Chapter 16: The Melodies We Cannot Escape

Jungkook’s voice rang through the room, perfectly in tune with the haunting melody filling the air. His body wasn’t his own anymore—his lips moved, his throat vibrated, but he hadn’t made the choice to sing.

It was as if something had taken over.

“Jungkook, stop!” Taehyung’s grip on him tightened, his voice filled with desperation.

But Jungkook couldn’t.

The song pulled at him like invisible strings, and with every note he sang, the room twisted further out of shape. The walls pulsed, bending in ways they shouldn’t. Shadows flickered across the broken mirror shards on the floor, distorting their reflections into something wrong.

“Someone do something!” Jimin shouted, panic creeping into his tone.

Yoongi’s mind raced. If Jungkook was being forced to sing, there had to be a way to break the hold. He turned to Hana. “How do we stop this?”

Hana’s face was pale, her hands clenched into fists. “It’s the song. It’s alive. Once it’s started, it won’t stop until it’s complete.”

Jin swore under his breath. “Then we have to force it to stop.”

Namjoon’s eyes flashed with urgency. “How?”

Hana hesitated for only a second before making a decision. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with shimmering silver liquid. “This should disrupt the connection.”

Jungkook’s voice rose, the melody warping, twisting the air itself.

Hana didn’t wait. She uncorked the vial and threw the contents toward him.

The liquid hit Jungkook’s skin—and the reaction was instant.

A high-pitched shriek split through the air, not from Jungkook, but from the very walls themselves. The melody cracked, notes distorting like a broken record. The oppressive force that had bound Jungkook snapped, and his body lurched forward.

Taehyung caught him before he could collapse. “Jungkook?” His voice was filled with worry.

Jungkook gasped, his throat raw. The song had left him, but its presence still lingered, like fingers trailing along his skin. “I—” He struggled for words, shaking. “It wasn’t me.”

“We know.” Namjoon kneeled beside him. “It was the song.”

Hana let out a slow breath. “That won’t hold it back for long.”

Jin rubbed his temples. “Okay, so we know this song is alive. We know it’s trying to finish itself.” He looked at Hana. “What happens if it does?”

Hana hesitated. “A door will open.”

Silence.

Jimin exhaled sharply. “A door to where?”

She shook her head. “Not where. What.”

Yoongi’s voice was grim. “You mean… something else will come through?”

Hana’s expression tightened. “Yes.”

A slow, creeping dread settled in the room.

Jungkook shuddered. “Then we can’t let it finish.”

“But we can’t stop it.” Hana’s voice was sharp, urgent. “It’s already started. It’s finding ways to make itself heard—through you, through the whispers, through your phones.” She gestured to Jungkook’s device, which was still flashing with unread messages. “Even if we don’t sing it, it will find a way.”

Namjoon’s mind worked rapidly. “Then we change the song.”

Everyone turned to him.

Jin narrowed his eyes. “What?”

Namjoon stood up, determination hardening his gaze. “It’s a song, right? And songs evolve. We rewrite it. Change the ending before it can complete itself.”

A stunned silence filled the room.

Then Yoongi’s lips curled into something almost like a smirk. “You want to outwrite a cursed song?”

Namjoon met his gaze. “If it’s the only way to stop it, then yes.”

Jungkook swallowed. The song was still there, lurking at the edges of his mind, waiting.

And for the first time, they had a plan.

Chapter 17: Rewriting Fate in Music (Coming Next)

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