Bell Buddies: Taehyung & Jungkook’S Palace Trouble
Chapter : 3
There are many ways to wake up.
A bird shrieking poetry at 5 a.m.
Jungkook, however, woke up to the feeling of floating.
Not the gentle kind, like drifting in warm water.
The “I’ve lost gravity and may already be dead” kind.
He said aloud. His voice echoed strangely, like it was bouncing off glass.
Jeon Jungkook
Okay. Okay? What the actual—
His words stretched, bent, and came back to him warped, like someone was playing them on a broken speaker.
The world around him wasn’t quite dark. It wasn’t light either. It looked like the inside of a glowing crystal, moonlight caught in silver, static buzzing in the air.
Above, stars flickered on and off. They didn’t twinkle. They stuttered, like a bad computer screen.
Below him (if “below” even existed) shimmered a flat surface, like liquid glass. His reflection rippled faintly across it. But it didn’t feel like a mirror. More like… a memory pretending to be one.
Jungkook turned in midair. Or maybe the whole place turned around him.
Jeon Jungkook
This is… new...
His eyes landed on a constellation shaped like a rice cooker.
Jeon Jungkook
Okay, weird flex, universe.
Jungkook spun so hard he almost flipped upside down.
Jeon Jungkook
WHAT—who—hello??
No one was there. Only the hum of the static sky. But the feeling of being watched was so strong, it prickled down his neck.
The voice came again, calm but heavy, like thunder inside a whisper
“Not your fault. It’s broken. Has been for centuries."
Jungkook blinked rapidly.
Jeon Jungkook
Okay, creepy ghost-voice, hi. What’s broken?
“The seal. The stars fell too soon. The gate opened too wide.”
Jungkook muttered, crossing his arms in midair.
Jeon Jungkook
Thanks for the explanation, very TED Talk. Totally clears things up.
The voice sighed. A sigh so massive the air itself seemed to shake.
“You weren’t supposed to remember.”
Jeon Jungkook
Remember what?
Dark, steady eyes. A sharp jaw. A mouth that almost smiled. Robes the color of midnight.
The name exploded in Jungkook’s chest like a drum.
The voice grew louder now, booming and raw:
“YOU WERE NOT MEANT TO ARRIVE THIS WAY.”
The sky cracked open with a sound like breaking glass. A jagged line of light tore across the stars.
Blinding white spilled out, burning his eyes.
Jeon Jungkook
NOPE! This dream is defective! I would like a refund, please!
And suddenly, he was falling.
Not floating. Not drifting. Falling.
Through a blur of clouds. Past rivers that shone silver. Palaces glinting gold in the distance. Forests stretching endless and green.
Ancient. Alive. Too real to be a dream.
When Jungkook opened his eyes again, he was face-down in mud.
Around him, five startled farmers gawked, wide-eyed.
The goose screamed at him.
Jungkook, panicked, screamed back.
The farmers, equally terrified, joined in screaming.
Finally, an old man with no teeth but a sharp tongue whacked his stick on the ground and barked,
Old Men
Enough! Stop hollering! Let me see him.
The goose honked one last time for dominance, then sulked away.
Jungkook pushed himself up, drenched, dizzy, hair plastered to his face. His hoodie was glowing faintly, sparks of static flickering across the fabric.
“It’s shining!” whispered a teenage boy, clutching a hoe.
“Did the gods drop him here?” asked another farmer nervously.
“Looks more like a drowned chicken to me,” muttered a third.
The old man leaned closer, squinting at Jungkook. He poked Jungkook’s hoodie with his stick.
Old Men
are you the star bride, or the war general?
Jungkook blinked at him, dazed.
Jeon Jungkook
I’m… an idol.
The farmers exchanged uneasy looks.
The boy whispered, “Maybe he’s an omen.”
Another farmer muttered, “Maybe he’ll curse the harvest.”
The goose hissed again, as if to agree.
Jungkook groaned, too dizzy to respond. Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed face-first into the mud again.
The old man sighed deeply.
Old Men
Yep. Definitely the gods’ problem, not ours.
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