When the photoshoot is over, we separate to go our own way with warm smiles and goodbyes. I go straight to the gallery since I have to meet an artist and finalize some things with him before the exhibition. I had such a fun day that it's with a spring in my steps that I reach the building and enter the unlocked front door, which means someone is already here and turn on the lights of my office after closing the door behind me.

"Well, while I wait for him, I guess I'll take a look at the pictures" I whisper to myself as I take my camera and connect it to my laptop. I open the right folder and copy paste them on the computer so I can free up the space on the camera.

Before I can take a look at the first picture, I hear a knock on the door. I close my laptop and head to the door, opening it to see JB waiting with a smile. "Hey, am I too early? I was nearby and thought I could come right away". I motion for him to enter.

"It's fine, how have you been? Feeling nervous yet?" I ask with a grin and he gives one back before taking a seat in front of my desk. "A little nervous, yes. You know how personal it is to have people look at your work and hear their comments". I nod and put my laptop away to clear the space and then open a drawer to take his pictures and set them in front of him.

"It's been years and yet, it still amazes me how you manage to give life to pictures like that" he says, eyes shining as he looks at his work. I smile and take some papers on which I have a few propositions for how to place them on the wall. "Have you thought about a particular layout you would prefer? If not, I have some possibilities here that I made while thinking about the best way to spread your message" I say and he takes the papers, eying them carefully.

"They're really great. I honestly don't have any preferences, I think they can be placed randomly and it wouldn't matter". I prop my elbows on the table. "I'm going to disagree here. Even if you don't see it, there is definitely a meaning behind your work, they all have one. But if you think so, do you agree to let me take care of it?". He nods and puts the papers down. "You've always done a fantastic job, I don't see how this time would be any different. You always find a way to understand our work more than ourselves". I chuckle. "Thank you for your kind words, I'll make sure everything is ready soon then".

We stand up at the same time and head next door to where the exhibition will take place and we walk around. Most of the pictures are already in place even if I didn't find the time to come that much this week. The artists can come whenever they want to place and move their work around until satisfied so it goes according to what they envision. Of course, I make them sign contracts, there are also cameras, we don't want them to stealing or sabotaging.

"Oh yeah, I heard from Moonbin that you found your soulmates, I'm really happy for you" he exclaims and then takes me in his arms. I'm surprised by the sudden hug but then respond to it, throwing my arms around his back and we stay like that for a while. "Thank you, JB. They're really great, I couldn't have hoped for better soulmates". He pulls away and stares at me with proud eyes. "You deserve all the love in the world. They better take good care of you, or else they'll have to deal with us" he then adds and I laugh at that. "You don't have to worry".

We look around and see my empty space. He turns to me with curiosity. "Have you not taken pictures yet? You only have a few days left". I sigh. "I know. My soulmates actually volunteered to help this morning. I didn't take a deep look yet, but they seem promising".

He stares at his phone when we hear a ding and he walks towards the front door. "Well then I'll let you to it! I'll see you soon!" and he's gone. I sigh with a small laugh and head back to the office after smiling to an artist that just entered.

****

"How am I going to choose... they're all perfect" I growl as I scratch the back of my neck. They honestly have exceeded my expectations, not that I had doubts. But the way the light gave life to their shadows... the boys seemed to unconsciously be able to find the exact way to place their bodies so that it would hit the wall with grace. It was especially hard to choose without watching the pictures move. A part of the story was told only when alive and right now, it was still frozen.

"I know it was only yesterday that I felt like dying... literally... but I feel good right now, it would be fine, right?" I think to myself aloud, eyes gazing at the printed pictures in front of me. It was weird, how the terrifying memories weren't overwhelming me anymore. Having seen their memories and spending time with them seemed to have soothed my soul more than I thought possible.

"It should be fine" I finally mumble, taking the first one in my hands. "They even allowed me to feel them, so it'll help my soul". Since we couldn't see the guys in the pictures, what I was going to feel was their shadows. It was different, I had never tried that and I honestly didn't know what to expect. Where they going to have shadows of their thoughts also? Where they more alive than we thought? Excited, I close my eyes and connect my soul to the picture. I concentrate on the shadow as it starts dancing and then my thoughts become nonexistent.

More than thoughts, it's about feelings. Dancing freely but at the same time not controlling anything. My sole purpose to follow and repeat what I see. I don't feel alive, yet I am. I don't need to breathe, but I exhale with every moves, like it's the only thing keeping me alive and bringing me comfort. I close my eyes as I proceed to exist in the lighted darkness, appreciating the dance of my owner's soul.

I open my eyes and breathe in harshly, my blood pumping against my temples like my head is about to burst, like my body forgot to function. I feel dizzy and I have to close my eyes and let my head drop on my arms on the desk.

This could've ended badly. And as beautiful as it is, a fascinating experience, I decide against feeling it again, because if I keep going, I'll simply pass out. A shadow isn't human, it doesn't function like me. And while I become it, my body responds to my brain, so if the shadow doesn't need to breathe, my brain doesn't send the need to breathe.

The headache doesn't subside, but I decide to keep bringing alive the pictures since I'm really out of time. It's just forty pictures, then I can go home. The house will be empty so I don't have to worry about getting reprimanded, something Rocky, Eunwoo and MJ would have done until some senses are implanted into my brain. And let me tell you, that's hard to achieve.

Since my soul knows what to expect from the pictures, it doesn't feel like a loss anymore, the holes they create are filled with the existing memory that I could see. It goes quite fast and after staring at them all and comparing them, I put most of them away, keeping the fifteen winners close to my chest and heading to the exhibition room to try a few layouts, trying to make it so the pictures end up being one complete dance as the person watching walks past them. Like watching a show in front of your eyes, but on paper.

After a lot of frustrated sighs, my sight a blur from time to time, I finally manage to find the perfect layout and I give the wall in front of me a satisfied grin. I look out the window and realize that it's very dark.

"I've been here for that long?" I wonder and decide that it's time to go home. My body still needs to rest, heck, I'd need to sleep a whole week non stop. But I can't do that.

I exit the building and lock the doors behind me since I was the last one inside. The artists that need to come can always unlock it with the spare key that comes with their contract, so I'm not worried about having to come back every day for them. I look around me and look at the moon that's standing high in the sky. "I guess it's not surprising anymore, I always lose myself in my work" I sigh as I start walking. "Jin would beat me up if he knew I have overdone it today". I shiver at the thought of his scolding. Somehow, as sweet as he is, I always feel like he would be the scariest when angry.

I'm almost halfway home when my head starts throbbing heavily and I feel a breath on my neck.

I turn around to find bloodshot eyes staring down at me. My blood is pumping fast as I step back, but he just follows me, like he needs to be close to me. "Why have you been following me? Who are you? What do you want?" I whisper shout, voice shaking as the man just keeps staring at me, his moist breath hitting my face, my nose picking up on a rotten smell. Before I can run, he grips my hair and throws me on his shoulders. I shout and kick him, but it's like he doesn't feel anything. I hear doors lock, windows close. No one cares, it's easier to close your eyes than help.

I sob loudly, so much I can't breathe anymore. I'm scared. I look up to see that we're by the river. Why are we here? "You've been a bad girl. Bad bad girl. Bad. Very bad. Bad. Bad" the man mumbles over and over and I start panicking even more. Hitting him with all my strength, he throws me on the ground and crouches to pin me down by the shoulders, his knee on my stomach.

"Bad girls need to die. You need to die. I'm angry, sad. Very sad" he keeps mumbling and I stare at him, look at his his glossy red eyes, he doesn't even see me. His hands are shaking and the next second, I'm drowning. My head is pushed under water and I can't breathe anymore. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't-.

I gasp as I open my eyes, grabbing whatever is closest to me as I pant for air. My clothes feel heavy, drenched. My eyes are wide open, panicked and I look around me, trying to find the man. The man who tried to drown me. But the pair of eyes that I see are warm, worried, anxious, but warm as he peers at me, a hand rubbing on my back in soothing circles. My hands fist his clothes tightly, keeping him close to me as my whole body shakes.

"You're fine, take in deep slow breaths" he says, voice hardly controlled, a small shake to it. I force the air in my lungs, eyes holding onto his for dear life. He breathes in with me, guiding me through the step, watching over me as my body settles and calms down. "That's right, just like that, good girl" he whispers and I tear up, the words still ringing in my ears like it was real. Bad girl. Bad bad girl. "Stay with me, focus on me" he whispers, bringing me back from the memories.

We stay like that for what feels like hours. And when I look down, I realize that I'm sat on the ground, clothes wet from the apparent rain that fell today, soft cotton absorbing the water from the grass like a sponge.

"Yoongi" I mumble, eyes going back to his face. "Why are you here?" I ask, confused but thankful, his presence a miracle. I don't know what would've happened to me had he not been there next to me. His eyes stare at me, like he's trying to decide for himself whether I'm fine or not.

"I was following you. Jimin said you went to the gallery so I stayed nearby until you left, I didn't want you walking home alone, especially when the moon came out and you were still inside" he starts, voice soft as he starts explaining. "When I saw you leave, at first I just wanted to walk you home from a distance, I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable because of me, but eventually I stepped closer to talk to you, feeling like hiding was somehow a bad idea". His eyes are looking for hints of anger or disgust, but when I give him a small smile, relief is apparent on his face as he keep going.

"When I was behind you, you let out a pained growl and then you suddenly freaked out and started having a panic attack. Did... was it a memory? Is this what happened?" he asks hesitantly, trying to understand what just happened. He bits his lower lip, his eyebrows furrowed unknowingly, probably feeling a little scared because this is unknown territory to him.

I look down and run a hand in my hair. When I look up to him again, it's with a tired smile. "Yes. And I'm grateful that you were here. I had a hard time figuring out where I was when it ended". I see his hand hover near mines before pulling back, conscious that this would force the bonding process. "I'm sorry, I triggered it, right?" he whispers, voice filled with hidden torment. Would he beat himself over this?

"It's not your fault, Yoongi. You can't know every single thing that can trigger memories, even I don't know".

His eyes tear up and I just want to hold him in my arms, to cup his face and tell him that he brought me more relief than pain, that I could never be mad at him.

And right at this moment, I figure that there's no better way to make him understand. That this way, we can communicate even better than with words.

And I take his marked hand into mine.

Oh oh oh. Is it starting? I think so!

I also invite you to go read my newest book, The heiress's secret! It's a BTS x Reader, Hybrid AU story!