CODE : SURVIVAL (BTS X READER)

Chapter Eleven: Fragment Of Regret

“You said you’d always be there.”

Y/n lifted her head. Her sister was standing now—only not really. Eyes hollow. Voice cold. Just like the dream that haunted her for years.

“Why did you survive, Unnie?”

“Why didn’t you save me?”

Y/n stumbled back, gasping. “I was just a kid—I didn’t know— I tried to—”

A shudder ran through her as the whispers returned, seeping into her mind like poison. "You can't save them. No matter what you do, they will die. You will fail. Just like before."

Y/n clenched her fists, forcing air into her lungs. No. No, this wasn’t real. She refused to let the game dictate her mind. She had to snap out of it. She had to get them out of here before it was too late.

But how? And more importantly—what if the game was right?

As the illusions deepened, the nightmare world wrapped tighter around each of them. The suffocating weight of despair and fear thickened, their minds sinking further into their worst memories and twisted realities.

Y/n, breathing heavily, forced herself to focus. She had broken free, but the others were still trapped. Their expressions were vacant, their bodies trembling, lost in the horrors unfolding before them. Her heart pounded as she moved toward them, determined to bring them back before it was too late.

She turned and saw the remaining three—Jungkook, Yoongi, and Namjoon—each drowning in their own torment. Jungkook was gasping for air, his eyes darting around in sheer panic, hands outstretched as if trying to grasp something just out of reach. His mouth formed silent words, his expression a desperate mix of confusion and terror. It was like he was chasing a ghost, something or someone slipping through his fingers over and over again.

Yoongi, on the other hand, was still. Too still. He sat on his knees, staring at his hands, his expression blank, yet his trembling fingers told another story. He looked… defeated. Like the weight of everything had finally crushed him, and he had given up trying to resist it. The sight sent chills down Y/n’s spine. This wasn’t the unshakable Yoongi she knew—this was someone who had lost all will to fight.

Namjoon was gripping his head, shaking it violently, mumbling under his breath. “No… no, that’s not—” His voice cracked as if the nightmare was forcing him to relive something unbearable. His knuckles were white from how tightly he clenched his fists, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Whatever he was seeing was something that broke even him.

Y/n clenched her fists. She had to act fast.

“Guys!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the eerie stillness. No reaction. Her stomach clenched. She had to go further. If shouting wouldn’t work, she’d have to snap them out of it another way.

She grabbed Jimin’s shoulders, shaking him. “Jimin, wake up! It’s not real!” His body stiffened under her touch, his breath hitching. She could see it—the hesitation, the flicker of doubt in his expression. It was working.

One by one, she moved, pushing, calling, shaking, anything to jolt them back to reality. The illusions fought back, trying to drown her voice under layers of despair, but she refused to let go. She was the only one who knew this was all fake—she had to make them see it too.

With every second that passed, the nightmares threatened to consume them completely. Y/n clenched her fists. She wouldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t.

Y/n took a deep breath, her mind racing as she pieced together the reality of their situation. The illusions had consumed them completely, twisting their deepest fears into something inescapable. She had already managed to break free, but the others… they were still trapped. If she didn’t do something soon, they might never wake up.