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"Jungkook?"

Jungkook jolts in his seat at the sudden noise, snapping out of his daze as he leans forward in his seat to cast an apologetic look towards his oldest hyung. Jin cocks his head in the direction of the therapist and mouths something that the younger doesn't understand. He gets the main message though, defiantly folding his arms across his chest, scowling as he returns his gaze to the small window situated in the corner of the room.

"How long has he been like this?"

Jungkook flicks his gaze to the therapist's face, his mood worsening upon laying eyes on the man's bald head and beady eyes, his always chapped lips pressed into a thin line of unnecessary concern. Jin scratches the back of his head and—reluctantly so—answers the question honestly, informing the bald bastard that while the maknae doesn't daydream often, he does have the tendency to go off into his own world. Jin concludes his answer by reminding the therapist that there's nothing wrong with spacing out every once in a while.

Jungkook rolls his eyes in annoyance. His hyung's answer was perfect in the sense that he made sure that the therapist wouldn't have anything to pick on, his head held high as the corners of his lips twitch up into a proud smile. No, Jungkook's annoyance is directed towards the tiny notepad that's currently held tightly in his therapist's grasp, his pen scribbling down useless notes at an alarming rate.

Jin frowns upon noticing this, not even bothering to switch his grim expression to one of kindness when the therapist finishes his notes and looks up at him. Jungkook glances down the row of his hyungs, finding it odd how they all fidget with their hands nervously yet look so relieved that the attention isn't on them. He finally manages to catch Jin's eye, shooting the older a look of disbelief when the therapist begins rattling off a list diagnoses that he fears Jungkook may have. Jin returns the look with one of his own, his almond shaped eyes widening slightly in the process, clearly not paying attention to a single word the guy says, mindlessly nodding every few seconds to prove otherwise.

As per their company's orders, the band were asked to see a therapist to make the idol life somewhat easier and less stressful for them. Sure, they protested the idea with promises that talking to one another would be therapy enough but reluctantly agreed to attend the weekly sessions and express their feelings towards a stranger with severe hair loss issues. They had hope that this could be good for them but it was diminished the minute he started rattling off a list of illness they all may have based on how they introduced themselves.

Long story short, these sessions are a complete waste of time.

Jungkook plays with the rip on his jeans to pass the time, sighing every few seconds. Jimin's hand finds the back of his neck sometime during his wait and massages it soothingly until it's time to leave, pulling Jungkook up by his jacket as the rest of the guys stand. Shuffling closer to his older brother, Jungkook shoots the man a grateful look, smiling in content when Jimin ruffles his hair affectionately, the strands falling to hang over his forehead.

He then angles his gaze towards the therapist as he stops them from leaving with a clear of his throat, meeting everyone's gaze except Jungkook's for he's sure the youngest of the seven is shooting daggers at him.

"There's this place that I've heard of," he starts, voice strangely optimistic as he offers the group a smile. "It's called the Magic Shop. Judging purely on what I've seen and heard during our lovely sessions, you young men seem like you could use the trip." His smile widens, the now creepy grin showing off his crooked teeth. Jungkook visibly gags, turning his face into Jimin's shoulder as he (im)patiently waits for someone to decline the offer.

"What do we have to do?"

Curse you, Kim Taehyung.

"Well, it's quite simple. All you have to do is show up to this address at five tomorrow with something that represents your biggest fear. The shopkeeper will then exchange it for something that will provide you with happiness. Trust me, it always works," he explains, satisfied when Taehyung nods meekly and shuffles back into the group, mouthing an apology towards Jungkook who has his mouth dropped open in mild disbelief.

Yoongi accepts the card from the therapist, giving it a quick glance before passing it over to Taehyung. The 23 year old takes his time reading over it before attempting to pass it over to Jungkook, not surprised to see the younger already staring at him with his face morphed into something stupid looking. Rolling his eyes, Taehyung thrusts the card out at Jungkook who reluctantly takes it and turns his attention to Jin, almost fearful of how agitated the older looks.

"Thanks for the offer but I don't think that this is necessary. We'll see you next week," Jin coldly declines, lowering his head with his lips pressed into a thin line, offering the man a respectful bow. Jungkook sends his thanks to Jin with a pat on the shoulder and as always, runs out the door before anyone else, desperate for the open space and fresh air the lobby provides.

That room is designed to make its occupants feel welcome and safe but for Jungkook, it's cramped and suffocating; every minute he spends in there torture.

So he relishes the time he has in the lobby, simply standing in the middle of it and taking deep breaths, his eyes closing to their own accord.

His eyes snap open at the sound of light chatter coming from the group of boys as they finally exit the office, looking about as drained as Jungkook feels. He skips over to them, attaching himself to Hoseok's side with a small smile as they speedily walk out of the building and towards their car, the topic of the Magic Shop awaiting its turn to be discussed.

Soon enough, the boys sit in the car, the events of the last hour or two clouding their thoughts. Jungkook bites his lips, hating everything about the heavy silence that makes itself home in between the seven boys. He begins to squirm restlessly, begging with his actions for someone to speak up and rid everyone of the soon to be suffocating hush.

Yoongi notices Jungkook's discomfort and sighs, clicking his tongue in annoyance to gain everyone's attention. "Are we actually going to go to this shit hole?"

Namjoon shrugs, looking sceptical as he further studies the flimsy card, silenced as he can't find a single thing to say about it. Jungkook watches as Yoongi shakes his head and throws himself back onto his seat, rolling his eyes as he continues to look out the window, not before sending Jungkook a well-I-tried look.

Jungkook frowns at this and leans forward, his chin resting on the very edge of Namjoon's shoulder. "I believe the answer to hyung's question is a very obvious no."

Jin turns his phone off with a sigh, the light chatter in the car once again returning to silence as they await the older's explanation of what happened over the phone. He offers them a light hearted smile, Jungkook's heart sinking.

"Manager said we have to go. Some shit about finding our true selves and becoming connected with each other."

Great. Just fucking great!

"Hyung,"Jungkook whines, batting his adorably large eyes at Jin, pouting his lips in attempt to convince his easily swayed hyung that they could be doing much better things than visiting some cheesy 'self-discovery' centre.

The older chuckles, ruffling his younger brother's hair affectionately, watching with a smile as Jungkook leans into his touch. "M'sorry, Kook. We all have to take part in this."

"But, I—"

"Who wants lunch?"

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hello, beauties! thank you for reading this book and i hope you enjoyed the first chapter! let me know in the comment what you're thinking!

shania