Jimin was no longer by my side. The others had disappeared, but the very thing I was trying to escape stood only an arm's length in front of me. Shock threw me into a frozen state and while I remained shackled by terror, my wide eyes took note of all that was before me.

I was still in the theatre. Still in the worn and tattered seat. The lights were still dim and flickering, their glow swaying on the walls. The space was still filled with an eerie emptiness that only abandonment could bring. The difference was the being who refused to leave me alone. 

His cloak was black as the deepest ink with length enough for the bottom to kiss the ground. Gold trimmed the edges of his sleeves, setting his leather gloves apart. I searched desperately for a face, even just one discernable feature, but the large hood of the cloak hung low enough to cover his eyes and what was left untouched by the hood was veiled instead by the darkest shadows. He was like night itself: mysterious, threatening, and elusive.

The chains of fear that kept me bound snapped apart as he stepped forward, reaching a hand out to me. As if being led by puppet strings, my arm lifted and my palm was placed in his, the leather cold against my skin. Wordlessly, he helped me stand. The dominant aura emanating from him made it feel like he towered above me, though in truth, his frame was not as large as I would've guessed.

I hadn't been able to summon my voice in the minute that had passed, but when he stayed quiet and tilted his head to the side like he anticipated something from me, words finally fell from my lips.

"What do you want from me? Why won't you leave me alone?" Though my voice wavered slightly, I did not sound nearly as frightened as I truly was. At my words, he released my hand, and I could sense his sights lock in on me despite not seeing his eyes.

"I hate being so close to you yet not being able to express my true feelings," he said in that distorted, unrecognizable voice. "I thought I would have to wait until later tonight to visit you, but you made it so easy by falling asleep." He chuckled ominously, "Lucky me."

I realized then that if the man before me was real, if he truly was the one who sent me the letters and he knew I fell asleep, it meant he had to be one of the five that were with me in the opera house. Hoseok and Seokjin had left so there was, presumably, no way for either of them to know that I fell asleep.

Only inches away from him still, I stood my ground. If this was a dream, he posed no real threat to me. I had to act despite my fear and take the chance to learn more. So I asked him, "Why don't you reveal yourself? If you truly care about me, why hide your identity?"

His body remained unmoving and time ticked by with the rapid beating of my heart. While all I could feel was the rise and fall of my own chest, it appeared as though he wasn't even breathing. Finally, he responded.

"There are... complications. Besides, I'm waiting until you are ready."

His answer did not sit well with me, but I'd known from the start that it likely wouldn't. I tried another question, "Who am I to you? You usually speak as if you know me."

"Now there's a question I'd love to answer. The problem is that you wouldn't remember even if I told you." The melancholy shift in his tone did nothing to earn him my sympathy.

"Remember what?"

"Our history. You didn't think I would go through all of this trouble over a woman I barely know, did you?"

My breath shallowed as I searched the library of my memories in desperation, glancing over a hundred shelves and flipping through a thousand pages of different scenes but none aiding me in remembering who he could possibly be. What would have made my memories of him go missing?

"Why are you so sure I won't remember?" I questioned breathlessly, and I could almost feel the upward slant of his mouth.

"Our time together was taken from you, and I can't force you to remember. It has to be of your own will." The way he spoke made it clear that the smile I imagined him to wear was a bitter one.

"My will? Don't you think if it was as simple as me wanting to remember, I would have by now?" I found myself speaking my mind more freely than I would've if not in a dream.

"Perhaps you'll remember when you learn that my intention is not to harm you."

"What are your true intentions if you're not trying to hurt me?"

My blood pulsed harder and I gasped as he abruptly tugged on my hand, pulling me forward until my chest collided with his. Warmth radiated from his body onto mine, though somehow he still was colder than ice.

"I hide because I have no other choice. Not until you learn to trust me. And my intention, dear rose, is to make you mine." His whisper held a slight growl within it and the sound crept from my ear, along my neck, over my shoulder, and down my spine. Chills ripped through me and my body involuntarily shuddered as his second hand pressed against the small of my back, bringing me further into him.

"I will never be yours," I spat, pushing against his chest with enough force to send him stumbling a few steps back.

Even his laughter was distorted and I wondered if he was able to alter every last detail of my own dream. What he was doing was beyond invading my privacy - not that I expected anything less. He dug his way into the deepest recesses of my mind, ensuring that I knew there was not a single place where he could not reach me.

"I'm afraid you and I are destined, Jangmi. Written in the stars."

"The stars don't determine my fate," I countered.

"We'll see." He paused, letting out a small sigh. "I'd love to spend more time with you, but it does take a lot out of me to come here. Please do try to remember who I am to you, Jangmi," he said almost softly. "Until we meet again."

Then with a single blink, he was gone.

I was back in the seat I'd dozed off in, straightening up with a sudden jolt and a sharp inhale. Jimin jumped beside me, instantly reaching for my shoulders in a comforting manner. Jungkook was on my other side and he swiftly sat up, observing me with concern and placing a warm hand on my forearm.

"Woah, hey, are you okay?" he asked. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut in a futile attempt to rid the image of the hood from the back of my eyelids.

"What's wrong?" Jimin asked softly as he began to rub circles over my back.

"Just a nightmare," I answered, to which his face fell in sympathy.

"Another one?"

His words put a skip in the rhythm of my heart. If the one behind all of this was in the room with us, he'd know that I had mentioned my nightmares to Jimin. I feared what he might do to anyone who he thought could get in his way. Regret crept up like nausea in my throat. I never should've told Jimin anything. As much as I needed his help, no comfort was worth risking his safety.

"What do you mean, 'another one'?" Yoongi questioned soberly as he, Taehyung, and Namjoon moved to stand around me. I avoided their eyes, hating how all attention was on me.

"Do you have nightmares often?" Namjoon asked, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

"No," I answered firmly. I had the inescapable feeling that the hooded man was listening to every response I gave, waiting to see if I would defy his order to not share our encounters with anyone.

"I'm sorry to see you like this," Jungkook said quietly and I turned to look at him, our faces quite close. He was already staring at me and I found a sincere sadness in his chocolate orbs. My chest warmed, but I wasn't sure if the reaction was something I welcomed or not.

"I'm okay," I assured, "It was nothing."

He nodded, and the rest seemed at a loss of what to do or say next. Finally, the man with raven-colored curls spoke up.

"I think we should call it a night."

Taehyung's suggestion was agreed upon by everyone, and after turning off Jin's speaker, we were cautious to scale the ladder one by one, mindful of the newly missing bar. Yoongi shut the lights off as the rest of us made our way back to the hall, then he locked the door behind us. I still was confused as to how he'd gotten his hands on the key, but was unsure how to go about asking him.

As we exited through the main doors of the building, Namjoon and Yoongi bid the rest of us goodnight before heading off to their dorm. The younger three stayed behind with me.

I began walking, hardly sparing them a glance. "I'm assuming you three want to walk me home like last time, so let's get going."

"Jangmi."

I faltered. It was not one of the three that had called out to me. Turning slowly toward the gentle, low sound, I watched as Hoseok came forward from the wall beside the door. The steps he took were slow - almost cautious. His black boots were the first to come out from the faint shadow of the building until his entire body was better illuminated. His golden-honey eyes and the red hues in the waves of his hair shined under the yellow moonlight. He was a vision, captivating me like no other.

"Hoseok?"

"I was hoping we could talk," he said carefully, never once paying heed to our three spectators.

"It's late. She needs to get to her room." Taehyung continued surprising me that night with his odd hints of care. I glanced in their direction, noticing that Jimin and Jungkook also seemed confused. I knew I would have to more closely consider his behavior once I was alone, but until then, I had more urgent matters to address.

"I'll walk her to her room," Hoseok replied to him, only briefly glancing his way before his eyes returned to me.

What surprised me even more than Taehyung's actions was the absence of Jimin's protesting. I was sure he was going to argue against me staying behind with Hoseok, but he never opened his mouth. Though concern was etched onto his features, he remained quiet.

"Jangmi, it's your choice," Jungkook said.

"You can go on ahead," I decided.

Jimin looked between Hoseok and me. "Text me when you get back to your room so I know you're safe."

Then the three of them walked off and I was left alone with the dancer of the night. I remembered our recent interaction, how beautifully he had moved despite me only seeing the back of his form. The shadows had veiled him and it was only his outline that I could see, yet it had still been enough to keep me fully entranced. Then I gained enough sense to warn him, and I could still hear his voice as he thanked me.

Has he been waiting out here to talk to me since then?

"Why?" He spoke before I could, his question filling the air between us and pulling it tight, "Why did you warn me?"

"Why shouldn't I have? You wouldn't have gone through the trouble of dancing in that place unless you didn't want to be seen."

He stepped nearer. "But why does it matter to you if they had seen me or not?"

The air tightened even more, like a shared rope between us that slowly pulled us together.

I shook my head, unable to think clearly as I recalled the heated touch of his hand on my cheek. "I don't know what you assume of people, but not everyone is heartless. I trust that you have your reasons for wanting to hide your dancing. I wanted to help you protect that," I said quietly.

He observed me with precision, eyes drifting over my features as if he still couldn't comprehend my actions. I was the one to step closer that time, and suddenly there were only a couple of feet between us.

"I still don't understand, but I'm grateful," he said sincerely.

A small smile made its way to my face, and it was one of the very few that felt genuine since I'd arrived. His gaze seemed to brighten ever so slightly at my reaction, and I longed to know if his lips were mirroring the same shape as mine.

"I'm sorry for watching you. I didn't see much," I assured him.

I could hear his faint laugh, then he brushed his hair back, revealing more of his forehead. My cheeks grew warm at the sight.

"I thought I would never be okay with another soul watching me dance again..." he trailed off for a moment as if thinking his next words over. He held my gaze with intensity. "I realize now that I was wrong."

My cheeks were burning then, and I failed to understand why his simple words had such an effect on me. Was it what he said or the fact that it was coming from him?

I wanted to tell him that despite only seeing the silhouette of his back against the darkness, his dance was still undeniably beautiful. But I didn't want to cross any more boundaries that night for fear of it being too much for him. My suspicion of him continued to dull, but I still wanted to tread carefully until I could decide if he was fully trustworthy or not.

"I should get back. We have our practice tomorrow morning, right?" I asked.

He nodded. "First thing. Will you let me walk with you?"

It was my turn to nod, then he accompanied me across the still campus. The faint sound of chirping crickets filled the silence as we walked, and the lack of conversation was not awkward as I expected it would be. The two of us seemed fine with the temporary quiet. I noticed that while he had always made me tense before, I was suddenly less nervous around him. I knew I had sensed some sort of shift after I'd warned him. I just hadn't expected it to be significant enough that I would feel comfortable - safe, even - with him beside me, alone in the dead of night. I wasn't granting all of my trust to him, but I couldn't deny the new feeling his presence brought me.

"Thanks for walking me back," I said as we reached the entrance of the building. I stopped and turned to face him. His eyes found mine instantly and were swarming with gratitude.

"It's the least I could do after what you did for me tonight."

"Is that why you're suddenly being nicer to me?" I questioned. Though, as I kept thinking about it, I realized that he'd shown a gentler side of himself to me even before I'd helped him.

He laughed and the pleasantness of the sound surprised me. "You're speaking too soon. I won't be so nice to you during our lesson." His mask lifted slightly with his cheekbones and his eyes squinted, letting me know that he was smiling - or was it something else?

"Are you smiling?" I asked before I could catch myself. He stayed quiet for a minute, then he turned and called over his shoulder as he left.

"See you tomorrow, Sunshine. Don't be late."

• • •

A/N: Hey beautiful readers,
I hope you enjoyed this update! I'm hoping you guys liked all of the hints that were packed into this one, as well as the extra Hobi time!

So we know for sure now that the hooded man/writer has some sort of past with Jangmi, but she has forgotten it. Why do you think she can't remember? Are you looking forward to learning the details of their history together? And do you really think he won't bring her any harm?

And what do you think about the way Hoseok and Jangmi's relationship has started to shift? Do you think she can trust him or is she letting her guard down too much with him?

Looking forward to more time with them in the next chapter. I hope you are too!

Also, thank you for the well wishes. I've been a bit sick so it was difficult to get the update out as soon as I had planned, but I'm grateful that you all are so understanding and patient. It means so much that you continue to come back even when an update may take longer than usual.

I appreciate you all.

With love,

Hoseokiiss (Kat)

July 6, 2020