Dope is actually an alternate universe from I Need U and here’s why:
In I Need U:
JungKook is harassed and beaten up by random men on the street.
So in this alternate universe, JungKook is there to protect people, as an officer
In I Need U:
Taehyung kills his father, eventually opening up a case file about the murder.
So then he solves cases as a detective in the Dope universe.
In I Need U:
Namjoon is a simple gas station caddy, pumping people’s gas and getting treated pretty shitty as you can tell by the way people just through money and trash out the window for him to pick up.
Contrary to popular belief, Namjoon isn’t a bellboy in Dope, but actually part of the military personnel. Instead of getting treated like crap, people now bow their heads to him in respect once wearing that uniform.
In I Need U:
Yoongi is seen longing. He’s angry, and with that anger, he lashes out and lights the room on fire, eventually causing the entire motel to catch on fire as well.
In Dope he is also wearing a military uniform but a different branch than Namjoon. He is actually wearing the formal-wear forKorean firefighters. Almost like he’s paying his service back from the men and women who had to put out his fire.
In I Need U:
Hoseok takes a bunch of pills and falls unconscious in the middle of the sidewalk, leaving him immobile.
He returns as a race care driver, appreciating how it is to live in the fast lane, how amazing it is to feel the wind in his hair, to get his heart pumping without the use of drugs.
In I Need U:
Jimin is only seen in the bathtub for the majority of his scenes, burning a paper and having serious thoughts and finally and quietly drowns himself.
In Dope, Jimin is a plain office worker. His death wasn’t extravagant or anything super overbearing unlike Yoongi’s. So he decides to enjoy life simply and have a calm job.
In I Need U:
Jin is in pain now knowing that some of his friends have died, and is still trying to accept the reality of them being gone.
Knowing what it’s like to lose people so close to you, Jin becomes a doctor, trying his best to make sure no one has to go through the pain of losing a loved one.