The rain continued to pour hard, but Taehyung didn't mind as he followed the man who was humming a song he hadn't heard before.

They had been walking for a while, turning in every corner which the man seemed to know too well.

"Where are we going?" Taehyung finally asked, his clothes soaked as he tried to catch up.

The man continued to hum as if he didn't hear anything which left Taehyung no choice but to follow quietly.

He didn't know how long they had walked, for his feet just followed the man's every step.

They stopped in front of a run-down establishment with most of its structure seemingly burnt by fire. It stood lifeless in the middle of the vast land enclosed by barb wires and caution signs that kept the people out of the place.

Taehyung stared at the man who revealed a secret passage hidden behind the bushes which led to the playground inside the property.

"Where are we?" Taehyung asked as he ducked down and followed the older who continued to hum as he sat on a swing.

"Somewhere fun." The man with raven hair said, swinging back and forth with the sound of the rustic swing echoing along with his laughter.

His face was far from the man who just killed someone in the alleyway. It's no longer grim, instead, it's glowing amid the darkness and the heavy rain.

"Should we try the slide?" The ravenette beamed, jumping out of the swing and hurrying to the slide.

Taehyung didn't say anything as he stared at the other. He could only look as the ravenette got lost in his own world like a child.

He's like a child trapped in a body of a teenager and this was his idea of fun.

"Come on!" The ravenette urged, letting himself slide down the muddy ground as he laughed.

He continued to urge Taehyung up the ladder and slide down where he was waiting for him.

"Go on." The ravenette said as Taehyung sat on the top of the slide.

"Hyung will catch you." The ravenette continued, making Taehyung stare at him for the longest time.

"Come on. Don't be scared." He added, mistaking Taehyung's silence as that of being scared.

He's not afraid, not that he knew how that felt. He's far from being scared.

What made him stop and stare was the look the ravenette was giving him. He couldn't put a name on it, but it was the same look his brother Jin always had for him.

Was it fondness? Care?

Taehyung couldn't tell as he let himself slide onto the welcoming arms of the ravenette who caught him before his feet could touch the muddy ground.

"See? I told you hyung would catch you." The ravenette uttered as Taehyung silently stared at him.

"Hyung.." Taehyung repeated the word as he gazed at the other.

Was it really the same man drenched in blood moments ago?

The same man who cut a knife through a man's flesh until he bled like a cattle?

It's the same man having fun playing in the playground in the middle of the night as the heavy rain continued to pour down.

———

Friday, Taehyung and Jimin went to their university to process some papers for their internship and to have a talk with a professor of theirs regarding their thesis for the next semester.

It's the only thing they'll be needing to accomplish to finally graduate before the end of the year.

"So I'm thinking of a program that would be helpful for the blind. What's your say about that?" Jimin asked as Taehyung and him went out of the university's cafeteria after a long talk with their professor.

They had a few ideas and notes from the conversation regarding the perfect thesis to ace the coming semester.

"That's a good choice, Jimin. Let's just go with that goal in mind." Taehyung uttered.

"Are you sure? Let me hear your idea." Jimin urged as they stopped and sat on the bleachers surrounding the football field.

Taehyung thought for a long time before an image came to mind.

"I want something that could read people's emotions..." He whispered which made Jimin stare at his blank face.

"Even without them saying what's on their mind.. I want to know the emotions they're trying to hide...." Taehyung added before turning his head to see Jimin with his eyes directed to him.

"It's not really a plausible one though..." Taehyung said after a while as he stared back to the field.

"It's actually achievable. Let's search for other thesis references and make it possible." Jimin said as he smiled.

"I actually like the idea, Tae." He added, making Taehyung turn to look at him once again.

"Let's work on that, my thesis buddy!" Jimin grinned, resting his arm on Taehyung's shoulder.

Taehyung didn't say anything as he felt his phone suddenly vibrate. He fished it out of his pocket as Jimin tried to peek.

"Who's that?" Jimin asked, having a glimpse of the name plastered on the screen. He was only able to read the word 'hyung' which made him thought of Jin.

"Is that Jin-hyung?" Jimin asked, but Taehyung was quick to place the phone back inside his pocket after reading the message he received.

Taehyung didn't answer as he stood and gazed at the other.

"Let's get going, Jimin." Taehyung said as he started walking with Jimin following behind in a rush.

"Why? Did something happen to Jin-hyung?" Jimin asked as the two of them went out of the university gate.

"I have somewhere to go to. I'll text you once I'm home." Taehyung said instead of answering the other's question.

He started walking the opposite way which made Jimin gaze at his retreating back with worry in his eyes.

He was about to go after Taehyung when his phone vibrated with a call from an anonymous number.

He hesitantly picked it up and was welcomed by a voice of a man.

"Hello, Mr. Park Jimin."

Jimin's brows formed a line at the mention of his name.

"Who's this?" He asked in a careful tone.

"Do you have a moment to spare? I would like to have a word with you." The man said which only deepened the crease on Jimin's forehead.

———

Taehyung turned the corner going to the park near the university and immediately saw the familiar back of the person who sent the message to him earlier.

"You told me you won't be following me today, hyung." Taehyung whispered as he stood in front of the ravenette who lifted his head to meet his gaze.

"Did I?" Jungkook uttered with a grin as he patted the space next to him, urging Taehyung to sit.

The latter did, sitting next to the ravenette who was continuously eyeing him.

"And what's with the message you sent? I told you not to joke something like that." Taehyung muttered, remembering the text message he received earlier which Jimin almost saw.

That Hyung
Tell that Jimin to remove his arm around your shoulder if he doesn't want me to remove it from him.... permanently

"I never said anything about it being a joke." Jungkook retorted.

"Hyung.." Taehyung called and it sounded like a warning to Jungkook even if it's void of any emotion.

"Okay, fine. It's a joke." Jungkook gave in before ruffling Taehyung's hair.

"But next time, I wouldn't guarantee it would still be a joke." Jungkook suddenly whispered as he leaned near to Taehyung's ear.

"There won't be a next time, then." Taehyung responded, gazing back at those dark orbs that seemed to get darker the longer he stared at them.

"Good." Jungkook smiled, a satisfied one before pecking his lips for the shortest kiss.

"Should we grab something to eat?" The ravenette asked after a while to which Taehyung nodded.

As Jungkook stood, he took Taehyung's hand with him and filled the gaps between their fingers with each other's hands and warmth.

———
Note: Italicized = past/flashback
I hope you don't get lost in the pacing of this story. It's going back and forth like my mind 🤣

Love you 💜