BREATHE IN AIR
OR DREAM A DREAM

IT WAS EXHAUSTING for Min Yoongi sometimes. Whether it was endless photoshoots or meetings that tediously dragged on for hours, the constant weight of the world on the idol's frail shoulders would deem tiring; as it would, after nearly a decade of being in the industry. He could never be ungrateful, however. He had the chance to see the world, even if he would spend most of that time behind the walls of his comfortable hotel rooms past midnight, fasting through the night to appear nicely in photographs that will one day pose no meaning.

Sometimes, he wondered what it was all for. Would there be an end to all of this? Would there come a day when the name, 'SUGA', would be unrecognizable to the public's perked ears? Just as grand as his shadow had grown, he pondered, would it ever shrink just as vastly?

It was a cold night when he met her. For some reason, the usually dynamic weather in Seoul was still acting as if it were winter, even if it was well into March. Yoongi's cold fingers tapped on the wheel of his black Hyundai, his eyes tired as he tried to focus on the road in front of him. The man in the passenger seat wasn't helping with keeping him awake; as Namjoon always tended to glue himself to his phone after a long day of work. The car was utterly silent, Yoongi too lazy to switch on the radio, even if it was within arms reach. Sometimes a chuckle would fall from the younger man's lips at something he'd seen on his glowing phone screen.

This was the cycle. Wake up, drive to work, shroud himself in his studio, attend a few meetings, then drive back home to eat and sleep. That's how life worked off tour, full of workdays and company meetings without an end. Sometimes producing a few new songs if inspiration ran through, but otherwise, life was bleak. Yoongi would never admit this, however, at least, not to anyone he knows.

A chuckle from Namjoon's lips made Yoongi blink awake. "Jimin said he went into Jungkook's studio to grab that jacket he left, and he hit him."

Yoongi sniffed. "What?"

"Jimin said he went into Jungkook's studio to grab that jacket he left, and Jungkook hit him."

"Why?"

"Probably got scared," Namjoon ran a hand through his hair, a single laugh falling from his mouth before he continued whatever he was doing on his phone. Yoongi breathed through his nose, faking a chuckle out of near pity. It wasn't funny, but he thought not laughing would make Namjoon feel bad.

Yoongi driving with Namjoon wasn't rare, considering the latter couldn't drive and constantly needed a ride back to his apartment. Yoongi, often not minding the company, suddenly wanted to be alone. It might have been the exhaustion, but he was itching to get home and away from everyone he knows, to coop up in his room in the darkness and stare at the ceiling.

The silence returned. Yoongi's stomach grumbled, and he checked the time. 9:32. 

"Hey, I'm going to stop by CU to get dinner. You want something?" Yoongi offered, carefully switching lanes to stop on the side of the road. The convenience store was in sight, the luminescent white and green lights distinctive.

"I'm okay. I ate a ramen packet at the building," Namjoon yawned, scratching his eye while scrolling on his phone, the glow illuminating his face.

Yoongi pulled over, clicking the hazard lights on. "Can you stay in the car so I don't get a ticket? This is a no parking zone."

"Yeah," Namjoon casually answered, as if it were a normal occurrence. "Help me, officer, he's kidnapped me," he remarked, emitting a light scoff from Yoongi's lips as he climbed out of the car, jogging onto the sidewalk.

Walking into the store, he fixed the white mask over his mouth and nose, digging into the pockets of his black sweatpants for his wallet. He should be quick if he doesn't want one of the young workers to eye him long enough to recognize him and make a whole commotion. As much as he loved interacting with a fan, his social battery was well run out, and was afraid to give a fan a disappointing, lifeless experience.

Swiping a cup of ramen off the shelf, he hesitated for a second before opening the cooler door. His fingers wrapped around a can of beer, pulling it out swiftly. One can of beer felt nice after a tiring day of work, Yoongi observed after years and years of experience.

Hastily paying, he grabbed the two items off of the counter, mumbling a thank you to the quiet young cashier before exiting the convenience store. The car was where he left it, Namjoon leaned back into the passenger seat with his arm hung behind the headrest comfortably as he held his phone firmly in his hand. He couldn't wait to get home and devour his ramen and beer as a man starved.

However, completely obliterating his plans was a woman; one who had suddenly bumped into him on the dark street. Yoongi stumbled a bit from the impact, head darting to whoever it was, and there he saw her. He clutched the cup of ramen he nearly dropped, blinking at the unstable girl.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, a lazy laugh falling from her red-painted lips as she caught herself by Yoongi's arm. She was definitely drunk, Yoongi concluded. He watched curiously as her eyes traveled to the beer can he was holding. "Is that beer?" she gasped. "For me? You're so sweet."

Yoongi had no idea who the hell this woman was, and why she was suddenly trying to grab the can of cold beer out of his hand. "Uh, t-this is mine," he told her, utterly flabbergasted and unsure of what to say.

The girl blinked heavily, her eyes going wide as if she were trying to wake herself up, or if she realized that she was trying to steal the beer from Yoongi's hand. He couldn't tell. "Oh, shit, you're right."

Yoongi looked around, the woman still using his sleeved arm to hold herself up as she giggled incoherent words. She fixed her leather skirt, which ended up riding up her thigh from her irrational movements anyways. "Are you alone?"

"Always! Ha!" she laughed, Yoongi getting a whiff of her stench of alcohol, his nose unwillingly scrunching. He did a double-take at her features, dark and hollow they were, her hair parted through the middle and flowing down, though quite messily. Her shaded collarbones were on display from the low-cut top she was wearing, neck thin and pale. Her eyes, though lidded, displayed only emptiness even if she was laughing. Something about her felt oddly... familiar, as if he'd seen her in a dream or some sort. He could blame it on his weariness, but something about her was definitely curious to Yoongi that he couldn't help but speak up.

"D-Do I know you?" he asked, swallowing behind his mask.

"That depends," the woman crinkled her face, trying to balance on her heeled boots. "Are you Song Juntae? Because if so, I'm so sorry I left at sunrise, but you should have known." She tsked. "Rookie mistake."

Yoongi's face went red, and he had no idea why. All he did know was that he shouldn't leave this woman to continue walking on the streets. Not at that hour, alone, and definitely not drunk out of her sane mind.

"What—No—Do—Are you—Do you need a ride?" he stuttered. He figured she didn't comprehend his words as she nearly fell, having to be caught by a distraught Yoongi. He glanced around before pulling her toward the store and off of the middle of the sidewalk, placing her against the wall as a lazy smile appeared on her lips. He was glad that the sidewalk was empty, otherwise, another problem would arise where Yoongi could be seen with a woman. His company would reprimand him and the media would have his head for it—quite literally.

"I like where this is going," she giggled, bravely bringing her fingertips to Yoongi's waist, a touch that made the man jolt in surprise, pulling away swiftly.

"S-Stay here, okay?" Yoongi slowly stepped away, watching the woman lean back on the wall, her eyes fluttering closed with a hazy smile.

Yoongi reassembled the two items in his arms, walking toward the car. Shoving them into one arm, he knocked on the tinted window with his other fist. The window slowly scrolled down, Namjoon's neutral face appearing behind it.

"Uh, there's a girl here and she's drunk," Yoongi explained, licking his lips as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. Namjoon followed the direction, noticing the unsteady woman against the wall, smiling at literally nothing as she fiddled with a strap on her purse.

"Oh, shit. Shouldn't we drive her home or something?" Namjoon raised his eyebrows, slightly concerned.

"We should, right?" Yoongi confirmed, handing his forgotten beer and ramen to the younger man. He then turned around, making his way back to the woman who he swore saw her face lit up when noticing him.

"We're going to drive you home," Yoongi said calmly to her.

"Woah!" she raised her hands in defense, her palms nearly brushing Yoongi's chest. "We? Don't tell me you're trying to kidnap me!" she gasped, without an ounce of seriousness in her slurred voice. "Trust me, you do not want to do that. I am a handful," she pointed her finger at him sassily before she leaned forward too much, her center of gravity traveling to her head as she bumped it into Yoongi's chest, making his heart race.

"You—I—Okay, let's go," Yoongi cleared his throat, gently pushing her off and placing his hand under her frail arm and one on her back to help her to the car. Namjoon watched, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern, though mostly in confusion.

The woman stumbled down the curb, being heroically caught by Yoongi. "Woah, that's a curb," she giggled before the car door opened. "That's a car."

Yoongi helped her inside, about to buckle her seatbelt for her as if she were a toddler in a baby seat. As he leaned in front of her body to press the seatbelt into the buckle, he could have sworn he felt her fingers along his chest, a light giggle emitting from her lips, her alcoholic scent too strong.

He pulled away, making sure to set her purse beside her before slowly closing the door and jogging toward the driver's seat, climbing in. He released a well-needed sigh after the conundrum of just getting her inside the car.

Driving off, Yoongi noticed Namjoon in his peripheral vision turning his head behind his headrest, taking a sure glance at the girl directly behind him. Her head was leaning against the window, her wobbly eyes trying to catch every sign passing by the window like a child.

"Where do you live?" Yoongi asked, replacing the awkward silence in the car.

"I can't tell you," she giggled, crossing her arms.

"What?" Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" He was starting to get frustrated by this woman, even if she was as helpless as she was. He was trying to simply get her home as quickly as he could so that he could return to his own home where his bed awaited him, though she was making it quite difficult.

"I'm in the KCIA and I can't tell you anything about me," she pointed out with a smirk, and her voice sounded way too serious to be a joke. The two men in the front seats shared a look, full of confusion and fear.

"What do we do, hyung?" Namjoon muttered lowly, his phone still in his hand but turned off and completely abandoned.

Yoongi bit his lip as they drove through an intersection, the green light illuminating his contorted face, deep in thought. They were coming up to Namjoon's apartment, and he didn't feel like the woman should be the younger man's responsibility; he had found her anyways. Of course, not technically, considering she was the one to bump into him and attempt to steal his beer after all.

Yoongi huffed, pulling over at Namjoon's apartment after a few seconds of well-needed thoughts. "I'll take her to my house so she can sober up. It's too dangerous on the streets."

Namjoon clutched his backpack, eyeing Yoongi worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Yoongi only sighed, parking the car.

"Okay, hyung. Goodnight," he said to him before peeking behind his seat. "Hope you get home safely."

"Mmm, who are you?"

With that, Namjoon sent his older friend an apologetic glance, one that Yoongi deciphered as a sad 'good luck' for his evening ahead. He exited the car, the shutting of the door rattling the car and making the woman readjust her temple on the window. Yoongi made sure Namjoon entered his building before driving off again, the car one person short.

Yoongi grew antsy from the silence, fumbling his fingers on his driving wheel. "What's your name?"

"I'm in the KCIA and I can't tell you anything about me," she repeated the exact words with a hint of amusement, which made Yoongi cock his eyebrow.

"Are you lying about that?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she hummed, circling her head against the window lazily, the lights passing by blurring her already knackered vision.

Yoongi nearly let out a sigh of relief when seeing his apartment building from afar, its height distinct from others in the neighborhood, the luxury of it setting it apart as well. All he had to do was make sure the strange woman was sober enough to possibly tell him where she actually lived so he could take her home and get her out of his life. Perhaps then he could finally sleep.

"Hey, I live in that building," Yoongi heard her mutter, and he took a quick look over his shoulder to see her pointing at the window, looking up. His eyes traveled to where she was looking, and it could have only been his apartment building, as none of the others were as tall to make her head tilt as backward.

"W-What?" Yoongi asked, turning the corner into his apartment's large parking lot. From her lack of words or movement, he peeked over his shoulder, seeing her eyes closed and her head fallen forward. She was asleep. Yoongi scoffed, rolling his head back before finding his assigned parking spot.

After neatly parking his car, he shoved his few belongings into his pockets before climbing out, making sure not to accidentally lock the door like he would do. Like he would do if he didn't have a stranger in his backseat completely plastered.

Jogging to the other side of the car, Yoongi cracked his knuckles, letting out a heavy sigh. He then opened the car door, gasping as she began to fall out, but he was quick to catch her unsteadily, making her sit upright again. She let out a hum as Yoongi undid her seatbelt buckle, still heavy under sleep and the influence, as her head fell forward, and into the crook of the man's neck. He froze, feeling his heart race from her close proximity, yet the alcohol stench brought him back to his senses.

"Hey..." Yoongi swallowed as he pulled the seatbelt off of her, gently picking her head up from his neck. "Wake up."

She didn't wake up.

Yoongi paused to let out yet another sigh, an utterly insane thought crossing his mind that made him shut his eyes. He was beginning to realize he had no choice. "Get on my back," he told her.

"Okay," she mumbled, making the man blink twice before realizing that she was only faking being asleep. It was confirmed when a mischievous giggle fell from her lips as she rose her arms, ready for Yoongi to carry her onto his back so that she didn't have to walk.

With a huff, he grabbed her purse and turned around, reaching back to grasp onto her bony arms, her icy skin startling him before he successfully pulled her onto his back. He adjusted her body, which was unnaturally light, feeling her chin hook onto his shoulder. Kicking the car door closed, he locked the car and began to walk toward the entrance, his mask falling slightly under his lip from his practical exercise.

"Do you actually live here?" he decided to ask as he opened the door to the lobby.

"Do you?" her voice, way smaller than it was before, rang in Yoongi's ear. He let out a scoff as he entered the elevator, pressing the 7th-floor button.

"U-Uh, yes," he mumbled, eyes awkwardly darting around the elevator.

"Mmm," was all she managed before her body went limp on his back, signifying that she was in fact, asleep.

Yoongi blinked. "Hey, a-are you asleep?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

The elevator dinged open, and the man let out an exasperated sigh before exiting.

His apartment was just as he left it, dark and cold from the unusual weather, the scent of eucalyptus capturing his senses. It might have been the first time the apartment had ever seen Yoongi come home with a girl, even if he wasn't sure this odd circumstance would count.

Gently, Yoongi bent down beside his couch, watching carefully and making sure the woman fell onto the couch properly, her head hitting his black pillow. She was still out cold, her mouth slightly open and her breathing audible.

He reached for the lamp on the side table, where he placed her small purse. The honey-tinted light shined onto the stranger and allowed Yoongi to see her in the light for the first time. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes and cheekbones hollowed, almost too much to be healthy. Despite the limited foundation on her skin, Yoongi could tell the discoloration of her face easily. It made him curious, especially because there was an odd feeling of familiarity stirring in him upon looking at this stranger.

Is she a stranger?

"Who are you?"