26 | THE SILHOUETTE

Hoseok and I stopped short as deep shouting rang out from beside us. On our left was a building with a dimly lit patio and two males who stood nose-to-nose as they glared each other down. The shorter one was gripping the other's shirt, pulling him close.

"That's Yoongi and Taehyung," Hoseok said.

Squinting into the darkness and following the outline of their figures, I realized he was right.

Whatever it was that they were fighting about was unclear as their voices dropped to inaudible levels. Their argument continued in low tones until a third figure walked over to them and set hands on both of their shoulders, pulling them apart to diffuse the tension.

"Namjoon," Hoseok stated, his night vision far greater than mine.

"Great." The three that we were most wary of just happened to convene without the others. If any of them were the Hood, I didn't want them noticing that I was spending time with Hoseok, alone and at night.

"We should go." Hoseok's hand started to reach for mine, but he drew it back when Namjoon spotted us and waved us over.

"Damn," I whispered, sharing a look with Hoseok before we made our way to them.

"Didn't expect to see either of you out this late," Namjoon said as he glanced between the two of us with interest.

Taehyung and Yoongi seemed strangely calm following their dispute. Yoongi gave a nod in greeting while Taehyung's eyes skipped over mine and darted instead to my neck.

"Didn't realize how much time had passed," Hoseok replied as he slid his gloved hands into the pockets of his black pants, angling his chin upward.

"What were you two doing?" Yoongi spoke up as his gaze landed on Hoseok.

"Dancing."

"Is everything okay? It sounded like you two were arguing when we were walking by," I said.

Namjoon chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Taehyung and Yoongi, setting his eyes on mine while amusement lingered on his lips. "Just some brotherly bickering. It's already the second time I've had to break them up."

"Brotherly?"

Yoongi shrugged out of Namjoon's hold. "Not actual brothers. Tae and I just grew up together so we're practically like siblings."

"I see," I replied while I crossed my arms against the chilled air. It was difficult reigning in my nerves, but I hoped my discomfort wasn't visible. I struggled to release the fear that Hoseok would end up hurt like Jimin had.

"We keep talking about helping you with your music, but we still haven't done it yet," Namjoon said. "Yoongi and I are free tomorrow after two if you're still interested."

"You can meet us at the library. They have a few sound-proof rooms we can work in," Yoongi added.

Taehyung caught my gaze. "I'll be there, too."

I nodded, glancing at all three of them. "Yeah, I guess I'll see you guys there."

"It's late," Hoseok said as he sent me a look. Let's go, now, his eyes said. "Let me walk you back."

"Sounds good." I was just turning around when Taehyung's low voice stopped me.

"Why don't I walk her back? Your dorm is out of the way, mine's closer to hers." His gaze burned into Hoseok's.

Before he could answer, I cut in. "That makes more sense."

"What?" Hoseok hissed under his breath as he glared at me, but I glared right back. All I could think about was preventing my terrorizer from harming Hoseok next. The possibility of being alone with him was less frightening than seeing another person I cared for getting hurt.

"Let's go," I said to Taehyung.

His jet black curls parted away from his eyes as he walked up to me, then he gestured for me to go first. I caught a glimpse of Hoseok's hand squeezing into a fist as I brushed by him. The others' eyes weighed on us as we left.

"Thanks for offering to walk me back," I said after a few moments of quiet, hoping to sound as normal as possible.

He only nodded, walking along without a word. He strung his silence out until we were far from the others and no other students were in sight, leaving us on empty concrete with vacant buildings on either side of us.

Still looking ahead, he asked, "Where's the necklace I gave you?"

My heartbeat faltered. I continued walking with him. "Oh, I just took it off while I was dancing. Didn't want to risk anything happening to it."

In the corner of my vision, his lips tilted up. Then he opened his mouth and the words that followed brought my steps to a halt.

"Lying isn't your strong suit."

My face paled and my veins iced over, blood running cold. "W-what?"

He stopped a step ahead, turning to face me. "He made you take it off, didn't he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Jangmi. Hoseok convinced you to take it off." He went to come closer but stopped when I took a step back. "Am I wrong?"

"I took it off because I wanted to. Because we were dancing," I persisted.

He sighed. "Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you came to trust him so quickly? Why you dropped your guard for him?"

"Why wouldn't I trust him?"

His jaw clenched and he searched my face before continuing. "That necklace is for protection, Jangmi. Protection against him. That's why he acted so weird the other night after I gave it to you. That's why he wanted it gone."

A lump formed in my throat, too many thoughts bringing chaos to my head. "I'm... I'm going to walk the rest of the way on my own. Don't follow me."

"Make him hold the pendant and you'll see. You can't trust him. He's tricking you—"

"Leave me alone, Taehyung," I raised my voice as he tried stepping closer.

He held his hands up. "Fine, I'll go. Just think about what I said, Jangmi. For your own good."

Watching him leave, I waited until I was sure he was gone before turning my back on him. I rushed to pull my phone out as I walked, ready to call Hoseok, but my thumb froze over his contact. Unable to press his name, I scrolled instead to Jungkook's number and called him.

On the third ring, footsteps sounded behind me. Whirling around, I was met with only an empty sidewalk and darkened corners at the nearby buildings. Slowly, I turned back around, and the ringing ceased as Jungkook failed to answer.

"Shit," I whispered. Picking up the pace, I headed for Jungkook's dorm. The swift tapping of my feet echoed against the stone walls as I crossed under a long archway, but when I was only halfway through, a second pair of footsteps joined mine.

With a pounding heart, I looked behind me and my breath hitched, a scream lodged in my throat. At the entrance of the archway was the silhouette of a hooded figure, but with one blink, he vanished.

My chest tightened and my breaths grew rapid. Unsure if I was seeing things or not, I ran and didn't stop until I'd reached the lower classmen dormitory. The few students talking near the entrance helped me feel safe enough to catch my breath.

I spared one final look behind me, eyeing every blackened corner and stone beam where someone could lurk. Finding nothing, I sped into the building and turned down the first hallway, climbing the staircase to the third story. Just as I was setting foot on the last stair, thumping echoed from beneath me, the sound growing louder with every nearing step.

My adrenaline spiked and I sprinted in the direction I hoped Jungkook's room was at. The footsteps of my stalker maintained their controlled pace, but somehow they still were gaining ground on me. They sounded just a step behind, close enough to trap me in their clutches, and I let out a cry as his voice slithered into my mind.

"Jangmi."

Rounding the corner, the sound of his steps disappeared, but I shrieked when my body rammed into a hard chest. I tried to scramble back, but his hands gripped my arms and kept me close to him.

"Jangmi—hey, Jangmi! Calm down!"

I stopped long enough for him to take a step back, and a gasp of relief left me I saw his face. My hands clung to his shirt as he pulled me close, burying my head in his chest.

"Jungkook, thank God!" I exclaimed. "H-he was following me."

"It's okay, I'm here. You're safe." His murmur, along with his hands rubbing my back, gradually calmed my heart. "Who was following you?"

Taking a deep breath, I stepped back to meet his concerned gaze. "The Hood. He was right on my heels and his voice—he was in my head, Jungkook. I know he's already been there in my sleep, but I didn't think he could do it while I'm awake, too."

His brows knit together and he glanced behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to go to my room to talk? I was just heading there."

I nodded, allowing him to lead me. I'd hoped that entering his room would make me feel safe, but Taehyung's words still tugged at me.

"Here, sit down," Jungkook brought me to the edge of his bed, and I sat on the soft mattress while he moved to grab a blanket off of Jimin's bed. "I'm sure he won't mind," he said as he wrapped it around my frame.

"Thanks."

Jungkook didn't bother smiling. His expression was grave as he stared at me. "Explain what happened."

"I was on my way to my dorm with Taehyung—"

"Wait, you two were alone?"

"Well, yes. I was originally with Hoseok and we ran into Taehyung, Namjoon, and Yoongi. Tae offered to walk me back and I was afraid to make it seem like I only trust Hoseok. I just... didn't want to risk him getting hurt, too." My eyes strayed to Jimin's vacant side of the room and my chest twinged.

Jungkook frowned, understanding sweeping over his features. "I get that, I do, but you're at a greater risk than he is. You have to take care of your own safety before anything else, alright?"

I nodded, but I knew deep down that I didn't regret putting myself at risk for Hoseok. What I did regret was not doing the same for Jimin.

"Jangmi, I mean it," he said, gently holding my chin to guide my gaze back to his. "I can't have you taken away from me again."

"What?" I whispered, grabbing his wrist and pulling his hand away. "What does that mean? Are you talking about me losing my memory or is there something else, too?"

"You know I can't tell you. You have to—"

"I have to remember on my own, I know," I sighed. "It's not fair. Everyone around me is so cryptic and secretive and I'm stuck waiting to learn what you mean, if that'll even happen at all."

"You're right, it's not fair. I hate that you forgot, and I know it's harder on you than it is on me. But we have to work around this despite how messed up it all is. I know you can do it."

His faith in me was clear, and it only deepened the ache to recall our shared history. Suddenly, the image of Jungkook's sketch of the two children came to mind.

"Jungkook, that drawing in your sketchbook...was that of us?"

His brow raised and he chuckled. "Are you talking about the one with the little boy and the little girl?"

"And the rose," I added.

"Right, the one I never showed you," he said. I froze, but he just laughed. "Never took you for the snoopy type."

"I'm sorry," I tried to apologize, but he waved me off.

"I don't want to risk answering you, but maybe if you look at it again, you'll remember something."

"It's worth a shot," I said, watching as he got up and went to his bedside table and opening the drawer. "Ah, I forgot to tell you what happened."

"Right, we got sidetracked. Go ahead." He pulled the sketchbook out and returned to his spot next to me.

"Taehyung was acting weird. He kept asking why I wasn't wearing that necklace and he started to say things about Hoseok... He really freaked me out, so I told him to go and he did, but as soon as I was walking alone, someone started following me—" I gasped as Jungkook reached for my hand.

"Nobody's going to touch you when I'm around."

Inhaling, I went on, "I saw a glimpse of him and I could hear him chasing me. I could feel him right on me. Then he was in my head, whispering my name." Chills pricked my skin at the remembrance of that distorted voice.

"Did you notice anything when you saw him? A profile? His height? Shoes?"

I shook my head. "No. No, it was dark and he was just a shape in the night. It was too quick for me to notice anything."

"Damn it. I didn't think he'd show up in person like that. Do you think it was Taehyung?"

Instinctively, I wanted to say it was him. The way he'd been acting—the urgency in his tone and his frustration towards me trusting Hoseok—was enough to make me believe it might've been him. But I had no way of knowing for sure.

"I really don't know. Maybe."

"Here," he said lightly as he placed the sketchbook on my lap. "Just... try to imagine yourself there."

Part of me must've anticipated what was to come as my core fluttered with nerves. I opened the cover and found the charcoal wolf staring back with its orange eyes. I flipped through the worn pages one by one, passing the tiger, the vase of flowers, the fiery eclipse, until finally, I found it.

Though it was the same as the first time, the drawing appeared sharper, more realistic than before. The young girl's features were uncannily similar to mine, and I wondered how I hadn't recognized her to be me before. The boy's identity remained unknown, and the rose in his outstretched hand seemed even brighter than it previously was.

I did as Jungkook suggested, concentrating on the scene and trying to place myself within it. The longer I absorbed each detail, the more they bloomed in front of my eyes. The red of the rose deepened in saturation and the paint bled across the page, splashing the rest of the drawing in different shades of color. The boy's hair darkened to black while the girl's went brown. Their skin livened as they gained new hues, and the grass at their feet began to sway. Their hair shifted in the breeze, and I could feel that same wind swirl around me as I was transported.

Like a vivid dream, I lived through the memory. But when it ended, another began, and then another. Soon, I was flooded with long-lost gems of my past with the boy named Jungkook, and each was more precious to me than diamond.

They kept coming, and it was only when my name was called that they stopped and I returned to the present. My gaze refocused, vision blurred with tears. I found Jungkook's eyes as emotional as mine.

He let out the faintest breath through smiling lips.

"Finally."

• • •

A/N: This took me too long to post, but i'm determined to update more consistently. I just have to make the time.

Things are picking up... are you ready for all that's to come? Let me know what you guys are thinking about how Tae acted, what he said about Hoseok, and let me know who you suspect was stalking her!

Thank you once again for reading and showing support.

Your loving author,
Kat ❤️

December 8, 2020