Tangled Realities (Ot7xreader)

Chapter 38

Jimin sighed, rubbing his temples. "I think my brain is melting…"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL HUNGOVER," Jin snapped. "Now all three of you—drink water, eat, and if you ever pull something like this again—"

"You'll kill us?" You guessed.

Jin smiled sweetly. "No, worse. I’ll let Namjoon lecture you for three hours straight."

Jungkook immediately sat up. "We promise we won’t do it again."

"Yeah, lesson learned," Jimin muttered.

"Not worth the suffering," you added.

Jin nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, all of you— go shower, and then come for food!"

As the others finally left the room, you glanced at Jungkook. "…So, did the bartender actually text you?"

Jungkook sighed dramatically. "No. And that’s the real tragedy here."

---

After dragging your exhausted, slightly hungover self upstairs, you locked the bathroom door and let out a long, deep sigh.

The moment the warm water hit your skin, everything from the last 24 hours started replaying in your head—sneaking out, getting wasted, Jungkook’s tragic bartender rejection, Jimin half-dragging you home, and then… the email.

Your heart clenched as you rested your forehead against the cool tiles.

This was supposed to be exciting, right? A top animation studio in Japan wanted you. It was the kind of opportunity most people only dreamed of.

But instead of celebrating, you felt like you had just set a ticking time bomb under your own feet.

Because the reality was—if you took this job, you’d have to leave.

Leave them.

The thought alone made your stomach twist.

You weren’t even sure why you were feeling this guilty about it. It wasn’t like they were holding you captive. Hell, they would probably tell you to go chase your dreams, but… what if they were hurt? What if things changed?

You sighed, rinsing the last bit of shampoo from your hair. "I’ll think about it later. One crisis at a time."

After throwing on some comfortable clothes, you flopped onto your bed, grabbing your phone.

[1 New Message from: Jinnie]

Jinnie: Come downstairs for food. Now. Before I throw your ass over my shoulder and drag you here myself.

You snorted, shaking your head. Typical Jin.

Dragging yourself up, you took one last deep breath, deciding to push your swirling thoughts aside for now. It’s just dinner. Act normal.

Except… the moment you stepped into the dining room, something felt off.

Everyone was already seated when you walked in, but instead of the usual playful bickering or Jungkook inhaling his food like it was his last meal, the room was silent.

Even dead silent.

Your eyes narrowed. Jin and Namjoon exchanged a look. Taehyung raised a brow slightly, like he knew something you didn’t.

Jimin and Jungkook—who had been your partners-in-crime last night—weren’t making eye contact.

Your suspicion grew. Something was definitely up.

Sliding into your seat, you grabbed your chopsticks. "Why do you all look like you're planning an intervention?" you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Namjoon smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Eat first."

Your stomach twisted. Yeah, this was definitely not just about the sneaking out.

You began eating cautiously, but the tension in the air only thickened. Jimin and Jungkook weren’t touching their food much, which was already a bad sign.

Then, in the middle of the meal, Hoseok coughed lightly.

You glanced up, and he was staring right at you.

Without a word, he reached for his iPad, turned it towards you, and slid it across the table.

Confused, you didn’t look at the screen immediately.

Instead, you chuckled nervously. "Hobi, what about the no gadgets policy while eating?"

He didn’t smile. "Look at the screen, baby."

Something in his tone made your stomach drop.

Still hesitant, you finally glanced down—

And your heart stopped.

There it was. The email.

Your blood ran cold.

Oh, shit.

Caught.