"What are you saying, Aehyun?" Yoongi was confused, looking at the boy in front of him. Taehyung used his gestures, trying to tell him the whole story, which was only counterproductive.

After struggling for a couple of minutes, Taehyung decided to let go of the story and pointed at the number written on the page.

"You want to know about this number?" Yoongi confirmed with Taehyung and seeing him nod, Yoongi knew what they needed to do. They headed back to the street and the phone booth. Yoongi dialed the number, and Taehyung watched him like a hawk as he spoke to someone on the other side.

Taehyung tapped his foot impatiently, and shuffled his body anxiously as Yoongi spoke in hushed voices, with the occasional 'okay' and 'yes'. It was not reassuring to Taehyung. At all. He tapped on Yoongi's shoulder to ask, "Who is it?" with his hands.

Yoongi held up his free hand, signaling Taehyung to wait. After what seemed forever to Taehyung, Yoongi looked at him. "It is a foundation. A care home of sorts for children. It is called, 'You Matter'. And it is some five hours away from here." Yoongi saw the expression change on Taehyung's face. He hadn't known Jungkook's backstory in its entirety and had always felt that there was a missing piece somewhere, and this information somehow seemed to fit in as the last piece of the puzzle.

Taehyung stood frozen and Yoongi jolted him out of it. "You think Jungkook went there?"

When Taehyung nodded back, it was as if he didn't even know what he was doing. He was still staring at Yoongi for answers that Yoongi still didn't have.

Without waiting for any more words from Taehyung, he picked up the receiver and dialed back.

He kept trying to convince the person at the other end to tell him if someone by the name of Jungkook was there. He hung up after he realized that no one would share that piece of information.

"It's very late in the night. Let's go there tomorrow morning. We can leave around 5 am if you want," Yoongi explained to Taehyung slowly. Taehyung, who was still in a trance.

****************************************

As the sun shone at its brightest at 10 am, the facility with the cosy and family home vibe came into view for Taehyung and Yoongi. Its grand entrance had a sweeping flight of stairs and at the top of the stairs, a stunning metal board stood welcoming visitors. The artistic letters on it shared a heartfelt combination of letters, spelling out, "You Matter". The facility's architecture was a blend of the Greek style in white with tall columns and splashes of blue. The landscape had lush green manicured gardens, dotted with the vibrant colours of various breeds of flowers.

It was unfortunate (maybe not) that Taehyung and Yoongi could not take all that in. Taehyung's only aim was to reach the main office gate as he walked with the precision of a bullet, and Yoongi just sprinted him behind to keep up.

As they entered the cottage style interiors, they realised that it was a dimly lit large room. Yoongi sat beside Taehyung who was tapping his foot too loud and too vigorously. He didn't hear the sound of it, but it was screaming against the pin drop silence.

At the opposite end of the table was sitting a man in his late 60s, who was referred to as Ahjussi by the few people around him. The man's face revealed a mix of a lot of emotions. Some of them Yoongi could read - surprise, judgement, scepticism, and worry. A lot of worry. There were other emotions too, Yoongi could feel them but he couldn't read them.

"So you are Aehyun?" The old man asked Taehyung. Taehyung wasn't paying attention or looking at him. His attention was captured by something on the window. It was a wind chime, made out of origami swans, five of them, two coloured, and the rest, plain. They were the exact replica of the ones that adorned the windows and terrace of his house. Their house.

"Ahjussi, Jungkook ran off some days ago. We were all at the Seoul Music Museum and everything was fine, till it suddenly wasn't." Yoongi went on to narrate the events of that fateful day and each day that followed, emphasising on everything that Taehyung went through, and especially on how much he missed Jungkook.

Ahjussi sat there, listening, his face betraying no emotions, nothing breaking his facade, as he kept assessing Taehyung from head to toe.

"You have come here... looking for Jungkook? Why?" Ahjussi asked both of them, Taehyung was now looking at the man who was blinking faster than usual for anyone.

Yoongi spoke for them, and Taehyung concentrated on his lips with every fibre of his body. "Jungkook had a diary and the number for this facility was written on one of the pages. So, we thought, As a last resort..."

Taehyung couldn't help but notice how the old man fiddled with the paperweight on the table. His body language too loud when he spoke, "Why would Jungkook be here...I mean, why would Jungkook be here... He died, last I heard." He said with great difficulty in breathing, as he shot up from his chair.

"Jungkook is not here." Taehyung read on the old man's lips. "Jungkook is not here." The words kept echoing in Taehyung's head. All he could see was the movement of the paperweight which Ahjussi threw on the table, and the wind chime.

His mind calculated that the stand was "Jungkook is not here." That meant only one thing - none of them there would help him.

************************************

It took him a fraction of a second to make a decision. He got up from his seat and ran towards the rooms of the facility. It happened with such speed that no one could immediately control it.

Taehyung looked inside the first room he saw, and then ran to the second. Then to the third.

"Catch hold of him. Hold him." The shouts from Ahjussi echoed across the halls. As the guards and the caretaker ran behind Taehyung, Yoongi took the lead and ran a little faster. He knew that Taehyung believed Jungkook was there, and he would help him look for Jungkook. Taehyung, by that time, had run through numerous rooms and two floors but no one could catch him. (Running away from people had always been his strength).

Taehyung then ran outside the cottage as the outside areas had large windows, he ran from window to window, looking for his Jungkook. Suddenly, Yoongi stopped in his steps. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the sight. He stood on the green grass looking at Taehyung feeling helpless and sad.

After doing a round of the 20 plus windows on the ground floor and still not finding what he was looking for, Taehyung now ran a little outside towards the garden. Somehow, he felt that the windows on the first floor held the answers he was looking for. But what could he do? For probably the second time in his life (after his dad fell sick) he wanted to shout with everything he had, but he couldn't. But suddenly, he just removed his right shoe, and started throwing it up in the air, to the height of the first floor windows, hoping Jungkook would be there and praying that he saw it.

Everyone around them, the guards, the caretaking staff, Yoongi, and Ahjussi froze at the sight. Not a single pair of eyes were left dry as they watched him not give up. Each time the shoe fell to the grass, Taehyung picked it up and threw it up again. And again. And again. Tears rolling down his cheeks. Slowly, the speed with which he was picking up the shoe and throwing it back up, started to come down. Everyone just stood and watched, seeing him tire out.

Ahjussi was torn. He knew how much Jungkook had suffered. When Jungkook had called the centre from Seoul, Ahjussi had asked him to come straight to him. He had explained how to reach and what transport to take.The facade of death would free him from his parents playing ping pong with taking him away and leaving him back here. They would get their money and Jungkook would get his home. He had always been happy there.

Yoongi sat on the stairs, crying. He didn't have the strength to hold back his emotions anymore. To see the happiest person he had ever known, breaking down like this, struggling like this in front of his eyes was too much for him. He decided he would let Taehyung get through his emotions and he would wait.

Ahjussi also stood there and waited for things to pan out. If Jungkook saw the sign or whatever Taehyung was trying to do, and decided to come out, he would. It was his decision. (And what if he didnt? Well then that was how it was meant to be)

After what seemed like an eternity, Taehyung stood still, and Yoongi understood that he was ready to go. Yoongi picked up the shoe and handed it to Taehyung. They bowed their goodbyes to everyone still staring at them.The walk from the garden towards the gate seemed to be one of the longest walks to Yoongi, where he led and Taehyung followed him a few steps behind.

They approached that flight of stairs when suddenly Yoongi's feet froze. He heard something. He heard a song. And he heard the voice singing it. It was unmistakable.

Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me

Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me.

Something inside him told him Jungkook was closeby. He took another moment to steel his heart and to make sure before turning around and saying anything to Taehyung. And then Yoongi turned to look at Taehyung with happy tears in his eyes.

Taehyung was confused for a second, but even before Yoongi could say what he was about to, both of them had to shut their eyes because of the blinding light .

It was a sharp glow of a mirror reflection, coming from behind him. Taehyung stilled, took a deep breath, hung his head low for a moment, and for the first time in a few days Yoongi saw a hint of a smile on that face. It was the beginning of a signature Taehyung smile. And he couldn't feel happier for Taehyung, who took a few seconds to gather his wits, exhaled a deep breath, as if pushing out all the sadness and worry he was holding inside of him, wiped his face and instantly the Aehyun selling balloon animals to kids was back.

And as he looked up, he saw his Jungkook. Standing there at the window of the first floor, waving out to Taehyung crazily.

Taehyung ran.

He ran to the first floor, crossing Ahjussi, hugging him on his way out of sheer excitement, which was a stark difference from the Taehyung they had seen a few minutes ago. He kept slipping and falling and tripping as he ran upstairs. And there, inside one of the rooms was Jungkook. He stopped one foot away from Jungkook and he kept looking at the younger one. Jungkook stole glances, a lot of glances at Taehyung, biting his lower lip, colour filling his cheeks and giggling like a child.

After taking the sight of a safe and sound Jungkook in, Taheyung's first instinct was landing a tight whack at him. For making him cry, for making him worry, and above all, for putting his own safety at risk by running away. He let his arms fling in absolute agony and anger, and in relief, big relief.

They didn't care about the surroundings. They didn't pay attention to anyone around them. Taehyung let his arms fall and closed the distance between them placing his forehead close, very close to Jungkook's. Jungkook didn't move. Not even a millimeter. But then, he barged forward for the last centimeter and almost crashed their foreheads together. Taehyung was ecstatic.

Not a single person around them could remain unmoved by the story that unfolded in front of them that day!

All the runs and the chases, the chaos and the heartbreaks, the tears and the fatigue disappeared into thin air as Jungkook found his way back to holding on to the corner of Taehyung's shirt. For life. Did Taehyung do the searching? Or did Jungkook come out of his hiding place? Perfect love stories never need that answer.

Because love does not need words, or language, or the right season. And lovers do not need reasons. They just need love.

The best part was they never looked for reasons even after, they just stayed in love!!