Yunhee towel-dried her hair with a glum pout as she shuffled into her bedroom.

She'd seen neither hide nor hair of Jin this morning, but when she'd awoken, she'd found his ostentatious firearm on her nightstand and a note saying that he'd nipped out for a jog along the beach.

In no rush to get up and face her third day at her grandma's house, Yunhee had lounged in bed for another thirty minutes before deciding to drag herself into the shower. She hadn't realised how long she'd lingered under the hot water until she clocked the time.

She'd been too busy berating herself for yesterday's failed attempt at getting a message to Jimin.

It was clear now; the stone reacted to water, but pouring liquid over it was not going to cut it. All it seemed to do was produce a pitiful puff of light that was neither use nor ornament to them.

And so, after two hours of trying to douse the stone while debating their element theory, Yunhee and Jin had packed up and left Gimpo with heavy hearts and a trunk full of personal items they'd collected from Daechi.

Rubbing the goosepimples blanketing her arms, Yunhee threw on her jeans and hoodie and recalled the spine-chilling fever she'd experienced outside her apartment.

Not only had Taehyung's iniquitous voice permeated her mind, but this time, she'd slipped into some sort of trance, unaware that she was walking away from Jin until he stopped her.

Neither of them spoke further on the matter as Yunhee retrieved the spare key and let them inside. All she wanted to do was erase Taehyung from her mind, and forget the fact that his whispers had lured her away like some brainless, wanton zombie.

Easier said than done when entering a household riddled with the possessions of his doppelgänger.

It was strange, stepping inside her old home after weeks of being away and calling out Tae's name to see if he were home.

There'd been no reply. A welcome yet incredibly sad relief.

Seeing their photos and private keepsakes sparked bitter-sweet memories, and as they'd moved from living room to bathroom to bedroom to accumulate her belongings, Yunhee had felt unnervingly on edge, cautious that Tae could walk in and find them invading his home at any given moment.

'You still technically live here, Yunhee,' Jin had assured while throwing a selection of useful kitchenware into a bag.' 'This is your stuff. You have a right to collect it without that knob jockey's permission.'

Yunhee had laughed nervously at his brash comment, forcing herself to relax while she gathered her clothing and a few beauty products. Tae may have been living in a rundown flat on the outskirts of Seoul, but it was obvious that he hadn't officially moved out.

The fully furnished rooms were a dead giveaway, along with the clothes that were folded neatly in the chest of drawers, the toiletries lining the bathroom shelf, and the miniature filing cabinet containing important documents at the base of the wardrobe.

There was also the endearing photo of them cuddled together on a park bench that she'd framed for Tae's birthday. It usually sat on the coffee table next to the sofa, but to Yunhee's surprise, it had a new home at the side of their bed.

'Soft arse,' Yunhee mumbled, massaging her head as she peered through the window and admired the rolling hills of Jebu-ri Island.

That photo placement spoke volumes. Tae was hurting. She'd seen it when they'd come face-to-face, and she'd felt it, too. The same hurt that crushed her chest whenever she thought of their relationship, everything they'd built, and then lost.

With a heavy sigh, Yunhee stared at the picturesque beach and wondered if a walk would clear her jumbled thoughts. With that in mind, she picked up her phone with the intent to call Jin to see when he'd return, but her fingers halted over the screen when she saw a missed call from Tae.

The insistent man had bombarded her with numerous calls since their last meeting, but he'd surprisingly backed off after her polite reply to his text two nights ago. A part of her wanted to talk to him, but Yunhee wasn't ready to face that particular melody, yet.

Not if she was going to fall under Taehyung's spell when she heard his baritone voice on the line.

Pushing the black and sinister thoughts aside, she instead opened up the ongoing and rather vague conversation thread with her best friend. Hobi had messaged her late last night, and she'd willingly replied to put his mind at ease, but his last sweet missive remained unread.

Glad to hear it. Is Jin with you? If not...maybe I can join you? x

Combing her fingers through her tangled hair, Yunhee moved away from the window and thumbed out a suitable reply.

It's okay, thanks. Jin's with me x

Satisfied with the response, she sent the message and chucked her phone onto the bed. It's not that she didn't want Hobi around; the man had always been terrific company, and she was relieved to discover that she felt comfortable in his presence, despite Hoseok's wandering and abusive hands.

The issue was her ex-boyfriend. If Hobi knew her current location, then it wouldn't be long before Tae found out, and she had a feeling that he'd soon come knocking on her door.

Persistent men aside, Yunhee was by no means alone.

Jin drove back and forth to check in on her as often as possible while handling his work at the club. On each and every visit, he'd bring supplies, stocking the empty kitchen with food and cutlery, or furnishing the house with fixtures and fittings that made her heart swell.

If her grandma were here today, she would make the biggest fuss over someone like Kim Seokjin, pinching the cheeks that stood a foot above her head until they were blemished and rosy.

Snickering at the mental image of a bashful Jin batting away Hahm Sook's wrinkly hands, Yunhee picked up the small towel and plodded down the stairs while squeezing excess water from her hair. She was halfway across the living room when she lost her equilibrium and almost staggered into the wall.

'Holy shit,' Yunhee gasped, unable to believe it was happening again as she clutched the sofa for support.

Just like the day at the library, her surroundings became disjointed, shifting in colour and cadence as the space around her obscured like an oasis on a desert horizon. This time, though, she embraced it, elation swimming through her body as she whipped her head towards the flurry of commotion by the entrance.

The front door swung open, and Yunhee dropped the towel in shock, unable to form words when the man she missed more than the arctic missed ice walked right through it.

Jimin looked incredible. His skin glistening with sweat and his biceps bulging under a black t-shirt as he carried an armful of wood into the house and dumped it at his feet. He was frazzled, his face crimson, his thick hair dishevelled and sporting dark roots as he ran his fingers through it and kicked the long planks with an outraged huff.

Yunhee wanted to believe that he'd finally made it home, but...

'Don't you get it, Joonie?' Jimin snapped at his dimpled friend who stormed into the house behind him. 'It's not worth the risk!'

'Life is full of risks, mate,' Namjoon countered as he contributed to the heap of timber obstructing the hallway, 'and if you don't start taking them, you're never going to find a way back to Yunhee!'

As if someone had injected a shot of adrenaline into her system, Yunhee lunged in their direction, but her sudden movement alerted Jimin to her presence, and in a flash, his gun was out and aimed at her head.

'Jimin!' Yunhee howled, ignoring the firearm as she tripped over the wet towel in her haste to reach him.

The blood drained from Jimin's face when their eyes locked, the weapon sliding from his fingers and clanking on the ground as he took a step in her direction.

'Little Legs...'

The scent of his aftershave drifted under her nose, the pads of his fingertips eagerly grasping her sleeve in a bid to tug her into his world, but once again, the vision of the man she loved began to dissipate, and Jimin's body dispersed before she had the chance to fall into his embrace.

'No!' Yunhee wailed as a sweaty Jin crashed through the door in Jimin's stead. 'No, no, no! Come back!'

'I am back!' Jin bellowed while kicking off his trainers and trying to catch his breath. 'I'm starving after that run. Have you eaten? I'll go wash up and then make breakfast. Pancakes sound good?'

'I...' Yunhee's lashes fluttered as her enormous pupils darted around the room.

'Yunhee?' Jin asked cautiously, thrusting his hair from his dripping forehead as he walked into her line of sight. 'Are you okay?'

'I...I saw him,' Yunhee eventually managed to stutter as Jin's strong hands clasped her shoulders. 'He was here! At the beach house! He's at the beach house, Jin!'

Jin tensed up, drawing her closer as his astute eyes did a speedy sweep of the living room. 'Who did you see? Taehyung? Hoseok? Do you have the gun? Give me the gu-'

'No,' Yunhee whispered, an excited titter departing her mouth as she stepped out of his embrace and lowered herself onto the sofa. 'I saw Jimin again. He was with Joonie, carrying what looked like wood into the house. They were bickering like kids, and Jimin looked so flustered and frustrated, but he was gorgeous and-'

'Wait. Jimin's here?' Jin caterwauled animatedly as his syrup-coloured irises swept over what little furniture they had.

'No, not here, here. I think...' Yunhee tapped her mouth contemplatively as she tried to contain her joy. 'I think it was another vision of them in the parallel universe. Just like the one I had at the library; you remember?'

'No way...' Jin was awestruck, his plump lips opening and closing like a goldfish as he played with the sweatband on his head. After a few seconds of staring off into netherspace, he twitched back to life and quickly kneeled at Yunhee's feet. 'Did Joon see you?'

'I don't think so.'

'But Jimin did?'

'Yes.'

'That's good!' Jin urged, squeezing her upper arms as they grinned at each other. 'This confirms that it occurs when you're both-'

'In the exact same place!' Yunhee squalled, bouncing in her seat at the prospect of seeing him again soon. Anything was possible when it came to the two of them, and that thought alone left a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. 'Do you think it means something?'

'Yes, I do,' Jin smiled amiably as he cupped her cheek, 'I don't believe it's your way home. They're purely visions, like a window into the other world that only the two of you can see through. I do believe that this is all happening for a reason, though. Think about it; the café, the kidnap, falling through that vortex. You keep getting thrown together. Even two worlds apart, you're connected.'

Yunhee felt hot tears sting the back of her eyes as Jin expressed everything she felt and believed. He was right about the stone; it had everything to do with their fate, and she couldn't help but think that it was working in their favour, trying to unite two souls who'd died in another time and place.

'I think it has something to do with the stone,' Yunhee said as she erased her tears with the heel of her hand. 'Oh, and based on what I just saw, Jimin is trying to open the vortex, too! He wants to come home, Jin.'

'And he will,' Jin encouraged as he wiped her freckled cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. 'Jimin doesn't know how to quit.'

Yunhee nodded, feeling so good about her latest experience that she yanked him into a tight hug.

'Thank you, Jin. I'll make the pancakes,' she mumbled into his neck, 'you go take a shower-'

'Um, no,' Jin cringed as he detangled himself from her arms, 'I got this. Just...go and dry your hair before you catch a cold.'

'Point taken.'

*

'I still say we should apply heat directly to the stone.'

'And I still say no.'

'Come on, Jimin,' Namjoon sighed, shaking his head as his pissed off friend slammed the driver's door and marched to the rear of the car, 'any man with half a brain knows that fire can't destroy stone.'

With a sarcastic laugh, Jimin wrenched the trunk open and began to unload planks of unused wood.

'And any man with half a brain could argue that stones don't create vortexes, yet here we are. We're not dealing with any ordinary piece of rock here, Joonie. If we damage that thing, I'm royally screwed.'

Jimin avoided the blistering gaze of Namjoon as he stacked his arms with as much timber as possible and trundled towards the beach house. He was not in a particularly befitting mood this morning, not after getting up at the crack of dawn to endure yet another warehouse debacle.

They'd succeeded in building their bonfire, a blaze that had produced enough heat to spark the vortex to life and create a reasonably sized bubble of brightness. The new achievement was thrilling, so much so that Jimin had accidentally fallen into the moat, and Namjoon had almost tumbled tragically into the fire.

Unfortunately, the source of light radiating from the pillar was not sufficient enough, and no matter how hard he tried, Jimin could not pass through the portal because it was only partially open. On top of that, Namjoon would not get off his case about using the stone post as a witches' stake.

'As if,' Jimin muttered to himself while struggling to grasp the door handle. He cursed when he dropped a heavy plank on his foot, his brow perspiring and his cheeks flaming when he kicked the entrance open. 'For fuck's sake- Joon! Will you hurry up and give me a hand!'

'We could just leave all this gear outside. It's not forecast rain until Friday,' Namjoon argued petulantly as he appeared at his side and pushed the door open. 'And I still don't see why we can't build a bonfire around the stone.'

Jimin rolled his eyes, shimmying sideways into the hallway as his friend picked up the fallen timber.

'The vortex is either going to be big enough to pass through, or it isn't,' Namjoon continued from the porch as Jimin's muscles swelled under the substantial weight. 'There's no in between, Jimin. Applying heat, a metre away, is not going to cut it, so let's just bite the bullet and use the stone as a central point!'

Jimin chucked the hefty load to the floor, dragged his fingers through his hair, and then booted the wooden beams to make himself feel better.

'Don't you get it, Joonie?' he barked as his friend waltzed inside with the single plank. 'It's not worth the risk!'

'Life is full of risks, mate,' he refuted while throwing the wood down irritably, 'and if you don't start taking them, you're never going to find a way back to Yunhee!'

Jimin had several highly offensive words ready to sling at Namjoon, but a movement over by the sofa caught his attention. Instinctively, he drew his Glock, his heart skipping a beat when a ghostly shape lurched in their direction.

The figure, at first glance, was too abstruse to make out, but as the blurred edges of the silhouette fused into the outline of a woman, Jimin's heart skipped three beats.

'Jimin!' The voice was female, so familiar that it felt like a breath of fresh air on a summer's day.

The gun slid from Jimin's hand when her prominent features took shape, features he'd recognise anywhere, along with the mane of wet, fly-away hair swaying around her lovely face.

'Little Legs...' Jimin wheezed, reaching out to her as she rushed towards him.

Desperation devoured him, his trembling fingers gripping Yunhee's sleeve to jerk her into his arms on the assumption that she could disappear any second. To Jimin's mortification, she did, the world that he did not belong in crumbling to pieces as the heavenly vision he'd longed to see faded right before his eyes.

It wasn't losing Yunhee again that made Jimin fight for air and grab the sofa to stop himself from falling. It was the sight of her crestfallen gaze right before she vanished.

He couldn't bear it.

'You know, my legs are a damn sight longer than yours,' Namjoon scoffed, blissfully unaware of the ephemeral meeting that had just taken place in the living room. 'And what the hell's up with you now? I thought you were strong. Next time, I'll carry the wood-'

'I saw Yunhee,' Jimin panted, straightening up to swiftly scan the room in case she'd miraculously reappeared. 'She was right here, Joonie.'

'What?' Namjoon hollered. 'Again? Like in the library?'

'Yes, exactly like in the library,' Jimin confirmed, moving carefully to sit on the couch before his shaky legs gave out, 'but now she's at the beach house.'

Namjoon stood as still as a statue, blinking rapidly at his stunned friend before he pulled himself together and came to sit next to him. 'Did you see anyone with her?'

Jimin shook his head. 'No.'

'You think she'd be daft enough to go there alone?'

Jimin frowned as he thought about it, still feeling a little dazed. 'I bloody well hope not. Yunhee is smart, but she can also be pretty-'

'Rash?' Namjoon chortled.

'Yes, which tends to lead to her being as daft as a brush,' Jimin smiled, although he felt uneasy thinking about her being out on Jebu-ri Island without protection.

Taehyung and Hoseok were in his universe now, and Yunhee being in a location that was on their radar left an anxious feeling in his stomach. Surely, she wasn't stupid enough to go there alone. Why wasn't she at home in the city? Was someone staying with her?

Jimin groaned and smoothed his hands over his face as he leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees.

Yunhee had suggested the beach house when they fled Daechi. They'd holed up in her grandma's home and used it as a safe house. But the building was more than a refuge to him because they'd shared so much together under this roof and on this beach.

The memories were precious. As was every chime of laughter, every touch, and every kiss.

The idea of Yunhee bringing Tae to the very same place made him feel sick to the bone. Had they holidayed here during their relationship?

'Hey, Jimin?' Namjoon chopped into his thoughts with a hard jab to his healing ribs. 'Snap out of it. Yunhee would never be so heartless. If she is with anyone, it won't be Tae. This is your place now. It holds your time, your moments, your memories.'

'Can you like, get out of my head for one fucking second, please?' Jimin chuckled as he kneaded his tired eyes and flopped back on the sofa.

Pushing the green-eyed monster to one side, he focused instead on the present danger Yunhee may have been in.

'I've no idea what's going on over there. I've no idea what Taehyung and Hoseok are up to, but they're looking for her. She looked relatively well when I saw her just now, but that's not to say she's out of the woods.'

'At least we know they haven't found her yet,' Namjoon assured. 'Yunhee's safe for now, which is a pleasant relief.'

'It is,' Jimin exhaled as Namjoon crashed back against the cushions, 'thank God.'

They fell into an abyss of silence, staring at the speckled wallpaper while lost in a hubbub of jaded thoughts and questions. That was until Namjoon twisted his neck to stare intently at him.

'What?' Jimin mumbled, not taking his eyes off the living room wall.

'Well, it appears that you and Yunhee have these visions when you're in the exact same place,' Namjoon said rather energetically as he sat up and swivelled around. 'Don't you see? You guys are like Romeo and Juliet or something! Or Mark Antony and Cleopatra! Tristan and Iseult-'

'Didn't they all die in the end?' Jimin's brow furrowed as he turned to face him.

'Well, yes, but I bet you my peachy arse that none of them fell through a vortex or shared their doppelgänger's memories from another life. Not only that, you - Park Jimin - are seeing visions of the woman you love. A woman who's so far away right now my brain might explode. This is not coincidental stuff! This shit's written in the stars.'

Jimin found himself sniggering at the absurdity of his fateful situation. If anyone had reeled off a speech like that to him a month ago, he'd have threatened to shoot them. But there was a truth to Namjoon's words that left him awash with contentment.

He was mad for Hahm Yunhee. He'd been mad for her from the get-go and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd loved her before they'd even met.

Seeing her fleetingly made him miss her all the more, and he yearned for another glimpse into her world. He wanted to talk to her next time, to ask her if she was okay. He wanted to tell her that he was doing everything he could to come home.

He wanted to see her smile at him so he could sleep that bit easier.

'You're back!'

Jimin and Namjoon jumped out of their stupor and pivoted on the couch to find a relieved Mee scurrying through the patio door. Before either of them could greet her, she took a pew on the arm of the sofa and looked back and forth between them with hopeful eyes.

'How did you get on with the portal? Did you get any further?'

'Aside from learning how to set up a Bonfire Night display, no.'

'That's not true,' Jimin whacked Namjoon's arm in protest. 'The portal opened-'

'But it wasn't big enough for Jimin to squeeze his huge head through.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Mee uttered sullenly as she tucked a piece of stray red hair behind her ear. 'I...I don't suppose you've heard from Jinnie yet, have you?'

Namjoon gnawed on his bottom lip, and Jimin rubbed his neck as they shared an awkward glance.

'Nothing yet,' Jimin took the lead, not wanting to scare her with their dreadful supposition of Jin's whereabouts.

'He's left notes before,' Namjoon added. 'Jinnie's one of the most spontaneous guys I know. He'll disappear for days on end and have us all worried sick, then suddenly turn up out of the blue. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he came bounding through the door any minute with a brand-new hair colour.'

'You guys don't have to lie to me anymore,' Mee said with a saddened face. 'I know something's wrong. I know that Taehyung-'

'Mee,' Jimin sighed, shuffling closer to take her shaking hand, 'I'm sorry. We want to find him. We will-'

'But you also need to go home, I understand,' Mee sniffed. 'I'm not mad at you. Either of you. You guys have been so good to me. I don't want to be a burden while you try and open the vortex, but could...could I stay a while longer? I'm not ready to go home. Not without Jinnie.'

Jimin's face screwed up as he peeped at a sombre Namjoon. Neither of them had forgotten about Jin for a single moment, but sitting here now, seeing the morose look upon Mee's face that resembled his own when he thought of Yunhee, made him not only sympathetic, but feel like a piece of shit.

'You can stay here as long as you need,' Namjoon consoled as he rose to his feet. 'We need to start looking for Jinnie, and when we do, we're going to need your help. In the meantime, I'm making coffee. Who's in?'

Jimin raised his hand in the air as Mee sprang from the couch arm. 'I'll make it.'

The cherry-haired woman disappeared into the kitchen while Jimin lowered his hand and Namjoon slumped back into his seat. 'Ugh, it's not even ten, and I'm already dead on my feet.'

'Let's just chill today,' Jimin murmured.

Namjoon was right; the day had barely begun, and he already felt like he'd run a marathon, not to mention the psychological impact of seeing Yunhee.

Jimin didn't realise he was staring at The Law of Attraction book on the coffee table. He hadn't even realised that he'd picked it up and started to skim through it, not until Namjoon leaned over to take a peek.

'Ah, the belief that positive thoughts are magnets for positive life experiences. It's a cool topic, and even cooler that you decided to keep hold of it.'

Jimin's fingers paused over the pages, his head slowly turning to find Namjoon's face grinning inches from his. 'What?'

'The law of attraction, dumb ass,' he rolled his eyes before lying back and linking his fingers behind his head. 'It's perfectly apt for you and Yunhee. The universe is definitely playing its part.'

The piquant scent of coffee wafted into the living room as Namjoon closed his eyes, but Jimin remained upright, staring at the meaningful book in his hands.

He still couldn't believe that he'd seen Yunhee again. Perhaps the universe was playing its part in trying to unite them. Perhaps the universe had gone so far as to place the stone in the warehouse. It backed up his theory on there being something much bigger at play.

Still, even if he could manifest everything he desired with positive thinking, there was a lot of work to be done. Besides opening the vortex, they had to locate Jin, and Jimin was still curious to learn what was inside the briefcase Taehyung and Hoseok were carrying.

For now, though, he was going to drink coffee and try to relax, content in the knowledge that Yunhee was safe and well.

Jimin smiled like an idiot. They were connected.

They'd find each other again.

***

HAPPY NEW YEAR (AGAIN)!

So, another vision, ey? ;-)

6th January 2021