Chapter Text
Waking up, Jungkook stretched out as much as he could in his cramped bunk. “Wow”, he thought, stretching further than usual. “Either I got smaller, or my bed got bigger.” He peeled open his eyes, feeling as though he had slept for a thousand years. The first thing he noticed was the light streaming into the room, much more than he was used to. Turning to the source of the light, he sees a giant window looking out upon a nice view of the city. He sits up in bed, admiring the view for a minute before reality hits him.
Jungkook does not have a giant window overlooking the city. He has a shitty little dorm room that he shares with 6 other boys and is entirely too cramped. Turning frantically, he takes in his surroundings; there's a large bed that he’s sitting on, a television on the wall, nicely decorated walls and 3 doors leading out of the spacious bedroom. Jungkook’s heart rate picks up as he realizes he’s in an entirely new place with no recollection of how or when he got there.
Jungkook’s heart stops as he sees crumpled sheets in the bed next to him. He doesn’t toss and turn much in his sleep, meaning the messiness of the bed was created by someone else; Jungkook was not the only one sleeping in the bed last night. He quickly lifts the sheets, glad to find he is still wearing his boxers. When he reaches out and touches the sheets, there is still a lingering warmth, meaning Jungkook’s bedmate must still be nearby. His mind starts to race as he plans how he can escape the apartment quickly and quietly while avoiding any of the inhabitants within it.
Jungkook springs up out of the bed, his fight or flight instincts telling him to run. He makes his way closer to the door on his left, though he pauses when he hears a shower running from behind it. He can hear a male voice absently humming along to a tune he is unfamiliar with, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Realizing that the owner of the house is in the shower, he backs away, fleeing through the door on the adjoining wall. Jungkook presses his back to the door and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.
Jungkook opens his eyes and finds himself standing in a kitchen. It’s huge, with beautiful countertops and an island complete with barstools. Jungkook doesn’t know if he’s ever been in a kitchen this nice in his entire life, especially not anytime recently. He takes a moment to marvel at the new appliances before he looks past the island into the living room. He spots another set of doors on two of the walls but directly across from him is a ginormous balcony that takes his breath away. The entire wall leading to the balcony is glass and allows the sun to shine in and illuminate the living room.
Jungkook listens closely to the door behind him, but doesn’t hear anything in the bedroom. Since the owner of the apartment seems to be busy, he decides he can chance a closer look around the apartment; “Just a quick look out the window” his brain tells him. Jungkook walks into the living room and approaches the window, eyes glued to the Han river that he can see in the distance. He’s about halfway there when his foot hits something solid on the floor and he trips, falling to the ground with a loud bang. He winces, rubbing the arm he landed on and turns around, spotting the disgruntled dog laying near his feet. It’s beautiful, even looking confused at the stranger who had nearly trampled him moments before. Jungkook goes to stand up before he hears loud steps in the bedroom, walking quickly and sounding like they are moving closer. He scrambles up, looking between the doors on either side of the room for an obvious exit before the door on the other side of the kitchen bursts open, a man standing in the doorway and staring at him.
Jungkook freezes as his brain goes into shock from the adrenaline running through his veins. The fear of being caught has now been realized and he worries what will happen now that this man has caught him trying to sneak out. As his brain comes back online, kicking into a fight or flight mode once again he focuses on the man in the doorway and is horrified to find this much older man looking him up and down. He looks down, trying to avoid the man’s gaze and realizes, once again, that he is wearing his boxers… only his boxers. He covers himself with his hands, trying to hide his body from view and glances up to see if the man in the doorway is still looking at him. He finds the man in the same place he was standing before, his eyes on him and his mouth slack jawed. Jungkook feels his cheeks and neck grow hot under the gaze of the stranger in the doorway. “The handsome stranger” his brain supplies before Jungkook pushes the traitorous thought aside. Jungkook tears his eyes away from the other man and his eyes land on a blanket lying on the couch near him. He reaches over to grab it and wraps it around his body.
Jungkook clears his throat, causing the man to look up at him. Now that he can see the man’s face, he feels a pit form in his stomach. This man looks exactly like Namjoon; not just similar, but almost exactly alike. Except Namjoon has to be at least 5 years younger than this man. But the face structure, his height, even his big brown eyes, are identical to his hyung. Jungkook knows he’s just been staring at this man for at least a minute, though he can hardly feel guilty as the man stares back. “You…” The man starts before trailing off. Damn, his voice is even identical, Jungkook thinks.
The man closes his eyes and rubs them before taking a deep breath. He opens his eyes and looks back at Jungkook, who once again grows shy under the other man’s now calmer but still unbelieving eyes. “Jungkook?” the other man asks in a voice so quiet Jungkook doesn’t know if he’d have heard it if he wasn’t so attuned to the older man’s every move.
Jungkook nods before clearing his throat. “Um, yes?” He answers and watches as the other man’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Holy shit.” The man mumbles to himself. He reaches up and sweeps wet tendrils of hair off of his face, causing the muscles in his arms to flex and drawing Jungkook’s attention. The other man starts walking forward and Jungkook backs up as he approaches but before he can reach Jungkook, he sits down on the couch next to him. Jungkook watches as the other man stares forward at the wall, seemingly deep in thought. Jungkook shifts his weight back and forth, waiting for the elder to speak. “You’re really Jungkook?” The man asks, still looking at the wall.
“Yes.” Jungkook answers, wondering what about his answer had been so thought provoking. “May I ask who you are?” Jungkook asks.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, ” the man pauses and takes another deep breath, looking up at him, brows furrowed but still incredibly handsome, “but I’m Namjoon.”
Namjoon? Jungkook’s jaw drops open as he once again takes in the man in front of him. The features that he’d before thought were similar do appear to be identical to his Namjoon’s, just changed with age. “You… can’t be Namjoon.” Jungkook starts. “My Namjoon hyung is still asleep back at the shitty dorm and you’re… well you’re not him.”
“Namjoon” or whoever he is looks at Jungkook for a moment before asking, “Jungkook do you know where you are? What’s the last thing you remember?” He motions for Jungkook to sit next him on the couch and he does, though with a little distance between himself and the stranger.
“Well,” Jungkook says. “The new album came out a couple days ago, so we’re right in the middle of promotion schedules. We were on M-Countdown yesterday and then when we got back I had a headache so I went and I laid down. And then…” Jungkook looks around the apartment. “When I woke up, I was here.”
“What song?” The man sitting next to him asks.
What song? What does the song have anything to do with this? “Um, I Need U.”
The other man lets out a shaky breath. “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1? Jesus, Jungkook… You went to sleep in 2015?”
“Yes?” Jungkook asks, thrown off by the other man’s question. The stranger seems to be confused. Of course he went to bed in 2015, when else could he have? “Why?”
“Jungkook,” the man starts, reaching out and grabbing Jungkook’s arm, “It’s 2023.”