Yoongi left the house in the middle of the afternoon, not having spoken a word to his mother since his outburst earlier that day. He took with himself a backpack. In that backpack, he had placed an envelope inside which he kept Taehyung's photos.

And he began walking to an ice cream parlor close to his house - not extremely close, but enough so that he didn't need a car or bus ride to get there. In about twenty minutes Yoongi was pushing open that parlor door.

He hadn't run there, and yet still he felt breathless. Breathless and utterly drained, all thanks to the adventure of reading Jimin's letters in one go, as well as verbally releasing all his frustration against his mother.

Once he was inside the parlor Yoongi immediately scanned the place, tearing his gaze from the ground and throwing it towards the counter first and foremost, where he hoped to see a familiar face.

And he did. Just scarcely, before the boy he had been looking for disappeared into the back room of the parlor.

"Jungkook!"

The boy in question stopped in his tracks, and through the small square window at the top of the back room door Yoongi saw him turn his head in slight confusion, then return to the counter.

Typically, doing such a thing would horribly embarrass Yoongi. Calling out someone's name so loudly in public. But right now, there were too many other things on his mind.

He approached the counter before thinking of what he would say. This would all be improv.

"I need to talk to you."

"Me?" The employee with fuzzy black hair and doe eyes pointed at himself, evidently puzzled as to what was going on. "Uhh...Yoongi, right?"

"Right. I need to talk to you."

Jungkook's co-worker who happened to be at the counter with him at the time shot him a side-glance, then nudged the boy's arm a little and said quietly, but loudly enough so that Yoongi could hear, "Just go on your lunch, Kook."

Jungkook nodded tentatively. Sliding out from behind the counter, he stepped up to Yoongi with questions in his head, but a soft smile on his face.

"Sorry," Yoongi sighed once the two of them had taken seats at an empty table. "Hopefully I won't have to use up too much of your time, it's just I-"

"You don't need to apologize," Jungkook assured him. He couldn't wipe the curiosity off his face. "I'm just a little worried, that's all." A nervous laugh. "You looked kinda panicked coming in here. And it's been a while since you stopped by."

"Yeah, well..." Yoongi paused to allow himself a few seconds to breathe. "...rough morning."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sympathy in his voice, Jungkook scrutinized Yoongi's expression, still feeling a bit anxious as to how the boy could have any reason to speak to him. They knew each other, because Yoongi had come to this parlor with his friend a number of times, and Jungkook had been working here since he was sixteen, but they weren't close friends or anything. So he wondered. "What's wrong?"

Yoongi's mouth remained closed for a while. He stared at the small backpack which he had placed in his lap and seemed to be guarding with great care. "I know this is gonna sound strange," he began in a low, tentative voice, "but I have a question for you. It's important."

Jungkook bit his tongue. "...what is it?"

"Do you...remember anyone by the name of Taehyung?"

Hope and fear simultaneously clung to that soft-spoken question. And for a moment, Jungkook doubted his ears. But then he made eye contact with Yoongi, and some vague yet knowing connection established itself between them.

"Taehyung..."

The name fell from his lips in such a delicate manner. Jungkook looked down at his intertwined fingers in front of him.

"Yeah...if it's the same Taehyung I'm thinking about." He cracked the slightest smile. "Can't believe you're the one saying this to me now. I haven't...seen him in almost four years. Four years, holy crap." A forced chuckle. "Geez, I cant believe it's been that long..."

"So you do remember him?"

Yoongi gazed at him eagerly.

What's going on? "Yeah..." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Of course I do. We, uh...we went to middle school together. Taehyung was the 'weird kid' no one really wanted to talk to. But I mean, I never really got that."

Something dawned on his expression just then. Perhaps a flashback, a vivid memory, something that caused mixed feelings to stir up.

"I talked to him whenever I could," the boy said softly. "Taehyung was always friendly, just in a different way than most people were probably accustomed to. I loved talking to him...he's probably the most genuine guy I'd ever met. But after our last year of middle school he moved."

"To Incheon."

Jungkook lifted his gaze abruptly. An almost unbelieving gaze.

"Incheon?" He spoke even softer now. "I-...well, he never told me where... He never even told me he was moving. I found out from one of our teachers."

"Incheon," Yoongi said again, breathlessness returning. His eyes trembled for a moment as he stared at his backpack. "Two hundred...forty-four kilometers away."

It had some strange effect on him. The tone of this conversation, everything Yoongi said to him, vague, yet gradually the words were falling into place like puzzle pieces, but Jungkook wouldn't be able to see it clearly until every piece was in place.

"...how do you know this?"

That was when Yoongi opened the backpack, reaching inside to take out the envelope of photographs. And he took the time to sift through them for the sake of finding a clear one of both Taehyung and Jimin.

He held it out to Jungkook.

"...that's..." Yoongi saw the boy's brow twitch. "...your friend who was always with you. Ji...Jimin."

His eyes lingered on the boy next to Jimin in the picture, familiar, radiant smile on his recognizable face.

Jungkook lifted his eyes again to look at Yoongi.

"Jimin moved to Incheon a year ago," Yoongi said, finding it hard to tear his focus away from the photo in Jungkook's hands. "It's a long story...a long freaking story, so I'll-"

"I've got time."

He finally urged himself to make eye contact again.

"Tell me, please. Tell me everything."

And so he did. At Jungkook's request, Yoongi told him everything, from Jimin leaving Daegu unwillingly in February of last year, to finding the letters his mother hid from him, Jimin meeting Taehyung and becoming quick friends, he told Jungkook about Jimin getting hit by a car, breaking his arm and having Taehyung write the letters for him - the photos, and that letter the boy wrote asking about Jungkook, namely his request to Yoongi about asking Jungkook if he remembered him. And the doubt that entitled in those written words.

He told him about all the things Taehyung did for Jimin, from simply being his friend, a shoulder to cry on, all the way up to the most recent letter where Jimin informed Yoongi the boy had paid for Jimin's plane ticket.

And of course, he brought up that Taehyung did plan to come back to Daegu, but that now, it would have to wait a bit.

The sacrifices he made for Jimin. The selfless heart of gold.

"Could I...see the rest of the photos?"

Yoongi carefully handed him the envelope. Of course, not all the photos had Taehyung in them, but knowing the boy had sent them and written the little messages which were just clear enough to see made Jungkook's heart waver.

"Ah—there are some, uh, comments on a few of those-"

" 'Probably thinking 'bout kissin' ya.' "

Yoongi's cheeks reddened at Jungkook's smirk. "Give them back."

"No, I'm not done looking at them."

"Stop. I regret this. I thought you were nice."

" 'All yours to smooch' ." He read another and giggled. "Taehyung really is your number one supporter, isn't he?"

"I'm about to get angry."

He wasn't, honestly. Yoongi was just embarrassed. Embarrassed thinking about in how many letters Jimin had mentioned wanting to kiss him, to be kissed by him, all those romantic words that caused every shy nerve in Yoongi's body to surface.

He had never kissed anyone. Never even thought about it, especially not concerning Jimin, his best friend since age three. The most important person in his life, wanting such a thing from him. Jimin, the only person he ever let get close to him. Jimin, who would always be there to hug him tightly whenever thunderstorms struck. Jimin, who was by his side through everything. Everything.

That boy truly was his life.

" 'Your angel' -"

"Okay, that's enough..."

Jungkook let out another brief chuckle, taking one last look at the photos before sliding them back into the envelope and returning to Yoongi. His glee faded then and a wistful smile took form. "They're both gonna be okay, right?"

"I have enough faith to believe that," Yoongi replied as he slid the envelope into his backpack. "At this point, I don't think either of them would let anything stop them. Jimin's been through hell and he's finally able to come home thanks to Taehyung, who I hope hasn't lost faith in you or me..."

Such heaviness hung on those words.

"Could you do me a favor and wait for him?"

Jungkook nodded slowly, but resolutely. "Absolutely." He found it in himself to smile again. "So what day is Jimin coming back?"

"He didn't say...just said before the end of the month."

"Do you think he'll show up at your house?"

"He probably would," Yoongi replied, "but I'm not gonna wait for that to happen. I wanna be at the airport when his plane lands."

"So what're you gonna do? Go to the airport every day?"

"Do you doubt me?"

Jungkook shook his head. "No, not at all."

"Ideally, I'll get another letter from him soon and he'll tell me the details or something," Yoongi added with a sigh, "but if not, and if he doesn't get my letter before he leaves, then so be it. I'll be at that airport till they arrest me for loitering."

"Can they do that at airports?"

"I don't know, I've never been to a freaking airport before. Oh, gosh, I hope Jimin's not scared of flying..."

"Based on what you've told me about him I doubt he'll be thinking much about that during the trip," Jungkook said encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll be on his mind the entire flight."

"Yeah..." And he'll be on mine. "Hey, uh, Jungkook..."

"Hm?"

"Let's exchange numbers. I don't want to risk getting out of contact with any more people." He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. "I can let you know as soon as Taehyung gets here."

Jungkook permitted himself another warm smile. "I'd appreciate that a lot."

He took out his phone, too.

"I've missed him."