law of Attraction cover again, enthralled at the prospect of seeing Yunhee even though they were two worlds apart.

'This book is insane.'

Shaking his head with a clown-like grin, Jimin stuffed the paperback under his jacket, then glanced at Namjoon with a look of determination.

'Why are you standing there? Let's get researching!'

*

Yunhee waddled over to the table Jin was occupying, her arms ladened with so many books she could barely see over the top of them.

She'd explained her incredible encounter to Jin like a babbling buffoon, watching his face morph through a range of emotions as he tried to come to terms with what he was hearing.

'You guys are more connected than I first thought...' Jin had whispered, staring over her shoulder as if he were on the edge of an epiphany.

After a few moments, he broke out of his stupor and ushered her to get started on what they had initially come for.

The exhilaration in her belly after seeing Jimin was as strong as adrenaline, and so Yunhee had scurried off in excitement, gathering as many pieces on outer space and electromagnetic fields that she could possibly find.

Including keeping a firm hold on The Law of Attraction.

Jin - Burberry coat slung over his chair and sleeves rolled up - bounced in fright when she tipped the load onto the table, a look of displeasure soon following as he pointed at the array of publications dotted around him.

'I already have sixteen to get through,' he sighed, 'I'd like to leave this place before midnight.'

Yunhee shrugged, a lopsided smile gracing her pretty face as she took a seat beside the exasperated man. 'Don't worry. We can take them all home.'

Jin glanced at the mountain of hardbacks in dread as Yunhee got stuck into a book riddled with helix diagrams. Her companion eventually did the same, picking up a pen and writing suggestions in a leather-bound journal as he read from a few pages.

Curious, Yunhee slid closer and took a sneaky peek, wrinkling her nose in uncertainty when she noticed the name Aristotle in large letters at the top of the sheet. 'What are you doing?'

'Making notes on Aristotle's four elements of matter.'

'Yes, I can see that,' Yunhee shifted closer, trying to read his elegant calligraphy, 'but why?'

Continuing to write, Jin slid a book concerning vortexes in front of her and pointed at a particular passage partway down the page. 'Read it.'

'The ancient Greeks believed that there were four elements that everything was made up of: earth, water, air, and fire. This theory was suggested around 450 BC, and it was later supported and added to by Aristotle.'

Yunhee finished the paragraph with a confused countenance, unable to comprehend why it was printed in a book revolving around wormholes.

'I don't understand. Aristotle has nothing to do with vortexes.'

'You mentioned the vortex opens when lightning strikes nearby, right?' Jin replied, cross referencing from the two articles while scribbling down more observations.

'I did, but lightning isn't one of the four elements...'

'Nope, but fire is,' he said with a knowing smile, not stopping in his task to fill his journal. When Yunhee didn't respond to what Jin clearly considered a genius moment, he stopped writing and cast her a belittling look. 'Lightning is hot, Yunhee.'

It took a few seconds, but the pieces of the puzzle gradually slid into place. 'Oh! Heat!'

'That's right,' Jin nodded quickly, ditching his essay to face the ecstatic woman. 'If the heat generated from lightning can open the vortex, then maybe any of the four elements can.'

'Are you suggesting we light the stone on fire?'

'Christ, no,' Jin shuddered as he reared back in his chair, 'you can't burn stone. Fire is also one of my worst nightmares.'

'Okay,' Yunhee couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Kim Seokjin having a weakness. 'What about air, then?'

'The stone is surrounded by air every day,' he pointed out as he rubbed his temple with the end of his pen, 'so, I assume it requires a strong wind, which puts us back to waiting around for a storm.'

'Right,' Yunhee mulled the idea over in her head. 'How about earth? Could we bury it?'

'Sounds too much like hard work,' Jin grimaced. 'The only thing I don't mind getting my hands dirtied with is blood. Soil is a nightmare and gets right under your nails-'

'That leaves us with water, then,' Yunhee interrupted before he could finish his unsettling speech.

'Indeed,' Jin declared with a sparkle in his rust-orange irises. 'It also sounds like the safest, less disturbing option. Weirdly, I actually joked about throwing water on the darn thing last week-'

'We need to go back to the warehouse!' Yunhee proclaimed, snapping the book shut and springing to her feet. 'Now.'

'Yunhee,' Jin chortled, rising from the chair to grab her arm, 'hold your horses. We need to cart this pile of books back to the mansion first and keep searching through them. I wouldn't want to damage the stone in our haste.'

'Yes, but-'

'How does Friday sound?' Jin suggested it as a peace offering. 'Another few days should give us time to gather more information before we test the theory. Whaddya say?'

'You sure you don't need to check your schedule first?' Yunhee sniffed in disgruntlement while plopping into her seat with folded arms. When Jin sent her a bored stare, she lifted her hands in the air and gave in. 'Friday it is.'

'Good,' Jin chirped with a dashing grin, already leaning over the table to assemble the reading material. 'Let's mooch. I'm starving.'

Books in tow, the satisfied couple took the elevator to the ground floor and dumped them onto the checkout counter, along with The Law of Attraction. The elderly lady manning the station gasped in surprise, but made quick work of scanning the inside covers before a lengthy queue could form.

Yunhee was impatiently picking at her fingernails, waiting for her to finish, while feeling Jin's intense gaze drilling a hole into her skull. 'What?'

'Do you want me to come with you?'

Puzzled, Yunhee looked up to find him studying her with a serious expression. 'Where to?'

'Through the vortex,' he stated, 'when we open it, that is.'

'You don't have to,' Yunhee smiled kindly, amazed that he was willing to sacrifice what little time he had. 'I know you're busy here.'

'I want to, though,' Jin said softly, giving her shoulder a playful nudge. 'Jimin aside, it's imperative to see if my doppelgänger is as handsome I.'

Yunhee emitted a deafening laugh, punching him back twice as hard. 'Get over yourself, Seokjin.'

'Your books are ready,' the assistant disrupted their childish tittering with a condescending glower. 'You have two weeks until they need to be returned. Any later, fines will be applied.'

'Yes, ma'am,' Jin winked, the effect making the lady blush a bright hue of red. 'Thank you for your time. Oh, and keep up the good work.'

'Stop it,' Yunhee elbowed him in the ribs as she scooped up the books. 'That poor woman is three times your age and you're giving her ideas.'

'How so? I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary,' he argued while accumulating his share from the counter. 'I was just being-'

Jin's words died in his throat, his confidence falling away as he homed in on something in the distance.

Intrigued by what had the guy so tongue-tied, Yunhee followed his line of sight and found an attractive librarian with long, red locks sitting at a table while absorbed in a thick, dusty tome.

With a sly smile, Yunhee said, 'She's pretty. Do you know her?'

'N-no,' Jin stuttered abnormally, 'I mean...maybe. Yes.'

As if the mysterious woman could hear, she lifted her chin and made eye contact with the extremely flustered man. Yunhee was happy to witness a dazzling smile framing her perfectly white teeth before she shyly hid her face beneath her cherry-coloured hair.

'Oh, the sparks,' Yunhee sniggered as Jin tried his best to balance his books and not look in her direction. 'I saw that interaction just then. If you know who she is, why don't you go talk to her?'

'I don't have time for romance,' Jin suddenly announced, spinning on his heel to stride to the exit.

'Jin!' Yunhee laughed, running after him with loaded arms, 'you're being absurd. She was beautiful and was so checking you out-'

'Will you hurry up,' he huffed while parading speedily through the doors, 'we have a lot to do.'

Yunhee shook her head in disbelief, not missing the way Jin glanced over his shoulder one last time. Their eyes met again through the glass, but this time, the lovely woman continued to stare until his face flushed red and he quickly looked away.

Yunhee couldn't believe it. Kim Seokjin - the hard-ass mafia guy and so-called lovable rogue - was running away from a girl he clearly fancied when he should have been plotting her kidnap.

Wow, she thought as they pottered to their car, he's actually hopeless.

*

'Your theory is too specific!' Jimin bellowed as he stomped out of the library carrying a shed load of literature. 'Who the bloody hell is going to write a book based on a vortex opening with heat, for Christ's sake?'

'Quit yelling. You're going to cause a scene,' Namjoon countered, struggling to contain the six volumes on astrophysics and electrical storms as he hurried after his friend.

'This isn't yelling, Joonie!' Jimin warned as they made their way to the Mustang Boss parked in the adjacent street. 'You'll know when I'm yelling.'

'Stop being a grumpy shit. You've done my head in all day with your huffing and puffing and constant whining because you didn't find what you want. This isn't your world, Jimin. You're not the Mafia King here so you don't get to talk to me like crap.'

'Fuck off,' Jimin fumed, opening the trunk to toss the books inside.

Yes, the mob boss was moody after spending four hours scouring endless pages in search of something that would support Namjoon's hypothesis.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Yunhee had appeared, and now he was projecting his frustrations onto Namjoon for uncovering absolutely zilch.

'Okay, so we didn't find anything in writing,' Namjoon tried to reason as he threw his library compilation on top of Jimin's. 'Instead of complaining about it, why don't we head to the warehouse and put the heat theory to the test?'

Jimin straightened up and cast Namjoon a glare that would frighten a police horse.

'You want to set the only stone in this whole world that will lead me back to the woman I love on fire?'

'It's worth a shot,' Namjoon said sheepishly as Jimin maintained his look of death. 'Come on, man; lighten up. You saw Yunhee today, how cool is that? You should be smiling, not looking like you want to go on a rampage!'

'If you don't shut your mouth,' Jimin cautioned as his fingers gripped the framework of the boot, 'I'm going to take one of those books and shove it down your-'

A shrill ring cut through his threat and Namjoon sprang to attention. Annoyed, he yanked the vibrating phone from his pocket and slapped it against his ear. 'What, Jin?'

Jimin heard the screeching voice of their friend on the other end of the line and watched as Namjoon's lips arched in irritation.

'My panties are not in a twist,' he tried to appease as Jin railroaded him for his abrupt greeting, 'and my undies aren't either!'

Rolling his eyes at their lame tit-for-tat, Jimin slammed the trunk closed and snatched the key from Namjoon's pocket before climbing behind the wheel. He needed to blow off some steam and driving like a maniac through the heart of Seoul seemed like the perfect way to accomplish that.

Waiting not so patiently for the man to end the call, Jimin drummed his fingers on the dash, snorting in displeasure when Namjoon finally hopped into the passenger seat.

'What did he want?' Jimin asked while starting the rumbling engine.

'Um,' Namjoon vocalised in complete shock, 'he said we have a lead on the whereabouts of the women.'

*

And there you have it!

What did you guys think of Yunhee and Jimin seeing each other? Oh, and Jin and a potential new love interest? Muhahaha.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts and theories.

Thanks again for your patience, guys. I love you all!

Tannie x

22nd September 2020