ME : Who? Me?

HS : Yes, you.

ME : NO NO No~ (-forcing a laugh-)

HS : Yah, you punk! I am your Hyung. Trust me, I have got experience.

ME : (-being goofy-) Is that so? (-grins sheepishly-)

HS : (-laughs-) So, what's wrong? Why don't you give her a call instead?

I didn't respond and looked at the phone screen quietly.

HS : Yah! Man with egos are the worst kind. It doesn't matter who calls first.

ME : Actually, I can't even if I want to.

HS : And why is that?

ME : I don't have her number.

HS : But she has yours and didn't call ever since you gave her?

I nodded unwillingly and he started laughing like a maniac.

ME : (-embarrassed-) Don't laugh! (-laughing infectiously-)

HS : (-controlling himself hardly-) Alright, alright. I am sorry.

He wiped the corners of his eyes which were wet because of his excessive laughter.

HS : (-getting stable-) Okay, so how long has it been?

ME : (-hesitant-) T-two months...

HS : (-filling in the silence-) Do you think she likes you enough to call?

ME : I don't know. (-sad pout-) I mean, she could've called me just as a friend thou.

HS : Oh, you were friends?

ME : Uh-... I mean we met a couple of times. (-goofs-)

HS : Look, Taehyung-ah. Girls are really complicated when it comes to relationships. So, you have to be very straightforward with your feelings. Maybe she doesn't feel the same attachment you feel you do with her.

ME : (-sudden hope-) Or maybe she lost my number, which is why she couldn't call. (-smiles wide-)

HS : And that is making you smile right now. (-sarcastically-)

ME : (-realizing-) Oh. (-smile fades-) She might've lost it.

HS : (-linking his arm around my shoulder-) It wouldn't have been like that. I am sure she must've had her reasons. And by that, is she aware about your fame?

I nodded spontaneously only to be struck by yet another realization.

ME : Maybe that is why she didn't call. Maybe she felt I would be bothered if she did.

HS : Maybe.

I sighed long in vacillation while he tightened the grip on my arm as a gesture of comfort.

HS : It's okay! You'll find more of such girls. (-optimistic-)

ME : Such girl, you say? Nah, she wa-

HS : (-cutting me off-) What? She was "different"?

ME : (-laughs-) That's so clichè. She was real and just very innocent for her own good. On our very first meet, she told one of her darkest truths to a stranger like me. That just makes me want to protect her.

HS : (-withdrawing his arm from my shoulder-) Well, that's some cheese cake right there.

ME : (-grins-) Is it? I like it thou. Besides, even if it is so, I don't seem to care because that's actually how I feel.

HS : (-genuine smile-) That's nice. She would call. Don't lose hope.

I hoped so for two months already which was starting to faint slowly as time advanced.

.

.

Night before the trip

.

.

I was casually hanging out at Jimin and Hoseok Hyung's room, watching them pack their stuff when I got a call.

I checked it to see an unknown number, but my excitement was half-hearted after all the fails.

Feeling the vibration against my hand, I looked at Hobi hyung. He read my expressions and mouthed a 'go for it'.

I nodded nervously and swapped the green circle up, holding it against my ear next.

*Over the call*

ME : Hello?

UNKNOWN NUMBER : Creditor?

ME : (-rush of emotions-) Ray of Hope?

JHOPE's POV

TH : (-over phone-) Ray of hope?

His lit face clearly spoke it was her. I smiled as he looked up at me with the widest of his own- almost squealing and eyes radiating sparkles of joy.

He instantly stood after and went out of our room as he continued to converse further pitching down his voice to sound bold and equanimous.

TH : (-over the call-) I wasn't expecting your call...

His voice faded as he closed the door behind him.

I, mentally, came back to packing my stuffs with an unconscious smile when Jimin nudged into it.

JM : What's going on?

ME : Onh? What? We're packing. (-casually trying to tease him-)

JM : Not that, hyung. What's with the vibe between TaeTae and you?

ME : (-chuckles-) There's a girl he happens to like.

JM : REALLY! (-matching the puzzle-) By any chance, the call. It was from her?

ME : (-nods-) Apparently.

JM : Wahh~ he didn't tell me anything.

ME : When did you, about "아리아"(Aria) with a heart beside it?

JM : (-taken aback-) Hyung! Did you see me my phone?

ME : I couldn't help it. She was calling you last night when your phone was plugged in for charging here.

JM : Ah, I see. Actually, too many unfortunate things had happened in last few months that I couldn't share about it.

ME : Well, Taehyungie must've had the same reason too.

He nodded understandingly and shared a short smile before zipping up his back pack.

AUTHOR's POV

In the meantime, while Jungkook was already in the kitchen making himself some protein shake- Yoongi, with his enormous level of unbotherness, walked there to quench his thirst.

Silence made the tensed atmosphere ever more difficult to breath through. Jungkook tried to break it feeling, he should initiate the possible conversation.

JUNGKOOK : Hyung!

YOONGI : (-drinking directly from the bottle-) Hmm?

JK : Are you done packing?

YG : (-gluping the water in his mouth-) I am not going tomorrow.

JK : Why? Perhaps, (-after a silence-) ...is it because of me? If you want, I will stay back but you should go with hyungs.

YG : That's not the reason. (-keeps the bottle back in the refrigerator-)

JK : Then why won't you come? Please hyung...

YG : (-brief eye-contact with him-) Jungkookie, Trips are tiresome, so I am better here. (-leaves the kitchen-)

JK : If you don't go, (-seconds apart-) ...I won't go either.

Yoongi did hear the younger's threatening words but never stopped on the way to his room.

.

Next morning

.

It was quite early, "5 : 25" ticked the wall clock in their hall as everyone gathered around the middle from their respective rooms with their backpacks hanging from their shoulders.

With a perfect timing, the door bell rang as they shared a few casual morning greets.

NJ : Everyone's here? (-eye counting-) Suga hyung? Where is Suga hyung?

J : He would be coming any moment. Let's just head out.

Everyone, agreeing with Jin, headed towards the front door while Jungkook kept his eyes on Yoongi's hoping it would open with his Suga hyung coming out.

Meanwhile, as Hoseok and Taehyung were walking together, the former whisper-asked the other about his call last night. They tried not to gain attention as everyone else were busy with their own thing.

HS : How'd it go?

TH : (-smiles-) We are meeting today.

HS : Really? But where? 

TH : She was already in Seoul...

Rae was a Korean language major student. She had been persuing the subject since last two years in Canada. On promotion to the third year, she had to move Korea for her further studies, which was another couple of years till she graduated.

TH : ...Seoul, so I invited her to Jeju. (-grins-)

HS : What?! I mean, isn't that too fast for you two to go on a (-thinks-) ...psuedo trip? Didn't you meet like, only a couple of times?

TH : Yeah, she would come with her friend. And there was no other way I could possibly meet her in non-public places.

HS : You do have a point. But, isn't it a little suspicious that she agreed to come to Jeju only to meet you? Don't you feel she likes you back or maybe your feelings could be mutual? (-smiles-)

TH : You think so? Nah, actually she agreed to come only to repay me. She owes me some money from when I was in Canada.

HS : (-to himself-) It still feels weird though.

As Namjoon opened the door, they welcomed Yong Serah. She was now BTS's personal photographer, the job Namjoon helped her get a month back.

SERAH : Good morning, everyone!

ALL : Good morning!

NJ : Why are you here?

SERAH : Because I am coming with you all to Jeju.

NJ : Huh? Wasn't it "only" BTS going to the trip and no staff members? PD-nim said that, from what I remember.

SERAH : He did? (-awkwardly thinking of a way out-) Well, who said that I was coming as a staff? I am coming as a friend, a photographer friend, (-showing off her camera-) who will click unmissable moments of you all during the trip. (-clicks one where all stood together near the door-) See!

NJ : (-flinches a little at the sudden shot-) And as whose friend?

SERAH : Come on! Joon-ssi. You got me this job. Of course, as a friend, right?

Before Namjoon could answer her, an unfamiliar voice interrupted them from the gate.

??? : I am also coming!

___________

Who do you think, is this person now?
A guy? A girl? If a girl, who this time? 😌